Category Archives: Dickens Wasonga

KENYA: ULTIMATUM ON KISUMU AIRPORT

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By Dickens Wasonga

ULTIMATUM

The completion of the ongoing work of the expansion of the Kisumu Airport has come under threat as members of the Kogony community have given the airport authorities a two Week ultimatum to solve the mystery surrounding their compensation on the land.

Led by nominated councilor George Weda and Kogony ward councilor Joseph Osir, they instructed the resident engineer Patrick Cain who is overseeing the work at the airdrome to organize for a meeting with the Nyanza provincial Commissioner together with Kenya Airport Authority (KAA) managing director and two permanent secretaries from lands and transport ministries to find a solution to the impasse.

Addressing the press after a meeting with the airport authorities at the site, the two civic leaders said they agreed with the resident engineer to organize for such a meeting in a fought night to come up with a lasting solution on the issue.

They accused the government of taking too long to meet their demands citing that with the ongoing fencing of the facility, they risk not being compensated on the already acquired land.

They said they had given the government enough time to meet their demands but it has been reluctant to solve their problem.

The two civic leaders even threatened to derail the work at the facility should their ‘rightful demands’ fail to be recognized and solved once and for all adding that they risk losing their support on the ground should they fail to win the battle.

The councilors said according to documents they have, their clan donated 206.09 Ha of land for the construction of the airport subject to their resettlement on an alternative land.

However, they added that the title deed on the lease certificate indicates 362.9 Ha thus say 158.81 Ha of their land is in dispute.

“It is the disputed 158.81 Ha of that land that makes us fill there’s a foul play in the expansion of this airport,” said councilor Weda.

And in a letter written by the two leaders to the KAA MD and dated October 3, 2010, they said the land was donated by their community in 1914, 1942 and lastly in 1975/76.

They said their clan (Kogony) was to be compensated by swooping the land with 1 ½ times land in Muhoroni (LR 3102 or LR 640)

They said their community did not acquire the land in Muhoroni adding that KAA and the ministry of Lands promised prior to the current construction of the airport full compensation of the land and construction of an ultra modern double stream primary school (Usoma) which was relocated to a new site as it lied on the demarcated airport land.

“All these have not been met and we’re left wondering when our people shall get justice,” said councilor Osir.

They also challenged their area MP Olago Aluoch to take the matter to the house should the meeting slated in two Weeks time fail to bear fruits.

“Our former MP Rev. Kenn Nyagudi tried to help us solve this impasse but unfortunately he lost his seat before his dreams could come true,” said councilor Weda.

The complains came just when the Prime Minister Raila Odinga asked KACC boss PLO Lumumba to name and shame those engaged in corrupt land deals when he led the government in the official handover of more than 50 title deeds to ministries and institutions at Ardhi house in Nairobi.

Ends

KENYA: WHY DRAG TRAFFIC POLICE OFFICERS INTO OUR TV SETS? CANT BETTER METHODS BE APPLIED?

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BY Dickens Wasonga – KISUMU , KENYA.

Agreed. It could be true that corruption is rife within the ranks of the police. It might also be correct to say that the police in Kenya still leads the pack on matters relating to corruption.

However, as we all know, it takes two to tungo.If our officers are so corrupt, then a section of our society is corrupt too because corruption is a- two -way traffic where one party must be willing to offer a bribe and the other also willing to receive it.

In both cases the two parties are deemed to be guilty of the vice and should therefore be treated as such. But what do we see happening in reality whenever such cases present?

The most common scenario is one where the authorities choose to punish only one party involved and let the other one to go scot free.To me, this is selective application of the law which does not seem to target the long term objective of the government’s resolve to fight and reduce incidences of the vice in our midst.

Kenyans who like to catch the latest in the news on their TV sets have of late been treated to a really humiliating episodes where some of the officers attached to the traffic department are seen on video footage allegedly taking bribes from the matatu operators along our roads. Depending on how one looks at it, I believe it is so embarrassing to our officers who are seen on those footage shamelessly receiving bribes.

On the other hand, it is even more shameful and humiliating experience to the families,friends and relatives of these officers who have to watch their kinsmen subjected to such unfair media trials.

Although such incidences have served to bring out the rot within the force, to some extent, it has also largely brought to the fore the insensitive nature with which we handle and treat suspects especially where those involved are people of little means.

One wonders just what exactly does the Kenya Anti -Corruption Commission targets to achieve by this kind of approach to the war against graft. Could it be that the commission is seeking to get cheap publicity and therefore decides to use some of the local TV stations to show the public that it is true they are fighting the vice?

Truth be told , most of us who watched the latest of such clips could not help but sympathise with that poor female officer in the footage whose attempts to run away from the rolling cameras became futile.The fear of being seen on TV by all and sundry later that evening was so overwhelming to her that she chose to run but had nowhere to run to.

Surely ,there must be a more decent way in which officers from KACC can go about this business of clumping down on the bad apples within the force and still spare the would be victims all this embarrassment which currently appears to be the norm.

Do not get me wrong. I am not an advocate of graft. In fact in the past I have penned several articles which were published in various news outlets both locally and internationally which served to expose graft .

I believe in fairness and feel the same should be extended to our brothers and sisters enlisted in the force. Many a times,they work under very difficult environments although that does not means they must be corrupt. But we all need to consider that these are our daughters and sons.Some of them are our fathers and mothers while others are our spouses. In terms of how suspects are treated, dignity should at all times be observed and suspects whether senior or junior, poor or rich be treated equally.

Sometime this year, the police arrested a senior politician from Nyanza for allegedly assaulting a junior policeman at a road block somewhere in Rachuonyo. However the arrest was made so secret that even journalists who got wind of the juicy story could not be allowed anywhere near the office of the area provincial CID boss where the MP was recording his statements. Even when it was time to arraign him in court, the whole affair was a well kept secret.

This was not the first or the last time a case involving a suspect viewed as senior and powerful was being treated differently.The arrest would have been a fairly different story if a poor little Kenyan was the culprit.

Police officers, just like any other Kenyan deserve to be treated with dignity and respect even when found to be corrupt. Choosing to humiliate them like we have seen in the recent past will not help reduce the vice but is likely to bring resentment and defiance.

In any case , most of the KACC officers were at one point also in the force and should treat their colleagues who remained behind with dignity when apprehending them. My small mind also tells me that all suspects are considered innocent until proved otherwise before a competent court of law.

Just because one has been arrested does not mean he or she is guilty of the offences they are facing. To refresh your memory, a TV footage showing a policeman chasing and shooting youths who were demonstrating in the streets of Kisumu following the disputed 2007 elections results was once described as the work of fiction by the authorities.

What does that tells you? It means even those ones we are shown of the ‘bribe taking traffic police officers’ too can as well be work of fiction ,who knows ? That does not mean they are and that is why it is up to the prosecution side to prove in court that indeed those fellows are guilty.

My question to officers of KACC still remains this – can you guys get a better way to treat those you arrest while either allegedly soliciting or receiving bribes? Can you do so without having to drag the suspects through the glare of cameras?

Not long ago a court directed the police to stop conducting investigations in full glare of the media. This was after one Onyancha from Kisii region of Nyanza took the police in a whirlwind visits to crime scenes where he allegedly murdered scores of people, all this time with the press in hot pursuit.

If it was wrong to try Onyancha , himself a suspect who had confessed to having committed the bizarre killings through the media, what makes it right to do the same thing with these police officers?

The other concern is ,what really become of the drivers and touts who are always only too willing to part with ”kitu kidogo”? Are they also arrested alongside the police officers because we also see them dish out bribes to the officers in the footage? This is still a mystery to many of us who have been curious to know where and how all this war on graft eventually ends.

I may be wrong here and I stand to be corrected but I am yet to see any of the matatu operators arraign in court for being part of the game. Is this not selective application of the law where only one party is viewed as corrupt while the other one who is equally guilty is let to go unpunished? Is this approach yielding good results?

In fact, if you ask any officer attached to the traffic department about what really happens on our roads they are likely to tell you that even before they ask for the bribes,the operators are always only too willing to part with it.

Any honest Kenyan who uses public transport will tell you that in most such cases even before they are signalled to stop, the touts will always be seen struggling to ask for fifty shillings notes either from his driver or worse still, from the passengers with the intention to hand it over to the police.

Many also believe that in several instances where the police issue matatau operators who violate traffic rules with the notice to attend court, the operators are never keen to go that path. Instead they often opt for the easier way of buying their way and prefers to settle such matters out of court.

To fight corruption effectively, all of us must play our part and be willing to change our attitude and approach on how we would want the issue dealt with because it is true corruption eats the economic fabric of any nation and must be fought at all cost.

Have you ever asked yourself why must us ,Kenyans force ourselves into an already overloaded vehicle for example? Why do we insist in boarding or getting out of a matatu in areas which are not designated for such things or better still, why would you offer a bribe to a police officer even when you know you have complied with all the regulations. It all boils down to our attitude. We have reached a level where many people think nothing is possible without taking a short cut.

Believe it or not , if no one is willing to offer a bribe chances are acts of corruption would tremendously reduce not only on our roads but also in many aspects of our lives as a nation and we must start by teaching our people to know that corruption does not pay and must not be away of life even as we seek to prosecute graft cases.

Why would we for example be only focusing all our attention and energy onto the police while so many graft related cases are awash in many government and private institutions throughout the country? A number of such cases are usually highlighted in the media’, complete with facts but rarely do we see them followed up and culprits nabbed.

If corruption is such a bad thing, as we all agree, then we must begin to fight the vice at all levels so that it is not reduced to a war against the small fish who can not mobilise resources to escape the long arms of the law through either political and economic influence.

We would like to see many of our powerful members of parliament, Permanent Secretaries, heads of parastatals who are corrupt investigated and prosecuted. That way, justice will be delivered to all and many Kenyans will henceforth be faithful and more willing to join the in the war against graft.

ENDS.

KENYA & NETHERLANDS: THE KIN OF KENYAN WHO DIED IN THE NETHERLANDS NOW WANT HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS TO HELP THEM UNRAVEL THE PUZZLE.

By Dickens Wasonga in Kisumu city,Kenya.

AS the search for clues as to what could have possibly led to the death of their son in the Netherlands entered the second week, the family of the late Franklin Otieno Otieno now wants the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights to help them unravel the mystery surrounding his death.

The mother of the 29 -year- old Kenyan yesterday told journalists at her Siaya County rural home that after several attempts to seek help from the government, the family has realized they are on their own as the reality of losing their dear son in a distant land continue to painfully sink down.

Mrs. Florence Othieno said their only option was now to persuade the Kenyan media and human rights organizations like the KNCHR chaired by Ms Florence Jaoko to help them in the search for the truth behind circumstances surrounding the death of her first born son.

The family was quoted in a section of the Kenyan media accusing the Ministry of foreign affairs of ignoring their plight at the hour of need.

The late Franklin’s family wrote a letter to the ministry through the Permanent Secretary Mr. Thuita Mwangi but no positive response has been forthcoming.

They also accused their local member of parliament Mr. Edwin Yinda of not petitioning the government to help them probe what led to the death of the young man who had been a student at Houston college in the US studying pharmacy for a period of eight years.

When he died on Sunday last week, Franklin was reportedly being held by the immigration officers at the Netherlands.

It is not clear why he was being held and his family insists that he was in good health and was in constant touch with his Kenyan girlfriend who lives in the US.

The news of his untimely demise was also passed to the parents through the girlfriend who is reported to have been notified about the incident by the immigration officials who were holding Franklin in the Netherlands.

Independent investigations by this writer revealed that Franklin was held at a detention center in Schiphol which is not like a normal prison.

Although the source of this writer can not be quoted because he is not an authority, this journalist gathered that the detention center is sort of a limbo for people waiting to be sent out of the country.

The source further revealed that the center is not a jail for criminals. Its only goal is to give a place to stay for people who have to leave the country.

Still it is not clear why he had to spend two or more months at the center where he later died before he was deported back to Kenya if at all he was to be.

His father told reporters who gathered for a news conference early last week at a Kisumu hotel that the last time he spoke with his son was sometime in June and that at the time Franklin told him he was preparing to come back home having completed his course.

He had been living in the US having gone there in 2002 as student and his parents were not aware he was visiting Netherlands until two weeks ago when the family received the shocking news of his mysterious death.

The body of the deceased was supposed to have been flown back to the country this Tuesday by the Dutch authorities but the family rejected the move claiming it was an attempt to conceal the truth about what killed their son and vowed not to travel to Nairobi to receive it.

They also demanded that an independent autopsy be performed on the body to ascertain cause of death and the process be witnessed by a family lawyer or in the presence of a representative of the Kenyan government.

Yesterday, a sombre mood engulfed his Mur Ngiya Alego village when his mother and relatives took the sad news of his sudden death.

Villagers trooped in numbers into the home of the late Franklin to condole with his family and it was clearly a big loss not only to the Othienos but the entire village.

ENDS.

NETHERLADS: CONTROVERSY PERSIST OVER THE DEATH OF A KENYAN

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By Dickens Wasonga.

The family of a 29 -year -old man who died mysteriously while reportedly in the custody of immigration police in the Hague-Netherlands now accuse the Kenyan authorities of turning a blind eye into the incident .

Addressing journalists who converged at his Kisumu residence, the father of the late Franklin Otieno Othieno who died on Sunday last week while allegedly being held by the immigration authorities in the Hague said he had officially written a letter to Kenya’s ministry of foreign affairs through the Permanent Secretary to help in probing the matter but so far he is yet to receive any response.

The father of the deceased said he suspected there could have been a foul play over the death of his first born son who had gone to study pharmacy in the United States of America eight years ago and was due to return home when the family received the shocking news on Monday last week.

Mr. Lucas Othieno said it was curious that the Kenyan authorities were not keen to get involved in investigating circumstances surrounding the death of his son who was through with his studies in June this year at the Houston College in the US.

The family insisted to be told by the authorities in the Netherlands why their son was being held and how he died.

They said information they were receiving from the Dutch authorities in the Hague and that from their Kenyan counterparts were conflicting and has left room for speculation as to what realy took place.

Earlier the authorities in the Netherlands had reportedly gone ahead with plans to fly the body back to Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city which is approximately 500 kilometers away from Kisumu where the parents of the deceased reside.

Indeed according to the family,plans were complete and the body was due in Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by tomorrow,Tuesday but they had to shelve the plan when the family threatened not to travel to Nairobi to collect it.

”If they dare bring the body to Nairobi and not here in Kisumu then they must know where to take it because we will not go to collect it”He said.

Yesterday the deceased’s parents demanded that an independent autopsy be carried out on the body and the procedure be witnessed by a family lawyer or a representative of the Kenyan government so that the cause of death can be established.

”How can they be in a hurry to bring back the body of my son without allowing somebody from his family to witness the autopsy?.This is unacceptable given that the country where my son died is known to champion human rights. Even if he was being held for whatever reason, why do they lock out the family in the whole incident.We need to know why he was being held and what killed him”? Said the father.

But a source from the Kenya’s ministry of foreign affairs said the government was not ready to bear the cost of carrying out another postmortem on the body as demanded by the family insisting that all extra costs in relation to the incident must be met by the family.

The late Othieno who hails from Siaya Alego,the little village known for the roots of the USA president Barak Obama, was reportedly in touch with his girlfriend, also a Kenyan living in the US before he died.

The news of his death was broken to the family on Monday last week by the same girlfriend who is reported to have been rung by the authorities at the Hague but the deceased father disclosed that she had very scanty information regarding the incident that is likely to spark off a bitter international row between the two states.

The Hague is known to be center where those who commit crimes against humanities and other atrocities are tried at the International Criminal Court where even a section of the Kenyan political leaders suspected to have masterminded and financed the post poll chaos in the East African nation are to be tried upon conclusion of investigations by the ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo.

ENDS.

KENYA, NETHERLANDS, & USA: MYSTERIOUS DEATH SHOCK KENYAN FAMILY.

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BY Dickens Wasonga.

A Kenyan family want the government to help it probe under what circumstances their son who was residing in the US died in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Speaking to journalists in Kisumu , the father of the 29 year old man said they were getting unclear information on how and what might have led to the death of their late son-Franklin Otieno Othieno.

According Mr.Lucas Othieno, a resident of Kisumu’s Nyalenda estate , his late son had been a student at the Houston College in the United States of America from the year 2002 having gone there to study pharmacy.

Accompanied by his wife during the press interview, Othieno said his family learned of the death through a telephone call they received from his girl friend, a Kenyan who lives in the USA.

According the information relayed to them by the woman, Otieno died while in the custody of immigration police in Netherlands although his family had not been notified by the authorities that he was being held or was under investigations for whatever reason.

The grief stricken father told reporters that sometime in June this year he talked with this son who was upbeat about coming back home after clearing his study period.

”It came as a big shock when on Monday this week I received a call from his girl friend informing us that he had died .It was even more shocking that he died while in the custody of the police in Netherlands.’ ‘he said.

He said the family was very worried because the information they were receiving was so scanty and left several questions answered.

”His girl friend has offered very little information about how my son died. She also claims to have been informed of the death by the immigration police in Netherlands who had called her that same Sunday.” He said.

The father disclosed to the media that he tried to obtain information from the Royal Embassy of Netherlands in Nairobi but what he has so far received would not shed more light under what circumstances the man died.

Othieno claimed that while officials at the host department in Amsterdam maintained in earlier communication with them that his son had died of aneurysm, those at the Nairobi Embassy asserted he died due to cardiac arrest.

He went on to add that his son was not sick and was in constant communication with his girlfriend in the US.

”The very Sunday which they said my son died at 3.30 pm, the Netherland’s time ,was the day he had a telephone conversation with his girlfriend and according to her, he did not complain of anything.” he said.

According Mr. Othieno, the Netherlands authorities are planning to fly the body into the country early next week, a move he has objected to arguing that it smirks of suspicion.

He demanded that a postmortem be done a fresh on the body of his son and witnessed by representatives from the family and the government to ascertain what led to the death of his first born son.

Othieno also want the Netherlands authorities to deliver the body to his Siaya Alego rural home and not dump it in Nairobi. He said he was not able to raise money to bring the body to his home village for burial even if the authorities flew it to the country’s capital city.

ENDS.

KANYA: POLICE HAS CAPACITY TO TACKLE CRIME

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By Dickens Wasonga

Kenyans should not doubt the capacity of the country’s police service to tackle crime especially in relations to improved technology in crime management, the new Director of Criminal Investigations Mr. Ndegwa Muhoro has said.

Mr. Ndegwa who met top police officers in Nyanza province in Kisumu during his familiarization tour of the region said advancement in technology was part of the police reform package as recommended in the retired Judge Philip Ransley’s report adding that the force now has a high caliber of personnel who are ready and better trained to tackle modern crime trends.

Ndegewa who was appointed recently to by president Mwai Kibaki to head the department said war against crime should not be left solely in the hands of police officers and called on members of the public to play their role by embracing community policing.

The CID boss noted that by giving timely and accurate information to the law enforcement officers members of the public can largely contribute in reducing crime levels by great margins.

He said the media should also work closely with the officers to boost efforts by the government to root out the vice especially in the urban areas where rates of crime is souring.

He said changes to make the force work better in crime management will be effected but added that they will be made in consultation with various stakeholders to ensure such changes do not cause panic amongst serving officers.

The CID director disclosed that he had met all the provincial and divisional police commanders including the PCIOs and DCIOs upon his appointment to the office find out how issues that impede security matters can be addressed.

”We are all talking with our officers at all levels to find out from them which areas needs facilitation and how would they wish to see various challenges they face while on duty tackled.” He said.

He also assured the officers that the police reforms which included extension of the training period for the new recruits and provision of equipment to the police service to be able to manage crime efficiently and effectively will be delivered.

” We are in modern times and we can no longer afford to combat crime in the traditional way. we have embraced technology and we will continue to up our game.” Said the director.

He will be in Kakamega tomorrow and then to the north Rift in the Rift Valley province in a tour of provinces which will see him meet all the top security officers through out the country to to map out strategies to combat crime together.

KENYA: NYANZA TO ROLL OUT 4 YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN TO BOOST GIRL CHILD EDUCATION IN THE REGION

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By Dickens Wasonga.

A four year strategic plan has been developed by the Nyanza provincial education board to boost the girl child education in the region.

Speaking to reporters in his Kisumu office the area director of education Mr.Geoffrey Cherongis said the plan which will be launched soon will see over 20 low cost boarding primary schools built.

The director said the girls friendly centers will target to help girls who are mostly orphans in the worst hit areas such as Gem in Siaya county.

He disclosed that funds to construct the low cost boarding schools for the girls will be mobilised through UNICEF.local MPs and the ministry of education as a collaborative effort to address the vulnerability of the learners many of whom do not even have homes to live in.

Cherongis said Nyanza was amongst the worst hit regions when it comes to gender disparity in relation to education.

He said Nyanza comes as the third last bottom after Coast and North Eastern with the parity levels standing at between 56 boys-44 girls in primary and 61boys-31 girls in secondary.

Last year only eight girls scored a mean grade of A at the KCSE and most girls in areas like Suba,Mbita,Rachuonyo, Bondo and Nyatike, cases of drop outs due to pregnancies continue to rise.

Meanwhile the Nyanza women education initiative which seeks to promote girls education in the region has mobilised over 600 professional women from the area to help mentor the girls .

The initiative which is co-convened by the regional education manager Microsoft East and South Africa Mr. Mark Matunga has visited several girls secondary schools in the area since its inception to give talks to the students on values and benefits of educating girls.

”many of these girls are vulnerable because they are orphans and can easily be abused by men.the worst affected are those who hails from the fishing communities along the shores of Lake Victoria”.Said Matunga

Other counties like Kuria and Kisii where culture is still embedded,girls education is still facing stiff opposition as compared to the boys.

Launch of New Vaginal Ring Study for HIV Prevention

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BY DICKENS WASONGA

A study has kicked off in East and Southern Africa which may give women in the continent a reason to smile. International Partnership for Microbicides-a nonprofit product development partnership has initiated the first trial clinical trials among African women of a vaginal ring containing an antiretroviral drug that could be used in future to prevent HIV transmission during sex.

The clinical trial,known as IPM 015- tests the safety and acceptability of an innovative approach that adapts a successful technology from the reproductive health field to give women around the world a tool to protect themselves from HIV infections.

According to IPM’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Zeda Rosenberg, vaginal rings are commonly used in Europe and the U.S for hormone delivery and could be well-suited to deliver HIV prevention drugs for women in developing countries.

”This study will provide key information on the safety and acceptability of this technology for HIV prevention. it is an important step forward in our efforts to give women options they can use to safeguard their health.”Said Dr. Rosenberg.

Since 2001, women in developed countries have successfully used vaginal rings, such as the NuvaRing®, ESTRING® and Femring®, for birth control and hormonal therapy.

These rings are appealing because they are self-administered, discreet and provide protection for a month or more.

The vaginal ring being tested in IPM 015 is an ARV-based microbicide — a class of vaginal products currently being developed to prevent HIV infection in women. ARVs have revolutionized HIV treatment and have already been proven to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

They are now being tested for their ability to prevent HIV infection.

The vaginal ring used in IPM 015 is made of flexible silicone, is durable and would be easy to distribute — making it well suited for use in developing countries. Each ring slowly releases 25 mg of the ARV drug dapivirine over the course of 28 days, potentially providing sustained protection against HIV.

The ring is manufactured by IPM, which has a royalty-free license for dapivirine from Tibotec Therapeutics, a division of Johnson & Johnson.

“Biology and gender inequality continue to place women at greater risk of disease and death, particularly in developing countries,” said Elizabeth Mataka, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa.

“All too often, women are not in a position to control their sexual health or protect themselves from HIV infection. By empowering women with new tools to protect their health, this ring technology could bring hope where there was none before.”

IPM 015 is a Phase I/II expanded safety trial that will compare the dapivirine ring with a placebo ring containing no active drug among 280 volunteers across Africa.

Women in South Africa have begun volunteering for the trial, and it is hoped that other African nations will start the same study shortly. The women volunteers will be randomly assigned to use either the dapivirine or the placebo ring, which will be replaced once monthly for a three-month period.

The vaginal ring containing dapivirine has already been shown to be safe as tested in four prior IPM clinical trials among women in Europe, with another trial ongoing. If IPM 015 further confirms the safety and acceptability of the product among women in Africa, a Phase III program to test the ability of dapivirine rings to prevent HIV infection is scheduled to begin in Africa in 2011, with results due in 2015.

Every day more than 3,000 women worldwide become infected with HIV. And HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death for women aged 15-49 years in Africa.

Despite this challenge, women lack a discreet method to prevent infection. Current prevention options may be impractical for women who lack the power to ensure that their male partners use condoms or remain faithful, and for those who are married, want to have children or are at risk of violence.

The initiation of IPM 015 was announced at the Women Deliver conference in Washington, D.C., the largest conference focused on maternal health in more than a decade.

“Women and girls must be given the tools to protect themselves from HIV infection,” said Jill Sheffield, President of Women Deliver. “The contraceptive ring has been a formidable tool for women seeking more control over their reproductive health, and it is wonderful to see HIV researchers adapt this technology to tackle the single biggest killer of young women.

The simple fact is that we will never be able to fully ensure the health of women and girls globally without halting the spread of HIV and AIDS.”

IPM is a nonprofit product development partnership established in 2002 to prevent HIV transmission by supporting the development and availability of safe and effective vaginal microbicides and other HIV prevention methods in developing countries where women are at greatest risk for infection.

ENDS.

KENYA, TANZANIA, UGANDA: LAKE VICTORIA THREATENED BY ENVORONMENT DEGREDATION, FISHERIES EXPERTS WORRIED

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By Dickens Wasonga.

Lake Victoria which globally supports a rich fisheries resource estimated at 1 million metric tons annually, and a standing stock biomass of 2.12 million metric tons is likely to suffer irreversible ecological damage if urgent action is not taken to improve its environmental management, fisheries experts have warned.

During a meeting held in Kisumu city in Kenya which was attended by a high powered team of fisheries experts drawn from the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization and top ministry officials from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, it emerged that the Lake was facing a myriad of environmental and fishery related threats.

Kenya’s permanent secretary in the ministry of fisheries development Prof. M. Ntiba while making his official speech noted that over the years, Lake Victoria which also supports a fisher population of 196,500 regionally has been plagued with massive water weeds infestation and sporadic toxic algal blooms; uncontrolled influx of pollution and nutrients from the hinterlands.

The PS said increased sedimentation and Lake level changes associated with poor land use and climate change; reduced levels of dissolved oxygen in the water; increased use of illegal fishing gears and methods which results to over exploitation of immature fish were amongst the thorny issues that needs to be addressed urgently by countries benefiting from the Lake.

In an effort to help enhance management of the Lake environment and its living resources, Kenya’s ministry of fisheries development on Friday launched a Vessel worth Ksh.57m which will now be used by scientists drawn from Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute KMFRI to provide necessary research and monitoring support.

It is the mandate of KMFRI to undertake research in all spheres of fisheries, acquaculture, aquatic ecology and environmental monitoring. It also provides scientific data and information,new and adoptive technologies and innovations for the sustainable exploitation, management and conservation of fisheries resources and aquatic environment.

On the larger scale the research out put from KMFRI should support the national development strategies and programs on achieving food security ,reduced poverty levels and increased job opportunities for Kenyans.

The new Vessel will be a crucial tool for KMFRI to undertake research and monitor all fisheries and environmental parameters on the world’s second largest fresh water lake.

The funds to buy the Vessel-MV UVUMBUZI- A kiswahili word which means discovery, was provided by the European Union which is also supporting the Lake Victoria Fisheries Implementation Plan and the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization.

It is a specialized research vessel set to revolutionize the way research has been conducted on Lake Victoria which also generates a substantial income to the region in terms of export of fish to different international markets.

THe IFMP project which is ending this year was targeting to boost the capacity of both human resource and infrastructure and will remain a clear land mark of development in the Lake Basin,in particular , in supporting fisheries research and development agenda for Lake Victoria in Kenya and her two sister states of Uganda and Tanzania.

According to the Kenya’s minister for fisheries development Dr. Paul Otuoma, several fish processing plants have been forced to close down due to dwindling fish stocks in the Lake.

He said as a result many Kenyans especially those living along the shores of Lake Victoria have been rendered jobless. He said the trend was now worrying the government which was losing a substantial amounts of money from the fisheries.

KENYA: MASENO SHINES IN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES.

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By Dickens Wasonga.

A tradition which would stand the test of time of taking good care and keeping the environment clean began in the early years when the now Maseno University was a teacher training college and a government training Institute.

Those who started the institution in those early stages realised one fundamental need- the need to preserve the natural resources which was crucial for the well being of the society we live in.

Today the University which was declared the 6th fully fledged public University after Moi University has continued with good tradition and the community living around this institution are benefiting in a big way.

Maseno which is one of the greenest Universities in the world now has a well stocked tree nursery which it uses to enhance forest cover.

Tree planting programmes initiated through the University is currently under implementation in several nearby villages.

Several schools, both secondary and primary have in the past received seedlings to implement tree planting programs.Most schools which were hitherto prone to destruction due to wind storms are now free from such disasters, thanks to this program.

The University situated about 30 km from Kisumu city was named after a tree scientifically known as Cordia Ovatlis. The tree is also known as ”Oseno” in Luo and ”Oluseno” in Luhia.

Recently the institution donated 100 tree seedlings to the newly created Kisumu west district which were planted at its headquarters in Holo.

Due to its firm commitment in ensuring the environment around where it is situated is improved and better managed, the University has bagged several awards to it name.

In 2006, Maseno won the Total Eco-Challenge award given to the best institution who have demonstrated exemplary performance in tree planting programs and who better manage their environments and that of communities around them.

The University also boasts of a strong team of students who take active part in environmental conservation. Apart from donating environment friendly dustbins to the University compound, the students have also distributed several dust bins to a number of institutions around the campus.

One such institution which recently benefited from this noble gesture from the students of Maseno is the local law courts.

Seven years ago,a school of Environment and Earth Sciences was established at the university and 140 students have graduated since then.

The University managers said those who graduate from the faculty will form an important workforce that is not only skilled but better prepared to handle environmental challenges like climatic change facing the country and the world at large.

”These students will be more conscious of natural resources such as rock formations,types of plants and how sustainable methods of managing the environment can be archieved”.

The school has also introduced modern and sustainable methods of solid waste management and disposal without any further destruction of the forest cover.

ENDS.

KENYA: NYANZA PC INSISTS LAND NOT GRABBED BY DEVELOPER.

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By Dickens Wasonga.

Nyanza PC Francis Mutie has moved fast to alley fears amongst leaders and residents of Kisumu town over alleged grabbing of a public land within the municipality which has stunned many in the lake side city.

The PC said the controversy over the alleged illegal grabbing of Taifa park by a private developer in the town needs to be laid to rest once and for all because the government still holds a genuine title deed against the parcel.

He was reacting to remarks made by the Kisumu town west MP Olago Aluoch during Madaraka Day celebrations who claimed the park had been grabbed while the relevant authorities were dragging their feet instead of bringing the culprits to book.

The MP took issue with the municipal council f Kisumu over the manner in which the council was allegedly handling the matter adding that all plots within the city was held in trust on behalf of the government by the local authority which must ensure they are not illegally acquired.

”Am surprised by what His worship the deputy mayor has just told this gathering.It is not enough to just tell us you have a genuine title deed when another person also claims ownership of the very parcel you have a stake on” said Olago.

He said the council was just a trustee and could not sell any public land it holds and asked the PC to ensure action is taken against people who have grabbed the said land and many others while forging documents.

”Bwana PC many public buildings,including government houses have been grabbed and it is time those behind the schemes are arrested and charged for the offences. If you falsify a government document then that is forgery – a criminal offence punishable by law.”

Kisumu has of late been on the sport -light with many individual land owners, government departments and even co-operate entities losing huge chunks of land to fraud-stars believed to be working in cahoots with a section of allegedly corrupt land officers who are reportedly aiding them to alter government records which are kept under lock and key.

Currently most people who own land within the town and its environs are understood to flock the Kisumu land offices to conduct official search just to make sure their plots are still intact.

Investigations revealed the situation has moved from bad to worse and reports indicates at the moment detectives from Kisumu DCIO’s office are investigating how the fraud-stars manage to steal land behind the backs of genuine land owners before selling the illegally acquired plots to unsuspecting developers.

Last week and in relation to the alleged cases of the fraudulent sale of land that has hit the area, the CID officers picked a senior officer in the department for questioning.

A prominent lawyer based in the town who facilitated the questionable transaction on behalf f his Asian client was also picked by the detectives and recorded his statements at the Kisumu police station before he was later released.

Speaking separately over the increasing cases of land theft in the town another lawyer who confirmed he had handled several such cases from some of his clients said the cartel,most of whom operate under the name of land agents can not successfully falsify records at the land office without using an insider.

”To stop these cartels ,the police must first identify officers who help the these brokers cum agents to get access to records like green card which in most cases they change. There is no way records can tally while brokers have not access to the strong room where some of the documents are kept.”said the lawyer.

Sometime last year a one time Kisumu OCPD was thrown out of his official house by people who claimed to have bought it and wanted to use it. It was later demolished by the said owners.

A senior officer working at the department who asked not to be identified confirmed that over 20 files were being held for ear that fake title deeds could have been issued.

The officer also stated that efforts have been put in place to help nub dishonest and corrupt officers within the department who could be aiding the crooks to tamper with government records at the office.

The case which the CID is following is said to involve a piece of land allegedly under the name of an Asian working at the Format mattresses in Kisumu which was reportedly stolen and later sold to another Asian based in Nairobi.

It is also claimed that several government buildings within the city meant for civil servants have been sold in the recent past to individuals and efforts to recover them are still futile.

When he took over as the minister for Lands many expected James Agrey Orengo to clean up the ministry which was largely believed by majority Kenyans to have been tainted with corruption.

Residents of Kisumu still hope that he has not yet lost the fire and that he will finally crack the whip especially on these notorious brokers who pitch camp outside the local lands office everyday waiting for opportunities to con unsuspecting clients.

ENDS.

KENYA: BROKERS TAKES OVER ROLES OF REGISTRATION OFFICERS IN KISUMU’S BIRTHS OFFICE

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By Dickens Wasonga.

All manner of brokers have pitched camp at the civil registration offices in Kisumu east district and they are conning unsuspecting members of the public seeking to obtain birth and death certificates with impunity never witnessed before.

Like the official government staff attached to the department, the brokers report to work at the offices as early as 8.00am and remain busy both inside, at the corridors and outside the offices until 5pm – the official time government offices close.

They wake up the following day to do what they have now perfected – conning people with impunity.

And they have been at it actively since March this year when the minister for immigration Gerald Otieno Kajwan’g issued a directive requiring all children joining class one and KCPE candidates to have birth certificates.

They take strategic positions once at work. One of them, a tall dark middle aged man identified by our sources at the office as Pastor is always at hand to receive new applicants outside the offices.

During our under – cover investigations, we found him armed,as always with forms which ordinarily one would expect to get only from the government’s own staff and not a total stranger posing as a civil servant .

The others pose as clients waiting to be served while in real sense are keenly watching out for unsuspecting members of the public who wish to be ”assisted”.

Strangely the officers for hire have created confidence amongst those seeking services there to the extent that they even keep in their custody, vital documents such as original national ID cards from those who have been promised assistance.

When we visited the offices this team was shocked to see the ”officers” carry government documents like forms B3 and B4 which they were dishing out to those making applications to be issued either with the death certificates or certificate of birth.

We learned that several people who landed into the hands of these crooks lost ID cards and thousands of shillings at the same time besides wasting several months waiting for processing of documents these conmen had no ability to give them.

The crooks confidently handle clients as though they have been hired by the government to help with the exercise and to a casual observer,nothing seems to go wrong with what they offer.

Things appeared very rosy for them until last week when several people who previously dealt with them began to smell they could be dealing with conmen operating side by side by a few dishonest staff from the department who are also alleged get their cut from the brokers deals.

On Wednesday last week while waiting to be served, applicants were treated to a rare drama by an irate woman whose son had been tricked by the same conmen posing as civil registration officers.

The woman in her early Fifties had accompanied her son to the offices in March this year to help him get a birth certificate. They then began the long and painful wait. Little did they know that they had been served by brokers posing as members of staff.

When she realised she had been duped she stormed the offices and caused a serious scene.

Officially, those who seek late registration are required to pay Ksh 170 and those who do so as soon as a child is born pay Shs.50 only and a receipt must be issued.

According to officers working in the office who talked to this writer but asked not to be identified, the process should ideally take up to or about two to three weeks before one is issued a birth certificate, that is if it is for late registration.

However the young man’s case was handled strangely. When they visited the office for the first time in March this year ,the young man armed with his national ID card allegedly presented his case to the district registrar who listened and directed him and the mother to another female officer.

They claimed that It was this female officer who allegedly introduced them to one of the brokers identified only as Timothy.She allegedly described the guy as an efficient fellow who would ensure their case was handled fast and to their satisfaction.

Soon the ”officer cum broker” began making several demands in the name of trying to help because the case of the young man who is also a Form 5 student in Uganda was a complicated one.

According to the student they were forced to part with shs 3000 after they failed to raise shs 5000 that the broker had earlier demanded to speed up the process of issuing the certificate.

”But we did not get a receipt for the payment and we did not demand either to be offered one on the simple understanding that we were being assisted.moreover I desperately needed the document to help me apply for a pass port” said the boy during the interview.

After waiting for so long,the young man’s mother could not hold on any longer and on Wednesday she decided enough was enough and no more promises would stop her from telling the officers she was fed up and she caused a scene that shocked everyone present. Business at the busy office came to a near stand still although briefly.

”So many people have suffered quietly in this office but I have had enough of this frustration. Now it is time it is made public. Am ready to even ring the minister in charge of this department.Hon Kajwan’g if that will help push things here.” She shouted in front of the district officer in charge.

Independent investigations revealed that a Mr. Timothy who made away with the 3000 shillings from the mother and her desperate son has since gone underground after word went round that he was being sought over his activities at the office..

Staff from the department whom we talked to confirmed that the man had been working there as a volunteer for sometime now.

”We had a small number of staff which could not handle the influx especially when the program began although it is not clear to us how these guys got the green light to work here. it is however true that they have been here for sometime now. some of them have even learnt how to clean the registers ” one officer observed.

He alleged that when the directive was made and it was apparent that staff at the station was overwhelmed, Nairobi asked their boss to look for additional staff from the department of the national registration bureau which also falls within the ministry but it was not clear whether he made any attempt to get them.

We caught up with one of the brokers named Edwin who categorically stated he has also worked at the offices for two months now.

Edwin who had no slightest idea that our team had a video camera and that our conversation with him was was being recorded even declared himself a government staff attached at the department.

He later changed his story after this writer challenged him to show him his Job card or any document to prove he was indeed a staff there.

He claimed that himself and Timothy who disappeared after obtaining thousands of shillings from other unsuspecting clients were just helping with the work load but insisted they were allowed to do so by people who work there.

It was however clear that the minister’s directive opened up a fertile ground for con artists to swindle many Kenyans here who in their desperate efforts to comply landed into the wrong hands.

Efforts to get audience with the area district civil registrar of births and deaths were futile. When he was reached on his mobile, he said he was still busy and promised to get in touch with this writer. He did not and subsequent attempts to get his comments failed when now his cell phone was switched off.

ENDS.

KANYA: MINISTER DIRECTS KISUMU MUNICIPAL COUNCIL TO RELOCATE DUMP SITE.

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By Dickens Wasonga in Kisumu.

Kenya’s Minister for Local Government Musalia Mudavadi has ordered the municipal council of Kisumu,the country’s second largest city to stop dumping garbage near the council’s sole stadium.

Musalia who is also a deputy prime minister urged the councils town clerk Daniel Nkere and the city mayor cllr Sam Okelo to ensure all the solid waste currently chocking the stadium is removed immediately.

It now remains to be seen whether the minister’s directive will be honoured given the local authority do not have any official site yet for waste disposal even though all land within the council is held in trust by the municipal council.

Early attempts by the local authority to move the current dumping site to Mamboleo where land had been identified hit a snag after residents of the estate vehemently opposed the idea citing health risks.

Speaking at Kisumu’s Kenyatta sports grounds during the official lauching of a ten year solid waste management strategy for the municipality, the minister described the dumping site as an eye- sore which must be removed at all costs.

”The place stinks and poses a serious health risk to the residents of the neighbouring estates and even to players whenever sporting activities hosted at the venue are on” said Musalia.

The minister said the lake side city had a huge potential to be an economic hub of the east African region and challenged the city fathers to ensure it was made clean and safe to attract investors.

He said Kisumu with a population of over half a million people must now improve its infrastructure and ensure roads, provision of clean ,safe drinking water and sewerage systems were efficiently working if it expects to attract more investors.

He also observed that the post election violence in early 2008 following Kenya’s bungled presidential elections negatively impacted on the economy of the city and urged the locals to work towards creating conducive environment that will spur economic growth.

” No investor can put their money where things are in a state of disrepair. You are very vibrant and energetic but we want you to put that vibrancy and energy to activities that will bring money to this city and create jobs for the many jobless youths here” he added.

Mudavadi said close to 400 metric tonnes of solid waste is generated per day in Kisumu with Nairobi contributing 3000 tonnes of the same.

He said the problem of solid waste management was still a major challenge in most towns within the country with Nairobi being the worst hit.

”In Dandora, the case is worse with thuggery being the hall mark and we do not want this scenario to spill over to other towns in the country.”he said

He disclosed that the Kenya government through its local authorities was partnering with other development agencies including AFD through the French government to implement projects that will see solid waste management within key towns in the country improve tremendously and sustainably.

Some of the areas that will benefit from the program includes Mombasa which has already received Ksh 1b and Nakuru Shs 700m from the French Development Agency-AFD.

In the year 2002,UN-HABITAT with support from SIDA began implementing the Lake Victoria City Development Strategies [CDS] initiative for improved Urban Environment and Poverty Reduction which was aimed at mobilizing city authorities along Lake Victoria region and other stakeholders to develop a regional framework for laying out cities development strategies.

Kisumu’s vision as put out in the CDS is to become a leading transportation,communication and commercial hub in the Great Lakes Region offering great tourism and agro-investment opportunities.

The strategy highlights development challenges as identified and prioritized by the citizens of Kisumu, harmonized from a broad spectrum of stakeholder views and interests.

These includes poor solid waste collection and treatment inefficiencies, discharge of inadequately treated wastewater, blocked drains often associated with flash floods,and direct pollution of water bodies through informal practices such as car washing among others.

Today, most of the solid waste in Kisumu remains uncollected with a collection efficiency estimated at 20 per cent of the 300 tons generated daily.This is according to the UN-HABITAT.

The little that is collected is removed from the higher income areas under a scheme shared between the City council and a few private operators. Furthermore,waste transported to the dump site for disposal is not properly managed.

ENDS.

KENYA: POLICE TRAINING NOW EXTENDED TO 15 MONTHS.

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By Dickens Wasonga.

Police recruits will now go for a 15 months of intensive training at Kenya police college,Kiganjo.

This is part of the on going police reforms targeting to improve service delivery to the public.

Addressing the press at Kisumu’s police divisional headquarters,a senior assistant commissioner of police Mr. Francis Ndegwa Muhoro said the extension of the duration was identified as one of the critical areas which needed to be looked into while implementing police reforms.

The SACP said the curriculum will also be reviewed to enable officers who under- go the trainings to be more suitable in serving the public diligently and responsibly so as to meet the international set standards of policing.

In the current program, police recruits train for nine months,a scenario which has seen many Kenyans raise concern with the duration claiming graduand officers were half-baked.

In line with the reforms , a team of senior officers from the police Headquarters are currently visiting various parts of the country to carry out customer satisfaction survey on the Kenya police service delivery trend.

The three weeks survey which kicked off last week is meant to evaluate the customer satisfaction in the Kenya police service with a view of recommending remedial actions.

According to Mr. Muhoro, this is part of an effort to support the wider public sector reforms which under-scores good governance based on a transparent, accountable and performance driven civil service.

There are two sets of questionnaires which the team distributes to both members of public and police officers to fill in and give their comments on how police services have been rendered in the past and changes they would want to see included in order to make service delivery prudent.

So far the western region team which is led by Muhoro and assisted by chief inspector Rachael Munge has been to Kitale, Busia and Kakamega. From Kisumu the team moves to Kisii and Nakuru in Rift Valley province.

The survey targets two districts per province in the country and is part of the commitment that the police commissioner Mathew Iteere made when he took office from his predecessor retired major general Hussein Ali.

The government has so far began implementing some of the recommendations in the Justice Philip Ransley’s report on police reforms.The reforms targets police housing, improved terms and conditions of service including fair remuneration among others.

ENDS.

KENYA: ICC WORK IN PROSECUTING POST POLL SUSPECT MIGHT FAIL IF WITNESES ARE NOT PROTECTED.

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By Dickens Wasonga.

The International Criminal Court’s Chief Prosecutor Luois Moreno Ocampo is currently visiting Kenya to consult directly with the victims of the post poll chaos that left an estimated 1300 people dead and several others displaced.

But even as the process begins in earnest,many victims and witnesses of the 2007 election violence whose effective participation will be key to ensure justice is done are still living in fear and scores continue to hide for lack of security guarantee by the state.

A civil society group based in Nairobi,the country’s capital now want the government to ensure that key witnesses and the victims of the violence which rocked the east African country following the announcement by the Kenya’s electoral commission of president Mwai Kibaki of Party of National Unity as the winner to guarantee their safety.

According to Mr. Ndung’u Wainaina,the executive director of International center for policy conflict, scores of Kenyans will not effectively participate in the ongoing efforts to nail the perpetrators of the violence because they do not feel they are secured.

Speaking in Kisumu,one of the hot spots of post election violence,Wainaina said the fear has been made worse due to the fact that many of those who masterminded the killings are still in key government positions.

The director said that about 95 per cent of those who died in western province,Nyanza and the coastal region of the country were killed by the security forces mainly from the police.

”We have reports that some police officers from these regions have been keeping track with the victims and their relatives with a view to intimidate them and ensure they do not speak out on the killings.”said Wainaina.

He made the remarks during a public meeting with victims of police brutality in Kisumu which was organized by the Citizen Against Violence Organization, a None Governmental Organization working in the province.

Several victims who suffered in the hands of a brutal police force gave moving testimonies of what befell them and how they have been desperately trying to access medication since then.

Four victims from the sprawling slums of Kisumu still had the bullets lodged in their bodies almost three years after the chaos and still need medication to ease the pain they are living with at the moment.

The chairman of Nyanza Youth Coalition Mr. Joshua Nyamori accused the political leaders for failing to take responsibility adding they have abandoned their voters who lost their love one on a power struggle related violence.

Nyamori said it was sad to see many of the victims mainly from Nyanza ignored by the government w2hile those who were affected from other regions have already been assisted.

”Some of the survivors continue to struggle to raise funds to foot medical bills without any help at all from the government.These are poor Kenyans who can barely afford to feed themselves daily leave alone the huge bills.” he said.

ENDS.

Kenya: OFFICER VICTIMISED BY SENIORS OVER EXPOSE.

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From: Dickens Wasonga

By Our Reporter.

An Administration police corporal who was recently evicted from a Kisumu AP line to create room for one of his bosses in the rank of an inspector to occupy his house, has allegedly been charged within the force laws.

The officer ,according to his colleagues, was summoned immediately the story was carried by this weekly newspaper and faced a panel constituted specifically to try him over what his seniors described as a show of indiscipline and in-subordination to the top cops.

His colleagues who spoke to this writer registered their disappointment with the manner in which the senior officers have handled the matter involving their junior comrade.

Shocked by the action taken against the corporal,the APs wondered why an officer could be disciplined over claims that he disobeyed instructions from his seniors and that he failed to move out of the house he has all the right to occupy.

The disappointed junior officers insisted that their colleague was treated unfairly and victimized because of the story adding that an officer of the rank of an inspector should not be allowed to reside within the lines.

”Our bosses are not denying the fact that the said inspectors are living in the lines meant for junior officers but have strangely decided to lock out the officers out of what is rightfully withing their rights.Instead of admitting that indeed there was a mistake, and see how to correct it,they have made it worse by taking action against the very officer who is aggrieved.This simply does not make sense”. said the officer.

While doing a follow up of the story,a senior DO attached to Kisumu East district said he was not aware of any disciplinary action taken against the corporal but tried to explain that the eight inspectors moved in to occupy the houses at the lines during the post election skirmishes.

”They moved in because some police officers living within the estates in the town were being targeted at the height of the post poll chaos but the stay was supposed to temporary.I do not really understand why they have not yet moved out of the lines because there is no violence now” said the DO.

Before the story was ran by this weekly newspaper,the Nyanza AP boss confirmed that it was true he had received a phone call from the officer who was allegedly being thrown out of the house and he promised to ensure the inspectors do not continue to occupy the houses.

During the alleged eviction which was led by senior administration police officers from Kisumu East district headquarters,the corporal’s household goods were allegedly rained on.

Ordinarily one would expect that the senior officers would face facts and move out honorably from the AP line because they receive allowances that enables them to rent houses outside the lines.

But contrary to that expectation,a decision was allegedly reached where the panelists, composed by two chief inspectors acting as prosecuting witnesses, found the aggrieved officer guilty of two counts.

He was allegedly accused of being indiscipline and in subordination,charges that have now reportedly been entered in his official file.

According to those who are well versed with the police procedures,these kind of charges goes along way to destroy the reputation of the officers serving in the force and can stop them from consideration for future promotions.

Emerging details indicated that one of the senior officers who had been moved to Kadibo division had since vacated the AP line houses following our story in the last weeks edition.

However others who were also said to be residing at the lines were yet to move out even though it was now very clear that their continued stay within the lines is unacceptable and was causing discontent.

Our story highlighted the housing problem facing junior AP officers living within Shauri-moyo and the Railway lines in Kisumu.

The officers were reportedly forced to share single rooms even where an officer is married and have children thereby compromising privacy.

ENDS.

Kenya: ABORTION GOES ON WITH IMPUNITY IN A KISUMU HOSPITAL AS DEBATE RAGES OVER THE PRACTICE.

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Sent by Dickens Wasonga

By Investigative writer.

As the debate rages on over abortion through-out the country ahead of the national referendum, one private hospital in Kisumu seems to have buried its head in the sand and appears the least bothered by the most discussed practice.

Situated right next to the Nyanza provincial general hospital in Kisumu,the facility which receives huge funding from various international non-governmental organizations [NGOs] has allegedly cut itself a special place on matters abortion.

Amongst its many clients are the married women who stray out of their matrimonial beds and ends up with unwanted pregnancies.

Other potential clients for this ”hospital of death” are young school girls, university and college students seeking to get rid of the pregnancies that either threatens to derail their studies or for fear of being reprimanded by the parents.

While most women have been assisted to procure abortion successfully at the facility in the past, others have also lost their lives as a result and many residents of this province have now failed to comprehend why the authorities have chosen to watch as innocent lives are lost.

It is not that the on-going practice at the facility is any secret. The facility is widely known within the province to conduct this illegal act and it is no longer news to hear that yet another woman has died at the hospital while trying to abort.

Surprisingly, these cases even when reported are never dealt with accordingly by the relevant institutions.

In fact many people from this region now believe that the hospital which also have several branches spread all over major towns in the country is licensed to procure abortion.

After several reports of alleged deaths resulting from the practice at the hospital which invokes more fears than hope to the locals, this writer decided to carry out investigations while under cover.

After three weeks of intensive search for a lady willing to carry out the act, this journalist in the company of another man disguised as a relative paid a visit to the facility and sought to be ”assisted”.

And strange as it might sound, the group of three experienced no difficulty at all while trying to get the abortion services from these over-zealous health providers working at the private hospital.

It took this team a record ten minutes to reach and negotiate with one of the clinicians on the terms and conditions of service they sought to receive.

They were required,for example to pay a consultation fees of Ksh.500 and they were issued with a reciept .

With that they were allowed to see the clinician who would listen to their case and offer the service.

They were ushered in and after about five minutes of negotiation the under cover team agreed to pay Ksh.6000 and the process began.

They were cautioned against mentioning or discussing the procedure to anybody less they put the facility into problem with the authorities,they claimed.

The clinician was also not keen to even disclose his name and could not allow the ”clients” to know his designation at the hospital.

They were only assured that all will be well but in case of any eventuality they can always visit the facility to seek redress.

After just 15 minutes of waiting,the lady had successfully aborted and instantly became a statistic of the ever growing number of women seeking such services there.

With that this writer and his side-kick confirmed what many have raised concern about in the past and wondered why it appear so difficult for the relevant authorities to act to end this life threatening practise which is so rampant not only at this facility but also in most government hospitals countrywide.

ENDS

Kenyta: PRESIDENT KIBAKI’S NYANZA VISIT BRINGS SEMBLENCE OF ORDER IN THE USUAL CHAOTIC STREETS OF KISUMU.

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By Dickens Wasonga in Kisumu.

President Emilio Mwai Kibaki was in Nyanza province to attend the burial, in Bondo of renowned politician and former cabinet minister Dr.William Odongo Omamo-aka ”Kaliech” but several kilometers away in Kisumu his presence was largely being felt.

To begin with, the streets of Kisumu,always chocking with hawkers and and the rowdy boda boda cyclists were extra-ordinarily clean on Saturday.

Even the rowdy matatus operators and the mortocyclists known for picking up passengers and dropping them anyhow and without any regard to traffic rules kept off the habit.

The streets of the lake side city which are always littered with all manner of wastes,and at times with over- flowing sewage, also got a brake.

All this efforts were put in place by the authorities in the town so that the head of state and his distinguished guests do not see the filth that the residents of ”Odhus” have had to brave almost everyday.

National Flags,very clean and new, dotted strategic locations within Kisumu’s Central Business District and went along way to boost the daylong cleanliness that the city received in honour of his excellency’s visit to the region.

On a typical day in this town,people going about their daily chores have had to negotiate albeit skillfully their way amongst the many traders who display their wares openly on the pavements and on the side- walks meant for the pedestrians.

For those driving private cars,the matter can prove quite a challenge. Tuk tuks park any- where and for those who usually drop to do a quick shopping on their way home,especially at the Nakumatt Mega plaza,these taxis become a real nuisance.

But all this was conspicuously absent all because the two principals were somewhere within the province and nothing could be allowed to go wrong.

What the town witnessed on Saturday was such a big blessing even for the wholesalers especially those operating along the busy Oginga Odinga street who recorded booming sales in the absence of the hawkers.

The one million dollar question now in the minds of many residents of this city is-must it take a visit by a top government official for the authorities to act or for them to bring order into the works?

Why should the authorities,especially the municipal council wait until a president or a prime minister come all the way from Nairobi for them to clean the streets,clear it of hawkers and only to reverts back to the usual chaotic scenes once the honorable guests leave town?

And in most cases,one doubts whether these prominent personalities really notice that a lot is done to bring sanity in places they visit whenever they make such visits?

In fact the president and his entourage hardly used the streets that the local authorities within the town were at pains to make smart a head of his visit.

Many Kisumu residents for example only heard from other passersby that the president and those accompanying him to Bondo,the rural home the late Dr. Omamo had actually gone by.

If it must take a visit by our high flying individuals to push the authorities to bring services to the people, then things must be terribly wrong within our systems.

But for the city residents and the business community,the president Kibaki’s decision to go to Kapiyo,in Bondo to pay his last respect to the fallen ”Kaliech” was such a huge blessing. They now look forward to frequent visits by the head of state.

ENDS.

KENYA: STRANGE CAMPAIGN STRATEGIES HIT NYANZA AS REFERENDUM DAYS DRAW CLOSER.

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By Dickens Wasonga.

As the clock ticks fast towards the national referendum on the country’s proposed constitution, leaders from various groupings especially in Nyanza province have adopted very strange strategies to boost the YES camp.

Only a week ago Kenyans were baffled by a story from Migori district which appeared in a section of the local print media attributed to a church minister who declared he would hence forth deny members of his church holy communion unless they register as voters ahead of the referendum to be held sometime in July this year.

The clergy, according to the media reports had asked all the members of his church to carry their voters card and produce the same before being considered for the holy communion.

That statement alone made the man of cloth an instant public figure with several media houses, both print and electronic sending their crew to conduct interviews at his rural home, including the BBC.

But that now appears not to have been the last of such strange declarations so far made by a cross section of leaders as the campaigns for and against the draft constitution hots up in the region that is largely expected to support the proposed constitution to the last man.

The head of the Holy Ghost Coptic church of Africa Rev.father John Pesa 1 stunned members of the press when he declared on Wednesday that any of his priests who would reject the draft or ask their congregation to vote against the document would be excommunicated from the church.

The controversial prelate had just declared his support for the proposed constitution and asked members of his church to follow suit or meet his wrath because to him, YES was the preferred position of his church and nobody should take a different stand.

And he immediately took the opportunity to lash out at his long time friend,former president Daniel Arap Moi who has been campaigning against the document.

Father Pesa said Moi risked losing the respect he earned over the years as a statesman by going against the wish of many Kenyans whom he said have waited for several years to get a new constitution and asked him to stop misleading the country.

And as we came to realise, the strange going-ons are not only unique to the church and its leadership.The same was now being adopted in other spheres of life too.

Within the same Migori town, matatu operators and boda-boda cyclists who do not have the voting cards are beginning to find it more difficult to get clients who demand to see the cards before being served.

According to the national chairman of the Kenya Correspondents Association [KCA] Mr. Oloo Janak, even shop shopkeepers and other small scale traders in the town now must produce to their customers a proof to show they have registered as voters.”They must dangle the cards in order to sell”said Janak.

Janak who also cordinates the activities of the Migori clan, an NGO conducting civic education in the area said several people have since registered as a result of the strategy albeit grudgingly.

”This is how serious this issue has become to the people around here. I think even though the strategy may not be acceptable to all,it has indeed scaled up the registration process in this area.”said Janak

Interim Independent electoral Commission which is charged with the voter registration exercise is targeting to register some 10 million Kenyans and have so far registered close to 8 million people countrywide.

The commission which is chaired by Hassan Isaac Ahmed has also rolled out civic education through out the country to scale up the voter registration exercise.

ENDS.

KENYA: CHURCH LEADERS FROM WESTERN KENYA ASK FOLLOWERS TO MAKE OWN CHOICE OVER DRAFT.

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BY Dickens Wasonga

Church leaders drawn from various independent churches in Nyanza and Western province are now asking their christian followers to read the proposed constitution and vote according to their own wisdom.

Speaking to the press in Kisumu led by the chairman of the Kisumu pastors network Bishop Zephania Ouma Orao said the demand for the removal of the contentious Kadhis courts and the abortion clause has been overtaken by events and urged the NCCK to drop it.

The leaders said it was now time for the church in Kenya to begin to ask its flock to compare what is their preferred choice between the current constitution and the proposed draft.

“This demand for the removl of the Kadhis courts and the amendments on abortion clause has been overtaken by events.time to advocate for the amendment of the draft is over,its time to compare the current constitution and then go for the one which is better.” said Bishop Orao.

He said the church leadership is reminded that in a time like this they need to sound alarm to relevant organs of the state which it has done but not to be seen to be having competing interest with politicians.

The clerics added that the members of congregation were very knowledgeable and are capable of making their own informed choices and proposed that they be given the liberty to do so without being persuaded.

“We ask that there be a countrywide unbiased civic education so that every person be given opportunity to make informed decisions.”