By Nicholas Olambo
The winds of change influence so many things; the Kenyan hip-hop/ rap music industry which came into recognition in the mid nineties has not been left out. It’s notorious for being reclusive, thoughtful, aggressive and egocentric. When African rap began in the early 80s after American rap took shape. Kenyan, Tanzanian or any other rap has never fully escaped the influence of American rap – until now – the scene is evolving at breakneck speed.
There are many upcoming artistes at every street corner but not every wishing rapper makes it to the limelight. Hip-hop/ rap is a culture built around bravado, losing or backing down is detrimental to an artist’s career but winning the battle to the top requires well thought out strategies. Africa is home to 54 countries with nearly 3000 different languages, on top of that, African music or sound is the best at these times when electric sound is taking over everything.
There are many upcoming artistes at every street corner but not every wishing rapper makes it to the limelight. Hip-hop/ rap is a culture built around bravado, losing or backing down is detrimental to an artist’s career but winning the battle to the top requires well thought out strategies. Africa is home to 54 countries with nearly 3000 different languages, on top of that, African music or sound is the best at these times when electric sound is taking over everything.
When so many have been faking beyond their capabilities to rhyme and sound like westerners , bright artistes who boast of both rapping and marketing skills are taking over. Vicmass Luodollar, new rap cat who catapulted to the mainstream through his ‘Bank otuch remix’, a single which featured Octopizzo, a onetime lord of the underground who rose to the limelight and learnt to swim in the industry’s murky waters.
Vicmass raps in luo, seemingly feeling the giant boots of luo rap pioneers like Gidi Gidi and Maji Maji and his new single ‘Simbe Adek’is a testimony to that. The single is already receiving massive airplay across local channels. The young star has fast risen to be a house hold name because he studied the game, saw gap and filled it when many wannabes were still biting their tongues trying to rap like Jay Z or Nas. Music is a product of one’s environment and that’s what Vicmass is nicely packaging and serving his fans.
People are free to rap in any language but you really need to understand what you are going for before you just go for it. There is unwritten law of the present times that to launch any up-and-coming music artist’s career is to have an intricate media strategy, active Facebook and Twitter profiles and to do as many interviews and gigs as possible. Language is as much important and that where Luodollar cuts his nitch, he knows what’s trending.
So many rappers across Africa are now performing in local languages, from Kwaito in South Africa to Igbo in Nigeria and now luo in Kenya. Thanks to bright brilliant artistes who do this. Kenyan rap industry’s timeline was strewn with the names of has-beens whose careers went down through substance abuse, lack of talent and other rappers who never recovered from lyrical smackdowms they received from their rivals.
There are a few cases of artistes still making it with a lot western influence from sound to language. Say for South Africa’s finest, AKA. Local acts such as Camp Mulla were also widely accepted with their urban touch and English rap in American accent because they got it right from writing, production to performance but lazy cats copied without any clear understanding what they would be in for. Results; careers stalled.
Mr Steven Githaiga Ruimuku. Managing Director TARDA
In our initial release of this scandal, we detailed how the crooked TARDA MD faked his dates of birth reducing it by five years just to serve longer on Government. We’ve also highlighted how he had misappropriated funds going up to Sh.200M in his tenure. We’ve also highlighted on the open nepotism and tribal appointments that have become the order of the day at the State’s authority.
Steven Githaiga Maina Passport number A383456 as he was formerly known and according to National Registrar Bureau, changed his identity to Steven Githaiga Ruimuku Passport number A593455 distorting his date of birth from 1953 to 1958. This was a ploy to reduce his age and increase five more years to his years in service. It’s worth noting that Githaiga had attained the retirement age, in fact, he had retired from a previous Government job of which he continues to receive the pension from.
Changing his ID Card and Passports details to fit in the job’s bracket is a serious criminal offence that in a law-abiding country, the charlatan should by now be rotting in jail and not sitting pretty in the comforts of the government’s offices. The fact that Githaiga is free even after being exposed in the media and the CID forwarded his files makes you wonder what the Criminal Investigations Department is doing in stopping fraud exercise as this of the TARDA MD. DCI Muhoro should by now be roasting fabricate Githaiga in the oven for forging official documents but for reasons known to him and the suspect, and he’s walking free, such an insult to the justice system.
His original ID dates 1953The faked passport No. A593455 showing date of birth as 1958
Githaiga by the simple fact that can be proven that he faked his biological credentials, should be sent to jail without questions. EACC yet another toothless body has been called to action and as usual, they received the files, and nothing has been forthcoming from them. According to moles talking to Kenya Insights, the anti-graft body was compromised by the corrupt MD to sleep on the case.
To the key issues, questions that Githaiga has failed to answer to date include;the procedure he used in the recruitment of staff, list of staff in 2013 including the full list of applicants, shortlisted and fruitful candidates, composition of the interviewing panel and its recommendations, details of all employees recruited during this period including dates and appointment. He can’t provide these necessary information since everything was done out of the law. Githaiga hired everything and everyone in his family and circles into TARDA without considering the law. Talk of ultimate duplicity.
From documents in Kenya Insights custody from a parliament mole, TARDA scandal and Githaiga was handling by Eunice Hinga and Ibrahim Lorot the EACC detectives whom we learn were compromised with bribes and promised me in order to step on the case. EACC issued Githaiga with a summon on 7th October, 2015 and to date that has never been honoured, has never been to the offices, he simply summoned the EACC detectives to his office bribed them and the case took a natural death way.
Ombudsman also took up the case on Githaiga being illegally in office. Let’s do some math here. The Auditor General, who unearthed the scandal say the acting MD earned Sh.10.8M in basic salary during the fraudulently extended tenure in office. Am analysis of-of the extra salary, which he ought to have made totals Sh.10,765,464, breakdowns from 2009.
In the audit review, Githaiga made a total basic pay of Sh.1.2M in the six months from January to June 2009 when he was the deputy MD. The MD’s basic pay according to the AG, was Sh.200,00/pm. Between July 2009 and June 2011, Githaiga took home Sh.3.6M for the two years he worked. Between March 2012 and Feb 2014, 24 months in total, Githaiga earned a total of Sh.3.6M. In this period(July 2014 to March 2015) according to Ouko’s report, Githaiga received Sh.10,756,464 basic salary besides other allowances. All these were illegally earned. Add everything to August 2016, and Githaiga has received over Sh.30M in basic pay leaving out allowances which make the strong potion.
AG Ouko also accused Githaiga of irregularly recruiting 37 employees in his capacity as acting MD before taking over an office in 2013, April. The illegal appointments for the financial year ended June 30, 2014, total basic pay amounted to Sh. 13,787,412. A closer scrutiny into the fake recruitments by the tribal Githaiga revealed that 17 out of the 37 workers were from his Kikuyu community. Worse still, the positions weren’t advertised as a condition for competitive recruitment as required in state’s offices.
Githaiga is illegally in office. Was appointed as the acting MD on 22nd April 2013 and while in his position, he ensured that he was irregularly confirmed as the MD in April 2015 without being subjected to competitive recruitment for holders of such officers.
Scanned documents from the Auditor General’s report showing the looting levels administered by Githaiga
He presented to the Board of Directors a recruitment process done in 2009which were dispensed by the then Regional Dev Minister, Fred Gumo and therefore not applicable. Due diligence and vetting were not done as the MD was interdicted for misappropriation of Sh.190M for ESP programme in TANA DELTA which he has never accounted for to date.
In respect to Sh.30,714,048 grant received from the Europian Union for implementation of community-based mini-hydropower development in Upper Tana basin for poverty alleviation project. However, the funds have remained unutilised for over four years. Available information to Kenya Insights indicates that the EU has since recalled the funds in the exercise 2013’2014 and advised TARDA to come up with a new proposal for another grant. This is a glaring case of incompetence.
Githaiga has not explained why the funds were not put into intended use resulting to the withdrawal of the same by the donor. In the circumstances, the authority seems to be focused on achievements of its strategic goals.
Githaiga changed his name from what is in the national ID as confirmed by the National Registration Bureau to a different one which is in his passport No. A1593455 acquired on 2nd February 2011. Further, he has changed his date birth from 1953 to 1958 a date he now uses on most of his official documents.
Accordingly, he ought to have retired in 2008, a year before the government enhanced the retirement age to 60 years. This amounts to criminal action on the part of Githaiga of cheating on his age by five years. The DCI should not tolerate such a tactless and fraudulent MD and its an insult to intelligence when such a fraud holds such a high public office for whatsoever reasons.
We call upon the CID, DPP, EACC to man up and pick up the case in streamlining public institutions. If either of the bodies wants to feign ignorance, Kenya Insights is readily available through ([email protected]) to present the files to them for solutions.
Given his financial might, Githaiga the scamming TARDA MD has been able to silence all the key institutions from highlighting the story. EACC is loudly silent waiting for their share of millions. We’re told he paid them handsomely with promises of more. TARDA is destined to receive close to Sh.3B as of 2017/17 FY allocations and this is one of the reasons we learn he extended his period. The money he’s baiting to loot and pay off the rest of his other crooks as promised.
It is disturbing that while Kenya is struggling with high youth unemployment rate, some old charlatans are using crooked and criminal methods to stay afloat. Githaiga is receiving pension and at the same time, he’s receiving salary from the same Government under different names and dates of birth. One wonders why nothing can’t happen to him yet the evidence is out in black and white and in the right hands. EACC,CID,DPP and SCAC the goverment’s agencies that have been sleeping on the job and need to wake up before this man completely finishes TARDA.
It’s even more depressing that the fraudulent TARDA MD was appointed by respected environmentalist Prof Judi Wakhungu. She was aware of all these transgressions and still went ahead to appoint him adding stains to her presumed white profile. Her integrity, reputation and international respect that she commands is now in line for having appointed such a swindle into such a big position. With everything now open to the public we call upon the CS to revoke the appointment of Githaiga and ensure he pays back all the money he received from TARDA illegally and most importantly, work to see that the corrupt MD is thrown behind bars for his criminal acts of forging official documents and corruption. Kenya Insights is keen to follow up the matter to the end and will be paying attention to see how Wakhungu and relevant authorities will handle this. There’s no option of relaxing until this matter is solved and that’s by the fraud MD being ousted and legal actions taken against him.
Tom, the son of the fifth Lord Delamere, died on Wednesday while receiving treatment at MP Shah Hospital. According to the hospital, Tom, 48, was checked in on Tuesday and died on Wednesday afternoon at 2.15pm as he recovered from hip replacement surgery at the facility. He was recuperating at the Intensive Care Unit when he developed cardiac arrest and died.
In his last days, Tom’s life was surrounded with controversies and nightmares arising from the killings that were traced to his hands. In April 2005, Mr Cholmondeley shot and killed a Kenya Wildlife Service game ranger Samson Ole Sisina at his expansive Soysambu Ranch, near Lake Naivasha.
The guard died in a hail of bullets also on the Delamere’s ranch as he was conducting an undercover investigation. The case collapsed for lack of evidence in June 2005, prompting noisy demonstrations around the fringes of the farm.
The British aristocrat was convicted in May 2009 of the manslaughter of Robert Njoya, an unemployed stonemason, after a judge found no evidence to sustain the original charge of murder. Mr Njoya, 37 the father of four boys, died in May 2006 after a bullet fired by Cholmondeley nicked an artery in his pelvis. He had been poaching for Impala gazelles on the 48,000 acre Rift Valley ranch owned by the 5th Baron Delamere, Cholmondeley’s father.
He was sent to Kamiti Maximum Security Prison and was released in October that year after serving only five months of the eight months for manslaughter. Living with the burden of such killings and the backlash from the general public who feel he was favoured by the justice system must have haunted him daily.
Despondent traders in Eastleigh are left in the cold pondering where their area MP for Kamukunji Yussuf Hassan is hiding as private developers launch massive grabbing of public land in the busy and resourceful business zone. The cries from the group of hawkers talking to Kenya Insights are coming at a time when the Ombudsman report on a conflicted piece of land in Eastleigh found the occupant developer guilty of irregularly procuring the land.
Alfa Traders with Ali Sheikh Mohamud and Mohammed Barrow listed as the directors according to CAJ investigations, fraudulently acquired the land to construct a mall liaising with defunct City Council of Nairobi in 2007. Despite National, Lands Commission revoking the lease held by the dubious group and ironically the County government reinstating that the land is a public amenity, in 2014 when Kidero Government took charge, things took a sharp turn.
From what Kenya Insights establishes was after substantial negotiations and million shilling bribery by the Alfa Traders owned by City Billionaire connected in numerous scandalous deals, Sheikh Khalifa, Director of legal affairs Karisa Iha in Feb 2014, gave the Alfa Traders legal ownership of the land despite the open discrepancies.
Ombudsman in its recommendations to solve the standoff, recommended for the Nairobi County Government to repossess the land from the dubious traders and serve them with a cessation notice and immediately stop construction and vacate the parcel of land LR. No. 36/VII/1037. It also recommended the 403 affected traders be prioritised in the new allocation since the land is listed legally as a public amenity.
Traders were also RECOMMENDED TO BE AWARDED Ksh.150,000 each as compensation for the costs incurred in constructions of stalls destroyed by Alfa Traders. Corrupt official seated at City Hall, Nelson Otido who executed the lease of documents in favour of Alfa Traders, Isaac Nyoike, Chief Valuer and Karisa Iha the Director, Legal Affairs be fired by Kidero the Nairobi Governor over abuse of power and breach of public trust. However, these recommendations are yet to be effected with City being the chief accused and yet charged to execute directives opt to give silent treatment on the new developments.
As the area MP, Yusuf Hassan shouldn’t be taking a backbench position on a matter that needs intense mobilisation and lobbying despite his quiet tone nature. This is the time Yussuf should stand with his constituents and be seen to be with the mwananchi down there, after all, it is his constituency, and he has the obligation to protect public interests and amenities.
The land squabbles have been ongoing for years and from what Kenya Insights gathers, the MP has been conspicuously missing from the picture with the traders who are drawn from across the section of communities in Kenya left to fight for themselves. Senator Sonko at one point joined them and staged a protest where the construction by the fraud Alfa Traders stopped for few days, but he has never been seen there again. The traders say the monied Sheikh Khalifa bribed Sonko to buy his silence. Kenya Insights has relentlessly reached out for the senator in weeks, and his lips have remained super glued going to affirm the allegations of the traders that his silence was bought.
Governor Evans Kidero and Senator Mike Sonko. Both have steered away from the Eastleigh Land Grab, alleged to be having business links with Alfa Traders the dubious company that has grabbed the public land.
The Governor, Kidero on the other side, also joined the traders and called for the Contractors to stop, but these were mere blab]nket orders as it’s been established he has business links with Sheikh Khalifa who is the owner of Alfa Traders. City Hall has been giving cessation orders to the rogue contractors but just for the cameras and letting them continue with the illegal construction.
It doesn’t make any sense when Kidero allude that he’s fighting the cartel when he can’t implement simple recommendations by the Ombudsman to repossess the land and fire rogue officers in his office. By keeping everything constant, Kidero is not only affirming his position in protecting impunity forces but also propagating the corruption culture within City Hall that has now escalated to disturbing heights.
Yussuf Hassan if not disturbed then must be ashamed for leaving his constituents to be disturbed in the hands of the looting cartel. What will be left for the public when the entire Eastleigh is being swallowed by the private developers. Will the same MP seek votes from the same traders he has abandoned? Why is the MP maintaining a resounding silent on this matter can it be read that he is compromised and only working to protect the corrupt network? These are some of the few of many questions the traders are putting through. Will the MP wake from the slumber and make a sound on this even a cough? Kenya Insights will be watching.
Alfa Traders continues with illegal construction at the public land despite Ombudsman directive that they don’t have rights to the land and County Government should repossess it
Despite the fact that the directives and Ombudsman investigations that Alfa Traders are illegally holding the land and Kidero should repossess the land, impunity is in full effect. Construction at the site continue undeterred daily, and that’s the ugly but real face of City Hall giving zero regards to law and order. The bribing Alfa Traders probably have oiled the officials and going on with their illegal business in peace. Kidero, Sonko and Yussuf the MP as the entrusted custodians are watching from the fence. The sad truth of Nairobi County where corruption and impunity are growing to be the order of the day. Yusuf is ranked as one of the best-performing MPs in the City.
What you’re about to read is what the Government of Kenya didn’t want you to know. The Kenyan Government IT department has been breaking the sweat in past few days following a massive hacking operation by the anonymous crew and group of hacktivists who target organisations or governments they deem to be violating human rights.
Anonymous Group which runs internationally and famed for bringing down the most of rigid government’s IT systems, reigned terror on Kenya’s government even though this won’t be the first time, the previous attack saw KDF, OP websites targeted and brought down last year.
In the past 4-6 days, the key government of Kenya websites were targeted by the hacking group and brought down. The Government’s IT department opted to keep it low with instructions to the blogger’s team and operatives to keep it secret away from a public’s eye as a superiority measure as they fought around the clock to regain control of the websites from the hackers who had launched the attack as a form of protest to the government.
While the silence game ensued and background battle with hackers to regain control intensified, major government operations that rely heavily on online executions were frozen from KRA to Nexus.
Screenshots of some of the State’s websites hacked.
Kenya Insights has been in contact with the anonymous global village who affirms to us the operation was major to protest the government of Kenya’s incompetence, abandoning the four Kenyans held illegally by the government of Sudan and rampant corruption in the system.
The Kenyan IT team put up a good fight going as far us hacking into the dark chat rooms by the hackers in a fierce bid to regain control of the states sites. We’ve informed a group of 15 hackers stationed and behind a shadow of Nexus launched the retaliatory fight. But according to the leader of anonymous talking to Kenya Insights, he says the Kenyan team are amateurs who came up with the childish armoury in regaining back the held sites.
” We’re going to let them breathe for now but this is just a warning shot, we will be back very soon and this time it will be bigger than ever. The government must change its ways or we’re going to paralyse online operations of the state.” Says the leader of Kenya’s Anonymous Hackers talking to Kenya Insights.
We’re informed the next in target is the government of South Sudan, who by far has been served with the warning note. South Sudan is currently holding in jail four Kenyans without any apparent justification crime in what the anonymous say is an illegality. As a protest to the illegal detention, Anonymous has promised to take over and down the entire South Sudan IT system as a bid to have the detained Kenyans released.
If you thought it’s what one does off the cameras and off the courts that make make them worthy of the people’s support, then you figured it wrong. Think again. The race to clinch the Nairobi women rep seat which soon fall vacant is taking an interesting turn.
Would be politicians are working best with what they have, others are using their financial strength, some are self-motivated and inspired, others by virtue of being the incumbent are putting up a strong fight to defend the seat when lazy ones are up to use their bottoms to shoot straight to the top.
As the nation struggles to strike gender balance in its elected leadership, special seats reserved for our women are attracting passive candidates who champion nothing. Some are running to please their sponsors or milk them dry or just to graduate from being parasites to honourable members. Real women who stand for serious issues go for ‘bigger positions’ like gubernatorial or senatorial seats.
Before you just bid think about what people know you for, is it arrest for drunk driving, escape with another woman’s husband or donating books to a local school? Some aspirants have made news for all the wrong reasons acquiring negative fame. A thousand people who follow you on social media and like your pages will not turn to vote. The empty pledges you are giving are an old century rhetorics that no one takes seriously. Present policies that resonate with the electorate and can fix the challenges they are facing.
Karen Nyamu Aka Bae Wa Nai
The incumbent Hon. Rachael Shebesh aka Manzi wa Nairobi is facing opponents with the same childish monikers. The Bae wa Nairobi, Toto si Totos and Wakili wa Mama na Watoto of this world are up to pose a limping challenge to the incumbent who has had a dismal performance. A serious candidate with fresh and real ideas is needed. I mean, going by the monikers what difference is there between Manzi wa Nairobi and Bae wa Nairobi? Copy and paste strategy that can not work even in utopia.
These are short visioned leaders who may deliver less than Shebesh. Copy and paste, lame PR stunts and taking photos to beg for mercy work not anymore. They say brains hardly go with beauty, and the testimony is right before the eyes of the Nairobians.
As mentioned in the previous article, the Nairobi woman rep is yet to attract serious candidate or already the ones who’ve declared interests don’t have a clear view of what they want. The campaign slogan is a key pivot point. Yes, We Can is what shot Obama to the spot two terms later. The slogan tells the seriousness or saucy nature in your bid. We’re not just looking at who has more sexual appeal, which has the trendy tag but a woman of substance who has strict moral values to defend the rights of Nairobi women. The tags flowing around are as childish as they sound.
Sammy Muthui, chief operating officer at AoN Kenya Insurance Brokers
Aon Insurance Brokers struck a deal with Teachers Service Commission last year for medical cover on its staff valued at Sh 5.6 billion AON Minet, and the scandalous deal was surrounded with bribery claims which led to a court suit to have it terminated. It emerged that the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) were duped after some of its members were lured by a 10 per cent kickback from the deal.
Details emerged that some Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and Knut were involved in hammering out the multi-billion deal were more concerned with the kickback that translated to approximately Sh500 million, that would accrue after the deal was finalised. The deal was tailored by Sossion and party.
It doesn’t make sense why TSC the employer had to bring on board KNUT in negotiating the deal, perhaps a ploy to oil shoulders of vital bodies to avoid repulsion. While the tender was advertised, the parties involved had already identified AoN Brokers who offered a good incentive.
The matter was brought to the attention of Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission after anti-graft Director of Investigation Abdi Mohamud demanded copies of various documents from TSC to launch investigations into allegations of procurement irregularities in the award for tender to AON.
Among the records needed was the list of bidders, approved budget, minutes of the tender committee, payment vouchers and tender advertisements. In 2014, TSC boss Gabriel Lengoibon, with the outspoken fire-chewing Knut secretary general Wilson Sossion, allegedly secretly sourced for AoN Minet for the cover. In a bid to conceal, it is claimed, they invited officials of Knut to discuss the matter with Kuppet being kept in the dark of the goings on. It is compelling to note, Sossion was on National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) board that issued contracts to dubious clinics that caused a stir in public time back.
KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion
A new storm is brewing as AoN is hell bent to retain the medical cover deal with the commission since their current tie, expires, sleuths talking to Kenya Insights say, the Brokering Company has resorted to using every means in store to ensure that it clinches the Sh15 billion teachers medical cover scheme for a period of three years.
A manager at Pioneer Insurance Company( tendering for the contract with teachers) as we learn from source visited the Teachers Service Commission Evaluation Committee in Nakuru where they were having consultative meetings and parted with Sh1 million for each of the six members as the bribe.
The evaluation committee had been stationed in Nakuru county between July 28-31 only for the said AoN’s agent to arrive and part with Sh6 million in what could be described as trying to play dirty with Kenya’s largest workforce of 250,000 teachers. This was after AoN Insurance realised that Clarkson Insurance had quoted Sh14 billion for three years as opposed to AoN’s Sh15.3 billion. Liaison Insurance put a figure of Sh17.7 billion.
The quotation by Clarkson has caused sleepless nights to AoN forcing it to use crooked means to retain the lucrative medical scheme for teachers which it had earlier signed for a one year in the period 2015/16. The committee is currently divided and at loggerheads on whether to declare Clarkson the winner or AoN Insurance. AoN’s had during the initial contract with TSC signed a Sh5.6 billion contract.
A good umber of teachers who’ve contacted Kenya Insights on this issue says the AoN cover was the force down their throats and have lodged serious complaints. They complain of delays in the processing of payments to health facilities, leading to loss of valuable teaching time, thus adversely affecting innocent students in their respective schools whenever teachers go for outpatient services in AON Minet-accredited health facilities.
Kenya Insights has its eyes all over this deal and will be keen to see the directions it takes and how things play out. With 10% tradition in tendering at the back of mind, we will tell you the developments as we have our spies planted in all the corridors on this deal.
The outgoing IEBC commissioners last week published rules capping campaign spending in the coming 2017 polls. The rules have come under scathing criticism from various political players as a ploy to auction country’s political leadership to billionaires, and indeed it looks like it. This commission has been accused of being ‘bought’ by the moneyed politicians and the coalition wing that makes the ruling regime of the day.
This was the worst last card the embattled commission would play after it lost the confidence of the opposition and public and a section of the religious leadership. When the former Chief Executive Officer of the Committee of Experts (COE) Mr Ekuro Ekuot defended the commission saying that his team keenly looked at the integrity of these individuals before giving them the job, the team forgot about integrity as a leadership value soon as they got into IEBC job.
Kenyans with real integrity who may not be billionaires or part of the ruling elites will be so disadvantaged from taking leadership of this country or running for top political offices. What remains a crucial question is what forms their opinion. The rules are so unfounded and have only been thrown out of the blues just appear to be doing something ahead of the 2017 elections that they will not conduct.
The commission has never published reports on the amount that was spent in the last elections by various political parties and candidates who participated in it. Neither have they told the nation the sources of massive campaign funds that politicians dish out and hold flashy campaigns with. All the top presidential contenders were flying in choppers branded with their respective party colours.
When one thought the choppers would be of excellent service delivery to the people after the polls, the demise was before the first vote was cast.
The capped amounts
As much as they are still the commissioners till the new ones are appointed, IEBC should spare the nation unnecessary drama of crowding the office with ideas that add no value but mess the electoral process more. In fact, it should fix the BVR kits that fail on the D-Day than setting rules that will not be implemented at all.
In the US for example at the federal level, campaign finance law is enacted by Congress and enforced by the Federal Election Commission (FEC), an independent federal agency. The system is open, and records are readily available of the financiers. Banks, individuals the list of contributors varies.
In Kenya its known for businessmen and big empires also foreign agencies to support a political wing with a back expectation of securing personal securities. Tax evasion syndicate and dubious businesspeople have been sponsoring candidates to score favours. Industrialist Manu Chandaria, for example, is said to have heavily financed the NYK 92 for Moi’s reelection to buy favours and continue evading taxes and so has been the case of a counterpart and BIDCO owner Vimal Shah who as of now owes the tax collector up to Sh.6B in tax arrears.
Dubious businessmen also choose on politicians to support to help hide their dirty money. With the records of financiers out there, voters can easily deduce the interests being reserved and the actual nature of candidates. Leaving the expenditure gap in billions gives room for drug lords and all the dirty dealers an excellent platform to launder their money in the name of financing candidates. It goes without mentioning that public funds are at stake and threat of being misused by those in a position of power. For integrity, we need to know really where all these billions being spent are coming from more than just how much.
Scandals continue to rock the athletics team sent to represent Kenya in the Rio Olympics. The few days that the team has been in Brazil, three officials have been sent home laced with mild allegations. The first to be kicked out of the camp was Michael Rotich who was linked to a doping cartel by agreeing to a bribe for alerting athletes on eminent drug tests. Rotich was arrested upon arrival in Kenya from Brazil and arraigned in court where he was charged and released on bond.
Next in line was the sprint’s coach John Anzrah who according to reports impersonated an athlete at the Rio’s athletes village and even gave urine samples for doping tests. It emerged the coach was using the athlete’s accreditation to access free food in the village since him, and many others lacked the vital document. As it turns out, a bunch of coaches have been locked out of the athletes’ village for the lack of proper accreditation which is NOCK’s sole duty to ensure and secure.
Its such a degradation that a good number of the athlete’s coaches are forced to cohabit and squeeze themselves in downtown hotels because incompetent and greedy NOCK and sports ministry officials didn’t prioritise and failed to secure accommodation and accreditation of these key role players in the competition.
While Coaches are squeezed to the edges of living cockroaches life, MPs, ministry officials including their kids and concubines a whole package of joyriders and unnecessary baggage are having top of life treatment inRio at the expense of the athletes. While the athletes are allocated mere $250 daily allowance, the politicians and joyriders growing bellies and getting massaged by the swollen number of prostitutes in the Rio beaches are earning, wait for it, $500/daily allowance, to do nothing.
Kenyan athletes at the 201 6Olympics opening-ceremony
It’s a shame and mockery to the hardworking athletes that their coaches are forced to live outside while NOCK under CS Wario’s watch ensured all politicians and their concubines and families acquired full accreditation to the athletes’ villages. How do these athletes gain maximum fitness without their coaches’ guidance, does NOCK understand the importance of having a coach or they think its joy riding? NOCK should be disbanded as soon as the selfish officials touchdown for cruel treatment of the people who matter most in this competition.
A scandal has cropped that NIKE, Kenya’s official jersey sponsor, gave out 8 Tshirts to each athlete only for the athletes to receive one t-shirt which they have to repeat throughout the competition. Said NOCK officials retain and sell out at high prices. Nike also gave out sandals and sunglasses both have disappeared. NOCK is placed to suck on the athletes to the bone marrow what a hoax of a body.
A group of 12 MPs including members of staff of both the Senate and the National Assembly are on the for all-expenses-paid trip to Rio Olympics in Brazil
They will each earn Ksh 50,000 per day in allowances which are a total of KSh8.4 million during their three weeks stay in Brazil. The group will cost the tax payer a whopping Sh8.4 million for the stipend for the three weeks they will be attending the games, Apart from the hefty per diem, the tax -payer will have to pay for the delegation’s air- fare which will total to at least KSh 3.1 million. These are the official figures but these people have travelled with their kids and concubines at the expense of taxpayers and while hide this under mysterious particulars.
The legislators who’ve travelled to Rio include; Matungu MP David Were, Senator Martha Wangari, Senator Isaac Melly, Stewart Madzayo, Muriuki Karue, Joy Gwendo Senator Muriuki Karue. While these are living as the royal family in Rio, these coaches are living like beggars and at the mercies. The Deputy President is also in Rio with an obese delegation so you can do the math, all on the taxpayer’s bill.
Kenya Olympics Athletic team manager Michael Rotich arrives at a Milimani court
The government released up to Sh.583M for athletes’ allowances, but things don’t seem to be adding up well as the trickle down effect on the players can barely shake a leaf casting doubts into the expenditures and truth in it.
With such a hefty allocation, it’s disturbing that Kenya’s physiotherapists and team doctors be treated are given a paperweight daily allowance of Sh10,000 instead of the proposed Sh100,000 when they are out of the country.
The athletes were entitled to Sh2,000 per athlete per day in local training camp and $250 while in Rio.
The Uasin Gishu county government had footed allowances for the 56 field and track athletes camping at the Kipchoge Keino High-Performance Training Centre at Sh60,000 per athlete and the marathoners who were based at the Naiberi camp site.
The Nandi county government, on the other hand, donated Sh1 million to cater for allowances for the rugby team which was camping at the Nandi Bears Club. With all these reprieves to the budget, you get the actual picture that NOCK was saved on expenses but knowing Kenya and Kenyans this money will be hiding in some undeserving pockets.
It was humiliating during the opening ceremony when Team Kenya was paraded without formal clothes, with some wearing tracksuits while others were in T-shirts and kitenge tops. NOCK with all the millions I am funding couldn’t organise and ensure uniformity in parade clothes.
While we applaud the real Kenyan spirits on our athletes as they put aside the ogre characters and animalistic treatment they’re forced to and put through by the cannibalising NOCK and sports ministry officials to give a spirited fight, we must in all venomous tone disparage the incompetent NOCK.
Whatever has happened inRio should be the last of many, we must restructure the system and have a body that puts the priorities of the team ahead of everybody and anything else. Every cent must be accounted for when the bell finally goes off and the finishing line crossed.
Social Media has been awash with disturbing pictures that seem to show a downtown illegal liquor manufacturing plant. Photos of Jameson bottles has caused serious waves with many convinced they’re from Kariobangi Lights Industries famed for making counterfeit products.
You really wouldn’t blame those who’ve believed this version since several crackdowns laid by authorities in the past have unearthed the sub-standard brewing plants making fake versions of the expensive liquor lacing them with toxic chemicals before passing them to unsuspecting consumers in high-end clubs.
However, turns out the photos doing rounds are not from Kariobangi but from Mombasa port where the Jameson representatives themselves conducted a legal destruction of a container containing the priced whisky after it slipped the cranes into the waters. As affirmed in their statement, the destruction done under NEMA and KRA watch was just but a measure to ensure safety and quality to the consumers.
So really no need to panic at least from the clarification and enjoy your glass of Jameson in peace.
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on Thursday published campaign finance regulations which set limits on expenditure by political parties and candidates in the 2017 campaigns.
The electoral body capped presidential aspirants spending to Kshs 5.2 billion, Governors, Senators and women reps to Kshs 432 million, Members of Parliament to Kshs 330 million and members of County Assembly to Kshs 103 million.
Individual party expenditure is set not exceed 150 million dollars and a single source contribution not to exceed 30 million dollars. The body also added that any candidate or party flouting the rules will be liable to a fine no exceeding 2 million dollars, or a jail term not exceeding five years or both.
Certain quarters find this paradoxical that the unfit IEBC is setting campaign expenditure caps but it’s right to do so since they are still the commissioners till the new ones are appointed. This is just a good statement and exactly what the people want to but it’s nothing close to what will actually be done.
Who will monitor the expenditure if one may ask and who has the guts to send any politician found guilty of flouting the rules to jail?
The regulations present more questions than answers, who is the source of the amounts of money said here. If a sitting governor once denied being in a position to afford a two million dollar bribe to influence a petition case. Dr. Evans Kidero treated the amount as huge to an extent that it would only be ferried in trucks, where would a mere MCA get over one hundred million shillings to campaign.
Money is power and individuals talked about here have the financial might to muzzle any case brought against them. Institutions in Kenya have been crippled by corruption and the law is applied selectively . Relevant institutions like Ethica and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) have been turned into nothing but places where the ‘big fish’ are cleaned out. What if one spends more than Shs 5.2 billion and goes ahead to win the presidency, who will send that individual to jail?
By Nicholas Olambo
This article expresses the author’s opinion only. The views and opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Kenya Insights or its Editors. We welcome opinion and views on topical issues. Email: [email protected]
Mr. Steven Githaiga Ruimuku. Managing Director TARDA
The second part of our 20 scheduled series dedicated to exposing the rot that has become of Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority(TARDA) MD Steve Githaiga originally born in 1953 but sliced his age down to serve more by changing his name and identity to Steven Githaiga Ruimuku, 1958. This was a calculated move to allow him to stay longer in the public office.
Githaiga has misused his powers as told in part one of the expose to victimise staff members outside his native Kikuyu community and practising open nepotism in the parastatal. While all concerned bodies from EACC to parliament have been served with complaints and evidence how the bully, tribal MD has been misusing his office, actions are yet to be taken.
This is attributed to the simple fact that the fraudulent MD has compromised officials including EACC to sit on his files, putting them on his bankroll while continuing with misusing the office and launching massive looting in TARDA.
In his tenure at TARDA, the MD has irregularly recruited over 40 staff without following the laid down procedures. There were no vacancies available, no budget allocations, no job advertisement made and no BoD approval and no interviews conducted.
Among those irregularly recruited by the corrupt and tribal TARDA MD include Ms Lucy Wangui Ngahu(second wife of the MD), Lawrence NGAHU(BROTHER TO LUCY), daughter to the Director of Regional Authorities, Ms Salome Oyosi, close relatives and relatives as shown in the list below.
The newly recruited officers were not in casual engagement with as portrayed because previous cheque payments for casual employees do not indicate so. Casual payments in Masinga and TDIP are paid through cheque system.
Githaiga was interdicted for misappropriation of Ksh.90M for ESP programme in TANA DELTA which he has never accounted for to date. Its a shame that despite all these open steps of office abuse, the MD who by the way is illegally occupying the office by using illegitimate documents continues to enjoy the office tenure.
In a civilised country, such deceitful characters would not only be forced out of office but thrown into jail for forging documents and looting public funds. He’s bragging that he is the president’s community and that he’s untouchable. Is this the kind of persons the President want to be associated with? Someone who is using his name to loot public funds and to operate with full force impunity?
The scandals and looting by Githaiga in TARDA are overwhelming, and Kenya Insights with the dossiers at hand, will be highlighting these on every episode until the fraud MD is thrown out of office and a new competent MD appointed on merits takes over the office before the corrupt Githaiga sweeps the accounts clean. We, however, give the fraud MD chance to save himself the humiliation and exit the office before we launch the mother of Social Media campaign to not only oust him from the office he is illegally occupying buy expose his dirty linen. He can save himself by resigning, give back the money he stole, clear his office and negotiate with Kenyans he stole from for mercy.
So, an already forgotten once glorified Ctrl+C + Ctrl+V desktop pseudo-journalist Njoki Paste Chege finally found something to talk about and pick up her garbage career from the dumpsite by attacking Lawyer Donald Kipkorir. How could she? I mean how? We all know the answer…No need to answer! The other day, she was caught plagiarising an article from the Harvard Business Review journal for her City Girl column.
Njoki Paste Chege who has problems with everything from blue Subarus to smoking shisha to women with dreadlocks, everything you can think of she hates. The epitome of hypocrisy and irony is when the charlatan Chege says nobody cares about what Donald owns, but this is the same playing mantis built like writer who has been attacking Blue Subaru owners throughout her writings. Did she block her brains with yesternight’s ugali when writing not to realise she was exposing her bunk?
Njoki is a typical bile field Kenyan, who would rather see you languish in poverty than watch you flourish, what’s wrong with a man being proud and enjoying his wealth the way he wishes. Being someone I know, Njoki can’t attack a billionaire with her KSh.50,000 monthly salary that she has to lease whatever she has between her legs to survive in the high cost of living Nairobi. Like Chris Browns say in a song you can’t hate outside the club when you can’t even get in.
Human beings again are psychologically programmed to view things from a negative side. Research has shown that hip hop videos graced with flashy cars, heaps of bank notes, nude women have impacted the society such that most want to emulate the lifestyle. Motivated many to work harder or hustle in another language to attain the lifestyle they watch on TV.
There is a good number of people who are motivated to become better and work harder to be as good as Kipkorir. That’s the flip side that nobody is focussing on. The flashy show the lawyer is putting up on the web should be used as a motivation to the young people who aspire to be better. You work harder make more money you’ll sit back and enjoy. You do nothing, and you’ll keep being bitter at those who dared to try and made it, you’ll be left sitting your bones behind desktops jotting bile laced with envy articles slamming people who spend your monthly salary just to ignite their cars.
Let everyone spend their cash whichever way they wish as long as they don’t cause civil war. I’d care less if Kipkorir decided to buy the moon with his money. And let’s be honest, Njoki is just chewing her heart out only because she’s not in the league you know. Why she’s attacking Lilian Muli and the rest, if Donald offered her a lift on the posh car, Njoki would jump on it faster than a Makanga hiking a bus moving at 120KM/H. You hate because you’re off the circle.
Talking about marriage, your hairline is almost reaching menopause and still no signs of getting married. As you still enjoy your youth getting mauled by everything, know that age is catching up.
I’ve Deliberately used gratuitous rather unnecessary jargon in this article to sound intelligent the same thing your gal Copy Paste Chege does haha.
And before I sign off, tell me any sane woman who doesn’t love cars that Njoki Chege hates so much. I’m starting to think we’re looking at a man in a dress so next time you write your trifling articles make sure you tuck in your testicles, they’re showing hun. Donald can flash everything including his oesophagus. We don’t care, it’s his life, live yours too.
Bel Akinyi is a political science student at Melbourne University, Australia and a vocal social media contributor on matters Kenya
Twitter: @BelAkinyii
Disclaimer: This article expresses the author’s opinion only. The views and opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Kenya Insights or its Editors. We welcome opinion and views on topical issues. Email:[email protected]
Governor Evans Kidero and Senator Mike Sonko. Both have steered away from the Eastleigh Land Grab, alleged to be having business links with Alfa Traders the dubious company that has grabbed the public land.
Land grabbing of public land has in the recent become too rampant with public amenities shrinking as the surge by private developers preying on land to develop intensifies. The latest victims of widespread grabbing happen to be the Eastleigh Market traders who had their land grabbed by private developers as they’re popularly referred to, in this case, they are not private but have real faces.
Alfa Traders the dubious company that snatched the land from the traders, the company’s directors as listed on documents are Ali Sheikh Mohamud, and Farah Mohamed Barrow who happen to be just proxies, the master and chief grabber is one Sheikh Khalifa who bankrolls. The Sheikh is also accused of grabbing Ministry of Agriculture land where he has built his Diamond Park Estate.
The Market Traders had logged a complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman to help solve the turbulence that has since seen the traders have their stalls destroyed as the developers took over the site. Even before the case was forwarded to the Ombudsman, National Lands Commission had nullified the fake lease that Alfa Traders were using and ordered for cessation and even withdrew their construction licence. However, all these were sideshows to allow to dupe the traders as Contractor was allowed to continue with their illegal construction.
Ironically, Kidero the County’s Governor at one point visited the site and even joined traders, he called off the construction and for a few days, the Alfa Traders stopped with their constructions but later on continued. This was just but a hoodwink to insinuate that the governor was against the illegal construction. Senator Sonko has played the exact cards as Kidero before on this land.
Kenya Insights has learnt that Sheikh Khalifa the financier and owner of Alfa Traders is a longtime friend of the governor dating back to their Mumias days, Sheikh Khalifa owns Diamond Wholesalers the biggest regional distributor of Mumias Sugar, they both co-own several properties in the city. It, therefore, doesn’t come as a surprise that Kidero is cushioning his friend.
Ombudsman report released on Monday recommended that Nairobi City County should issue a cessation notice to Mr Ali Sheikh Mohamud and Mr Farah Mohamed Barrow directing them to immediately stop construction and vacate the parcel of land, LR. No. 36/VII/1037.
City County Government should repossess and develop the parcel of land, LR. No. 36/VII/1037 into a modern market and give priority to the 403 traders or their successors.
In the event that the County Government is not able to develop the property, it should legally negotiate for a proper Public-Private Partnership contract that secures the interest of the County Government and the traders. CAJ should be involved in that process of PPP Agreement.
The Nairobi City County should compensate the Eastleigh Market traders at KSh. 150,000 each for the cost incurred in the construction of market stalls.
That Nelson Otido should not hold any public office for the reason that he unlawfully executed the lease documents in favour of Ali Sheikh Mohamud and Farah Mohamed Barrow.
The Governor should remove from office Isaac Nyoike, Chief Valuer, and Karisa Iha, Director, Legal Affairs for abuse of power and breach of public trust.
Alfa Traders continues with illegal construction at the public land despite Ombudsman directive that they don’t have rights to the land and County Government should repossess it
Five days later according to a ground survey done independently by Kenya Insights, the dubious contractors continues with the constructions undisturbed with no communication or a sound drop from the City Hall and more so governor’s office on the Ombudsman report.
Kidero has in the recent past in his gubernatorial renewal bid, been attempting to show the public to be fighting the corruption cartel that he attributes the City’s problems to. It, therefore, doesn’t make any sense to his course of the fighting cartel when the Ombudsman cut the work for him to stop the illegal construction, repossess the grabbed land and reward it back to the traders and also the officials that are collaborating with the land grabbers.
If the silence from Kidero’s office is anything to go by then his fight on the cartel is nothing but a swill, face-saving, too little too late trick. And only adding to strengthen allegations in the streets that he can’t squarely combat corruption and impunity while he’s their champion. Time will be the determinant if the governor will rise and stand up with the people who voted him and he will-will need their votes come 2017, or to sit back, play golf with his land grabbing friend Sheikh Khalifa and let him get away with a public land.
Kenya Insights is dedicated to following up this land issue to the end will keep asking questions until the time City HALL WILL RESPOND AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, REPOSSESS THE GRABBED LAND.
Radio Africa Group Managing Director Patrick Quarcoo
All is not rosy at the Radio Africa Limited print department according to information getting to Kenya Insights from the insiders. In a confidential memo dated August 1, 2016, tipped to us originating from the Chief Operating Officer Agnes Kalekye and copied to Benjamin Otido, Cathy Oganga, Robert Kibutiri and William Pike, the salaries for the Month of August were delayed for up to six days for both junior and senior staff members.
The Star recently relaunched with a new look in what was expected to boost the sales of the newspapers, but our source in the company say things have worked in contrary. Sales have reduced drastically from average 20,000 copies a day to a mere 10,000 copies throwing accountants into the panic.
The burden of sustaining the salaries is getting heavier, and the management is considering laying off its staff to a manageable size. The Star which has cut a niche as the Number one’s newspaper for politics has scared off some soft advertisers who don’t want to be associated with the thick political theme that clouds the pages, a factor that our informant say has contributed towards low income.
There are grave fears that the management is seriously contemplating retrenching employees who now stand at 600 in a bid to contain cost and optimise profits. Faced with stiff competition from the digital trend and the consumer’s consumption shift to digital phase, traditional media like radio, tv, newspapers are restructuring their systems to adopt with the new order.
Nation Media Group was recently forced to shut down it’s two radio stations and QTv following poor remittance and opted to merge the TV stations and shift the radio stations to the online platform only. Digital migration of audience has dealt a significant blow to the media houses which now have no other but to chase after the consumers who’re steadily dumping the traditional media. However, this shouldn’t be seen as the death of traditional media, it’s far from going dead, the companies just have to formulate strategies to have them blend for survival.
Mostly to be affected in the anticipated Star shakeup are subeditors and senior reporters who were poached from other media houses with high salaries and allowances which cannot be met now due to weak sales. Upcountry reporters are also a bitter lot as they never receive their pay and allowances in time.
As the general public in Kenya and International friendly countries take pride in our victorious athletes, some fictitious characters are not reciprocating the appreciation. More than ever in History, the Kenta’s team to Rio has been rocked with chaos and sportsmen slammed with unsettled state of mind and all these thanks to the disorganised Olympic’s committee and the unconcerned Sports ministry.
The National Olympic Committee of Kenya(NOC-K) has been a pain in the ankles of many athletes who’ve been forced and reduced to hopeless and insignificant persons in the international competitions, yet they’re the main characters in these games. The gaffes at NOC-K started even before the athletes flew out and Julius Yego called them out pointing at the incompetence and sheer negligence by the officials.
Later on, as the athletes were flying out, drama ensued when Yego one of the most valued athletes in the team could not travel since he had a ticket hitch which is upon the NOC-K to process for all athletes, someone was trying to pull strings, bad way. A standoff was planted at JKIA and athletes refused to fly out until Yego’s issue was resolved, and it was. More disturbing, Yego’s coach was not booked to travel with him for proper preparations and scheduled for Rio a day to Yego’s performance in the field.
This was happening when Sports Ministry officials led by CS Wario in what Kenya Insights learns who are even more than the athlete’s numbers had already been flown ahead of athletes and booked into luxurious hotels for the rest of the Olympics period while back home athletes and coaches had hopes hanging on a cliff what a joke.
Still, on NOC-K’s ineptitude, a Kenyan sprinter Boniface Mweresa named for men’s 4x400m relay team was dropped just a week to the competition, the news was delivered to him while in the training camp with rest of Kenya team. Another Sprinter, a Kenyan-US based Carvin Nkanata was barred from competing in the games following Passport hitch.
Carvin has dual citizenship and had his US passport with him, turned away, he had the option to appeal the decision so the NOC-K could facilitate to have his Kenyan passport and have him back in the competition, the committee refused to appeal in his favour as similar cases get appeals in other teams. Carvin was forced to travel back to the US as pot bellied officials opted to ride on his bills.
President Uhuru and the Rio Team when he flagged them off at Statehouse
Another coach John Anzrah adds to the humiliation of Kenya’s team after NOC-K official Michael Rotich was sent home for his doping cartel involvement. Anzarah was also sent packing after he posed as an athlete for doping test by giving his urine samples. In a twist, the concerned athlete claims Anzrah used his accreditation purely to obtain free meals from the athlete’s village. This means NOC-K officials couldn’t secure accreditation for the coaches so they have to rely on the athlete’s IDs and shadow to survive such a mess.
As Coaches survive on pathetic and desperate lines, Sports officials who even took their kids and concubines with them are enjoying the moments of their lives in the luxury hotels outside, an MP Wamalwa was caught on camera drinking heavy and enjoying the tourism commodities(prostitutes) in Rio.
One wonders who should’ve been the key priority for the committee and the officials. Wario as the responsible CS must take responsibility and roast in the heat. Players and coaches should’ve been the top priority and not lazy staff members who are not adding any value to the team and to anyone other than overburdening the taxpayer. These frustrations on athletes would dampen their moods and affect their performances. To sound like a prophet of doom, Kenya might just witness the worst performance ever. Hopefully, it doesn’t happen and if it does look for Wario and his incompetent bandwagon.
With all these psychological torture and belittling phase the athletes are forced by the carnivorous, prejudiced and inefficient officials, killing the patriotism spirit of the team. Don’t be surprised if some athletes belt out and agree to be bought by other countries who will appreciate and give them the respect and royal treatment that they deserve. Athletics is one of the basics that makes Kenya standout and put us on the tourism destination maps, and we must not gamble with it. We must say shame on NOC-K and CS Wario for overseeing the athlete’s torture.
In a despairing and futile move to block the cries of Kenya’s athletes from being highlighted, CS Hassan Wario has ordered that international press locked out of Kenya’s camp claiming that they’re blackmailing and sourcing for maligning stories, Hassan just because you have a wound doesn’t mean you chop off your leg, put the house in order. Corruption is not new in your docket, you’ve been tainted with numerous scandals in your tenure. Athletes have also been banned from talking to journalists a tactical gag order to keep them suffering beneath zones. We will continue to highlight plights as they arise and not hide behind patriotism at the expense of our respect deserving athletes.
Scandals galore agency IEBC is yet again on the dwelling zone following latest audit report that has revealed how they paid up to Sh. 50M to an unnamed company to offer transport services for elections materials during the 2013 elections and the astonishing thing according to the auditor general’s report, the company was non-existent until September 12, 2014, when it was formally registered payments yet according to IEBC records were made to the firm in November 2013.
The payment was purportedly to a related company that the IEBC had awarded the tender earlier for the transport services. In a bid to clear off any trails, IEBC agreed to an irregular request through the unreferenced letter dated October 13, 2014, in which the company indicates that payments due to another firm previously contracted by the commission should be paid to it.
The company that was initially contracted for the transport failed its mandates on the initial stages according to the AG Ouko’s report, and they had inked for 27 vehicles to be used in transporting election materials and instead only five could be accounted to have been used. When the Auditor General’s office questioned IEBC on these discrepancies in draft stages of auditing, they gave additional documents for ten more vehicles instead of 22.
Verifying details of the ten vehicles revealed that some had been reported to have been in use in three different locations at the same time, making their use in assigned areas questionable. The report gives the example of vehicle registration number KAJ 482N, which the IEBC had indicated delivered election material in Malindi Region but was found to have been operating in Rongai and Bahati constituencies in the Rift Valley at the same time.
IEBC has been rocked with controversial transactions and scandals with Chickengate being the most open one where Kenyan officials including the Chairman Isaak Hassan(who has since been cleared by mischevious EACC of any involvement in the scam) alongside others like former IEBC CEO James Oswago of having been bribed by a UK printing firm as tip-off for the ballot paper printing tender award. Faced with immense integrity questions denting their credibility, the defiant IEBC team with the rock Kenyan spirit of never giving up positions have finally bowed out and will pave a way for a new team. It will, however, cost Kenya up to Sh.400M to send the commissioners home.
The motion by the Deputy Minority Leader in the National Assembly Jakoyo Midiwo seeking to form a committee to investigate gambling was shot down Tuesday. The Gem MP who had recently alleged that the gambling industry was enabling tax evasion and money laundering cried foul after his colleagues rejected the motion claiming that individuals had compromised some of them from unknown quarters.
The lawmakers had last week formed an 11 member joint committee to look into the betting craze with over five million Kenyans hooked already. The committee that was to be co-chaired by Hon. Midiwo and The National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale was expected to table its findings on how to regulate gambling in fourteen days.
Betting is a multi-billion industry which has kept the young people and sometimes old glued to the sites to make quick bucks. Gambling is the addiction and betting indeed is, just like alcohol or any other kind of drug.
It’s said that real men earn their wealth steadily but betting craze is changing the trend, people now want instant everything, cash, pleasure and name it. Shortcuts are known to be dangerous but youths are taking any shorter route to escape poverty and in the process, we are raising a lazy generation of young men who are averse to work.
Parliament brags itself as a den of learned ladies and gentlemen, but political ambitions take centre stage of everything. They deliberately choose not to see any sense in regulating gambling because the number hooked to betting is already big enough to be treated as a voting bloc that must be pleased with all costs.
Just the same way transport or rather matatu industry has been dealt with. It’s all messed up with rogues and crooks controlling routes in the name of SACCOs. Loud music and excess graffiti were allowed back just to win the votes from that particular ‘bloc’.
Why is betting only open to those who are 18 years and over to indulge in? That is the disclaimer because people are so obsessed to land the cash and try their luck to win the ever elusive jackpot. Some people take massive loans that they strain to pay back, other spend all their salaries and college students even ‘sacrife’ fees hoping it may double or triple. In some extreme cases men sell their household items to indulge, marriages are breaking up, and families are being destroyed.
This addictive behaviour is damaging a whole generation and many to come if not curbed.”We have seen suicides, and many families have been broken because of this thing,” Midiwo said. And to quote Duale who many may not take seriously, he said that students are spending school fees betting, and when they lose, they start fires to divert attention.
Water CS Eugene Wamalwa who has been causing major ripples in the now hot Nairobi political scene has added more fruits to his captivating bucket following latest endorsement by the Business community from the GEMA union.
Eugene is yet to make it public his candidature, but word on the streets that has caused much distress within the Jubilee camp is that the principals have silently endorsed him to unseat the incumbent. MPs drawn from Kiambu led by Waititu were the first to give Eugene an endorsement then Moses Kuria whom many views as Uhuru’s mouthpiece echoed the sentiments by throwing his support towards Eugene.
In a quick, expected move, Jubilee MPs from Nairobi led by Maina Kamanda rubbished the endorsement saying the Nairobi seat is foreordained for insiders not outsiders like Wamalwa. The definition of the outsider is best known to them since last time I checked Nairobi is a cosmopolitan city and constitution allow us to vie for any seat anywhere in the country, but there’s less to expect from legislators who have zero regards for the law.
My moles telling me the rebellion from the Nairobi MPs was as a result of their prior endorsement of wealthy Dennis Waweru whom I learn is financing them so that the outcry can be justified.
Eugene’s entrance into the Nairobi scene has not only thrown Dennis to the ditches but also Bishop Wanjiru, Sakaja, Sonko both of whom latest polls rank fairly well.
Kenya voting patterns are mostly determined by the tribal card, and that’s why central MPs who know the Kikuyu voting block in Nairobi is huge have been banking on this to field their own. Nairobi County receives the largest budget allocation with up to Sh.12B annually making it lucrative for most hazardous appetite politicians.
The endorsement of Wamalwa by the business community is coming at a time when propaganda orchestrated by Waweru’s Communication Team has been pushing ‘hogwash’ as Wamalwa describes it that he has bowed out of the race and shifting his focus to Trans Nzoia County to unseat Patrick Khaemba and battle it out with Noah Wekesa who is steering committee in the structuring of Jubilee Merger.
It will be interesting to watch how Eugene who is viewed by critics as a naive, spongy, diplomatic politician to hack the politics of Nairobi which requires one to get his hands dirty and putting off the fire from the wreathing Jubilee MPs perturbed by his endorsement from the high house.
For the longest time in African and Kenyan history, sexual relationship with a blood relative has been considered as taboo and an abomination in the act of the same. The tradition of sexual relationships amongst cousins has however been a norm especially amongst the Hindus and many people in the West also do it.
Being a taboo, however, doesn’t say the act hasn’t been happening, there have been several cases of incest reported in Kenya and many sexual engagements amongst blood relatives have been happening behind the lights.
A court ruling that has since freed a man convicted for ten years in prison for sleeping with his cousin brings a whole new angle of conversation. High Court Judge James Makau, in an appeal where a man was contesting a conviction of alleged incest with a cousin by the Magistrates Court, found that the Sexual Offences Act does not mention cousin among the list of relatives under the offence of incest.
He ruled that the Parliament left out the clause on Cousins intentionally given the fact that in some cultures in Kenya – such as Hindus and Muslims – and some African communities, sexual acts between cousins are not criminalised. “This means it is permissible to have sex with a cousin,” the judge ruled. “My understanding of the said section (Section 20(1) of the Sexual Offences Act) is that if any sexual act takes place between two cousins, that does not amount to incest within the meaning of the provisions of the Sexual Offences Act.”
Could this ruling be used to legitimise sexual relationships and possible marriages amongst relatives in Kenya? Needless to say that children sired through such blood ties have unexplainable genetical complications. Are Kenya and African ready to embrace such a ruling? Would you sleep with or marry your cousin?
