Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Review election rules
The political showdown of the election of the Speaker of the 10th Parliament in which Emuhaya MP Kenneth Marende ousted Francis ole Kaparo is receding into history. But before the dust settles, it is time to reflect on the electoral procedures governing the selection of the man or woman who guides MPs in making laws and performing other duties bestowed on the Legislature in our constitutional order.
MoreExplain fees policy
A circular from the Ministry of Education is raising fears that the subsidised secondary education may not be available to all public school students after all. The circular highlighted in some sections of the media yesterday indicated that qualifying students will have to be in schools with classes ranging between 40 and 45 students. The logic behind that requirement is yet to be explained. From our view, however, it contradicts recent attempts to take secondary education as close as possible to students, especially those in rural areas.
MoreUNHCR to move urban refugees affected by post-election violence
UNHCR is finalizing plans today to transfer to refugee camps more than 300 refugees who have been forced from their homes in the Kenyan capital Nairobi by post-election violence. The refugees – mainly from Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi – have joined some 1,200 internally displaced persons (IDPs) still sheltering at Jamhuri Park, a fairground in Nairobi.
No retreat, says ODM at service
An emotional Mr Raila Odinga flew to his violence-battered hometown of Kisumu and declared that nothing would deter Kenyans from their quest for justice. Making his first visit to the lakeside town since the post-election violence broke out across the country after President Kibaki’s disputed re-election, Raila ran into thousands of equally emotional supporters, many of who broke down and wept.
Diplomatic spat as Annan jets in for talks
A quiet diplomatic furore preceded today’s arrival of former United Nations chief, Mr Kofi Annan, who is expected to jumpstart stalled mediation talks. Mr Adam Wood, the United Kingdom envoy, and his United States counterpart, Mr Michael Rannenberger, appeared to have had embarrassing moments with the Government.
Spreading the word of hate
Inflammatory statements and songs broadcast on vernacular radio stations and at party rallies, text messages, emails, posters and leaflets have all contributed to post-electoral violence in Kenya, according to analysts. Hundreds of homes have been burnt, more than 600 people killed and 250,000 displaced. While the mainstream media, both English and Swahili, have been praised for their even-handedness, vernacular radio broadcasts have been of particular concern, given the role of Kigali’s Radio-Télévision Libre des Mille Collines in inciting people to slaughter their neighbours in the Rwandan genocide of 1994.
WSF Kenya Forum to Debate Democracy
During the World Social Forum (WSF) held in Kenya in January of 2007 one of the many presentations was about democracy and the general elections that were to be held here in December. Civil society speakers warned the participants that unless the elections were free and fair violence was likely to erupt, as people would demand justice even through unorthodox means. Exactly a year later, this prediction has become reality in this east African country.
Kenya police teargas goverment supporters
Kenyan police fired teargas on Tuesday to disperse supporters of President Mwai Kibaki hours before former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan starts mediating in an election standoff that has caused weeks of violent unrest. Riot police scattered about 100 government supporters who had been chanting “Lead on, Kibaki!” in central Nairobi, sending businesspeople scurrying for cover. The police forced the protesters into shops and nearby alleys. “The opposition has to recognise Kibaki is president,” trader Julius Kuria said in the panicked crowd. Workers hung out of nearby windows after a canister landed in their office.
Ugandan trucks targeted by Kenyan poll rioters
The political turmoil in Kenya has acquired a new turn in relation to regional trade. Reports indicate that only Tanzanian trucks are accorded safe passage in Kenya while those from Uganda are reportedly set on fire or subjected to numerous snags. Some businessmen whose cargo trucks were in Kenya both before and after the general elections, said at the Tanzanian port of Mwanza over the weekend, that their vehicles managed to return to the country unhindered, while those heading for Uganda underwent turbulent and dangerous incidents.
No let-up in Kenya violence, UN reports
Deadly violence continues across parts of Kenya and the police presence remains heavy, the United Nations reports today, as the country reels from the crisis sparked by last month’s disputed election. The bloodshed continued unabated over the weekend with 10 people hacked to death in ethnic violence, mainly in Kericho, Nakuru, Nairobi and Mombasa, and tens of houses torched, according to UN security officials on the ground.
Minister summons UK envoy
Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetang’ula has summoned British high commissioner Adam Wood over his country’s stand on the disputed presidential election results. The minister held a two-hour closed-door meeting with Mr Wood in his office following a statement in the House of Commons attributed to a deputy minister for State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Ms Meg Munn, saying the British Government did not recognise President Kibaki as the winner of the December 27 presidential race.
Give Annan a chance
Mr Kofi Annan is expected in Nairobi today to take up the role of chief mediator in the dangerous standoff that followed the disputed presidential election results. One of the early priorities of the former UN secretary-general might be to arrange a direct meeting between the main protagonists, President Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Rival groups’ terms for talks
The Government and ODM have given hints on what they would put on the table when talks aimed at ending the current political stalemate start in Nairobi. The Government will first ask ODM to name its negotiating team to promote national reconciliation and also push to have any disputes arbitrated in court, according to a statement from the Vice President’s Press Service. ODM leaders, on the other hand, said they would seek President Kibaki’s resignation and a rerun of the presidential vote.
14 more killed in latest round of post-poll attacks
Fourteen people were killed in various parts of the country in fighting linked to the disputed presidential election result. The killings occurred in Nairobi, Kipkelion, Molo and Trans Nzoia. Five people were shot dead when armed raiders struck at a village in Trans Nzoia East District yesterday. The raiders, believed to members of the Sabaot Land Defence Forces, struck at Salama Village in Endebess Division, killed the five and set ablaze 10 houses. Local people told the Nation that the attackers were dressed in police jungle and Ugandan military uniform.
MoreRefugee link to wildlife decline
Conservation groups say they have found an unusual threat to East Africa’s wildlife - hunting by hungry refugees. A report from the wildlife trade monitoring body Traffic says wild meat is covertly traded, cooked and consumed in Tanzanian refugee camps. Traffic suspects species affected may include chimpanzee, buffalo and zebra.