MUDAVADI:AM NOT A MT.KENYA PROJECT

Musalia Mudavadi has dismissed claims he is being used by Mt Kenya people to ensure President Uhuru Kenyatta retains his seat in the 2017 general election.
The Amani leader said he is not a cowardly candidate for the race and underlined his seriousness in vying for the seat.
"All these politicians - Raila Odinga, his father Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, former President Daniel Moi and Martin Shikuku - at one time supported and backed a candidate from Mt Kenya, so they should stop labeling me a project," he said.
Mudavadi, who has served as Deputy Prime Minister and Vice President, further noted that he will compete against candidates who have run more than once for the top seat.
"The other candidates have vied more than once, including Uhuru who won after standing for the second time. Raila Odinga has vied three times," he said.
"How come when Mudavadi performs his constitutional right of vying for the second time he is branded a project?"
He spoke at Kabiro grounds in Kawangware, Nairobi, during his party's launch of a voter registration exercise on Monday.
Mudavadi said his journey to State House has began with sensitising supporters to register as voters turn up in large numbers for next year's August poll.
He discouraged travel upcountry saying this will deny some the chance to vote, affecting his numbers.
He also asked Luhyas living in Nairobi to vie for elective posts.

NYS:NINE SENIOR OFFICERS SUSPENDED

CONTROVERSY has rocked the National Youth Service yet again, after newly appointed Director General Richard Ndubai suspended nine senior officers for “being anti-change”, only a week after taking office.
The officers were swept aside in a wave of far-reaching changes, even as it emerged that NYS Deputy Director General Sam Michuki had promoted himself to the non-recognized title of Senior Deputy Director General.
According to insiders who spoke to the Star, the position has never been gazetted and therefore does not exist within NYS ranks.
The affected officers, all of the rank of Senior Deputy Director, were suspended last Thursday for a period of 90 days in one of a number of swift drastic changes in an institution dogged by massive corruption allegations.
Those shown the door include Stephen Mutunga (Administration), Enock Luseno (commanding officer Mombasa Technical College), Nicholas Ahere (Finance) and Cleopas Kemboi, senior deputy Director in charge of Transport at NYS Headquarters.
Others are David Awori (Senior deputy Director commanding the Bura/Tana River projects), Chabari (senior Deputy director HR), Sospeter Mabea (Senior deputy Director in charge of operations in Mombasa), Madam Kirigati (senior Deputy director audit and inspection) and senior deputy Director commanding the Engineering Institute Jame Momata.
With the exit of the nine senior officers responsible for overseeing the administrative functions of the institution, Ndubai is now left with only two senior deputy Directors, given that James Ounde, a senior officer of the same rank, is on terminal leave pending retirement.
It was unclear how the senior officers were suspended before they even met their new boss, amid concerns that the changes could bog down expected reforms at the Ruaraka-based institution.
This is because there could be serious transitional challenges due to loss of institutional memory after Claire Lwali, who stepped in after the resignation of Nelson Githinji,

THE SUPREME COURT SAGA

BRIBERY allegations against a Supreme Court judge took a new twist at the weekend, with claims that other judges shared the cash to rule in Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero’s favour.
Kidero, who is alleged to have given out Sh200 million, also spoke for the first time and dismissed the claims.
In a tweet on Saturday, senior counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi called the Supreme Court’s integrity into question, when he claimed that more judges of the highest court in the land may have benefited from the alleged bribe.
Abdullahi said via Twitter on Saturday evening that the bribe “is not $2million (Sh200m). It is about $3m (Sh300m)”.
He further claimed that Sh200 million was for four judges, whereby two were paid separately.
Yesterday, a special Judicial Service Commission subcommittee investigating the Sh200 million bribery allegations against Judge Philip Tunoi began formally receiving evidence.
The committee, chaired by Prof Margaret Kobia, took the testimony of Judiciary Ombudsman Kennedy Bidali as first witness.
Bidali presented before the committee video evidence of a complaint from Justice Tunoi’s accuser Geoffrey Kiplagat, a chronology of events narrating how investigations were undertaken from the time of receiving the complaint to the time of it being tabled before the JSC.
The hearing was conducted in camera.
The subcommittee was formed on Wednesday last week by the JSC chairman, Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court Willy Mutunga.
The Star tried getting comments from the seven Supreme Court justices on the claims and encountered mixed responses, with some refusing to respond to the messages we left on their phones.
But Justice Smokin Wanjala dismissed the assertions by Ahmednasir and asked counsel to present whatever evidence on the alleged bribery he has to the JSC subcommittee formed to investigate the matter.
He added, “In fact, the subcommittee should summon him so that he can say whatever he knows about these claims.”
Lawyer

TWO GIANTS IN COASTAL KENYA

The Coast region is proving to be a key battleground for Jubilee and Cord, with opposition leader Raila Odinga expected there this weekend.

The Cord leader lands at the Coast as President Uhuru Kenyatta continues his working tour of the region that kicked off on December 24.

The two political camps will be fighting it out for the Malindi by-election, with Raila expected to kick off ODM candidate Willy Mtengo’s run on Friday.

Uhuru has already campaigned for Jubilee candidate Philip Charo this week, despite earlier insisting that he was not at the Coast for political competition.

On the other hand, Raila is leading ODM in its bid to recapture the seat that fell vacant after Uhuru poached former MP Dan Kazungu and made him the Mining Cabinet Secretary.

Cord leaders led by governors Amason Kingi (Kilifi) and Hassan Joho (Mombasa) have been complaining about the President’s approach and strategy.

Kingi and Joho have also said that Uhuru has been undermining the spirit of devolution and sidelining them, accusing him of using the state machinery to intimidate them.

According to Nicholas Zani, an ODM politician, Raila will have to come to the Coast to campaign, saying ODM is taking the issue seriously.

“We believe ODM is the only party that can deliver and so we have to prove that,” said Zani.

Raila’s presence will boost his foot soldiers Joho and Kingi’s confidence as they have been at the receiving end from the ruling Jubilee Party throughout Uhuru’s extended stay.

Raila comes to guard against a possible falling out in ODM following Saturday’s nomination protests that culminated in naming Mtengo as the Cord flag-bearer on Tuesday amid protests from Justin Baya, who is contemplating defection.

On Tuesday afternoon at Mtwapa, Uhuru hit out at leaders, saying he is “not in competition with them”.

This was just hours after Raila, in Nairobi, declared ODM would win the Malindi seat even if Uhuru “camps in Kilifi for a whole year”.

Uhuru said he is only working to fulfill pledges he made to Kenyans and his only competition is the time given to him to achieve his goals.

“I am not in competition with any governor, any MP or any other leader. No one will stop me from doing what Kenyans elected me to do. I will implement development in all parts of the country without discrimination,” he said.

Kilifi North MP Gideon Mung’aro, his Kilifi South counterpart Mustafa Iddi and Ganze MP Peter Shehe urged the two governors to respect the President.

They said Joho and Kingi should “go slow” on criticizing the President for his longest and most historic stay in the region.

“He is the only President all Kenyans have and must be respected, irrespective of the political allegiance we have. Governors Kingi and Joho need to cooperate with Uhuru to actualize their development agenda for their people,” Shehe said.

Mung’aro, who has been in the presidential entourage in the Mombasa, Kwale and Kilifi tours, said Uhuru has good plans for the Coast people, but needs to be given the space and time to implement them.

KENYAN SOILDIERS FATE UNKNOWN

The fate of at least 12 Kenyan soldiers held by al Shabaab remains unknown, almost a week after the attack on the KDF El Adde base inside Somalia.

Sources in Somalia said the militants have moved the hostages from a village towards Jilib in the Middle Juba region on the main road from the capital Mogadishu.

A top commander only identified as Major Obuoge is said to be among those captured. Military officials will neither deny nor confirm the claims.

It is not known whether in moving the hostages the terror group was escaping from aerial bombardment by the Kenya Air Force.

Amisom seeks to reclaim the base lost after last Friday’s attack.

Jilib is the stronghold of the militants’ leadership, including leader Ahmed Abu Ubaydah. The terrorists are believed to have escaped with a Kenya-owned armoured personnel carrier seized during the attack.

Residents of El Adde and villages nearby said they heard loud explosions from the direction of the besieged KDF base on the morning of the attack.

Some al ShabaabAFFILIATED WEBSITES purportedly showed the militants inspecting military vehicles they seized from the base. They also showed razed military vehicles.

Shabaab spokesman Abdiaziz Abu Mus’ab, through Radio Andalus, which is owned by the group, said the soldiers “are in mujahedeen jail”.

On Saturday, al Shabaab also broadcast recorded voices of what they said were captured KDF soldiers.

One of the alleged captives said he is called Isaac Balewa. “I’m appealing to the government of Kenya and the African Union to facilitate our release peacefully from al Shabaab so that we can go on with our daily lives,” he is heard saying.

Military officials said the operation to rescue the officers is very delicate as they are being used as human shields.

“We don’t want more casualties,” the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Samson Mwathethe, said on Sunday.

The scene of the attack remains dangerous, as it is believed the terrorists may have heavily mined and booby-trapped it. The bodies of Kenyan soldiers are said to be still at the scene of attack, which is now almost inaccessible.

So far, about 30 survivors and an unknown number of bodies have been brought back to Nairobi kenya

AFANDE LINDA OKELLO DEMOTED!

Officer Linda Okello who gained popularity over a skirt deemed immodest, has been demoted following corruption allegations.
Okello shot to fame when images of her in the skirt went viral on social media. The officer was later voted one of the woman representatives in the service.
She landed in trouble when Sh1,000 was found in her pocket during a sting operation last Saturday on officers receiving bribes at Kirigiti area in Kiambu.
Two of her colleagues escaped but Okello stayed put. Traffic commandant Jacinta Muthoni sanctioned disciplinary action against her.
Okello was demoted from a corporal to a constable. The decision has drawn mixed reactions from the rank and file in the police force.
An officer who sought anonymity said it was unfair to demote Okello without evidence of corruption. Others want her charged in court.
Reached for comment on Tuesday, Muthoni told thecountywatchkenya: "I cannot comment on administrative issues. Who leaked the information? I will not comment; ask the higher authorities."

RAILA LAUGHS OFF UHURU

Raila Odinga has laughed off President Uhuru Kenyatta's stay at the Coast since December 24, 2015 saying his campaigns are "a waste of time".
The Cord leader accused Uhuru of using the trip meant for the launch of development projects to campaign for Jubilee ahead of the 2017 general election.
"Even if Uhuru stays in Mombasa for one year, I will only need a day to recapture support," Raila said on Tuesday.
He said the people of the Coast cannot vote for Jubilee in the election as it is a Cord stronghold.
Uhuru has been running the government from State House, Mombasa in what has been seen as the state's strategy to endear itself to the people.
But he did not get a warm reception from Governors Hassan Joho (Mombasa) and Amason Kingi (Kilifi), both key allies of Raila's.
Regarding the Malindi Member of Parliament seat, Raila said: "From last year Christmas, Uhuru has been in Mombasa, but we will clinch it."
The seat fell vacant when Dan Kazungu resigned and took over as Mining Cabinet Secretary following a nomination by the President. The Malindi constituency by-election is set for March 7.
ODM election board on Tuesday announced Willy Baraka Mtego as the party flag bearer after acrimonious nominations. 10 aspirants had contested for the party's nomination.
The Opposition chief reiterated Cord's plan to defeat the Jubilee government in the next poll, by five million votes, saying its leaders have failed to provide basic services.
"Cord soldiers, I direct you... Take up your weapons - get IDs and voters' cards - so that if I say 'forward match' it is 'forward match'. If I say 'fire', you fire," he told cheerful supporters outside Milimani law courts.
This was after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission cleared Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang'ula of voter bribery claims during the March 4, 2013 general election.
Regarding national issues that have plagued the Jubilee government, Raila said: "If it comes to lands you know who the Kingpin is. If it is the Eurobond... In fact we are not yet done with the Eurobond."
In his latest remarks on the Sh250 billion fund, Raila named several people as "persons of interest" in what he says was the misuse of funds.

UHURU ORDERS FOR SCHOOL AUDIT

PRESIDENT Uhuru Kenyatta has ordered an audit of how public primary and secondary schools have spent the billions in free learning cash released to them across three years.
Free Primary Education funds were first rolled out in 2003, with each child getting Sh1,020 per year.
In 2014, the Jubilee government increased FPE to Sh1,420 to cater for an estimated enrollment of about 10 million children in about 23,000 public primary schools. Annually this costs Sh14 billion.
The FPE cash is divided into school instructional materials and the general purpose account that initially got Sh650 and Sh350 respectively, totaling Sh1,020.
With the increase of capitation to Sh1,420, it is unclear which components benefited most, although the general purpose account is said to have got the larger share of the Sh400 increment.
Cash for Free Day Secondary Education started in 2008, with an initial capitation grant of Sh10,265 per student per year.
The Secondary fund has been increased to Sh12,870 and currently benefits about 2.3 million students in about 8,000 secondary schools. Every year Sh30 billion is released to the Secondary School programme.
The FDSE increase of Sh2,065 mainly benefited the tuition, repair maintenance improvements, transport, insurance and electricity and water conservancy vote heads.
Uhuru’s directive on the audit was confirmed by Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, who said: “The President has demanded that the audit be carried out in seven days, and the report presented to him on Thursday this week.”
The billions of shillings released by government that trickles down to the schools in the thousands and millions has to be accounted for to enhance quality education, Matiang’i said in what appears like a wake-up call to school heads who continue to charge parents extra levies despite government financial support to schools.
Matiang’i said the audit would establish how the amount of money received by schools was spent from 2013, when Jubilee was elected.
The CS added that while schools continue to charge extra levies the government has disbursed an estimated Sh150 billion in the last three years to cater for maintenance and infrastructure alone.
It is unclear how the counties will manage to corroborate the audit in seven days.
In 2009, a forensic audit by Treasury discovered that between Sh4.6 billion to Sh8.2 billion, mainly donor cash for FPE for the period between 2005 and 2009, could not be accounted for at Education ministry level.
The donors promptly stopped funding FPE.

ICC BATTLE

AFTER heated four-day submissions at The Hague, focus now shifts to two critical decisions in the case against Deputy President William Ruto and journalist Joshua Sang.
The no-case-to-answer hearings ended last Friday, with judges questioning why the prosecution wanted them to look at the quantity and not the quality of evidence.
The first decision is on the use of recanted evidence at the Appeals Chamber, which will weigh heavily on the no-case-to-answer application.
The trial judges allowed ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to use primary statements of five witnesses who recanted their evidence, under Rule 68.
Ruto and Sang, however, appealed the decision while Kenya used diplomatic means to have the Assembly of States Parties restate that the rule cannot be used retroactively. Bensouda has told the Appeal judges to ignore the agreement reached by the ASP last year, saying it was irrelevant to the proceedings.
If the Appeals Chamber rules in favour of Ruto and Sang, she could lose what she has termed crucial evidence that can aid a conviction.
“Without the prior recorded statements the prosecution would be deprived of a significant portion of the incriminating evidence against the accused,” Bensouda told the trial judges before their decision.
The second decision will arise from last week’s hearings, in which Ruto and Sang are seeking to have the cases terminated.
Ruto said his case was in tatters even before the trial started, adding that the judges should not only consider the amount of evidence presented, but how credible it is.

WAIGURU MAY BE LUCKY AGAIN

PRESIDENT Uhuru Kenyatta is considering elevating an important budget office to a division of State House and appointing former Devolution CS Anne Waiguru to head it.
The proposal has met fierce opposition by senior government officials.
According to sources privy to the strategy, it has caused a falling out among top government officials, with one group working round the clock to ensure the former powerful Devolution and Planning Cabinet Secretary does not come back.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has been a unit in the Ministry of Devolution.
Sources say the President has also considered giving Waiguru the Secretary to the Cabinet position, which remains vacant after Francis Kimemia’s exit.
Uhuru's earlier choice for the job, Monica Juma, was rejected by Parliament and is now the Principal Secretary in the Foreign Affairs ministry.
The Star has learnt the growing opposition by senior government officials to Waiguru’s possible return to the fold includes State House officials.
Some of those opposed to her return have argued that giving her such a position would make her one of the most powerful people in government.
“Those opposed to Waiguru's return argue that this would help propel the idea that State House has been shielding her. They also argue that the President would have a hard time seeking parliamentary approval if it is needed for her new position,” the source said.
Other sources told the Star that some of those opposed to her return fear she will take away their power and block their commercial vested interests in key government tenders.
One group of those opposed to her return reportedly met at the Ole Sereni Hotel last Wednesday to plot how to ensure she does not come back.
Those present included a top official at the Attorney General's office, the son of a top State House official and an MP from the Central region.
Another meeting has since been held in Muthaiga at the MP’s residence.
“The discussion was on engaging an American lawyer to manufacture claims that she has offshore accounts holding Sh4 billion,” said a source privy to the meetings.
When she quit her job in December, Waiguru said that she would take up “light duties” if Uhuru deemed it fit to give her another job.
She repeated this in a recent interview with Citizen TV, where she accused various forces of a witch-hunt, adding that she was no longer naive.
“I am not as naive as I was before, I trusted everybody I came across . . . now I take most things with a pinch of salt,” Waiguru said in the interview.
The Office of Management and Budget, a concept popular in the US, is supposed to be operational from February 2016, according to sources in government.
The OMB is the largest office in the Executive Office of the US President based in the White House and is replicated across America in the governors’ offices.

12 DIED ON BUSIA ROAD ACCIDENT

Twelve people were killed and 15 injured on Sunday, in four separate accidents, three of which occurred in Homa Bay county.
In the first accident in the morning, a lorry driver lost control and crashed into a boda boda ferrying three passengers at Kadel trading center in Rachuonyo North subcounty.
The boda boda rider and two passengers died at the scene while the third victim was taken to Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital with injuries.
The lorry driver is said to have continued to Nyangweso trading centre where he rammed into a house killing a six-year-old boy.
The boy's mother and three siblings were injured and taken to the county hospital.
In the third incident, a mother and her three children died when a matatu headed from Oyugis to Kisumu collided with the boda boda they were travelling on. Boda boda rider Samson Owiti also died in the accident.
The mother and children were identified as 45 year-old Silpa Adhiambo and her children Michel Awuor (six), Ida Akinyi (nine) and Sivia Akinyi (12).
Witness William Oindi said the accident occurred while three matatus rushed to pick passengers.
"The motorcycle was on a dangerous part of the road. The driver of the first matatu did not alert the one behind him. The vehicle rammed into the motorcycle before landing on its side off the road," he said.
Homa Bay county commander John Omusanga said the matatu driver was arrested and taken to Oyugis police station.
"We have launched investigations so that legal measures are taken against those who bend traffic laws,” Omusanga said.
He said the bodies of those who died in Rachuonyo and that of the six year-old boy were taken to the the Homa Bay hospital mortuary.
The bodies of the victims of the third accident were taken to Rachuonyo subcounty hospital mortuary.
In the fourth accident which occurred in the evening, three people were killed and 10 injured when a matatu collided with a private car at Munami along Busia-Bungoma road.
Two people died at the scene and one upon arrival at St Mary's Hospital in Mumias, where those injured were taken.
St John Ambulance communications manager Fred Majiwa said those who died were a three year-old child and his parents.

A TALE FROM KDF SOLDIER

Two Kenyan soldiers who survived the al Shabaab attack on an African Union base in El Adde, Somalia, tried in vain to call their families and seniors.
Private officer Joseph Muganda and a colleague escaped with their guns and mobile phones after the ambush last Friday.
The militants rammed a suicide car bomb into the gates of the base in Ceel Cado, about 550 km west of Mogadishu, near the Kenyan border, before their fighters burst inside.
The attack was reportedly launched against a company-size force of soldiers but it was not clear if this was the size of the Kenyan contingent in the area. A military company can range between 80 to 250 soldiers.
Muganda said they escaped to a bush and tried to figure a way out. He said he could not have fled without his colleague who sustained a leg injury.
The Kenya Defence Forces found the two survivors at Busara area, a few metres from the camp on Sunday.
They had served in Somalia for two weeks and were among four soldiers who were airlifted to Wilson Airport in Nairobi early Sunday in stable condition.
In a statement at the airport on Sunday, Defence CS Raychelle Omamo said other soldiers were earlier flown in via Moi Air Base.
Details will be sent directly to families, Omamo said, adding: "Allow the families privacy as they mourn. Full details of those injured and killed will be made public after families affected are notified."
The CS said more KDF troops, alongside others serving under Amisom, will be deployed to the camp following the attack whose number of casualties is yet to be released.
Chief of Defence Forces Samson Mwathethe said reports suggested al Shabaab militants in Somalia were using KDF soldiers as human shields.
He noted the need for details on the assault but asked the public not to share information that could compromise Kenyan troops' pursuit of the terrorists.
Al Shabaab's earlier claimed it captured soldiers in the ambush but did not give the number of soldiers being held. The group also said in a statement that more than 100soldiers were killed, revising the number up from 63.
Some Somali websites reported 15 KDF soldiers were still stranded and had been hiding in bushes away from the camp.
Others published that the al Qaeda-linked militants captured 12 soldiers in the attack.

RAILA:I BLAME UHURU ON TOUGH CHURCH LAWS

Cord leader Raila Odinga has criticised the President for ordering the review of proposed religion laws saying he chaired the Cabinet meeting that discussed them.
The Attorney General and the Communications Authority proposed the rules aimed at deterring religious groups from swindling the public, money laundering and terrorism.
"The AG gets instructions from the Cabinet which is chaired by the President Uhuru Kenyatta. He cannot come around to order the AG to negotiate with religious leaders yet he chaired the meeting," Raila said.
The Opposition leader accused Uhuru of being "dishonest about religion woes" and "encroaching on the lives of Kenyans" through the proposed laws.
"The state has no business regulating how people decide to worship, with whom or where. If religious people go against the law, they should be treated like all other Kenyans," he said.
During a press conference at Capitol Hill in Nairobi on Wednesday, Raila said clerics cannot be separated from the rest of the public and specific rules applied to them.
"If a pastor carried out fraud, it is not special fraud. Why are we setting special rules for pastors? If people decide to give the church or their pastors money, the state has no business telling them that they cannot," he said.
Religions and churches are founded on people’s charity and "to kill charity is to kill religion and the church", he said, and added it encompasses a calling.
"Religious leadership is a gift. You cannot train people into religious inspiration. Taxing the church is double taxation. It is like taxing harambees. The money going to the church has already been taxed," he said.
The Cord leader said the requirement in the new law, for religious associations to be registered, infringes upon the right to worship.
He said registration should be reserved for associations seeking to operate as recognised institutions.
Raila further said the government has enough problems to deal with and should not "invent" new ones.
"There is no need to fix what is working. There is no crisis in the church today. There is no need for the intervention of the state," he said.
Raila noted that the approach to religion is that the state must keep off religious affairs; article 8 of the constitution states "there shall be no state religion".
Article 32 (2) says "every person has the right, either individually or in community with others, in public or in private, to manifest any religion or belief through worship, practice, teaching or observance, including observance of a day of worship".
On Tuesday, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka said the Jubilee government does not respect the freedom of worship in Kenya.
In a statement from Europe, Kalonzo condemned the government for the "sustained curtailing of freedoms guaranteed in the constitution".
Officials of more than 200 churches in Nyeri county opposed the laws saying fraudster preachers should be jailed but the freedom of worship maintained.

UK COURT ACCUSES KENYAN GOVT.

A UK court has accused the Kenyan government of dragging its feet in convicting Kenyans involved in the Chickengate scandal despite British liaison efforts.

The London court fined printing firm Smith & Ouzman Ltd £2.2 million (Sh350 million) for bribing Kenyan state officers.

The EACC has made little headway in local investigations and no one has been charged over the matter to date, almost a year after the UK company directors were charged.

“The Crown have indicated that they have tried to liaise with the respective governments [Kenya and Mauritius] to identify a means by which compensation may be paid it being their policy whenever practical to seek compensation,” the ruling reads.

“However, they are not positively pursuing compensation in this case.”

Judge Andrew Mitchell said there has never been a formal request from Kenya for compensation and he is unsure the affected states have taken any steps to recover the looted cash from their own officials.

However, Assets Recovery Agency director Muthoni Kimani refuted claims it is unwilling to pursue the Chickengate cash.

“We will sit down properly with the UK government over this matter,” she told the Star.

The British directors paid out bribes codenamed ‘chicken’ totalling Sh53 million to Kenyan electoral and examination officials to win lucrative printing contracts.

BUSIA GOVERNOR SOSPETER OJAAMONG ON SPOTLIGHT OVER FEES PAYMENT

Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong has denied neglecting a boy, saying allegations made by the mother are extortion.

He also said his wife Judy, his daughter and he himself could care for the child, who is four years and eight months old.

In a text message to the Star yesterday, Ojaamong did not confirm or deny paternity but said he was aware of both the boy and his mother.

The governor said the woman is “extremely unrealistic, unreasonable and a terrible extortionist”.

“Tell her to seek legal redress. She has three children from different fathers. I can only support the purported child through legal understanding and not street talks,” he said.

The governor said if the woman wishes, she can take the child to his home.

Noting basic education, health and food is free in Kenya, Ojaamong told the Star to interview the woman’s other “husbands”.

The Star was unable to get comment from Ojaamong’s lawyer Dustan Omari.

He threatened “to sue the Star if it dare publish the story about the boy”.

This was after the boy’s mother said she conceived the child with Ojaamong, and threatened to sue him for allegedly neglecting his paternal responsibilities.

The woman said her efforts to compel Ojaamong to support her son have been futile, as he is influencing lawyers to intimidate her.

In a separate interview with the Star, the woman said she cohabited with the governor in 2010 after divorcing her husband and bore Ojaamong a son.

“When I gave birth to our son in 2011, he is the one who paid Sh130,000 to cater for my bills at the private wing in Kenyatta National Hospital after I underwent a caesarian section,” she said.

The woman said the governor had been supporting her with money through M-Pesa.

“We loved each other and the governor promised to provide medical cover for the boy, pay rent for us and pay his school fees,” she said.

“At the time he would go to school, he was to provide a vehicle to facilitate transport and other maintenance expenses. But unfortunately he has neglected all of them.”

IEBC:WE CAN HANDLE 2017 ELECTION

The polls agency has dismissed claims by Cord leaders that it is ill-prepared to handle next year’s General Election.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on Tuesday said there was no crisis regarding voter registration kits, a day after Cord lawmakers said there was a ploy to under-supply opposition strongholds with the machines.

IEBC Chief Executive Officer Ezra Chiloba said: “We don’t have a crisis concerning the number of registration kits. The challenge we have is adequate resources to do the work over a longer period and employ the necessary staff to do the work.”

The National Treasury allocated the commission Sh500 million for voter registration against a request of Sh2 billion.

Mr Chiloba termed as shocking utterances by Opposition MPs that the commission was training intelligence officers to engage them as electoral officers. He warned that such statements were likely to polarise the country and create voter apathy.

“That is misinformation and it is unacceptable,” he said. “We feel it is one way of creating unnecessary tension in the political space and I don’t think we take that kindly.”

He spoke at the end of a two-day meeting between the commission and political parties at the Great Rift Valley Lodge in Naivasha.

Among the issues discussed was the planned mass voter registration that starts next month and ends in March.

Cord MPs claimed on Monday that the commission was favouring Jubilee strongholds in the distribution of voter registration materials and equipment. They further claimed that the commission was ill-prepared for the extensive voter listing, and called for its postponement.

'ALARMIST COMMENTS'

But on Tuesday, National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale said the demand by Cord was a ploy to make the IEBC drop a case against Senate Minority Leader Moses Wetang’ula. The hearing on whether Mr Wetang’ula, a Cord leader, should be removed from the voters’ register opened in Nairobi on Tuesday.

“It is no coincidence that a hyperbolic, alarmist, unfounded and ill-conceived statement was released hours after a Cord co-principal, Senator Moses Wetang’ula, appeared before the IEBC, pursuant to orders of the Supreme Court arising out of the finding that Wetang’ula committed election offences,” Mr Duale said in a statement.

In Naivasha, Mr Chiloba said the statements made by ODM Chairman John Mbadi and lawmakers Moses Kajwang’, Fred Outa and Eseli Simiyu were premature and ill-informed.

“We were a bit surprised,” he said. “It is true that they had raised some issues and wrote to us last week. We were preparing to respond. However, they went to the media before we could reply to their request.”

He said the commission was ready to share with the public all the relevant information regarding the planned voter registration for the sake of transparency.

“Yesterday, they raised an issue about voter registration, and that is what we were actually discussing at the retreat where they were represented,” said Mr Chiloba.

IEBC Chairman Issack Hassan said it will not be necessary to extend the term of the commissioners.

In his view, the present polls team can conduct the 2017 General Election and deliver results and even manage a run-off within the time provided.

RAILA REACTS ON YESTERDAYS IEBC PROGRESS ON BUNGOMA SENATOR

Cord leader Raila Odinga yesterday warned that the opposition will not accept anything short of a clearance of Moses Wetang’ula from Supreme Court findings of voter bribery.

Raila was addressing Cord supporters outside the Milimani courts, Nairobi, as Wetang’ula appeared before an electoral inquiry that will decide his political career for the next five years.

He faces the prospect of his name being struck off the voters’ register over election offences.

“The IEBC should clear Wetang’ula because this is a Jubilee agenda and we know it. They are panicking. That is why they are trying every trick in the book, but I want to tell them we will not be pushed,” Raila told hundreds of supporters.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission inquiry is led by Thomas Letangule, commissioners Lilian Mahiri-Zaja and Mohamed Alawi and is considering a report of the Supreme Court that found Wetang’ula to have committed the offences during the 2013 general election.

However, Raila, who sat through the entire proceedings, accused Jubilee of victimising the Senator for Bungoma, who is also a Cord principal.

“The game they [Jubilee] are trying, former presidents Moi and Kibaki tried but flopped miserably. Jubilee is known to steal elections and that is why they are frustrating Wetang’ula,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Wetang’ula's defence team, led by James Orengo and Edwin Sifuna, tore into the Supreme Court report, dismissing its findings as not based on law when it comes to having the senator’s name deleted from the voter register.

The report recommended to the IEBC that it consider whether the senator's name should be removed from the role of registered voters.

Orengo argued that the inquiry should accord Wetang’ula a fair hearing.

Orengo, the Siaya Senator, said that section 87 (3) of the Elections Act was used by the courts against his client is of doubtful constitutionality and that because the matter is criminal the electoral court has no competence in it.

“The situation you are in is of doubtful penalization. If you find yourself in this position, the best you can do is rule in favour of the person who is appearing before you. It is a doctrine that has survived hundreds of centuries,” Orengo said.

Orengo told the inquiry that is set to deliver its ruling before January 20, 2016, the High Court in Bungoma did not convict Wetang’ula of the electoral offence.

At one point, Letangule wondered out loud, “Why are we here?”

WHAT YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT NYOTA FM'S DAKTARI TUNDE

Born in Transnzoia Mark Kimungui Barasa alias
doctor Tunde is swiftly becoming popular to many listeners around western Kenya and its environs.Tunde who once worked with KBC is now a one of the dependable presenters cum comedian in the station.

RAILA:THEY ARE SERIOUSLY PLANNING TO RIG 2017

The opposition chiefs yesterday accused the Jubilee Coalition of “laying the groundwork” to steal the 2017 polls.
Cord’s bigwigs said President Uhuru Kenyatta is presiding over the most corrupt administration in Kenya’s history and claimed that proceeds from corruption have been invested in the machinery for rigging the general election.
Cord announced they will conduct a lifestyle audit of Deputy President William Ruto and accused him of splashing around public cash to buy opposition MPs to join government.
“The DP must desist from making these unhelpful trips [to opposition strongholds] because he is squandering public funds,” he said.
Kisumu Senator Anyang’ Nyong’o said Cord will soon start compiling a lifestyle audit on Ruto, saying the coalition suspects his “political tourism” is funded by Eurobond cash.
At a press conference, Cord co-principals Raila Odinga and Moses Wetang’ula insisted that the coalition will accept nothing less than a free and fair election in 2017.
“You must know, as we all do, that this country cannot and must not risk another election that does not enjoy the confidence of all parties,” Raila said during the function held at the Serena Hotel, Nairobi.
Among the issues the leaders raised are failure by the state to fund the IEBC to properly prepare for the election and failure by the government to address serious legitimacy issues surrounding the commissioners following the controversy of the 2013 elections.
Raila said failure by the IEBC to prepare for the election favours the incumbent.
“We will not sit by and let the Jubilee administration undo all we have struggled for, a struggle in which many lives have been lost and many years of freedom lost,” he said.
Raila said President Uhuru has rejected discussions with the opposition on how to ensure there is a level playing field ahead of 2017 and an IEBC acceptable to all.
The former Prime Minister told Kenyans to stand up and defend the constitution, saying they have a right to demand accountability for their taxes and money borrowed in their name.
He said every Kenyan of 18 years and above has a right to vote in a free and fair election and urged them to demand that the government delivers on this. “We urge all young people who have attained the age of 18 and who have not been issued with ID cards to demand to be issued with IDs without delay.”
Among other things, Raila announced the Cord agenda for 2016 includes challenging “the retrogressive laws approved by the President”.
The laws include the amendments to the Judicial Service Commission Act, the National Police Service Act and the Public Audit Act.
Through the amendments, the President has recovered powers to appoint the Chief Justice, hire and dismiss the Inspector General of Police and the deputies. The Auditor General is also losing his independent powers.
“We are back to the era when the President would dismiss or appoint the head of Police or head of Judiciary through a 1pm radio announcement.”
Cord pledged to challenge the law amendments and promised to “vigorously” pursue its Okoa Kenya referendum and accountability for and recovery of the proceeds of the Eurobond

KIDNAPPER KILLED IN GITHURAI 44

A suspected kidnapper was shot dead while his two accomplices fled in Githurai 44, Nairobi, on Tuesday morning.
The trio allegedly kidnapped Gilbert Langat while he headed home from work at 6am and forced him into a thicket in Miaraho farm on the Northern bypass.
Langat, a guard with Intercity Security, told The Star the kidnappers demanded Sh10,000 to release him.
"I alerted my colleagues who sent Sh2,000 through M-Pesa and immediately alerted the police," he said, adding the attackers frisked him and stole his mobile phone, a wedding ring and boots.
Kiambu police boss Stephen Ng'etich said Langat was found with his hands tied with a rope.
Ng'etich said the kidnappers escaped in different directions when his officers ordered them to surrender.
"My officers shot and fatally injured one unknown male adult and recovered a mobile phone, a pair of boots, a jacket, a wedding ring and two knives," he said.
Thugs have in the past robbed and raped women on the undeveloped private piece of land that was once a coffee farm.
The body was taken to City Mortuary.