Blog - Page 38 of 56 - Kenya Monitor

People with disabilities in Nakuru want security during public participation forums

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06/06/2015

A man with disability attends the 2015 Madaraka Day celebrations at the Afraha Stadium in Nakuru. PWD’s want adequate representation during public participation forums (Photo/Kioko).

People living with disability in Nakuru County (PWD’s) want the budget committee in the county to ensure there is tight security during public participation forums.

There call is a response to chaos that erupted on Thursday during a forum that was meant to discuss budget in the county that was held in Nakuru’s Old Town Hall. The forum was targeting residents from Nakuru Town East and Nakuru Town West Constituencies.

However as the forum was kicking off a group of youth stormed in and disrupted it. The youth who are believed to be from Rhonda Ward in Nakuru Town West were led to the forum by the area Member of County Assembly John Macharia and they wanted to endorse their own budget estimates which had not been considered in earlier estimates.

The youth kept on shouting down every speaker who did not seem to support their move of endorsing their estimates, bringing the meeting to a standstill for close to one hour.

Such a scenario the PWD’s feel can be dangerous to them and now they want measures put in place to ensure their safety every time there is a public forum.

“We feared for our lives because when chaos erupted we were not in a position to defend ourselves and neither could we run for our lives,”

Steve Gatukia a representative of PWD’s who was attending the forum told Kenya Monitor.

Gatukia wondered why the forum had turned chaotic yet such events are not political. He condemned the MCA who was being linked to the unfortunate turn of events at the forum. He was also unhappy with the County Assembly Budget Committee as they had not issued enough copies of the budget and only had the Chairman Moses Ndung’u reading it to the residents.

“Kenyans are entitled to contribute to matters affecting them without manipulation and thereby we did not expect to be called to a forum in which the chairman is reading to us the budget instead of issuing each of us a copy which will aid in pinpointing matters affecting the common mwananchi,” he lamented.

Apart from providing security during public participation forums Gatukia urged that there should be a sign language interpreter in every forum to cater for people with hearing impairment.

“There is need to incorporate this group in decision making because we are also entitled to rights and privileges like other Kenyans and this can be achieved through the provision of devices which will enable us to make contributions on issues affecting our daily lives.”

Public participation forums are platforms through which residents of an area are given an opportunity to give input on the different issues touching on their welfare. Such can include projects being implemented in the region, the budget estimates for such projects and the implementation process as a whole.

It is provided for in the Constitution including in the County Government Act (2013). According to the Act one of the principles of Public Participation is

“timely access to information, data, documents, and other information relevant or related to policy formulation and implementation.”

In addition the Act seeks to

“protect and promote the interest and rights of minorities, marginalized groups and communities and their access to relevant information.”

However despite such legislative provisions, public participation forums have always been characterized by chaotic scenes such as the one witnessed in the Nakuru event.

Mwangi Muraya a Nakuru Human Rights Defender said it is important to involve PWD’s in public participation forums.

“They are Kenyans like all of us, they have needs which no one else can express better than them and the constitution aims at providing equity to all of us.”

By Lorna Abuga.

Finally dongo kundu bypass construction starts

Nguru

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05/06/2015

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Photo courtesy of www.standardmedia.co.ke

As Kenya prepares to launch its logistics and industrial hub in Mombasa, the much anticipated construction of the Sh25 billion Dongu Kundu bypass is currently underway after the government handed over the site to the contractor a month ago. Dongo Kundu is a strategic location in which the government plans to create an economic engine and a regional production hub through the infrastructural change.

The Dongo Kundu bypass, also known as the Mombasa city southern bypass, is a proposed road and bridge project that will connect Mombasa Mainland (South and West) without entering Mombasa Island. Dongo Kundu Bypass is a proposed road that will connect Mombasa Mainland without entering Mombasa Island.

County commissioner Nelson Marwa said that the contractor, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, have already began preparing the site for the imminent construction. He also stated that the contractor made plans to work on the first 10kms of the Miritini to Kipevu road that will provide a link for the Nairobi-Mombasa highway all the way to the port. The bypass will decongest the coastal city by establishing an alternative route to the Likoni channel.

Residents from various parts of Mombasa are excited as this project will directly or indirectly affect about 600,000 people in Mombasa, Likoni, Changamwe and Ukunda.

Khatib who lives in Likoni hopes that the road will ease vehicle congestion at the port and hopes ferry users will have an easier time crossing the channel once the numbers ease. Mwandawiro of Changamwe mulls the economic opportunities that will arise once the road is built. He reckons it will spur development and ease movement around Changamwe area which suffers chronic traffic jams.

Joseph, a tour operator in Diani says

“Even though business is low right now, the road will revive South Coast Tourism as people coming from the airport will not experience any delays coming to Diani. Also it will make it easier for a person driving down from Nairobi to drive express to South Coast for their holiday. For us tour operators, Safari to Tsavo and Amboseli will be easier as we can bypass Likoni and join the Highway directly.”

Japan International Cooperation Agency will fund the first phase and it is estimated at a cost of Sh11 billion. The construction plan will create job employment opportunities to the people of the region.

This development comes just weeks after African Development Bank signed a sh10.4 billion loan agreement with the National Treasury to finance a dual carriageway from Mombasa Island to Mariakani. In addition, Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) has solidified plans for the construction of the 2nd Nyali bridge that will give Mombasa infrastructure a massive boost.

The Law and Internet in Kenya Workshop goes to Nyeri Town

Njeri Wangari

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04/06/2015

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Following the success of this workshop in Nairobi and Kisumu, We are happy to inform all residents of Nyeri that we will be having this training workshop on the ‘The Law and Internet in Kenya’ on 13th June 2015. The workshop will take place at Batian hotel in Nyeri Town along Gakere Road, next to the Kamukunji stadium.

Entry is FREE

The guest speaker will be Mr. Mugambi Laibuta who is an Advocate for the High Court of Kenya.

Below are the main topics that will be discussed

The Legal system,
Defamation,
Criminal Law Process,
Communication Laws,
Privacy,
Confidentiality,
Intellectual Property,
Consumer Law and
Social Media Policies.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Venue: Batian hotel in Nyeri Town along Gakere Road, next to the Kamukunji stadium.

Date: 13th June, 2015

Time: 9am to 1pm.

Digital platform comes with opportunities for creatives says teacher Karimi

Kioko Kivandi

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04/06/2015

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Tahidi High Snip — A snippet of the Tahidi High show which airs on Citizen T.V every week. Teacher Karimi is hopeful that the digital media platform will come with plenty of goodies to local content creators (Photo: Citizen/Google).

Tahidi High actor Geoffrey Githae has expressed optimism that the digital media platform will open plenty of opportunities to content creators in the country.

Speaking at the regional Storymoja festival in Nakuru last week, Githae who is commonly known as Teacher Karimi said one of the opportunities will be brought about by the need to fuse art and literacy in learning institutions.

“Due to digital migration the mushrooming televisions and radios will need local artists to create local content which the Kenyan audience can easily identify with,” he said.

That he opined can only be achieved

“through the incorporation of personalities who have skills in creative arts.”

Githae said that there is a need to sensitize the society about the necessity of nurturing talents such as writing, acting and dancing, a task he felt should be accomplished by county governments through creation of talent academies at the grass root level.

“These days children are not taught creative arts in schools yet the fact remains that some of them can perform very well in that field as compared to academics and eventually earning a living out of it.”

He critiqued the notion that one cannot excel in life if they aspire to take up careers in the performing arts saying it is to blame for low talents in the field in many developing countries as compared to developed countries.

“It is obvious that parents have a role to play when it comes to modeling the future careers of their children and due to their materialistic and egocentric nature they discourage the young ones in venturing in the creative arts and thereby failing to give children a chance to pursue their area of interest.”

“Eventually we have ended up with people who work so as to earn a living yet the lack passion in their work.”

Githae who hails from Nakuru acts as a tough disciplinarian in the Tahidi High which airs weekly on Citizen T.V. He speaks with a deep voice an accent.

Apart from offering opportunities to content creators the digital platform has come plenty of opportunities to those wishing to invest in broadcasting industry.

A number of local T.V stations have come up broadcasting local content, some of them, in local languages. Such stations include Njata T.V, Three Stones among others.

During the last World Press Freedom Day celebrations marked in Nairobi on May 4, 2015 Cabinet Secretary in charge of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Fred Matiang’i said the digital platform would soon be applied to F.M radio stations in the country.

This signals that there will be as plenty opportunities of digital broadcasting opportunities to radio content creators as it is currently to T.V.

By Lorna Abuga.

Media to blame for Makueni wrangling, says Speaker

Mary Lole

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04/06/2015

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Makueni Speaker Stephen Ngelu Photo Courtesy of Makueni County Facebook Sharing Forum — Makueni Speaker Stephen Ngelu
Photo :Facebook

Makueni speaker Stephen Ngelu has accused the media of fueling the wrangling between Governor Kivutha Kibwana and Members of the County Assembly (MCAs).

Speaker Ngelu while testifying yesterday before the Commission of Inquiry looking into the possible dissolution of the county, said the media partly played a role in the infighting that has almost paralyzed normal operations of the county.

The speaker said the media was biased in reporting the wrangling and that most of the news carried on local FM stations, and dailies demonized the County Assembly.

“The media contributed to 30 percent of the wrangling,” he said.

The speaker”s remarks comes hot on the heels, after another witness who appeared before the Mohammed Nyaoga- led commission accused the Governor of using social media to fan the infighting.

Ivingoni/Nzambani Ward Representative Cosmas Nzilili told the commission that Kivutha posted on a Facebook group called Makueni County Sharing Forum misleading information that was meant to tarnish the image of the County Assembly.

The MCA said that the posts offended him and the kind of reactions they elicited from the residents who he claimed relied of the governor’s half- truths to form an opinion about the County Assembly were appalling.

“The Governor posts were lies meant to incite the MCAs against the public,” he told the commission.

The speaker’s attack of the media comes against a wake of similar scathing attacks of the media by high profile leaders. President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto have in the recent past castigated the media for allegedly misleading the public.

In the rather infamous tag, “Gazeti ni ya Kifunga Nyama” the two have disparaged the media begging the question whether the Kenyan media has lost its place in the current society and government or it’s a matter of misplaced misgivings.

Consequently, claims that Governor Kivutha used social media to incite the public against the MCAs is a confirmation that social media platforms have a certain power just like the mainstream media that if well harnessed can champion for worthy causes in the society and if possible influence proper governance especially in the new dispensation of devolved systems.

On the flip side, it should also be noted that the social media can be used to spread propaganda with devastating effects but with the new technological advancements caution must be exercised since the power of social media platforms cannot just be wished away.

The media is a powerful tool that plays the role of a watchdog besides informing the masses and media freedom is of essence for the media to effectively achieve its mandate.

The current Constitution is extolled for providing such media freedom but the recent remarks by the holders of the highest office in the land could signal, after proper introspection on media players to examine whether they have negatively contributed to society including wrangles like the Makueni one.

If the recent security law curtailing the same media freedoms granted by the Constitution and attacks on journalists is anything to go by, then media players have every reason to unite and fight for the media freedom that has taken ages to achieve.

Mombasa County challenged to invest in youth

Arts
Mombasa

Nguru

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04/06/2015

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Mombasa is plagued with a glaring high rate of youth unemployment. There have been a number of measures in the past designed towards reducing this, or at least occupying the youth’s time so as to keep them from engaging in crime and drug use. The county government of Mombasa through the ministry of youth and gender services organised a youth day sometime back to celebrate talents and engage Mombasa youth. There have been mixed feelings regarding the show which took place at the Mama Ngina Drive.

Dan Showbiz, an artist and activist thinks the upcoming artists, for whom the event was supposed to be, did not get their due time.

“At some point, it became about the big names only. The event was meant to be a platform for untapped talent. What happened then was that these young people were sidelined and more established acts than budding artistes graced the stage. That is a shame.”

It was not all bad though. Kaa La Moto a popular Mombasa artiste who also performed, thinks the event was a great idea.

“I’d like to applaud the county government for their efforts. The Secretary for youth and gender services especially, Mr Abbas. He has shown what a capable leader he is. The youth got a platform to showcase their talent, and some friends the performers actually got paid. That is great.”

Most of the youth we talked to were of the opinion that there should be more events such as these.

Mr. Abbas, the County Executive for youth and sports says,

“The government is dedicated to promoting local talents and Youth activities. We will continue doing that.”

However, many feel that the ministry should capture the bigger picture of sustainability and youth empowerment. This is to ensure that the youth have something tangible to take home for their talents besides a stage performance. Such an event should not be an end in itself but the beginning of a talent nurturing experience.

Linking the youth with mentors such as well recognized producers, established artists would take Mombasa’s

talented youth to the national level. In addition the Ministry can arrange for top talents to be exposed further by investing in their personal development through workshops and training in matters such as personal branding, communications, entrepreneurship and intellectual property.

In all, most people feel that the event is a good first step but needs to have a long term view so that it can become a youth talent mentorship programme. The events should be also listed in the annual county calendar so that everyone knows at the beginning of the year what what to expect. The county through such a programme invests in the most deserving youth who can later on also contribute by mentoring others thus creating a sustainable system.

Governor Kibwana says he is not wholly responsible for Makueni woes

Mary Lole

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03/06/2015

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Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana.He is expected to appear before the Makueni probe team this week Photo:Faceboo — Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana.He is expected to appear before the Makueni probe team this week
Photo:Facebook

The public proceedings into the possible dissolution of Makueni County will tomorrow enter the fourth week at Wote town and so far more than 15 witnesses have testified before the Mohammed Nyaoga – led commission.

Some of the key witnesses that have given their evidence, is the County Assembly Speaker Stephen Ngelu whose personal rivalry between him and Governor Kivutha Kibwana has been blamed for the county squabbles.

The speaker who took the witness stand last Thursday is expected to face the commission for the third time when the public hearings resume tomorrow at 8am at the Makueni Early Childhood Education Training Institute (MECETTI).

The Governor who has blamed the speaker and the County Assembly at large for deliberately derailing the development agenda is also expected to testify before the commission this week.

While giving their evidence to the commission, a section of the witnesses including the Kamba Council of Elders and the clergy turned heat on the Governor for failing to reconcile the warring parties in the persistent wrangling that has dogged the county for the last two years since the inception of devolution.

Other witnesses who painted the Governor in bad light include Majority Leader Francis Mutuku and MCA for Ivingoni/Nzambani ward Cosmas Nzilili who have accused the governor of abetting corruption and spreading propaganda against the MCAs with an aim of tarnishing the County Assembly’s image.

It is therefore evident, that Kivutha who has continued to enjoy majority support from the residents especially after the shoot-out at the county assembly in which the Governor claimed he was targeted for assassination, will have an herculean task to redeem his image in the public eye, now that the damning revelations by the clergy and council of elders accused the governor of refusing to broker a truce.

The Governor has however said in a post in his official Facebook page that he is not to blame for all the leadership wrangles. He sought to distance himself from the petition that the MCAs and the Kamba Council of Elders have accused him of engineering, by stating that the two arms of government have been put on trial by the people of Makueni.

In the lengthy Facebook post, the governor said that it would not be his business to demonstrate whether the arms of the government can be reconciled or not or show how rotten the assembly or its membership is.

It reads in part, “Both the Assembly and the Executive have been taken to the Commission by the People of Makueni. Both of us are on trial. The charge: Are we so dysfunctional that we cannot offer services to the people of Makueni? Are there then over time exceptional circumstances that warrant the 90 days suspension of the county government to pave way for an interim administration and fresh elections?

Kibwana continues to argue that, in his view the exceptional circumstances in which a County Government can be suspended as outlined in Article 192 of the Constitution, match with the circumstances that the Makueni county government has operated in the last two years.

The Governor enumerated in his post ten issues that have affected the county as some of the exceptional circumstances alluded to in the Constitution.

Some of the matters he raised include failure of the county government to pass a budget on time two years in row, poor delivery of services, physical violence, impunity, and lack of reconciliation.

The Governor concludes his post by saying that he will abide by the position of the people of Makueni in this matter and the consequent decisions by the Commission of Inquiry and Senate.

However, the Governor’s post has created a frenzy on Facebook with some residents castigating him for the wrangling.

Others rallied behind the governor.

It will be interesting to see how the Governor will tackle the commission now that most of the witnesses who have appeared before the commission have blamed either arm for the wrangling.

Kenya’s youngest novelist urges parents to nurture creative talent

Kioko Kivandi

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03/06/2015

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Bokea Snip — Joseph Bokea. At age 13 he is arguably Kenya’s youngest novelist and he urging parents to help nurture creativity among their children from an early age (Photo: Storymoja).

Storymoja’s youngest author, Joseph Bokea (13) has appealed to parents and teachers to nurture the talents of young writers.

Speaking after the just concluded Storymoja premier regional festivals in Nakuru, Bokea said that there are many pupils and students in Kenya who have enormous talents in creative writing yet they lack personalities to nurture their skills.

“I developed the passion for writing when I attained the age of 8 which culminated to the writing of few stories in an exercise book but at some point I lost interest because I did not have someone to nurture my talent,” he told Kenya Monitor.

Citing the creative pieces that students write in Kiswahili and English compositions, they were evident that many children in Kenya have a passion in telling out their stories.

“Through the help of the language teachers the government could come up with strategies of identifying the upcoming writers so as to nurture their skills in order to come with efficient human resource.”

Bokea urged the learners to invest most of their time in reading books saying the attainment of knowledge will empower the young generation by arming them with information.

“The only way to sharpen your writing skills is through reading other authors’ articles and through that you will able to identify the techniques used in writing and as a result you will be able to come up with enriched articles.”

Bokea’s novel , Magic, is a fantasy book based on a dream he had in 2012. He said his parents played a major role in nurturing his skills through the provision of reading materials and also a conducive learning environment.

Magic snip — The fantasy novel by Bokea which is based on a dream (Photo/Storymoja).

“When I was at nursery school my mother always narrated stories before I went to bed. This prompted me to write stories in order to showcase my creativity in arts.”

Bokea said that he began writing his book at the age of 11 and it took him a period of 2 months to complete the manuscript. However the editing process which was undertaken by Storymoja publishing house took a period of 2 years because they had to involve him during holidays and free time as not interfere with his studies.

His father Cyprian Bokea who is an Economist at Strathmore Business School, Nairobi, said that from a tender age he noticed that his son had a great passion in reading and writing because within a period of three months he would read more than 40 storybooks.

“When I realized that my son loves reading I decided to enroll him at Aga Khan Academy so that he could get quality education. On top of that I started a home library for him so he could access a variety of books from different authors,” he said.

Bokea’s father said that his son had made him proud because he had become a role model to young people who are aspiring to become writers.

The young Bokea said that when he grows up he would want to be an archaeologist saying very few people had ventured into that career.

“Despite the fact I love writing when I grow up I will only take writing as a part-time job since to me it is a hobby’’.

By Lorna Abuga.

Shimo la Tewa prison a radicalisation hotspot

Mkenya Mzalendo

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03/06/2015

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Shimo la Tewa prison a radicalisation hotspot

Shimo La Tewa is the only maximum security prison in the Coast province holding the hardest, most dangerous convicts in the province. Currently incarcerated at “Shimo” as it is known by residents are international jihadists, pirates, terrorism masterminds and soldiers court martialed for desertion.

As fate would have it, Shimo la Tewa holds one of the most dangerous terrorism suspect in Kenya, Jermaine Grant. An associate of Samantha Lewthwaite also known as “white widow.” She is suspected to be the mastermind behind the Westgate and Garissa University killings that have claimed over 200 people so far. Grant is serving a 2 year jail term after he pleaded guilty in December 2011 to charges of being in the country illegally and lying about his nationality.

He is also on trial for other terrorism related charges. Grant, became radicalized as a teenager when he was in prison with British terrorist Richard Reid famously known as the shoe bomber. It is alleged that Grant is flipping the script in Kenya by radicalizing prisoners right inside the walls of Shimo la Tewa. Most of the dangerous criminals are held in Block E of the jail. However, from that block the radicalism network is quite strong inside the prison and prisoners involved are targeting young, first time offenders for indoctrination. Jermaine Grant is currently named as the radicalisation master mind in Shimo la Tewa.

The prison lacks an isolation block for terrorism suspects therefore, they are able to mingle with other prisoners and spread their ideology to other prisoners. The United States recognized the danger terrorism suspects pose in prisons and thus came up with Guantanamo Bay as prisons are a fertile ground for radicalisation and ideological influences.

Shimo la Tewa is also crowded making the control of this situation much more difficult. The radicals are able to freely hold sessions with fellow inmates whom they indoctrinate into jihadism. Already, some of the newly radicalized elements are out of prison and have rejoined the population.

The terror suspects are also in the same cell with army men who were jailed for desertion. One shudders to imagine what will happen if trained soldiers who have worked as military contractors in Afghanistan become radicalized! In addition, these soldiers could be passing valuable military skills to the suspects.

This alleged radicalisation has been made possible by the immense influence some of these suspects wield. They allegedly are able to bribe their way through and carry out their clandestine activities unchecked. Usually a warden is approached and promised a huge sum of money for cooperation. The inmates are able to arrange MPesa transfer to the wardens family or a designated number and the amounts they pay are too good for most prison staff to say no.

Internal security minister Joseph Nkaiserry has got wind of the radicalisation and was recently quoted,

“I’ve been briefed that there has been radicalisation. This is one facility that has foreign criminals who are very dangerous and that is why we plan to increase security and improve the perimeter wall.”

It is alleged that criminals in block E have attempted to break out twice this year and improving the perimeter wall will secure them from the rest of the people. However, the minister needs to urgently address the matter of an isolation block for terrorism suspects in the prison.

The danger for the citizens is clear and present as no one knows what the ones that have been released are up to as there’s little done to track inmates once they leave prison in Kenya. The justice system is turning thieves, fraudsters, vandals and time offenders into radical jihadists ready to commit atrocities like we’ve witnessed recently. This is a massive own goal in the fight against terror.

Photo Credit

How ivory continues to leave Kenya

Governance

Mkenya Mzalendo

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03/06/2015

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Singaporean authorities seized a 3.7-tonne haul worth about $6 million, in raw ivory, four pieces of rhino horn and 22 teeth from cheetahs and leopards. They were hidden in bags of a shipment of tea leaves to Vietnam. This comes only a month after Thailand also seized three tonnes of elephant ivory shipped from Kenya, which was also marked as tea leaves.

The seizure has enraged many Kenyans, with many angered by what they term as incompetence of government agencies clearing exports at the port.

“Somebody at the customs and clearance is sleeping on their job. How does a shipment of tea transform into Ivory without the knowledge of one or two officials? Such things would not happen if everyone did their job,”

said Job , an employee of a freight company in Mombasa.

Siginon Freight, a Mombasa logistics firm, which handled the storage of the tea leaves in its warehouses has come under fire for its role. According to sources, they mixed and packed the tea leaves. Meshack Kipturgo, Siginon MD claims they received tea blending instructions from the shipper, Almasi Chai Kenya through the exporting company, Potential Quality Services (PQS).

John Njiraini, who is the KRA commissioner, revealed that amendments were made on the export documents, such as changing the destination from Dubai to Thailand and Vietnam through Singapore. He also added that the amendments were not shared with Kenya Customs and these omissions are part of the issues being addressed with the shippers undertaken by the KRA team. In its defense, KRA claims the seizure was facilitated by an alert issued to the Singaporean authorities by KRA Customs team on April 28.

However, KRA actions point more at a cover up than genuine attempts to uncover the shipment of more than 6 tonnes of Ivory within a month from the port. For the two hauls, KRA suspended one member of staff who is being investigated. However, those well versed with port operations say that one person cannot be responsible for shipping 6,000 kgs of ivory from Mombasa. Such a mega deal usually corrupts a whole chain and KRA should have cleared the decks instead of a token suspension designed to take away the heat and scrutiny.

KRA staff are also accused of purposely messing about with the scanners at the port leading to breakdowns. Even a small piece of ivory cannot go past the scanners, so the scanners somehow break down and it results to random manual scanning. Random checking is a very convenient way to ensure that some containers pass unopened.

The game is played within the system, first the scanner breaks down and KRA reverts to manual scanning, which is slow. As a result, exporters, transporters and other stakeholders from neighbouring countries start agitating for quicker processing and these calls hit that national media or statehouse. The noise forces action and the staff at the port have to quicken the process; thus random checks where some trucks will pass unchecked. In there Ivory, Copper and other contraband is shipped out.

Why should the country’s port have one x-ray scanner with no backups? Already damage to our elephant population is immense and loss of revenues far surpass the cost of additional scanners. KRA, instead of ensuring that we have a foolproof scanning system at the port has in place a system that is designed to fail without backups or alternatives.

Would KRA let Times Tower run without backup generators? The answer is obvious. Then you must ask yourself why we have one scanner at the port of Mombasa, why it breaks down so frequently and who benefits from this inefficiency.

Makueni residents on Facebook vote No to dissolution

Mary Lole

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03/06/2015

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Photo courtesy of Mediamax Limited — Makueni residents when they presented a petition to president to dissolve the county government.

Last year in November, more than 50,000 residents from Makueni county filed a petition to President Uhuru Kenyatta to dissolve the county government due to the persistent wrangles between Governor Kivutha Kibwana and Members of the County Assembly (MCAs).

The President, later appointed a six – member Commission of Inquiry led by Lawyer Mohammed Nyaoga to look into the allegations leveled against the county government by the petitioners.

The commission that was sworn in February this year has already commenced its work of probing accusations that the county government has irretrievably broken down into two parallel governments and cannot fully discharge its mandate as outlined in the Constitution.

The public hearings being held at Wote town have seen witnesses mostly petitioners and those adversely mentioned in the inquiry take to the witness stand before the six -member probe team.

The hearings are set to reach climax this week in which the county Speaker Stephen Ngelu and the governor, both accused by a cross section of witnesses for being the architects of the wrangling, will be appearing before the commission to give their evidence.

The petition that was filed against a backdrop of incessant wrangles that almost took a violent turn after six people were shot and injured when the governor and his supporters stormed a leader’s meeting at the county assembly premises, which he had not been, invited to seemed laudable at the time it was filed.

A majority of residents, rallied behind the governor whom they believed was the target of the shoot out, for protecting the county resources from the seemingly greedy and inconsiderate MCAs.

At the time of the shoot which was the climax of the wrangling, the residents overwhelmingly supported dissolution saying that the two arms of the county government could not work together to deliver services to the people of Makueni.

However, since the commission started its hearings, residents seem to have changed their minds and now argue that there is no time for dissolution.

Makueni Chamber of Commerce Alfonse Mutinda says that the two warring parties should reconcile and work together to deliver on the promises that the county government pledged to the residents in the 2013 general elections. He was speaking during the Madaraka day celebrations held at the Unoa Grounds on Monday in Wote.

Mutinda’s sentiments have been echoed by the members of the clergy who believe that the electorate will stand to lose a lot if the county is dissolved. According to Makueni Parish Father- in -Charge Fr. Paul Munguti the executive and legislative arms of the government should call for a ceasefire for the sake of development.

Similarly, a poll conducted on a Facebook group called Makueni County Sharing Forum-Democratic showed that many residents on the social media platform were opposed to the suspension of the county and the subsequent fresh elections.

Out of the total 36 people who participated in the poll a majority voted no to the dissolution while only three voted contrary. Below is the post that prompted the poll and the subsequent voting.

Below is a cross section of the voting.

Those who support the move voted yes.

Although the poll may not be the true representation of the situation at the ground, it can also not be ignored. Perhaps it’s an indication that dissolution may not be the solution to the county wrangles.

Walibora urges teachers to assist students read literature for enjoyment

Kioko Kivandi

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03/06/2015

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Walibora Snip — Ken Walibora an author and journalist. He has asked teachers to let students read Literature for enjoyment if they are to develop a life long interest with the subject (Photo/Twitter).

Renown author and veteran journalist Ken Walibora has urged Literature teachers to emphasize on the entertainment aspect of the subject to their students.

Speaking on Friday during a session with teachers at the just concluded Nakuru Storymoja Festival, Walibora said this will make the students get a lifelong impact of the subject in their lives.

He told teachers that it was not enough to only teach students so as to pass exams without letting them develop a love for the subject.

“Let students enjoy Literature, emphasize on its entertainment aspect,”

he told an attentive group of about 10 teachers.

Walibora who currently works with Nation Medai Group rose to writing fame in the late 1990’s through his seminal Kiswahili novel Siku Njema whose aesthetic beauty saw it selected as a set book in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). To date he has penned at least 40 books.

By letting students love Literature, he told the teachers, it would be easy for them to pick out lessons as espoused in the themes of particular books.

“When my grandmother narrated stories to me she never said “this is the lesson,” she only said this is the end of the story,”

he said while explaining that Literature should first be read for enjoyment before it is read for other purposes.
But he cautioned that for the teachers to make their students have a passion for Literature and hence enjoy reading it, they must first be role models.

“The teachers should love and have passion for Literature,” he added.

While echoing his words, one of the Literature enthusiasts who attended the session added that to get to that level where both the teacher and the students love and enjoy reading Literature, it was important to develop a reading culture.

“One should read as many books and possible so as to understand the style of as many writers as possible,”

said Dr. Evans Majimarefu who is also an author.

According to Majirmarefu, teachers contribute to the death of Literature as a subject in schools by not reading widely and ending up over relying on guide books for set books they teach in schools.

“Let’s avoid the guidebooks, teachers should also love and buy books,” he said.

Kenya has been blamed for having a poor reading culture. It is not a surprise that many people in the country have not bought or read any novel since they cleared formal education. Storymoja seeks end this trend by encouraging Kenyans to read books for personal gratification and not just for passing exams.

Storymoja announces opportunities for writers

Kioko Kivandi

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02/06/2015

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Writing snip — The content creators can send their manuscripts through the email: [email protected] (Photo/ Google).

Are you one of the few people endowed with a creative instinct? Do you think you can write or have you written and wondered where you could publish. Well then, Storymoja publishing house is looking for you.

The publishing venture which has been in operation since 2008 is looking for writers who can develop content suited for children.

Speaking to Kenya Monitor over the weekend in Nakuru during the first regional festival of the venture, Juliet Maruru an Editorial Assistant attached at the institution’s Communication Department said apart from creative books for children they are also looking for text book writers for children.

“We are looking for content creators for novela-size books of about 10,000 to 20,000 words based on life skills,”

she said adding that they focus on children aged 0-18 years of age.

For one to qualify as a life skills writer for children the book has to have content that helps children learn how to tackle and solve different issues in their life.

“We are calling them life skills as they are to help children to learn skills of handling such issues as conflict, friendship, peer pressure and many other issues,” she added.

According to Maruru they have already developed 4 titles under the life skills series and the new content creators they are looking for are to add to this ongoing idea.

Maruru said they pay attention to details that help children enjoy reading.

“We want children to associate reading with furn. Our books have features that children can identify with,” she said.

And while encouraging budding writers and all those with the creative wits to take up the opportunity, Edna Gicovi, a young writer who has herself been published by Storymoja under the series said no one should shy from making a shot at it.

“Everybody has a story to tell,”

she said adding that one can learn the skills to write for those who have the desire to become creative writers.

Both Maruru and Gocovi cautioned that for those who will want to try the opportunity their desire should not be to make money at the first instinct.

“There is no money in writing, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t earn as a writer,” said Maruru as Gicovi added that, “as a young writer your desire should not be to make money. This should be for those who have the interest.”

To submit a manuscript one needs to send it to [email protected] under the title ‘Life Skills.”

Publishing a book can be a very tedious, long and thankless process for writers. Thus when opportunities come knocking like this one is doing, it calls for quick action from those who think they can or wish to do it. One can only wish that it will be exploited to the fullest.

Nakuru Madaraka Day twist as M.P keeps off VIP dais

Nakuru

Kioko Kivandi

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02/06/2015

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Gikaria Madaraka Day Snip — David Gikaria (in circle) during the Madaraka Day celebrations at the Afraha Stadium, Nakuru. The Nakuru Town East M.P kept off the VIP dais saying he wanted to identify with locals (Picture/Kioko).

The Madaraka celebrations in Nakuru were marked with some bit of drama as Nakuru Town East decided to keep off from the dais that is usually left aside for dignitaries at the Afraha stadium. Instead David Gikaria who is also commonly known as T.M (Team Manager) out of his love for football and support for local teams, chose to sit at a terrace far away, but directly opposite the dais.

Those who had noticed his quite presence at the terrace during the event kept on whispering as the celebrations were gearing up and by the when they started officially, an ‘official’ call to him to come closer was extended to him but which he quietly refused.

The call had come from Keziah Ngina the County Maendeleo ya Wanawake Chairperson who spoke just after prayers were done.

“I am aware that Gikaria is seated somewhere, tell him to come forward,”

Ngina pleaded with the M.P. amid some cheers from a section of a crowd at the stadium.

The M.P would later reveal to the Kenya Monitor that he decided to keep off the VIP ‘comfort shade’ and instead burn in the scorching sun so as to have a taste of what it means to be on that far receiving end. He even said he would not attend a luncheon that was to be hosted at the Rift Valley Sports Club thereafter.

“People who speak on Madaraka Day have no touch with the day,”

he said in response to political statements that were being made by leaders from the VIP stand.

The M.P also took an issue with a section of entertainers who he felt were on some kind of a praising mode in favor of Kinuthia Mbugua the Nakuru Governor, and his administration.

“Those who entertain have forgotten the themes of Madaraka Day. I expected people to talk about our fore fathers and what they went through and what Madaraka Day means.”

Madaraka Day was first celebrated on June 1, 1963 to signify the day Kenya attained self-rule from the colonial regime. It usually the first among the three national days as set aside in the Constitution in a calendar year, the other two being Mashujaa Day (October 20) and Jamhuri Day (December 12).

Gikaria sought to show how the day is connected to the independence of Kenya calling while stressing the need for freedom fighters to be recognized the more during the celebrations.

“The family of (freedom fighter) Dedan Kimathi is languishing in poverty. We need a law that looks at all independence historical injustices,”

he said while responding on the role that Parliament can play at ensuring that those who played a role in independence are well recognized in the country.

Apparently Gikaria was the only M.P from Nakuru who attended the celebrations which were also attended by the area Senator James Mungai with Samuel Arama (Nakuru Town West) sending an apology.

“M.P’s fear getting booed on these occasions,” he said while filling up for the absence of his colleagues.

This he however said was not reason enough for the M.P’s not to attend national holidays.

“Leaders need to be patriotic. We need to join with the locals.”

With the Women Representative Mary Mbugua and two Senators, Mungai and Lisa Chelule (Nominated) Nakuru County has a total of 14 legislators. It also has a total of 74 Members of County Assembly (MCA’s) comprising 55 who are elected and 19 who are nominated, and as if as if reading from the same script with the MP’s, very few of them attended the celebrations including the Speaker Susan Kihika.

This did not amuse both Governor Mbugua and his Deputy Joseph Ruto.

“People come to listen to the speech of the President, but if you stay out there, who will bring them,”

asked Ruto while the governor said every leader had an obligation to attend celebrations to mark national days.

“Citizens can decide not to come but we cannot forgive a leader for not coming,” he said.

Buildings, encroachment and land grabbing worsening Mombasa Floods

Mombasa

Nguru

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02/06/2015

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The rains have been pounding Mombasa hard in the last few days. The situation has been compounded by the poor drainage around the town and suburbs which has resulted in flooding and death due to a mudslide. The county government was forced to warn people in some low lying areas of the danger of flash floods.

Residents of Bamburi, Kiembeni, Utange and Mvita were among the worst hit by the floods. Speaking in a local radio station, the County Executive for land, Mr. Francis Thoya warned that blockage of water pathways due to land grabbing and construction was a major problem in Mombasa and was worsening the flooding. He promised that the county government will start pulling down structures that are built illegally and impeding the drainage.

Here are some of the images from various parts of Mombasa that were affected by the floods.