A Political Kenya: Latest Politics and Kenya Economy News

Kenyans have been waiting for a signal as to which direction the United States will take regarding the Kenyan General Elections. This is even more important since we have an ICC trial suspect and Jubilee presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta pitying against CORD coalition candidate Raila Odinga who once claimed to be Obama's cousin and comes from Obama's father tribe and home town. These two are the leading contenders in the Kenyan presidential race.

Amidst rumours of economic sanctions to Kenya by the West (with US and UK in the lead) if Uhuru ascends to the presidency, many Kenyans have been silently thinking that Obama (and the West generally) prefers a Raila Odinga presidency.

However, in his statement to Kenyans, Obama showed no preference to Raila Odinga nor did he hint at a strained US-Kenya relationship if Uhuru Kenyatta wins the presidency on March 4th. His main emphasis was peaceful, free and fair elections which reflects the will of the people.

Here is the statement

"Habari yako. Over the years, I have been greatly moved by the warmth and spirit - the strength and resolve - of the Kenyan people. And I've been grateful for my connection to Kenya, and the way you've welcomed me and my family to your beautiful country - from my father's village in Alego, to bustling Nairobi.

"In my visits, I've seen your progress. Kenya has lifted people from poverty, built an emerging democracy and civil society, and sustained a spirit of hope in the face of great difficulty. After the turmoil of five years ago, you've worked to rebuild communities, reform institutions and pass a new constitution.

"Now, Kenya must take the next step in March, with the first national elections under your new constitution.

"We all know what makes for successful elections. Kenya must reject intimidation and violence, and allow a free and fair vote. Kenyans must resolve disputes in the courts, not in the streets. Above all, the people of Kenya must come together, before and after the election, to carry on the work of building your country.

"The choice of who will lead Kenya is up to the Kenyan people. The United States does not endorse any candidate for office, but we do support an election that is peaceful and reflects the will of the people.

"This election can be another milestone toward a truly democratic Kenya defined by the rule of law and strong institutions. If you take that step, and reject a path of violence and division, then Kenya can move forward towards prosperity and opportunity that unleashes the extraordinary talents of your people - especially young people. If you continue to move forward, you can build a just Kenya that rejects corruption, and respects the rights and dignity of all Kenyans.

"This is a moment for the people of Kenya to come together, instead of tearing apart. If you do, you can show the world that you are not just a member of a tribe or ethnic group, but citizens of a great and proud nation. I can't imagine a better way to mark the 50th anniversary of Kenyan independence. And I say to all of you who are willing to walk this path of progress-you will continue to have a strong friend and partner in the United States of America. Kwaheri." 

and the YouTube Video

Mutahi Ngunyi, Kenya's renowned political scientist has taken to YouTube to hypothetically analyze the IEBC voter registration numbers. According to him, the elections were won on December 18th 2012 by Jubilee alliance based on the voter mobilization and registration in their ethnic strongholds.

Of course no media house in Kenya can touch this analysis since it is based on a historical assumption that Kenyan will vote along tribal lines.

Mutahi Ngunyi however fails to put the following into consideration

LISTEN TO THE CLIP TO UNDERSTAND MUTAHI NGUNYI'S ARGUMENT



Mutahi Ngunyi Disclaimer: Everything said in this clip is hypothetical. That must also be noted.

PRESS STATEMENT ON THE SHUT DOWN OF ROYAL MEDIA SERVICES BROADCAST TRANSMI1TERS
 

The Commission has in the last two days shut down 17 Royal Media Services’ broadcast transmitters in 11 different sites or locations of the country that were being operated using unauthorized frequencies and without the required licences in blatant breach of the law. 

Section 35 of the Kenya Information and Communications Act, 1998, outlaws the setting up and operation of communications apparatus without authorization from CCK.
 

The 17 transmitter stations were located in Narok, Menengai Hill (Nakuru), Mukuyuni (Makueni), Nanyuki, Karue Hill (Embu), Vuria Hill (Taveta), Gatare (Murang’a), Migori, Enchoro Hill (Sotik), Mwingi, and Mabrui (Malindi). 

The Commission issued a 30 - day notice to Royal Media Services to cease operating the unauthorized stations on 3rd December 2012, which this broadcaster ignored and continued to transmit broadcast signals from the 17 transmitter stations in total disregard of the law.

The 17 transmitters in question were being operated using self-assigned or ‘grabbed’ frequencies. Indeed, some of the transmitters were located in non-designated broadcasting sites, and were causing harmful interferences to other duly licensed and compliant broadcasters. 

In some instances, these interferences were so intense that the services of the affected broadcasters were rendered completely inoperable.
 

More disturbing, the safety of our airspace has in recent times come under threat as these illegal transmitter stations have on a number of occasions caused interferences to radio communication between pilots and the control tower. 

In this regard, the Commission has received numerous complaints from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority as well as from our national carrier, Kenya Airways, about threats to the safety of our airspace due to interferences emanating from these illegal transmitters. 

The erection of transmitters, particularly on high-altitude areas without the required authority also puts the safety of helicopters and small aircraft which usually fly at low altitude at the risk of crashing into the masts. 

The National Environment Management Agency has raised concerns that the towers have been erected without carrying out environmental impact assessment as required by the law.
 

It is important to note that the Commission is the only state organ charged by law with the responsibility of managing the country’s frequency spectrum resources. 

Management of the frequency spectrum is critical in ensuring orderly exploitation of this scarce and limited resource. All spectrum users, therefore, are required to operate under a licence issued by CCK and which must be kept in force through adherence to the operational parameters stipulated in the licence. 

Frequency spectrum is a national resource belonging to the people of Kenya, which must be managed centrally to ensure optimal and orderly use as well as to avoid interferences among various spectrum users.
 

The 17 illegal transmitter stations that were shut down over the weekend are not the only ones that Royal Media Services has allocated itself. 

Indeed, there other 22 FM and 2 TV frequencies that the said broadcaster assigned himself between 2008 and 2012, and which the Commission has been injuncted by the courts from taking any action pending the hearing of the appeal arising from our notice to the said broadcaster on 17th May 2012.
 

The Commission has attempted to engage Royal Media Services to cease self-appropriation of spectrum without success. 

In 2006, the Commission, after consultations with the relevant government organs, regularized a total of 67 FM and 10 TV frequencies that Royal Media Services had acquired in the same manner between 2002 and 2006 on the understanding that the broadcaster would henceforth cease using unauthorized frequencies and deploying transmitters in non-designated broadcasting sites. 

Contrary to this agreement, Royal Media Services has continued allocating itself frequencies and erecting masts in non-designated broadcasting sites in total disregard of the law and our regulatory notices. 

We cannot sit by as the ICT sector law is being derogated with reckless abandon at the risk of compromising on the safe operation of aviation services, and jeopardizing investments in the ICT sector. 

We have a mandate to execute, and execute we shall without fear or favour.
 

The implications of unauthorized use of spectrum are quite adverse and include the following:

For purpose of clarity, I wish to note that the Commission has not switched off any frequencies that have been assigned legally to Royal Media Services or to any other licensee nor those that are subject to court cases. 

We only focused on frequencies that Royal Media Services had assigned itself in total disregard of the law. 

I also wish to note that this matter has been a subject of debate in parliament in light of the grave implications of use of unauthorized spectrum to the safety and integrity of  our airspace, and protection of investments in the ICT sector.
 

Francis W. Wangusi
DIRECTOR GENERAL
Communications Commission of Kenya

The Minister for Education, Mutula Kilonza will release the KCPE results on Monday 28th January 2013 at Mitihani House, off Caledonia Road, Nairobi at 9.00AM.

811,930 candidates sat the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination last year.

Parents and candidates will also be able to get the results through the mobile phone by sending their index numbers to 5052 and on the website www.knec.ac.ke. This service will, however, be available only after the completion of the minister’s official event.

Upon receipt of the results, candidates will have 30 days to scrutinise them and lodge complaints with Knec, including all forms of discrepancies in the details of the result slips.

A big scramble is expected for places in the 78 national schools most of which were only recently upgraded. As of 2002, Kenya had just 18 such schools.

Traditionally, KCPE results are released towards the end of December. The delay was caused by the teachers’ strike last year.

Government statistics indicate that the transition from primary to secondary education currently stands at 73 per cent, from 43 per cent in 2003.

Of those who make it to high school, though, only 74 per cent complete their education which is, however, an improvement from 46 per cent in 2008.

Kalonzo Musyoka

The Vice-President has been in politics for close to three decades.

He is the Wiper Democratic Party leader which has partnered with Mr Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Party to form Cord, which made him the running mate.

Mr Musyoka, 60, first became MP when he won the Kitui North by-election in 1985 and was appointed an assistant minister for Works, Housing and Physical Planning.

He was re-elected MP in 1988 and elected Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. In 1992, he was re-elected MP and appointed Foreign Affairs minister.

He was won the sear again in 1997 and headed the ministries of Education and Human Resources Development and Tourism and Information.

William Ruto

Born on December 21, 1966, the URP leader holds a Bachelor of Science and master’s degree in botany from the University of Nairobi.

Mr Ruto was first a political operative in Kanu, then ODM, and now the URP. He is the party leader of URP, which partnered with Mr Uhuru Kenyatta’s TNA to form the Jubilee Coalition. Mr Ruto served the coalition government as the Agriculture minister before he was moved to Higher Education. He has been the MP for Eldoret North for the past 15 years.

He has considerable business interests in the agriculture and service industries. He is facing charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in The Hague for his alleged role in the 2008 post-election violence.

Jeremiah Kioni

Mr Kioni is the outgoing MP for Ndaragwa and was elected to Parliament in the 2007 General election.

He is Amani Coalition leader Musalia Mudavadi’s running mate.

Before his entry into politics, Mr Kioni ran Ngayu and Associates, a property valuation firm based in Nairobi.

He is one of the MPs who came up with the idea of the United Democratic Forum.

He holds a degree in Lands Economics and a Master of Arts in Housing Administration from the University of Nairobi.

He also has a law degree from the University of Nairobi.

Mr Kioni has also been a member of the Land Arbitration Board.

Winnie Kaburu

Ms Winnie Kaburu, 53, is the presidential running mate of Prof James ole Kiyiapi.

The former English teacher is a businesswoman and has been active in Kenya’s private sector for the past 10 years.

The last time she taught English was 25 years ago at Uasin Gishu High School.

She also worked in the defunct Kenya Posts and Telecommunication Corporation for six years before moving into the private sector.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a master’s in Gender and Development from the University of Nairobi.

She’s the chairperson of the Private Sector Forum and the chief executive officer of Envirowaste Management Limited

Ronald Osumba

Mr Osumba is the running mate of Mr Peter Kenneth in the March 4 General Election.

The 33-year-old is a former senior manager at mobile phone company Safaricom.

He holds a degree in Business Management (Marketing) from Moi University, Eldoret.

He is also a chartered accountant. He chairs the board of Youth Employment Systems - a nonprofit organisation.

Born in Kibera in a family of six, Mr Osumba won a scholarship to study at Starehe Boys Centre. He once worked at Co-operative Bank as the sales team leader.

He is the chairman of the Old Stareheian Society, a club of the alumni from Starehe Boys Centre. His goal, he says, is to ensure continuity of the Starehe heritage.

Augustine Lotodo

Mr Augustine Loile Chemonges Lotodo, 42, is the running mate of Ms Martha Karua.

The son of former Kanu MP Francis Lotodo, the younger Lotodo has served in the East Africa Legislative Assembly, having been picked to the regional assembly by Ms Karua’s Narc Kenya.

He brings to Mr Karua’s campaign the regional experience that will be key for any President keen on the East Africa Community.

His stint in EALA gave him huge experience in negotiating with lawmakers from different backgrounds and cultures.

He is a former board member of the Lake Victoria North Water Services Board.

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC TO SUBMIT COMMENTS ON ‘THE STRATEGY FOR PUBLIC FINANCE MANAGEMENT REFORMS IN KENYA (2013 – 2018)’

The Ministry of Finance through the Public Financial Management Reform (PFMR) Programme invites members of the public to submit written comments on ‘The Strategy for Public Finance Management Reforms in Kenya (2013 – 2018)’. 

The contribution from members of the public will be taken into account towards enriching the Strategy which is in its final stages of formulation.

Key Aspects of the Strategy
 

1. The new Strategy not only emphasizes consolidation of gains made under the 2006-2011 PFMR Strategy but also provides a framework for implementing reforms envisaged in the Constitution, the Public Finance Management Act 2012 and other relevant legislation. Most importantly, the Strategy addresses areas of concern highlighted by the report of the Public Expenditure Finance and Accounting Assessment (PEFA), 2012 which is posted on the Ministry of Finance website.
 

2. Implementation – covering a period of five years - is via seven priority themes important for realizing effective public financial management reforms. Four themes relate to the annual budget cycle (resource mobilization; resource allocation; budget execution, accounting and reporting; audit and oversight) while three themes are cross-cutting (fiscal decentralization; the PFM legal framework and automation and integration).
 

3. The existing Government systems will be used in implementing the programme and the PFM Reform Secretariat to be domiciled in the MoF will play a strategic coordination role and oversee the implementation of reforms. Political championship will be provided by the Steering Committee. Within each thematic area, there are champions and actors identified that will be responsible for reform implementation and will ensure that reforms are mainstreamed within the Government planning and work processes.
 

4. The Strategy also incorporates a protocol for engagement with Development Partners. The purpose of the protocol is;

5. Priority areas identified for immediate implementation include: Deepening Intergrated Financial  Management Information System Reform; Fiscal Decentralization – put in place a framework for identification, assigning and costing of functions that are to be decentralized from national to county governments as well as to provide a framework for intergovernmental fiscal relations; Independent Oversight – fostering relationship between the Office of the Auditor General and the Money Committees in Parliament; Rollout of the national and county level Programme Based Budgeting; Enhancing comprehensiveness of the budget - accounting for unutilized funds from budget provisions to Ministries Departments and Agencies and factoring into the budget, as a form of expenditure, tax expenses incurred by the Government; Enhancing revenue collection by broadening the tax base, improving tax compliance etc.; Revision of the Procurement law.
 

6. A Monitoring and Evaluation Framework to track progress of implementation is a key element of the Strategy.
 

7. The Strategy further stipulates that funding of the reforms should follow a facilitative framework established within the Government. Resource allocation will be assigned to thematic areas and implementation tied to specific activities that contribute to agreed indicators. Government financing will be allocated through the normal budget process. The Government will enter into specific financing agreements with development partners willing to support the strategy. Flow of funds will be defined within the operational plan for the strategy.
 

A copy of the Strategy can be downloaded from www.pfmr.go.ke. or www.treasury.go.ke
 

Kindly submit any comments to the PFMR Programme Manager by close of business, Monday, January 28, 2013.
 

The Programme Manager,
Public Finance Management Reform Programme,
Bima House, Harambee Avenue, 8th Floor,
P.O. Box 30007, G.P.O Code 00100 Nairobi.
Tel: +254 - 20 - 2252299,
Email: pfmsecretariat@treasury.go.ke

ADVISORY ON ACTIONS TO REINFORCE PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE DURING THE 2013 GENERAL ELECTIONS

Since the return to multi-party democracy, Kenya’s General Elections have been marred by violence in largely multi-ethnic regions of the country. The most extensive violence of this nature was witnessed in the aftermath of the pronouncement of the presidential elections results following the 2007 General Elections. 

The country is now facing the first General Election after the threat to sustained unity witnessed in 2008 and under a new governance structure instituted under the 2010 Constitution.

The National Cohesion and Integration Commission established under the National Cohesion and Integration Act, 2008 is under Section 25 (j) of the Act mandated to; ‘identify and analyze factors inhibiting the attainment of harmonious relations between ethnic communities, particularly barriers to their participation in social, economic, commercial, financial, cultural and political endeavours. 

The Commission is required to recommend to the Government and any other relevant public or private body how to overcome these factors’.

NCIC was recently engaged in monitoring of the political party nominations process that was conducted nationwide with a view to identifying potential triggers to violence in the coming General Elections.

The violence that was recently experienced in some parts of the country including the discontent expressed by Kenyans in addition to our findings have highlighted the need for concerted efforts to sustain the relative peace we have enjoyed in the last five years as we approach the General Elections.

NCIC thus makes the following recommendations:

a) The late delivery of ballot material in areas where there exists stiff competition between aspirants and/or parties poses a trigger to violence and should be mitigated

The outcome of our monitoring shows that areas where a number of parties are deemed stronger and/or where equally strong candidates are present, undoubtedly remain vulnerable to rumor mongering and political manipulation. It is also noted that the fact that aspirants were still able to ‘party-hop’ means that in many areas the contest that could have been concluded with party nominations have been postponed.

b) Conduct of Campaign Supporters

It was apparent (from the monitoring exercise) that the aspirants were more responsive to discussions to keep peace during campaigns but remained susceptible to manipulation from radical supporters. The need to ensure that supporters are not allowed to easily congregate around the tallying areas must be emphasized to control mob tendencies.

We appeal to all Kenyans to maintain peace at all times as they practice their Constitutional right to support candidates of their choice. They should not trample on other citizens’ rights as they continue to enjoy theirs.

c) Complete Impartiality of the Police and Administration

The police have a specific enforcement role that must not be diluted by threats to peace.

There is need to ensure that all officers working with the National Police Service, including special police officers appointed under the powers conferred to the Inspector General of Police, sustain law and order around the polling and tallying areas and have adequate knowledge of their roles and mandate. Kenya is raw from the 2007/8 violence and police impartiality will be paramount in ensuring peaceful General Elections.

d) All candidates need to be conversant with the current provisions of relevant laws that relate to keeping peace and order.

Reports of some aspirants marshaling wananchi to violence despite the existence of laws that criminalize such activities should not be tolerated. The existing dispute resolution mechanisms must be used exhaustively.

e) Sobriety and responsibility in communicating polling results

The fast pace and ease of access to communication channels such as social media and cell phones must not be abused or corrupted to relay unconfirmed information.

Only confirmed results should be relayed to avoid miscommunication. Those who engage in such shortcuts should face the law.

WAY FORWARD

(i) Whereas prompt delivery of materials is essential for all polling stations, IEBC should put extra effort in potential hot spots where delivery of polling material need to be prioritized.

(ii) The suspicion Kenyans exhibited against the police force following the 2008 violence still exists. The need to act firmly and uphold the law is key if wananchi are to work with the National Police Service. The National Police Service need to ensure that all persons recruited and deployed at polling and tallying centers are conversant with the law.

(iii) Political parties need to ensure that all persons to whom they issue Party Certificates are sensitized on relevant laws especially sections of the NCI Act 2008 regarding hate speech and other laws relating to keeping peace and non-incitement to violence.

(v) Elections are important in any democratic society but the continuity of the nation is bigger than each and all. Thus the general populace needs to respect the law and remember at all times to put KENYA KWANZA!

Mzalendo N. Kibunjia, PhD., EBS

COMMISSION CHAIRMAN