From: Judy Miriga

Good People,

Diaspora exlusion from voting is denying constitutional rights and it is unacceptable. We hope our voices shall be heard.

However, all is well that ends well and we shall not close our eyes for justice because where there is peace, we shall find ways to move forward united at peace with each other.

Keep your hopes high that all shall be well with our constitutional rights.

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

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12 die in attack by Mombasa militiamen

By Cyrus Ombati

Mombasa; Kenya: Twelve people including six police officers were on Sunday night killed in ambush in Mombasa and Kilifi Counties hours before voting began Monday in Kenya.

Police immediately declared the attack was staged by the Mombasa Republican Council followers. Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo who flew to Mombasa on Monday morning said they are holding two members of MRC for interrogation.

In Garissa, two people were Sunday night killed in an attack by unknown assailants, bringing the death toll of the killed in the election related violence to 14.

Kimaiyo said 400 extra police officers were flown to Mombasa to beef up security and issued with orders not to fear to use force.

“The police officers are directed to use their firearms as provided in law and ensure that no further loss of lives of police officers and civilians is experienced,” said Kimaiyo.

He said the motive of the attack by the group was to disrupt voting as part of their complaints of marginalisation and historical injustices.

Kimaiyo was accompanied by his deputies Grace Kaindi and Samuel Arachi and head of CID Francis Muhoro when he addressed the media in his office in Nairobi.

He revealed police had intelligence of the planned attack but were ambushed on the way as they patrolled the area.

He said police had been informed the attack was to take place in Likoni and responded by clearing a roadblock that had been erected.

At about 11 pm on Sunday, police officers from Changamwe police station were informed over 200 people believed to be MRC members armed with rifles, bows and arrows were heading to attack police station around Miritini area.

“The officers fell into ambush of over 200 attackers who were placed on both sides of the road. The officers were overpowered and during the incident some of them were murdered. Two of the attackers were killed there and two arrested,” he said.

The police boss said the Chumani area in Kilifi, another group of attackers believed to be MRC members attacked police killing one near a chief’s camp.

Among the officers killed is the Changamwe OCPD Awuor Otieno, his OCS and junior officers who were accompanying them.

MRC has been agitating for various reforms among them land and called for investigations into what they term as historical injustices.

Kimaiyo said an explosion occurred in Garisa at Anti-Shifta Administration Police Camp. Two other people were killed in an attack in the town. The two include a staff of Kenya Red Cross stationed in Dadaab and an employee of public works.

Another explosion occurred near a polling centre in Mandera on Monday morning but no injury was reported. Voting went on but under tight security.

In Mathare slums in Nairobi, a man was killed in a fire that flattened 16 structures. Kimaiyo said preliminary findings show the fire was started by an electric fault.

In Shinyalu constituency, Western province, a vehicle belonging to former area MP Justus Kizito was burnt down by the public who accused him of voter malpractice. Kimaiyo said they are investigating the incident.

The police boss said they are so far impressed by the voter turn out and urged those who have not voted to go and do so.

“None should be threatened. Police are committed to put their lives on line to ensure they are safe.”

He said they would provide security in all areas to ensure voting goes on peacefully.

Gunmen kill State official in Garissa
Updated Monday, March 04 2013 at 00:00 GMT+3

By Cyrus Ombati
Garissa, Kenya: One person has been killed and another one seriously injured by gunmen in Garissa Town.

The attack occured along Ngamia Road on Sunday evening. The deceased was a government official attached to Ministry of Public Works in the town while the injured one is a nurse in Dadaab.

Police say the attackers had been trailing the victims before shooting them at point blank killing one on the spot and seriously wounding the other.

Several security agents have been deployed in the northern town ahead of Monday’s polls to avert any possible terror attack.

“We are conteted with the deployment of security officers in the area to ensure safe election period”, said Garissa PPO Charlton Mureithi.

Mureithi said no arrests have been made adding that police were pursuing the assailants.

The town has suffered several grenade and gun attacks since Kenyan troops crossed to Somalia to pursue Al shabaab militia.

Bett asks IEBC to extend voting to Tuesday

By Karanja Njoroge

Nakuru, Kenya: Orange Democratic Movement ( ODM) National Elections Board Chairman Franklin Bett has called on the IEBC to extend the voting exercise to Tuesday to compensate for the delay in the opening of most polling stations countrywide.

Bett said the IEBC should use its powers to have the voting extended to Tuesday to enable voters who were unable to cast their votes to do so.

“The polling stations opened late and the IEBC should extend the exercise to tomorrow (Tuesday) to compensate for the hours wasted,” Bett said during a press conference in Nakuru on Monday.

Bett also said the polls body owes Kenyans an explanation on why voter verification machines had malfunctioned in most parts of the country.

He said IEBC should tell Kenyans whether failure to use the machines will achieve the same results during voting.

“We have already been informed that some names are missing from the manual register and are concerned that the manual voting will achieve the same results intended with the use of the BVR machines,” he added.

He claimed some of the CORD alliance agents had been denied entry into some polling stations without any explanation.

Bett also claimed that some individuals had been allowed to leave the polling stations without being marked with indelible ink leaving room for double voting.

“In one of the stations in Nakuru one of our agents noticed that a person had left the station without the indelible mark,” said the Roads Minister.

At the same time the CORD alliance condemned the killing of police officers by suspected Mombasa Republican Council followers at the Coast.

“We condemn in the strongest terms possible the heinous and primitive attack, “Bett said.

He said security forces should be more alert to avoid such incidents and use information from the National Security Intelligence Service (NSIS) to pre- empt the attacks.

Muite unhappy with voting hitches

By Felix Olick

Kenya: Presidential candidate Paul Muite has challenged the IEBC to tell Kenyans why voter identification kits are not working in some regions.

Muite acknowleged hitches are bound to occur in such a new system but insisted that voters have a right to be informed of the affected areas and the steps being taken to correct the anomalies.

âThe electoral commmision has to tell Kenyans why the kits are not working, which regions they have failed to work and the steps being taken to correct this anomaly this would help eliminate suspisions,â he said.

Muite was speaking after casting his vote at kikuyu township primary school polling centre where he was accompanied by his wife.

He said Kenyans spent a whopping sh9 billion to aquire the modern kits to eliminate the âunfortunateâ incident in the last general election.

He commended Kenyans for turning out in large numbers and urged them to remain peaceful.

IEBC admits to voter verification challenge

By David Ohito

Nairobi: Kenya: The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has acknowledged it is facing challenges with the voting process in many polling stations countrywide.

The IEBC has asked Kenyans not to be discouraged by the hitches and to remain calm as they are resolved.

Chairman Issack Hassan issued a statement on the challenges from the Bomas of Kenya national tallying centre.

Hassan admitted to delays in start of voting, hitches in voter identification and mix-ups in voting material among other hiccups in some of the 34,000 polling stations nationwide.

Delays in opening of polling stations will be made up later in the day, he told journalists. Printed registers will be used instead of the electronic poll-book after failures in electronic voter identification using fingerprint readers and biometric voting machines. The registers to be used in manual verification have voter photos.

A mix up in voting materials means elections in four County Assembly wards have to be delayed until March 11. The affected areas are in Kuria, Bunyala and Gwassi.

IEBC officials have also been faced with a huge number of voters queuing as the voting process slowly got underway. Isolated cases of violence of have also been reported in Shinyalu in Kakamega County where a vehicle belonging to an outgoing MP was allegedly torched.

In Mombasa, reports of an attack on police officers by alleged members of the Mombasa Republican council left four officers killed. In Mandera, an explosive went off at a polling station but no injuries were reported and police later beefed up security as voting continued proceeded.

Safina’s Ochuodho barred from voting
By Digital Reporter

Safina party presidential running mate Dr Shem Ochuodho got a rude shock when electoral officials barred him from voting on grounds that he registered as a voter in Kampala, Uganda.

By 4.45pm, only fifteen minutes before closing of polling stations, Mr Ochuodho was still consulting with IEBC officials to allow him cast his ballot.

Ochuodho said his case was unique because his name is in the register but there is no polling station in Kampala making it difficult for him to vote.

âWe are still consulting on this matter but we hope I will be given a chance to cast my ballot. Mine is a unique case,â he said in telephone interview.

The former Rangwe MP argued that President Kibaki registered as a voter at Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi yet he voted in Othaya constituency and he should not be discriminated against.

By the time if filing this reports Ochuodho was still consulting with poll officers over the fate of his vote.

Safina’s presidential candidate Paula Muite cast his vote earlier in Kikuyu Constituency.

12 County Assembly representatives unopposed
By Peter Opiyo

Kenya: Twelve Candidates would soon be declared elected after they went in unopposed as County Assembly representatives.

CORD Presidential Candidate and Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s ODM and Jubilee’s running mate William Ruto’s URP each clinched five positions in this category while Jubilee’s Presidential candidate and Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta’s TNA has two slots.

Those elected unopposed in Mandera county include Emoi Hassan (URP, Banissa ward), Hassan Abdulla (Guba ward, TNA), Mohammed Shabure (Kiliwehiri ward, URP), Ibrahim Ahmed (Wargadad ward, URP) and Wariyo Ibrahim (Shimbir Fatuma ward, URP).

The ODM candidates who have been elected unopposed include Sylvester Madialo (Usonga ward, Siaya county), Joseph Osano (Chemelil ward, Kisumu county), Michael Ooro (Rusinga Island, Homa Bay county), Ronald Asiga (Wasimbete ward, Migori county) and Michael Osongo (Central Kanyamkago, Migori county).

Others are TNA’s John Njenga (Karai ward, Kiambu County) and URP’s Joseph Koech (Kipsomba ward, Uasin Gishu County.

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Isaack Hassan said the names of these candidates would soon be gazetted as elected members of the respective County Assembly wards representatives.

“There are cases of candidates whose candidature were unopposed. This will be pronounced and the names gazetted in due course,” said Mr Hassan.