15 May Newspaper
15 May Newspaper
15 May Newspaper
No. 17216
IN COURT
POLITICS | Uhuru, Ruto, Mudavadi among presidential candidates who could be aected by court ruling
pmutibo@ke.nationmedia.com residential aspirants Uhuru Kenyatta, Musalia Mudavadi, William Ruto and Peter Kenneth are among close to 100 MPs who risk losing their seats for defecting from parties that sponsored them.
This follows a decision by a lobby group linked to Prime Minister Raila Odinga to move to court seeking orders to eject them from Parliament. The Friends of Raila (Fora) lobby group wants the court to order the Registrar of Political Parties to write to the Speaker
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
ON OTHER PAGES
LEGISLATION
dnyassy@ke.nationmedia.com Unidentied raiders killed three people during an attack on the oces of the electoral commission in Kwale yesterday. The gang also stole three laptop comput-
ers, but left other valuable items. This is the second such attack on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) at the Coast, where a separatist group, the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC), has vowed to disrupt elections. Internal Security Assistant Minister Orwa Ojodeh said they had received re-
ports about the attack whose motive was not yet known. We got reports in the morning about the killings. We are yet to know the motive of the attack but we are warning any group that is on such missions that they will face the full force of the law. Kwale CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
INDEX
News P. 2-11 Opinion P. 12-13 Letters P. 14 Special Report P. 17 International P. 19-28 Business P. 30-33 County P. 34-36 Sport P. 64-68
2 | National News
IN COURT | Group wants seats of MPs who have defected declared vacant
Mr Hassan Omar Hassan (second left), the vice-chairman of Friends of Raila, and lawyer Anthony Oluoch (right) with members of the lobby group outside a Nairobi court yesterday before they led a petition seeking to have seats of MPs who have defected to other political parties declared vacant.
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They (Supreme Court rules) should be made easy to understand and relate with especially for litigants,
Chief Justice Willy Mutunga . Page 10
the lobby groups lawyer, Mr Anthony Oluoch. The move comes only a day after Cabinet ministers Moses Wetang ula and James Orengo challenged the Registrar of Political Parties, Ms Lucy Ndungu, to declare the seats held by such MPs vacant because they had violated the law. Speaking at Wagai, Gem constituency on Saturday, Mr Orengo challenged Mr Mudavadi and MPs allied to him to resign from Parliament and seek fresh mandate on a UDF ticket. Mr Wetangula asked the Registrar and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to enforce the law by
declaring the seats vacant. It is callous for legislators to blatantly violate the new Constitution by undermining the very parties that elected them. These party hoppers are being illogical when they say openly that they have defected to other parties yet they remain in Parliament by virtue of belonging to parties they have disowned. Mr Wetangula added: IEBC has a constitutional mandate to move with speed and declare seats for such MPs vacant. IEBC chairman Ahmed Isaack Hassan was recently quoted stating that the commission had identied some 100 MPs who had violated the Political
Parties Act by shifting allegiance to other parties. Reached for comment, Ms Ndungu and the chairman of the Commission on the Implementation of the Constitution, Mr Charles Nyachae, refused to comment. Ive not seen the court documents so I cannot comment, said Ms Ndungu. Mr Nyachae promised to issue a statement on the matter today. The part of the Constitution that deals directly with the matter is Chapter 7 which is suspended until after the rst General Election but we are combing through the Political Parties Act with a tooth comb so that we can give an informed opinion tomorrow, he said.
In the news
Kisumu: The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and Kisumu leaders are embroiled in a tussle over a Sh52 million deal to upgrade a local school. Leaders say the authority agreed to upgrade the primary school after the community agreed to relocate from the Kogony area to pave way for the expansion of Kisumu airport but it did not. KAA, however, says it has done its bit. Page 37 Mombasa: The Attorney-General cannot strike out an application seeking a referendum
on Coast secession, the lawyer representing the Mombasa Republican Council has said. He told a court that the AG has no right to dismiss the case since he is yet to respond to their motion. Page 11 Nairobi: Local and International NGOs are headed for a clash with an agency over two Bills meant to regulate the sector. While international NGOs support a Bill to be tabled by an ODM MP, local ones back another drafted by the NGO coordination board. Page 6
Mr Nahashon Kipserem of Kimeloi Secondary in action during their handball match against Silibwet Secondary during Rift Valley games in Eldoret yesterday.
WEATHER FORECAST
17 23 19 16
0600 1200 1800 2300
Nairobi will have rains in the morning and high humidity Temperatures will rise at midday as humidity falls Temperatures to fall with more cloud cover Further drop in temperatures and high humidity at night
National News 3
3
Clothing material which comes in many colours, is loaded with up to three times more insecticide than normal nets
BACKGROUND
ising to offer protection for a longer time. The bond on our fabric is very dicult to break, says Dr Ochanda, a Kenyan post doctoral associate in Cornells Department of Fiber Science & Apparel Design. This is an interesting development, especially if the technology can give the bres a long life span and be produced at much lower cost than the current yarn, Prof Bernard Odhiambo Aduda of the University of Nairobi told the Nation yesterday. He said although Kenya had not done much work on nanotechnology, it is the science of the future where materials can be manipulated at minute levels. At this scale, about a billionth of a metre the materials possess some unique properties that are being exploited to make new products, he said. According to the head of the Institute of Primate Research one of the few institutions in Kenya involved in nanotechnology Dr Thomas Kariuki, this is an exciting development in the ght against malaria. We are happy to see more Kenyans get involved in this new science especially to solve local problems, said Dr Kariuki said yesterday. He said these new nanocharged bed nets or fabrics could nd widespread use especially in children clothing that would be really signicant as malaria is primarily a killer of children. The other exciting bit about this is that it provides an opportunity to translate the science of nanotechnology from the labs to become part of everyday applications, implying that this new science is coming of age. The costume on the catwalk was a one-piece body suit, hand-dyed in vibrant hues of purple, gold and
Unique properties
The fashionable hooded body suit embedded with insecticides for warding o malaria causing mosquitoes. The outt by Gambian apparel designer Matilda Ceesay (right) was worn by models on the catwalk during a fashion show at Cornell University two weeks ago.
blue, and a mesh hood and cape containing the repellent. Seeing malaria aect many people in Kenya, its important for me to apply bre science to help this problem, Dr Ochanda says. A long-term goal of science is to be able to come up with solutions to help protect human life, so this project is very fullling for me. Dr Ochanda says further improvements on their prototype are being contemplated that will allow the fabric to release the repellent in response to changes in temperature or light, offering wearers more protection at night when mosquitoes are on the hunt. At the minimum, Dr Ochanda hopes the technology can be applied to create longer-lasting insecticide-laden bed nets. Dr Ochanda is involved in other futuristic projects like the manipulating of cotton into high-tech electronic devices which include smart clothing and others which can protect the military against harmful chemicals. According to The Ithacan, a
CORRESPONDENT | NATION
weekly online publication of the Ithaca College in the US, the cotton team is working on projects sponsored by the US Department of Defence to nd how to protect soldiers from dangerous chemicals and gases.
4 | National News
SECURITY | Separatist group distances itself from attacks
FILE | NATION
Mombasa Republican Council members at a past function pushing for the secession of Coast Province over alleged neglect by the government. The group has vowed to disrupt elections.
his officers only patrolled the area where the IEBC oces are located. My officers are not permanently stationed at IEBC oces but carry out patrols throughout the general area. They might have been in another area during the raid, he said. Mr Mugwai said it was surprising that the raiders did not steal any money from the two oces but went for computers. There was a safe with money at the Yehu Micronance oces and a very expensive digital camera lying on the table. But the thieves did not touch them but moved out with laptops, some which were not
operational. MRC has been linked to several attacks in the province this year. Two months ago, suspected MRC attackers disrupted a mock election at St Andrews Primary School in Malindi. During the attack, an AP ocer was beaten, injured and robbed of his rie. At Chonyi, raiders suspected to be MRC members, attacked IEBC ocials as they conducted civic education and burnt their vehicle and voting materials. In Kaloleni an AP post was raided and officers beaten up and hurt while at Shelly Beach in Likoni an ocer was killed and
his gun stolen by people suspected to be MRC members. IEBC has moved its offices from Mombasa town centre to a location protected by the General Service Unit next to the Mombasa State House. However, Ms Soud said the reason for the move was space and not security, adding that the old oce was only 50 metres from the Central Police Station and quite secure. Also, more than 200 APs from Coast Province are said to have been transferred out of the region in a move to improve security ahead of the elections. See another story Page 11
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NAIROBI, MOMBASA, KISUMU, ELDORET
National News 5
POLITICS | Wetangula says party will challenge law requiring civic leaders to have degrees
BRIEFLY
NAIROBI
Narc Kenya party leader Martha Karua is welcomed by Dr Francis Karanga at a Nakuru hotel where she met women eyeing various political seats in the region yesterday. Looking on is former Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara.
they are better leaders than those with academic qualications only, he advised. He declared that his party would sponsor a miscellaneous amendment Bill in Parliament to challenge the law. He also asked those interested to run on the partys ticket to register so that they can learn its rules. Mr Wetangula, who was accompanied by among others, Bumula MP Bifwoli Wakoli dismissed allegations that Ford-K councillors had defected to ODM, saying the reports were false. Our members are disciplined and would not make such a move without consulting the necessary party organs, said Mr Wetangula. Elsewhere, Ms Karua said she will
MACHAKOS
Sponsor Bill
Addressing the press after the meeting, Mr Wetangula said the second oldest party in the country would also eld candidates for all elective posts, including the presidency. The Trade minister revealed that his party will challenge the law requiring an aspiring councillor to have a bachelors degree before vying terming it as punitive to leaders who had been elected before. Their experience should be considered during vetting because
They (older experienced councillors) are better leaders than those with degrees,
Ford-K Chairman Moses Wetangula
not accept to be paid for the additional months after the end of her term as an MP in December. Speaking in Nakuru during an education forum for women leaders, the presidential aspirant termed the move by some leaders to push the General Election date to March next year as impunity of the highest order. She accused President Kibaki of overstepping the set constitutional procedures by unilaterally appointing 47 county commissioners. She said the appointments should be cancelled.
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6 | National News
CONTROVERSY | Fighting for share of donor money
BRIEFLY
NAIROBI
PROPOSALS
National Council of NGOs chairman Ken Wafula, who supports the government Bill, accused Ms Abdi of working with international NGOs to defeat a good Bill. We want Ms Abdi to withdraw her Bill in order for us to send to Parliament a document that has everyones consensus, he said. But Ms Abdi denied being pushed by international NGOs. My background is in civil society, having founded a very successful NGO in Northern Kenya (Womankind Kenya) which I dream will go international, she said, adding she welcomed input to her Bill. I will not ght local NGOs after being in the movement for 18 years, she said. The proposed law will compel charities to make public their nancial dealings to address accusations of impropriety and money laundering activities against them. NGOs Coordination Board ocial Henry Otieno said yesterday the planned law would increase transparency and align the activities of NGOs with the new Constitution. He said charities were able to get away with oences because they were registered by dierent agencies which had no mechanism to follow-up on their activities.
NAIROBI
Immigration minister Otieno Kajwang testies yesterday in a Nairobi court in a case in which an agent has denied stealing more than Sh6 million from his company, Ralek Enterprises, between January and June 2011.
MOMBASA
MERU
APOLOGY
In a regrettable mix-up of captions, yesterdays edition of the DN2 gave the erroneous impression that the mother of the Government spokesman, Dr Alfred Mutua, is not alive. We take this early opportunity to apologise to Dr Mutua, his dear mother and the entire family for any anxiety this error might have caused.
Oil Zone is Mr Nyagwala. No oil was supplied to Athi River Mining by his company
Immigration minister Otieno Kajwang