Category Archives: Leo Odera Omolo

KENYA: THE KALENJINS RISKED BEING LOCKED OUT OF THE NEXT GOVERNMENT UNLESS THEIR LEADERS STOP HOPPING FROM PARTIES AND BEING MANIPULATED BY DECEITFUL POLITICIANS FROM OTHER REGIONS.

News Analysis by Leo Odera Omolo In Kericho Town.

THERE is a strong feeling and beliefs that members of the Kalenjin community could be locked out of the next government unless their political leadership take a bold step and stop the bad habit of hopping from parties.

The inconsistency on the part of some MPS has made the Kalenjin region the cheapest vote hunting ground for deceitful politicians from other region.

These political tourists have made the Kalenjin region their easiest target of political manipulation and found the Kalenjin MPs the easies group for flirting with and luring out of their party into other parties, making the most vulnerable party hoppers in this country.

Fears persist among the level minded Kalenjin politicians that lack of exposure to political intrigues, which could easily make the community lose out to at the next general election and find it locked out of the next government.

Owing to these manipulations and maneuvers, the Kalenjin leaders have lost out to wealthy politicians from other regions who have been spending millions in confusing the Kalenjin MPs into hopping from one party to the other weakening their status and stand in the national politics. The community has not yet to build one strong party which they can call their own, and use as a popular vehicle to propel one of their own to the presidency.

The manipulation and maneuvers have hurt members of the Kipsigis sub-tribe more than any other Kalenjin sub-tribes. This particular community, which is arguably, the most populous and votes rich, has failed to produce one of their own sons with the national political outlook for possible for future leadership at the national level, thereby reducing the otherwise strongest community to playing only the third fiddles and supportive role for others.

The Kipsigis is so divided to an extent the community cannot rally behind one of their own sons and propel him to become a national political leader with the national appeal.

During the rein of the retired President Daniel Arap Moi,the former head of state was being blamed for having perfected in the art of using individual politicians within the Kipsigis community and dump them.

The practice is still the same ten years down the line ever since Moi was voted out of power in 2002. This community with the highest number of intellectuals and whose members are relatively much wealthier in comparison with the Kalenjins people from other regions are still vulnerable to political manipulation and easy prey for politics of deceits by outsiders have penetrated deep into Kipsigis land.

In 2007 members of the Kipsigis community voted for ODM leader Raila Odinga on man-to-man, but within only three months, especially soon after the formation of the coalition government of PNU/ODM, some MPs from the ODM side who failed to secure cabinet posts jumped the party bandwagons, shouting the loudest about the unfair distribution of ministerial slots by Raila Odinga, who they claimed to have favored their cousins from the Nandi community of the North Rift.

At the material time, the coalition government collectively arrived at a decision to eject the legal squatters out of the Mau Forest, one o the most important water towers in the country. The ODM Raila Odinga was assigned with the task of implementing this import government policy in carrying out the eviction for the thousands of illegal squatters and the rehabilitation of the Mau Forest and to ensure its fresh reforestation.

Some of the MPs, especially those from the Kipsigis community were later discovered to give benefited in the illegal settlement in The Mau Forest, and as such were fighting hard to maintain status quo. On of the most outspoken MP, it was later established had bought some of the illegal squatter’s ancestral land back in the Kipsigis reserve land with the promise to reward those whose land he had bought and converted to his own land plot were among the squatters ordered by the government out of the forest land.

This particular MP knew the eviction would expose his tricks, started to mobilize his colleagues inside and out of parliament into well orchestrated political campaign based on heap of lies against the Prime Minister whom they unfairly blamed for the problems facing their people. They used Raila Odinga as scapegoat for the simple purpose of gaining political cheap mileage.

And this how anti-Raila elements within the coalition gained free entry into ODM hierarchy and started buying out MPs whose lust for money made them easy prey to politicians outside Kipsigis region.

Back at home the residents of the two counties whose inhabitants re mainly the Kipsigis, it has been established beyond any reasonable doubt that the carrying with them the tug of “MPs for Sale”.This tug has come about owing to their inconsistency and hoping from one political party to the other and shifting allegiances through the formation of numerous amorphous tribal political alliances with no direct benefit to the electorate.

The recent mass exodus of Kalenjin MPs is clear testimony to the alleged politics of buyout.It does not come on free will, but as the result of lust for money, and general fears among the Kipsigis people is that the Kalenjin people in genera and the Kipsigis community in particular might find themselves locked out of the next government and perhaps consigned alliances after the other with consequences of failing to identify the political party with the better prospect of winning the next general election and forming the next government.

The Kalenjin community ha always been part of the government of the day ever since the country attained its political independence in 1963.

As the situation stands today, the Kalenjin people have no party of their own nor any political party they can claim to represent the community interests at heart and which is capable of successfully appealing to the neighboring communities cannot trust them as reliable political partners due to their temperamental nature of hopping from party to party one after the other. And because of inconsistencies of their leaders from other communities don’t trust them.

The strong willed Kalenjin nationalists of the struggle for political liberation of Kenya like the late Taitta Arap Toweett, William Murgor, Daniel T.Moi, John Majorie Seroney had stood steadfastly firm alongside their colleagues from other communities and joined hands in giving the colonialist the sleepless nights eventually forced them out of the country in 1963.

They turned down the temptation by the white supremacists and racists who made vain attempt; to have them bribed cheaply, though the white settlers had millions readily for bribery purposes so that independence could be delayed for longer period time.

This is in big contrast to the current crops of Kenyan MPs who are said to be readily corruptible with as little money as Kshs 20,000 as per the recent claims made publicly by the Ikolomani MP Dr Bonny Khalwale against accusing his colleagues.

Several political parties are on the ground in the Kalenjin region hunting for the community votes. Prominent among them is the URP, which is led by the Eldoret Mp William Ruto, KANU LED BY Gideon Moi, TNA led by Uhuru Kenyatta,UDF led by Musalkia Mudavadi, Wipper Orange Demoratic led by Nicholas Kiprono Biwott,UDM led by Lt. Gen {rtd} John Arap Koech, and the ODM led by the Prime Minster Raila Odinga.

In the South Rift region o the expansive Rift Valley Province, the Kipsigis sub-tribes is well spread in several Counties apart from their home region of Kericho and Bomet. Members of this community lives in part of Narok, Nakuru and Baringo Counties.

There has been kind of cut-throat competition between the URP, ODM, UDM and KANU in the South Rift. And the concepts and misconception that William Ruto’s URP is the party of choice in this region bears a false impression.

This region is still widely open for all the political parties mentioned above. though URP had briefly enjoyed the euphoria that came bout with its formation. But this support has since been fizzled out following its recently flawed and poorly organized grass root elections, which saw it practices the old and outmoded KANU system and tactics of prearranged hand-picking of leaders a the Counties, district and constituencies levels. Instead of putting the party’s structures, the URP leadership is reportedly spending millions funding the defection of MPs and their followers from ODM into its rank and file, some of the defectors known to be dong so for the simple purpose of having access to the party’s coffers for financial gains and political expediency.

Indications are that of the Kipsigis MP who have ditched ODM And jumped into URP bandwagon might not see the inside of the next Parliament gain after the March 4, 2013.

They will be beaten by aspirants from UDM, ODM, KANU AND NVP.But TNA will come empty handed in the South Rift region because the Kipsigis people have no love lost for the Kenya that as whom they blamed for their tribulation and biased distribution o land in the Rift Valley, which has cause the community a lot of strains fighting numerous skirmishes and land clashes ever since 1990s.

The electorate in the South Rift have detected the URP leadership as lacking the political agenda for implementing reforms and improving the standard of living among Kenyans, part from William Ruto’s declared ,but now notorious policy of fighting and preventing the Prime Minister Raila Odinga from becoming the next president of Kenya.

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Raila had no role in the Mau Forest eviction exercises he a just implementing the cabinet decision

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News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo

The younger generations of politicians, particularly the Kalenjin MPs who of late have been pointing accusing fingers at the Prime Minister Raila Odinga blaming him of complicity in the Mau Forest evictions and rehabilitation of this important water tower are simply not telling the truth about the historical background of the matter.

The political history of Mau Forest and other injustices related to the land distribution could as well be traced back to the final constitutional talks on the future of an independent Kenya, which were held inside the famous Lancaster House in London, UK in 1962.

These problems are inter-related to the dismantling of the so-called “White Highland”. It has since emerged that during the round table constitutional talks, the African delegates who were then representing two major political parties of the time, namely KANU and KADU were subjected to too much blackmailing by the White Settlers representative and those representing colonial authorities.

And due for the then clamor for political independence and the liberation of the country fro the colonial York to an independent African government, they hastily and hurriedly rubber-stamped many clauses in the then new Lancaster House constitution that wee only meat for the protection of white settlers and their properties.

Kanu delegates were led by the founding President the late Jomo Kenyatta, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Tom Mboya, James Samuel Gichuru, Eliud Ngala Mwanda, Muhinga Chokwe and other party stalwarts like Dr Julius Gikonyo Kiano,Samuel Onyango Ayodo, and Mbiyu Koinange.

The KADU team was led by Ronald Gideon Ngala, Daniel T. Moi, Masinde Muliro, Taaitta Arap Toweett, Marie John Seroney,Peter Habenga Okondo, William Murgor and John Keen.

The moderate white settlers were led by Michael Blundell, Sir Charles Markham, Mrs Agnes Shaw, Mrs Dorothy Hughes, Bruce Mackenzie,Sir Alfred Vincent ,Culwick and Crosskill, R.S Alexander and Humprey Slade.DEREK Eriaskin and others.

There were also extremist’s racists’ white supremacists like major BP Roberts, Major F Day, Aircomodore Howard Williams and others. Ex-officio representatives included the Governor, the deputy Governor,Sir Patrick M Renson, the Chief Secretary, W.F.Coutts and Minister for legal Affairs Griffith Jones ,Q.C. and others.

The Indian community were represented by the likes of Avind Jammidar, Ibrahim Nathoo, D.B Kholi, J.S Patel, F. De Souza, C.B.Madan, K.P Shah

Due to the clamor for political independence, KANU AN KADU delegates to the talks were coerced and blackmailed by the representatives of the Her Majesty government at the Whitehall and Colonial Office led by the then Secretary of State for the British Colonies Duncan Sandys to succumbed easily to the white settlers demands for compensation for those who wished to leave the county at the independence.

The British government at the same time readly made available millions of sterling British pounds, which was to be given to the new Kenya government headed by he late Jomo Kenyatta. The money was meant to be utilized in compensation payout to the departing white settlers and partly to be used in the purchasing of the farms owned by European settlers and other for properties and partly for the settling of the millions of the landless African people of Kenya.

Immediately when the independence came and the white settlers had realized that the new African government had the money for the compensation of their land an property, there was mass exodus of whites despite of the repeated assurances given by Jomo Kenyatta and member of the post-independence cabinet that their property would be given maximum security protection under the Bill of Right entrenched in the Lancaster House constitution, the majority of the whites settlers numbering about 200,000 in population opted to go out of Kenya for green pasture elsewhere.

The new independent government half-heartedly used the money in settling few African population in Subukia, Rongai, Londiani, Molk, Olkalou, Nyahururu, Laikipia, and other places.

The settlement scheme the re-distribution of the lands were , however, biased and only dished out selectively to favor one particular community [the Kikuyu] at the expense of other needy Kenyans.

The Kikuyus were given farm lands in areas previously considered as the indigenous Kalenjin regions in total disregards of the local indignant communities.

Members of the Kalenjin community dissented to this, but the senior Kalenjin politician of the time who were none other than Daniel Arap Moi and Dr.Taaitta Arap Towett, were happily serving in he post independence cabinet an never raised any objection to the settling of Kikuyu people in area previously considered as the Kalenjin land.

Two Kalenjin politicians, however, were vehemently opposed to the spread of Kikuyu settlement in what they considered as the Kalenjin land.They were Marie John Seroney then the MP for Tinderet and Morogo Saina then the M for Eldoret North. This was the source of hostility between Seroney and the KANU government, which led to both Seroney and Saina being jailed and landed in detention camps following the no in famous Nandi Hills Declaration.

It was the same money given by the British government for the settlement o landless African people of Kenya that Kenyatta is being alleged to have used in acquiring vast plantation s land in Taita Taveta, Mwatate, Ziwani, Laikipia, Ruiru and Salgaa near Nakuru.

Jomo Kenyatta died on August 22nd and hi hen Vice President for 12 years Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi stepped into his shoes at the mantle of power. It was during Moi’s presidency hen the government half-heartedly opened up the Mau Forest and other areas for Kalenjin settlement, most of hem illegal squatters.

The first tribal land clashes between the Kalenjin, Kikuyu, Kisii, Luos, Luhyias were believes to have been launched with the full knowledge of members of the security apparatus during the Moi’s Presidency.

It was also the Moi KANU regime which encouraged tribal land clashes which were meant t cleanse the region of what were commonly called madoadoa colours out of the region

The dreaded Kalenjin warriors were secretly trained an armed with crude weapons in the Embobut Forest, Ndoinet, Marigat and Mau Forest and then ferried on government vehicles an other tracks donated by wealthy Kalenjin businessmen and farmers when they launched three prongs full scale attack on the Kisii in Sotik, Luos in Nyando Valley, Nyakach an luhyias in Lugari and along he Rift Valley-Western Provinces boundaries causing the first internally displaced persons in 1996/97 and the last clashes and the worse of all was in 2007/2008.

The original intention was to keep a bay those who were clamoring for the multi parties system of politics then opposed to the KANU doctrine of the monolithic one party dictatorship.

On the latest opposition to Raila Odinga roe in the Mau Forest saga, the Prime Minister had no personal interests in the forest, but was just executing and implementing the collective decision of the cabinet. Some of the now outspoken MPs like William Ruto were members of the cabinet and at in the cabinet meetings when decision and government plans on the rehabilitation of Mau Forest were being deliberated upon, but they did not raise any objection.

Mr Odinga should be exonerated out f these malicious accusations and falsehood a he has done nothing wrong to the Kalenjin community because the source of injustices done to this particular community as the land redistribution is concerned lies elsewhere and not strictly with Raila Odinga.

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Kenya: Dr.Laboso’s departure may not affect ODM popularity in the South Rift region as the residents plans to eject Ruto’s Urp from Kipsigisland

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kericho Town.

The Urp’s hope of spreading its wings and influence as well of political cout in the South Rift region of the Rift Valley Province is fading much faster than the party’s leadership ha expected following the party’s recently concluded “Kangaroo” grass root elections.

In both Kericho and Bomet Counties only those William Ruto’s sycophants whose nominations and eventually the elections into various branches and County offices were staged managed had the opportunity of being elected during the much flawed election, which reminds the local of the KANU’s hay days, when party officials were only selected than being elected in a democratic manner. These elections have left the URP parties on whose ticket, the Eldoret North MP William Ruto intend to use its ticket in his presidential bid wounded.

The poorly organized grass root elections left the trail of jittery between those who were hand-picked to fill the county and district branches and those who felt they were deliberately denied their democratic and constitutional rights of contesting the elections for the various party’s positions.

The stakeholders and party operatives and sympathizers in the two counties have agreed that the elections were pre-determined by the URP leadership, and only those who were sanctioned by Ruto had succeeded in winning position.

Instead of enhancing and strengthening the party’s position in the two region, it has even worsened Ruto’s position and standing among he Kipsigis people.

Those who had maintained that Ruto’s departure from the ODM had dealt a heavy blow to Raila Odinga’s popularity among the Kipsigis people have now changed their minds.

At the same time, the much highlighted report of the ditching of the ODM by the Sotik MP Dr Joyce Laboso. The MP had announced that she had ditched the ODM and run to the URP, alleging that the party had failed to deliver the goods to her electorates in Sotik.

The truth has since emerged that Dr Laboso only fled the ODM after realizing that the populist former Nairobi PC Francis Sigei, who has been a Kenya’s High Commissioner to Canada had resigned and headed for Sotik to contest in the same constituency.

Dr Laboso, who is arguably one of the highly educated Kipsigis women, in married to a Luo Mr Barrack Abonyo from Nyakach. She had stepped into the shoes of her younger sister the late Lorna Laboso who died in 2008 in an aircraft mishap together with the former Roads Minister the ate Kipkalya Kones, the former Bomet MP after narrowly wining in the consequent by-elections that followed. But she was given a run for her money by the former President Moi’s ADC Brigadier Sitienei who contested the by-election on an UDM ticket.

Brig. Sitienei had teamed up with the populist Gen Koech and had it not because Raila had intervened on her behalf the combined force was going to slaughtered and skinned her alive. Her defeat was inevitable and certain until Raila came into picture and vigorously campaigned for her. And now that she has ditched Raila Dr.Laboso political future as an MP now looked gloomy and cannot be accurately predicted y local pundit and observers alike. The voters were vehemently opposed to Dr.Laboso. The voters had protested against her saying that electing her was like giving the people of Nyakach constituency in Nyanza where she is married an additional parliamentary seat.

The Luo tug is still hanging on the neck and shadow of Dr.Laboso and not going to fade away in the near future and could be dashed and prove to be a pipe dream. The Kipsigis consider their daughter who I married to a Luo like a lost person and non-entity within the society.

Members of this proud sub-tribe of the larger Kalenjin ethnic group despises the Luos as uncircumcised people as called “Ng’ethai”singularly and plurally called all Luos as “Ng’ethic. Therefore a Kipsigis woman who is married to a Luo is derogatively called ”Cheplemindet.

In this context, Dr Laboso will have to go extra mile to clear herself of a Luo tug and win back her Sotik parliamentary seat, in what local, pundits have predicted to be an up hi task and a hurdles which she must overcome

Off course Dr. Laboso is a happily married woman with grown up children and the daughter of the highly respected Kipsigis farmer the late Fredrick Laboso, ho before becoming a businessman and a farmer had served the Kenya Tea Company Limited one of the multinational tea companies operating in Kericho and Bomet for many years as an accountant.

Dr. Laboso, however, survived the onslaught by the likes of Antony Kimeto {Sotet} the former Sotik MP whom her younger sister the late Lorna Laboso had beaten during the 2007 general election under the euphoria of ODM that was swiping he Kipsigs region clean of KANU. It was through the concerted effort and intervention by Raila Odinga the ODM party leader who managed to persuaded the dissenting voters to vote for Dr.Laboso.

William Ruto’s URP party is also facing formidable opposition as the Nicholas Biwott NVP and the UDM which is under the leadership of the popular former military boss Lt.Gen {rtd] John Arap Koech and KANU are said to be tightening their muscles on URP and are in the processing of driving URP out of the South Rift region..

Hon.Laboso’s departure is therefore considered by ODM operatives in the South Rift as in inconsiquental and might be a good riddance because she was not a high performer as an MP. Her presence in the URP may not have any value added consequences in the party.

Raila visited the South Rift over the weekend, and the tour by Prime Minister seemed to have rekindled the mass support for the ODM by the Kipsigis people. People in the huge crowd who attended the Prime Minister meeting first at Siongoroi Catholic Mission in Chepalungu constituency and later at Silibwet were heard shouting ‘KaiKai werit ap Cheramogi kosir bik chon tugul che mache ng’echeret.{The son of Jaramogi is the best among all those who aspiring to be elected the next

During the tour the three Kipsigis MPa allied to ODM series of meetings that Raila addressed in various places in the region meetings ab bounatet.These were the Road Minister Franklin Bett {Buret} .Assistant Energy Minister Magerer Lang’at {Kipkellion and Home Affairs Assistant Minister Beatrice Kones {Bomet}.

The MP advised his audience not to think narrowly and shallowly on tribal line, but to think like nationalist and work for tribes to come together as one people of Kenya.

At a recent meeting of the National Executive Committee of the UDM chaired by the party supremo Gen Koech and attended by over 30 delegates who attended the meeting in Nairobi two weeks ago.The UDM’s NEC was a full housed with the presence of its only MP Prof Hellen Sambili the Mp for Mogotio, the Vice chairman Chaftan Mokku, the Secretary General Martin Kamwaro.

All the indications after the meeting were that KANU would soon join this newly found formidable alliance, which is capable of clipping the wings of William Ruto‘s sweeping euphoria in the Rift Valley.

During his recent tour of Ndhiwa district where he had one to drum up the support for KANU candidate, Tom Otieno Onyango Aila, who contested the by election on a KANU ticket, but lost to an ODM candidate.

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Kenya: Raila unknowingly endorsed Cyprian Otieno Awiti for the Homa-Bay County governor position during his recent tour of Ndhiwa

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News Analysis by Arrum Tidi Ogonglo in Homa-Bay Town

The recent tour of Ndhiwa district by the Prime Minister Raila Odinga was a big blessing for dozens of aspirants vying for the various elective positions with the Homa-Bay County.

The man whose lady-luck came calling was the former Country Director of Marie Stoppie Clinics Cyprian Otieno Awiti. He is a candidate in the crowded contest for the position of the Homa-Bay County governor.

There were also other aspirants who would be contesting for the elective positions with the County governance, parliament, senate and county wards.

Raila was in Ndhiwa during the last lap of the campaign for the just concluded by-election in the area. He had gone there to drum up support for this ODM party candidate Agustino Neto Oyugi, who eventually emerged the victorious.

A large number of political luminaries in the greater Southern Nyanza region, especially those eyeing seats within Homa-Bay County turned up in full force to cheer up their leader. Raila and hi entourage made ten stop-overs at the various market places trading centers and, schools and wound up his tour with a public rally at Ndhiwa Town, which was attended by a mamm0th of crowd.

The Prime Minister traversed the full length and width of the expansive Ndhiwa constituency and where he went, Raila who was in jolly mood introduced to the public all the political personalities who had accompanied him. He singled out the names of those who will be vying for the various elective positions calling the names out.

And the man whose name received prolonged applause and ululations was none-other than Cyprian Awiti whom the PM referred by”Ja-Mawego or Ja-Kodondo” telling the crowd that Awiti is eyeing for the position of Homa-Bay County governor.

The mention in of Awiti’s name was received with shouts of “Ja-Mawego kende emawadwaro” We want Awiti only we want or Jomoko go to wakia “we Don’t recognize the others”.

Local pundits were quick in pointing out that this was an act of endorsement Awiti as the man favored by ODM to clinch the Homa-Bay County governor position.

Awit who sat quietly and mingled easily with the huge crowd had his presence not recognized by the crowd until Raila called him by the name. There were several other aspirants for the same position who wee also in attendance and had their names also mentioned by the PM, but the response was very dull. His rivals for the same seat included the former chairman of the ODM election Board Eng Phillip Okundi, a computer experts working with Microsoft Computer International African region Dr Mark Matunga who hails fro Suba region,, Prof Akeyo Omolo from Karachuonyo.

The populist Awiti hails from eastern parts of Karachuonyo constituency lead the packs with highly illustrious track record of active participation in the development activities that spans back to ten years. He has made extensive tour of the entire Homa-Bay County making hefty cash donation towards socio-economic infrastructure, schools, Medicare institutions, churches, women and youth group until his name has become an household word almost to every family.

The County is one of the largest inside Luo-Nyanza covering 8 parliamentary constituencies of Mbita, Gwassi, Ndhiwa, Rangwe, Homa-Bay Town, Karachunyo, Kasipul and Kabondo-Kasipul.

If the Country gets good managers, it cod be developed to become one of the richest among the 47 Counties country-wide. It has many natural resources lie minerals, fisheries, agriculture and untapped mineral resources such s lie, uranium and gold. Other potentialities included many pre-historic sites and tours attraction scenery.

And ever since Raila Odinga left the region, the rumor that is spreading like bush-fire is that Cyprian Otieno Awitiis the man to beat,

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KENYA: REPORTS SAY CHEMELIL SUGAR COMPANY IS INSOLVENT AND IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF WEEKS AND DAYS BEFORE THE FIRM IS PLACED UNDER THE OFFICIAL RECEIVERSHIP

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.

Chemelil sugar company in Muhoroni district within the in Kisumu County within the Nyanza sugar belt is on the verge of total collapse.

It has yet to pay its workers of their salaries for the month of August, 2012, the company owed its suppliers millions of shillings of unpaid bills. Only unionized workers were paid something a small fraction of their salaries for the month of August on fear that they could go on strike and cause havoc with the company’s properties.

Management staff and other workers received Kshs 1,500 each to keep them a float. The company has yet to pay the cane suppliers ever since April this year. The same is with the transporters.

An insider told this writer that Chemelil Sugar owed the Kenya Revenue Authority {KRA} a colossal amount of money estimated to be in excess of Kshs 600 million. It has yet to remit the power bill which is also said to be running into millions shillings.

A private firm contracted for cleaning the company’s compound ad factory is owed Kshs 50, million in arrears and is said to be just about to walk out of the firm.

Chemelil Sugar Company, which for many years was known to be the center of excellence and a roll model in the ailing sugar industry has sunk went down on its knees to an extent that cane farmers within its sugar cane growing zone have now boycotted delivery of raw material at its factory.

They prefer making direct delivery of their cane crops to the neighboring Muhoroni Sugar Mills and Kibos Sugar and Allied industries in Kibos near Kisumu.

A member of the board of director of the Chemelil Sugar Company, a wholly-government owned firm who had requested that his name should not be mentioned said explicitly that he company went burst several months ago, but it is only waiting for the arrival of the official receivers.

The company’s cane yard is empty with not even one single tractor queuing for the delivery space as it used to be before. The situation was described by one disappointed cane farmer as the most pathetic he has ever come across ever since the company inception in 1966.

Other reports say that the Kenya Sugar Board, which is the regulating authority in the sugar sub-sector of the economy is just about to disburse a colossal amount of money estimated at the tune of Kshs 470 million to the management of the Chemelil Sugar Company for its annual mechanical maintenance and further Kshs70 million to offset its payment arrears to the cane suppliers.

Members of the farming fraternity, however, have appealed to the government and the KSB not to disburse cash money to management of the Chemelil Sugar company but instead to hire and contract consultants and experts to carry out the annual maintenance work and pay the consultants their money directly fearing the same could be vandalized and embezzled the same way the firms coffers has been drained dry.

The KSB is as blamed over its choice and appointment of the managers in the public owned firms in the sugar industry. The farmers have also called for the Ministry of Agriculture to appoint external auditors to carry out forensic auditing of the company books of account.

The farmers have also appealed to the head of the inspectorate of the pubic corporation together with the Head of Public and Secretary to the cabinet to move with speed to ensure sanity is restored within the management of Chemelil Sugar Company.

As the company’s sugar production come to halt, the lives of close to 20,000 contracted and non-contracted farmers operating within the company’s sugar cane growing zones are doomed and facing a total ruins.

Although the three weeks teachers strike has come to an end, and pupils are back to school, the farming fraternity within Chemelil zone are facing myriad of problem not to be able to pay fees or their school going children having gone for close to five calendar months without receiving their cane bills.

Interviewed farmers have demanded for the immediate dissolution of the board of directors at the Chemelil Sugar Company and its replacement with qualified individuals who could turn the company around.

The popular rumors making the round within the industry is that some of the KDB directors need to have their activities put on heck. Some of the board directors are said to be in hurry of getting rich quickly and cold be collaborating with top managers in vandalizing the resources within the sugar industry. A contingent machinery of vetting the appointment of KSB directors should be done on an equal term to those of managing directors so as to avoid embarrassing situation similar to the on-going situation at Chemelil sugar company.

The closing don o this important facility would see the sharp rising in the poverty index within the Nyando,South Nandi, Lower Belgut and Muhoroni districts. A visit at the usually busy Chemelil Market at the round-about trading center witnessed those previously heavily stocked shops and stores having empty shelves. Similar phenomenon is being experienced in Kopere, Awasi and even far field at Ahero. If Chemelil goes into official receivership the number of sugar miller in official receiver would be increased to four. Both Miwani Sugar Mills are currently under the official receivership with Miwani having been closed down ten years ago.

The Managing Director of the Chemelil sugar chares Owelle could not be reached for his immediate his immediate comment the chair person of the board of director who is understood to e a lady-lawyer.

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KENYA AND TANZANIA TO FUND A MULTIMILLION SHILLINGS JOINT PROJECT TO REHABILITATE MARA RIVER ECOSYSTEM TO BOOST ITS TOURISM VALUE IN THE REGION.

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News Analysis by Leo Odera Omolo

Kenya and Tanzania have agreed to team up together in a joint concerted effort t save Mara River which experts says is on the verge of drying due to wanton destruction of its most important water catchment, which is the Mau Forest.

Human settlement and illegal loggers and squatters have depleted the Mau Forest, which is one of the most important water towers in the region.

The two countries have jointly earmarked colossal amount of money to the tune of Kshs 978 million. The moneys are to be utilized towards the improvement of the Mara River infrastructure.

The environmentally important Mara River originated in the Mau Forest in the Southwester of the expansive Rift Valley Province and traverses through the common bores f the two countries before emptying its waters in Lake Victoria in the Tanzania’s northwestern region of Mara near the lakeside town of Musoma.

This particular river is economically valued by the two African nations because it is also supporting two important tourist attraction centers, and also supports two most valuable National Game Pars on both sides, namely Mara Game Reserve in Kenya and the world famous Serengeti National Game Park on the Tanzanian side of the border.

The two governments and NGO organizations operating in the two countries are to partner with the residents and communities living around the Mara ecosystem to sensitize them on the need to stop polluting the river.

The program wile implemented through the Lake Victoria Basin Commission {LVBC} which will coordinate and manage the entire project of rehabilitating the river. The LVBC is an institution o the East African Community {EAC}.

The comprehensive plan to rehabilitate the Mara River was disclosed recently b Coordinator of the Nile Equatorial Basin Subsidiary Action Program Antoine Sendama during the Mara Day celebrations held at Mulot Trading Center in Narok North district. The function was attended by top government officials from both Kenya and Tanzania. They included cabinet ministers and permanent secretaries,

The depletion the Mau Forest had already started spelling dooms for the reforestation n the to countries

The executive secretary of the Kisumu-based LVBC Consius Kamangire told the gathering that the Mara River was a disaster in waiting which must be averted at all costs.
Kenya and Tanzania have already started wildlife and water conservation, farming with communities around the Maasai Game Reserve and strategy to bring to a halt with time rapidly ruing out.

Sendama said NELSAP was formed 10 years ago and Mara River was identified as area of the trams boundary river basin management project to be prepared and implemented under the program.

In attendance w Kenya’s Minister for the East African Community Affairs Musa Sirma and the Permanent Secretary in the Tanzanian Ministry of East African Community affairs George Luwao .

Sirma told his audience that the Mara River Day celebrations was meant to promote trans boundary management framework for the Mara River.

The two nation which are partners in the EAC through the LVBC plans to improve protection and management of Mau Forest and conserve the Maasai Mara Game Reserve and Serengeti National Game Park ecosystem.

The main objectives of the program ensuring household food security increasing farms income and alleviation of poverty through increase access to water for household consumption and agricultural production. This include achieving river basin conservation and rehabilitation of new projects including multipurpose project like Tanzania irrigation and watershed management projects in Gucha, Migori, Yala and Nzoia Rivers.

The program is also meant to promoting co-operative management of shared water reservoirs in a bid to demonstrate benefit of cooperation and sustainable investment projects.

Mara River was losing chunk of its waters due to climate change and vulnerability. The climate change will affect on the residents way of life and threatened the very foundation on which the region’s economies rest..It will affect impact negatively in food and energy security to high temperature through flood and veritable rainfall.

Ends

KENYA: UHURU KENYATTA’S TNA PARTY IS REPORTED TO HAVE SPENT A COLOSSAL AMOUNT OF MONEY IN THE NDHIWA BY-ELECTION CAMPAIGN AND ONLY HARVESTED PALTRY 216 VOTES IN RETURN,

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writes Leo Odera Omolo In Homa-Bay Town.

STARTLING revelation has surfaced that Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta’s TNA party might have pated with colossal amount of money in excess of Kshs 5 million in the just concluded Ndhiwa by-election campaign, but shocking harvested only paltry votes of 216.

Other sources disclosed that when Kenyatta visited Ndhiwa a week earlier to drum up support for his party candidate Mrs Rumo before the poll date, those in is entourage were treated to an executive luncheon at the luxury and posh Ndhiwa Village Resort, which is owned by the former MP for the area the late Joshua Orwa Ojode.

Mr Kenyatta who is known to have been a close of friend of the late Ojode took his supporters national and local party officials to the hotel for lunch. His guests are sad to have incurred close to Kshs 65,000 in hotel bill, which Kenyatta I said to have paid promptly, but the hotel management has yet to receive any money. This was has been confirmed by Hesbon Omolo the party coordinator in Nyanza.

The campaign money which was made available for the by-election campaign logistics has caused a lot of jittery among the party national and local officials. Omolo confirmed of an incident when the group went to Kisumu Airport to see Kenyatta off to Nairobi.

Omolo, reported he shoved around by goons and almost got assaulted at the VIP lounge while he was briefing Mr Kenyatta about his trip to Nyanza.

He was shoved around by hired goons were acting on the advice and instruction of an unnamed one of the TNA national officials, who had his roots in Nyanza and was only rescued by the Embakassi MP Ferdinand Waititu who had accompanied Kenyatta during successful campaign tour of Ndhiwa.

On Tuesday this week the unpaid TNA’s polls agents had ganged up and threatened to lynch the candidates blaming them for having received the campaign money, but declined to disburse it to them.

The candidates travelled to Kismu City and met Hesbon Omolo who hurriedly arranged for a press conference so that they could explain the position. The aborted press conference was called at the Public Servant’s Club in the posh Milimani estate within Kisumu City.

But before the assembled journalists could take the notes, hired political goons suspected to have been hired by one of the national party official stormed the venue. Assembled journalists took to their heels and scampered in all direction for their safety while the goons menacingly hurled insults to Hesbon Omolo. The latter and the defeated candidates drove towards the Kisumu Police Station, with the goons in hot pursuit on boda boda motorbikes. Omolo and the candidates recorded statements.

An otherwise ugly situation was only averted after the timely intervention by he proprietor of the Club ho warned the marauding youths that he could have them arrested if they would dare to assault any of his guests and customers.

On Wednesday evening Mrs Debra Onyango Oloo, the wife of Onyango Oloo, the TNA’s Secretary General who drove a four-wheel Nissan double cabin van full of goons to the Ofafa Memorial Hall bar in Kisumu City where Hesbon Omolo and some friends were taking freshmen’s. The goons descended on Omolo with kicks and crude weapons. Omolo who sustained injuries on is left eye and reportedly suffered internal injuries following the beating. However, the hostilities between the two groups within Nyanza branch of the TNA continued unabated forcing both sides to record statements with the police.

By the time of writing this report no arrest was made by the police.of any member of the goons who had assaulted Hesbon Omolo at the Ofafa Hal and those who had violently disrupted the press conference at the Public Servants Club the previous day.

In the civic by-elections all held in the larger Kasipul-Kabondo, the TNA performed better than they did in the Ndhiwa bv-election where the party had harvested a paltry number of 216 votes which even fell short of the number of its 292 polls agents the part had hired to man its polling stations. In Wire / Migwa Ward in Kasipul, the NA candidate garnered 980 votes, while in Wang’chieng Ward, the TNA’s candidate polled 350 votes, the figure which was much better than what the party harvested in the Ndhiwa parliamentary by-elections.

Insiders confided to us tat TNA boss Kenyatta who is also the party’s presidential candidate seemed to have entrusted the campaign resources with some power brokers and political conmen who scrambled for the money and did no perform any meaningful campaign work for the party. Pundits sad they had expected Kenyatta’s party to perform better due to its enormous resources and campaign logistics it had ad put In place. The money is said to have evaporated and got into the pockets of individuals political conmen.

Ends

KENYA: NDHIWA RESIDENTS THANKED FOR HAVING VOTED OVERWHELMINGLY FOR ODM CANDIDATE IN THE JUST CONCLUDE BY ELECTION.

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Homa-BayTown.

RESIDENTS of Ndhiwa constituency have proved they were steadfastly in ODM and have confidence in the party leadership contrary misconceptions and faulty impression created by rival parties.

By voting overwhelmingly for the ODM candidate Augustino Neto Oyugi, the electorate in Ndhiwa has displayed their unswerving loyalty to the party leader Raila Odinga.

A prominent politician in Homa-Bay County Hilary Ochieng Alila said this on Tuesday this week while thanking the Ndhiwa voters for their unshaken allegiance and loyalty to the party leadership in general ad to the Prime Minister Raila Odinga in particular.

Alila who stuck with the ODM after abandoning his elder brother Tom Otieno Alia who contested the by election on a KANU ticket and performed dismally .

His action was against the wishes of the entire Alia family in Ndhiwa which had disproved it and unsuccessfully persuaded Tom to pull out of the race.said his brother was only pushed into contesting the by-election by an unnamed senior ODM politician within Homa-Bay County as a ploy to complicate his own ambition for the elective position of Homa-Bay County Senate seat.

But he was glad that the voters have taught those who conspired with aims of undermining his ambition to become the first Senate for the Homa-By County have been shamed by the outcome of the Ndhiwa by-election

Alila said that the ODM success is because or the campaign of its issues based campaign strategy, which yielded the success fruits by producing positive results. “This will now ashame the forces of doom and conspirators who had hatched the plans of dirty politics of intrigues.”It could pave the way to clean campaign during the impending general elections due in Mach next year.

Alila who last Friday had accompany the ODM leader Raila Odinga in the helicopter flight that traversed the full length and width of the expansive Ndhiwa constituency during the last lap of the campaign said he thought his elder brother Tom Alia had no genuine intention of contesting the by-election as such.

He blamed the unnamed politician whom he scathingly criticize for having lured Tom Alila into contesting the by-election so that it could create bad impression which could in turn impacted negatively on the family and appear as if “the Alilas were oppose to Raila Odinga leadership.”

The end results, he said, has proved the family critics due to the mistake of one of them wrong. Politicians in Luo-Nyanza, he added, “should emulate Raila Odinga’s style and system kind of selfishlessness leadership which is devoid of malice, adding that during the ODM “supremo” made ten brief stops and addressed crowds of Wananchi across the constituency on the importance of voting for the ODM candidate, and the message was well received by the Waanchi.

The youthful Nairobi based businessman whose campaign style has hit the Homa-Bay County wit thud reiterated that he is still soldiering on with the campaign to capture the Homa-Bay County Senate seat.

Alila’s last week’s flight in the same “Chopa” with Raila Odinga gave the Ndhiwa voters the impression that this was an endorsement of his [Alila’s} candidature for the Senate seat.

He called upon his rivals for the same seat to conduct her campaign in mature an peaceful manner which is devoid of political intrigues and work hard as a team to ensure the party win all the seats in the region including those of women representative, county Wards, governorship.

He said he pleased and highly impressed by ODM performance in far a field like Eldoret in the Uasin Gishu County despite near insult propagandas directed by some leaders in those region against the ODM.

Alila made reference about his elder brother decision to contest he by-election on a KANU ticket, and disclosed that it was vehemently opposed by the entire family, though it was his democratic rights to do so, still it hurts the Alila family. He thought it could have been wise for Tom to drop out of the race after the ODM primary and utilized his influence in campaigning for the DOM instead of KANU.

Ends

KENYA: KANU, NVP AND UDM ELECTION PACT MAY SPELL DOOM TO WILLIAM RUTO’S URP AND TO CUT IT INTO SIZE HIS INFLUENCE IN THE RVP

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News Analysis Leo Odera Omolo In Kericho Town

The reported signing of an agreement political pact between three political parties with substantial following in the Rift Valley Province now signifies the end enormous influence and political clout of the Eldoret North MP William Ruto in the Rift Valley Province in general and within the Kalenjin community in particular.

The three parties reported to have signed an agreement of co-operation to work together a head of the next year’s general election included KANU, National Vision and the United Democratic Movement.

However, political pundits and observers alike say that the new cooperation is widely seen as a ploy aimed at eroding, Ruto’s URP party’s popularity in the Rift Valley, The parties leaders said “they have decided to work together to create a conducive political environment.”

KANU is led by Gideon Moi, the favorite son of the retired President Daniel Arap Moi,while the National Visio Party of Kenya {N.V.P} is led by the former powerful cabinet Minister Nicholas Kipyator Kiprono Biwott {Karnet} or “powerman” and the United Democratic Movement [UDM} is under the leadership of the retired former deputy Chief of the General Staff {CGS} Lt.Gen {rtd} John Arap Koech.

Although Gideon Moi, the former Baringo Central MP is the defector national chairman of KANU, the party of independence, the party is technically virtually still under the control and influence of the retired President Moi, a man whose enormous political clout in the Rift Valley has remained intact ever since he retired from active politics after losing power to a combined fore of the opposition groups under umbrella of Narc Kenya.

From the look of things, it is now up to Ruto to either dissolve his URP party and rejoin and become party of the new group comprising KANU, NVP and the UDM for his own political survivalor perish altogether with his brigade of MPs supporting the URP in the region.

The political scenario set by the new group, according to the observers of the Rift Valley politics will now leave very little rooms for him to maneuver his way out of the onslaught by the combination of this newly formed formidable for an alliance by the three most influential groups of politicians in the region.

Ruto before launching is United Republican Party had had hatched a secret plans to use the UDM as soft landing pad in anticipation of then the inevitable fall out of favor with his former ODM party led by the Prime Minister Raila Odinga. Ruto had made a spirited attempt to wrestle the UDM party out of Gen Koech’s leadership, a move which resulted in protracted legal tussles through courts.

William Ruto and Gen Koech are known not to be in good books. The relationship of the two came cropper during the 2007 general election when the latter accused Ruto and his agents in the South Rit region for having rigged him twice out of the ODM primary nomination in the Ainamoi constituency within Kericho County, and thereafter during the by-election in the same constituency to fill the vacancy which was created following the death of the former MP for the area the late David Koech two months later.

Gen Koech contested the two elections on ODM ticket, but later blamed Ruto and his spanner boy the Belgut MP Charles Keter for allegedly having master minded for his downfall. It was after this political scenario which prompted Gen Koech to move out of the ODM and hatched the plans of reviving the hitherto run-down sleeping UDM by registering the party a fresh with others.

Gen Koech was joined by Ole Kamwaro who became he UDM Secretary-General with himself being made the party national chairman. The General, however, did not severe is link with the ODM leader Raila Odinga, who later appointed him to a head the Poverty Eradication Commission a parastatal which falls under the Prime Minister’s office as its executive chairman.

An unsuccessful attempt to overthrown the General and his team by a group suspected to have been at the behest of sponsorship by Ruto and his friend was met with fiercest opposition by General Koech and his team, hence the beginning of the long and hard fought court cases.

It is worthwhile to remember that it was through the joint efforts of the late Kipsigis powerful politician the late Donald Kipkemoi Kipkalya Kones and General Koech that had paved the way for the Raila Odinga and his ODM to triumphantly gained entry into Kipsigis region of the South Rift in 2007.This effort was later to yield in the ODM’s success in the region in 2007 where members of the Kipsigis community voted for the party on man-to-man.

Report on the round in this agriculturally rich Kipsigis land covering two Counties of Kericho and Bomet is showing that William Ruto is not controlling the Kalenjin politics as such. This is just the simple perception of the newspapers making.

Our dailies have been erroneously reports insisting that Ruto is the new political kingpin of the Rift Valley Province after Moi left the leadership vacuum in the region. Moi’s political clout among he Kalenjin community is still very intact, especially in the South Rift region which is inhabited by members of the most populous Kipsigis sub-tribe of the larger Kalenjin ethnic groups.

The political clout of the self-confessed professor of Kenya’s politics is yet to be fizzled out an anyone who ignore this fact can do so on his or her own peril This is one of the reasons why the political pundits and observers of the Kalenjin politics now say that the new unity pact between KANU NVP and UDM could easily bring to an abrupt end Wiliam Ruto’s excessive arrogance

However, keen observers 0f the Rift Valley politics have been heard saying that the new unity pact between KANU, NVP and UDM posed a real threat to Willam Ruto’s URP. party which he intend to use as a popular vehicles for his access to the State House race during he impending general elections.

Meanwhile a top Kipsigis politician has expressed his unreserved support and endorsement for the unity pact signed at the Weekend between KANU, NVP and County KANU branch secretary. However, he sounded a stern warning to members of his Kipsigis community to be careful about political tribal groupings, saying that this cold isolate them and make hem lose political contacts with other communities. A move them which could keep them out of the successive future governments.

“The wrong assumption that William Ruto’s URP party controls the large section of the residents of the expansive Rift Valley Province is untrue,” said Kettienya.

He went on, “It is important that that the residents of the Rift Valley region, particularly members of the Kalenjin community have been losing essential contacts with the government of the day in the last the years, and this political scenario if allowed to continue unchecked will make the community locked out of any future governments to be formed by other political parties.

The URP anted to keep the whole Kalenjin community under ne basket and I the armpit of William Ruto. The common saying in some parts of the region now is that anybody who consider the option of joining other parties is viewed political outcasts.

The Kalenjins must join other parties like KANU, ODM, UDOM, TNA and others in order to ensure that they booked themselves in the next government which will be formed after the next year’s general elections. He said he personally consider the KANU cooperation with the ODM as the better option.

Kettienya said the days of tribal grouping are long gone, because the time is ripe for Kenyans of good will to think in nationalistic terms instead of parochial and partisan politics which are the recipe of chaos and despondency.

Following the remarks made by in the just concluded Ndhiwa by-election Tom Otieno Onyango Alila,political pundits were quick in saying that the new pact grouping KNU, NVP and UDM could be warming up to the ODM and the presidential bid of its leader Raila Odinga.

Congratulating Gen Koech for having kept his UDM party intact, Ketienya called upon the Kipsigis sub-tribe to join the party en mess in order to provide the party with the necessary ammunition or power bargain after the next general elections.

It has also been established that the euphoria with which the URP had hit the ground with thud in the South Rift Region is quickly be fizzled out as fast as it had come, and the regio is rapidly drifting towards the ODM. Some of the MPs in the area who are have recently turned to be hostile towards the ODM are said to be heading for political limbos come the next general election, which could see completely new faces of MP in the region.

The two Counties of Kericho and Bomet are currently represented in the10th parliament by 8 MPS representing Kipkellion, Ainamoi, Belut, Konoin, Buret, Sotik, Chepalungu an Bomet. All the present legislators were elected on Dom tickets including that of one extra seat in Kuresoi constituency in Molo.

Four of the MPs have since ditched ODM for URP. They included Dr Julius Kones, {Konoin},Isaack Ruto {Chepalungu}, Charles Keter {Belgut} and Benjamin Lang’at {Ainmoi}, The Kuresoi mp Zakayo Cheruiyot had also abandoned the ODM.

However, four of the MP remained steadfastly in ODM.They are Franklin Bett {Buret}. Dr Joyce Laboso {Sotik}, Magerer Lang’at Kipkellion} and Beatrice Kones {Bomet}.

The region was recently awarded with two additional parliamentary seats by the IEBC one in Sigowet in lower region of Belgut district an Kipkellion West..This now means that the Kipsigis region will now post 10 MPs to the next parliament after the impeding general elections

Ends

KENYA: POLITICAL PARTIES IN KENYA NEED TO MODIFY THEIR NOMINATION SYSTEM DURING PRIMARY NOMINATIONS OR ELSE ASPIRANTS WOULD CONTEST THE 2013 ELECTIONS AS INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES.

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Commentary By leo Odera Omolo.

There has been hue and cry about the flawed nominations during preliminaries, and now that the new constitution has the provisions, which allows for the participation of independent candidates in the election some of the parties would find it extremely difficult to attract aspirants who would contest the election for the various elective positions in 2013.

There has been hue and cry about the much flawed parties weak and undemocratic primary nomination system ever since the violence marred genera elections of 2007. Each time there is a by-election for any vacant parliamentary or civic seats, participants in such election have been coming out fire-spiting with allegations massive riggings.

Other contestants have come out fuming with claims of massive briberies, vote buying, manipulations of such elections by party high ranking officials and the hastily appointed hand-picked returning officers and elections officials, poor arrangements, luck of logistics and inadequacy of election materials and luck of accountability and transparency during such exercises.

However, political parties in this country appeared have tuned deaf and dumb, making no effort to have these anomalies adequately addressed an rectified in time to create democratic space allowing all aspirants their constitutional and democratic rights of participating in the elections.

There is a lot of on-going murmuring everywhere about the legitimacy of political parties preliminaries .Parties have only six months left to have these anomalies rectified and pragmatic policy blueprint governing their primary nomination ushered in.

If this is not done in time, some of the parties might find it extremely difficult to attract candidates who would wish to contest the elections on their tickets.

Alternatively it could be wise for the current 10th parliament before its dissolution before the next general elections to introduce substantive motion in the House to have a fresh debate on the issue of party primary nominations else have this provision abolished it altogether.

Alternatively to make a new provision to have these preliminaries elections by parties conducted by the Interim Election and Boundary Commission {IEBC. It has been proved beyond any reasonable doubt that our political parties cannot an are incapable of conducting any credible preliminaries on their own, hence the need for the IEBC’s active participation in the exercises.

The recent primary nomination conducted by the ODM during Ndhiwa by-election should be a study case. In the controversial preliminary in that particular parliamentary electoral constituency, close to 70 per cent of the electorate were locked out and denied their constitutional and democratic rights of voting in the by-election and the eventually in the election proper, because only less than 10 per cent of the registered voters cast their votes.

Ndhiwa is one of the most populous constituency within the C the greater old Southern Nyanza region n within the County of Homa-Bay followed by the old Kasipul-Kabondo with Rongo and Karachuonyo coming out third and fourth respectively.

Records are indicating that close to 84,000 or more voters are registered in Ndhiwa constituency. But shockingly and surprisingly only about 7,200 people were able to cast heir votes. There could have been more apathy by the voters. However, the number of votes cast represented less than 10 per cent of the registered voters in the just concluded and controversial by-election.

The 7,200 were shared only by six candidates including the declared winner in the by-election which had attracted 23 candidates, therefore these aspirants were denied their constitutional and democratic rights of being voted in.

The same could be said of the close to 77,000 or more the number of voters who were locked out of the exercise and therefore did not take part in the by-election. Why? It is shame and a big shame on the ODM, the party which has all along been boasting of championing the essence of the democratic principles in this county and whose leader rail Amolo Odinga has all along been in the forefront in the struggle for the multi party system of politics and democratic space as well as good governance for years.

I personally visited the various us poorly arranged makeshift polling stations in the expansive constituency, particularly at Magina, Obera,Pala,Ndhiwa, Ratang’a Rapedhi and Kobodo during early hours of the morning. The tuning out by he voters was excellent. But there were no signs of returning officers and election clerks for the best parts of the morning hours. Voters waiting for too long while queuing in the blazing sun outside the polling stations with no signs of election officials on sight There were no ballot boxes nor ballot papers. And after waiting for too long most of the would be voters became disillusioned and highly agitated leading to some ugly and isolated incidents including fist fights erupting in some stations, the majority of the voters opted to go home peacefully.

It appeared that the party big-wigs had someone in min whom they wished to be elected, but kept their secrets I their chest. Off course each of the aspirants had parted with Khs 200,000 paid in cash to the ODM headquarters at the Orange House in Nairobi before being issued with the clearance certificate of participation to the exercise, and one is made to believed that if all the 23 aspirants had paid their cash deposits to the party, the amount could have been sufficiently enough to fray off the costs of printing enough election materials as well as hiring election officials and field supervisors .This was not done. Why? Where this colossal amount of money did goes to?

The ODM has since dissolved its seemingly inept election board previously headed by he former Rangwe MP Eng Phillip Okundi and replace it with the new one whose members re still yet to be named publicly. However, fears persist in many parts of Luo-Nyanza that the next January primary nomination by the party for those intending to contest the elections for various elective positions would not be free and fair.

ODM leaders and members in Luo-Nyanza and elsewhere are suspicious about the intention and the role to be played by members of the so-called party re-loaded team.

Others have bee heard saying they were keeping their option for heir own chest, an perhaps they would opt to run and contest the elections as independent candidates. Similar complaints have been received fro members of the Musalia Mudavadi led URD party in Western Province.

From all these, there are clear indications that some of the existing political parties would not attract and get the sufficient number of candidates to fill the elective positions under the new constitutional dispensation which had re-introduce tri-cameral parliament that including Senate, National Assembly, County governors and County electoral wards.

The fears that persist inside Luo-Nyanza is said to be spreading very fast into the neighboring region of Kisii and the South Rift where the William Ruto lead URP despite having recently conducted the “Kangaroo” like grass root election it which were famous and notorious for “selective elections’ and now ODM and modern day political parties in Kenya.

Ends

The killing of a prominent journalist last week has dented Tanzania’s good immage and reputation before the international community an human rights groups

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo

The mysterious death of a prominent Television journalist under mysterious circumstances while he was filming a chaotic confrontation between the police and members of the Chadema opposition has seriously damaged and dented that country’s long held record of peace and cool handling of political crisis ever since it attained its political independence in 1961.

Tanzania, the most populous Eastern African nation got its political independence from its former colonial masters Great Britain in 1961,and has had no record of brutal killing of its journalists.

The country’ immediate neighbors, Uganda, Kenya and the Republic of Somalia in the Horn of Africa is reputed as the record holder in cases related to the killing of journalists both local and those representing media houses abroad, in both print and electronics.

The slain journalist David Mwangozi died two weeks ago while covering a demonstration by members of the opposition Chadema party in the country’s Southern Region of Iringa.

The late Mwanngozi was at his death, the regional representative of the Dar Es Salaam based poplar Television Station known a Channel TEN.A team appointed by the government of Tanzania to probe the killing of the scribe a week ago got off to a shaky start after the country’s media fraternity and the opposition parties rejected it out rightly for its composition which included police office who are among the suspects for the most grisly murder incident.

Instead, the Media Owners Association is no counting on a parallel investigations initiate by fellow journalists to unravel the truth on the horrific killing of David Mwangozi that has left Tanzanian petrified.

Mwangozi was blown up in an explosion during an altercation between police and Chadema opposition party members, in the Southern highland Region of Iringa. And according to Henry Muhanika , the executive secretary of the Media Owners Association before arresting the suspects- as they were caught in cameras as they assaulted the journalist was raising suspicion among Tanzanians of a possible cover-up.

The opposition Chadema party on its part, through its legal constitution an human right director Tindu Lisasu has asked President Jakaya Kikwete to form Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the killing, arguing it rejected the probe team formed by the Home Affairs Minister Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi because it included the police officers”who are also suspects in the murder case.

Mwangozi killing has sparked outrage in the country, with the media practitioners, executive secretary Kajubi Miganja saying that media fraternity was in the state of great shock

According to the varied and conflicting accounts of some eye witnesses, the slain journalist had attended the press conference on the morning of his death,and asked a question that was no appreciate by the police commander ,fielding questions.Later the journalist was seen filming a chaotic scene of police waving clubs and teargas canisters into the crowd of rowdy opposition supporters..

Though not much detail has come out this far, there is general agreement among he eye witnesses that Mwangozi was briefly apprehended by the police who proceeded to rough him up before something tore his body into pieces exposing his internal organs and leaving what had been Mwangozi a few minutes earlier to a heap of carrion flesh.

Pictures of the mingled remains posted on social media were hard to look at, especially the one with that crimson lump in the back of a pick up track. This singularly violent revolting killing has, understandably, fired up emotions.

There have been demands for the head to roll. A number of incidents have been cited, including killings in Arusha, Morogoro, and Singida regions.

The media fraternity in Tanzania is up in arms. A teargas canister firing device and letting it exploder in Mwangozi’s body at a close range.They reject any suggestion that this could have been an accident occasioned by an overzealous police officer mishandling

Ends

Kenya: Three women and two former Nyakach MPs are among the ten political personalities eyeing Kisumu County governor position

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Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City

THREE prominent women leaders, two former Nyakach MPS are among the 10political personalities who are eyeing the lucrative and powerful elective position of the Kisumu County governor.

The number of aspirants for this particular position got swollen up last Sunday following a meeting of members of the Jo-Kisumo from the various sub-clans of representing all clans of the indignant Jo-Kisumu Community which endorsed the candidature of the former regional manager with the Agricultural Finance Corporation {AFC}for Nyanza and Western Provinces Mrs Rhoda Ahonobadha to contest the Kisumu Count governor seat.

THe entry into this seemingly crowded field now bring the total number of contestants for this particular position to 10.

Armed with the wealth of experience in senior managerial level, Mrs Ahonobadha is an individual with the most illustrious academic background and the highest profile in top management and practical experience.

She is a graduate of the Nairobi University between 1974 and 1977 and later between 1978 and 1981 where he graduated with the Bachelor of Science degree in Botany, Zoology and Masters of Science in Animal production. She later joined the AFC in senior managerial position between the years 1983 and 2006 when she retired after reaching the mandatory retirement age.

Mrs Ahonobadha is a mother of five children three sons and two daughters- all are grown ups. She is the wife of Ambrose Ahonobadha retired a former IT communication engineer with the defunct Kenya Posts and Telecommunications.

He home in Nyahera near Ogada Secondary School in Kisumu East Location is only a kilometer from that of another contender for the same position Ms Ruth Adhiambo Odinga the younger sister of the Prime Minister Raila Odinga who has settled near Dago Market and even built a modern restaurant near her home.

Another woman candidate is Mrs Ateno Otieno a Nairobi based lawyer and business woman whose home is near Ahero township.

Also in the race are two former Nyakach MPs, Ojwang’ Kombudoand Peter Ocheng’Odoyo – – all of the them hail from Kabodho clan in Nyakach. Had also served Kisumu City as the record longest .Kombudo serving Town Clerk before venturing into parliamentary politics in 1979.He had also served as a cabinet Minister for Regional Development during in the last KANU Regime of the retire President Daniel Arap Moi.

K’ombudo lost his seat to Odoyo in 1997. Odoyo had also served in the cabinet briefly during the short-lived KANU-LDP merger as an Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, but lost the seat to the incumbent Polyns Ocheng’ Daima in the hotly contested and controversial 2007 general elections.

Other aspirants include the US based university lecturer Dr. Barack Abonyo who also hails from the Jo-Kano clan, and the former senior accountant with the Kenya Revenue Athoroit {KRA] Jack Ranguma fro Kano Kobura sub-clan.

A senior insurance executive in Nairobi and London Simon Ogendo is also in the race. He is the son of the former Kisumu Mayor, the late Ogendo Von Ponge. He hails from Kasagam around Nyamasaria suburb of Kisumu City.

Another aspirant who candidature is sending shock-waves to the spine code of other aspirant is the populist senior manager with the Mumias Sugar Company Peter Hongo who hails from Kusumo Kogony near the Kisumu International Airport. Also in the race is Prof. Menya Kariaga who is reported to be working in Australia or Canada, but currently back in the country mainly to be involved in the impending general elections. He had once contested Kisumu Town West parliamentary seat

The youthful Kisumu medics Dr Makobewa who is reported to have withdrawn his candidature following heavy pressure from other undisclosed quarters is reportedly being urge by his supporters to switch his candidature to the Kisumu Town Eat parliamentary constituency which is currently represented by the colorless Shakiil Ahmed Shabir. Dr Makobewa has yet to respond to the popular demand by the electorate. He is said to be keeping his option to his chest.

The entry of Mrs Ahonobadha into the race for Kisumu County governor now bring the total number of aspirants vying for the same position to 10. After leaving the services of the AFC, Mrs Ahonobadha became involved in various key community development activities within Kisumu County. She is the current deputy chairperson of the Agricultural Society of Kenya {ASK} ever since 2009 to-date.

photo of Ms Rhoda Ahonobadha who is the latest entry into the race for Kisumu County governor has caused a lot of panicking among the close to a dozen aspirants.

She is also an active member and Vice Chairperson of the Kenya Society of Agriculture professional.{KESPA}, a professional body which advocates for the rights and welfare of the farmers as well as its members. She is also a member of the Moi University Council, Kisumu Polytechnic Board of management.

She has been a director of the Kisumu Water and Sewerage Company {KEWASCO} Ltd, A member of the board of management of the New Nyanza General Hospital an also a member of the Kisumu Girls High School board of governors.

Mrs Ahonobadha, who is a the daughter of the former District Commissioner {D.C} during the post independence period the late Mr. Richard Alai is also credited for having worked closely with farmers, women groups, co-operative societies, NGOs and other community-based organizations and common interest groups in promoting livestock development and production for food security.

For many years she is known to have been involved the implementation and management of the development programs aimed at enhancing food security in the country and integrated agricultural development programs such as ‘Bull schemes”.Cockeral exchange programs.

After retiring from her lucrative job ,she has been actively involved extra mural curriculum lecture at Kabianga University in Kericho County as a part time and also at the Great Lakes University in Kisumu City.

A huge crowd of members of the Jo-Kisumu Community who included the former Kisumu , a former Human Resources Manager I several companies in Nairobi Mzee Sammy Oyombe, and several personalities including chiefs, retired Dos, D.Cs, church elders, women leaders gathered for a meeting at her Nyahera home where they unanimously passed resolution to have her as their candidate for the governor position.

Mrs Ahonobadha in accepting the endorsement by community, she promised to campaign hard against he opponents for the same job and asked the community to rally behind her .She also pledged that if elected the governor of Kisumu County she would work with other leaders to deliver the goods to the electorate.

She asked her audience to remain steadfastly in ODM and support its flag bearer for the presidency the Prime Minister Raila Odinga to realize his presidential ambition.

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KENYA: THE CURRENT DISTURBING DEBATE IN PARLIAMENT ON FORMULATION OF NEW POLICY ON THE SUGAR INDUSTRY MIGHT NOT OFFER THE LASTING SOLUTION,

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Business News Analysis By leo Odera Omolo

There are disturbing actions and events in the current debate in parliament that point to a business as usual approach to formulating Sugar Industry policy and reviewing policy gaps which have constrained the industry.

For a start, one hopes that the debate is informed by the provisions in the new constitution that transferred responsibility for Agricultural production, processing and marketing to county governments.

Secondly, the current review and consolidation of agricultural sector agencies in research, marketing and regulation as approved by cabinet and pending in parliament should inform the debate on the bill.

The recent events and performance of the industry exemplified by violence in Western sugar belt is a testimony to the failure of the privatization model in the sugar sector. Indeed Mumias the test case for privatization of a public owned sugar is barely surviving, devoting too much energy fighting off leeches stealing its cane investment in name of private sugar mills.

The industry is now in private hands with 6 private mills of Butali, Mumias, West Kenya, Kibos, Sukari and Transmara against 3 public owned mills of Nzoia, Chemelil and Sonysugar yet industry insiders and Kenya sugar board(KSB) statistics depict the public owned mills as more efficient and only units having invested in sugarcane growing.

New private mills are of economically un sustainable sizes of below are all rated below 2000 tons per day. The government was duped in allowing second hand equipment from shut down mills dismantled and relocated to Kenya yet exploiting the tax credit on investments.

This explains the reason behind the engagement of private mills such as Kibos, Sukari, Transmara, Butali in cane poaching as a survival strategy yet calling themselves investors! West Kenya mill never invested in sugar cane hence its resorting to cane poaching on entry of Butali!
The industry institutional framework is weak and support for R & D is poor. KSB spends over 33% of levy on sugar on administration and gives a mealy sum to KESREF for R & D. The institutions KESMA and KESGA representing millers and farmers respectively are moribund! Its a fallacy to assume all is well with respect to farmer representation in KSB.

The present duplicity in farmer representation in KSB through KESGA in sugarcane pricing and by directly elected farmer directors has caused governance accountability challenges and has been exploited by politicians. Farmers lack cooperatives to mobilize resources and collectively bargain in the market with millers.

All out grower companies formed on instigation of previous KSB management under Mr Chahonyo have all collapsed or are in receivership with hugh debts owed to KSB.

From the foregoing one can see that the debate in parliament is largely uninformed and has no input from a wider stake holder framework.

Its therefore logical to conclude that the outcome by way of a revised Sugar act will not solve the myriad industry challenges. Its a pity the farmers lack an impartial voice hence their interests will be auctioned by partisan interests!

Ends

Regional heads of states to meet in Kampala this weekend to search for peace and stability in the DR Congo

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Reports Leo Odera Omolo

REGIONAL heads of state in the Great Lakes Region are due to return to Uganda’s capital, Kampala this weekend exactly one month since they were last there for another two-days crucial summit starting on September 7,2012 as they seek to find a lasting solution to the security in the DR Congo.

The meeting follows a presentation by Madame Louise Mushikiwabo, the Foreign Affairs Minister of Rwanda to the UN Security Council on August 27, 2012, disputing allegation that Rwanda is backing the M23 rebels led by one Bosco Ntaganda.

Ms Mushikiwabo’ presentation followed a recent rebuttal of Rwanda issued in July against the interim report by UN Group of Experts of DR Congo, which first made the accusation.

Rwanda’s presentation a the UN was preceded by a meeting between Presidents Paul Kagame and Mozambican President Armendo Emilio Guebuza, the new chairperson of the Southern African Development Community {SADC] I Kigali of August 28, 2012.

While concluding its 32nd summit on August 18, to propose urgent actionable steps completely in Eastern DR Congo, and for the consolidation of peace and security but also for SADC but also for SADC region.

The meeting in Kampala this coming weekend will review recommendations of the sub-committee of Council of Ministers of Defence who met in Goma on August 16th to propose urgent actionable steps to ensure that fighting stops in Eastern DR Congo and to allow for consolidation of peace, security and stability; {and to} provide details on the operationalisation of the neutral International Security Force.

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THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY HAS PROPOSES NEW SYSTEM OF FUNDING MODEL FOR ITS ACTIVITIES AMID GROWING BUDGETARY CONSTRAINTS.

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo

The East African Community {EAC] has proposed a new funding model for its activities in the member states amid growing budgetary constraints.

Presently, partner states make equal contributions to the regional bloc, but the new system proposes that such money be based on percentage of either a country’s GDP or revenue collection.

The judicial and legal sectoral committee sitting in Bujumbura last week with the aim of amending the EAC Treaty proposed the changes.

If amended bigger economies like Kenya with close to USD 30 billion GDP will contribute much more than smaller ones like Burundi at USD2.33 billion

Benard Mulengani, a member of the East African Legislative Assembly said the amendments will boost the resources available to the regional bloc,that is largest dependant on donor funds.

Mulangeni said partner states can contribute up to 10 per cent of their total budget to the EAC as determined by the Council of Ministers, compared with the present practice where countries give less than 3 per cent.

The member said this had forced the bloc to rely on donors for up to 72 per cent of the USD 138 million EAC budget.

However Safina Tsungu Kweke, a former general propose committee chairperson at EALA said most donor funds don’t benefit the region. He added the money was gong to workshops, travel and consultations while infrastructure projects remained stuck at the feasibility study stage.

The department of infrastructure has the disease of getting large amounts of money which doesn’t seem to do any work,”She said. Infrastructure and energy projects of the EAC have been on paper for the past 10 years.

Critics say money that goes into workshops and studies revert back to the donors since they employ their own experts.

According to EALA members of the general purpose committee, the Lake Victoria basin Commission LVBC} is another great beneficiary of unbalanced funding.

The LVBC had been criticized especially in Uganda for putting up projects that don’t create any real impact on the lies of the people in the region. LVBC has a total budget of USD 40 million in the current financial year- the second biggest appropriation after that of the EAC secretariat.

Veronic Bathirye a member of Uganda parliament’s committee on East African Affairs pointed out the Mt Elgon regional ecosystem conservation programme that has been running since 2006, as among those that had not made any real impact in peoples lives.

The Mayuge water project also funded in Uganda by LVBC is also among hose leaders in Uganda including those officials at the Ministry of East African Affairs who believes is ineffective. Money from donors for the LVBC cannot be reallocated to projects leaders consider as more worthwhile.

Several EALA representatives said full funding of the community by partner states would weed out some of these irregularities.

But the proposal to have contributions based o the GDP or revenue collection has its problems like creating inequality among member states, critics warns.

Prof Fredrick Sempabwa, a constitutional law expert in Kampala said the EAC is an equality based arrangement and countries contributing higher quotas would cause them to feel as though they had bigger stake in the community.

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Kenya: Six fishermen die in Lake Victoria after hippo attack in which they drowned

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SIX FISHERMEN DIE IN LAKE VICTORIA FOLLOWING ATTACK BY A ROGUE BULL OF HIPPO AS THE BEAST OVERTURNED THEIR BOAT UPSIDE DOWN.

Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu city.

A small fishing Goye village in Yimbo Location,Usenge Division,in Bondo district was yesterday in mourning mood after six young fishermen from the village drowned and perished on Monday morning following an attack by a rogue bull of hippopotamus.

Four of the fishermen survived and were rescued. The incident occurred on Monday morning in their home-made canoe when they encountered the beast. It overturned the boat upside down spilling the ten men occupying into the deep water.

The four managed to swim and clung on the overturned boats for several hours. they were later rescued by the crew of another boat and taken ashore to Usenge Beach fishing landing site. Local rescuers had retrieved only one the body of the victims but by Tuesday after five bodies were still yet to be recovered and the search was continuing.

The incident came only hours after close to 100 fishermen who were marooned inside the lake for three days after their path to the shore was blocked by huge water hyacinth weeds for more than twenty four hours were rescued alive and taken to safety.

The incident took place in Rachuonyo North district where dozens of boats carrying close to 100 fishermen were marooned inside the deep water part of Lake Victoria. The rescue was successful following a joint combined effort Kenya Wildlife Service helicopter and the Provincial Administration in Nyanza Province.

Reports emerging from Bondo say the ten men were fishing in the morning when their boat encountered a huge of a rogue bull of hippo that attacked them and overturned their boat.

The area Chie Daniel Tiang’was quoted as saying that the four survivors had lung on to the overturned boat and signaled for help. By the time the help and assistance came, the six had already drowned.

By y the time of writing this report, Bondo police chief said he had yet to receive the report, but promised to dispatch a team of policemen to the scene of the incident t find pout what had gone wrong.

However, the area civic leader Councilor Agrey Dimo decried the increase incidents of hippos attacking and killing his people unabated.

He appealed to the official s of the Kenya Wildlife Service to control the population of hippos in the area to avoid more deaths.

He alleged that thirty people have been killed in hippo attack in a span of three months. The figure of the alleged victims of hippo attack could not be immediately confirmed with both the police and members of the Provincial Administration within Siaya County. However, observers were in total agreement with the civic leader that the number of incidents of attack and killing by hippos have increased I the recent past.

In the neighboring Mbita district in Homa-Bay County, the residents of Rusinga Island have lost five of their loved ones within last year and early this as the results of hippo attacks.

One knowledgeable and long time resident of Rusinga Island narrated t this writer that hippos had no history of harming people quite often. But he attributed the increases of hippo attacks on human being saying it could be attributed to the lost of green pasture and grass along he lake shorelines and weeds also the lake shore to which the hippos feeds too. They are hungry and liked the weeds and grass on which they feed on. One five ton hippo can feed on between one and two tons of grass per day in the normal circumstances. But due top over farming along the lake’s shorelines these docile and heavily built animals are no longer feeding well and hence sudden change of their temperament.

The only incident whereby the hippos can attack human being is when the female that is nursing a male calf which must be hidden to the dominant male father up t it obtain enough strength to fight the father o some time these animals are so destructive in destroying maize or sorghum millets farms that is next to the lake sore. in such a cases a dominant male hippo if provoked by a farmer guarding his farm can urn hostile an attack. But these are rare cases,” he, added.

The incident only came one day after close to 100 fishermen who were marooned inside Lake Vitoria without water and food for three days were rescued by the government using helicopters.

The fishermen had their path back to the fish landing beaches o the lake shorelines blocked by water hyacinth and weeds for three days without water and food were rescued.

The incident occurred in Karabondi Rambira location and Rakwaro Kamwala sub-location in Karachuonyo East location, in north Rachuonyo district within the County of Homa-Bay.

On of the fishermen who was among dozens of fishermen who rescued from the ordeal Joel Atieno Ogola narrated the three harrowing days which they were tapped for close to three days inside Lake Victoria.

He said most of the fishermen were from villages like Kotieno Gumba, Seka, Karabondi, Rakwaro Kamwla and Kogweno Kobala villages as well as around Kendu-Bay Pier. He said he and his team set for the lake on a fishing expedition last Thursday at about 4.30 P.M.

This was after the water hyacinth weed and cleared away from their beaches. Five hours into the lake waters, the previously calm weather was interrupted all of a sudden by a strong winds and storm that triggered panic among his boat’s crew.

Ogola explained that it was like the scenes and situation similar to those seen in the movies. Suddenly we could see from the dim moonlight that were being marooned by the weed that was being blown from both sides.

From that moment, everything turned dark because of the rains that rapidly increased every minute had also started drenching them.

‘All that they could to is to get anything that could protect them fro the rains,” said another fisherman Sam Okoth. When dawn on the next morning and there was enough light, they realized that they had been driven into the deep part and middle of the lake by the storm.

Okoth and his team were shocked to discover they wee not only in the deep part of the lake but they had also been encircled by the thick blanket of weeds,” he said.

They also discovered that they wee not alone in the lake after they counted about 30 boats and canoes which had between three and four fishermen aboard.

One of the fishermen in their boat had a mobile phone. They tried to use it in contacting the Beach Management Units, but the phone had run short of power and could not offer full conversation with the men on the beach. Crew of another boat had a working cellphone and managed to reach the men on the beach. In the middle of the same day, they D.C for Rachuonyo North and the Police chief arrive at camped at Rambira beach. But all of a sudden they saw a helicopter flying low over their heads. At an earlier attempt to raise the alarm for help they stood on the boat and used their jacket and shirts waving so that they cod catch the eyes o those n shoreline but I van.

The helicopter arrival was as the result of combined efforts by the Kenya Wild Life Services “{KWS}and the Provincial Administration. It was decided that energizing food and water be dropped to them as they were increasingly and rapidly become weaker and weaker.

After having been fed the helicopter dropped winch cable which pulled the boat up, but it got broken somewhere, and the gripped them.

It came when they were increasingly getting worried of the huge weeds, which moving also closing in because of the common stories that these weeds is the home habitat of big and dangerous snakes, and they fear had settled on their minds of possible attack, but noting e that happened.

Ogola denied the rumor that one fisherman man had died of exhaustion an hunger. He said they were only getting weaker, but thanks good all were rescued alive and heathy.

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Tanzania-Mlawi talks over the disputed oil and gas exploration in the disputed Lake Malawi collapsed

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo

Information emerging from Dar Es-Salaam says that the dispute between Tanzania and Malawi over Lake Nyasa has ended in deadlock with both sides strongly recommending for mediation or the involvement of the International Court of Justice {ICJ} to resolve the statement.

The recommendation was made after week long talks between the to countries held in Malawi’s northern city of Mzuzu ended last Saturday with the two sides making little progress.

This was disclosed to the media by foreign ministers from the two sides in Lilongwe, the Malawian administrative and political capital.

Malawi Foreign Minister Epharaim Mganda Chiume said that during the talks the two sides made little progress in resolving the contentious issue hence the recommendations.

The Malawian Minister, however, said the two sides had agreed to meet again in next month {Sept 2013} in the Tanzanian capital, Dar Es Salaam to carry on with further discussions on the matter before considering the involvement of either a third party or ICJ.

The Minister was quoted a having said, ”We felt that there were still other options of diplomacy we could explore including involvement of third party. We have recommended that officials from the two countries should look into the matter again in Dar-Es Salaam.”

He went on , ‘And we also recommended that before the September meeting our Attorney Generals {AGs} should take time to interpret Article 1{2}[vi of the 1890 Anglo-Germany Treaty so that when we meet again next month we should all have legal understanding of the article.”

Chiume said the border dispute between the two neighboring African nations had been there for too long and that it was high time that it was resolved amicably, adding that failure to do so would impact negatively of the two countries.

On the other hand Mr Chiume’s Tanzanian counter-part Bernard Membe said the dispute indeed required further talks with the two sides maintaining their calms and diplomacy.

“We have agreed that the dispute we have requires a negotiated settlement through diplomacy,” said Membe.

Two weeks ago the Tanzanian government issued an order that there be no more flight across the disputed lake by aircraft from Malawi carrying out aerial survey and exploration for oil and gas over the lake until the dispute is resolved. Malawi obeyed and called for a top level meeting between the two Both people, however, have been urged to refrain fro making any provocative remarks which may create during the discussions his side had urged there should be no further exploration on Lake Nyasa {Lake Malawi] ,especially in the disputed part which is the northeastern part of the lake, to give room to the ongoing discussions.

The border dispute between Tanzania an Malawi begun recently when Malawi engaged a British firm Surestream to explore Lake Malawi for oil and gas deposit. The lake border Malawi and Tanzania.

The latter claims that part of the lake on that side belongs to the former Germany colony, while Malawi’s colony believes it owns the whole lake, based on the Heligoland. Treaty between Britain, Malawi’s colonial masters, which stipulated that the borders between the two countries were on the eastern shores of Lake Malawi.

Amid fears among the people of the two countries that there would be war over the lake, presidents of the two countries, Malawi’s Joyce Banda and Tanzania’s counterpart, Jakaya Kikwete, have been quoted in both local and international media to have said ‘the two countries would ever go to war, no matter what.”

The two presidents met recently in Maputo in Mozambique where on the sidelines of SADC Summit for Heads of State, they discussed the matter amicably and arrived at fruitful results,” according to President Banda. Tanzania claims the border runs along the middle of Lake Malawi, especially the disputed part which is the northeastern

Tanzania on its part claims the border runs along the middle of Lake Malawi, which is the home to over 500 species of fish and a major tourist attraction for Malawi.

When African states became independent, they agreed to maintain their colonial borders. Tanzania then Tanganyika was a German colony that Britain took over after World War One, British administration.then the placed all the lake’s waters under Malawi {the Nyasaland}.

At issue is largely undeveloped swath of Lake Malawi, where Lilongwe has awarded a license to British firm Surestream to explore for oil in northeastern waters near Tanzania.

Malawi has carefully watched Uganda’s developments around Lake Albert, where oil firms are pouring billions of dollars to exploit reserves estimated at 2.5 billion barrels.

Lake Malawi lies in the same Great Lakes system stretching along he African Rift, and Malawi is hoping for a similarly large payout-which would transform the fortunes of a country whose economy depends o small farmers and large foreign aid.

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Kenya: Two Kenyan policemen killed as Muslim youth intensified rioting protesting the killing of the radical Islamic cleric

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Reports Leo Odera Omolo

Two Kenyan policemen are feared dead and scores of other people injured in Kisauni suburb of the coastal port City of Mombasa after hand grenade is hurled at a contingent of policemen battling rioting youth protesting the yesterday morning shooting to death of the controversial Islamic cleric Sheikh Aboud Rogo by unknown gun-men

The hand grenade was hurled onto a police lorry carrying a contingent of policemen on patrol of the violence infested Kisauni suburb of Mombaa injuring 16 others

It has since been established that before his death in hails of bullets, the controversial Islamic preacher who is suspect of having close link with the Somalia based terrorist group of al-shabaab, which is bankrolled by the Alqaeda an international terrorist group had lived on fear of his life and safety.

On July 25, this year, the US administration of President barrack Obama in Washington had sactio six people, including Sheikh Rogo, Eritrean external security intelligence chief Twokle Habte Negash and senior military officer Taeme Abraham Coftom for their alleged roles in supporting Somalia’s militia group Al-Shabaab.

Sheikh Rogo was accused of raising funds for Al-Shabaab and helping recruits travel to Somalia to join the main groups fighting the Transitional Somali government inside Somalia.

The other two Kenyans were Omar Awadh who is currently awaiting trial in Uganda for his alleged role in a July 2010 attack on restaurants showing World Cup football matches in Kampala that killed 74 people.

Ahmed was arrested in Kenya in 2010 on suspicion of involvement I the bombing at a Nairobi bus terminal.

The US has since he frozen all assets of the six suspects in world-wide terrorism activities after they were accused of providing financial and logistical support to Al-Shabaab, which is blamed of numerous attacks against civilians in Kenya, Somalia and Uganda.

Eritrea has been accused of fomenting violence in Somalia, in part to keep its archival neighbor Ethiopia In constant check..

The slain Islamic cleric Sheikh Rogo had been a Muslim preacher in the Kena coastal port city of Mombsa ever since 1997 and was said to have introduced one Mohamed Kubwa Mohamed to Fazul Abdullah Mohamed and two others.

They wee late indicted by a US-based court as the masterminds of the August 1998 attack on the US Embassy in Nairobi and Dar –Es-Salaam simultaneously.

The late Sheikjh Rogo was once arrested in 2002 for allegedly playing a role in the Paradise Hotel bombing in Kikambala near Mombasa simply because the hotel is owned by Israeli investors. The attack on the hotel killed 13 people and left scored seriously injured and maimed.

Fazul Abdullah was killed when an American pilotless drone plane hit his hideout in Somalia last year.

During the hearing of the case almost two weeks ago, the court heard that assorted weapons of destruction allegedly found at his house were to be used to attack a Catholic church, Likoni Ferry and the Nyali Bridge in Mombasa. A police officer who has testified in the case told the court that police did not “plant” the weapons at the preacher’s house.

Mr Kamati said the raid by the police on Sheikh Rogo’s homestead on January 29, 2012 was conducted after a tip off given to Kilifi CID offices. The Islamic preacher who was out of a Kshs 5 million bond wit three sureties on similar amount also faced four other charges of being in possession, of an AK47 rifles, 113 rounds ammunition, two hand grenades ands of ammunition and that of being I possession of firearms without certificates and that of being n possession of explosives.

The hearing of the case was adjourned to October 15 this year. However the controversial Muslim cleric died in hails of bullets yesterday morning in the attack which also left his wife injured in her right knee.

The mainly youth supporters of the slain preacher rent their angers on Christian churches an public institutions run by the churches which they vandalized an destroyed property worth millions of dollars.

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THE KENYAN COASTAL PORT CITY OF MOMBASA IS UNDER SIEGE FOLLOWING THE KILLING OF A RADICAL ISLAMIC PREACHER LINKED TO THE Al-SHABAAB TERRORISTS IN SOMALIA BY UNKNOWN GUNMEN.

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Reports Leo Odera Omolo

The Kenyan coastal port city of Mombasa on the Indian Ocean is under siege following the shooting to death of the radical Islamic preacher Aboud Rogo this morning by unknown gun-men.

The preacher who is suspected of having link with the Alqaeda backed Al-Shabaab Islamist terrorists in the neighboring Somali was sot sixteen times at close range by unknown assailants.

The incident took place at a place called Majengo King’orani suburb of Mombasa. The attackers shot Aboud Rogo at close range while he was sitting inside his car with his wife who he was taking to the hospital, Hs wife sustain gunshot wound on her leg, but survived and was rushed to the hospital for treatment.

The controversial Islamic preacher was driving his car with hi wife in the passenger seat along the Mombasa-Malindi highway this morning when he attacks occurred.

A vehicle suspected to have ferried he unknown attackers over took his vehicle and the gun-men hiding inside the second car opened fire on him. He was shot sixteen times according to the police who launched investigations immediately.

Immediately the news of the slaying went round through this busy port city, Muslim enraged youth rioted and engaged the antiriot police for the better part of the day.

One man was killed in the process, Salvation Army church was torched, a police vehicle was set ablaze and reduced into ashes, and Evangelist Center was attacked vandalized and looted.

The youth mainly from the Muslims seemed to have targeted establishment with Christianity connections. The police and other security apparatus were beefed into the city center where the massive looting and destruction o property of unknown quantity took place.

Businesses in the Central Business District {CBD} quickly closed down and remain inaccessible for the better part of the day as police engaged the youth in a running street battle for the whole day.

Mombasa which situated along the shore of Indian Ocean is Kenya’s second largest city. It is housing he busiest port, which is also serving most of the landlocked African nations of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, DR Congo, Northern Tanzania, Central African Republic and to a lesser extent Zambia.

The slain radical Islamic preacher died while had a court pending case in which he was facing serious criminal charges of conducting terrorism related activities n Kenya. He died when he was under twenty four hours security surveillance on suspicion of allegedly having close link with Somalia based Al-Shabaab militia groups suspected of being funded by Alqaeda international terrorist group from the Arab nations.

Meanwhile, Kenya the Eastern African nations which has enjoyed relatively calm, political stability ever since it gained its political independence from its former colonial power, the Great Britain in 1963 is currently bleeding to death.

Close to 70 people died last week in various parts of the country as the result of politically motivated ethno-politics.

In the coastal remote district of Tana River I an area commonly known as Tana Delta, 31 women and 11 children were massacred last Wednesday following the tribal skirmishes between the nomadic Orma tribesmen and their agriculturally rich Pokomo tribesmen.

Close to 100 dwelling houses were set ablaze. Properties of unknown value were destroyed. The midnight attack saw the attackers slashing and spearing livestock to death. More than 100 houses were razed down and turned into ashes.

In Nairobi last Thursday the Acting Internal Security Minister Yusuf Haji told the hushed house that an Assistant Minister in the same government was the principal suspect as the one who had incited his community into violence against their neighbors.

The Minister disclosed that he had ordered the police security and a team of the Criminal Investigation Department [CID} of the Kenya police to investigate the incident and tae the most appropriate legal action against the inciters.

Haji who is also Kenya’s Defense Minister pointed an accusing finger at the Assistant Minister for Livestock Dhadho Godhana who was present in the House at the time. The Assistant Minister is the Mp for the affected area in Tana River. As the Minister was addressing the most attentive MPs they shouted “Sack him! Sack him!”

The Minister accused the Assistant Minister for having adamantly refused to take part in a reconciliation meeting called by the government to reconcile the warring communities.

The next day the Assistant Minister defiantly told newsmen that he would not such a meeting if it is chaired by Minister Haji whom he accused of having vested interests in the Tana Delta.

Meanwhile 20 other Kenyans have died in the past wee in towns located along the volatile Kenya-Somalia border, and also along the Kenya-Ethiopia border.

Most of the killing occurred in areas whose inhabitants are people of Somali origin suspected of being sympathetic to the cause of Al-Shabaab militias in Somalia.

The most affected border towns included Garrissa, Wajir, Mandera, Marsabit and Lagdera all located in the semi-arid North Eastern Province of Kenya. The province is also housing thousands of refugees from Somalia, Uganda ad Ethiopia.

These Kenyans have died either of gun-shot wounds, hand grenade and explosive devices hurled at them by suspected Somali terrorists.

Kenya is rapidly losing its status as the haven of peace tranquility. During the same week that ended last Sunday, reports from the Southern part of the country says, there was an outbreak of fighting between the Kenya Maasais and the Tanzanian Sonjo tribesmen

The usually calm an quiet Kenya-Tanzania border burst into fighting and bloodbath when Tanzanians crossed the border while armed with guns, arrows, spears ad other crude weapons and made incursion into Narok South district along he border of the two countries.

Naro South District Commissioner Chimwaga Mongo confirmed the incident. He said Sonjo peasants from Tanzania crossed into Kenta and burned down houses in a small trading center seriously injuring scores of people in the villages.

The D.C said Sonjo peasants from neighboring Tanzania invaded Olorte area, in Loita Division, Narok South district. The invaders burnt down a Manyatta leaving close to 500 people homeless The Manyatta cuts across Kenya-Tanzania border’

The armed tribesmen invaded the area fired several shots in the air to scare way the residents. The left two people with serious gun-and arrow wounds

The D.C said after the attack the invaders invaded the farms and harvest maize I the field. However they invader were confronted by the armed Administration Police stationed t the nearby chief’s camp who repulsed them.

The motive of the dawn attack is not y known, but it could be linked to perennial rivalry between the Sonjos ad the Maasais over the grazing field. To Keya government officials are reported to be in the process of dispatching delegation to Dar E Salaam for a dialogue with Tanzanian authorities. At the local level the community leaders from both sides would soon meet next week to try and iron out the differences.

Ends

Kenya: Hired political mercenaries are heavily funded political mercenaries to block Raila Odinga from accessing State House after kibaki’s retirement

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Commentary By Leo Odera Omolo

The impending general elections and the forthcoming ICC trials at the Hague are two sets of weighty subjects which are likely to produce dreadful and professional liars in the same way and manner similar to those five witnessed decades ago during the trial of the famous Kapenguria Six in 1953.

Many not worthy mentioned and hire witnesses have emerged in recent months, some of them suspected to have been bribed to falsely manufacture late and afterthought testimonies incriminating the Prime Minister Raila Odiga with the 2007/2008 post election violence.

There is a lot of similarity to the current on-going well orchestrated anti multiple accusation and allegations, by anti-Raila elements within our nation’s political class, which are aimed at denying “Agwambo” birth and constitutional rights and entitlement Raila’s to succeed President Kibaki upon his retirement.

For those of us who have been here for longer than seven decades Raila’s opponents in their desperate effort to pin him down appeared have erroneously deployed the same crude tactics similar in fashion, style and manner in then scale the colonial authorities in Kenya had hired witnesses who testified in the Kapenguria Trial of the six linking our founding President the late Jomo Kenyatta with criminal offences of organizing and managing the Mau Mau rebellion
The perpetrators and manufacturers of these falsehoods knew it pretty well that what they had told the trial colonial judge at Kapenguria were false and pack of lies, but for their lust for money, they shamelessly testified and gave false testimonies purely for economic gains.

No wonder five years later in 1959, the late Rawson Mbogua Macharia, the key witness for the crown came forward to swear an affidavit disowning and repudiating his testimonies at the famous Kapenguria Six trial.

The garland Kenyan nationalists whose lives were at stake at Kapenguria were headed by Jomo Kenyatta, Paul Joseph Ngei, Bildad Kaggia, Rachard Achieng’ Oneko, Kungu Karumba, Fred Kubai.

Some of us who have been following Kenyatta’s personal history and lifestyle from the year 1948 can honestly testify that Kenyatta had nothing to do with the Mau Mau rebellion nor was he aware f its existence. Men like Fred Kubai, Bildad Kaggi,Dedan Mugo knew something, though not directly involved but not Kenyatta. In fact at one time the former President joined hands with African Christian Bishop in the Mt. Kenyatta region and strongly condemned and denounced Mau Mau activities and its oathings a few weeks before his arrest and detention on the night of October 20,1952. This particular date is so significant because it coincided with the declaration of the state of emergency by the then governor Evelyn Baring.

Macharia eventually paid so dearly for his crime when he was goaled into jail for 18 months after being found guilty on a charge of perjury. Fortunately or unfortunately when Kenyatta was released after completing hi seven year jaile5ece with yard labor and years of eng placed in restriction camps in various remote places in Northern Kenya, the founding President came face to face with Rawson Mbogua Macharia who became his immediate neighbor at Gatundu rural home, though the two remained as no good friends for the rest of their life time, though Kenyatta in his fatherly heart had preached and taught us to embrace he spirit of forgiveness, but not to forget, Macharia remained in political limbo and lived as pauper and led a squalid life next to the home of an excessively wealthy family of Jomo Kenyatta.

The story of Maharia is still very fresh in the minds of level minded Kenyans and should serve as a deterrent to those hell-bent on making false and concocted testimonies against other fellow Kenyans. To desist from engaging on such not so honorable and respectable exercises which are tan amounting to betrayal doing so .The ma end up paying the prices for their heinous actions the same way the Biblical Judas of Iscariots and Rawson Macharia of Kenya.

I am writing this comment because I was recently taken back when I read stories in the newspaper column that some not very upright Kenyans who were desperately looking for the way how they could take what they called fresh evidence to the Hague in Netherlands that could link the Prime Minister with criminal offences committed by other people who incited other Kenyans to slaughter and butcher one another in the aftermath of the post-election violence.

Of course, these are the modern day Macharias. Such people must be told that they should tread carefully even if the have been paid handsomely to save the neck of their kin and kins facing ICC trials on a fee.

It is also imperative to remind the anti-Raila that ”Agwambo” has two prominent distinguished constituencies in this country. The Raila Odinga constituency are the people. His overzealous and near fanatic supporter would always vote for him no matter how one succeeded in mad slinging him.

The second constituency comprises those who hate Raila Odinga. No matter how good he has performed and carried out his Prime Minister’s office work. No matter how hard “Agwambo” work in a concerted effort to delivery the goods to the electorate and even in solving the problems of individual families in dire need of assistance.

Many greenhorns and political novices appeared to have turned Raila Odinga their punching bags, but this is to the chagrins of the silent millions of Kenyans who valued the work being done by the Prime Minister and have held him in the highest esteem against his fellow competitors and presidential aspirants.

Raila Odinga is not a corrupt leader as he is being portrayed to be by his detractors and hired political mercenaries acting at the behest of his cowardice rivals who appeared to be suffering from crisis of confidence after failing to articulate their individuals’ policies and those of their makeshift political parties and amorphous G7-tribal alliance.

I am glad that after failing to convince the Kenyan voters of by providing them with agendas of what they intended to do for Kenyans if they are vote in resorting to singing some old lyrics o the late 1950s by the late John Mwale and Isaya Mwinamo Both talented guitarists/musicians were from Tiriki in Vihiga dstrict Western Province, some of the songs which obviously are close to hurling insults to “Agwambo” and clearly amounted to the hate speeches, which are prohibited by the law of the land, and only time will as to who has the interest of Kenyan people at heart.

The presidential race is still widely open, and only require those panicking about”Agwambo soaring popularity need only to change tacts and resort to issues oriented campaign in place of hurling abuses.

Kenyans are very much aware that every tricks in the books were being placed on ‘Agwambo path and route to State House . It is no longer the game of foolhardy and Kenyans areno mnore simple spectators, but would soon ensure that every presidential aspirant who sowed the seed of discord can only harvest what he had sown when the game come to a finale halt.

Ends

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Category Archives: Leo Odera Omolo

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Kenya: Hired political mercenaries are heavily funded political mercenaries to block Raila Odinga from accessing State House after kibaki’s retirement