Category Archives: Land

KENYA: ARAMOGI OGINGA ODINGA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TO BUILD 2000 STUDENTS HOSTEL AT A COST OF 2B

To: Jaluo Karjaluo <jaluo@jaluo.com>

By Dickens Wasonga.

Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of science and Technology has signed and MOU with Jam ii Bora bank to construct 2000 student hostel to ease congestion currently facing the university.

The bank has set a side 2 billion shillings to finance the project that will be implemented in two phases through a lone arrangement which will see those who own land near the main campus in Bondo benefit.

Speaking during the ceremony the university’s VC Prof Stephen Agong said currently only 2000 students are able to be accommodated at the main campus while about 3000 others are accommodated outside the university.

He said the move will improve the safety of the students if they are within the hostels near the facility and whose management the university is involved in.

He said the financing of the project will not only be a boost to the institution but also to the locals whom he encouraged to take advantage of the offer.

The VC said they were talking with the bank to also consider mortgage financing of additional hostels in its expanded campuses of Miyandhe in Central Sakwa, Kapiyo in Maranda, and Achego.

Those who have land neighboring the Bondo campus will be expected to raise ten per cent of the low cost but modern hostels through the loan whose recovery will take 12 years.

Prof Agong asked Siaya county government to ensure the roads were improved as well as provision of water supply within the area.

” Bondo is set to be to be a university town whose growth will be guided by the growth of the university. staff accommodation is also a challenge to the university.There is no descent houses for them.”he added

Area MP Gideon Ochanda urged the community not to fear borrowing loans to invest adding that long time planning would help them grow academically.

” There is no way you can invest and expand your business without borrowing.That is how most businesses have grown” said Ochanda.

vil Men, Evil Agendas!

From: ‘frank patrick materu’

GEOENGINEERING (Global Weather Modification) is threatening all life on earth.

Geoengineers deny having deployed aerosol programs for years, yet they are currently proposing to spray 10-20 million tons of aluminum oxide other toxic chemicals into our sky annually as stated in numerous geoengineering documents. Lab tests have disclosed extremely high levels of these metals in ground, water, rain and atmospheric tests worldwide. Blood and urine tests reveal alarming levels of aluminum, barium, strontium, cadmium, and other chemicals known to cause high blood pressure, cancer, asthma, Alzheimers, heart, kidney and liver damage, osteoporosis, chronic inflammation, headaches, skin disorders, severe lung, spleen and intestinal diseases, immune system decline, blurred vision, intense ringing in ears, muscle weakness, hear loss, etc. NO purpose justifies these consequences.

Chemtrials are we the experiment? What do you think about this?

Frank Materu

Geoengineering Affects You and Your Loved Ones

image

Geoengineering Affects You and Your Loved Ones
documenting the chemtrail-geoengineering coverup
View on www.geoengineerin…
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http://www.geoengineeringwatch.org/

QUESTS ON LAND DISPUTES IN KENYA PERSIST

From: joachim omolo ouko
News Dispatch with Father Omolo Beste
MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2040

Amos from Westlands, Nairobi writes: “Dear Fr. Joachim, tension is building around the country. Our leaders are not doing us justice. I would urge the President to take leadership to a new level and avoid statements like the ones he gave after the attack in Mpeketoni. In some parts of Kiambu, Naivasha, Molo, Nakuru a certain community was being told to vacate.

Now that Alshabab has continued to claim responsibility in the attack and have said they are posting a video of the attack, will our leaders rescind their negative ethnic statements and unite the country? This country will burn if we are not careful and badly. Let us spread message of unity and peace. Our Media is also very reckless showing raw materials and ethnic incitements. Poor Us!!!!!!!

Standard- http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000125572/mpeketoni-was-a-terror-attack-insist-uk-and-us has reported that the US and the UK insist the recent killings in Mpeketoni were a terror attack and not politically instigated, contradicting President Uhuru Kenyatta’s earlier statement. At the same time, the US announced it is relocating some of its staff in Nairobi to other countries following perpetual security threats. What is your take?’

Thank you Amos. I think the report by the US and UK is the correct one because even Al-Shabab has said it carried out the attack in order to take revenge on Kenya for the presence of its troops in Somalia, where they are battling the militants, as well as for the killing of radical clerics linked to al-Shabab in the port city of Mombasa.

It could also be that local Somalis and Oromos who claim the area as their ancestral home are trying to drive out Kikuyus, who they see as interlopers in Mpketoni. Reacting to the president Uhuru’s father for having illegally giving the area to his ethnic Kikuyus in the 1960s.

It is not only US and UK, even the opposition politicians have dismissed the president’s statement as a “joke”. President Kenyatta up to now has not named the local political group he was accusing.

This brings us to speculations that President Kenyatta would want to downplay the al-Shabab angle in order to try and protect Kenya’s embattled tourist industry and also to enable him to send security services of his choice in Lamu County.

Robert writes via iPad: “Fr Beste I read your article why President Uhuru will not implement Truth Justice and Reconciliation recommendations. Is it one of the reasons why he is not willing to have national dialogue?”

Robert, yes you are also right. Truth Justice and Reconciliation and National Dialogue demanded by CORD are similar. In 2008 I managed to capture what IDPs themselves demanded from President Mwai Kibaki concerning the need for dialogue, reconciliation and healing in Kenya-click here to read the article- Government undersiege as they forcefully resettle IDPs.
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/48137

When the Government of Kenya began resettling more than 10,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in 2008, thousands of them who had been camping at the Nakuru Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) show ground, pleaded with Kibaki that his Government should have reconciled them with the neighbouring communities first instead of rushing to resettle them.

They said it was necessary for dialogue, reconciliation which would open the way for healing. Mzee Ibrahim Githatwa, 76, was among the IDPs who vowed never to go back to Keringet in Kuresoi where he had lived since the 1942 but was forcefully told to leave the premises.

Mzee Githatwa and a father of 13 children had also suffered a great deal under President Moi’s regime. During Moi he lost seven houses in the 1992 ethnic violence. Even after he could manage, together with some of his children to build five houses, they again got burnt down his house during the post-election violence.

The 13 farms where some IDPs were told to reallocate, including Sirikwa, Kiambogo, Githirika, Muthenji, Nyota, Kangawa and Lagwenda, Sasumua, Willa, Muchorwe, Karirikania, Kadonye and Nyaruai have history of violence every five years when they have general elections.

These are some of the areas that have been the scene of periodic violence since 1992. The land dispute around these areas, especially in Molo and Kuresoi is between the Kalenjin, Kikuyu and Kisii.

According to the annexes to the Ndung’u land dispute report released in 2004 the families of former presidents Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel arap Moi feature prominently in the list of prominent high ranking politicians and people who matter in Kenya government as those who have grabbed public land that was recommended for repossession.

If the government were to take action it would mean that names of all those who have been irregularly allocated public land in urban areas, settlement schemes, forests and reserves, with Moi alone owning 937 hectare farm in Narok hived off Trans Mara Forest be repossessed, then this would at least solve some of the land problems in the country.

The problem would even be more resolved if the government were to go by the Ndungu recommendation that allocation of various parcels to Mama Ngina Kenyatta be revoked. It includes 38 hectares hived off the Kikuyu Escarpment Forest in Kiambu District in 1965, including another 36 hectares in Thika District from the same Kikuyu Escarpment forest allocated to her in 1980 for farming, which Ndungu also recommended to be reclaimed, as well as another 24 hectare parcel allocated in 1993.

Among the cabinet ministers, judges and top soldiers listed to be among beneficiaries of settlement schemes carved out of Agricultural Development Corporation farms include then minister of State William ole Ntimama, assistant minister Kipkalya Kones, Court of Appeal Judge Emmanuel O’Kubasu and deputy chief of general staff, Lt Gen Nick Leshan.

Mr Ntimama was allocated 34 acres of Moi Ndabi Farm where Mr Leshan got 233 acres. Mr Kones got 145 acres in the Agricultural Development Corporation Sirikwa scheme where the average allocations were five acres, according to the report. Mr Justice O’Kubasu got 40 acres. Other according to the report include retired Judge Mbito who was allocated 50 acres.

The report recommended that former Lands and Settlement minister Jackson Angaine’s 900 hectares of land hived off from Mount Kenya forest in 1975 and 1977. If taken seriously, Ndung’u report would mean that many individual Kenyans who illegally acquired land would lose them.

Against background that constitutional review to address fundamental issues of land tenure and land use. The development and implementation of land policies, national land use policy and enactment of attendant legislations.

Land laws was to be harmonised into one statute to reduce multiple allocations of title deeds. Land ownership document replacement for owners affected by post-election violence, development of a national land use master plan, taking into account environmental considerations.

Land reform transformation unit in the ministry of lands to facilitate the implementation of the land reform programme as outlined in the national land use policy. Strengthen local-level mechanisms for sustainable land rights administration and management.

Finalise the land dispute tribunal act. Land reform process was to be factored in the constitutional review process within 12 months.

On Truth Justice and Reconciliation, the Commission recommended that between 1963 and 1978 when President Jomo Kenyatta presided over a government that was responsible for numerous gross violations of human rights, justice and reconciliation would focus on Shifta War, killings, torture, collective punishment and denial of basic needs (food, water and health care).

Political assassinations of Pio Gama Pinto, Tom Mboya and J.M. Kariuki; arbitrary detention of political opponents and activists; and illegal and irregular acquisition of land by the highest government officials and their political allies.

Under Moi it would involve massacres; unlawful detentions, and systematic and widespread torture and ill-treatment of political and human rights activists. Assassinations, including of Dr. Robert Ouko; Illegal and irregular allocations of land; and economic crimes and grand corruption.

Under Kibaki the report recommended that it would focus on unlawful detentions, torture and ill-treatment; assassinations and extra judicial killings; and economic crimes and grand corruption, including Anglo Leasing scandals.

The Commission found that historical grievances over land constitute the single most important driver of conflicts and ethnic tension in Kenya. Close to 50 percent of statements and memorandum received by the Commission related to or touched on claims over land.

The Commission also found that minority groups and indigenous people suffered state sanctioned systematic discrimination during the mandate period (1963- 2008). In particular, minority groups have suffered discrimination in relation to political participation and access to national identity cards. Other violations that minority groups and indigenous people have suffered include: collective punishment; and violation of land rights and the right to development.

Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail obolobeste@gmail.com
Omolo_ouko@outlook.com
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Twitter-@8000accomole

KENYA: KANU HAS MOVED TO COURT AND OBTAIINED INJUNCTION AGAINST THE THREE KISUMU MEN FOR ILLEGALLY COLLECTING RENTS ON ITS PLOT.

Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu

KANU headquarters in Nairobi has moved to court and obtained a temporary injunction against three Kisumu men who are said to have illegally appointed themselves land lords on its Kisumu town based land plot.

The plot comprising of 105 small business premises is fetching close to Kshs 500,00 from the tenants every month. And the political parties dispute tribunal judge Odera Xhacha issued the order on April 3rd, 2014.

The three Jacob Omondi Nyambega, Maurice Dedan Okello and Kennedy Omolo Onyango have been barred from trespassing into the property pending the hearing and determination of the case filed by Senator Gideon Moi the party’s national chairman and Nick Salat,the party’s Secretary General,

The court injunction order says interalia that the pending hearing and determination of the case by the tribunal issue an order restraining the three, their servants, agents,employees or anybody claimin through them howsoever from collecting rent, managing the property/shops, trespassing on to or dealing with it in any manner all that property known as Kisumu Municipality 9/118 after referred to as the suit property.

The tribunal appointed one Omore Tito Odera as an official agent to help in rent collection oon the monthly and that all the money collected be deposited I a joint account of the plaintiff and respondents advocates bank account.

In this case the respondent lawyers are Olel and Odhiambo advocates while the plaintiff KANU Ingutiah and Company advocates. All the proceeds will be deposited into the lawyers joint bank account No1151502588 at the KCB Kisumu branch.

In a joint affidavit signed by Gideon Moi and nick Salat, KANU National Delegates Conference meting held at Safaricom Kasarani Sports ground in Nairobi on April 14th, 2012 all the branches countrywide were abolished and the responsibility for all the party matters were bestowed on Moi and Salat. By a resolution passed unanimously at the meeting.

In the foregoing Kisumu city or anywhere else has no registered KANU branch, so the three by arrogating themselves with the power of collecting rents on KANU land plot, which they converted to their personal use had acted unlawfully.

The popular Nairobi weekly newspaper became the whistle blower. The WEEKLY CITIZEN had carried an article which revealed that a KANU land plot had been grabbed by a group of influential Kisumu businessmen.

Moi and Salat have vowed to recover all the grabbed property of the party of independence wherever they are so that the money accrued from such property could be utilized in the party services and for the interest and welfare of the party members.

In the Kisumu case, the plot which is located opposite the main Kisumu Bus terminal was handed to a group of people masquerading as branch officials in early 1970s. The former branch official was reported to have reached the loose agreement with some traders to develop the plots and recover their money from the rent for the specific period of time. This was at the time when nearly all the KANU officials had crossed the flour and joined the opposition whose youth had destroyed the old KANU office which was built with timber.

Materials on the same plot.

The CITIZEN’S story alerted and alarmed the KANU headquarters the rumours went around that some unnamed persons were in the process of selling the party’s plots to an Indian business tycoon in the town.

ENDS

Kenya: Father Omolo Beste’s Homily on Fourth Sunday of Lent

From: joachim omolo ouko
Sunday, March 30, 2014

Today is fourth Sunday of Lent. The Lenten campaign theme is Good Governance. First reading is from 1 Samuel 16:1.6.7.10-13, second reading is from St Paul’s letter to Ephesians 5:8-14 and the Gospel from John 9:1-41.The story is about Tswani community who were so excited that with devolved their community would be provided with better service delivery.

They thought the new system would bring leadership closer to the people and that that all be involved in decision-making. Barely a year after the polls, some of the community and village leaders had already clearly put their own interests before those of the community and the villages.

They mismanaged funds allocated to the communities, moved into big expensive houses, bought themselves big cars that cost millions of shillings, furnished their offices with expensive furniture and spent huge sums on entertainment and trips abroad.

The campaign comes at the time Kenya’s Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) is due to launch investigations into 30 county governors after receiving complaints of abuse of office and misuse of funds.

It is also at the time the State cannot account for Sh500b, which got lost during the 2011/12 financial year. Taxpayers lost more than Sh300 billion, but the latest estimates indicate the figure could rise to nearly Sh500 billion according to Auditor General Edward Ouko.

Ouko estimates that up to 30 per cent of the Government’s total budget in any financial year is wasted. Last year, Sh338 billion of the total government expenditure for 2011/2012 was unaccounted-for.

The total budget for the 2012/2013 financial year stood at Sh1.45 trillion, of which 30 per cent or Sh483 billion is likely to be misappropriated. Airtime, flowers and tea alone were reported to account for Sh338 billion.

The campaign is also coming at the time several business surveys reveal that business corruption is still widespread and that companies frequently encounter demands for bribes and informal payments to ‘get things done’ in Kenya.

There are also pending corruption cases which include Kenya Pipeline Company since 2008 in oil scam involving privately-owned Triton Oil Company in which the government lost 7.5 billion shillings ($86.7 million).

The other pending cases of corruption include land fraud over a deal worth 283 million shillings ($3.2 million) since March 2010. Currently the Kenyatta government has also been hit by claims of irregularities in the award of the Sh447 billion Mombasa-Nairobi standard gauge railway that critics say has been overpriced by more than Sh120 billion.

It is about the time Labour secretary Kazungu Kambi was forced to suspend a Sh5.03 billion project by the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) to build infrastructure works in Nairobi’s Tassia Estate.

China Jiangxi International was awarded the Hazina Trade Center contract at a cost of Shs 6.7 billion despite a lower bid of Shs 5.9 billion by China Wu Yi, another Chinese company. The award of the tender raised eyebrows before Atwoli blew the whistle on the Shs 5 billion sewerage and road pavement scam.

Kenyans are also losing more than Sh1.8 billion annually in salary payments to ghost workers in the Civil Service. According to recent revelation the government flushes Sh150 million monthly in salaries for workers who are non-existent, dead, retired or sacked – but are still retained in the State payroll – hence ballooning Kenya’s public wage bill.

Kenya’s public sector wage bill currently stands at Sh458.7 billion, which is equivalent to 12.2 per cent of GDP. The amount is almost equal to the Sh470.8 billion the Kenya Revenue Authority collected in the six months to December 2013; and almost half of the expected total revenue of Sh973.5 billion targeted to be collected by June this year.

It explains why Kenya’s debt load crossed the 50 per cent of GDP mark late last year to stand at Sh2.11 trillion or 57 per cent of GDP by end of December 2013. Unless Kenya puts a tight lid on its debt load by fighting against corruption its economy will not be on a steady growth path.

Fiscal discipline will break down and disrupt provision of public services if the wage bill growth is left unchecked. The country’s image abroad is already at stake following the failure by the Treasury to allocate Sh679 million to cater for subscription fees to international bodies.

Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail obolobeste@gmail.com

Omolo_ouko@outlook.com
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Twitter-@8000accomole

KENYA: LAND WAR WITH CARTELS NGILU WILL NEVER WIN

From: joachim omolo ouko
News Dispatch with Father Omolo Beste
SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 2014

Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu has began war with land cartels that she will definitely not win. Ngilu is well aware of this fact that ending corruption and entrenched land cartels at the ministry would not be as easy as she thinks.

Big money is already threatening to stall and derail the land reforms agenda, a fact that the National Land Commission has admitted. This includes the multi-billion shilling favourite hunt for land barons keen to offload large tracks of land to government at handsome prices.

Ngilu should be aware that historically the lands office has always been a company and not a State office. In other words, even the president cannot win this war.

The delay of issuing title deeds was her first encounter with the reality of how the process had been tampered to favour the land barons who include the lands officials at her ministry, right from the headquarters to the district land officers.

These cartels are working with influential businessmen, politicians and government officials in falsifying land registration documents that resulted in the issuance of more than one title deed in most parts of the country, especially at the Coast.

Ngilu has admitted publicly that many of these cartels have planted themselves in every corner and they are always faceless to the public. They operate through brokers. They could be your friends by day and enemies at night.

Cartels of land officers are well organized. They include lawyers, real estate agents and brokers who are duping innocent Kenyans into buying non-existent land. They use existing deed plans documents showing location and divisions on land to tamper with records at the Lands ministry.

These are the very people are behind the runaway cases of people buying land belonging to other people. The Syokimau demolitions that saw Kenyans lose millions of shillings in investment serves as the best example.

Once the racketeers identify a piece of land they wish to “sell”, they alert their contacts at the Lands ministry who prepare a parallel set of fake documents which they use to dupe their victims.

They usually start their scavenging at the Nairobi City Council where they scour records for details of land transactions that have been approved, including sub-divisions, by town planning committees.

Armed with this information, they forge letters purporting to be from the council indicating an approval, complete with dates and the plots that need to be sub-divided. The forged letters will have different land reference numbers. For instance, if the block title was 54/784, the racketeers could indicate their land reference as 54/256.

The racketeers also ensure that they include the exact date the Commissioner of Lands approved the sub-division. This is allegedly done in collusion with officers in the Ministry of Lands.

You wonder how they do this. Recent investigation by Standard media groups revealed how they do it. Because the original title deed ought to be surrendered, the racketeers generate plot numbers different from the original ones.

According to investigation what helps them is that the part of the title block numbers for the genuine plots will have changed. The number 54 and the new numbers is what remains, e.g. 54/89-320.

The land fraudsters will then come up with fake numbers all of which will begin with 54/, for example 54/850-1081. This can easily convince buyers who do not make thorough investigations when acquiring land. The conmen do not stop at that.

Since busy lawyers will send their clerks, and in some cases, the clerks will share the details of the plot with the fraudsters who will prepare similar titles, it is only prudent for a buyer to spare the time to go to the ministry personally.

Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail obolobeste@gmail.com

Omolo_ouko@outlook.com
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KENYA: THE DAY WHEN TAITA ARAP TOWETT TOLD HIS KIPSIGIS PEOPLE WHO WERE DEMANDING FOR FREE LAND TO GO TO SAHARA DESERT.

Poliical historical feature By Leo Odera Omolo.

It was sometime on a date in June 1961, and while serving in the brief KANU/KADU coalition government as the Minister for Lands Settlement and Housing, the deminutive Kipsigis pioneer politician Taaita Araap toweett bravely told a huge crowd during a political rally in Kericho that those who wanted land for free should as well go to the Sahara Desert where there was plenty of land for free.

The rally was held at Sosiot trading centre in Belgut, Kericho district. The tough talking Toweett whose Kalenjin Political Alliance party was affiliated to KADU had just won a bruising election battle during the snap elections called by the then governor of Kenya Sir Patrick muir renson on a KADU ticket poling the largest number of votes, 58,796 a record which for years remained never to be to-date by any other Kenyan politician.

It is believed that only Ngengi Muigai had garnered the highest number of votes and came close to the equal one received by TOWETT IN 1961. Muigai polled 48,000n when he contested he Gatundu South constituency in 1972 Gatundu South constituency on a KANU ticket

Toweett contested the election against two challengers, one Mister Mister Arap Korir of KANU and A Former chief Inspector of Police Tamason Barmalel, a Nandi man who had migrated from his native Nandi and settled I Chepalungu This was a straight contest between KANU and KADU

Toweett first one a seat in the Colonial and white settlers dominated legislative Council in 1958 under what was then known as Lenoxboyd Plan which gave the African population six additional seats in the Legco bringing the number to 14. This was in addition to the first eight African members who were voted in in march 1957. Toweett had won the Southern electoral, which covered some parts of Kericho, trans-Mara and Kericho.

The famous pronouncement by Toweett came at the time when the densely populated members of the Kipsigis community were clamoring for additional land and pestering the colonial authorities to open up the white highland, which was exclusively forth white settlers at the time.

Other Legco members who were elected together with Toweett in 1958 included David Ngati Mumom [Ukambani], Justus Kondit Ole Tipis, {Central Rift], J.J. Nyagah {Embu}, Francis Joseph Khamisi] and Dr. Julius Gikonyo Kiano {Central]. {Mombasa]

Toweett’s answer to the anxious crowd sparked off a lot of murmuring among the ing for it can at a later stagas the time goes be kicked out of the same land plot by any powerful neighbor who can grab it forcefully but the one who had paid adequately for his land is the one could be sure of owning his property permmnently. The Sosiot rally almost broke up in chaos amid protest by the huge crowd..

However, it was later transpired that the majority of the kipsigis people well received Toweet message. They formed land buying companies. Other moved in families and bought land in many settlement schemes which were launched by the post-independent government headed by the founding President Jomo Kenyatta. The community also responded well to President Kenyatta’s famous call of “Back to the Land’.

Many members of this community, a sub-tribe of the larger Kalenjin ethnic group moved and purchased land previously owned by white settlers in Sotik, Rongai, Subukia, Trans-Nzoia, Uasin-Gishu, Nakuru, Molo, Elburgon, Londiani, Fort-Tennan, Koru and other places. Members of the Kipsigis can now be found in far fields like Laikipia, Nyahururu, Naromoru, Gilgil and Elmentaita and Cheranganyi where they have since prospered and became excessively wealthy following their acquisition of large scale farms in the “White Highland’.

During the same period of time Jaramogi Ogings Odinga, who was then repr5esenting the largest electoral constituency of Central Nyanza was telling his Luos that once independence comes, the land will be for free, and that luo herdsmen could go and graze their herds of cattle as far as Eldoret Molo, Kipkarren and other white settlers area without any problem.

Odinga instead of encouraging the Luos to spread their wing and acquire the kland in other farming regions and settlement scheme launched the infamous “Cham-Gi-Wadu”n a scientific socialistic slogan loosely translated that one must eat his your neighbor

And when the government finally opened new settlement schemes in Muhoroni, Koru, Songhor, Chemelil and other parts of Nyanza, the Luos were reluctant to buy land and settled in those schemes. The few who braved the taboo and defied traditional culture and bought land in the schemes, quickly abandoned their newly acquired farms and moved back to their ancestral land in the rural locations inside Luo-Nyanza. Those who persevered later abandoned the land and left their land laying fallow, though the few who Luos who took farming seriously and engaged in sugar cane farming have since prospered, although Odinga himself became a large scale farmer Songhor in Tinderet Nandi and in Miwani where the family now owns a large track of land and growing sugar cane. But the poverty index in the region still remains the highest.

In this context Toweett who died a few years ago in a motor vehicle accident did not fear losing his political popularity, but had told his people nothing but the truth the truth without fearing paying the political prices of losing their support.

Ends.

KENYA: NYANDO MP SELLS HIS LAND FOR KSHS 800m to Madam R Enterprises FOR SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT.

To: “jaluo@jaluo.com”

By Our Investigative Reporter

Nyando MP Fred Outa who is at the centre of the storm loudly supporting the controversial Solid Waste Management is to sell to Madam R the company which was awarded the multi-billion Solid Waste Management his land at Namba Okan at a cost of kshs 800 million hence his strong agitation for Madam R.

The area MPs ;John Olago Aluoch, Aduma Owuor and himself have so far been enjoined in the case as interested parties together with six Ward Reps;the ever hungry Prisca Auma Misachi, Yona Maina Koko ,Jane Omollo and the fatherless “Banian” Aslam Khan.

Outr has of late locked horns with Kisumu Governor Jack ranguma who has so far disowned the tender award vowing that he will fight the Governor to the full until he achieves his desire of selling the land to Madam enterprises.

All those who are enjoined in the petition have been promised good cash rewards if the tender will finally be awarded to the said company.

The MPs have been promised kshs 10million each while the Ward Reps are to take home kshs 5million each.

“I am surprised that our leaders can stoop this low and be bribed and okay such a project just because one of their own is to sell his land to the Company and they share the loot from the tax payers money from Kisumu” lamented aConty Rep who was approached to be a friend of the Court but declined.

So far no Environmental Impact Assessment report has been conducted and submitted to the National Environment Management Authority, lead agencies like Kisumu Civil Aviation Authority, Water Resource Management Authority and Kisumu County on the said land the MP is selling.

Ranguma has vowed that the project will only take place over his dead vowing that the award of the tender was un procedural.

This comes at a time Kisumu High Court ordered the Kisumu County Government to respond to a petition filed by businessman Erick Okeyo regarding the controversial solid waste management project.

High Court Judge Aggrey Muchelule has given the lawyers representing the County government (Wasuna Advocates) three days to file a response against the allegations made by the petitioner.

Okeyo through his lawyer Charles Njuguna wants the county government compelled to produce certified copies of the advertisements for invitation to tender, the valuation report of the tenders, and proof of public participation in the process.

Muchelule ordered lawyers representing both parties to move with speed because the matter is of public interest since it involves huge amount of money and must be expedited as soon as possible.

However Advocate Yogo representing Madam R enterprises which was allegedly offered the Sh. 18 billion tender maintained that no tender was signed and that the county government has not spent any money on the project.

KENYA: THE GOVERNMENT IS TOLD TO STOP LUO – KIPSIGIS TRIBAL SKIRMISHES IN NYAKACH.

Reports Leo Odera Omolo in Sondu market.

It was as if the hell broke loose on Tuesday night when a band of 80 Kipsigis youth descended on 14 villages with crude weapons during the wee hours of the night and started spearing, slashing and hitting everybody on sight before torching dwelling houses in ten homesteads.

The raid left one man dead with several others injured. a young girl was stabbed in the stomach with what looked like a Somali or maasai swords.

The attacks who an eye witness estimated to have been between 70 and 80 youths were armed with crude weapons like bows and arrows, spears, rungus and swords. The night raid came at between 1. am and 2.am and caught the villagers unaware and apparently in deep sleep.

The unprovoked bloody night raid occurred in the village close to the Luo – Kipsigis border around Holo Trading center almost nest to the main Kisumu –Sondo road. These villages are lying only 2 Kilometers northwest of Sondu borer town where there is full fledged Police station.

The villages which had come under the bloody attack were Ramogi, Kisai, Onyuongo, Koguta, Kandaria, Jimo and Kasai. All the residents of the above villages are members of the various sub- clans of the larger Nyakach. The attack was similar to the one staged by the defunct Kalenjin warriors who carried out politically motivated bloody attack on the same villages during the tribal clashes of 1992.

The attack came only a week after the Kericho County governor Prof. Paul Chepkwony and his Kisumu County counterpart Jack Ranguma had held a peace meeting and urged the border communities to live in peace and harmony and advised them against the outmoded culture like cattle rustling..

The attackers seemed to have been well drilled and both the police and the members of the provincial Administration were at a loss and could not figure out the motive behind it.

Elders in Nyakach said they suspected the attack to be an act of revenge following the recent killing of a Kipsigis man who was in a group of cattle rustlers. He was speared to death and his accomplices fled and disappeared in the darkness. The incident took place a couple of weeks ago.

Communal relations between the Luo-s and the Kipsigis in the area has always been very cordial and warm as members of the two communities mingled easily in Sondu and flourishing border town while carrying out butter trades.

The attackers took away unspecified herds of cattle, sheep and goats. The attackers also stole all valuable house hold goods, utensils, and destroyed cooking sufurias, or anything of value they set their eyes on, in the house whose owners had led the deadly night orgies.

The raiders turned the villages up and down and forced some families to flee their homes leaving their clothes behind as most of the fled naked to save their skin from being lynched by the merciless attackers. Although the situation is relatively calm there is tension and the Nyakach resident have called upon the government to arrest the situation, restore peace and apprehend the trouble makers from both side of the border before it goes out of hand.

It was reported that both the regional commissioners for Kericho County and its Kisumu County were having a series of crucial security meeting while exploring the possibility the lasting solution.

Ends.

KENYA: THE GOVERNMENT IS ASKED TO INVESTIGATE THE ACTIVITIES OF LAND CONMEN IN AWENDO

Reports Leo Odera Omolo.

The Provincial Administration and police authorities in Migori County have been asked to launch a thorough investigation with the view to apprehending a group of conmen who are reportedly cheating the residents of Awendo and its environs that they could help them regains thousands of hectares, of land on which hey were removed from 30years ago to make room for the establishment of the SonySugar Company.

Before the establishment of SonySugar company in 1977, thousands of local residents were removed from their ancestral land,which now forms the bulks of Sony Sugar on exclusive estate estimated to be measuring about 5,000 hectares. Two sub-locations were affected, These were Waware and Waundha located in Sakwa East location, Awendo district, Migori County..

The land was acquired compulsorily under the Land Acquisition act. The affected families were adequately compensated by the government and asked to move on. Those whose land was acquired had their names gazette in he official Gazette showing the acreage of land each farmer had before it was taken away.

About a month ago a group of people suspected to be conmen formed a committee, and told the affected farmers that their land was not taken away by the government, but had been bought by GEMA As part of its investment wing, and that the cultural-cum-investment organization , which for many years was led by the late Njenga Karume has since surrendered the land and it wanted the same to revert to its original owners. The group has opened an office in Awendo town and Its coordinator is called Mr Richard Mamba Nyamani who is issuing forms and asking the farmers to sign it.

The group has held a series of meetings, the last one was held last week at the home of one William O. Okola, which is close to Miriwa Market.Owing to land scarcity in the area, many farmers who appeared to be ignorant of what is going on have signed those forms hoping that parts of SonySugar nucleus estate farm would be slashed, re-surveyed and given back to the former owners these meetings take places in behind closed door shopping centers in private homesteads instead of being organized in government facilities a such as at the D, Chiefs or D.’s office, and from the looking of things it appears that the local provincial administration is not aware of what is going on.

Some of the enlightened farmers who have seen these forms, immediately became suspicious that this could be the work of conmen out to fleece them of their hard earned money. Some of the resident became suspicious when the group invoked the name of the defunct GEMA and were left baffled and wondering why and how the organization which was mainly operating in Central, Nairobi and Rift Valley region could have managed to acquired thousands of hectares if land in South Nyanza in 1976/1977. Most of them viewed the information as far fetched and as such devoid of the truth and have now called upon the government to investigate.

The residents have called on Migori Governor and Awendo D.C to come out of their slumber. They should come out and enlighten the public on this contentious issue before members of the public are conned of their money.

A survey carried in the area by thus writer revealed there is no land space in the area. All the parcels of land which the government had acquired was handed to he SONY SUGAR Company and almost all under the sugar cane plantations with exception of the small portion of land which was reserved for Awendo Town, and which was under the management of County Council of Migori and later Awendo Town Council. There is not even an iota of vacant land parcel left for anyone to retrieve back.

Asked by thus writer how the land would revert back to the original owners, Mr Mambas said over the phone that all the forms and signatures would be handed to a the group’s lawyer in Kisii Town who in turn would file the case in the High Court to demand that the land inquisition be returned to the owner. The coordinator , however, could not reviel the name of the group’s lawyer in Kisii,

This is not the first time for the residents of the area to suffer under the cunning conmen. A couple of years way back, another group of conmen had emerged in the are which fleeced the residents of thousands of shillings under the pretext that the landless people would be given land and settled in Maasaland at place called Keiyan In Trans-Mara district in Narok COUNTY. The group got away scot-free while laughing all the way to the bank. So far nobody has been given land in that area..

The forms are being distributed ibn an office in Awendo town, where people go and sign them giving particulars of their national identitity cards etc. Those inquiring about the scheme are shown some of the most outdated land maps and copies of stale official gazette publication showing where they former homesteads were located before the mass eviction of 1977.

ENDS

THE BRITISH MULTINATIONAL TEA COMPANIES IN KENYA FACES RAISING AGITATION OVER THEIR EXPIRED LAND LEASES.

News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo In Kericho Town

The British multinational tea companies operating in Kericho and Bomet Counties in the Republic of Kenya whose 99 land lease has already expired should not be pushed out of their property, but they should be compelled to donate several hundreds of acres back to the community for the use in establishing essential public utilities projects.

Owing to the fact that the land in the rural locations in the two counties has become too congested and over populated, there are no space for the establishment of important public utilities such as hospitals and universities as well as other institutions of higher learning, therefore some parts of the land on which the tea plantations and factories stand on should revert to the community which were the original owners of the land.

These were the sentiments expressed by a prominent Kericho politician William Kepkemoi Arap Kettienya who reminded the multinational tea companies land that was forcefully seized from its original owners by the colonialists at the turn of the 20th century. Its lease has since expired but the locals live in densely populated rural community reserve land which can no longer be used in establishing socio economic projects such as hospitals and universities, which requires hundreds of acres of land space.

Kericho and Bomet housed more than 45 large tea estates and over 30 tea green leaves processing factories employing over 40,000 work force.

Keiitanya was reacting to a newspaper report which quoted leaders and politicians in the neighboring Nandi County who had called on tea farms whose land lease have expired to return the parcel to the original owners of the land and at the same time restore it to its form it had when the land was taken by force by the colonial authorities and distributed to the white settlers for tea plantation.

There are more than 30 large scale tea plantations for processing factories operating in both North and south Nandi. Key county leaders were amplifying what the Mps from the region had demanded.

Like in Kericho, Bomet counties, the tea farms operating in the region are owned by the British farms and individuals.

The Mps want the ownership of potrate of land used by British multi national companies reverted to the community. However, the leaders of Nandi county are not advancing the proposal that the land be sub-divided, hut will hold them in trust on behalf of the community.

The Nandi county leaders under the governor Cleophas Lagat is in total agreement with the Mps on the contentive issues is now backing the proposal hailed by the Mps and senator Stephen sang, Mrs. Alfred Keter (Nandi Hills), Nandi women rep. Zipora Kurgat , Alex Kosgei (bumugwen), Julias Meli (tindieret), Julius bitok (mosop) lejah lagat(ge) and Oscar sudi.

According to Mr. sang, their man is to give legal community ownership of land and not necessarily to interfere with the manners and the management of the tea firms

‘’we would like to make it clear that we are not trying to stage the kind of Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe style of farm takeover Of more companies, but rather empower the local community ownership and not necessarily interfere with owners and management of tea companies, but rather empower the local to be held in trust by the county government”.

There are more than 20 tea estates and factories in the Nandi Hills sub-county of the Nandi county, situated in the western part of the Rift valley.

The companies include George William’s and Eastern province of Kenya, Kepchono, kapchorwa, Koisagat, Sivet, kirkarus ,Nandi Hills Tea Company and others. These companies have employed up to 350000 workers directly and indirectly.

The issues surrounding the lease of the land on which tea estate and factories stand. On has remained the thorniest issue ever since 1996, When some leaders in Kericho and Bomet demanded that the land should revert to its original owners.

Thousands of rural communities previously occupying the land were forcefully removed from their property at gun point and consigned to to drought strickened and unproductive areas at the tune of the 20 century to pave the way for the introduction of tea bushes in the region which began in the early 1910 and 1922.

Some of the British multinational tea companies at one time were forced to disclose that their property land leased was not for the 99 years, but for the 999 years. This stunned and those advocating for the land to revert to its original owners/ The Kenya government made no comment on these claims.

Major tea companies operating in Kericho and Bomet Counties include james Finlays a Scotish firm, which is also of late involved in the production of cut fliers for reports. There are also other firms owned by individuals and companies in the region. They bringing the employment of the labour force in the regions to a total of about 40,000

However, the recent introduction of mechanized tea plucking machines saw a large number o0f workers being declared redundant and sent home. This has reduced the number of workers in the tea company drastically almost by half.

ENDS

Streets as Public Spaces and Drivers of Urban Prosperity

From: Yona Maro

A key finding of this report is “the expansion of cities has been accompanied by changes in land use, both in terms of form as well as structure. Streets, as public spaces, have lost their importance in terms of their share of land, as well as their prominent role in shaping the culture and history of cities.”

Another key finding of this report is “prosperous cities are those that recognize the relevance of public spaces (with proper layouts) and those which have allocated sufficient land to street development, including sufficient crossings along an appropriate lengthy network. Those cities that have failed to integrate the multi-functionality of streets tend to have lesser infrastructure development, lower productivity and a poorer quality of life”.

Link:
http://www.unhabitat.org/pmss/getElectronicVersion.aspx?nr=3513&alt=1

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KENYA: FARMERS CALL FOR SPEEDY PRIVATIZATION OF MIWANI AND MUHORONI SUGAR COMPANIES

Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City

DISCONTENT is high up among the sugar cane farmers in the Nyanza sugar belt over the seemingly endless official receivers management of two sugar companies.

Miwani Sugar Mill and Muhoroni Sugar Company Limited, all government owned parastatals, were placed under the official receivership management in April, 2001. The then Agriculture Minister, Chris Mogere Obure, said at the time that the two companies were to be under the joint official receivers for protective purposes. THe receivership for Miwani was to last for three months while the Muhoroni Sugar Company was to last for six months

In the case of the heavily indebted Miwani Sugar Mills, Obure said government was to appoint financial experts to write its books of accounts and offset its debts. Miwani was heavily indebted to banks, suppliers, cane farmers and workers to the tune of about Kshs 4 billon.

At the time, Miwani had planted cane crops in its 9,700 neucleus farm, which experts had estimated that when harvested, crushed into made sugar and sold would generate sufficiently enough cash money which could offset its debts.

HOWEVER, Reports making the round says that the resources of the two public companies were later subjected to massive vandalization of the highest order. Following the appointments and dismissals of team of joint receiver managers after the other.

And ever since 2001 year after years passed without any signs as to when the joint receivership management would be lifted. Miwani the oldest sugar factory I the country grounded to a halt and stopped crushing cane about five years ago, while the ailing Muhoroni Sugar Mills is still functioning, but and ailing and limping.

Muhoroni MP James Onyango K’Oyoo recently raised objection to the latest appointment of the joint receiver manager of persons of not well proved credibility who however, stood his ground

The songs about the privatization of the five government owned sugar companies have been in the air for the last two decades while the joint receiver managers have continued milking the resources of the two companies. The deals also involved the Kenya Sugar Board KSB}, which is the official regulating body in the sugar industry as well as the parent Ministry.

The appointment of joint official receivers is said to be attracting a lot of goodies, thus confirming allegations and claims that the two companies have since become the “milking cows” for some unscrupulous Ministry’s officials and board members.

The farmers in both Nyando and Muhoroni districts now want the government to expedite the privatization of Miwani and Muhoroni Sugar Companies.

Other rumors making the round within Kisumu and its environs the round within Kisumu and its environs is say that an influential and crafty entity is currently working in cahoots and clandestinely with the wealthy Indian business while targeting the Miwani’s 9,700 acres nucleus estate land for the grab. A source has confided to this writer that it won’t take long the farm which has been subject to a heated exchange between the farmers and the receiver managers as well as protracted legal tussle through courts between the wealthy Indian businessmen in Kisumu is grabbed by the politicians and his collaborators.

The residents of Kano plains and the surrounding rural location are now urging the government either to hand over the two sugar mills to credible investors altogether with their assets including farms. They are insisting that anybody interested in Miwani and Muhoroni Sugar Mills should be ready to invest in the two companies with their crucial land farms intact as it could only play pivotal role in boosting the economy of the region if they are resuscitated and floated for privatization to investors.

The Kano people as well as farmers in the Muhoroni, Chemelil, Kibios,Koru, Fort-Tennan and those farming in the surrounding Locations of South East and North East Kano, Miwani and Kibos. Anything short of this will not be tolerated by the stakeholders.

The farmers are now bold and want the government to kick out the official receiver managers out of Miwani and Muhoroni as their presence is undesirable. This is because their resources. Five sugar companies, which are still under the public investments included the Awendo-based Sony Sugar, Chemelil, Nzoia, Miwani and Muhoroi sugar companies.

Ends

Housing in Africa: Economic growth, exponential urbanization and a growing middle class are hampering the provision of adequate housing in Africa – AfDB

african-development-bank.png
From: News Release – African Press Organization (APO)
PRESS RELEASE

AfDB Approves US $20 million Trade Finance Line of Credit for Shelter Afrique to Support Real Estate SMEs

Economic growth, exponential urbanization and a growing middle class are hampering the provision of adequate housing in Africa – AfDB

TUNIS, Tunisia, December 11, 2013/ — The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) (http://www.afdb.org) approved on Wednesday, December 11 a US $20 million Trade Finance Line of Credit for the Company for Habitat and Housing in Africa/Shelter Afrique (SHAF) to boost the availability of Trade Finance (TF) instruments to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) involved in real estate and construction related activities in Africa. Thereby, this facility will contribute to addressing the critical shortage of building materials while creating jobs and income in the region.

Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/african-development-bank-2.png

Economic growth, exponential urbanization and a growing middle class are hampering the provision of adequate housing in Africa. The construction industry is growing at 20 per cent per annum, but this cannot sufficiently address the rising demand for housing partly due to a wide financing gap for construction and building materials. The public and private sectors have so far been unable to deliver sufficient resources to meet this expanding working capital requirement. Where funding is available, pricing remains prohibitive.

SHAF is the only pan-African organization devoted to financing the development of proper housing and human settlements in Africa. Created in 1982 and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, this pan-African housing finance and development institution addresses acute shortage of housing by providing financial and technical resources for sustainable housing and urban development. SHAF’s current shareholding comprises 44 African countries, AfDB and Africa Reinsurance Corporation (Africa Re). It is worth noticing that AfDB played a key role in the establishment of SHAF as the vehicle for supporting sustainable housing and urban development in Africa.

The AfDB’s four-year facility will allow SHAF to expand its Trade Finance Program, launched in June 2011, under a product diversification strategy to address the acute financing shortage facing real estate developers in Africa. SHAF will also partner with other financial institutions offering TF services to SMEs in real estate construction and building industry and those involved in trading/leasing of building materials and equipment. Through this contribution, AfDB would leverage SHAF’s market knowledge and networks across the continent and hence assist to alleviate some of the structural financing inefficiencies encumbering Africa’s real estate growth.

This facility, boosting the availability of affordable housing in Africa through financial institutions and SMEs involvement, will thereby enhance inclusive growth and private sector development as espoused in the AfDB Long Term Strategy for 2013-2022. Trade facilitation is one of the three strategic objectives of the Bank’s Regional Integration Strategy 2009-2012 as the AfDB seeks to mainstream and institutionalize its engagement in Trade Finance development in Africa.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Contacts:
Sabrina Hadjadj Aoul, Senior Communications Officer, T. +216 71 10 26 21 / C. +216 98 70 98 43 / s.hadjadjaoul@afdb.org

Yaw Kuffour, Lead Trade Finance Specialist, T. +216 71 10 22 85 / y.kuffour@afdb.org

Press releases are also available on the Bank’s website at http://j.mp/AfDB_Media

SOURCE
African Development Bank (AfDB)

Kenya: multi-billion dollar project in siaya is facing myriads of problems

NEGATIVE POLITICS AND GREEDINESS FOR THE CHEAP CHEAP HANDOUTS MONEY IS THREATENING TO DERAIL MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR US INVESTOR’S RICE PROJECT IN SIAYA COUNTY

News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo

Negative politics and anti-development attitude of Siaya politicians is now threatening to derail a multi million investment by an American entrepreneur who has sunk close to Ksh. 10 billion in River Yala Swamp land reclamation project.

Mr. Calvin Burgess an American investor from Okhlohama, US has invested a lot of money in mixed Yala river swamp land measuring about 17,500 hectares in the farm which is located near Ratuoro in Central Alego, Siaya district, Siaya county.

Yala swamp land reclamation project is a multi purpose farm producing thousands of top grade rice, maize, beans, cotton, sorghum, millet, bee keeping, citrus fruits, fish ponds, and other cash crops.

The vast swamp land on both sides of Yala River is covering Bondo, Bunyala, Budalangi and Siaya district. Before Mr. Burgess started this multi billion dollar investment project the massive swamp, now farm land, was home to crocodiles, hippos, pythons, and highly poisonous snakes.

Dominion Farm Limited has now been turned into ultra-modern mixed farm which of late has become the hub of food production inside Luo-Nyanza. However, the work has not been going on smoothly as expected due to gross interference by lead politicians and some local NGOs, environmentalists and local civic leaders, who had turned this most important project into their punching box, thereby incessantly polarizing its progress and expansion.

The war of words intensified earlier this week after the outspoken Gem MP Washington Jakoyo Midiwo fired the first salvo by issuing threats that he will mobilize and lead a mob of ODM supporters to evict the company.

Meanwhile the Dominion Farm Limited has persistently come out to defend its clean record and dismissed numerous allegations of reneging on the agreement signed between it and the defunct County Council of Siaya and Bondo.

Midiwo’s threats prompted the nominated MP Dr. Oburu Oginga and Siaya County Commissioner Joseph Kimigwi to tell Midiwo off over his threats to lead the company’s eviction by the mob of ODM followers and supporters.

Oburu, the elder brother of the ODM party leader Raila Amolo Odinga said it is naïve to evict the investor who has sunk down Ksh. 10 billion in the Yala Swamp rice development project. The MP warned the County Reps and villagers who are reportedly harassing Dominion Group for cheap hand-outs, jobs and other goodies.

“Let us not fight the investor. This behaviour will scare away other potential investors” said the MP, adding that the Government of Kenya and Siaya County residents should instead protect the US Company which has also created job opportunities for thousands of locals.

Dr. Oginga said there are channels of addressing grievances raised by the residents and their leaders and which should be followed. “Because the investment is of great importance to Siaya County and cannot be wished away over petty issues”

“Such a multi billion shillings investment cannot be shut down at the whim of county leaders. It is inconcurrable”, said the administrators.

The commissioner defender the Dominican Group and vowed to beef up security around the project to thwart any attempt to disrupt its operations.

Mr. Kimigwi went on “ Infrastructure that has been brought up by the Dominican Group will always remain the property of the local community and residents should not just look at immediate gains or hand outs.

Midiwo had issued the threats to evict the US company for allegedly failing to comply with agreed and signed with the former County Council of Siaya and Bondo when it leased more than 6, 000 acres of the swamp land for a rice project.

Some local politicians demanded for fresh negotiations at the agreement arguing that the residents have allegedly been given a raw deal by the US multinational company.

The proprietor, Calvin Burgess, has however dismissed Midiwo’s claims saying the project has employed thousands of workers from the surrounding villages and locations both skilled and unskilled.

This US multinational firm has also revived the old ginnery in the region which went burst many years ago due to poor management by co-operative sorcery and is now encouraging cotton growing in the region

It has established the honey processing plant within its own compound. The firm is known to have freely supplied mosquito nets to the villagers in the malaria prone region for free.

Dominion has vehemently denied the allegations and claims that it is not helping the local RESIDENTS.

Ends

Professional Women confronted by Theocracy took up Arms; Iraq & WMD’s – – another viewpoint;

from; octimotor
to; jaluo@jaluo.com

Theocracy vs. women induced to take up arms

Perhaps readers may recall news accounts in the USA media during the early 2000’s concerning the situations of women and girls in places such as Afghanistan and other countries in the surrounding region.

For awhile the Talaban regime held sway. It operated as a theocracy.

Heavy restrictions against women seeking to hold employment outside of homes were enforced. Schooling of girls was ended for the duration of their time in power.

Eventually, using the events of the 2001 September NY City twin towers and Washington DC Pentagon attacks as the officially proclaimed motivations, US forces invaded and occupied Afghanistan and Iraq. Hence the Talaban regime in Afghanistan and the Sadam Husane regime of Iraq were unseated. After such actions eventually comes a time for the invading forces to be drawn down and prepare for what is to be established afterward.

In that context it occurred to me that there could be much value gained by setting up a particular kind of recruitment campaign.

It would be oriented toward involvement of the local women who had first hand experience of having been subjected to the restrictions imposed upon them by the prior Talaban regime. They would be provided with training in military skills and then equipped, formed up as military units.

Surely you would then reasonably expect that they could then be counted on to follow their natural interest and motivation to not again be placed under the thumb of elements of that kind of regime if it would seek to come back into power.

Against that background of my prior speculations, I was surprised to find recently a related history note. It was information in a presentation by mikitary historian Douglas Dietrich. Apparently that notion had already actually occurred in a near by geographic area a few years earlier. Those conditions arose in regards to the Iran / Iraq region at beginnings of 1980’s.

Under the US – sponsored 1950’s to 1980 Iran government of Shaw Raza Palavi, extensive moves toward Westernization of that nation occurred. Under programs pursued by that regime, women, often educated in Western nations’ universities, made major inroads into occupying high responsibility positions in the professions. These included Iranian universities faculty, law offices, government civil service, management positions in businesses.

Then in 1980. came the revolution in which the Revolutionary Islamic Republic of Iran was established, led by the clerics, very formally operating as a theocracy with religious law being held as supreme. Westernized socieo-econic-political forms were to be abolished.

In one of his presentations, Douglas Diettich said that the women, employed in such positions within the professions, were informed that they must end their participation in such activities, or else face execution. As a reaction to being confronted with that kind of drastic proposition, many chose to flee that country. Due to geographic closeness, having a shared national border with Iran, Iraq received a major influx of these Iranian expatriate women.

Iraq’s regime had seen the Iran revolution as its opportunity to try to grab some territory from Iran, hence beginning a war between the two which bogged down and became very costly to them both.

In this setting, a number of the women who had fled into Iraq from Iran under duress then were able to take up arms. They joined their efforts into a battle which they hoped would allow the regime of the new Islamic Republic of Iran to be overturned. The records show that their units proved to be quite effective, militarily speaking.

Tragically though, their potentials for successes came to be deemed to be not in the US national interests, as viewed by its top level foreign relations officials. This was on the basis that Iraq, and the military units composed by expatriate Iranian women professionals, were being interpreted as players who joined alliances with the then Soviet Union as the main source for their military supplies and anticipated future political support, in the event that that they succeeded militarily.

This was a time in which the US arranged to sell arms to Iran for use in its war against Iraq. Those deals were set up by members of the Regan presidency. They started as a way to leverage his election into office. They continued afterward as a an element in his actions to confront Soviet power world wide. Look into accounts under two headings. One is “October Surprise”. The other is Iran / Contra Arms Scandal.

Observe also that previously Iraq had purchased much of its military supplies from the US as well as from the USSR.

US, Iraq, WMD-s

In the Media, much attention has been placed on the question as to presence, or not, for Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD’s) in the hands of Iraq. The Younger President Bush made this the celebrated cause for the US invasion of Iraq following the Twin Towers Sept 2001 events. Afterward, the most widely published view holds that there turned out not to be any of those things found by the US & its allies.

But WMD’s – – chemical and biological agents – – actually had been in the possession of Iraq, at least for a period of time. However, these were items manufactured and sold by US companies to Iraq. with the quiet acquiescence of the US government. A witnesses to this fact stated he had been a member of a special forces team. During infiltration and recon operational mission he broke into the relevant Iraqi storage bunkers, and there read company receipts inside, and lettering stenciled on outside of the containers of such ordnance. Mr. Dietrich’s info is an additional account of this situation.

You can thus recognize that US officials would have strong motives to avoid national embarrassment which would arise if the presence these munitions were officially proclaimed by US / Allied officials. The trail of receipts which announced US origins likely would not go unnoticed if investigation followed high profile disclosure of such armaments. Thus a policy to have US forces in the field just bomb (not capture and retrieve) them can easily be understood as a tactic to remove inconvenient evidence.

Douglas Dietrich states that he served as an enlisted man in the ranks of the US Marines during the Elder President Bush’s Persian Gulf War. He reports being an eye witness, within sight of the event in which one of the largest storage areas containing chemical agents and bio-agents was exploded by US fighter-bomber aircraft attack. He reports that he saw the rising flaming clouds,and soon afterward experienced the strange odors stemming from some of those agents being dispersed with the winds, hence becoming a source for chronic health problems effecting the troops who had been there.

By contrast the US official position was and continues to be that our troops were not subjected to exposure to chemical and or biological weapons agents. But this is counter to the facts of the matter. A result is a rather new medical illness. This is the much talked about ‘Gulf War Sendrome’.

Some of these veterans face a very difficult predicament. A former army nurse from that theatre of conflict speaks out now advocating their cause. The veterans’ medical system has been skewed with intent to keep benefit expenditures low. It often asserts that the vets seeking treatments are officially deemed to only have psychological difficulties. In reality, though, these folks are subject to many important medical physiological pathology conditions due to exposures to exposures to toxic materials.

Signed, -om-

Tanzania lures investors with 10-year tax breaks, sets aside land for cities

From: Abdalah Hamis

By RAY NALUYAGA, The EastAfrican

The government is also offering PPPs in land concession agreements, where a private company enters into an agreement with the government to have the exclusive right to operate, maintain and carry out investment in a public utility for a given number of years.

According to Ms Lemunge, negotiations are already going on between the Chinese government and that of Tanzania with regard to the development of the Bagamoyo port.

Established six years ago, Tanzania’s EPZA has seven industrial parks and 24 standalone single factory units not located within the zones, with EPZA declaring such factories special economic zones.

The parks and stand-alone factories have attracted a total capital of $1.15 billion, creating 26,381 direct jobs with annual export turnover of $357 million.

Investors who put their money in infrastructure development in Tanzania’s Special Economic Zones (SEZs) will be exempted from paying tax for 10 years.

The government has identified a total of 16,150 hectares of land for the SEZs — 10,500 in Bagamoyo, 2,650 in Mtwara and 3,000 in Kigoma — which it hopes to develop into cities, Grace Lemunge, investment promotion manager at the Tanzania Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA), told The EastAfrican.

For Bagamoyo, located 50 kilometres from Dar es Salaam, the government has recently paid Tsh120 billion ($75 billion) as compensation for land acquired to pave the way for a satellite city, with a free port and an international airport.

“The authority has set aside 3,000 hectares for social infrastructure, such as residences, schools, hospitals and entertainment centres,” Ms Lemunge said.

Another 6,000 hectares have been allocated for industrial services and commercial infrastructure, while 500 hectares have been set aside for a free port and 1,000 for an airport.

Mtwara is an integrated project with land owned by the government through the Tanzania Ports Authority, that aims at supporting the Southern Corridor linking Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia and Congo.

It will have a free port, industrial, technological and tourism parks, as well as logistics centres targeting companies providing services to offshore oil and gas companies.

For Kigoma, where the land is owned by the municipal council, the government is seeking investors for construction of a port on Lake Tanganyika bordering Burundi and DRC.

The area, for which a feasibility study and phase one of the master plan have been completed, is to be developed into an industrial cum commercial complex that will be a trade hub for neighbouring countries.

“Investors are invited to develop Kigoma port, EPZ and SEZ industrial, commercial, tourist and ICT parks, warehouses, hotels, banks, schools, hospitals and housing estates,” said Ms Lemunge.

Investors will also be exempted from paying taxes and duties for machinery, equipment, heavy-duty vehicles, building and construction materials and any other goods of a capital nature to be used for purposes of development of SEZ infrastructure.

They will also be exempted from payment of corporate tax, withholding tax on rent, dividends and interest as well as exemption from payment of property tax for the first 10 years.

The investor is also entitled to an initial automatic immigrant quota of five people during the start-up period and thereafter any application for extra people will be submitted to the authority, which in consultation with immigration department will make the authorisation taking into consideration the availability of qualified Tanzanians.

The projects are to be executed in various forms of private-public partnership, which includes Build Operate Transfer, a financing arrangement where a developer designs and builds a complete project or facility at little or no cost to the government or a joint venture partner.

Then the investor owns and operates the facility as a business for a specified period — ranging between 10 and 30 years — after which he transfers it to the government or partner at a previously agreed-upon or market price.

WHY KENYAN PRESS IS FOND OF DISTORTING THE COUNTRY’S POLITICAL HISTORY?

Commentary By Leo Odera Omolo

ANYONE reading through the columns of the Kenyan newspapers will not escape from reading malice and deliberate distortion and concoction of the the country’s political history, especially in regards to the role of those gallant freedom fighters of the past. I was so disgusted, perturbed and dismayed when I read the stories of Kenyan heroes of the yester-years

The photographs which were lined up as those of the freedom fighters during the hero’s day celebrations were mostly of former Home-Guards and boot lickers of the colonialists. I am particularly concerned with the several supplements carried out by some of the dailies.

Our papers showed only those who were well-known as the blue-eyed agents of the colonialists and white settlers, and the photos with dubious contributions to the real task for liberation war.

The list of the pseudo heroes were published either by design or malice that excluded the portrait of Mzee Harry Thuku, the fonder of the Kikuyu Central Kenya Association, which was later to became the mother of the defunct Kenya African Union {KAU}

The late Thuku, is arguably is the father of African nationalists uprising against the British colonial rulers in this country and their associates, the white settlers, Indian business moguls, and the Arabs. In the list of the past heroes of the independent struggle,the writers deliberately excluded the photo and name of Ronald Gideon Ngala, James Smuel Gichuru,Ex-Senior Chief Koinnange Wa Mbiyu, Wokesha Mengu of Taita/Taveta, Fred Kubai, Makan Singh, Walter Fanuel Odede,Daniel Ojijo Oteko of Karachuonyo, John Paul Olola from Alego, Jalmaya Okaka Rabala of Seme, of the Kavirondo Taxpayers Association { Piny Owacho}, John Kebaso of Kisii, JOHN andala of Bunyore, Lumadede Kisala of Maragoli, Elijah Masinde of Bukhusu, Rev Canon Awori , W.W.W.Awori, Eliud Wambu Mathu, Benard Mate , J.jeremiah Nyagah and Francis J.Khamisi.

Other freedom fighters who had the colonialists and their white settlers friends sleepless nights included Arap Koilagen the head of laibons in Kericho and the descendant of Kipnyige and Koitalel Arap Samoei. Arap K Mfangano Island after his entire Talai Laibon clan} Talai were forcefully evicted from their fertile ancestral land to pave thew way for the white settlers tea plantation in Keriucho and Bomet aregions and driven to the remote Gwassi Hills in the then South Nyanza in 1934. Koilagen died in 1956 and was buried on Mfangano Island while his two other cousins died in Nyeri prison where they were detained by the colonial government

The second regent generation of freedom fighters included Lawrence Gerald Oguda,Taaitta Araap Toweett, John Marie Seroney Josef Stanley Mathenge of Nyeri, Ambalal Patel [Ambu} , V.V. Patel.Daniel Moss oF Mt Elgot Congress, Kondit Ole Tiis, Dr Julius Gikonyo Kiano, J.D. Kali

Back to JAMES Samuel Gichuru, it was the latter who prior to the return of Jommo Kenyatta from Europe in 1948 became the first President of KAU. He relinquished this position and stood down for Kenyatta to resume the party leadership.,.

Again for the second time in 1941 Gichuru stood down as the President of KANU to give way to Commn Kenyatta to resume the party”s leadership after the latter”s release from the colonial jails in 1961,

About ODEDE, The Makerere trained veterinarian had stepped into Kenyatta shoes and resumed the presidency of KAU late in October 1951 only a week after Kenyatta and other top leaders of the party were rounded up by the colonial security personnel on the night of October 20. Kenyatta and five other were vanished in the remotest part of the NORTHERN Kenya before they were charged before a court in Kapenguria and jailed with hard labour on the framed charges of managing Mau Mau. Before the end of the same month, Odede hiukself was arrested while visiting South Nyanza and vanquished into detention camp in Maralal, Samburu from where he remained in the colonial detention and restriction camps until 1960s.

It would be good for the young writers to visit libraries before penning about history and they should stop sycophantic outbursts in which people whose contributions to the independence struggle are very insignificant.

The younger journalists must stop turning the history of this country upside down

– LEO ODERA OMOLO –
IN KISUMU.

Kenya: Cartels have taken over Lands ministry, Ngilu warns

From: Judy Miriga

Ehe ! Let the talking begin………..ati, the land ministry is a Company taken over by the Cartels and that, Land is not a State Office…..Yeah, did I hear right???

Then, who are the cartels…….and if you cant see them, who warned Ngilu, may be we can start from that point……………because we want to know and we are determined to know who these Cartels who owned Land’s State Department in Kenya are, and how they came to own these Kenyas Public Land that are held in Trust Custody of People’s Government Employee ???

Ngilu must try to make herself clear and her clarity will help save a situation it is a serious concern that peoples livelihood depends on land in a great deal to be taken for granted.

Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com

– – – – – – – – – – –

Cartels have taken over Lands ministry, Ngilu warns

Updated Friday, November 15th 2013 at 23:12 GMT +3

During her first day at the office, Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu now recalls, she was warned that ending corruption and entrenched land cartels at the ministry would not be as easy.

Still, the Cabinet Secretary who had served as a minister in the past two parliaments vowed to root them out.

“There is corruption of all kinds at the Lands ministry,” Ngilu told The Standard on Saturday in an exclusive interview.

“I was warned that the lands office was a company and not a State office. I want to return it to Kenyans and this is not going down well with those who are involved in the shady land deals. They (cartels) are here… they are everywhere but you can’t see them.”

The delay of issuing title deeds was her first encounter with the reality of how the process had been tampered to favour the land barons who include the lands officials at her ministry, right from the headquarters to the district land officers.

The officers, according to Ngilu, were working with influential businessmen, politicians and government officials in falsifying land registration documents that resulted in the issuance of more than one title deed in most parts of the country, especially at the Coast.

Soon after her surprise appointment, Ngilu was tasked with ensuring that some 100,000 titles were ready to be issued at the Coast in line with Jubilee’s 100-days-in-office pledge to the people of Coast.

Ngilu appointed Peter Kahuho as the director of lands, a post she later revoked following outcry from MPs that the office was unconstitutional.

She got a reprieve after Jubilee alliance leaders opposed a planned censure motion against her.

Asked why she had appointed Kahuho for the post that almost cost her a cabinet post, Ngilu said she wanted change and sanity at the Lands office. “In the transition period there are bound to be challenges faced by all of us. And to err is human. What surprises me is how this matter was pounced on certain people. Was it about the appointment which I corrected by revoking or there was more?”

According to Ngilu, the drive to change the people who have been involved in land administration for long triggered off panic among the cartels and their masters fought back.

“Many of these cartels have planted themselves in every corner and they are always faceless to the public. They operate through brokers. They could be your friends by day and enemies at night,” she said when asked if she knew any of the said cartels.

She said her plans to digitise the ministry’s systems where unexpected and had the cartels worried.

The digitisation plan is expected to replace files and long queues that characterise the Lands Registry. She said: “The current system has fuelled corruption and delays in land transactions. .”

She said the ministry deals with matters of land ownership through records and files which are in manual form giving room for manipulation. “Many parcels of land have more than one file. File tracking is still very manual and tedious and we want to end this through digitisation.”

She said currently, the Lands ministry is faced with over 7,000 cases arising out of land transactions.

“I have been directed to ensure that no one benefits from irregular allocation of lands and title deeds that were issued irregularly be revoked,” she said.

She said some powerful forces who have served in the past and current governments had strategically placed their people in almost all sectors at Ardhi House where many are informers and act as conveyer belts in the illegal land deals.

“Some have been here long enough and their masters don’t want them touched. I am determined to bring this to end at whatever the cost,” she said.

She said she is facing resistance from the people who have benefitted from the illegal land allocations but promised to soldier on until this is reversed.

She urged prominent people who grabbed or were irregularly allocated land to surrender it to the government or risk being named and shamed.

KENYA: THE GOVERNMENT IS URGED TO BEEF UP SECURITY POLICE PATROL ALONG THE NANDI-LUO BORDER

Reports Leo Odera Omolo

SECURITY along the Nandi-Luo border should be improved in order to save the lives of people now being killed every night. The situation now calls for urgent action by the higher authorities on both sides of the border to restore peace and calm.

Borders within Muhoroni sub-county is getting worse day by day. The residents have now appealed to the government to beef up police security night patrol. At the same time, politicians, especially MPS who are representing area close to the border area have been asked to hold public meeting and educate their constituents on the importance of living in peace and harmony, and to find the way o f resolving the land disputes amicably.

The people, who are believed to be member of terror gang from Nairobi, last Saturday night raided the small Police post at Ruga near Chemelil and attacked the policemen with arrows, machete and other crude weapons. The gang injured one policeman forcing his colleague to retaliate resulting in the three member of the gang being shot dead. The rest fled and disappeared under the dark cover.

The raid on the police post was staged at about 1.30 AM.

This attack came only a few hours after the revelers in a pub, which is located at Kibigori were forced to take cover following arrow attack by unknown people. Kibigori is an old, but a small town situated along the Kisumu-Nakuru railway line, but on the Kisumu Countryside.

The revelers were mainly a group of school teachers who were returning home after attending the colorful burial of their slain colleague Mr. Abira, the retired former head teacher of Nyakoko School and a Kisumu based businessman. He was shot with an arrow and killed by the Nandi youths two weeks ago. The incident took place when the retired teacher had gone to Chepsweta area to inspect his sugar cane. The deceased was given a warm send off in at the burial which attracted hundreds of friends, well-wishers and relatives at his Kajulu home. His killers have yet to be arrested.

As the teachers were enjoying their refreshment in a small bar, unknown people fired poisoned arrow into the pub. As they run helter-skelter, the bar owner went out to check in the darkness as to what was happening outside. He was shot with the arrow and another man followed suit.

No arrest has been made so far no arrest has been made.

The Kisumu Regional Commissioner Ms Lorna Odero is the only senior government official who has visited the area and preached peace to the two communities. of the border.

On the Nyanza side of the border only Muhoroni MP James OyangoK”oyoo has toured the troubled areas. He told the two warring communities to live in peace. But his Nandi Hill counterpart has yet to be seen in the area. K”Oyoo told the two communities to love one another and live-in peace and harmony.

Sources in both Muhoroni and Chemilil have confided to this writer that the latest flare up which has brought about the insecurity situation along the border between the two communities is abut some old and outstanding land disputes. One community is claiming that farms, owned by large scale farmers and those under the Settlement Schemes, were originally their ancestral land.

Settlement schemes in areas like Muhoroni, Songhor, Koru, Fort-Tennan,Kimwani were opened shortly after independent in 1965.These were the areas previously known as the White Highland, which were large scale mixed farms and belonged to the departed white settlers.

Ends