MPs oppose Sh2.5 billion Kenya at 50 ceremony

Monday, July 29, 2013 - 00:00 -- BY IBRAHIM ORUKO

A section of Kenyans has reacted angrily to reports the government is planning to spend Sh2.5 billion for Kenya at 50 celebrations later in the year.

MPs and members of the civil society hit out at the government over the planned expenditure, describing it as “extravagant display of opulence” at a time Kenyans are going through hard economic times.

Vihiga Senator George Khaniri told the government it is “not wise” to spend such extravagantly at this time.

“We appreciate the need to celebrate our heritage, but let’s not go overboard. It is not a wise idea to spend such an amount when the country is facing unprecedented industrial unrests,” he said.

“It should not appear that the government is spending a fortune in this kind of project when nurses, teachers, the police are demanding for higher pay.”

The senator challenged the Jubilee government to get its priorities right and focus more on projects that will improve the welfare of the people.

It emerged yesterday that the government could spend up to Sh2.5 billion for celebrations to mark 50 years since Kenya got independence.

The proposal includes spending Sh690 million for events management and logistics, Sh286 million for conference and exhibition and Sh300 million for publicity and communication.

Other proposed expenditures include Sh20 million for erecting billboards with images of the past presidents, Sh50 million for making a bronze statue of former President Mwai Kibaki and spending Sh320 million for purchasing dresses for personalities among others.

Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa cautioned the government against spending “such kind of money” when “there are strikes all over” and a time it is exploring to plug the holes in the Sh1.6 trillion budget

“The government cannot use this kind of money for celebration when they are forcing Kenyans to pay VAT on very basic commodities, like medicine,” said Wamalwa.

The Coalition for Constitution Implementation said in a statement it was dismayed by the plans, terming the proposal “a serious economic crime that should never be allowed to happen”.

- See more at: http://the-star.co.ke/news/article-129828/mps-oppose-sh25-billion-kenya-50-ceremony#sthash.KDEu3NGv.dpuf

Innovations to tackle water crisis

Posted by: The People in Development Agenda July 31, 2013 0 32 Views

By MWANGI MUMERO

@kenyafarmer

New innovations in rain water harvesting are expected to boost availability of water in many households in urban and rural Kenya. Only 61 percent of the rural population of Kenya has access to an improved drinking water source. In some areas, women have to walk up to six kilometres and spend at least three hours daily seeking water.

To confront this problem, Edward Ndiritu has come up with three new water harvesting tanks to store water. Made with timber and canvas, the three tanks-employing unique techniques in water harvesting. The first tank harvests water independent of roof tops. It has flat metallic surfaces that open and close during the rainy season, trapping as much water as possible.

“The opening of the flat surfaces is controlled manually, electronically or through sensors. The size of the flat surfaces that open just like a carton above the tank determines the amount of water harvested and the cost,” observed Ndiritu. Cubic in shape, the tanks have wooden walls and a canvas interior to hold the water.

According Ndiritu, a 15,000 litre tank made of hardwood would cost Sh220,000 while a similar one of soft wooden walls goes for Sh110,000. The innovator, a Bachelor of Business Administration and Economics from the Emporia State University of Kansas, United States noted that the tanks are collapsible and easy to transport and set up in a new area – just like prefabricated houses.

The wood has to be treated with chemi- cals to reduce damage by insects and water, just like electricity posts, although it has no direct contact with water. The can- vas can last eight to10 years. The second innovation is the rain harvesting umbrella. Made of canvas, the umbrella – shaped surface is erected on a wooden frame and acts as a trap to rain drops.

It can be erected in open fields with the harvested water channeled through a funnel to an underground tank. “The size of the umbrella depends to the owner’s water needs and funds available. This method is very suitable in areas where there are few corrugated iron sheet houses like in Maasailand – where manyattas dominate.

The fact that it is constructed above the ground also reduces dusts and other wind-blown materials from contaminating the water improving cleanliness,” said the innovator, also the proprietor of Suspended Water Harvesting Systems, a Nairobi based-firm. He has previously showcased his innovations at local and international water conferences.

The third innovation is the low cost water storage tank. Made from locally available materials such as earth or clay, the tank has a canvas interior and is reinforced by iron rods to provide a rectangular shape. “It is quite cheap for rural households as locally available materials are used. It allows individuals and women groups to come together and construct such tanks for their members securing provision of clean water,” he asserted.

Prices of these innovations depend mostly on size of the tank and the members of households they are being constructed for. According to Ndiritu, the new innovations are a culmination of an eight year dream of wishing to come up with solutions where water could be harvested and distributed to household affordably and easily.

Kethi Kilonzo faces fraud charge over voter registration saga

Updated Thursday, August 1st 2013 at 00:02 GMT +3

By STANDARD REPORTER

Kethi Kilonzo argues her case before the IEBC tribunal at the Milimani Law Courts where TNA successfully proved she was not a validly registered voter. [PHOTO: EVANS HABIL/STANDARD]

Nairobi, Kenya: Police investigations into the controversy surrounding lawyer Kethi Kilonzo’s registration as a voter are almost complete and detectives say they have a case.

It raises the spectre of fraud charges being laid against one of Kenya’s brightest young lawyers, who just weeks ago, was seen as the poster child of the next generation of the country’s lawyers.

Kethi was Wednesday expected to record a statement with the Criminal Investigations Department, according to police sources, but she had not turned up by 4pm.

This is the latest development in the fallout over the recently concluded Makueni Senate by-election that her brother Mutula Kilonzo Jnr won by a landslide.

On Wednesday, a senior investigating officer close to the investigations told The Standard, “...there is a case so far,” adding that the file will be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko later next week.

“The probe is ongoing and we expected Kethi today (Wednesday) to record a statement. We will send the file to DPP with recommendations later next week. There is a case so far,” said the detective who declined to be named as he is not authorised to speak about the case.

Should the CID recommend prosecution, it would stir the controversy that stalked the lead up to the by-election that degenerated into a showdown betweenCORD and Jubilee.

Serious claim

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission called in the police after officials claimed the registration slip that Kethi presented as proof of registration as a voter had been stolen from the commission.

IEBC chairman Issack Hassan wrote to CID director Ndegwa Muhoro inviting him to investigate the saga.

In the run up to the by-election occasioned by the death of her father Mutula Kilonzo, Kethi had been cleared by the returning officer in Makueni. But her nomination was contested before an IEBC tribunal tasked with arbitrating electoral disputes and revoked.

During the hearings, IEBC Director of Voter Registration and Electoral Operations Immaculate Kassait claimed the slip was one of five missing from the booklet and the matter was already under probe.

IEBC made a serious claim that the slip used by Kethi for nomination was stolen from a booklet in which only one other slip had been used to register former President Kibaki.

It is the basis upon which the IEBC team, chaired by Commissioner Thomas Letangule, ordered IEBC to investigate how the slip was acquired particularly because Kethi stood her ground that the slip was officially issued to her during registration last year.

IEBC Nominations Dispute Resolution Committee consequently revoked her nomination, but Kethi and the Wiper party (under CORD) that nominated her challenged the decision at the High Court.

A three-judge bench ruled against Kethi’s petition to participate in Makueni’s senatorial by-election but allowed the party to nominate a fresh candidate. The judges said there was no evidence suggesting Wiper was privy to information Kethi was not eligible for nomination.

The Elections Act requires a party that knowingly nominates a candidate not qualified by law be barred from participating in the election.

Under the Penal Code, forging any judicial or official document or presenting it officially, if proven, attracts up to seven years’ imprisonment.

At the height of the controversy, the Jubilee coalition urged CORD to take responsibility for aiding their by-election aspirant commit election fraud.

Desperate attempt

Led by Majority Leader in the Senate Prof Kithure Kindiki, Jubilee rebuffed claims by former Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka that TNA had deleted Kethi’s name from the IEBC register, terming the utterances as a diversionary tactic to the serious crime of electoral fraud facing their candidate.

“We are shocked by the malicious and alarmist statement made by Kalonzo, which we feel is a desperate attempt to divert attention from the serious crime of fraud, forgery and myriad other electoral offences which have been exposed,” said Kindiki.

He said the CORD leadership should explain how security documents in the custody of IEBC were found with Kethi, even as they called on investigators to dig into the crime and prosecute those responsible for theft.

The Jubilee senators said Kethi was a victim of intimidation and coercion by CORD leaders who eventually dragged her into crime; she now faces the possibility of a jail term.

“In Kenya, we have a crime called handling stolen items and it is upon those found with the items to explain how they got hold of them,” said Prof Kindiki. “The onus of proof is not on TNA and not evenIEBC. It is on the person found in possession of the documents.”

March 4 polls fair - observation group

Tuesday, July 30, 2013 - 00:00 -- BY PETER NG'ETICH

THE Election Observation Group which comprises of the National Council of Churches of Kenya and 12 other players have declared the March 4 elections as free and fair.

The group said despite widespread malfunctioning of electronic verification kits witnessed during the voting day, the Parallel Vote Tabulation indicated that the polls used by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to declare Uhuru President are credible.

Releasing the report titled "The Historic Vote" at the Stanley Hotel in Nairobi yesterday, Elog chair Kennedy Masime said IEBC provided 98 per cent of the materials necessary for elections.

He said they deployed more than 7,580 observers, with 97.5 per cent giving findings that   concurred with the IEBC results. "From the observers, 976 were deployed as PVT. They verified that the results announced by IEBC were within the range projection for each of the presidential candidates," Masime said.

He added that 99.5 per cent of observers were allowed by IEBC to oversee the polls. "Voting was reported as free by 99.6 per cent of the general observers who indicated that the required procedures were complied with," Masime said.

On May 29, the European Union chief observer Alojz Peterle declared the polls as free and fair while releasing its report but Cord leader, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga who came second has since said the elections were rigged in favour of President Uhuru.

Masime said PVT projection for final turnout was 85.6 per cent with a margin error of +/- 1.7 per cent and was consistent with IEBCs results of 85.9 per cent.

"Results released by IEBC on March 9, were within the range of the PVT projections, it is reasonable to conclude that the outcome of the elections can be trusted as credible," the report said in its conclusion.

The report said 95.6 per cent of the ballot boxes were empty by the time voting started and that 98.9 per cent of the boxes were intact before counting began.

It further said ODM had the highest number of agents at 83.4 per cent followed by TNA at 79.5 per cent while other parties had 75.5 per cent. The report said 99.6 per cent of the ballot papers were stamped before issuing out and that 99.5 per cent were marked with indelible ink after voting.

The The Historic Vote report said although the polls were much better than the 2007 exercise considering the tight timelines IEBC had, a number of issues need to be addressed like the acquisition of electronic materials before a general election.

- See more at: http://the-star.co.ke/news/article-129992/march-4-polls-fair-observation-group#sthash.A8ItC4xd.dpuf

Another big lesson from Nigeria

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By JACKSON BIKO
Posted  Saturday, July 27  2013 at  01:00

At some point, we will need to talk about the bill. The tab, not the Marriage Bill — that’s a grand circus.

I’m more perturbed by the cost and experience of doing a prostate cancer examination than the Marriage Bill. Why? Simply because marriages will never be an equal opportunity for all no matter how many bills are proposed or passed.

That playing ground has always been tilted. Among other things, the Bill places spouses in equal shares regardless of the contributions of either towards the acquisition of property. (Not much of a surprise.)

The Bill also places no limit on the number of polygamous unions a man can enter into with proper consent of his partner. Polygamy, the way I see it in the modern context, is like trying to grow hyacinth on land. It’s impractical.

Although most of us are inherently polygamous by nature (Come on, accept it and free yourself), we have conformed to the mould of modernity and the truth is, the modern lady has a lot more going for her than the housewife of the 1970s. So she will say no.

She will say she will accept a co-wife only if she is in a wooden box, six feet under. And she will say it with arms akimbo and fire in her eyes. And that whole promise of marriage? Was that a legal joke?

Does that imply that women have become so vulnerable intellectually that they need a law like this to protect them from men’s crafty ways? Like I said, an elaborate circus.

But like I said, this isn’t about that Bill. It’s about the politics of the bill — the tab. If there ever was a metaphor of how bills should be handled it must be the Nigerians. Nigerians aren’t the easiest people to take to.

They are morbidly flashy. They are loud and brash. Not to mention insolent, and annoying. They come down here, with their strong square chins and suspect tales about their monarchic pedigree and they confuse our women with their chivalry.

Alluring Nigerians

I found myself in the company of some two Nigerians a week ago. They were in the company of a friend, who I had passed by to meet in the pub briefly. There were three girls on the table. Giggly like hell. They were sipping cocktails through painted lips. Expensive cocktails, no less.

The Nigerians were drinking Dom Perignons. A bottle arrived in ice. When you sit with Nigerians, you realise very quickly why the womenfolk love them: They are attentive. Almost comically. When a woman says something, they listen like she is saying something that will alter the course of cancer research.

They nod and act very interested even if the woman is as interesting as TV on mute. While we let our women wrest water bottles open and pour water for themselves, the Nigerian guy is ahead, twisting the cap and pouring. They are disgustingly charming. And these women turned putty in their hands.

When the waiter brought the bill, for some reason two of the women quickly reached for it saying, “Today this is ours!”

But the Nigerians would hear none of it; in fact they seemed totally offended by the idea of women paying for their drinks. So one of them snatched the bill and paid. Nigerians aren’t just chivalrous by words; they also exhibit it using their wallets. As they say, they “chop their money.” Which is something we need to learn, to treat the bill as our friend.

When you spend some time in the night, you will realise how averse we are at handling the bill.

There are some of us who look the other way come bill time. Or go to the johns and spend days in there. Or pick imaginary phone calls and wander out. Or start having this annoying folk and tale about having dollars. Or Japanese Yen. Or some story about Mpesa. Or we just let the girls pay.

The general rule is, if we are guys and we find ourselves with female company, we pay the bill. No questions asked. We can hold a little committee outside and pool funds if push comes to shove because one of the ladies put away expensive whiskey like a sailor, but we don’t let the ladies open their purses. It shouldn’t matter that for every beer we drank the ladies drank four. We pay.

Reputation of scrooges

Apparently we — Kenyan guys — have gathered a reputation for being scrooges. One Nigerian said he is constantly surprised that we always let our women pick the bills.

He said in a Nigerian accent that to them that is, “losing my kujun!” I asked what kujun was, he explained dramatically whereupon halfway through I realised he meant cajones. And really, isn’t that what paying a bill should be, protecting your cajones?

KTN Prime Full Bulletin 31st July 2013

Arrest warrant issued against former MP

Updated Wednesday, July 31st 2013 at 22:28 GMT +3

A Nyeri court on Wednesday issued a warrant of arrest against former Gatundu North MP Clement Waibara.

Senior Resident Magistrate Joan Wambilyanga issued the warrant after Waibara failed to appear for the mention of his conspiracy to kill case.

The one term MP was expected to present his submissions in a case where he is accused of conspiring to kill Bernard Chege Mburu, between April 1, 2010, and March 31, of the same year. 

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UHURU/RUTO’s Government sets aside sh20 billion to construct roads in Nyanza region.

This entry was posted by Glen Carpenter on 31/07/2013 at 09:34

Tuesday July 30, 2013 - The Jubilee Government, through the Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA), has set aside sh20 billion for the construction and rehabilitation of road networks in Nyanza region.

Speaking in Kisumu yesterday, when he toured Nyamasaria-Kerich Road currently under construction, KeNHA’s Nyanza Deputy Regional Manager, Michael Ngala, said that part of the money is currently being used to rehabilitate roads especially highways.

He noted that the funds will be used to tarmac over 1, 600 road networks in Nyanza region. Among the roads earmarked for rehabilitation include; Kericho- Nyamasaria, Nyamasaria-Kisiani Road and Kisumu-Kakamega bypass among others.

Ngala further noted that plans are underway to construct a ring-road within the region.

“We are also planning to construct a ring road which will be running along the shores of Lake Victoria, and will improve road network in the region”, he said.

The Kenyan DAILY POST