Tag: Law

Why Jakoyo Midiwo’s Motion On Betting Was Shot Down By MPs

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.

August 11, 2016
You Can Have Sex With Your Cousins, Nothing Illegal About It In Kenya, Court Declares

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?

August 10, 2016
Revealed: How Corrupt MPs Scheme To Rip Off Millions From Betting Companies As They Fight For Committee Slots

Leading betting firms in Kenya

Kenya being Kenya and MPs being predictable, it doesn’t come as an astonishment that the new bill in parliament is the new lady everybody is trying to put a plank of wood on their back. The National Treasury Bill, Betting, Lotteries and Gaming (Amendment) Act signed by Leader of Majority Aden Duale was published and submitted to the departmental committee on Finance.

An 11-member committee was initially constituted for the committee to inquire into the activities of the scores of the betting and gambling firms with particular emphasis on tax compliance, the disclosure of information and management of proceeds.

These companies have been used as the new harbour for money laundering. Owned by Bulgarian, Italian Mafias involved in international Credit Card fraud in the case of Sportpesa, drug trafficking and other dirty deals. These mafias lias with corrupt and money hungry leaders both in the government and opposition. From Mcheza to Sportpesa there are many ghost owners embedded in the government and opposition.

It’s, therefore, unsurprising that there’s a motion meant to regulate the running of the firms. It should be noted earlier that these MPs don’t have in mind the families broken by gambling, psychological torture it has reigned on addicted Kenyans but their interests.

Dominance by Sportpesa amongst the other main lines is one of the leading causes of concern to the politicians who now want fair play since they’re shareholders in this fraud scheme. Duale for example according to Intel reaching Kenya Insights is fighting for the interest of a notorious senior jubilee politician who happens to be holding stakes in Mcheza a close rival of Sportpesa. Sportpesa, Elibet, Betway, Betin Kenya and Mcheza are just but a few of the leading companies championing the nearly Sh3B annual turnover industry.

The 11-member committee co-chaired by Leader of Majority Aden Duale and Leader of Minority Jakoyo Midiwo to investigate the sector, which has come under the spotlight for harbouring tax cheats and money launderers. The team comprises Samuel Chepkonga (Ainabkoi), Thomas Mwadeghu (Wundanyi), Samuel Gichigi (Kipipiri), Benjamin Langat (Ainamoi) and Kanini Kega (Kieni). Others are Soipan Tuya (Narok), Dorcas Kedogo (Vihiga), Mary Keraa (Kisii) and Daniel Maanzo (Makueni). The membership of the committee has now risen from 11 to 13 after legislators Asman Kamama and Badi Twalib were included.

Francis Nyenze Minority leader has been listed to co-chair with Duale in the 13-member committee. Nyenze in the fight for the big position has traded words with Duale,”We have never seen the Majority leader in any committee. What is this that is making him and other House leaders want to put their names on this panel? I know gambling has a lot of money and my gut feeling is telling me to smell a rat,” said Nyenze.

It’s ironical, dampening when people like Nyenze who was the chairman of the task force that in 2009 investigated the collapse of pyramid schemes where Kenyans were duped into losing billions of shillings. The Pyramid Scheme report has never seen a light of the day neither has the duped Kenyans been paid back their billions lost. What miracle will he be doing other than using the position to add more figures to his account?

Every MP and their families now want to be included in the cash cow committee for dry milking, Betting firms and other interest groups, we established, are pushing for reconstitution of the parliamentary select committee to have friendly MPs sit on the team.

The companies know the nature of the game, and now that most of the MPs are broke and want campaigns money, their decision will be easily manipulated. This the time you’ll hear of funny retreats and these MPs flown outside the country to negotiate deals. Hope Kenyans haven’t forgotten about the BAT and Mastermind Tobacco saga where MPs were compromised, paid heavily, treated to luxury retreats where they enjoyed with their concubines.

Knowing all these factors in play and the calculations from both parties, Kenya Insights through our moles in parliament and Kenyans of goodwill, we’re planting our cameras and eyes on these corrupt legislators and on the companies stashing their briefcases to pay off the baying MPs. However much you hide believe we will know don’t ask how just know it’s a promise.

Email me with tips on this saga or any other scandal that needs highlighting and i will look into it. Address ([email protected])

August 8, 2016
Survey: A Third of New HIV Infections Are on College-Going Students, Sponsor Culture To Blame

In the traditional setup, it was not only a crime but a shame for young ladies to engage in sexual relationships with older men and it was viewed as disgusting and uncouth. Decades on things have totally changed and today’s young women are taking pride in it.

The ‘sponsor’ trend, where older men support girls and young women’s lavish lifestyles in exchange for sex, may be contributing to high HIV infection among the youth. According to the Kenya Aids Indicator Survey, about a third of new infections are of persons aged 15-24 years. UNAIDS statistics say about 30,000 New infections registered annually amongst the youth.

The vulnerable age is the high school going, college and just graduated new in the market or jobless group. Talk to most young women nowadays they’ll shamelessly tell you they have one. In fact, the trend is such that they have a sponsor and a boyfriend. Sponsor to take care of her financial needs and the boyfriend for the emotional satisfaction it’s a bitter truth.

Here’s a young lady coming from a poor background no job going to school has an iPhone worth Sh. 80,000 lives in a posh apartment only use uber in some cases has a car. They’re living the lavish lifestyle courtesy of the sponsor. It’s a well-packaged form of prostitution.

It’s not only the ladies to be blamed for the sponsor culture even young men are going after older women to sponsor their lifestyle in exchange for sexual favours. Everybody is caught up in this thing. One common thing is protection is out of the question in sponsor sex, and they invest a lot in their baits to afford using condoms it’s the naked truth and primary factor behind the high HIV figures.

The link is even disturbing since the sponsor have their spouses they’re having sex with and so are the sponsored who have other partners they’re sleeping with. This generation needs prayers or rigid rules to deport all sponsors to Uranus or whichever planet but can that possibly happen? Guess not sponsor trend has many proponents. The sponsor culture is coming second after betting companies in employing young people in Kenya now and keeping them laughing and crying in alternation.

July 27, 2016