Category: Human Rights

Mombasa voters are getting ready for the delayed gubernatorial election slated for Monday 29, 2022.
The government has also declared Monday, August 29 a national holiday in areas where elections are set to be held.
The election for the governorship post in Mombasa and Kakamega counties was suspended on August 8, 2022 a day before the general election by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) over ballot paper mix-up.
Also in the list are parliamentary elections in Kitui Rural, Kacheliba and Pokot South constituencies — both in West Pokot County — and Rongai Constituency in Nakuru County.
Voting for MCAs in Nyaki West ward (North Imenti Constituency in Meru County) and Kwa Njenga (Embakasi South in Nairobi County) had also been simultaneously suspended.
The elections in the eight areas had been postponed by the IEBC following a mishap in the printing of ballot papers.
Mombasa County IEBC Elections Manager Swalha Ibrahim said they are ready for the election which has attracted six gubernatorial candidates.
Ms. Ibrahim who is also the County’s Returning Officer says the IEBC is set for a hitch-free governorship election.
“As far as IEBC is concerned we are good to go on August 29,” she said, adding that the commission was prepared to deliver a free, fair and credible election.
She urged the electorate to come out in large numbers and participate as every arrangement has been made to ensure peaceful elections.
The Electoral body has cleared eight candidates to contest for the Governor position to replace Hassan Joho who has served for two terms as spelt out in the 2010 constitution.
Immediate former Mvita Member of Parliament Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir (ODM) and former Senator Hassan Omar Sarai (UDA) are considered front runners in the governor race.
Other candidates include current Mombasa Deputy Governor William Kingi (PAA), Daniel Munga Kitsao (Independent), Hezron Awiti (VDP), Said Abdalla (Usawa Kwa Wote), Shafii Makazi (UPIA) and Antony Chitavi (UDP).
In the count down to the mini-poll a host of MPs-elect and other leaders from various rival political formations have been flocking to the coastal city to drum up support for their preferred candidates.
Mombasa County has a total of 641,913 registered voters spread across six constituencies of Mvita, Likoni, Nyali, Kisauni, Changamwe and Jomvu and 30 electoral wards.
There are 1,041 polling centers in the county with an additional four prisons that will undertake the presidential vote only.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The World Meteorological Organization warns millions of people in the greater Horn of Africa will likely face a fifth consecutive season of insufficient rains. According to the U.N. weather agency the terrible four-year long drought in the Horn of Africa is set to continue for another year.

World Meteorological Organization spokeswoman Claire Nullis says the seasonal climate outlook for the region, which was issued Thursday, bears bad news for millions of people who already have suffered the longest drought in 40 years.

“The predictions show high chances of drier than average conditions across most parts of the region. In particular, the drought affected areas of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia are expected to receive significantly below rainfall until the end of the year.”

The WMO notes the October to December season contributes up to 70 percent of the annual total rainfall in the equatorial parts of the greater Horn of Africa, particularly in eastern Kenya. It says the lack of rain is likely to extend to parts of Eritrea, most of Uganda and Tanzania.

Last month humanitarian agencies and the regional bloc IGAD issued an alarming report about the growing number of people suffering from acute hunger in the region.

World Food Program spokesman Tomson Phiri says drought is not a new phenomenon in the Horn of Africa. However, he says what is happening now is more severe and is occurring with greater frequency.

“Hunger and malnutrition is worsening across all drought-affected areas. And there is a very real risk of famine in Somalia”, says Phiri. “I think this is well documented. This is on the record. It is in the public domain…No one has called for a famine now, but it does not mean it may not be declared in the coming months. It is very much a real threat.”

U.N agencies estimate more than 50 million people in the greater Horn of Africa suffer from acute food insecurity. The director of the WMO’s regional climate center for East Africa, Guleid Artan, warns the region is on the brink of an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.

Source: Voice of America

Governor Benjamin Cheboi (R) being administered oath of office by Justice Hillary Chemitei (L) at ASK showground in Kabarnet, Baringo Central Sub-County.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Former Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja being sworn in as the Fourth Governor of Nairobi County at KICC on 25th August 2022.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Justice William Musyoka watches closely as Kisumu Governor, Prof. Anyang Nyong’o is sworn into office today. His wife, Dorothy Nyong’o (R) stands by her husband during the colourful ceremony.
Azimio leader, Raila Odinga also arrived at the last minute just as members of the public started dispersing after the function ended.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The race for the speaker of Nandi County Assembly is in top gear as various candidates emerge to contest for the coveted seat.
In the hotly contested position, at least seven individuals have expressed interest to chair the county legislation house. There has been intense lobbying for the post with interested parties holding meetings with Members of County Assembly elect.
The Outgoing Secretary General of the County Assemblies Forum (CAF) Kipkirui Chepkwony, has flexed his muscle and is now eyeing the seat.
Chepkwony is the immediate MCA for Tinderet ward in Tinderet Constituency having served for two terms. He lost to new entrant Paul Birech.
The 39-year-old believes he has what it takes and experience needed to steer the third assembly in the right direction. “I believe I am the right person to steer the county agenda in the assembly,” he said
Chepkwony holds a Master’s degree in development studies from Kisii University, a BSc in Bio-Chemistry and Molecular science from JKUAT.
The out-going speaker Joshua Kiptoo is also defending the seat months after he unsuccessfully ganged up with former Governor Cleophas Lagat as his running mate to unseat the incumbent Governor Stephen Sang.
Lagat, the first Nandi County governor unsuccessfully tried to make a political comeback as an independent candidate but lost.
The 33-year-old Kiptoo, who holds a Masters in Law believes his relative experience in the legal fraternity and having gained experience in devolution is best placed to take over the Assembly leadership and propel it to the right direction
The speaker is the head of the legislative arm of the County Government and presides over its sittings. The election of the speaker despite being an independent decision of ward representatives is still exposed to external influence.
Former Chesumei Member of Parliament Wilson Kogo has also thrown his hat in the ring.
Kogo who holds a Bachelor of Education Arts from Egerton University flaunts his colorful record as a good manager having transformed the constituency he represented for five years.
The former Principal of Uasin Gishu High school will face off with youthful lawyer Daniel Chumba and Kibet Kisorio. Other hopefuls include Patrick Kitur and Elvis Kosgey
Lobbying for other key positions like Leader of Majority, Deputy Speaker, Leader of Minority and the Whips are also ongoing.
Filling the positions will also be a balancing act between rewarding loyalty, power distribution in the region and also accommodating losers in the just concluded election.
Nandi County has six constituencies namely Mosop, Nandi Hills, Tinderet, Emgwen, Chesumei and Aldai. Locals are optimistic that the positions will be distributed evenly to represent the face of the County.
“The elected MCAs are mature enough and we hope they will do their work diligently and elect leaders who represent the face of the County and also who are ready to work and deliver so as to uplift the living standard of residents. We want leaders who have the interest of the County at heart,” said Joshua Kipchumba, a resident in Kapsabet town.
Nandi County has 30 MCAs with UDA party having 25, ANC has three and two are Independent

Source: Kenya News Agency

Deputy President-elect, Rigathi Gachagua is among over 4,000 guests expected to grace tomorrow’s swearing in ceremony of Mutahi Kahiga as the fifth governor of Nyeri.
The ceremony is set to take place at the new Nyeri bus park situated at the Asian Quarters in Nyeri town.
According to the Assumption of Office of Governor Committee, guests and members of the public are expected to be seated by 9am while the official swearing in is set to kick off at 10am and will be presided over by Justice James Wakiaga of the Murang’a High Court.
Addressing the press at the Sh600 million ultra-modern bus park after inspecting ongoing preparations, the chairman of the assumption of office committee, Benjamin Gachichio said Sh5 million had been earmarked for the ceremony. Gachichio said that the committee will dispatch over 40 buses to ferry members of the public from all the 30 wards in the county.
“The good thing is that it is an easy thing for us in Nyeri because it is a continuity but all the same, it is a legal process that must be done. All arrangements have been made, we have invited representatives from all parts of the county to ensure that the county is well represented .We have hired buses to transport them and take them back,” said Gachichio.
“We have officially invited 4,000 people although it is a public event so more people might come. Basically when we invite people officially we expect to definitely spend money on transport, maybe feed the people or, maybe give them a token for lunch,” he added.
The chairman of the committee was flanked by the Nyeri County Commissioner, Mohammed Barre and County Police Commander, Gabriel Steve Oloo who reassured guests intending to attend the ceremony that security will be beefed up.
“The issue of security arrangement has been taken care of. This is a joint programme, there is no team that is not involved in from the national government; the Judiciary, police, the county commissioner and Ministry of Devolution are here to guide us,” added Gachichio.
Nyeri governor-elect, Mutahi Kahiga, retained his gubernatorial position after garnering 213,373 votes in the August 9, General Election.
Kahiga who vied on a UDA ticket beat his closest rival Dr Thuo Mathenge (NDP) by over 100,000 votes to secure his second term in office. Mathenge, a businessman who is fondly referred to as ‘Wanguku’, garnered 81,467 votes.
Once sworn in, Mutahi Kahiga, will be serving his second term in office, this time as the duly elected fifth governor. He was sworn in as Nyeri’s fourth governor in November 2017 following the death of Governor Wahome Gakuru who died through a road accident after serving for barely three months in office. Kahiga was Gakuru’s deputy.
During his first term in office, Kahiga was deputized by Dr Caroline Karugu before they fell out in 2019.For his second term, Kahiga picked Mukurwe-ini politician David Kinaniri as his deputy.

Source: Kenya News Agency

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime came into power in 2013. It was the first to implement most of the provisions of Kenya’s 2010 constitution. The media were eager to see how the government, led by Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto, would adhere to article 34 of the constitution, which deals with the freedom of the press. The two politicians had promised to expand media freedoms once in power.
The relationship between the media and Kenyatta’s regime went through six stages that defined the president’s nine years in office between 2013 and 2022.
It shifted from “karibuni chai” (welcome to tea) to “nyinyi mzime hiyo mavitu yenu na muende” (all of you switch off your thingies (cameras) and leave).
1. Courting the media
Uhuru Kenyatta took over from Mwai Kibaki to become the fourth president of Kenya on 9 April 2013. His relationship with the media started off well. The president warmly welcomed journalists to State House before he and Ruto hosted a breakfast with top editors on 12 July 2013. It was the first time State House was hosting such an event.
Kenyatta called it an opportunity to build relations between the media and the state. Critics saw it as a way of arm-twisting the press to get it on the side of the government.
2. Rebranding the presidential press
The media breakfast was soon followed by another move touted as an effort to streamline the State House-media relationship. In July 2013, the Presidential Press Service, which mostly covered the head of state’s movements, was rebranded into the Presidential Strategic Communication Unit. Its mandate was expanded to communicating government policy and branding state events.
The rebrand implied that strategic communication – which is the purposeful use of communication to fulfil a set mission – would be prioritised. The presidential press unit would, therefore, be used to convey news from State House to journalists, and ensure the ruling party’s agenda was achieved.
3. Divorcing the media
The cordial start to the relationship between the media and Kenyatta’s regime didn’t last. Soon there were signs that the Jubilee government had taken a road it couldn’t walk comfortably.
Following the October 2013 terrorist attack at the Westgate mall, journalists were thrown out of parliament on allegations of misrepresenting facts. This followed media reports that soldiers had looted shops during the siege at the mall. In December, parliament passed a law that imposed heavy penalties on journalists and media houses found guilty of code of ethics violations. These violations were to be determined by a state agency.
In 2015, when the media became critical of Kenyatta’s relationship with his deputy Ruto, the president dismissed these reports saying “gazeti ni ya kufunga nyama” (newspapers are for wrapping meat).
And at a police service conference in February 2018, Kenyatta told journalists to switch off their cameras and leave.
A month earlier, David Mugonyi, the then deputy president’s spokesman, threatened a journalist, Justus Wanga, with dismissal from his job. This was provoked by Wanga’s newspaper article carried under the title “Cabinet seats that split Uhuru, Ruto”.
4. Redirecting advertising revenue
To the chagrin of the media, the government withdrew advertising revenue from mainstream media in 2017.
The Kenyatta and Ruto regime established a state-run pullout and website, MyGov, which carried all advertising from government agencies. This was coordinated through a newly established body, the Government Advertising Agency.
The government’s decision redirected about US$20 million in advertising that initially went directly to media houses annually. This accounted for an estimated 30% of total media advertising revenue. The formation of the agency coincided with rising tensions between the media and the government.
Though the move was initially criticised, it challenged media houses to think of other ways of generating income. This included tapping into reader revenue and exploiting technology to support daily operations. This, ideally, would have helped free media houses from the government’s use of advertising as a weapon to manipulate coverage.
5. Snubbing the 2017 presidential debate
The 2013 presidential debate was the first of its kind for Kenyan media. All presidential candidates were in attendance. It gave journalists an unprecedented opportunity to interrogate them on issues of national leadership.
However, in 2017, Kenyatta snubbed the presidential debate. This was replicated in 2022 when Raila Odinga, who contested the presidency under the Azimio coalition chaired by Kenyatta, disparaged the debate.
These decisions seemed to undermine the media’s relevance in Kenya. In my opinion, snubbing the debate was political indiscipline. It’s not just voters and the media who needed to hear from leaders, but all Kenyans.
6. Unable to hide
Despite the tense relationship he had with the media, Kenyatta still found it important to seek its help when he felt cornered. Twice, he sought out journalists to address his home turf, the important central Kenya voting bloc.
Two days to the 9 August 2022 elections, Kenyatta spoke with journalists from vernacular media platforms, urging people from central Kenya to vote for Odinga. Ruto allies protested the move. During this interview at State House, Kenyatta appealed for the region’s vote for his preferred successor, Odinga.
The relationship between Kenyatta and the media has been bitter-sweet. However, the media and state are not expected to be bedfellows. It is journalists’ responsibility to hold those in power accountable. That is why it’s a red flag whenever regimes purport to work with the media.

Source: The Conversation Media Group Ltd

Historical opponent Raila Odinga, an unsuccessful Kenyan presidential candidate last week, announced a legal action on Saturday after the results of the poll, which he described as a “joke” after the victory of the vice-president outgoing William Ruto.
Last Monday, after six days of interminable waiting for the 50 million Kenyans, the chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEBC), an independent body that appeared deeply divided, announced the victory of William Ruto with 50.49% of the vote against 48 85% for Raila Odinga. Mr. Odinga rejected those results on Tuesday.
Monday evening, to everyone’s surprise, four of the seven commissioners of the IEBC had rejected the results a few minutes before their announcement, accusing Wafula Chebukati, the president of the IEBC, of his “opaque” management and his lack of consultation.
“We want justice to be done so that peace can be found,” Odinga said from his home in Nairobi on Saturday after meeting with religious leaders.
“We decided to use the law to go to the Supreme Court (…) to show that it was not an election but a joke,” he added.
This election constitutes a fifth defeat in a presidential poll for Mr. Odinga, even if his candidacy was supported this year by incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta and the ruling party.
No presidential election has been free from contestation in Kenya since 2002 and disputes have sometimes led to bloody clashes.
In August 2017, the Supreme Court overturned the presidential election after Mr. Kenyatta’s victory was rejected by Mr. Odinga. Dozens of people had been killed by police in protests.
The aftermath of this year’s poll has been closely watched, seen as a test of democratic maturity in the country which has East Africa’s strongest economy.
In 2007, an election also very close, Mr. Odinga had also, without going to court, refused the result, which had triggered the worst post-election crisis in the history of the country, with more than 1,100 deaths in inter-ethnic clashes.
Any motion to challenge must be filed by Monday August 22 with the Supreme Court, which then has 14 days to render its decision. If it orders the annulment, a new ballot must be organized within 60 days.
“We are doing this to defend democracy and our country,” Odinga said.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has lauded Kenya’s top presidential candidates for their commitment to upholding peace despite a dispute over the electoral results.

On Thursday, a delegation of US legislators led by Senator Chris Coons held talks with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, President-elect William Ruto, and presidential contender Raila Odinga in separate meetings, where all three leaders affirmed their commitment to peace.

Scotland said in a statement that she has personally spoken to Wafula Chebukati, the Chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Ruto and Odinga.

“I am reassured that the rule of law will be respected and pleased to hear that all sides are committed to ensuring peace and letting the process play out in the court of law,” she said.

Scotland also praised the transparency of the electoral process, while acknowledging the concerns that have been raised by some IEBC commissioners, and the impending court case challenging the results declared by Chebukati.

Following the declaration of Ruto as President-elect having won the election with 50.49 percent of the valid votes cast, four IEBC commissioners disputed the results, claiming that the chairperson conducted the last phase of the tallying process without transparency.

Odinga, who came second with 40.85 percent, has also disputed the results and has vowed to challenge them in the Supreme Court.

“Whatever the outcomes of that process, I trust and know that democracy will win the day and this is something all Kenyans should indeed be proud of,” Scotland said.

“I look forward to supporting the people of Kenya as we follow up on the recommendations of the Commonwealth Observer Group in the coming months, and seek ways for the Commonwealth to enhance its engagement with Kenya.”

The Commonwealth of Nations, which is an association of 56 countries majority of which are the United Kingdom’s current and former territories, had sent an observer mission to Kenya’s Aug 9 polls, headed by former president of Botswana, Festus Mogae.

Scotland, a British national, has been serving as the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth since 2018 and won a second 4-year term during the election held at the Heads of State and Government meeting in Rwanda’s capital Kigali in June.

Source: Nam News Network