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It must be a deal or no deal. We are all not perfect. Time and again we have come short of the Glory of God. When we identify our mistakes, we correct them and try to make them better so we are able to leave in harmony with the rest sharing and caring for one another. It is the promise from God. We as a people, are better off when there is peace and unity. Peace and unity cannot thrive where some people already planned to short-change others by selling off their birth right to deny others survival and livelihood. You cannot trust someone who plan to kill you and destroy your life by making you their slave. A slave have no freedom nor can they claim human rights of any kind……but God created you to share and enjoy natural benefits of His Blessings God perfected from creation. It is the reason why God told King Pharaoh of Egypt to "Let My People Go" and God saved His people from the oppression and snares of the evil one where we were Redeemed from works and plans of the Evil by paying a price for our life. Should we give a smaller evil a chance once again to destroy us when God has good plan for us in the Reform Change. Do you think the Reform Change came by surprise; no, God is in this plan. We shall not give any small devil an opportunity to destroy us. We shall use the power of the people God gave us presently to defeat the evil. Good people, God has good plans for us, plan that will save the environment from the evil ones pollution, will save nature and human beings livelihood and survival if only we shall engage in doing good and involve in the right perspective to make things better. We can only do this if we refuse the evil and the corrupt who have pushed our lives into careless killings, pain and sufferings. A leader worth his salt should be responsible with integrity. This is the measure we must evaluate on all prospective candidates vying for public office irrespectively and without discrimination or favor. The voice from wilderness is sending you good news to engage people power to change your lifestyle and improve your destiny. The whole world is on our side and we shall not go wrong. Charge the evil ones and the corrupt in the Supreme Court of Law and penalize them from not honoring Peoples Public Mandate and refusing to be in compliance according to agreement in the Oath of Office they swore to uphold. Men and Women of wisdom are already speaking out and are sounding an alarm, they already made good moves and some had gone to court and their cases thrown out…….we must make a consolidated force of unity and stick together to demand justice, heed our advice and take a stand; let us move to Supreme Court united with additional claims revised. It must be a deal or no deal………We must not fall in a trap to give in to no lesser evil. They must all be tried for the evil they committed in engaging in Land Grabbing we must own our land and survive making deals that are with dignity, those that protects and preserve live…..e.g. Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) shoulders the most crucial challenge of guaranteeing and and conducting a legitimate transparency and accountability electioneering process based on Reform Change Constitutionality with consideration threshold of Responsibility with integrity conducted under a reliable, secure, safe, and efficient elections which are free from flaws or any kind of fraud. Today IEBC is failing Kenyans and remedy is "People Power" to go lodge official legal complain to the Supreme Court and take Chief Justice to task upon his word of Integrity. Reasons are in addition as follows: 1) Judge gives KRA nod to demand MPs' unpaid taxes, these are conditions candidates seeking public office must show responsibilities with integrity before they can qualify……. Quote: "High Court judge Weldon Korir held that the MPs were not exempted from paying taxes on their income since Article 210 of the Constitution provides that the burden of taxation shall be shared fairly. He said that the National Assembly Remuneration Act, which exempted MPs from paying taxes was enacted before the promulgation of the new Constitution and that it must be brought into conformity with the Law. "The country is coming from a background of greed and financial misappropriation. Public money has in the past not always been applied in its intended purpose of the development of a country and it is for this reason that principles of public finance were included in the Constitution," said judge Korir. He noted that it would be absurd for the lawmakers to claim they expected to continue to be exempted from payment of taxes on their allowances since they were aware that under the new dispensation, MPs would be expected to shoulder their portion of the tax burden. "The Constitution is the supreme law of this country. It is the will of the people, the mandate they give to direct the manner in which they ought to be governed." The judge also said all persons working in the country were subject to payment of taxes, a duty he said could not be contracted out, by an agreement between any arms of the government. He said the Executive and Legislature exercised delegated public power and were therefore constrained by the Constitution and could not exercise any power or perform any functions that were beyond those conferred by law. "The Executive cannot donate an illegal benefit and if it does, it is an act done in violation of the Constitution, notwithstanding the consequences of the contravention. Equally, parliamentarians are not entitled to accept an unlawful advancement of monies belonging to the citizens of this country," said judge Korir. The State, according to him, had only one choice when it came to implementation and application of taxation to public officers which he noted was, to obey the Constitution by enforcing and applying the clear provisions of the Constitution. He said that if any of its agents made the mistake of failing to honor the said constitutional obligation, the party must immediately make amends rectifying the error by remitting any taxes that have not been paid. Some 18 human rights group members among them retired Presbyterian Church of East Africa minister Timothy Njoya had filed a constitutional reference last year seeking a declaration that all State officers including MPs were under obligation to pay taxes. They were also seeking to reverse a State directive to all permanent secretaries to refund all taxes deducted from ministers and their assistants". 2) The suspicion Kenyans exhibited against the police force following the 2008 violence still exists. The need to act firmly and uphold the law is key if wananchi are to work with the National Police Service. The National Police Service need to ensure that all persons recruited and deployed at polling and tallying centers are conversant with the law. Political parties need to ensure that all persons to whom they issue Party Certificates are sensitized on relevant laws especially sections of the NCI Act 2008 regarding hate speech and other laws relating to keeping peace and non-incitement to violence that; Elections are important in any democratic society but the continuity of the nation is bigger than each and all. Thus the general populace needs to respect the law and remember at all times to put KENYA KWANZA!.....says, Mzalendo N. Kibunjia, PhD., EBS COMMISSION CHAIRMAN on Sunday, January 27, 2013 Show-case: Over 200 heavily armed bandits made away with hundreds of sheep and goats on the eve of Christmas In Samburu, Kenya: Barely a month after bandits killed 42 police officers in Samburu, more than 200 heavily armed cattle rustlers have invaded and attacked Waso Ronkai village and fled with hundreds of sheep and goats. The incident in Samburu North occurred at 11pm when the residents were preparing to usher in Christmas Day. Three families were attacked in the incident. The more than 700 police officers currently stationed in Samburu North did not stop the raid despite receiving a report as the raiders fled with the livestock. "The residents of Samburu North have strongly complained to the Government over persistent attacks and raids by bandits at Masikita and Kawap in Samburu North and the stealing of camels, cattle, sheep and goats from the area," said Lenkai Parsulai, a resident. Insecurity Fourty two guns were stolen from the police officers killed in Suguta valley in Baragoi and it is suspected they are now being used in the increased roadside robberies targeting those travelling for the Christmas holidays from Baragoi to Maralal. Tension increased last week after bandits from Baragoi attacked Allamano village and police also recovered a mobile phone belonging to one of the police officers killed in Suguta valley in Maralal town. 3) The Constitution of Kenya, 2010 and Sessional Paper No.3 of 2009 on the National Land Policy (NLP) provide for a new classification of land to be known as "Community Land". Under the Constitution, Community lands are to vest in and be held by communities that are identified on the basis of ethnicity, culture or similar community of interest. The Constitution further directs Parliament to enact legislation to give effect to the creation of community land. On the other hand, evictions have, for decades, taken place in Kenya, especially in informal settlements in contravention of international human rights standards. Mass evictions have usually involved Government Projects or private developers claiming ownership of land on which some of the settlements stand. Sessional Paper No.3 of 2009 on the National Land Policy requires the Government to establish an appropriate framework for evictions, based on internationally acceptable guidelines. We have tangible list of Land Grabbers who must face the law before they are engaged in Public Office, threshold of the same in Responsibility and integrity must take prominence and we cannot be hoodwinked with fake commissions to cover their evils…… 4) Jacob Omolo wrote his Labour Market and Policy Interventions paper in 1978, the unemployment rate in Kenya then stood at 6.7 per cent. Twenty years later in 1998, the figure had risen to 25.1 per cent. James Kariuki, a sociology lecturer at the University of Nairobi, says unemployment is viewed as a sign of failure by our, society and the society rejects those that cannot meet the expectations put on them. Youth unemployment is "a time bomb that calls for urgent action" Prime Minister's Office flawed in Youth Project Funds, we demand Responsibility with Integrity over Youth Project Fund and that Raila to face threshold of the same in the Supreme Court of Law before he can vie for any other public office including any other claims pending of integrity with vision 2030 as well as Sykamau evictions including other case-scenarios must not pass threshold of Supreme Court justice. Unemployment disrupts life and leaves it's victims basking in disgrace. After a long period of unemployment with being driven into displacements are reasons for mental frustrations and illness makes individuals of circumstances to succumbs into deterioration of sociological and psychological conditions that causes victims to loose dignity and pride to livelihood and survival and eventually makes them vulnerable to criminal and other unacceptable lifestyle. These are victims of forced conditional circumstances by the corrupt that must face threshold of integrity before any of such corrupt characters are accepted back into public office. The consolidated petition will now be heard on February 6, and only for one day. However lawyers indicated the likelihood of taking the matter to the Supreme Court if and after Uhuru and Ruto are cleared by the IEBC. The Supreme Court ruled recently that it would be the forum to deal with any disputes arising from the nomination of presidential candidates by the IEBC except those by the political parties. On or before 29th January 2013, Lawyer Lucy Akaka said Mr Weda intended to withdraw from the case due to conflict of interest. Ms Akaka was instructed to inform their clients of the intention to withdraw and to have them present in persons in court on the hearing day. 5) IEBC is wrong to shelve vetting and illicityly and unconstitutionally delivered Certificates to candidates. The group (ICPC) warns…….The International Centre for Policy and Conflict (ICPC) has now written to the electoral commission to protest against plans to shelve vetting of candidates. ICPC in its letter dated January 11 to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) wants to ensure full compliance with leadership and integrity conditions set in the Constitution. ICPC Executive Director Ndung'u Wainaina said the Constitution gives the commission the sole mandate on all matters touching on conduct, control and supervision of elections. "Therefore, determining the suitability, ethics and integrity of public office seekers falls squarely on the shoulders of the commission," Ndung'u said. Criminal records In September 2012, ICPC had petitioned the court to compel IEBC to make candidates' history and criminal records (if any) accessible to the public for informed decision-making. "Your office opposed our intention by arguing that our petition was speculative, as you have not failed to develop a detailed code of conduct that is Chapter Six compliant," Ndung'u's letter to IEBC boss Isaack Hassan reads in part. The High Court, in the Mumo Matemu case, was quite unequivocal that any person who has pending integrity issues is not fit to hold public office and according to the civil society group, IEBC should read from it in setting the mechanisms to vet aspirants. "To our mind, therefore, a person is said to lack integrity when there are serious unresolved questions about his honesty, financial probity, scrupulousness, fairness, and reputation, soundness of his moral judgment or his commitment to the national values enumerated in the Constitution." The letter added: "In our view, for purposes of the integrity test in our Constitution, there is no requirement that the behaviour, attribute or conduct in question has to rise to the threshold of criminality. It therefore follows that the fact that a person has not been convicted of a criminal offence is not dispositive of the inquiry whether they lack integrity or not." Reasonable doubt The ICPC boss argued that the same standards of integrity were reiterated by the judicial tribunal that investigated the conduct of the former deputy Chief Justice, who was removed from office for misconduct. "This decision of the tribunal conclusively shows that the standard of proof in ethics and integrity for public office holders is neither that of the criminal law, that is beyond reasonable doubt nor that in civil cases, which is on a balance of probability," he said. 6) In September, the petitioners through their lawyer Ambrose Weda amended the case to include the names of Raila, Mudavadi, and Kalonzo. They raised questions about their suitability for public office over varying allegations ranging from abuse of office, nepotism and corruption, among others claims. The amendment was rejected by the High Court prompting the petitioners to withdraw the case late last year. The Public Corruption, Ethics and Governance Watch lobby group and activist Charles Mwangi sought to bar Mr Odinga, Mr Musyoka and Mr Mudavadi from seeking public office on claims that their candidature contravened Chapter Six of the Constitution on leadership and integrity. According to the groups, a leader is contemplated to be someone who carries dignity, legitimacy and has the people's trust and confidence and that electing any person committed to trial would bring dishonour to the office and seriously affect the person's ability to discharge his duties. Unfortunately IEBC have issued Mr. Odinga, Musyoka and Mudavadi certificate to contest and this must be contested at the Supreme Courts. It is why Raila, Kalonzo, Mudavadi is not yet out of integrity suit. IEBC concerns raised: IEBC accused of overlooking misconduct…. • They say IEBC has been helping in defilement of the Constitution by failing to stamp their authority and bring sanity in the electoral process • Led by lawyer Harun Ndubi (right), they said commisssion has continued to disregard parametres and principles set out in the Constitution • They have also ignored several reports regarding the conduct of some political aspirants On January 28 2013 at 00:00 GMT+3 Reported By Rawlings otieno The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has been advised to bar candidates with questionable integrity and character from contesting in the General Election. A section of the civil society members under the banner of Kenya for Peace with Truth and Justice said IEBC has been helping in defilement of the Constitution by failing to stamp their authority and bring sanity in the electoral process. Led by lawyer Harun Ndubi, the group accused the IEBC of condoning electoral malpractices, which they are supposed to enforce. "The Elections and the Electoral Offences Act clearly states their mandate and how they are supposed to conduct the elections. Extending the deadline for submission of the party list is by itself rigging, which is an offence under the Act," said Ndubi……and is therefore unconstitutional. The group said IEBC has continued to disregard parametres and principles set out in the Constitution and other relevant legislation through practices such as party hopping and accused them of ignoring several reports, which had been presented to it for review concerning the conduct of some political aspirants. Speaking during a Press briefing at a Nairobi hotel yesterday, the group lashed out at the electoral body and the Registrar of Political Parties for failing to rein in errant political parties. They took issue with the parties for conducting their nominations using the IEBC voter registrations book instead of the political party's registrar, citing that the move was against the Political Parties Act. Case of Flawed nominations: Ndubi also said it is the IEBC that should stop candidates with leadership and integrity issues from contesting the various political seats. He said the Commission of Administrative Justice had given a damning report of some 24 candidates including TNA's Mike Mbuvi vying for senatorial position in Nairobi County and also former Embakasi MP Ferdinand Waititu who got the nod to contest the Nairobi gubernatorial seat, to be stopped from contesting. The group also wants the parties that conducted flawed nominations to be punished by Law for allowing their supporters to cause violence. The Political Parties Act states: A political party shall not engage in or encourage violence by its members or supporters. "The institution charged with the regulation of political affairs has displayed a disturbing reluctance to enforce their respective mandate. IEBC has repeatedly shifted timelines for the submission of nomination lists," said Ndubi. They threatened to use all the means including filing petitions at the High Court to stop such candidates from contesting…..This must now be filed to Supreme Court of Justice under Peoples Power Claims……. 7) Planning expert Patrick Adhola said a governor of a city like Nairobi is like a president in waiting and needs to understand urban economy. Candidates integrity that have been issued with certificates are still questionable, how can people elect candidates of questionable circumstances…… do we trust these candidates with national economy whose understanding to gubernatorial position is unknown, but is expected to understand the Urban Area and Cities Act as clear as crystal, and provide manifesto details of plan of action showing public "How To" he/she expects to engage in County Development proving they know and understand how urban finance works ???........ "The candidates should give reasons why we should trust them with our future," Mr Adhola said. The director for Centre for Urban Planning and Innovations in University of Nairobi Prof Peter Ngao said research on urban poor in Kenya indicated that urban poor spaces have highly educated people but live in worst human conditions. Prof Ngao said gubernatorial candidates should tell Kenyans there agenda for informal settlements. He regretted that there is growing polarization with ethnic clashes being witnessed in some slums, a thing that would spoil the cities development. Prof Omenya called for planned housing for urban poor saying highly unequal societies were also the most insecure. Together we are strong, divided we loose…….Spread the word so together we shall gain the Reform Change we have been struggling for and achieve peace united in love sharing and caring for one another………It is the promise from God…….. Cheers……!!!! ICC: Mention of Uhuru, Ruto cases set for Feb 14 Updated 2 hrs 59 mins ago By Wahome Thuku KENYA; The twin criminal cases against Jubilee Alliance luminaries Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto will be mentioned before the International Criminal Court (ICC) mid this month. Lawyers representing the two will be travelling to The Hague on February 14 for the status conferences, according to sources. But Uhuru and Ruto, who are Jubilee presidential candidate and running mate, may skip the sessions as they are not required to be present when the cases go for the status conference before ICC's Trial Chamber V. Their trials for crimes against humanity start at The Hague on April 10 and 11, a time when the country could be going for a rerun of the presidential elections. Status conferences are provided for under Article 64(3) of the Rome Statute for the court and the parties to set a trial date, confer on the necessary procedure for fair and expeditious trials, determine the language to be used in the proceedings, and agree on a timetable and scope for disclosure of documents and information for adequate preparation for the case. These will be the second twin status conferences, the first having been held in June last year. COMMENTS: ceaser1 February 2013 5:23 PM The real culprits who have the fancy name of PRINCIPALS over whom people maimed,killed and destroyed are enjoying the unfolding the circus that is the ICC selective justice process unfold. The two are squarely politically responsible (by ommision and commision) for the escalation of the chaos and due to the grave consequencies of their irresponsibility so are they criminally culpable too. If particulary Raila goes ICC free for making inflammatory statements before during and after the 2007 elections (I have video evidence to support that),then we his victims will seek legal redress elsewhere whether he wins or not. Battle looms in Nyanza as hopefuls get IEBC nod Updated Friday, February 01 2013 at 00:00 GMT+3
By Evelyn Kwamboka And Rushdie Oudia Kisumu County A major contest is looming in Nyanza as aspirants 'rigged' out of the nominations submit certificates from other political parties in readiness for the March General Election. The aspirants, comprising veteran politicians, sought solace in smaller parties mainly within the CORD alliance, a move that is likely to challenge the dominance of Orange Democratic Movement in the region. The aspirants aggrieved by ODM's decision to 'award' certificates to their rivals after the party's election board chairman Franklin Bett's ordered for fresh nominations that never took place in Homa Bay, Migori and Kisumu, are set to hit the campaign trail with an intention to 'prove a point' during the March 4 elections. Former MPs Olago-Oluoch (Kisumu West), Ochieng' Daima (Nyakach), Martin Ogindo (Rangwe), and ODM official John Magaiwa and Grace Akumu, were some of those affected in the nominations. Flawed nominations Yesterday, Ford-Kenya, Wiper Democratic Movement (WDM) and People's Democratic Party (PDP) became the main beneficiaries of the flawed nominations. The repeat was not held in constituencies such as Seme, Kisumu West, Nyakach, Nyando and Muhoroni, and instead ODM gave tickets to people selected by the party. Most aspirants, who left for Nairobi after ODM failed to hold a repeat of nominations in the three counties, presented their papers to the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission as they prepared to hit the ground with their campaigns. In Kisumu County, former MP Olago-Oluoch will be contesting the Kisumu West parliamentary on a Ford-Kenya ticket. "I defected from ODM to Ford-Kenya due to rigged nominations that denied me a certificate despite winning," said Olago. The former MP, who is to battle it out with Rozah Buyu, said he did not want to go to court over the issue and that is why he sought the Ford-Kenya ticket. Ironically, during the 2007 primaries, Buyu accused ODM of rigging her out in favour of Olago after the party gave the lawyer-cum-politician the ticket for the Kisumu West parliamentary seat. Daima, who moved to Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka's Wiper party would square off with with Owuor Aduma. In the nullified nomination preliminary results, Aduma is said to have beaten the former MP with 12,422 votes against 6296. Other newcomers perceived to be strong on the ground have also started their campaigns. They include Abdulkadir Omar, who defected from ODM after his rival for the Kisumu Central parliamentary seat, Ken Obura, was declared the winner in the nominations. Repeat polls In Homa Bay County, Immigration Minister Otieno Kajwang', who was nominated despite the party's failure to hold a repeat of the polls, is set to battle it out with Hilary Alila. Alila, who was kicked out of the race by ODM's decision to award the ticket to Kajwang', will be gunning for the seat on a PDP ticket. "Kajwang' should prepare for a tough battle and I will give him a run for his money because people know what happened in the nominations," Alila told The Standard. On the issue of some candidates from smaller parties stepping down for those perceived to be strong on the ground, Alila said he is in the race to the end. Siaya County, which was another trouble spot during the ODM primaries, is also an area to watch in the coming General Election. Yesterday, Mr William Oduol, who was disqualified alongside Dr Oburu Odinga, also presented his papers to the IEBC. He will be seeking the Siaya County governor seat on a National Agenda Party of Kenya. "Despite all the hurdles erected along my political path by ODM, the electorates have confidence in me," he said. Oduol defected to NAPK after ODM gave direct nomination to Cornel Rasanga following a dispute between him and the PM's elder brother Oburu Oginga. Nyanza region has also not been left out in the legal battles that arose from the nominations. Rarieda former MP Nicholas Gumbo, who had been awarded the ticket by ODM, was temporarily stopped by a court order from presenting his papers to IEBC. Court order Mr Okong'o Omogeni also obtained interim orders stopping IEBC from clearing veteran politician Abuya Abuya on an ODM ticket for the Nyamira County Senate. Court orders were also issued against candidates nominated by ODM in Nyatike and Kuria East. The contest for the Kisumu Senate, in which Jubilee Alliance has fielded a candidate to battle it out with ODM's Anyang' Nyong'o and Gerge Weda IEBC tender case to proceed, court rules Updated 3 hrs 32 mins ago By Mwaniki Munuhe KENYA: The High Court has allowed a case challenging the award of a tender to print millions of ballot papers to proceed. Three firms are seeking to stop the multi-billion shilling deal between the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and a supplier in the UK. The case has been allowed to proceed on grounds the petitioners – Kalamazoo Secure Solutions, Ren-Form CC and Aerovote – have raised credible concerns on how the contract was awarded. On Friday, High Court Judge George Dunga said procurement by public bodies should never be done "indiscriminately and in a clandestine manner." Efforts by IEBC and the supplier, Smith & Ouzman, to block the petition were unsuccessful. In challenging the deal, the petitioners question Smith & Ouzman's financial capacity to print the ballot papers, saying the company has made losses for the last four years. They also claim the company is under investigation by the UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO), a matter that could interfere with the printing and delivery of the ballot papers. The SFO would not confirm or deny the firm was under investigation. The petitioners have also raised issues in regard to inconsistencies in the contract ranging from the dates of acceptance, award, international delivery conditions, bidding and whether or not IEBC, a public institution, subjected the deal to competitive tendering. IEBC denies aspirants clearance Updated Friday, February 01 2013 at 00:00 GMT+3
By Anthony Gitonga The Independent, Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) locked out several political aspirants for failing to meet requirements for clearance. Among those denied the green light was former cooperative's Permanent Secretary Patrick Khaemba (New Ford -Kenya),Jack Raguma (ODM), both gunning for governor's seats in Trans Nzoia and Kisumu. Mr Edwin Yinda, who was seeking the Alego-Usonga parliamentary seat, was also locked out. In Mombasa, former MD Kenya Ports Authority Abdalla Mwaruwa (TNA, Mombasa gubernatorial seat) was also turned away because he did not have a clearance certificate from the Commission for Higher Educations (CHE). Certify The same applied to Khaemba and Raguma who have until on Friday to clear with the CHE in Nairobi and dash back to present their certificates. In Turkana Central, IEBC co-ordinator George Omondi said Mr Abok Ilikwel, a former Kenya Airports Authority sergeant, did not adhere to the Commission's deadline on resignations. An aspirant vying for the gubernatorial seat in Murang'a County was turned away due to lack of a letter certifying his degree as genuine. Mr Julius Kaberere could not raise a document to certify the degree he held was from an institution recognised by the Commission for Higher Education. And in Naivasha, the tribunal revoked the nominations of parliamentary candidate John Karanja and Esther Njeri after listening to petitions presented to them. The winners and losers after court's verdict on party nominations Updated Friday, February 01 2013 at 00:00 GMT+3
By Wahome Thuku KENYA: The High Court has dismissed cases involving party nominations in one-line rulings as candidates began presenting papers to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). Judges David Majanja, Weldon Korir and George Odunga heard over 15 petitions filed since Tuesday challenging determinations of the IEBC Disputes Resolution Committee on the party primaries. Transport Minister Amos Kimunya is now free to defend his Kipipiri parliamentary seat on a TNA ticket. The court threw out a petition filed by lawyer Stanley Kihiko seeking to block him from the elections over alleged electoral malpractices. Kihiko claimed Kimunya was involved in electoral malpractices and no results announced in Kipipiri for the TNA nominations. His lawyer Evan Ondieki claimed there was video evidence of bribery, intimidation and harassment. Locked out He said the youth were asked to give way for the elderly to vote, only for them to be locked out in the evening. But IEBC, however, urged the High Court to dismiss the petition terming it an abuse of process having been filed by a lawyer with vested interests in the seat. Kimunya's lawyer Mwaniki Gachoka and TNA counsel Linda Milimu said the petition had been filed with an ulterior motive. Petition Also cleared was businessman James Mugambi seeking to succeed President Kibaki as Othaya MP on Saba Saba Asili ticket. The court dismissed a petition filed by a voter, Mr Michael Wachira. Wachira had accused Mugambi of colluding with his new party to forge IEBC stamps and documents and write a letter showing he had defected from TNA. The court, however, ordered IEBC to hear complaints involving Mr Abuya Abuya and former Law Society of Kenya chairman Okong'o Omogeni. In his petition, Omogeni is challenging the decision by the IEBC compelling ODM to hand a nomination for Nyamira senate seat to Abuya. The IEBC committee ordered ODM to clear Abuya after clearing his nomination fees. The court dismissed a petition seeking to block Mombasa's ODM gubernatorial candidate Ali Hassan Joho and his running mate Hazel Katana over academic qualifications. Petitioner Janet Mbete wanted the IEBC compelled to produce Joho and Katana's degree certificates. But their lawyer, Ahmednassir Abdullahi, described the petition premature, saying there was no evidence of lack of academic papers. "No right of the applicant has been breached by the candidature of Joho and the petitioner can vote for any other candidate," he added. Uhuru faults Mutunga on integrity and leadership Updated Wednesday, August 01 2012 at 00:00 GMT+3 By JUDY OGUTU Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, a key suspect at The Hague, has taken on Chief Justice Willy Mutunga over his statements on leadership and integrity issues. And, curiously, Attorney General Githu Muigai came out backing Uhuru and Eldoret North MP William Ruto in a case challenging their eligibility to run for president while still saddled with the crimes against humanity charges at the International Criminal Court. Githu dismissed the local case challenging their candidature on the grounds that it was unconstitutional. In a preliminary objection filed in court on Tuesday, the AG argued the case should be dismissed as it conflicts with the constitutional provision of presumption of innocence before a trial and it was based on "speculation and conjecture". The court, he argues, was being invited to enter the arena of legislation that constitutionally belongs to Parliament. "The petition is misconceived based on total misrepresentation and misapplication of the Constitution of Kenya and the legal process at International Criminal Court," adds Muigai. On his part, Uhuru wants the court to have Mutunga stopped from issuing statements, which he says have a bearing on his presidential ambition. Uhuru registered his protest when a case challenging his candidature and Ruto's came up for hearing on Tuesday. Patrick Njuguna, Augustino Neto, and Charles Omanga have filed the case. Other parties to the suit are Kenya Youth Parliament, and Kenya Youth League. These parties argued that the two are suspects charged before ICC and therefore do not meet the threshold of the Constitution on Leadership and Integrity. Interestingly, when the case came up for hearing on Tuesday, it faced another roadblock as two out of the three judges hearing it were reportedly indisposed, and, therefore, the case could not proceed. Justice Isaack Lenaola, who is the third judge, informed lawyers for the three parties of the development, saying his colleagues Mohamed Warsame and Philomena Mwilu were indisposed. He adjourned the case to September 27. However, before Justice Lenaola could adjourn the proceedings Uhuru's lawyer Evans Monari hit out at Mutunga, saying his utterances through Press statements were of concern to his client. Curiously, Ruto who has personally been sued with Uhuru was neither in court nor did he send any of his lawyers to represent him. "I would like to register protest on remarks of certain judicial officers. The Chief Justice has been issuing Press statements. It is not viable that the issue is discussed in this manner," Monari said. But before he could stretch his protest, Justice Lenaola said the rules of engagement are clear and neither judges nor advocates should make substantive comments on the case. He directed the parties to minimise comments on the merits and demerits of the case. Early this year, Justice Lenaola issued orders stopping public debate on whether Uhuru and Ruto can run for president. He gave the directive after parties in a suit before him, entered a consent allowing him to do so. The order was, however, vacated. Mutunga is on record stating the Judiciary would ensure leaders who fail to meet the threshold of integrity as set out in the Constitution are not considered for public office. Mutunga, who is also the president of the Supreme Court, and the one who will swear-in Kenya's fourth President, has said the courts will defend the Constitution. The CJ has equally promised to ensure courts uphold Chapter Six of the Constitution to weed out individuals who do not meet integrity and leadership standards. Saying he would forever fight "in the trenches of reform," Mutunga dismissed claims by a section of lawyers, MPs, and political leaders that Chapter Six of the Constitution on leadership and integrity stands suspended until a Bill is passed in Parliament to implement it. His strong statement seemed to have excited Kenyans who have feared the worst, as Parliament and the Executive remained divided over Chapter Six of the Constitution that touches on leadership and integrity. The CJ has been emphatic that the courts must be seen to uphold the spirit of the Constitution when it comes to interpreting Chapter Six, which he warned could still be used to vet those seeking leadership positions. Mutunga is on record saying the Constitution must be upheld and followed to the letter by the courts to ensure people seeking to lead are held accountable, and those who fail integrity and leadership thresholds are not appointed or elected to public offices. The petitioners in the Uhuru and Ruto case have sued Muigai and named Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission and the Commission on Implementation of the Constitution as interested parties. In addition, 213 Internally Displaced Persons are also party to the case. International Centre for Policy and Conflict, Kanu, The National Alliance Party, and several individuals have joined the suit as interested parties. Dr Stephen Njiru is an amicus curie (friend of the court) It is the petitioners' contention that allowing Uhuru and Ruto to run for public office would amount to perpetuating impunity. Also sought by the petitioners is an order barring IEBC from accepting nomination or election of any candidate accused of committing serious offences under the international law or Kenyan law, until they are cleared. In addition, they want a declaration that allowing the two to vie for president was a threat to the Constitution. Further, they want the court to determine whether presumption of innocence in favour of Uhuru and Ruto overrides public interest to ensure protection and upholding the principles of the Constitution. Also being sought for is a declaration that presumption of innocence of the two does not override public interest. PAC: Kimunya and CBK Governor unfit to hold office Updated 2 hrs 22 mins ago By Peter Opiyo The Parliamentary Accounts Committee wants former Finance Minister Amos Kimunya and Central Bank of Kenya Governor Prof Njuguna Ndung'u investigated in the loss of Sh1.8 billion in the money printing deal. The PAC in its recommendations said both Kimunya who is currently Transport minister and the Governor were unfit to hold office. PAC recommended that the two be investigated by the ethics and the anti corruption commission. Members led chairman Dr Bonny Khalwale said that the procurement procedures as contained in the Public Procurement Act were not followed. The 11-member committee said Kimunya misled the PAC during hearings by arguing the contract did not factor in the purchase of corporate security features of the new generation currency notes. PAC also clarified that Treasury was not party to the controversial contract for the supply of 1.7 billion pieces of bank notes by De La Rue to CBK. PAC noted that Treasury had no authority to direct CBK to cancel the contract after the controversial tender was awarded. THE EMOTIVE ISSUE OF LAND THE COMING ELECTIONS --- On Thu, 1/31/13, otieno sungu <sunoti@yahoo.com> wrote: From: otieno sungu <sunoti@yahoo.com> Subject: [PK] THE EMOTIVE ISSUE OF LAND THE COMING ELECTIONS. To: "Vugu Vugu Mashinani@yahoogroups.com" <VuguVuguMashinani@yahoogroups.com>, "kol" <kenyaonline@yahoogroups.com>, "young proffessionals" <youngprofessionals_ke@googlegroups.com>, "progressive-kenyans" <progressive-kenyans@googlegroups.com>, "Oped Africa" <oped@yahoogroups.com>, "picta-kenya@yahoogroups.com" <picta-kenya@yahoogroups.com> Cc: "MWANYAGETINGENETWORK" <mwanyagetinge@yahoogroups.com>, "ramogi luo" <ramogi@yahoogroups.com>, "wananchi@yahoogroups.com" <wananchi@yahoogroups.com>, "Friends of KCDN Group" <friendsofkcdn@yahoogroups.com>, "NVK-M MAGEUZI" <NVK-Mageuzi@yahoogroups.com>, "vision Kenyayahoo Group" <NewVisionKenya@yahoogroups.com>, "Kenya Community" <kca_main@yahoogroups.com> Date: Thursday, January 31, 2013, 1:40 AM Kenya is like a dirty sufuria with rotten food inside yet we need to wash the sufuria and use it to cook fresh food instead of the stale one we currently have. Do we open the lid and risk the pungent smell or do we fear the smell hence keep postponing the washing?
By gagging ourselves because it is election time, we risk two things. One, we will not talk about it after the elections either because we shall have lost the opportunity to hear from the candidates candidly before we entrust them with leadership how they will deal with historical injustices. Two, after the elections, we cannot start asking of our leaders things we never asked of them neither did they promise us.
For this reason, I posit that Kenya must confront the smell in the sufuria, throw away the smelly food and get down to the business of washing it so that we can us it to cook clean food. Otherwise, we shall, as a nation, continue lacking cooking items as the utensils lie around dirty and unused because we are so afraid of the smell that will emanate.
This brings us back to the issue of President Kibaki and his legacy, for a good ten years, he simply refused to even look at the direction of the smelly sufuria. What Kenya needs more than anything is confronting and dealing with historical injustices more than even the superhighways and the Konza cities. For we can built all the superhighways and 100 more Konza Cities but if we do not deal with the simmering issues of land and the historical injustices thereof we, or our children or generations to come will one day reduce the Konzas to rubble just like Damascus or Tripoli just to "sort ourselves" out before we begin rebuilding again. Now, this is a waste of time and resources, mortar and cement and human labor to boot.
This brings us to the critical role of the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC). It is sad that the President failed to seize the moment to ensure we have a credible TRJC that would have gone round the country to solicit the historical scars each community or group hold in their hearts and laid them bare. Before even such recommendations are implemented, just the cathartic effect of having spoken these things out to a reputable and credible body would have in itself been a milestone in dealing with the historical injustices. This is where the healing and reconciliation process begins. When people ventilate, the raw emotions are assuaged. How the government handles the recommendations would then be further steps towards finding lasting solutions to the historical injustices chief among them, the question of land.
How can we for instance tell MAU MAU veterans in their sunset years that we cannot talk about land issues for which they fought colonialists when those veterans see some who never bought the vast tracks of land postulating about "these are emotive issues which we cannot talk about during elections". How emotional can that be? If for anything, the veterans are just old and few, if they were young and the majority, we would not be able to control the situation. But that does not mean they have no descendants whom they have told who "took away their land". This is where the government must come in, before these descendants become impatient and invade such lands. This has happened in Zimbabwe. We should not wait to go the Zimbabwe way to resolve these issues; it is of necessity that there is a framework within which the government resolved these issues to the satisfaction of all. There is enough land as at now to accommodate every Kenyan and at least allow every Kenyan a descent home somewhere, not squalid and squatter life. But all the land on this earth cannot and will never be enough for the greedy amongst us. There are those pieces of land that were acquired irregularly at colonial time and those that have continually and systematically been grabbed by operatives of various governments since independence. These are the lands we as a people must begin reclaiming for the benefit of the squatters so that there is equity in this country.
The leadership that will deal with this kind of situation is not one that is beneficiary to the prevailing historical injustice or like the current one, fears tackling the issues. It will never be that squatters wait for greedy landowners to resolve the problem of land. No, we must allow the squatters of this country, the MAU MAU veterans and anyone else interested in resolving historical injustice to hear all the Presidential aspirants talk about how they will resolve the biggest headache for this nation; the land issue. We know this is emotive because we Kenyans have killed one another since 1992 when the first tribal related land clashes were recorded post independence. It is now 12 years and we continue postponing the solutions and communities will continue to fight over land. This is like the raging gun debate in America. Americans know what is killing them but a few among them, led by the National Riffle Association, our very own version of 'land association" will not want to talk about land issues because they are the privileged elite.
It is time to wash the sufuria and however much the smell stings our noses; we must open the lid, throw away the bad food inside and clean the sufuria.
Kenya needs to cook fresh food for all.
Otieno Sungu.
--- On Thu, 1/31/13, peter otieno <tudor20082000@yahoo.com> wrote: From: peter otieno <tudor20082000@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [PK] New twist in ODM Siaya governor saga.....Att.Lee and JT...Sasa nini tena Jameni.? To: "progressive-kenyans@googlegroups.com" <progressive-kenyans@googlegroups.com> Date: Thursday, January 31, 2013, 3:07 AM I have equally lost faith in ODM and if the party wins the General Election then l forsee a worst scenario than this ending Mount Kenya packed government. From: jt okinda <archjt2004@yahoo.com>
To: "progressive-kenyans@googlegroups.com" <progressive-kenyans@googlegroups.com>; Africa-Oped <africa-oped@yahoogroups.com>
Cc: uchunguzi online <uchunguzionline@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 11:09 AM
Subject: Re: [PK] New twist in ODM Siaya governor saga.....Att.Lee and JT...Sasa nini tena Jameni.?
Margret, I lost faith in ODM after the bungled nominations. I no longer believe that ODM has the drive to get this country moving. OKINDA JT
From: margaret gichuki <wams2006@gmail.com>
To: Africa-Oped <africa-oped@yahoogroups.com>
Cc: progressive-kenyans <progressive-kenyans@googlegroups.com>; uchunguzi online <uchunguzionline@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 12:14 AM
Subject: [PK] New twist in ODM Siaya governor saga.....Att.Lee and JT...Sasa nini tena Jameni.?
New twist in ODM Siaya governor saga Updated 11 mins ago By Roselyne Obala and Ben Ahenda The controversy over ODM nominee for the governor's position in Siaya County still rages. On Tuesday, it emerged another aspirant, other than the one nominated by party National Election Board (NEB), has a certificate to contest the position. After the controversy that dogged party primaries for the seat, with Oburu Oginga and William Oduol claiming victory, the NEB chairman Franklin Bett said they had granted the nomination certificate to Otieno Okanja, who emerged third. Hostile region But Tuesday, it emerged that another aspirant, Cornel Rasanga, had been handed the certificate and is preparing to present it to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). Efforts to contact Mr Bett for comment on the development were futile, as he could not be reached on his phone. Meanwhile, an aspirant who lost in the nominations in Nakuru County, Joseph Nderitu Ngunju, has challenged Bett to state who among former Molo MP Njenga Mungai and cardiologist Omondi Ogada would fly party ticket for the county Senate. The duo is embroiled in battles over party ticket after Dr Ogada was issued with the party certificate, while Mungai's name appears in the IEBC list. Mungai confirmed he has not received the party certificate, but his name is in the IEBC list. "It was only wise to recognise those who have fought hard for the survival of the party in a hostile region," he said. Nderitu said the same confusion was recorded in Nakuru Town West constituency.
MY FELLOW KENYANS:
On February 11th, Uhuru will join Raila & all other Presidential Candidates for a TV debate which will be aired live on all TV channels. This is our grand opportunity to send questions to Uhuru during the Debate so he can tell us exactly how a Uhuru Government will cope with running the affairs of State while he and Ruto will be attending their ICC cases for the next five years:
Q1: Who will deliver the State Address at the opening of the New Parliament ? Q2: How will he make Government appointments while based at The Hague ? Will the Head of Civil Service be flying there all the time with confidential files on appointees ? Q3: How will the Cabinet brief President Uhuru and VP Ruto at The Hague ? By emails ? Are our State secrets safe from prying eyes ? Will there be weekly Cabinet meetings at The Hague ?
Q4: What measure will be put in place to ensure the hotel rooms of President Uhuru and VP Ruto are safe from bugging ? Q5: How many Kenyan security men will be required to keep guard on Uhuru & Ruto a t The Hague ?
Q6: Why should the Kenyan Taxpayer have to foot the bill for the President's security detail in The Hague since Uhuru is not going to be there on trial as President but as an individual ? Q7: The ministers and PSes going to & fro The Hague will cost a lot of money. Why should this be charged to the taxpayer ? Q8: Where will Uhuru receive new Foreign Ambassadors accredited to Kenya ? Will he receive their credentials at The Hague ? Q9: Who will represent Kenya at international summits including AU ones ? Q10: Uhuru & Ruto will not be able to pay state and official visits to foreign countries. Wont this severely affect Kenya's international diplomatic posture ? Q11: Who will preside on National Day Celebrations ? Q12: How will Uhuru cope in the event of a major emergency situation ? Q13: Uhuru will not be able to tour the eight regions of Kenya. Wont this create a disconnect between the Centre and the regions ? Q14: It is customary for the President to receive daily intelligence briefings from the head of the intelligence. This cannot be emailed to him. Nor is it safe for the head of the intelligence service to put top secret reports in his briefcase and fly to The Hague to hand to Uhuru.
Q15: Neither is it safe or acceptable for Uhuru to keep top state secrets in his hotel room. Or even at the Kenyan embassy. If you have more ICC questions to add, send them. I a m emailing mine to the Presidential Debate organisers.
Mohamed Warsama --- On Fri, 2/1/13, Kanyabuleza <kanyabuleza@gmail.com> wrote: From: Kanyabuleza <kanyabuleza@gmail.com>
Subject: [Mabadiliko] Wars do End: why conflict in Africa is falling – By Scott Straus
To: "mabadilikotanzania@googlegroups.com" <mabadilikotanzania@googlegroups.com>
Date: Friday, February 1, 2013, 7:32 AM Recent events in Mali, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sudan seem to confirm one of the most durable stereotypes of Africa, namely that the continent is unstable and uniquely prone to nasty political violence. Writing in Foreign Policy two years ago, New York Times East Africa correspondent and Pulitzer Prize winner Jeffrey Gettleman espoused this view. He painted a dismal picture of pointless wars waged by brutes and criminals "spreading across Africa like a viral pandemic." Gettleman is right that warfare and political violence are changing on the continent, but he is wrong to portray that change as one of brutal violence increasing out of control. In fact, as I show in a recent piece in African Affairs, looked at since the end of the Cold War, wars are not becoming more frequent in Sub-Saharan Africa. To the contrary: according to the Uppsala Armed Conflict Data Program, the preeminent tracker of warfare worldwide, wars in the 2000s are substantially down from their peak in the early 1990s. Even if one counts an uptick during the past two years, there were about one-third fewer wars in Sub-Saharan Africa in the period compared to the early-to-mid 1990s. Another prevailing view is that Sub-Saharan Africa is the most war-endemic region. Not so, especially if one looks at the continent's history since 1960. Wars in Sub-Saharan Africa (compared to other world regions) are not longer or more frequent on a wars-per-country basis. Those distinctions effectively go to Asia, where between wars in India, Afghanistan, the Philippines, and Vietnam, among others, wars are more frequent and longer lasting. The pattern holds true for extreme cases of mass killing, like Rwanda in 1994 and Darfur in the mid-2000s. Such events are on the decline in Africa; viewed across time, Africa is also not the regional leader of such events on a per-country basis. My point is not to engage in crude regionalism, but rather to suggest that what often transpires as common sense about Sub-Saharan Africa is wrong. The bigger point is that we may be witnessing significant shifts in the nature of political violence on the continent. Wars are on the decline since the 1990s, but the character of warfare is also changing. There are today fewer big wars fought for state control in which insurgents maintain substantial control of territory and put up well-structured armies to fight their counterparts in the state—Mali not withstanding. Such wars were modal into the 1990s. From southern Africa in Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, and even Zimbabwe to the long wars in the Horn in Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Sudan to the Great Lakes wars in Rwanda and Uganda, the typical armed conflict in Africa involved two major, territory-holding armies fighting each other for state control. Today's wars typically are smaller. They most often involve small insurgencies of factionalized rebels on the peripheries of states. Today's wars also play out differently. They exhibit cross-border dimensions, and rather than drawing funding from big external states they depend on illicit trade, banditry, and international terrorist networks. Typical of today's wars are the rebels in Casamance, in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia, various armed groups in Darfur, and the Lord's Resistance Army. The latter typifies an emerging trend of trans-national insurgents. The LRA moves across multiple states in the Great Lakes region. Northern Mali is another case in point – prior to seizing control of the north, the Islamists moved across multiple countries in the Sahel. Once they gained territorial control in 2012, they attracted fighters from Nigeria and across North Africa. Moreover, these are not non-ideological wars, as Gettleman claims. The jihadis in Mali and Somalia, the separatists in Casamance, and the rebels in Darfur are certainly fighting for a cause. To be sure, no one in his or her right mind could claim that warfare or political violence has ended in Africa. Many countries in the region have features that political scientists believe make countries vulnerable to armed conflict: weak states, high dependence on natural resources, and horizontal inequalities. Of the recent armed conflicts in Somalia, Sudan, Mali, the Central African Republic, Chad, and eastern Congo, one obvious commonality is the lack of effective state control. Rebels survive in remote regions where state authority is tenuous. The fact of weak states in these and other countries will not end any time soon. Moreover, other forms of violence deserve greater scrutiny. Consider, for example, electoral violence. As African states have turned to multiparty elections, so too has the risk of violence during those electoral campaigns increased. Electoral violence on the scale of Kenya in 2007 and 2008, Côte d'Ivoire in 2010, or Zimbabwe in 2008 is not the norm, but in many locations there is often some form of violence between incumbent and opposition forces. Yet we know substantially less about patterns and causes of electoral violence. Consider too violence over vital resources, such as land, water, and pasture. Trends are harder to detect, but one new data collection effort from the University of Texas shows an increase in such violence events since the early 1990s. With climate change, rapidly growing urbanization, and other changes that increase the pressure on vital but often scarce resources, we can expect more violence of the type recently seen in northern Kenya. Yet again, we know much less about this form of violence. What explains the recent decline in warfare across Africa? I don't know for certain, but would point to geo-political changes since the end of the Cold War. First, the end of the Cold War meant that the opportunities for rebels to receive substantial weaponry and training from big external states declined. To be sure, states across Africa still meddle in the affairs of their neighbors, but insurgent funding from neighbouring states is usually enough to be a nuisance to, but not actually overthrow, existing governments. Second, the rise of multi-party politics has sapped the anti-government funding, energy, and talent away from the bush and into the domestic political arena. Third, China is a rising external force in Sub-Saharan Africa. China's goals are mainly economic, but their foreign relations follow a principle of non-interference. To my knowledge, China supports states, not insurgencies. Finally, conflict reduction mechanisms, in particular international peacekeeping and regional diplomacy, have substantially increased on the continent. Peacekeeping is more prevalent and especially more robust than in the 1990s. Regional bodies such as the AU, ECOWAS, ECCAS, IGAD, and SADC are quite active in most conflict situations. They have exhibited greater resolves in conflicts as diverse as Côte d'Ivoire, Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Madagascar. The four posited mechanisms are hypotheses, each of which deserves greater scrutiny and empirical testing. But taken together, they suggest plausible ways in which the incentives of insurgents and even state leaders to fight have been altered in recent years. They give reason to expect that while war is clearly not over in Sub-Saharan Africa, we should continue to observe a decline in its frequency and intensity in coming decades. Scott Straus is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin. http://africanarguments.org/2013/01/28/wars-do-end-why-conflict-in-africa-is-falling-by-scott-straus/
Kanyabuleza.K
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