A Political Kenya: Latest Politics and Kenya Economy News

IN a story broken by The Standard, a Githunguri "pastor" who is also a PNU nominated councillor, was arrested carrying bomb-making materials when he was allegedly headed for Mombasa on the eve of a No campaign rally there.

Pastor John Kamau Mbugua of Victory Church was accompanied by an accomplice Samuel Chege who allegedly was take him through a bomb making process. Subsequently, he was arraigned in court and then released on a Sh500, 000 bail.

FORMER President Moi has been asked to keep off the referendum campaigns because he has been misleading Kenyans on the proposed new constitution. Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula said Moi failed to give Kenyans a new constitution during his 24 year rule and is now misleading the public to reject the proposed constitution.

Meantime the crossing over to the Yes team of minister John Michuki and MP Jamleck Kamau of Kigumo constituency both from Muang'a District has re-energised the Green team and boosted their chances of passing the new proposed constitution. Michuki who is also the MP for Kangema constituency joined the Yes team last week when the president visited the district, while Kamau was received by Uhuru Kenyatta this week.

The President and the Prime Minister were also reported to have been holding private talks with key religious and political leaders in the No camp, with a view to getting them to change sides.

And on Thursday in Garissa, the president borrowed from the 2005 referendum playbook, and "handed out" three new districts and also promised to put up a new public university in the region.

THE NO de facto leader William Ruto has charged that the US government hopes to sneak in the rejected Anti-Terrorism Bill in Parliament once the proposed constitution is passed. Ruto made the allegations on his coast campaign circuit when he asked the south coast residents to "reject the draft constitution because the re-introduction of the anti-terror bill would see the harassment of Muslims".

Ruto and the former president Daniel arap Moi, held a No campaign rally at Suswa, where they were heckled and booed by protestors supporting the Yes camp.

ICC has allegedly flown out three key witnesses of the post-election violence who were considered to be "in danger of elimination by masterminds of the post-election violence". This allegedly took place in secret, three weeks ago.

THE double bomb blasts that rocked a section of Kampala city and killed 73 people was the work of suicide bombers and Pakistanis. "These attacks were carried by suicide bombers. The evidence is overwhelming", said Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura

STUNG by COTU secretary general Francis Atwoli's remarks on their intentions to hike their salaries, MPs are plotting to tame the trade unionist by passing a bill in the house that will limit the retirement age of the Secretary General's position to 55. But Atwoli has shrugged off the parliamentarians threats by admonishing that trade unions are bigger than parliament. "Parliaments can amend laws we can refuse to obey them," said defiant Atwoli.

Former US Ambassador to Kenya, Ms Prudence Bushnell, said it was her country's intelligence blunders which made possible the 1998 terrorist attack on the US Embassy in Nairobi. The mistaken assumption, she said, was "Nairobi was a backwater so why would anyone bother to blow it up?"