Category Archives: Leo Odera Omolo

Kenya: The alleged UK forged dossier on Kenya could be the wrok of a Ugandan fugitive living in Nairobi

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo.

The controversial dossier which was a tale in parliament last week purported to have been the official position and stance of the British government on Kenya could be the work of a Ugandan master forger.

Multiple sources in both Kampala and Nairobi are all pointing an accusing fingers to the direction of the unnamed Ugandan who is it is being alleged to have perfected in document

He suspected to be living in one of the posh hotels in Nairobi at the expense of Kenyan politicians who have covertly hired him for the dirty job.including writing slanderous articles adversely mentioning their perceived political enemies.

The Ugandan, according to a source in Kampala has been involved in similar forgeries in Zimbabwe where he was hired by the despotic President Robert Mugabe to discredit his government‘s rival opposition groups.
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The Kampala source indicated that the Ugandan is a man wanted in his native home country for his alleged association with the activities of the outlawed Lord Resistance Army {LRA} which has been waging the seemingly endless war in the Northern part of the country.

The LRA is headed by the rebel leader Gen.Joseph Kony who has successfully evaded the capture by the Ugandan security forces for well over twenty years. Kony is also wanted by the International Court of Criminal Justice {ICC} at The Hague to answer charges of crime against humanity by conscripting under aged children into his rug-tug fighters who are said to be mainly drawn from the Acholi and Langi Nilotes tribes of the northern Uganda.

Legislators allied to the ICC suspects Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta and Eldoret North MP William Samoei Ruto are said to be disillusioned and have been working round the clock to ensure that the Prime Minister Raila Odinga is incriminated and dawn into ICC cases.

When the forged dossier was on the table in Parliament last Thursday, one pro-Ruto MP from Kericho County was seen moving around the chamber mobilizing support for the document. At one point it forced the Deputy House Speaker Farah Maalim to issue a stern warning to the MP in question to behave.

The Ugandan is said to have fallen out with some elements within Robert Mugabe’s government who viewed him as a dreadful liar leading to his alleged arrest and torture by Mugabe’ secret police.

He said to have secured a job with the Uganda’s rebel LRA after being contracted by one of the rebel group top adviser to act as its public relations. But he is said to have quit in huff during the negotiation for peace between the Joseph Kony’s LRA and the Ugandan government which was brokered by the Southern Sudan. His resignation came about after Joseph Kony had reused to sign the peace negotiated in Sudan.

The Uganda has since been living in Kenya and according to an article in the website of May 2011 had secured a job as the presidential consultant. This claim, however, could not be confirmed.

Other impeccable sources says the Ugandan has been loosely associated with the a popular Television Network in Kenya which is connected to one of the of Campo Four. where he has been regularly participating in talking shows on various issues

Some articles says the Ugandan who is suspected to be a master forger hails from northeastern part of Uganda and he is married with grown up children. He is reported to have lived in London, UK or close to twenty five years, an is well versed with the operational system of the UK government.

When the forged British dossier was tabled in the Kenya parliament last Thursday, some MPs looked furious and demanded that the country severed its relations with the UK government despite of the plea for calm by the Kenyan Minister for Foreign Affairs Moses Wetangula who told his colleagues that the only way they could discuss issues related to a friendly foreign country is by way of introducing a substantive motion in the House.

Although the document contained therein a document tabled in Parliament last week looked like genuine, there are some elements of similarity with UK document, though the author’s English is not the native work of an Englishman and therefore anyone reading it could easily detect some loopholes in the grammar presentation, style and the not very flowing English.

A source in Kampala maintained that the Ugandan fugitive now taking refuge in the Kenyan capital is a wanted man at home. He is not a freedom fighter nor a revolutionary minded or a liberator, but has developed the cunning mechanism of minting cheap money from the seemingly disillusioned friends of the Ocampo Four.

The Ugandan officials who are said to be familiar with similar forged dossiers believe they are the work of the Ugandan whose name cannot be published due to legality. The Ugandan have advised the authorities in Kenya to investigate the activities of the Ugandan who is also fond of feeding major radio stations in the Western world with falsified information purporting them to come from top officials of the African governments, and he is known to be surviving on this kind of trade.

A spirited effort by the Legislators allied to the Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who was mentioned adversely in the forged document, to have it expunged from the record, failed. The House Speaker Kenneth Marende turned down the pleas by the nominate MO Rachel Shebesh.

The debate on the forged document ended when the MPs unanimously resolved that the authenticity of the document would be investigated by the Parliamentary Defense and Foreign Relation Committee in which the Yatta MP Charles Kilonzo who tabled the documents to the house is also a member.

The debate on the documents kicked off on Tuesday this week with the Saboti PP Eugene Wamalwa leading to the disclosure of the dossier. The MP questioned the motive behind the UK Foreign Secretary William Hague recent visit to Kenya.

However, fears persist that legislators allied to the two of the Ocamp Four, namely the Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and the Eldoret North MP William Ruto could derail the finding of the committee and manipulate it to suit their whims.

During the heated debate, John Mbadi {Gewassi} insisted that Kilonzo who is the white blower be excluded from the committee. But the House Speaker Kenneth Marende old the MP that anyone of them could participate in the proceeding of the committee to ensure the investigations is not contrived.

The alleged British government dossier on Kenya has since been disowned by the UK government which termed it a simple work of forgers.

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Kenyan Parliament was duped to discuss the alleged forged documents purporting them to have come from the British Government sources

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Commentary By Leo Odera Omolo

If the Kenyan MPS sitting in the current parliament are tired of deliberating on nationally importance issues that affect the Kenyan people, then they should simply ask President Mwai Kibaki to dissolve parliament and call for snap elections.

I am saying the MPs seemed to be too tired and might have been overworked with issues connected to the new constitution dispensation and perhaps they need time to rest.

Our legislators seemed to have run short of ideas and need to be replacement by people who are fresh and have unpolluted ideas to carry this country to the height of meaningful development that our nation is yawning for.

I am saying this because last Thursday, our MPs spent the best part of their afternoon sitting debating on seemingly forged fake documents purporting it to have come from a source within the British government. But reading the border lines of issues contained therein the document one could easily make an intelligent guesswork that it was the work of uncouth and primate master forgers.

Furthermore the forged document had three political and criminal angles and issues in its contents. One angle is the ongoing campaign for the next presidency of the Republic of Kenya, and succession of President Mwai Kibaki seat at the State House.

Secondly, the friends of the Ocampo Four, who are the suspects in the ICC criminal cases at The Hague, are so busy burning the midnight oil in desperate efforts to save the skin of their friends now facing trials at the ICC for the allegation related to post election violence in Kenya in 2007/2008.

The third angle is the plot to scuttle the presidential bid of the Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga by the members of the amorphous G7 alliance after the latter had proved to be so popular with the Kenyan voters despite all the hurdles being placed on his path t the presidency.

It has got into out minds and hearts that every tricks in the book is being deployed by he so called G7 alliance to drag the Prime Minister’s name into the ICC cases for political expediency .The tricks includes the use of fake and forged documents meant to wedge artificial and cosmetic war between him and the president of this country..

During the debate which were televised alive by one of the National Television network in Kenya, one MP who is a close friend of one of the Ocamp Four was seen running up and jumping from bench to bench mobilizing his colleague drumming up the support the fake document, even going as far as earning the of the wrath Deputy Speaker who issued a stern warning t the MP in question telling to behave.

Written in uncouth, unpolished English or what I can term as {Jua Kali English} and therefore any sane Kenyan in his best frame of mind could easily detect that the document did not come from a source within the British Government as claimed.

It was obviously the project of the G7 alliance reading the borderline of those who table it and those who rose to speak in support of the fake document. I has now made e to believe the allegation in some quarters that there are “MPs for hire” in the Kenya’s Tenth Parliament judging the day of the multi-billion maize scandal, the Grand Regency Hotel’s deal scandals, and the just concluded contentious issues relate to the falling Kenya Shillings in which members of the G7 group had labored so much to have the name of the Governor of the Central Bank expunged from a report prepared by a parliamentary committee that had investigated.

In another angle, the document was the cheap work of not very clever forgers who had apparently thought it could cause despondency and misunderstanding between President Mwai Kibaki and the Prime Minister Raila Odinga and perhaps bring own the coalition government headed by the two principals.

Contributors, some of them having come from the Somali community wanted Kenya to fall to the dog in a same way the neighboring Somali Republic has fallen and became ungovernable state, but Kenyans are very much awake and would not wish to see their motherland going to the dogs.

I am only wondering what the rationale could the Speaker of the August House had allowed a debate on unauthenticated document which any Kenyan with elementary standard of education can easily detect to have been the work of those unpatriotic and uncouth forgers hell bent in slandering the name of an individual.

The Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s has been the subject of insult and abusive languages used during the so-called prayers-cum-political rallies by the Ocamp Four ICC suspects who have taken effused to carry their own crosses and ace their trials at The Hague as men, but instead had chosen to defend themselves through public rallies, forged documents aimed at winning the public sympathies.

In my view and judging from the people whose names were used as the authors and those who appeared to have been served with the copies of the document, the whole episode sounded like the title of the famous book we read in primary school entitled “Alice in the Wonderland”.

Late the Ocampo Four face the reality that the ICC trial is a serious matter and not a political gimmick of this magnitude and they should prepare themselves well for it instead of resorting to cheap propaganda and using other people as scapegoats or punching bags.

Our Parliament is the supreme political organ of the state and as such must not be used for the spread of cheap propaganda aimed at distorting serious issues for gaining political mileage and for character assassination. The MPs should spend their valuable times wisely while deliberating on issues that are relevant to the aspiration of Kenyans and not for defending their hires.

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Kenya: The death of one of the oldest men in Kipsigis land at the age of 133 he was a veteran of the First World War

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Reports Leo Odera Omolo In Kericho Town.

DEATH has occurred of one of the last surviving veteran of the First World War who is estimated to have died at the age of 133.

Mzee Barnabas Kiptanui Arap Rop saw actions in Tanzania, Madagascar and some Islands in the Indian Ocean during the First World War between 1914 and 1918.

He got married in 1918 after being discharged from the Kings African Rifles {KAR} and his eldest child is now aged 90 years.

The grand old man was buried last weekend at Kapcheluch village near Kabianga University College a {local campus of the Mo University Eldoret} and Kabianga Trading Center in upper Belgut within Kericho County.

According to Mzee Arap Rop’s own account, he was born around 1879 and was converted to Christianity around 1910. He was conscripted into the Fist World War not as a young man, but an adult who at the time he was almost approaching his middle age.

Among the leading personalities who turned up to bid him a tearful farewell was the Belgut MP Charles Keter, an aspirant for the newly created Sigowet / Soin constituency Justice Kemei who is a prominent businessman in both Mombasa, Nairobi and Western Kenya.

His burial attracted unusual large crowd of well wishers, friends and relatives. The late Arap was a cousin and age-mate of Mr Kemei grand father the late Cherengeti Arap Cheruiyot who died three decades ago.

Speaker after speaker spoke about the grand old man wish counseling and wisdom. They added that he was the custodian of the Kipsigis culture and used to advice the younger generation on how to live in peace with one another and also preached the word of gospel which he had mastered without acquiring modern education.

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photo of the grand old man who is beieved to have been the oldest man in Kisigisland if not in Kenya

Kenya: Ruto’s handlers should advice him to changes tactics and stop blame games if he serious about the presidency of this country

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Commentary By Leo Odera Omolo

The repeated claims by the Eldoret North MP William Samoei Ruto that the impending trials By the International Criminal Court of Justice at The Hague {ICC} against him and three other prominent Kenyans are just simple part of the conspiracy hatched by his political enemies to lock him out of the presidential race.

These claims have not so far been received well in many quarters and as such have become monotonous carrying shallow and hollow argument, which makes no sense nor any meaningful appeal in the minds of level minded Kenyan electorate. It is therefore prudent that the sooner Ruto changes his campaign tactics the better.

Kenyans knew pretty well who inserted Ruto’s name in a sealed envelope, and handed it to the ICC .This issue has been in the public domain for close to four years. The local media houses have done a wonderful job by serializing all the fact which led to he ICC impending trials,

I am particularly concerned with Ruto’s widely reported address to the students from the Maa communities during which the MP rubbished the ICC trials claiming they are just simplely part of the conspiracy hatched by his political enemies to ensure he was locked out of the forthcoming presidential race.

It is also worth mentioning that the Eldoret North Mp has been around the courts here in Kenya from time and again facing various allegations of illegal sell of land, land grabbing. He has, however, come out clean on some of the accusations.

It is therefore worth to note that it is only a couple of days after Ruto had made a pledge to return the IDP land, which he ha grabbed to its rightful owners. On top of these there are more pending cases against him in our local courts.

Surely, does he want to Kenyans to cast their presidential votes to a man who is facing one of the most heinous crimes against humanity? It makes no sense for someone who is a suspect in such serious crimes like murder, rape and other related offences against human rights to come forward seeking presidential votes before he I cleared of all the alleged crimes.

Ruto’s handlers should advice adequately telling him not to be in hurry. He is still a young man and Kenya is not just about to disappear from the map of the universe. The Republic of Kenya will still be around in 2017 and thereafter therefore he should be advised to get cleared by the ICC court first before laying a claim to the presidency.

The kind of chest thumping speeches delivered by Ruto during the so-called prayers meetings, which at times have become the political platform for the blame games gimmicks, I suspect could be the recipe for the recent bloody tribal flare ups along the Nyanza Rift Valley borders. These uncalled for tribal skirmishes have claimed the lives of six young Kenyans. And if the kind of speeches we are reading in the columns of newspapers and hearing on radio stations, and even at time viewing in TV news footage are not stopped, the Kenyans must be prepared to expect the worse come the next general elections.

In this context, I must take my hat off and heap a lot of praise to the two presidential aspirants, namely Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth and his counterpart Gichugu MP Madame Martha Karua.

I have been following the public utterance of the two legislators and I have detected a lot of political maturity and magnanimity in the way the two are canvassing for the presidential votes. Their approaches are devoid of malice and to me the two are truly the serious contenders for the job. Other presidential hopefuls should emulate Kenneth and Karua.

Karua recently toured the entire Nyanza Province during which her public pronouncements landed perfectly in the ears and the hearts of the electorate. She was dignified and talked to the electorate in a very mature manner that makes her one of the most highly respected in this region as a serious contender to the job. Despite having ventured into a territory which is the considered as the ODM stronghold, the residents gave hr a good hearing.

Peter Kenneth was recently in Kisii region the other day campaigning vigorously for his KNSC party candidate in the just concluded by elections in the Kitutu East constituency and left a mark on the ground as being one of the best and eloquent public speakers whose utterances carries no malice.

The two are the shinning example of the kind of modern political leadership the Kenyans want, and not the bunch of political demagogues thriving on hatred speeches, which might no contribute meaningful to the peaceful coexistence and development. We need those who can transform Kenya into a vibrant state in this region, which could be he envious of the neighboring countries.

Kenya is not a tribal fiefdom, but a country which is guided by the rule of law, which must remain paramount all the time. Any leader who is invoking tribal emotion as short cut to the presidency must be rejected by Kenyan voters in totality.

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KENYA: POLICE THANKED FOR TAKING SWIFT ACTION IN ARRESTING AND PROSECUTING CULPRITS SUSPECTED OF FUELING TRIBAL CLASHES BETWEEN THE LUOS AND KALENJINS.

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Reports Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.

POLICE in Kapsabet, Muhoroni an Nyando districts have received a pat on the back for having taken swift and appropriate action, which have resulted in scores of people suspected to have been responsible for fueling the recent flare up along the Nyanza –Rift Valley borders.

The recent tribal flare ups along the border of Tinderet, Aldai, Nyando and Muhoroni constituencies borders along the Nyanza Rift Valley is suspected to have been fueled and instigated by inflammatory speeches by some leaders in the Rift Valley and Central Province during the recent series of the so-called prayers-cum-political rallies by the ICC suspects was only quelled by a combined forces of regular police and the paramilitary crack unit of the GSU.

The clashes left close to 50 houses in Metetei Valley housing both Nandis and Luos in ushers after being torched by rioters, while more than 1000 people left homeless and have to take refugee in churches and makeshift camps.

The clashes left six people dead and scores hospitalized with serious bodily injuries, mostly inflicted with arrows while other were hacked with machetes and other crude weapons.

On Monday this week nine people, among them two women appeared before the Kapsabet Senior Resident Magistrate Gerald Moriso charged with offences of engaging in cattle rustling on he Rift Valley-Nyanza boundary that triggered tribal clashes a week ago.

The suspects were John Kiprono, Richard Kiplimo, Cleophas Kimeli, Kenneth Kimutrai, Richard Kiplagat,Kenneth Kipsang, Selly Jeptarus, Janet JEMUTAI, AND Selly Kirui were charged with stealing 19 herd of cattle, 22 sheep and six goats, all valued at Kshs 1,034,000 from of Michael Otieno on the night of February 25/26 at Rechpal Farm in Songhor Location.

The accused person faced the second count which stated that on the same date at the same place, they stole a water pump, three bags of maize and one roll of barbed wire, all valued at Kshs 49,600 the property of Michael Otieno.

The magistrate ordered that the accused persons who were unrepresented, be remanded in custody at the Kapsabet GK Prison or each may be released on a cash bail of Kshs 200,000 until on March 25 when their case hearing will commence.

In the same court, four people were also charged with being in possession of papers meant to be used to print 1,000 fake currency notes equivalent to Kshs 1,092,000.

The suspects were David Chgeruiyot Tanui, William Ocheng’ Odhiambo, Michael Kipchumba Koech, and Elijah Odera. They denied committing the offence at Kaptumo trading Center in Nandi South district on February 23, 2012..

The accused were ordered o be released o a Kshs 3 million bond each and surety of a similar amount until March 12 when the case will come up for mention.

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EAC may miss out of the key trade benefits with EU for failing to implement negotiated pacts

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Reports Leo Odera Omolo

The East African Community {EAC} risk missing out on benefits of key trade and economic agreements over legality test.

Member states of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi are yet to implement the EAC Joint Trade Negotiation Act 2007, which is due to be signed by 2014.The Act aimed at streamlining the regional trade negotiations through the Joint Trade Negotiation Commission.

“The EAC partners states bilateral and multilateral trade arrangements, which are not bound under any legal framework, a member of the East African Legislative Assembly {EALA} Gervase Akhaabi has disclosed.

In an interview published by the influential weekly, the EASTAFRICAN in its latest edition, Akhabi said,”this is so despite the existence of a Common External Tariff, which is binding on all the five partner states under the Customs Union.

Thus, the European Union Economic Partnership Agreement {EPAs} as well as trade deals with the three African regional communities will not be affected soon.

EAC is negotiating trade arrangements as a bloc with other parties, notably the EPAs with the EU, and the Tripartite Trade Area with member countries of COMESA and SADC.

The EU is an important trade partner for EAC, commanding about USD 4.8 billion of imports- mainly oil products, medicines, machinery, cars, aircraft and electrical appliances, as USD 3.18 billion of exports –mainly coffee, tea and fresh cut flowers, as per 2010 trade data is showing.

The EALA member was further quoted as saying that” in order to effectively implement the Joint Trade Act, non-state actors should actively be involved.

“They will address legal maters through the EALA and the attorney general’s chambers, while conducting public awareness campaigns through academic institutions so as to make it more inclusive,”.

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Kenya: The battle for Homa-Bay county women Representative heats up as another high profile aspirant joins the race

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Homa-Bay Town.

The contest or the position of Homa-Bay County women representative is expected to be the toughest and most grueling battle of wits judging from the characters and individual personalities said to be eying for the same seat.

The lattest entry into the race is Mrs Gladys Wanga, the fiery former student leader having been the first lady to hold the position of Secretary General at the Kenyatta University Students Union {KUSA}.

Mrs Wanga’s development track record is equally impressive having mobilized millions of shillings from the European Union to promote tourism within Nyanza Province, particularly around Lake Victoria region.

This project resulted in the construction of the monumental Abasuba Community Peace Museum as a place for conservation of the Suba Culture and a tourist’s destination.

In additional Wanga has been involved with sanitary towel distribution in schools and giving hearty talks to motivate girls to excel in their education.

Wanga received her early education at the Aga Khan Primary School in Kisumu town before she moved to the Kisumu Girls High School the next door. She was admitted to the Kenyatta University where she studies Bsc an Msc degrees in health science.

Wanga is also credited for having mobilized through Homa-Bay District Water Office resources from UNICEF for the implementation of a major water project in her home turf of Kochia, in Rangwe constituency, a project that has radically changed the life of residents for the better.

With a wealth experience of ten years in the service of community project, Mrs Wanga says her vision is embedded in one core principle – “The power to sustainable development lies with the people,” – the esteemed communities of Homa-Bay county; the brave women old and young who wake up early morning to leave their homes for the farms and markets and return at dusk with something small for their families; the young sons and daughter who take are of their widowed mothers.””In there the solution the solution to the challenges that face Homa-Bay county lies.”

Mrs Wanga has published on this in her hand book entitled “Managing Community Projects.”

She told this writer that vision in a country where the “people” { young and old, rich and poor, men and women} are substantially involved” in finding solutions to the challenges they face.”

Mrs Wanga launched her elaborate campaign a couple of weeks ago and has toured most parts o the Homa-Bay including Mfangano Island where had worked with the local community previously. Homa-Bay County comprises of eight parliamentary constituencies covering Kasipul, Kabondo, Karachuonyo, Rangwe, Homa-Bay, Ndhiwa, Gwassi and Mbita. The region is full of tourist attractions and pre-historical sites. The upper part of the County including areas like Kabondo, Kasipul, Gongo, Kagan, Gem, Ndhiwa have fertile land which is arable and suitable for the production of cash crops such as tea, coffee, maize, fruits and vegetable.

The low laying locations along the shoreline of Lake Victoria have the potential of cotton production and other cash crops. But fishing and fish trade, are the mainstay of the economies scenarios for tourist attractions and pre-historical sites in Gwassi, Mbita, Homa, Rangwe and Karachuonyo.

If elected Mrs Wanga is likely to faces the tough challenges including sensitizing the gender issues, encouraging women to venture into businesses to compete equally with their men folks.

Homa-Bay county is also rich in minerals such as gold, lime and cement, whose deposits are said to be in abundance around Ruri Hills, copper, though some of the minerals he remained unexploited for years.

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photo of Mrs Gladys Wanga

Kenya: Two ODM MPS faces ejection in Suba region over the renaming of the two districts in the region

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Mbita Town
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TWO prominent members of the Orange Democratic Movement ODM} from Southern Nyanza region are facing lean times and embroiled in a very tricky boiling issue which could easily lead to their being locked out of parliament comes the next general election.

Unless the Mbita MP Gerald Otieno Kajwang’ and his counterpart Gwassi MP John Mbadi reversed their decision and abandon their vehement opposition to the boiling issue connected to the renaming of their two constituencies as Suba North for Mbita and Suba South for Gwassi they can as well count themselves out of the August Hose come the next general elections.

Kajwang is the current Minister for Immigration and Registration of Persons in the grand coalition government, one of the mot important slots allocated to the ODM in the government.

He has represented Mbita a rural parliamentary electoral area ever since 1997, first on an NDP and successfully defended his seat later on LDP and finally on ODM tickets. He is considered as one of the closest political allies and confidants of the Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga.

John Mbadi a first timer whose sterling performance and outspokenness has made his presence in the August House felt beyond the Nyanza boundaries.

Mbadi who is an accountant by profession is sharp and eloquent debater who contributes a lot during debates on local, national and intentional issues, though at times he is time being blamed for acting like common “heckler” in the House when it comes to contentious issues related to the defense of his party boss Raila Odinga.

Discontent is high up in the Suba region following the reports that the two legislators are vehemently opposed to the idea of renaming the two districts as demanded by the electorate who are arguably predominantly people of Suba origins.

A testimony to the myriads of problems facing the two MP was witnessed last Saturday during the burial of the late Mzee Apollo Okeyo Omuga, who until his death late last month was the founding chairman of Suba Cultural and Development Council of Elders. He was laid to rest in a tearful sending off at his Kakrigu village home in Rusinga East, Mbita district within Homa-Bay County.

The burial ceremony was witnessed by thousands of mourners who included Minister Otieno Kajwang’ a good number of people known to be aspiring candidate for the various positions in Senate, Parliament and County governance in the region.

This did not work well, however, because the aspiring candidates who had travelled from far places hoping to be given an opportunity to address the gathering were never accorded that chance at all.

Apart from Minister Kajwang’ who should have been the host of other politicians other include Hilary Ochieng’ Alila an aspirant for the Homa-Bay Senate seat, Mrs Roselyn Onyuka who is vying for the Homa-Bay County women representative, Mrs Gladys Wanga who is also contesting the same women representative seat, Dr. Mark Matunga, a leading contender for the powerful position of Homa-Bay County governor, former Mbita MP George Osingo Migure ,Achilla Gogo who is vying for the position of the deputy County governor and Ex-Senior Chief Omolo Anditi of Rusinga Island who is the vice chairman o the Luo Council of Elders, clergymen, businessmen, farmers, teachers and professionals from the Suba region.

Judging from the hostility displayed by the mourners coupled by hostile remarks and speeches against the two MPs fro the Suba region one could simple make an intelligent guesswork that the issue is really boiling up, putting the political career of the two MPs at a great risk.

Narrating the background of Suba community in a prepared speech Mr Ocholla Gaa, a member of the Suba Cultural and Development Council of Elders who is also retired secondary school teacher formerly of Homa-bay High School referred the late Okeyo Omuga as “The Omwami of Suba”

He said the late Okeyo Omuga was officially installed as the Omwami of Suba in Mfangano Island on August 12, 2011. The installation ceremony was conducted by the Revered Omugambi of Suba Peter Clever Otieno Nyakiamo.

Ocholla Gaa who is the father of Mr Karoli Omondi, the Chief of Staff at the Office f the Prime Minister told the mourners that the journey that culminated in this realization had been long, bumpy and intermittent since the nascent of “Pinje Abich in 1948,

“Pinje Abich” then comprised Gwassi, Kaksingiri, Mfangano, Rusinga, and Gembe {Kasigunga} locations. Former chiefs Gideon Okore,of Gwssi,Kamaria Odundo of Kaksingiri,Simeon Wasonga of Mfangano, Shemekia Wakiaga of Rusinga and Damianius Ajwang’ of Gembe had worked tirelessly as custodian of culture and social organization to mobilize the Abasuba people to realize their identity through sports and building of schools for social transformation and economic empowerment of the people.

The five locations chiefs, he said in an electrifying speech, cooperated with the Abasuba leaders who were, Vincent Oloo Odienge, as the president and Samuel Okello Onyango as the secretary-general and Vincent Odede as the treasurer.

Simultaneously almost during the same period of time, the urbanized and people from Suba region who were then working in Nairobi and other towns formed what was to become the most powerful organization in later years, The Lowland Association whose founder was the late Tom Mboya who served for close to two decades as the Association’s Secretary-General.

The Lowland Association was late r to become an instrumental tool in which the youthful Suba boys and girls with lust for higher education were identified and sent abroad for further studies, some of them travelling to the US n the Great Airlift of 1959 and 1961 through scholarships secured through the effort of the late Mboya and his American friends.

“The spirit of Subaism then and now wanted recognition and respect of the Abasba identity and political space for full realization of the Abasuba socio-cultural and economic development as a distinctive community among the forty three {43} ethnic communities that make the nation of Kenya. The quest to achieve recognition and respect has many obstacles and challenges that many have taken for granted as non issues requiring rectification,” said Ocholla Gaa.

He told the seemingly puzzled and attentive mourners that the geographical contiguity with the Luo community and their earlier access to Christianity and the benefits accruing fro Christian mission education gave the Luo community a false perception that they should dictate terms, socio-politically and chart political path for the Abasuba as subordinates, adding that such innuendos led them {Luos} to derogatively call the Abasuba just simple as Luo-Abasuba.”

He went on,”Our constitution promulgated on August 27th 2010, chapter Three, part two 27 {4 and 5} of equality and freedom from discrimination, states clearly that what Abasuba people stands for is perfectly legitimate. This fact is not negotiable.”

Ocholla-Gaa praised the late Okeyo Omuga saying he had brought to full realization of Suba people and their national identity in Kenya. Abasuba people he added, have a history of their own. They have their culture, social and a political organization prior to colonial invasion and disorientation of the local communities of Kenya.

He said the Abauba people occupy a geographical space on earth. But through their altruism, the Abasuba have allowed a motley non Abasuba community to come and settle in Subaland. So far, he said, the Abasuba have no problems with any immigrant Luo sub-clans into Subaland a ha been attested by peaceful and harmonious coexistence prevailing in the region now.

The ex-teachers revealed that it was Mnister Peter Clever Otieo Nyakiambo who persuaded the retired President Daniel Arap Moi to create Suba district for the Abasuba people in 1995.The mettle of molding Subaism in the 21st Century was then left to Omwami Okeyo Omuga to carry forward without fear or favor. Any geographical entity has two points of the compass. Suba district, therefore he sad, has no exception. It must have North and South, adding, ”What logic is there for any sensible person to deny this reality? Ocholla Gaa asked amid deafening and prolonged applaud by the mourners.

Ocholla Gaa told his audience, “We know that great men and women whose ideas and leadership have shaped the destiny of the people in the world never escaped boos and heckle. In our time Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and Nelson Mandela were all heckled and ridiculed before incarceration, but the ideals they cherished and stood for have borne fruit to send the boos and heckles to the graves of shame.”

“We the Suba Cultural Development Council of Elders wishes to reaffirm here for all to hear that we stand for the ideals Omami Oeyo Omuga {the deceased} cherished and stood for. We shall not waver. We stand not be intimidated. The spirit of Subaism shall live in the comity of other communities of Kenya.”

Ocholla Gaa told the mourners that the Suba Cultural Development Council of Elders now under the leadership of Omwami Retired Senior Chief Thomas Okang’a Asango of Gwassi will work with other like minded Concil of Elders countrywide and would “wish them to joinus in unquestioned support for Hon Rala Amolo Odinga’s presidential bid to arrive safely to State Hose in December 2012.”

He issued a stern warning to sons and daughters of Suba, especially those eying county seats in Homa-Bay County to know that their vehicle to secure these elective positions is Subaism. ”Our message is clear.”

The lengthy of the speech delivered by Ochoola Gaa should serve as deterrent warning to the politicians who have been reported a having rubbished the aspiration of this minority community whose stance could wreck havoc with the ODM.

In Suba region mainly in two districts of Gwasi an Mbita the registered voters could be in the region of between 75,000 and 80,000, but the community is well spread in all other Counties. For example it occupied the largest portion in Migori district and its members are scattered in all the districts of Rachuony North,Rachuonyo South, Rongo, Awendo, Uriri, Nyatike, Ndhiwa, Rangwe and other places. A combined voting strength of the Suba people could be moderately be estimated at between 250,000 and 300,00o strong In the entire Southern Nyanza region.

In the relevant Minister Otieno Kajwang’ was quoted by the STANDARD as having told the funeral gathering in Rusinga Island that the me of his constituency will never be changed under all the circumstances come what may. But the newspaper story has some kind of discrepancies. Kajwang’ might have spoken to the STANDARD reporter elsewhere but not in the funeral home were he had no chance of even greeting the crowd.

He came I with a lorry load of ODM youths an close to 25 policemen in full, uniform and his arrival caused commotion in an already tension charged funeral gathering. But the Minister who came happily flushing his fly which had his mood changed abruptly after realizing that the place was hostile to hi anti-Suba stance, and sat pensively at the dais hardly exchanging conversations with anybody.

The Minister never uttered even one single word at the funeral except he bitterly complained at the inflammatory speeches made by the University Students from Suba region who had spoke early and scathingly criticized his leadership.

Kajwng’ might not feel the weight of the Suba people’s opposition to his political leadership because he ha switched from defending his parliamentary seat and he is now eying for the Senate seat. In the contest for the Senate, the Minister will go out flat in canvassing for votes in all the eight constituencies and could even win the seat with the vote from other region outside Suba.

But the position of his friend and colleague John Mbadi {Gwassi} would remain threatened a he is said to be content in defending his seat.

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Kenya: Former Nyanza PDE Onyuka joins the race for Homa-Bay county women representative in Parliament

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Oyugis Town
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The election race for the Homa-Bay County women representative has entered its most crucial stage following the declaration by one of the women with the highest profile in the region that she will be  in the race.

The usually well mannered and conservative former high ranking high school teacher Mrs Roselyn Onyuka is the latest entry into the race for the seat which is also  expected to attract other women aspirants.

Mrs Onyuka hails from Kasipul-Kabondo constituency in Rachuonyo South district
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She started her long and rewarding teaching career as a high school teacher, but had meteoric rise quickly climbing up the ladder to become the Principal of St Albert’s Ulanda Girls High School in Rongo district {now Awendo district}.

During Mrs Onyuka headship St Albert’s Girls High School acquired the name as one of the girl’s schools with the excellence performance in the national exam. The school appeared regularly among the top list of excellence performance among girls’ schools in Nyanza.
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Coincidentally, this happened at the time when Asumbi Teachers Training College, one of the most important institutions in the region, was experiencing problems of  leadership crisis and almost being run down prompting top planners and decision makers at the Ministry of Education to consider posting the tough and no-nonsense and strictly religious Mrs Onyuka to head the college.
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However, shortly immediately after her arrival, Asumbi Teachers Training College was back on its feet and this again earned her quick promotion to become the Senior Principal followed  with her posting  to the Province as the new Nyanza Provincial Director of Education, a position in which she performed diligently with seal.

Mrs Onyuka is well known as an achiever. This was a clear testimony that during her role as the PDE schools in Nyanza,particularly those  whose names had long disappeared from the rolls of excellence performance got the face-lift and were back on their feet and performed well in national exams.

Mrs Onyuka’s transfer on promotion to become the Senior Deputy Director of Education some years later become controversial with regional leaders and stakeholders were up in arms against it.

 Politician joined the fur ore and commented sarcastically claiming it was the move which was aimed at ruining education in the region. Others viewed it as part of scheme and plans hatched  by those who had been responsible for running down education in the Nyanza
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The politicians complained bitterly arguing that her transfer was part of the well orchestrated scheme to marginalize the residents of the region in education.The Miistry, however, stood their ground arguing that her transfer was just normal.

At the Ministry headquarters she was assigned the responsibility of being the deputy national coordinator of NACADA programmes and thereafter she retired after attaining the mandatory retirement age. She was later appointed the TSC member for which she served for six years.

Mrs Onyuka was born in Gembe West {formerly Kasigunga} Location in Mbita district and got married in Kasipul-Kabondo where her marriage is blessed with several children most of them grown ups.

She received her primary education at Nyamasare Primary School in Mbita before moving to Asumbi Girls High School where she sat for her KCSE and scored the highest marks. She did her From Five and Form six at the same school before joining the University of Nairobi where she graduated with a bachelor of art degree in education.

Speaking before a huge crowd of mourners during the burial of the late Mzee Apollo Okeyo Omuga last Saturday,Mrs Onyuka declared hat she was an aspiring candidate for the elective position of Women Representative in Parliament and pleaded with the electorate to consider her for the job. The late Okeyo Omuga is her brother-in-law who got married to her eldest sister therefore she spoke on behalf of her relatives.

 Onyuka, however, steered clear of the on going local political feuds and wrangling over the controversies surrounding the Suba-Luo issues, which has been boiling in the are o some time now.

She, however, appealed t the residents of Suba region covering what used to be called Low-Lands covering  the low laying locations situated along the shorelines of Lake Victoria namely of Gwassi, Kaksingiri,Mfangano, Rusinga, Gembe West, Lambwe East to work together so that they could achieve faster development.

She decried the falling standard of education in the area, and specifically mentioned schools in Rusinga Island, which she said had nothing to celebrate about during the recent results  of the year 2011 KCSE national exam.

Onyuka urged the stakeholders, leaders, teachers, professionals and elder from the region to brainstorm together and find  the lasting  solution on how to improve the falling standard of education.
If elected Mrs Onyuka the women Representative in Parliament she will serve close to eight parliamentary constituencies in six administrative districts, namely Rachuonyo South, Rachuonyo North, Homa-Bay, Ndhiwa, Gwassi and Mbita district.

Currently Homa-Bay County is made of six constituencies. They include Kasipul-Kabondo, Karachuonyo, Rangwe, Ndhia, Gwassi and Mbita. But the County was recently blessed with two additional parliamentary seats under the new electoral are arrangement by IEBC. The newly created seat will be in Kabondo hived out of the old Kasipul-Banondo while and Homa-Bay Town is created out of the old Rangwe constituency.

A survey recently conducted in the region indicated a signs of acceptance of Mrs Onyuka’s candidature with the majority of the electorate hoping she will make good use of her wealth of experience in public service and excellent management.

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Kenya: Sigowet / Soin new parliamentary seat has attracted political heavy weights in Kipsigisland

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Reports Leo Odera Omolo.

SIGOWET / SOIN is one of the two parliamentary constituencies, which were among hew 80 new constituencies recently created by the Independent Electoral Boundary Commission {IEBC} has now attracted a good number of political heavyweights in the region.

Among the political elites routing to go for the seat is the former Marketing and Communications Director for the Chemelil Sugar Company Limited Justice Kemei, the man who is credited for having given the Belgut MP Charles Keter a run for his money during the 2007 ODM preliminaries.

Keter, however, narrowly escaped defeat owing to much flawed ODM nomination system which favored massive rigging and manipulations of the voters. Many constituents, however, believes and maintained that Kemei had carried the day during the ODM preliminaries, but was rigged out through the dirty political machinations.

A trained journalist by profession with a master’s degree in mass communications his first employment was with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting where he served as a reporter with the Kenya News Agency {KNA} before moving to the National Cereal and Produce Board and served for several years and the board’s public relations manager. He then moved to Chemelil Sugar Company where he rose from communications manager to become the firm’s Marketing and Communications director before retiring in 2007 to venture into parliamentary politics and contested the Belgut seat.

After the 2007 general election Kemei ventured into private business in partnership with others in the coastal city of Mombasa. Kemei comes into the race as an experienced person with the politics of Belgut in particular and that of Kericho County in general.

Also rearing to go for the seat I another former top manager with the Chemelil Sugar Company Limited Eng. Richard Koech a man credited for having wealth of experience in sugar technology and engineering dating back to 20 years.

Koech served as the agriculture manager in charge of the field operations and services. After leaving the Chemeli, Eng Koech embarked in the consultancy work which took him all places including East and Southern Africa offering consultancy services in the fields of agricultural development and food security program in East and Southern Africa including Environmental Impact Assessment {E.i.A} and Strategic Environmental Assessment {SEA} in sugar industry.

Eng Koech has also been offering consultancy service on feasibility involved in establishing sugar cane out grower scheme, rehabilitation and maintenance of rural infrastructure, roads, forestry, irrigation, water and sanitation, renewable energy, social community infrastructure among others.

Speaking to this writer at his palatial Sigowet home, Eng. Koech promised to engage all the stakeholders in the development of Sigowet / Soin constituency which has the potential of developing faster if all the resources devolved and those generated from within are put into proper use.

He said the area is rich in sugar cane, tea, coffee, water, livestock, human and resources. The constituency, said Eng Koech has the potential for wildlife sanctuary and an area has already been identified at Chebulu in Kaplelartet Ward.

Also said to be in the race is Joel Kemei formerly a trained secondary school before changing career to Human Resources Management. He is currently working with the Ken-Gen as its Human Resources Manager.

Kemei had been showing interests during the past election, but has never contested. It is, however, not clear whether this time around he will come out full blast a bid to capture he seat.

The new seat has also attracted Wilson Soi, formerly a senior manager with the James Finlays Tea an Flowers Company in Kericho for over 30 years. Soi was educated at Nakuru High School, but through private studies is said to have continued pursuing his education and finally obtained a Phd doctorate degree.

Another personality who has been expected to be one of the contestants of Sigowet / Soin is Ken Mutai a Kericho business magnate who is running chain of businesses in Kericho, Nairobi and Mombasa.

Mutai who is credited for having been the power behind the successes of the incumbent Belgut MP Charles Keter in the past elections, but this time around the two cousins have been divided and relocated into two different constituencies with Keter remaining on the side of the old Belgut while mutai whoe home is in Sigowet is of the other side..

All those who have already declared their interests in the new seat are all fro Sigowet Division, but so far nobody has come forward to claim the seat from the Soin side. But the electorate says there are still more time, may be one or two contestants will emerge from the area.

Sigowet / Soin constituency is bordering Nyakach in the west, Nyando in the northwest, Ainamoi in the north east, Belgut in the South east and part of Mugirango / Borabu across the Sondu / Miriu River.

The constituency has the best an arable land which is producing a lot of tea, coffee, sugar cane, maize, bananas, vegetables and top graded dairy animals. Its major trading center is Sondu Market, which a border town is serving several administrative districts of Nyamira, Rachuonyo South, Nyakach, Kericho West and Nyando.

Sondu Trading center is potentially and strategically placed to grow much faster and become one of the best trading towns in Western Kenya. The faster growth an successes of Sondu Market and its transformation from a small cattle trading market to a vibrant border town will depend entirely on the quality of leadership which will emerge in the region during the next polls, especially MP and County Representatives from Sigowet / Soin, Nyakach, North Mugirago Borabu, Rachuoyo South and Nyando.

As far as politics are concerned, the aspirants have kept mum. No one has dared to mention as to which party he would be seeking the support. This is because of the strong presence of both William Ruto’s URP and Raila Odinga’s ODM parties in the region and the new entrants are still weighing their options.

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Kenya: Hostile mourners barred Minister Otieno Kajwang’ from addressing the in Rusinga Island funeral home

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo

The drama unfolded during the burial of the chairman of the Suba Council of Elders, the late Apollo Okeyo Omuga, last Saturday in Rusinga East Location, Mbita district, where the Minister for immigration and Registration Gerald Otieno Kajwang’ was prevented from addressing the mourners.

The funeral ceremony took place in Mzee Okeyo Omuga’s Kakirigu village home, Rusinga East, Mbita district within Homa-Bay County.

Unlike the moribund an amorphous Luo Council of Elders, which is full of semi-illiterate elderly people, members of the Suba Council of Elder comprises top brains in the region, most of them retire secondary school teachers, former District Officers, school teachers Ex-Senior Chief and chiefs and very enlightened groups.

Before succumbing to his death late last month in what appeared to have been caused by cardiac arrest relation ailment, the late Okeyo –Omuga a retired former Provincial Adult Education Officer was serving as the chairman of the Suba Council of Elders.

The Suba Council of Elders has been at loggerheads with the Minister who did not recognize the body, though he represented a constituency where the majority of the electorate are people of Suba origins.

In the recent past, Minister Kajwang’ has been giving a total black-out to the deceased whenever he is conducting any public function within the constituency, arguing that the Suba community did not exist and that all the residents of Mbita and Gwassi constituencies were Luos, something which has become the source of hostilities between the Minister and the community.

The fall out between Minister Kajwang’ and the Suba community was aggravated by a speech made by the prime Minister Raila Odinga, a month ago during the burial of the former Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, the late Ambassador Michael Okeyo at Kaswanga village in Rusinga West Location.

In his address, Raila Odinga said publicly that there is no community called Suba and that all the residents of the region were a collection of Luos whose origins could be traced from within the Luo community. These remarks seemed to have irked the Suba people who suspected that the Prime Minister might have been drawn into the local controversy through ill-adviced, which he had received from Minister Otieno Kajwang.

During the burial of Ambassador Okeyo, Kajwang’, who acted as the master of ceremony, did introduce the chairman of the Luo Council of Elders Mzee Elly Opiyo Otondi who had traveled all the way from his Kisumo East, Nyahera home to the Rusinga Island and his team, but the Minister in apparent display of non-recognition of Suba Council of Elders did not introduce the late Apollo Okeyo Omuga its chairman despite of the fact that the latter was in attendance.

Otieno Kajwang’ had at an earlier function during the burial of the mother of the nominated MP Millie Odhiambo, also in Rusinga Island, had deliberately ignored the presence of the late Okeyo Omuga and members of the Suba Council of Elders team, though some of its member had traveled from long distance places

And immediately after this particular incident, came the current agitation by the people of Suba region that the two districts whose residents are predominantly the people of Suba origin, be renamed Suba South and Suba North districts instead of Gwassi and Mbita in recognition of the existence of the community, the demand which the Minister is vehemently opposed to, arguing that the population of Luos in Mbita superseded that of the Suba people an argument which is not backed by statistics and figures.

Prior to the burial of late Okeyo-Omuga members of the Suba Council of Elders consisting of the retired chiefs, educationist and leading personalities within the region had met secretly and resolved not to allow the Minister to address the mourners before their late chairman was laid to rest.

Their argument was that there was no point for the Minister Otieno Kajwng’ to come to the funeral for the purpose of shedding crocodile tears while in life he{the Minister} did not recognize the late chairman of Suba Council of Elders.

Several speaker who spoke earlier had poisoned the air insisting that the Suba Community must be recognized, respected for their national identity. A group of students from Suba region who are studying at the various public universities made a highly inflammatory speech in a prepared text.

Speaking on behalf of the deceased sisters-in-law and other relatives, the former Nyanza Provincial director of Education Mrs Roselyn Onyuka called upon the residents of the entire Suba region representing the communities from Mfangano, Rusinga, Gwassi, Gembe and Lambwe areas to work in unity so that they could overcome myriad of problems facing them and the team.

She decried the falling standard of education in the region and mention schools in Rusinga Island which did not shine during the recently released result of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education {KCSE} in which the people of the area had nothing to celebrate about due to poor performance, which had locked out their schools from the list of the top performing schools.

Onyuka who is now an aspiring candidate or the position of Women Representative for Homa-Bay County advised all the stakeholders to brainstorm together and find a solution how to improve the education standard in the region. She, however, steered clear of the controversy surrounding Suba issue.

Meanwhile the Minister Otieno Kajwang’ who arrived rather late in a tension charged funeral in seemingly an already troubled waters. His arrival came after the ground had been poisoned and excessively polluted by early speakers. He was accompanied by a truck full of ODM party youths. The Minister is also the ODM Homa-Bay County branch chairman. He is reported to have switched from defending his Mbita seat and would be vying for the County Senate seat instead.

The Minister at patently in the VIP dais and listened the announcement made by master of ceremony telling the mourners that politicians and all aspiring candidates for the various elective positions within Homa-Bay County will only be allowed to deliver their speech after the deceased body had been interred into it final resting place and that the Minister would be the last speaker,

Sensing that he had no role to play in that burial ceremony, Minister Kajwang’ walked out followed by troops of youth and a few supporters and drove out of the Islands in a huff and towards his home which is located next to Waondo Secondary School in Mbita mainland looking a dejected man.

Earlier the vice chairman of the Luo Council of Elders Ex-Senior Chief Omolo Anditi who hail from Rusinga East was heckled by the mourner’s ken as he tried to deliver his speech which was drawn into noisy and cat calls.

In his message of condolence to the bereaved family which he sent through one of his aids the Prime Minister Raila Odinga seemed to have retracted his earlier stance and told the mourner in a prepared text that the position of Suba community cannot be tempered with. Instead of sending his condolences through the Minister Kajwang,’ Raila sent his message through Silas Jakakimba, one of his aids. He promised that he would one day pay the homage to the bereaved family.

Other prominent speakers included the retired Secondary School teacher Mzee Ochola Gaa, who is the father of the Chief of Staff at the prime Minister’s Office Karoli Omondi who is a member of the Suba Council of Elders who eloquently read a long memorandum which highlighted the history of the Suba Community and rubbished Minister Kajwang’ stance on the issue.

Another speaker was George Osingo Migure a former Mbita MP who reiterated that the Suba issue was resolved long time ago when the government of Kenya under President Daniel Arap Moi gazette the Suba as a community and therefore should not be revisited a fresh again.

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HUE AND CRIES BY FARMERS IN WESTERN KENYA FOR MISSING THE GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIZED FERTILIZERS AS PLANTING SEASON AND LONG RAINS STARTS.

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Reports Leo Odera Omolo
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THERE are all the signs that the long rains are just around the corner and farmers in various parts of Western Kenya have prepared their fields in readiness for planting the season’s crops.

However, there is hue and cries in the entire Western Kenya that fertilizers are missing from the National Cereal and Produce Board’s store, especially the government subsidized, especially the popular DAP and Urea brands.

A survey by this writers in most farming district and region in Western Kenya has revealed that these branch of fertilizers are available in the commercial stores, but are selling at a very exorbitant prices of Kshs 4000- for Dap and Kshs 2600 for Urea.

Whereas government subsidized fertilizers sells at Kshs 2500 for DAP and Kshs 1600 for Urea. The differences in prices is clearly showing ht the average farmers may not be able to buy fertilizers, particularly the small scale farmers whose purchasing power is so limited.

Information circulating in many places in this part of the country says the fertilizer for this year’s planting season has already arrived in Mombasa. But some people somewhere are said o be dilly-dallying with delivery programme, perhaps hoping to make a kill with the fertilizers.

The same problem prompted the Maasai farmers in Narok County in rage of anger thereby blocking the main road that passes through their town with huge logs and stones in protest for the non availability of the subsidized fertilizers. The farmers action almost caused the breach of the peace in the area.

Towns in the agriculturally rich regions like Kerich and Bomet Counties, Kakamega, Bungoma, Nandi, Kisii, Migori and Homa-Bay Counties have yet to receive the subsidized fertilizers while these region have already experiencing substantial amount of rains.

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eac experts are meeting in Arusha to discuss the birth of the EAC single currency and regional monetary union

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo

REPRESENTATIVES of governments and stakeholders drawn from the financial five member states of the east African Community {EAC} financial sector are in attendance of the crucial meeting to review developments in the region’s financial markets as the deadline nears for the much awaited region’s’ single currency.

The meeting is taking pace at the EAC Secretariat, which is located in the Northern Tanzania City of Arusha.

It is discussing among other things the launching of the single currency, which is expected to in place by June this year.

“The participants discussed issues relate to the sustaining of the economic growth in the region, developments in the euro zone and lessons for the EAC as it negotiates protocol for a monetary union.”

A state issued by the EAC secretariat further disclosed that the meeting being held jointly with the International Monetary Fund {IMF}.

EAC countries are Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. The five states have been discussing a single currency plan covering monetary policy harmonization and financial sector integration.

However, Rwanda is said to have indicted that t might not be part of the region’s single currency plan.

A senior Tanzanian government official recently hinted that the deadline for the East African countries to adopt a monetary union set for this year, might be extended, signaling the partner states unwillingness to embrace the monetary union in earnest

A senior Tanzanian official told one of the country’sdaily this week that sticking issues such as budgets, inflation rate, foreign exchange reserves, government debts and exchange rates among member countries must be observed before they commit to a single currency arrangement.

Dr Stergomena Tax Bamwenda, the Permanent Secretary in the Tanzanian Ministry of the East African Cooperation noted that the ongoing negotiations on the monetary union would consider all the factors, and if not met, the countries will not embrace a single currency this year as planned.

“We are still I the process. We can’t rush to introduce monetary union until those criterion are met, even as the deadline approaches, we will not rush,” she insisted.

Dr Bamwenda said EAC was also learning from other regional blocs like the euro zone on intricacies of the monetary union before ratifying the agreement.

The two days Arusha meeting comes amid growing regional trade crisis. Most of the region’s border posts are experiencing cargo backlogs, amid graft allegations.

The EAC Secretary General Dr Richard Sezibera says the Arusha conference would offer a unique opportunity to discuss how best the region should work to achieve vision of promoting a secure, competitive and prosperous East Africa.

The conference ends today was held under the theme,” The East African Community after 10 years; Deepening EAC Integration” also offer a platform to about 100 regional and international experts and policy makers to discuss EAC accomplishments since the year 2001.

Peaking at another forum late last year Dr.Sezibera expressed confidence that the EAC would introduce a single currency by Jun this year, making it the second regional bloc to adopt single currency after the European Union.

The bloc, Dr Sezibera said was halfway through the negotiation process, adding that the high level task force was doing all it could to accelerate the adoption of a monetary union.

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Kenya: Government urged to investigate the root cause of the latest tribal flare ups between the Nandis and the Luos

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Commentary By Leo Odera Omolo.

The latest flare up along the Nyado, Muhoroni, Tinderet and Aldai districts borders, which resulted in the loss of the precious lives of six Kenyans leaving scores injured and hundreds left hundreds homeless must be handle with extra care by the authorities in both sides of the border.

The ugly incident must be condemned unreservedly by all level minded Kenyan who cherish peace and the rule of law.

The investigators should go much deeper and look into the possibility of a political angle playing part in the skirmishes, which in my view is not caused by the simple act of cattle rustling.

Cattle rustling business between the two communities is centuries old trade, but has never before degenerated into full scale tribal skirmishes like the one witnessed last weekend.

If not thoroughly investigated and its root cause uprooted and amicably resolved, it could be pointing out to the direction of the shape of things to come this being an election year.

This full scale bloody confrontation comes at the time when members of the two neighboring communities have pitched camps in two different political parties vehemently opposed to each other, could be a recipe for much more bloody battles ahead.

It all began last Thursday nigh when unknown common stock thieve raided Nyakunguru village in Muhoroni district and stole four cows

The thieves drove the animals across the border into Nandi district. The next day dozens of Luo youths armed themselves with crude weapons crossed the border and moved into Chemase area in day light and forcefully seized 44 herds of cattle from the Nandi farmers and drove the animal across the common border into Muhoroni district.

The police did what they could and recovered some of the animals, but the Luo insisted that the recovered herds cannot be returned to their rightful owners until the Nandis on their return the four cow they had stolen from the Luo side of the border.

In retaliation in anger, the Nandi made an armed incursion into several villages during the night . The invaders set dozens of Luo homes ablaze and torched hundred of hectares of sugar cane in the farms belonging to the Luo , an action viewed by Luos as punitive economic sabotage. The next morning bands of Luo youths boarder several trucks in crossed the border in retaliation raids and torched several homes leaving many people homeless.

The local MPs representing the affected areas should be absolved from blame. Led by Tinderet MP Henry Kosgey and included the Muhooni MP Prof/P Ayiecho Olueny,Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo, Lands Minister James Orengo, Aldai MP Dr Sally Kosgey moved with speed and addressed series of tension charged meetings pleading with the residents for calm and to work together to ensure that peace and tranquility returned to the affected area. Kosgey even went out of his way offering to give cash money to compensate the owner of the stolen cows. The offer was out rightly and rudely rejected. At one point at a meeting at Chepsweta area, those in attendance demanded that the Muhoroni MP leave the venue of the meeting, but were calmed by Kosgey.

The active participation in the peace process by the veteran Nandi politician Mzee Ezekiel Bargetuny who did not only appealed for calm and restoration of peace in the are, but also allowed the displaced person to use his farm as a temporary refugee camp.

All this are clear indication that the local MPs were genuine and serious in their undertaking in preaching for peace.

However, there some missing pertinent questions which calls for an immediate answer. Judging fro the arsenal of weapons displayed and captured by TV cameras, there seemed to have been prior preparation for the armed conflict. Who were the owners of the trucks that ferried the dozens youths from Muhoroni into Nandi area on a revenge mission? Who paid for the cost of hiring the trucks?

Houses and cane farms went up in flames even as the leaders were busy addressing the meetings and urging the residents to maintain peace. Were there any signs of “Double Speak” on the parts of MPs? Why the Nandis were reluctant to have the Muhoroni MP participating in the peace meeting at Chepsweta?

Some of the youths were seen carrying shields made of steel materials meaning other people have long been preparing and getting ready in anticipation of such eventuality. This is what the government must investigate and ensure it contained such unlikely event of the outbreak of full scale tribal war. It must pre-empt it and contain the situation, but not to wait until after such ugly incidents have occurred and then rush its security personnel to quell the Violence at a much higher costs.

The government must also share the blame for having reused to prosecute those politicians who have been criss- crossing while defiantly making inflammatory speeches, some of which are full of insults and high provocation despite of recommendations by several bodies, commissions and civil societies.

It has the services of the National Security Intelligence Services {NSIS} with well staffed section handling and dealing with internal security whose responsibilities include advancing it o any boiling issue in the marked trouble spot throughout the country. Has the NSIS ceased to exist?

Communal grievances, which originated from biased and unfair distributions of the land in the Songhor valley, particularly the large scale farms formerly owned by the departed white settlers, some which were taken over by the ADC at paces like Kimwani could be the contributing factors to the latest spate of grudges and hostilities.

Peace and tranquility are the component of development and co-existence of the all the Kenyan communities and it must be upheld at all cost. Action should be taken against anyone disrupting peace even if he or she is from the politically correct and untouchable groups, the strict observation of peace of paramount,

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Kenya: Sammy Wakiaga rumored entry into Homa-Bay County governor’s race causes a great panic among other aspirants

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News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo in Homa-Bay Town.

The rumor making the round in this lakeside town, which is soon to be the administrative headquarters of the Homa-Bay County are all pointing to the direction that a Nairobi based prominent business magnate has added his weight in the race for the elective position of governor.

However, this writer could not confirm whether Sammy Wakiaga who is also still in the public service would be contesting for the governor position. Phone calls made to his mobile number went unanswered as this writer inquired to ascertain the truth about widely spreading rumor bout his candidature.

Wakiaga hail fro Rusing Island in Mbita constituency within the Suba region. However, fears persist that his candidature is likely to tilt voting power balance within the region.

Already there are two other aspirants from the some region, who are vying for two different elective positions. These are the Immigration and Registration of Persons Minister Gerald Otieno Kajwng’; who hails fro Mbita mainland who has declared his intention to capture the Homa-Bay County Senate seat,and Dr Mark Matunga, from the neighboring Mfangno Island who has been on the campaign trail vying for the governor position.

It is too early for anyone to make intelligent guesswork with the vie to ascertain whether the mainlanders, mainly non-Suba voters from the communities living in other parliamentary constituencies like Ndhiwa, Rangwe, Homa-Bay, Karachuonyo and Kasipul-Kabondo would entertain and succumb to the whims of aspirants fro the minority. The logistics of their winning strategies also leaves a lot to be desired.

The number of the registered voters within the Suba region I far much less than 70,000, a figure which runs at par with the registered voters in Kasipul-Kabondo alone.

The contest for the Homa-Bay County governor has attracted the ODM stalwarts like the immediate former Rangwe MP Eng.Phillip Okoth Okundi, the former Marie Stoppie Country Director Cyprian Otieno Awiti from the eastern part of Karachuonyo, Prof. Akeyo Omolo from Karachuonyo. There is also the likely hood that one o two more aspirants for the same position might sprung up at a later days.

The popular murmuring around include a million questions as o why the politicians from the minority Suba community thinks they are the best and most suitable to capture all the important seats with the Homa-Bay county governance? Is there some high degree of arrogance on part of the contestants?

On the ground Eng.Phillip Okoth Okundi who hail from Kochia West within the Rangwe Division is currently leading the pack while being trailed closely By Cyprian Otieno Awiti of Karachuonyo, Dr. Mark Matunga from Mfangano and Prof.Akeyo Omolo from Karachuonyo

Okundi who has invested heavily in two cotton processing plants {Ginneries}one in Homa-Bay and the other one in Kendu Bay Town. He has also invested heavily in property development in Homa-Bay town under his family business flagship Asego Trading Company is viewed by many people as a serious contender for the governor position given his wealth of experience in public administration and at a high level management.

If all the five aspirants, namely Awiti, Wakiaga, Matunga Prof Akeyo and Okundi decided to go flat for the seat, it is obviously that regional voting balancing would favor Okundi. Whose home turf constituency included locations such Kochia Eest, Gongo, Kochi East, Kagan West and Kagan East, Gem East, Gem West,Homa-Bay Township, Kanyada West, Kanyada East and Kanyada South all in on basket for a man who once represented the constituency in parliament very effectively and left a mark a far as his track record of development activities are concern.

Okundi is also reported to have made major inroad in part of West Kasipul, Kachien and parts of Karachuonyo West. And in addition to this, taking into considerations that there is no aspirant for the same position from the votes rich Ndhiwa constituteny, Okundi will be a hard nut to crack come the polls.

Cyprian Otieno Awiti is another aspirant to watch. His popularity has spread like bush fire in all the constituencies apart from his home backyard of Karachuonyo. He is also the darling of the voters in Kasipul-Kabondo.He has also built formidable support in other communities outside his Karachuonyo backyard. particularly in Ndhiwa, Rangw, Gwassi and Mbita and he is a man to watch.

Awiti has traversed the full length and width all parts of Homa- Bay County making hefty donations for churches, schools and all other economic and social development activities making him the best known candidate. In addition to donations, Awiti who is a staunch member of the Catholic church has the steady following within the catholic church stretching fro Magunga, Mirogi, Asumbi, Oriwo, Nyahera and Mawego Roman Catholic Mission which is located within a stone throw from his rural home, which is located In Kobuya location within Karachuonyo East.

The youthful aspirant Dr. mark Matunga, a computer expert with Microsoft International, Africa’s office is a formidable campaigner. He has penetrated and carried his campaign deep into Kasipul-Kabondo, Karachuono, Rangwe, Gwassi and Mbita. He has yet to make major inroad into the votes rich Ndhiwa, though he is enjoying the political goodwill of the Suba people in both Mbita and Gwassi constituencies. Working closely with school teachers, farmers and ODM party sub-branches and has captured the heart of many voters within the Homa-Bay Town. He is the darling of the Suba voters in both Mbita and Gwassi constituencies.

Matunga who is also a church minister is very popular with the youths in all the constituencies and he is mobilizer with unique organizational ability and could struck shock and surprise to his rivals. His oratory in public addresses can turn the mountains and draw the attention of audience to near hysteria.

Reports from the field is pointing Prof Akeyo Omolo as having mad very little impact in his bid to win the governorship despite of his illustrious academic background.

For the moneyed Wakiaga, it is too early for anyone to make the proper assessment and yet he has not been on the ground. Moreover, he is still serving as a senior public servant in the government. Once his campaign trail hit the ground, it is when one can make an accurate intelligent guesswork about the impact of his candidature. But for now most people are relying mostly on rumor being spread like bush-fire by the rumor-mongers.

Wakiaga’s popularity could only be given proper assessment once he has hit the ground. He has enormous investment in Mbita town and around Rusinga Iland where he is a parner in a tourist class hotel and also involved in water transport system, in a company which is managing the Mita Ferries Limited.

For the Minister Otieno Kajwng’; to win the Homa-Bay Senate seat, he will have to run extra mile, and not simply coining and composing he “Bado Kuna Mapambano empty political lyrics”

He has repented Mbita ever since 1992 long before the creation of Gwassi constituency which was heaved out of Mbita 12 years ago, but he is leaving neither legacy nor any sign of tangible development in the area. His relations with the Suba community has deteriorated to an extent that he will hardly capture no more than ten per cent of the Suba people’s votes. May be is targeting the votes fro his uncles in Karachuonyo, though there is no assurance to that effect.

The situation could be more worse if the abrasive Joshua Orwa Ojode, the Ndhiwa MP could chose to abandon his parliamentary sat and join the race for the Senate seat.

Ojode has a very colorful track record of massive achievement in the development of his Ndhiwa constituency, which give him the advantage over Kajwang’ in the event and the possibility of him switching from parliamentary to the senate contest. And his cannot precisely be ruled out. May be Kajwang is banking his hope on the Prime Minister Raila Odinga to campaign for him, but there is no assurance because Raila himself will be embroiled and locked in one of the toughest election battle for the presidency. It would be one of Raila’s stiffest election battle for his life in his presidential bid an will not have the time of stooping low to campaign for Kajwang’ inside rural locations.

In Suba region, Kajwang” is also being blamed for not articulating for the support of the former Nyanza PDE Mrs Roselyn Onyuka,a highly respected woman leader and who has already expressed her interest in capturing the Homa-Bay women representative to the Senate. It is being rumored that he is backing a young and recently married woman for the job to the chagrins o of his Mbita constituents.

Mrs Onyuka’s marital home is in Kasipul-Kabondoi, though her birthplace is in Mbita where she hail fro the populous Kasigunga sub-clan and the daughter of the late Ex-Senior Chief Damianus Ajwang’ of Gembe Location. Kajwang’ therefore can ignore her to his own peril, because the former educationist has influence in two constituencies namely Kasipul-Kabondo an Mbita apart from other regions having worked in the public service as a senior teacher within the same region for many years.

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KENYA: SO THEY CAME FROM ALL DIRECTIONS WITH SHARPENED KNIVES AND MACHETES READY FOR THE SCRAMBLE OR THE FIVE TONES HIPPO’S MEAT THAT WAS NEVER THERE.

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo.

They came from all directions. Men and omen with sharpened knives, machetes and other sharp instrument ready to scramble for the five tons meat of a dead Hippo in Kisumu Town.

The dram took pace at Dunga Beach within Kisumu Municipality. A huge dead bull of Hippo weighing close to five tons was washed ashore. The animal died apparently in fight with the other bull over the territorial control.

Women rushed with baskets while bear chest muscle men were readying themselves for the job of cutting the meat. But before the scramble could begin, the officials of the Kenya Wildlife Service {KWS} got the wind and moved in ready with their guns readily cocked.

Others brought with them axes ready to share the meat of a dead hippopotamus and were at the point of getting ready for the battle of the fittest for at least a kilogram of free meat. But the he crowd was mesmerized and puzzled when the KWS official appeared from nowhere and stopped them from touching the animal.

According to the local fishermen, there was a big fight between the two bulls of hippo the previous night along the eastern shoreline of Lake Victoria. Those versed with the character of the huge animals says, the fight could have been caused by another bull trespassing in the territory of a much stronger bull.

It was a combined team of members of the Dunga Beach Management Unit and the KWS. They pulled the carcass using a motor boat to the nearby Impala Park, despite of loud protest fro the crowd, which at one point threatened to cause chaos.

Members of the fishing community around Dunga fish landing beach complained that when they discovered the dead animal nobody went fishing as they knew that there will be enough meat for every family. The meat of the dead hippo, they said would have compensated nearly every fisherman around.

However, the KWS official clarified that the dead hippo might have been infected with a disease and thus unfit for human consumption. The KWS later buried the dead animal in according to KWS policies.

It could not be confirmed whether the animal was killed by its rival or had suffered some mysterious animal diseases such as the deadly anthrax, though some of the fishermen claimed to have heard a big commotion around the lake shore the previous two nights and assumed that the two bulls of hippos were fighting, but the KWS could not take a chance and high risk by allowing the local to consume its meat in the absent of the scientifically established cause of its death.

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EAC countries to lure their professionals with comfortable perks to stop the brain-drain

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo

BUSINESSES and governments in Eastern African region will continue to paying hefty perks to hire and retain key professionals, as scarcity of skills and strict entry conduct and regulations continued to have hurt labor movement, a new World Bank survey shows.

The findings run against expectation that the signing of the EAC Common Market Protocol- that should have seen thousands of skilled lawyers, engineers and accountants seek employment in the region would ease the talent war and slow down the compensation race in the East African Community labor market.

The survey shows foreign professionals constitute less than 10 per cent in any of the EAC countries, even as most of the nations suffer huge deficits. There is only relative abundance of professional in Kenya and scarcity in Rwanda, Zambia, Malawi, Uganda and Tanzania.

Although professionals in Eastern Africa receive low nominal wages relative to their counterparts in developing countries, once their wages are adjusted for purchasing power, professional in Uganda and Kenya are comparatively well paid reflecting the demand for their services.

However, in legal services the very high wage earned by professionals are not necessarily indicative of their scarcity ,but rather of the power of professional bodies which impose strict entry and conduct regulations says the report entitled,” De-fragmenting Africa; Deepening Regional Trade Integration in Goods and Services.”

“Regulations affecting operation of legal and engineering providers including restrictions on prices and fees, advertising, form of business and inter-professional cooperation, are particularly heavy when compared with those in emerging economies,” says the report just released.

It shows that the restrictions imposed on accounting firms are even more stringent, with branches of foreign firms being prohibited in Kenya, Uganda and even the more liberal Rwanda.

Kenya and Tanzania also prohibit ownership or control of foreign accounting and auditing firms by non-locally licensed professionals.

The lack of intra-East African foreign firms participation is because each member states of the EAC grants exclusive rights to contain professionals over certain activities, “said a Kenyan director of the EAC Economic Affairs Richard Sindiga.

The World Bank wants policy makers in Eastern Africa and the continent as a whole to do more to cut down the trade barriers within Africa or it will suffer on the on-going world economic recession.

“It is clear that Africa is not reaching its potential for regional trade, despite the fact that its benefits are enormous.”

Meanwhile tension is high in most of the border posts connecting Kenya and its neighboring Tanzania following the boycott by track drivers and other users of motor vehicle after Tanzanian authorities had unilaterally raised the border crossing fees to USD 200 {Kshs 16,000}

The issue had temporarily raised the political temperature of the region and caused a long pile up of vehicles at the border crossing points, mostly at Taveta, Namanga and Sirare.

It affected the vehicles plying the Voi-Taveta –Moshi route in the Coast Province, and also the Namanga border crossing, which is close to the Kenyan capital City of Nairobi and Sirare border post located in the far southern end of Nyanza Province.

Traders complained bitterly that the move by Tanzania was against the EAC Common Market Protocol signed last July to speed up free movement of goods and persons across the common borders of member states.

On Tuesday, however, an immigration officer working o the Kenyan side of the border at Taveta told he media hat the matter has been resolved after discussions with their Tanzanian counterparts and that its details would be announced soon. The Tanzanian officials, however, were tight lipped and maintain a total silent, only telling this writer to contact Dar Es Salaam for such comments.

Kenyan traders operating at the border post said many Tanzanian were operating their businesses on the Kenyan side of the border without work permit.

“We want to know why Kenyans who wants to do any business in Tanzania have to obtain permits, whereas traders fro Tanzania operates in Kenya freely without any interference”, said a Kenyan trader at Taveta.

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Zanzibar Parliament raises objection to Tanzanian government application to the UN to extend its Economic zone in the sea

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo

Reports emerging from Dar Es Salaam says the country’s plan to seek an extension of continental shelf outside its Exclusive Economic Zone {EEZ} has hit the rock following stiffest resistance and vehement opposition by the Zanzibar Parliament.

The same autonomous Zanzibar parliament is reported to be I the process of preparing a memorandum to petition the United Nations asking the world body to block the Tanzanian mainland government move.

It says that a section of highly influential MPs in he same autonomous Zanzibar’s House of Representatives have put up a strong argument saying that the Iles was not involved in the decision to extend the EEZ and the sharing of marine resources.

The MPs, according to a source were reported as being I the process of preparing a strong memorandum and plan to send a delegation the UN headquarters in New York to ask for the withdrawal of the application of the mainland government.

The planned extension, according to an expert, would give Tanzania the right to explore and exploit non-living and mineral resources on the seabed sub-soil at the extended continental shelf adjacent to the EEZ in accordance with the UN Convention on the law of the sea.

It is expected that the area will increase the potential for oil and gas exploitation as well as fishing activities.

A recent newspaper report quoted Tanzanian Minister for Lands, Housing and Settlement Prof. Anna Tabaijuka as saying that the decision to apply for the extension of the Extended Continental Shelf {ECS} which lies 150 miles beyond the current 200 was reached by the cabinet and the process involved both parts of the Union.

“The consideration of the submission made by the United Republic of Tanzania will be included in the provisional agenda of the 13th session of the Commission scheduled to be held in New York fro July 30 to August 10, 2012.”The union government is wrong to go to the UN without consulting the Zanzibar Revolutionary government.

“The move is also against our April 2009 resolution demanding that oil and natural gas as well as EEZ be removed fro the union matters,” said one legislator fro the radical Civic United Front {CUF}.

“Years back, the Zanzibar House of Representative had decided that marine and oil issues should be the preserve of Zanzibar of Zanzibar, therefore Tanzania mainland had no reason to undertake such sensitive matters on behalf of Zanzibar,” said Legislator Jussa.

Early last month, the United Republic of Tanzania submitted an application to the Commission

On the Limits of the Continental Shelf {CLCS} of the UN, in accordance with Article 76 paragraph 8 of UN Convention on the Law of the sea.

The neighboring Kenya has also applied for 103, an additional square kilometers and has already secured a maritime agreement with Tanzania, its neighbor in the south. The UN requires that countries that share the ocean must reach an agreement on the border issue.
The same autonomous Zanzibar parliament is reported to be I the process of preparing a memorandum to petition the United Nations asking the world body to block the Tanzanian mainland government move.

It says that a section of highly influential MPs in he same autonomous Zanzibar’s House of Representatives have put up a strong argument saying that the Iles was not involved in the decision to extend the EEZ and the sharing of marine resources.

The MPs, according to a source were reported as being I the process of preparing a strong memorandum and plan to send a delegation the UN headquarters in New York to ask for the withdrawal of the application of the mainland government.

The planned extension, according to an expert, would give Tanzania the right to explore and exploit non-living and mineral resources on the seabed sub-soil at the extended continental shelf adjacent to the EEZ in accordance with the UN Convention on the law of the sea.

It is expected that the area will increase the potential for oil and gas exploitation as well as fishing activities.

A recent newspaper report quoted Tanzanian Minister for Lands, Housing and Settlement Prof. Anna Tabaijuka as saying that the decision to apply for the extension of the Extended Continental Shelf {ECS} which lies 150 miles beyond the current 200 was reached by the cabinet and the process involved both parts of the Union.

“The consideration of the submission made by the United Republic of Tanzania will be included in the provisional agenda of the 13th session of the Commission scheduled to be held in New York fro July 30 to August 10, 2012.”The union government is wrong to go to the UN without consulting the Zanzibar Revolutionary government.

“The move is also against our April 2009 resolution demanding that oil and natural gas as well as EEZ be removed fro the union matters,” said one legislator fro the radical Civic United Front {CUF}.

“Years back, the Zanzibar House of Representative had decided that marine and oil issues should be the preserve of Zanzibar of Zanzibar, therefore Tanzania mainland had no reason to undertake such sensitive matters on behalf of Zanzibar,” said Legislator Jussa.

Early last month, the United Republic of Tanzania submitted an application to the Commission

On the Limits of the Continental Shelf {CLCS} of the UN, in accordance with Article 76 paragraph 8 of UN Convention on the Law of the sea.

The neighboring Kenya has also applied for 103, an additional square kilometers and has already secured a maritime agreement with Tanzania, its neighbor in the south. The UN requires that countries that share the ocean must reach an agreement on the border issue.

KENYA: A NEW HEATED DISPUTE HAS EMERGED BETWEEN THE SUBA PEOPLE AND THE LUOS RESIDENTS OF GWASSI AND MBITA OVER THE RENAMING OF TWO DISTRICTS IN SUBA REGION OF HOMA-BAY COUNTY.

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Investigative Report by Leo Odera Omolo.

A news, but highly sensitive issue of communal identities has arisen between the people of Suba origins and the Luos who are residents of the two administrative districts of Gwassi and Mbita.

The two districts form the part of the Homa-Bay County, which is arguably the largest in the greater Southern Nyanza.

The residents of the two districts wanted them to be renamed Suba South {for Gwassi} and Suba North {for Mbita} in conformity with the communal identity, particularly that of the people of Suba origins who have fought for national identity for years.

Analysts who are well versed with the history of the early settlement in the region have said that the population of the people of Suba origin within the two districts is much superior that those of the people of pure Luo background therefore wishes an aspiration of the majority should be allowed to prevail.

The government must intervene in time and make its position clearly spelt that there issue of Suba history cannot be reversed at the whims of the individual for political expediency.

There has been an attempt to at deliberate distortion of the Suba community history by certain unnamed Luo leaders through their public utterances, which did not augur well to the interests of the Suba people, but which are parts of the well orchestrated political expediency. It is well documented that one prominent Luo leader had called for tribal cleansing during the creation of the Suba district and the national communal identity of its people by the retired President Daniel Arap Moi in the late 1980s.

The breakdown of the numerical Suba population among the residents of the two districts indicated that in Gwassi constituency the people of Suba origins counts for between 80 and 85 per cent while 15 per cent goes to the other sojourners. On the Mbita side the Suba population could be moderately put at between 60 and 65 per cent and the rest to the Luos and other migrant communities.

There are, however, a strong present of non-Suba people in Mbita district, mainly the small sub-clans representing the communities which represent the indignant Luos groups such as Jo-Kasigunga, Jo-Kamireri and Jo-Waondo in addition to the immigrant sub-clans who moved into the region following the opening of lambwe Valey Settlement Scheme in the early 1980s. These people come from the various Luo sub—clans of Jo-Karachuonyo, Jo-Asembo,Jo-Kano,Jo-Nyakach,Jo-Uyoma and others. This immigrant persons forms the majority inhabitants of the Lambwe East Location.

And also in the mainland Mbita, the Suba population is well spread in areas like Malela, Njaga Mirunda and Usawo. These people represented the Suba-sub clans of Wasaki, Waumi, Watajo, Jo-Ngodhe, Kakaeta and Jo-Kamigundho.

In this context, the Luo population on the mainland Mbita is only patches of scattered people in Gembe and Lambwe East Locations therefore the claims by the Mbita MP that there are more Luos in Mbita constituency than the people of Suba origins is not credible.

On the two major twin fishing islands of Rusinga and Mfangano, the Suba population represent between 90 and 95 per cent. In this respect Hon Otieno Kajwang’ claims sounded rather polemic than the true picture of the matter. It is therefore wrong for whole cabinet minister to misled Kenyans people purely for political expediency.

It hurts a lot for the Suba people who have spent decades fighting for their recognition and tribal tug against the marginalization and illegal assimilation by the Luos. To be told that they were minority in their own land. The history is not on the MP’s side, and he will have to pay dearly for his political blunders.

After representing the Suba people of Mbita constituency from 1992, Hon Otieno Kajwng’ ha now shifted and pitched his camp at Homa-Bay County headquarters where he is contesting for the County Senate seat. He has left neither legacy in Mbita nor any track record of development apart from counting on Waondo Secondary School which is in his home turf.

Kajwang’ who is famed for coining and composing the now politically popular slogan like song “The Bado Kuna Mapambano” lyrics. But since he is on record as having been opposed to the renaming of Mbita district to be called Suba North, the Immigration and Registration of Persons Minister must have counted out his elementary mathematics, the close to 80,000 votes in the Suba region.

If the MP who ha represented Mbita constituencies for close to three decades and left within nothing to account for his legacy is not careful enough, he will find himself battling for the Homa-Bay Senate seat minus the support of his constituents, whom he is now despising.

The spirits of the Suba stalwarts’ personalities like Zadock Syong’o, Peter Otienoi Nyakiamo, Felix Nyauchi, Dr Valentine Omolo Opere, Ambassador Michael Okeyo, Opiyo Arrum, and other patriots who fought hard for the official recognition of the community will haunt the MP wherever he goes.

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ICC suspects are rooting for communal hatred and second round of anarchy and chaos

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THE ICC FOUR SUSPECT MUST RESPECT THE LAW AND STOP SEEKING OUT TRIBAL EMOTIONS AS THIS COULD BE ANOTHER RECIPE TO THE NEXT ROUND OF ANARCHY AND CHAOS.

Commentary By Leo Odera Omolo.

WHAT the Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Mutula Kilonzo has been crusading about in regard to he impending ICC trials and the four suspects is the truth of the matter if at all Kenya ascribes to the rule of law.

Kenya is not the land of gangsters and political mafias, but a country which is guided by the rule of law, thus allowing the ICC suspect to run for the presidency of this country in the next general elections before they are cleared of all criminal offenses would be a mockery to the rule of the natural justice.

What we have been witnessing of late portrays our beloved nation of Kenya as a country in a serious crisis of confidence with its laid down rule of laws. We have gone miles away in stooping too low on pertinent issues and the rule of law governing this country.

It appears as if the legally laid down rule of subjugation in criminal cases have long been repealed. Suspects in serious criminal offenses now goes public defending themselves in public rallies and in the newspaper columns instead of doing so before the judges in the court of law. Or this doesn’t apply in the ICC cases?

In this context, Kenyans have been stooping too low as if Kenyan leaders have run out of ideas, and become politically and intellectually bankrupt. Or is it the question of political naivety?

People who have been committed to stand trial before an international court of justice for committing some of the most heinous criminal offenses have gone solo defending their cases through the so-called prayer meetings-cum-political rallies instead of doing so inside the court room.

Under all the circumstances, Kenyans will not allow anyone with a criminal tug on his head to run for presidency. Such people should wait patiently until after the ICC judge’s verdict clears them of all the offences preferred against them and thereafter e shall e very much comfortable with their presidential candidature. They shouldn’t be in hurry. Kenya is not going to be rubbed out of the universal’s map overnight. The country is hereto stay and once the ICC suspect gets cleared, we shall warmly welcome their candidature.

But for now Hon Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta and HON William Samoei Arap Ruto should give us a break. The two must humble themselves to the Kenyans wishes and stop forthwith the bad a habit of polluting the air and polarizing the minds of the peace loving Kenyans

The utterances of the two gentlemen whose names I have mentioned above is an indication that another second round of election violence is in the offing, Their emotionally charged speeches could turn out to be recipe of anarchy and chaos should the law prevent them from contesting the presidency…

And these are some of the points Minister Mutula has been trying hard to put across. There is no mincing of word nor is there any short-cut path to the presidency of this country.

The ICC suspects have gone out of their ways by invoking the names of their perceived rivals in the presidential contest by insinuating some people were hell-bent on keeping them out of presidential race by sending them for trial before the ICC. Why are they flying out of the truth?.

Why can’t they face the truth as naked as it is in the respect of ICC’s cases? Thy know pretty well who was commissioned by the President to investigate the post election violence cases in this country, and who presented his commission’s finding to the former UN Secretary General Dr Kofi Annan in a sealed envelope, and which the former UN Chief consequently handed over to the ICC, resulting in the criminal charges being preferred against them in the ICC.

Kenyans are not a bunch of fools, but highly intelligent people who are capable of analyzing and digesting issues. The Kenyans knew pretty well where the truth lays and will not be cowered with cheap propaganda and empty political slogans for the purpose of votes catching.

The ICC suspects who are bent on flying out of the truth by invoking the names of innocent people and using them cheaply in order to gain political mileage over their opponent are making big political blunders that they will live to regret. Those cheering them up in the rallies knew where the truth lies, but perhaps they are only interested in making quick kills by laying their hands on the elections campaign logistics and resources, which are said to be in abundance and not in short o supplies.

I was taken a few step back when I heard one of the ICC suspects invoking the names of other innocent people like President Barack Obama of the united States, a man who has nothing at stake and lays no claims on Kenya’s politics or emotionally charging at the Western European countries for their very valid comments on ICC cases in Kenya. Those floating these kin o mediocrity ideas should know that Kenya is not in isolation, but it is the pat and parcel of the international community therefore what is affecting us here at home has negative repercussions to others.

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Leo Odera Omolo is a veteran journalist living in semi-retirement in Kisumu City and operating in the entire Western Kenya. He likes commenting frequently on different issues and topics.