People Daily reporter @PeopleDailyKe

A police instructor at the Kenya Police Training College, Kiganjo, has been handed a disciplinary transfer for inflicting a brutal punishment on an errant recruit.

The recruit, who had overslept skipping morning training, has been undergoing treatment at Nyeri Level Five Hospital for injuries sustained when he was buried in a hole, leaving only the head visible, until he lost consciousness.

According to a source at the college who spoke on condition of anonymity, the recruit police (name withheld) of Squad 80 at the Kiganjo Training College, nearly died after his instructor (name withheld) ordered him buried by other recruits in a hole used for hardship training.

The source revealed that immediately the instructor, a Senior Sergeant, forced the recruit into one of the pits and covered it, leaving only the head above the ground for more than 15 minutes.

However, Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet, when contacted, first downplayed the incident before denying the incident. Irrelevant matter

At first, Boinnet insisted that the matter had become “irrelevant” since disciplinary measure had already been taken against the instructor.

“How is the matter going to assist you as a media person and Kenyans in general when disciplinary action has already been taken against the said officer?” was Boinnet’s first response.

The police boss, however, called back to say he had cross checked with the authorities in Kiganjo and that no such incident had taken place.

Kiganjo Police Training College Commandant William Saiyia could not be reached on phone to comment on the issue since Sunday.

But when contacted, a senior officer at the police headquarters confirmed the incident but hastened to add that serous action had already been taken against the police instructor. According to a letter seen by the People Daily, the senior sergeant was demoted to a corporal and transferred to Bondo Police Post.

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Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee has approved the nomination of retired Anglican Archbishop Eliud Wabukala and Wafula Chebukati to head EACC and IEBC respectively.
The house team also recommended the appointment of six other nominees to the Electoral Agency.
MP's are scheduled to hold a special sitting this afternoon to debate the appointments and pass a procedural motion on time allocation for each member.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XapPFlZ6XBI

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Kenya Tea Development Agency has raised a red flag over a noted decline in production of tea in Nyeri County, owing to the dry spell being experienced across the country.
This has also affected many tea growing zones and is now becoming a concern for tea farmers who mostly rely on the cash crop as their only source of income.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXlU5AIevD4

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Now, as IEBC Mass Voter Registration enters day two, Kitengela Matatu operators have adopted a unique way of mobilising eligible voters to come out and register.
But the exercise first starts with them setting the example by ensuring that all Matatu drivers and conductors plying the Namanga route have a voter’s card before being allowed to work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDrWhVjVoDo

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The Anglican Church has urged the Education Ministry to ensure that reforms carried out in the sector are in line with the dictates of religion.
ACK Bishop in Nairobi Joel Waweru has said that some of the proposed reforms in the sector , do not augre well with the teachings of the church , and therefore should be rejected.
He was speaking during a thanks giving ceremony at Green Cottage Academy in Nairobi .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7zzOGaTYBU

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A group of young professionals drawn from Laikipia, Samburu and Isiolo counties have embarked on a campaign that aims at promoting peaceful co-existence among the pastoral communities in the country in a bid to end frequent inter-clan wars that continue to hinder development in their regions .
The group dubbed 'Peace Caravan ' that works alongside the Administration Police and community policing departments yesterday pitched camp in Laikipia County where the locals were sensitized on the importance of living in harmony and sharing natural resources without sparking war over ownership of these resources.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLdDDTs9xL0

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Elsewhere, various political leaders from Kisumu county have now come out to mobilize people to get out and register as voters.
On Monday only a handful of people came out to register in the ongoing mass voters registration exercise in the region but there is hope now as more and more people come out to register.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0RdTpvntj0

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Isiolo North Member of Parliament Joseph Samal Lomwa collapsed within Parliament Buildings Tuesday afternoon while seated at Members Lounge.

The MP was immediately rushed to hospital for check-up and treatment.

The first-time MP was elected to the 11th Parliament in 2013 on a URP ticket.

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Roy Lumbe @lumbe_roy

A Nakuru High Court has summoned Inspector General of police Joseph Boinnet to explain why Nyandarua County Commissioner Samuel Kimiti, who faces court contempt charges, has not been arrested.

In his ruling, Justice Stephen Radido directed Boinnet to appear in court on March 1 to explain why the county boss has not been arrested as directed by the court on November 17, 2016.

On issuing the orders, Justice Radido warned against public officers who fail to obey court orders adding that it would lead the nation to an unjust system, especially to those who seek justice through the courts.

"It is clear that the Inspector General of Police has failed to arrest the County Commissioner without any plausible reason given to the court.

The court hereby summons the IG to explain why he has failed to obey court orders in executing an arrest warrant," ruled Radido.

The court had issued orders to the IG to effect the arrest warrant of the County Commissioner after he failed on several occasions to show up in court to explain why he had not reinstated the sacked Kipipiri Chief despite a court order to do so.

Kimiti was supposed to appear before the Labour and Employment Court to show compliance of a court order to reinstate sacked Kipiriri location chief Lucy Wangari as ordered by the court on October 26, until her suit is heard and determined.

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Kenya Union of Clinical officers (KUCO) has suspended its strike for two weeks to pave way for dialogue.
 The clinicians were to take industrial action from this Monday, a move that would have paralysed operations in all public health centre across the country given that doctors are already on strike.

Led by the national Secretary-General George Gibore, KUCO made the announcement after meeting with Council of Governors (CoG) in Nairobi on Friday.

The meeting resolved to set a task force committee to look into the grievances within the next 14 days. "We want to make it clear that we have suspended our nationwide strike which was supposed to take place from Monday next week to give the task force we have formed a chance to address the issues we have raised," said Gibore.

This is the second time the clinicians have suspended the industrial action, having previously done so on one that was to take place on December 12 , 2016.

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Kenya has joined other countries in congratulating the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for intervening to resolve the Gambia political crisis.

In a statement to newsrooms, Kenya called on the regional bloc to ensure a bloodless transition between the newly-sworn in president Adama Barrow and outgoing Yahya Jammeh, who has refused to relinquish power and vacate office after losing in elections.

“Kenya expresses solidarity with ECOWAS and calls for a speedy and bloodless end to the crisis in the Gambia.

We congratulate the New President H.E. Adama Barrow and wish him well as he takes over the reigns of power in a sisterly country.

It is a historic milestone in our collective history and reaffirms the commitment of Africa to take responsibility destiny and deepen democracy and the Continent,” read the statement. EDS/MK/020/001/017

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PSCU

President Uhuru Kenyatta today put on notice all Government officials who make it hard for Kenyan youth to acquire National Identity Cards.

He said officials of the National Registration Bureau and those of the Ministry of Interior will be subjected to harsh penalties if they are found to obstruct the issuance of IDs to rightful applicants.

The President said having an ID is a right for every Kenyan and the process of its acquisition should be as smooth as possible.

The Head of State said the issue of IDs is a priority during this electioneering period because it is a known fact that many youth lack the document.

“We will take action against officials who ask for bribes from youth who want IDs. Chiefs and other officials who make it hard for the youth to get ID cards will be punished,” said the President.

The Head of State issued the warning in Isiolo during a tour to sensitise Kenyans to register in large numbers as voters.

President Kenyatta, who addressed two rallies in the town, told the residents that they have an obligation to register as voters and play their role in choosing leaders to run the affairs of the nation.

“You have no right to complain about leadership if you do not vote,” said Uhuru as he urged the youth, who are the majority of those without voters cards, to register during the mass registration exercise being carried out by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

The President said the IEBC should ensure that they register the pastoralist communities living in the region by taking the services to them where they are.

President Kenyatta urged the residents to continue living harmoniously with each other and also urged them to reject leaders who preach hatred and violence.

“Those whose politics is built on hatred and divisions should be defeated. Those who insult and lie should be defeated. We want leaders who are development conscious and who are visionary,” said the President.

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HUSSEIN SALESA


President Uhuru Kenyatta has banned maize export with immediate effect following ravaging drought in the parts of the country.

The Head of State also warned that stern action will be taken against any person found exporting or taking advantage to reap from the drought situation.

“We will not accept any trader to buy maize in large amount so as to store them and eventually cash in following the ravaging drought in the country,'' said Uhuru.

The President said both the national and county governments must revise their budget in order to address the drought menace in the country and cushion Kenyans against the effects of drought.

Uhuru was addressing residents in Isiolo during an event to sensitise masses on the voter registration exercise ahead of the Augusst 8 General-Election.

Isiolo Governor Godana Doyo said his government would come up with measures to combat recurrent drought to cushion the pastoral communities against livestock losses.

Doyo said his government would sink more boreholes and dams in strategic grazing reserves on which the communities can fall back to during the short rains.

He said plans were underway to harvest rain water into big dams for farming to encourage the residents to venture into large-scale farming.

The Governor also advised pastoral communities to try a hand into farming and revealed that the county government had availed more tractors to encourage them towards the practice.

He observed that lack of food in the region and more so in the northern parts of the country was as a result of farmers failing to use proper advise when dealing with food security.

Doyo noted that farmers had also failed to diversify their livelihood through venturing into drought resistant crops as a copping mechanism for the drought in the areas.

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 appeared first on Mediamax Network Limited.

President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday made a passionate call to Jubilee leaders eyeing the Nairobi governor seat to stop public fights.

Speaking in a interview broadcast on Kameme FM, Uhuru said he wants the party to have a single candidate to avoid a repeat of 2013 when it lost the seat to Cord's candidate Evans Kidero because some candidates who had lost in the nominations decided to run on other party tickets, thus splitting Jubilee's votes.

Excerpts

Question: Let's talk about Jubilee Party. The Nairobi governor's seat is very crucial. We have heard about plans to ensure the seat is taken by Jubilee. But it is clear there are two factions fighting for the seat.

Uhuru: I have spoken to the groups. This is what I have told them. Please consider the pain that business people in Nairobi are facing because in 2013 you refused to unite so we could field only one candidate who could take care of your interests.

This is what I want to tell Nairobi leaders. You should have been united by now. The Nairobi governor's seat is not about personal interests but service to the people. Work together to give our people who live in the City a government that will help them.

I know there are people who will misinterpret my words. When I say our people, I mean Kenyans who live in Nairobi from whichever part of the country. I want them to have a government that will help them prosper, not a government that will oppress and steal from them.

I don't want them to get a government that is driven by selfish interests and tribalism. That is my position. I will continue talking to Nairobi leaders and ask them to put the people's problems ahead of their interests.

The governor may come from whichever part of the country but Jubilee leaders must work together to give the people directions so that we can win the seat.

Question: Let's address ourselves to the ongoing voter registration. We are getting reports that people are yet to take the exercise seriously. I know that you are in a meet-the-people tour but I would like to hear your views on the exercise so far.

Uhuru: This is a very crucial exercise. It's a fact that I am seeking votes for the General Election. I would like people to turn out in large numbers so we can work together.

However, I would like people to understand that you don't vote because of an individual. You vote because you want to determine the future of our country. It's important to note that we will each cast six votes on election day. We will vote for an MCA, Women Representative, Member of the National Assembly, Senator and President.

And each of these votes has it implications on the lives of Kenyans. Please remember the country has changed from the days of councillors. An MCA manages huge funds meant for public good.

Huge funds. This year alone, we disbursed Sh137 billion to the 47 county governments. MCAs sit in the County Assembly to determine how these funds will be spent.

Who will have lost if these funds are stolen because you did not register as a voter to participate in determining who will manage these funds? Is it Uhuru or you the resident of the county?

People must, therefore, turn out and register as voters so that they can get the opportunity to determine leaders who will manage public resources according to public wishes.

My prayer is that everybody listening to me will understand that you will not cast your vote for Uhuru but for your lives, your children's lives and your grand children's.

Question: Many aspirants are focused on nominations at a time when they should be mobilising people to register as voters. What is your view on this?

Uhuru: Any aspiring leader who does not understand that voter registration will determine election results is a lost soul. Aspirants and incumbents should be working together to mobilise our people to register.

A person who is not registered will not help you win the election even though they might win the party nomination. That is why we in Jubilee are saying that those who participate in our nominations should be those who will participate in the General Election.

Members participating in the nominations will have the party's membership card but they will also need to be registered voters.

Question: Young people do not have IDs. Reports we are getting say officers charged with this responsibility are not doing their job well. What is your comment on the behaviour of the provincial administration on this matter?

Uhuru: I have also received similar reports. In some cases, I have heard that young people are asked for a bribe in order to get IDs. My message to Kenyans is that an ID is a human right.

No Chief or Assistant Chief should stop you from getting your ID. This is the reason why we have asked the registrar of persons to be at registration centres to help those who do not have IDs.

We have also tried to shorten the time it takes for one to get an ID to a maximum of three days. We do not want a situation where a person is unable to register because they do not have an ID.

Question: Second generation alcoholic drinks are slowly returning into the market. As in the IDs case, fingers are pointing at the provincial administration.

Uhuru: We made a decision to save our people from being destroyed by these drinks. We collaborated in this war with churches, police and political leaders. We will not allow these drinks to crawl back into the market. We must win this war. I urge Kenyans to share reports on places where the drinks have re-emerged.

Question: It's an election year and people traditionally get divided along political lines. I know you have been on the front line trying to unite the nation. I would like you to comment on this.

Uhuru: My view is that Kenya belongs to all of us. We must be united for there to be peace and development. The problems that Kenyans face are similar irrespective of political affiliation. We all need hospitals to have drugs and equipment. We all want roads and our children to get educated.

We all want better incomes from our farms and jobs. The problem is that some leaders claim that if you vote for a candidate from a particular community, you will only be helping to enrich members of that community. That is foolishness.

They say that so that members of some communities may feel oppressed by other communities. That is why I am asking Kenyans to reject such people. That is why I am urging our people to turn out and register.

If we can lock out such leaders from government, we will prosper. All of you know that if an individual is making economic progress it is not because they work for the government.

Your shop is not run by the government. Your shamba is not farmed by the government. Whichever business you are in is not run by the government.

You prosper because you have a government that facilitates you to do what you are doing without interfering with your business. But there are leaders whose business is to claim that if you see a certain community prospering, it's because of government largesse.

Our agenda is to ensure that Kenyans live their lives without interference from government. That is why I want us to make sure that these divisive leaders will never have a chance. If we do this, we will solve unemployment which is the biggest problem in this country.

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The Opposition wants an international audit firm to scrutinize the voter register, Wiper Democratic Movement (WDM) party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has said.

Musyoka also demanded the reinstatement of the voter verification short code that was suspended yesterday by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

"We want the immediate retraction on the misguided directive to suspend the voter verification SMS query code 22464," said Musyoka. The Cord co-principal claims two million ghost voters are still in the voters register and that that is why IEBC settled on KPMG.

"The commission should demonstrate to Kenyans the reasonable step it's taking towards the realisation of a biometric audit of voter register in line with the Election Law Amendment Act 2016," said Musyoka.

He called for disciplinary action against persons in the secretariat who he alleged have overseen criminal fraud on the people.

Musyoka demanded the audit of the software being used by the commission that he alleged clearly lacks a default mechanism to prevent double registration.

"The commission should publish the modalities for consolidation of various voter registration efforts beginning with 2013 register, the continuous registration that took place thereafter, last year's mass voter registration and subsequent continuous registration and finally the ongoing exercise," added the Wiper leader.

The opposition, he said, will release a comprehensive list of double allocation cases to the commission and Kenyans. "This list proves a deliberate effort at inflating the numbers on the register in certain parts of the country perceived to be Jubilee strongholds," he alleged.

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Immediate former IEBC chairman Isaack Hassan has officially handed over to the incoming chairman Wafula Chebukati who together with six other commissioners were sworn into office by Chief Justice David Maraga.
A tweet from the commission’s handle stated that Isaack Hassan took the last of his personal belongings - a prayer mat- from the commission’s offices at around 4:30 pm.
During his acceptance speech after assuming office, Chebukati assured Kenyans that his team will ensure that the August polls are free, fair, credible and transparent.
This, as the Chief Justice and Attorney General prof. Githu Muigai assured the new team of their support and urged focus for the difficult task ahead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwpKFVqsR-U

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President Uhuru Kenyatta has called on Kenyans from all walks of life regardless of political affiliations or ethnicity to register as voters in order to play a role in shaping their own future.
Speaking during an exclusive interview with K24, the president also called for peace throughout this upbeat political season and urged Kenyans to refuse to be divided along ethnic lines.
Meanwhile, deputy president Wiliam Ruto took his voter registration campaigns to Narok and Bomet counties with similar ones expected to go on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRcl7VSsj9s

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As drought continues to ravage more than half the country, much has been said about the plight of human life and livestock, but very little has been said regarding wildlife in parks and reserves around the country that has also borne the wrath of harsh mother nature.
According to the Kenya Wildlife Service, KWS, cases have been reported in Wajir, Lamu and other parts of the country where wild animals have succumbed to the pangs of hunger, extreme heat and thirst.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxyV_JJ_Ge4

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Kitengela residents and matatu operators are up in arms over a bus terminus that was completed two years ago but still remains un-operational even as traffic jams continues to bite.
The modern ksh 68m project in Kitengela located near the Kitengela police station was the county governments' flagship project meant to ease congestion in the town.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uALGZKasZaY

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