MIGORI POLICE EARNS PRAISE BY THE PUBLIC ON WAR AGAINST ARMED THUGS

accurately pointing to the direction an routes the gangsters had followed, the police vigorously pursued the armed gangsters into Rongo District about 30 km away from the scene of crime.

And at about 2 pm the police caught up with the gangsters near Uriri Trading Center. Sensing that the police were in hard pursuit, the gang branched off Migori-Awendo highway and followed an access road used by Sony Sugar for transportation of sugar cane. But within minutes the police caught up with the gang in the sugar plantation. The police opened fire crippling the car. Some of the deceased were shot while still seated in the car while others who were successful jumped and were about to flee the scene, but it was too late. Brave policemen pursued the gangsters on foot who some home. A heated exchange of fire followed.

A member of the gang who had tainted death was later seen on his feet fleeing the crippled vehicle and escaped inside sugarcane.

Members of the public received the news of this killing with jubilation. Migori Police Station was jumped to capacity by members of the public who gathered there to have a glimpse of slain gangsters.

Police dispelled the rumour that two of the gunned down gangsters were members of the police force and one was an AP while the other was a regular policeman from Rongo Districvt. By Thursday none of the gangsters would be positively identified.

The as they fled the town, the gangsters shot dead one elderly man who was standing by the roadside and this enraged members of the public who blocked the gang escaping route on the Migori Bridge and they braved the sound of gun burst and pelted the thugs with stone forcing to quickly change the escape route. Instead of driving toward the Tanzania border the gang followed a marrum road toward Nyasare on their way to Awendo.

The police recovered one loaded AK47 automatic rifle with 18 rounds of live ammunitions and a toy pistol were found with the slain thugs.

The incident involving the shoot out exchange of fire had left the residents of the densely populated Rombe -Uriri villages in Kanyamkago Central location, Uriri Division of Rongo District traumatized. Some women who heard the intensive bursts of gun fire which lasted nearly 3o minutes are still hiding inside the sugar cane plantations long time after the police had removed the bodies of the gangsters and took them to Migori District hospital morgue.

Migori, one of the busiest border towns, is believed to have been invaded by many gun totting thugs in recent past. There are numerous cases of robberies with violence. The most vulnerable are the country buses destined to the town from Nairobi. On many occasions, these buses have come under attacks, particularly those ferrying passengers at night.

The most dangerous spots are the main Kisii-Migori road, which winds up at Sirare border past town on the Kenya – Tanzania border. Thugs from Tanzania are also reported to be working in cohort with their local agents in planning series spates of robberies in Migori.

Taxi drivers operating brand new vehicles are known to have lost their lives cars to the gun totting thugs.

Residents of Migori and its environment are happy with the quick action by the police led by Gerald Baraza and hoped the police vigilance would continue until all undesirable criminal elements are eliminated.

Residents say there are too many illegal guns currently in the hands of people of suspicious character. Some of the guns were used during the post-election violence that gripped Kenya in January-February this year following presidential elections. The residents say such guns were openly displayed by thugs in public places with impunity.

Other reports say scores of people being killed and their bodies dumped in the rivers are
in increase in the area. It is very unsafe for lonely motorists to drive out or into Migori
town after 7 pm in the evening and even inside the town itself after dark.he town has
also experienced a big influx of street into the muggers town .

A few level minded residents have also painted the bad picture and habit of by a section of residents who have formed the bad habit of throwing stones at the police whenever they are conducting high risk operation or chasing escaping dangerous criminals.

The shooting to death of an onlooker this week by the fleeing robbers would serve as a deterrent warning to the public to keep away from both operations of the police and not to risk their lives moving close to armed thugs.

End
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

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THE PEOPLE OF KANO PLAINS PLANS TO BUY MIWANI SUGAR COMPANY FARM BACK AS IT WAS THEIR ANCESTRAL LAND.

By Leo Odera Omolo.

THE controversy involving the future status of the Miwani Sugar Company has taken a new political dimension with the residents of Kano plains now demanding that their ancestral land should revert to its original owners.

They vowed to raise money for the purpose of buying the firm altogether with its assets intact.

The land in dispute is the 10,000 nucleus estate farm owned by the run down Miwani Sugar Mills, which is currently under the official receivership together with the neighbouring Muhoroni Sugar Mills Ltd.

A meeting of stakeholders was recently held at the Ahero Multipurpose Centre which brought together all the elite within the Jokano sub-clans who deliberated and brainstormed together to decide on the fate of Miwani Sugar farm.

It was unanimously resolved that a private company with the limited liabilitys be established and charged with the task of bidding for the purchase of the Miwani Sugar Company from its current owners, the government of Kenya. And that the new company after its inception and registration within the office of the registrar of Companies would be open to all shareholders and investors either locals or foreuign..

The meeting was held under the auspices of the Riwruok Dongruok Jokano Manyien (RIDOKAM) whose chairman is Mzee Walter Kitoto Adera chaired the crucial meeting.

In an electrifying speech narrating how an attempt was made recently by a cabal of wealthy Asians businessmen and farmers to acquire the company’s prime land fraudulently was only thwarted after long and grueling legal tussles through the court.

At the Ahero meeting, former Commissioner of Police was appointed Mr. Philemon Abong’o to chair six men committee which will look into legal issues and financial status of Miwani Sugar Company.

This committee was also charged with the responsibility of drafting the article of association of the new Company and has it registered as soon as possible. It will also conduct a thorough search for all relevant information regarding the current financial status of the Company since it was placed under the joint official receivership and report back at a future meeting.

Several names were suggested for the new Company and will be forwarded for a search at the office of the registrar of Companies and the one picked by the registrar will be registered as a new commercial and land buying Company.

The meeting was opened with prayers conducted by Archbishop Silas Owiti of the Salvation and Healing Church who had the gathering that history will judge the current generation of the Kano sub-clans if they fail to raise sufficient money and buy Miwani Sugar Company which stands on an ancestral land.

The meeting heard that Miwani, one of the oldest white Sugar manufacturing owed its creditors between Kshs. 7 and 10 billion. And the group want these figures verified by a team of competent accountants before making a bid for the company.

Miwani was established by a white Australian Settler farmer in 1922 and it has since changed hands to various companies, the last being Venessa, a Company which is associated with the controversial Kenyan Business magnet Mr. Katar Somaia who had acquired 51 per cent shares with the government of Kenya retaining 49 per cent.

Somaia had placed the company under hired local management consisting of a cartel of wealthy Asians under Chanan Agricultural Contractors (CAC) in whose hand the company went burst and was placed under what the then agricultural Minister Chris M. Obure described as protective official receivership for 90 days.

The receivership was meant to reorganize the company’s finances and write its books of accounts. But the receivership has since lasted for close to 10 years eventually leading to the closing down of its mills.

Members of the Abong’o committee are consisting of a group of six top brass intellectuals and two prominent lawyers, former administration and professional accountants.

Miwani nucleus farm had recently featured prominently in legal tussle in Kisumu High Court after the joint official receivers of Eng. Martin Owiti and Mr. K. Bett discovered that its 10,000 acres nucleus estate farm had been allegedly fraudulently auctioned last December and the title deed issued to a new buyer.

The whistle blower was the finance Assistant Minister Dr. Oburu Oginga who stunned the nation when he revealed that the 10,000 acres nucleus estate was auctioned secretly at a throw away peanut price of Kshs. 28 million following a court case filed in 1993 against its former owners.

But the plaintiff whose name was given as Mr. Nagendra Saxena remained a mystery and phantom. The plaintiff had claimed, according to court documents that he had rendered consultative services to the former owners of Miwani Sugar Company in 1987. The services were worth USD 400,000.

A Kisumu high Court Judge Justice John Mwera after hearing the argument advanced by lawyers for both parties had annulled the alleged sale by auction, but allowed the plaintiff the right to appeal within specific dates. The judge had also ruled the Miwani Sugar Company and all its assets revert to the former status.

The plaintiff later came back to the court to apply for the stay of execution, but this was again turned down and not granted on July 28th, 2008.

Now the Kano people who claim that the land on which Miwani Sugar Company stands on belonged to their ancestors. The land, they said was seized at gun point by the settler dominated colonial government which in turn handed the land to the former white settler on 99 year lease, This lease has since, expired. And the Kano people now want their land back, if the government has failed to get a potential or a credible and investors to privatize the company.

Members of the Abong’o team consistn of Mr. Stephen. Ogawa a former chairman of Nyando County Council, Mr. Jack Ranguma, a former Deputy Commissioner of KRA, and also former official receivers of Miwani and Muhoroni Sugar Companies, Mr.Mbache of Mbache Advocates Company in Nairobi and another lawyer, Mr. Samuel Onyango, Mr. Austin Odiko a former senior civil servant.

The group also resolved that it will welcome any private investors willing to join them in partnership either foreign or locals.

End.
Leooderaomoloyahoo.com

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Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 07:02:14 -0700 (PDT)
From: Leo Odera Omolo
Subject: MIGORI POLICE WAR ON THUGS PRAISED; KANO PLAINS PEOPLE TO BUY BACK MIWANI SUGAR COMPANY FARM;