Items by Phil

Kenya Environmental & Political News Weblog

• What We Are Doing About Climate Change

  Posted: August 7, 2008, 4:29 pm by Phil

  Photo: UN Library Years of poorly regulated emissions have made the earth warmer JOHANNESBURG, 5 August 2008 (IRIN) - In developing countries, where survival is often a daily struggle, people cannot afford to wait for their government to bail them out. Many are living in the grip of climate change, coping with frequent droughts, heavy [...]

• NASA Data Show African Droughts Linked To Warmer Indian Ocean

  Posted: August 7, 2008, 4:28 pm by Phil

  A new study, co-funded by NASA, has identified a link between a warming Indian Ocean and less rainfall in eastern and southern Africa. Computer models and observations show a decline in rainfall, with implications for the region’s food security. Rainfall in eastern Africa during the rainy season, which runs from March through May, has [...]

• Dial M for Cash

  Posted: August 5, 2008, 9:48 am by Phil

  Photo: Anne Ejakait/Concern Worldwide Mobile phones are increasingly being used in delivering aid NAIROBI, 4 August 2008 (IRIN) - Hard-pressed to find efficient ways of delivering aid, humanitarian agencies are turning to new technologies. One such innovation involves mobile phones to send cash. One such project was piloted in Baringo North and Pokot East Districts of [...]

• Breast is Best, Even for Mothers with HIV

  Posted: August 5, 2008, 9:48 am by Phil

  Photo: Julius Mwelu/IRIN The WHO recommends breastfeeding for the first six months of a child’s life NAIROBI, 4 August 2008 (PlusNews) - The risk of an HIV-positive mother infecting her child through breastfeeding can be significantly reduced by antiretroviral treatment (ART), say health officials in Kenya. “HIV-positive mothers on ART lower the risk of transmission through [...]

• Insecurity Heightens Poverty in Northwest Kenya

  Posted: July 31, 2008, 10:55 am by Phil

  Photo: Ann Weru/IRIN Residents often have to rely on police reservists and have organised local security to safeguard their livestock LODWAR, 29 July 2008 (IRIN) - John Lochimoe used to own several heads of cattle that his grandfather left him, until raiders from the neighbouring Pokot District of northwestern Kenya took the animals. “All the cows [...]

• Kiambaa IDPs Still Afraid to Return Home

  Posted: July 31, 2008, 10:54 am by Phil

  Photo: Julius Mwelu/IRIN Stephen Kariuki Gichuhi, chairman of the IDPs who have sought shelter at the Ngecha All Nations Gospel Church in Limuru LIMURU, 30 July 2008 (IRIN) - Hundreds of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who fled Kenya’s Rift Valley Province after their church was set ablaze in January’s post-election violence, burning to death some of [...]

• The Connection Between High Food Prices and Grand Corruption

  Posted: July 29, 2008, 6:59 pm by Phil

  Bunge La Mwananchi held a forum on Wednesday 2nd July, 2008 at Professional Centre Nairobi, between 1.00 pm and 5.00 pm. as part of its civil awareness initiative to rally people around issues that affect them. Bunge La Mwananchi had in the recent past organised an activity in which Kenyans held street protest to complain [...]

• Investigate “torture” in Mt Elgon Operation, Kenya Govt Urged

  Posted: July 29, 2008, 6:57 pm by Phil

  Photo: Ann Weru/IRIN People displaced by the conflict in Mt Elgon are slowly returning home. HRW says the government must investigate claims of torture NAIROBI, 28 July 2008 (IRIN) - A public inquiry should be set up into “torture and war crimes” committed by the Sabaot Land Defence Forces (SLDF) militia and the military in [...]

• Cholera Outbreaks in W. Kenya Blamed on Contaminated Water

  Posted: July 29, 2008, 6:56 pm by Phil

  Photo: Julius Mwelu/IRIN Drinking contaminated water is one of the main causes of cholera NAIROBI, 29 July 2008 (IRIN) - Recurrent outbreaks of cholera in the western province of Nyanza are caused by widespread water contamination, including seepage from latrines, health officials said. “The major contributor to the recent outbreaks in the area was unsafe water,” [...]

• More Education Equals Less Teen Pregnancy and HIV

  Posted: July 26, 2008, 1:11 pm by Phil

  Photo: Julius Mwelu/IRIN Girls who stay in school are less likely to contract HIV NAIROBI, 25 July 2008 (PlusNews) - Keeping Kenyan girls in school and ensuring they have access to HIV and sex education has a dramatic effect on lowering future levels of HIV, according to experts. “Young people do not have the information they [...]

• PMTCT Services not Reaching Rural Women in Kenya

  Posted: July 26, 2008, 1:11 pm by Phil

  Photo: Manoocher Deghati/IRIN Many of the women are unaware of their status ISIOLO, 24 July 2008 (PlusNews) - The government’s campaign to prevent HIV transmission from mother to child is failing pregnant HIV-positive women in Kenya’s remote rural areas. A shortage of testing sites and trained medical staff in rural areas means many of these women [...]

• No Substitute for Support When Taking ARVs

  Posted: July 26, 2008, 1:07 pm by Phil

  Photo: Waweru Mugo/IRIN “They know where the shoe pinches most” MERU, 16 July 2008 (PlusNews) - “We [people living with HIV] must eat well, must keep off stress - it is not good for you … if you can, please walk out on anything annoying and go and watch Vitimbi [a popular TV sitcom] or [...]

• Q&A: How Not to Resettle IDPs

  Posted: July 23, 2008, 3:48 pm by Phil

  Interview with Prisca Kamungi, Director of the Internal Displacement Policy and Advocacy Centre NAIROBI, Jul 22 (IPS) - Operation Rudi Nyumbani (Return Home, in Kiswahili), designed to help about 350,000 IDPs living in camps across the country go back to their homes and farms has achieved its primary objective, at least according to the Kenyan government. [...]

• Hundreds Still Displaced in Nairobi

  Posted: July 23, 2008, 3:02 pm by Phil

  Photo: Allan Gichigi/IRIN IDPs at the Mathare Chief’s camp in Nairobi. NAIROBI, 22 July 2008 (IRIN) - Hundreds of Kenyans displaced during post-election violence in early 2008 in the capital, Nairobi, are still in camps more than two months after the government launched a countrywide resettlement programme. “Many of the displaced were tenants whose houses [...]

• Mau Forest Destruction Will Cost the Kenya Economy US$300M

  Posted: July 19, 2008, 2:39 pm by Phil

  Protecting Mau Forest in Kenya’s Economic Interest Nairobi, 17 July 2008-Kenya stands to lose a nature-based economic asset worth over US $300 million alone to the tea, tourism and energy sectors if the forest of the Mau Complex continues to be degraded and destroyed, the UN Environment Programme said today. The Prime Minister of Kenya, Raila [...]

• Tackling Corruption in Humanitarian Intervention

  Posted: July 19, 2008, 2:39 pm by Phil

  Photo: Anthony Morland/IRIN Bribe taking: A new report urges humanitarian agencies to work harder and more closely together to minimise various forms of corruption that can affect the delivery of emergency aid NAIROBI, 18 July 2008 (IRIN) - Humanitarian agencies should work harder and more closely together to minimise various forms of corruption that can [...]

• Healthcare Hurdles in Nairobi’s Slums

  Posted: July 11, 2008, 10:26 pm by Phil

  Photo: Manoocher Deghati/IRIN Slums are underserved in terms of access to basic amenities NAIROBI, 11 July 2008 (IRIN) - Quality healthcare is a luxury often beyond the reach of those who live in Nairobi’s slums, such as mother-of-seven Grace Awour Opondo. “When you are sick you buy medicine from the local shops,” Opondo told IRIN. “If [...]

• Post-Violence Sex Work Boom in Kenya

  Posted: July 11, 2008, 9:56 pm by Phil

  Photo: Eva-Lotta Jansson/IRIN Desperation limits your options MOMBASA, 9 July 2008 (PlusNews) - Like thousands of other Kenyans, Susan Wairimu, 17, was displaced from her home in the Rift Valley Province’s Molo district during the violence that followed a disputed presidential election in December 2007 and sought shelter in the nearby town of Nakuru. A cousin [...]

• UN Opens 1st Zero Emission Community Power Centre in Rural Kenya

  Posted: July 9, 2008, 6:01 pm by Phil

  8 July 2008 – The first power-generating centre using environmentally friendly hydro and solar power has been inaugurated in a Kenyan village 150 kilometres north east of Nairobi by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Apart from generating electricity, the new centre, in Kibai village in Kenya’s Kerugoya division, promotes the use of Light Emitting [...]

• Courting Disaster: Why Kenyans Must Stop Oloolua Nuclear Waste Plant

  Posted: July 9, 2008, 5:59 pm by Phil

  Kenya is a few days away from hosting the first ever dreaded and less understood radioactive waste processing facility at Oloolua, located at the institute of primate research in Kajiado district. If the facility is allowed to proceed, Kenyans will without doubt pay dearly, in the same way history is certain to harshly judge the [...]

• New Kenya Law Could Raise Food Prices Further

  Posted: July 8, 2008, 11:52 am by Phil

  Photo: Julius Mwelu/IRIN Some of the products, with the standardization mark, on a supermarket shelf NAIROBI, 4 July 2008 (IRIN) - Prices of food in Kenya, which have already risen by 50 percent since the start of 2008, could increase further following a new government regulation, a consumer watch group has warned. From October, all food [...]

• Kenya IDPs Hold Out for Better Compensation

  Posted: July 8, 2008, 11:50 am by Phil

  Photo: Manoocher Deghati/IRIN IDPs are choosing to remain in the camps in the hope of a better government compensation package NAKURU, 7 July 2008 (IRIN) - Jane Wanjiru Maina, a mother of seven, is tired of living in an internally displaced people’s (IDP) camp in the show grounds of Nakuru, in the Rift Valley. “The tents [...]

• Climate Challenge to Achieving the Millennium Development Goals in Africa

  Posted: July 3, 2008, 1:24 pm by Phil

  The challenge of meeting the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in African countries is compounded by the grave long-term risk posed by climate change. That is the message of a report released today by the United Nations and the African Union. African countries demonstrably require additional resources for adaptation since they are particularly vulnerable to the [...]

• Kenya IDPs: Nicholas Nyanumba: “We voted but our leaders are not helping us”

  Posted: July 3, 2008, 1:22 pm by Phil

  Photo: Ann Weru/IRIN Nicholas Nyanumba believes the government’s compensation plan is inadequate NAKURU, 2 July 2008 (IRIN) - Nicholas Nyanumba is one of 12,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) living in a temporary camp set up in the show grounds of the Rift Valley town of Nakuru. Nyanumba was displaced when fighting broke out in his hometown [...]

• Kenyan IDP Monica Mumbi: “There is nothing to go back to”

  Posted: June 25, 2008, 11:52 pm by Phil

  Photo: Julius Mwelu/IRIN Monica Mumbi at the Navaisha IDP camp NAIVASHA, 25 June 2008 (IRIN) - Monica Mumbi left her hometown of Molo, in Rift Valley Province, in February for the Naivasha internally displaced persons (IDP) camp after violence broke out in her town over the disputed elections. Mumbi spoke to IRIN about her experiences [...]

• Cholera Outbreak Confirmed in Kenya’s Western Region

  Posted: June 25, 2008, 11:44 pm by Phil

  Photo: Allan Gichigi/IRIN Contaminated water sources are a principal cause of cholera outbreaks NAIROBI, 25 June 2008 (IRIN) - An outbreak of cholera has been confirmed in the Kisumu municipality in the western region, a senior health official has said. “At least 13 out of 38 cases sampled for cholera have tested positive,” Shahnaaz Sharif, the [...]

• Insecurity & Education Hold Kenyan IDPs in Camps

  Posted: June 24, 2008, 12:19 am by Phil

  Photo: Julius Mwelu/IRIN Samuel Karanja at Naivasha stadium camp for internally displaced Kenyans NAIVASHA, 24 June 2008 (IRIN) - Samuel Karanja was a resident of Narok North district in Kenya’s Rift Valley Province until he was displaced in the post-election violence this year. Karanja, a former shop-owner, has spent the past six months in two internally [...]

• Kenya HIV/AIDS: The Cutting Edge (multimedia)

  Posted: June 24, 2008, 12:14 am by Phil

  Photo: Manoocher Deghati/IRIN Boys waiting to be circumcised at Migosi health centre, Nyanza KISUMU, 24 June 2008 (PlusNews) - The reproductive health NGO, Marie Stopes Kenya (MSK), has started a mobile circumcision pilot project in the western, largely non-circumcising province of Nyanza. Audio Slideshow Click here to listen and view IRIN/PlusNews recently visited one MSK mobile clinic in [...]

• Mind Your Language - A Short Guide to African HIV/AIDS Slang

  Posted: June 24, 2008, 12:13 am by Phil

  Photo: Anthony Kaminju/IRIN Word play JOHANNESBURG, 18 June 2008 (PlusNews) - HIV has hit our lives, our families, our economies; it also shapes the way we talk. IRIN/PlusNews looks at how the virus and its impact translates into everyday speech from the streets of Lagos to the townships of Johannesburg, and finds that despite the [...]

• Mount Elgon, Kenya: A Terrorized Population in Desperate Need of Assistance

  Posted: June 19, 2008, 10:17 pm by Phil

  BRUSSELS/NAIROBI - June 17 - The international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is calling for an immediate increase in assistance for the people of Mount Elgon in western Kenya, and an end to the indiscriminate violence they have endured for almost two years. Since August 2006, the civilian population of Mount Elgon [...]

• Linking Sport and the Environment to the Peace and Poverty Agenda in Kenya

  Posted: June 19, 2008, 10:15 pm by Phil

  UNEP and Underprivileged Children and Youth Kick Off New Reconciliation Initiative Nairobi, 18 June 2008–More than 300 children and teenagers from across Nairobi will gather on 21 June for the launch of a three-month event to promote peace and reconciliation. The ‘Play for the Planet: Play for Peace’ initiative, organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), [...]

• UNEP Supports “World Class Vision” for Nairobi

  Posted: June 17, 2008, 6:34 pm by Phil

  Package Targets River Clean-Ups to Waste Management Nairobi, 16 June 2008-A wide-ranging new initiative to assist in greening Kenya’s capital city has been drawn up by the UN Environment Programme(UNEP) in cooperation with the government, the city council, donors and UN-Habitat. Today Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director held discussions in Gigiri with Honorable [...]

• Heavy Rain Displaces Thousands at Kenya’s Coast

  Posted: June 17, 2008, 6:24 pm by Phil

  Photo: UN The floods have displaced at least 2,000 families TANA, 17 June 2008 (IRIN) - Thousands of people have been displaced in the Tana Delta District on the Kenyan coast following heavy rain over the past few days, according to a senior official with the provincial administration. “The floods have also submerged crops and [...]

• Regional Budgets Expect to Ease Food Crisis

  Posted: June 13, 2008, 11:03 pm by Phil

  Photo: Julius Mwelu/IRIN A woman sells potatoes in a city market, Nairobi EAST AFRICA, 13 June 2008 (IRIN) - Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, in their budget proposals for the 2008-2009 financial year, announced measures to cushion their populations against soaring food prices. “The government has zero-rated VAT [Value Added Tax] on wheat flour, milk, and maize [...]

• Food Crisis Prompts Diet Changes in Kenya

  Posted: June 13, 2008, 11:02 pm by Phil

  Photo: Julius Mwelu/IRIN Lunch time at a school in Nairobi’s Mathare slums: Many Kenyans are facing food insecurity following sharp food prices, drought and post-election violence in January and February NAIROBI, 12 June 2008 (IRIN) - A 50 percent rise in food prices in Kenya since the start of 2008 has led many people to [...]

• Four Dead in Kenya Black Fever Outbreak

  Posted: June 13, 2008, 11:01 pm by Phil

  Photo: Jane Some/IRIN An outbreak of kalazar, or black fever, has been reported in Isiolo and Wajir in northeastern Kenya NAIROBI, 11 June 2008 (IRIN) - Four people have died in an outbreak of visceral leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease also known as kalazar or black fever, in Isiolo and Wajir in northeastern Kenya, according to [...]

• Environmental Change Re-Draws Atlas of Africa

  Posted: June 11, 2008, 2:46 pm by Phil

  Glacial Retreat to Rapid Urbanization Chronicled in Landmark Satellite Report to Africa’s Environment Ministers Johannesburg/Nairobi/London, 10 June 2008-Africa’s rapidly changing environmental landscape, from the disappearance of glaciers in Uganda’s Rwenzori Mountains to the loss of Cape Town’s unique “fynbos” vegetation, is presented today to the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment(AMCEN). The Atlas, compiled on behalf of [...]

• Kenya Launches Renewable Energy Blueprint

  Posted: June 11, 2008, 2:26 pm by Phil

  The Kenyan government has launched a blue print for promoting Kenya’s renewable energy sources while at the same time conserving non-renewable energy sources. The Kenya Energy Sector Environment Program (KEEP) which was launched by six state corporations will promote efficient energy use and environmental conservation. Speaking during the launch in Nairobi late Monday, Prime Minister Raila Odinga [...]

• World Environment Day 2008 Guides the Global Public Towards Climate Neutrality

  Posted: June 5, 2008, 12:34 pm by Phil

  “Kick the CO2 Habit” - UNEP Says It May Be Easier Than You Think Wellington/Nairobi, 5 June 2008 - Adopting a climate-friendly lifestyle needn’t require drastic changes or major sacrifices. People in the developed world, as well as some rapidly developing countries and cities - from Manchester and Manhattan to Moscow and Mumbai - can start [...]

• Dr. Richard Leakey: How Climate Change Affects East Africa

  Posted: June 4, 2008, 11:08 am by Phil

  Dr. Richard Leakey talks on climate change with WildlifeDirect’s former Communications Manager, Dipesh Pabari of Sukuma Kenya How is climate change beginning to affect Kenya and East Africa as a whole? There is a huge gap in our knowledge on the impact of climate change in East Africa. At the moment, very little research is being done [...]

• World Environment Day and an Interview with UNEP’s Achim Steiner

  Posted: June 4, 2008, 11:06 am by Phil

  Last week, Treehugger Writer Bonnie Hulkower interviewed Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nation’s Environmental Programme (UNEP). Steiner was unanimously elected to his position in 2006, and is in the middle of serving a four year term. Mr. Steiner has managed 1,000 people in 42 countries, and is especially known for building partnerships between [...]

• Kenyan Student’s Suicide Reveals Gaps in HIV Education

  Posted: May 28, 2008, 10:01 pm by Phil

  Photo: Kristy Siegfried/IRIN Only nine out of 16 HIV testing centres in North Eastern Province are functioning GARISSA, 28 May 2008 (PlusNews) - The recent suicide of a secondary school student in Kenya’s North Eastern Province after he was diagnosed as HIV positive has highlighted the shortage of qualified counsellors in the region, and the [...]

• Kenyan reconciliation Jeopardized Without Bolstered Efforts, warns UN Envoy

  Posted: May 28, 2008, 10:00 pm by Phil

  DPs at a shelter in the Rift Valley Province (file photo) 27 May 2008 – Stepped-up measures are crucial to ensure the sustainable return of those forced to flee their homes by post-electoral violence that swept through Kenya earlier this year, a United Nations envoy cautioned today.“In the absence of substantially increased efforts, we will jeopardize [...]

• Kenya’s IDPs in Central Reluctant to Return to Rift Valley

  Posted: May 27, 2008, 1:04 pm by Phil

  Photo: Waweru Mugo/IRIN Samuel Ngumo Kamau and wife, Teresia Muthoni, and their three-week old baby RURING’U, 23 May 2008 (IRIN) - Samuel Ngumo Kamau cannot dispel the images of burning houses and Kenyans killing each other from his mind – a key factor in his decision not to return to his home of nearly four [...]

• Plastic Not Fantastic? - Bag Bans Around the World

  Posted: May 27, 2008, 1:00 pm by Phil

  (Reuters) — China will become the latest country to outlaw ultra-thin plastic bags, when a ban takes effect on Sunday, in a bid to cut pollution and save resources. The ban, announced by the State Council in January, halts the production of bags that are thinner than 0.025 mm and forbids their use in supermarkets and [...]

• HIV/AIDS: The Little Kenyan Village That Could

  Posted: May 23, 2008, 5:33 pm by Phil

  Photo: Keishamaza Rukikaire/IRIN Two-and-a-half year old Tito, the Nyumbani village’s youngest resident, with his grandmother outside their home. KITUI , 22 May 2008 (PlusNews) - The word ‘nyumbani’ means home in Swahili, and that is exactly what a pilot village in the eastern Kenyan district of Kitui is trying to provide for two generations devastated [...]

• Is Agricultural Biodiversity Another Way Out For Global Food Crisis?

  Posted: May 23, 2008, 4:39 pm by Phil

  Another possible way out for coping with the global food crisis is stressed here on Wednesday amid United Nation (UN) sets “Biodiversity and Agriculture” as theme of the International Day of Biological Diversity (IBD) this year. “The protection of the world’s biodiversity is essential to the world’s food supply,” said Ahmed Djoghlaf, executive secretary of the [...]

• WAJIBU: Redifining Ourselves

  Posted: May 21, 2008, 3:46 pm by Phil

  “People who ignore their history are bound to repeat it” (Desmond Tutu) If we really wish never again to see a repetition of the traumatic events that we experienced after the 2007 elections, we CANNOT AND WE MUST NOT bury the memory of what happened in the early months of 2008. WAJIBU, in this [...]

• UN to Help Kenya’s Maasai People to Preserve Their Heritage

  Posted: May 21, 2008, 3:17 pm by Phil

  20 May 2008 –Two people from the Maasai community of Laikipia in Kenya are to be given training in documenting and archiving their cultural heritage through a new project launched today by the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).The two people from the Maasai community will travel with an expert from the National Museums [...]

• Kenya’s Mt. Elgon: Guns recovered, SLDF Militiamen Surrender After Leader’s Killing

  Posted: May 20, 2008, 10:28 am by Phil

  Photo: Julius Mwelu/IRIN A joint operation with army and police officers has been deployed in Mt Elgon since March NAIROBI, 19 May 2008 (IRIN) - Kenyan security officers have recovered more guns and witnessed “several” militiamen surrendering after the killing of a militia leader in the western Mt Elgon district, a police official told IRIN [...]

• Claims of Torture by Army & Militia, as Food Shortages Grip Mt Elgon

  Posted: May 20, 2008, 10:25 am by Phil

  Photo: Ann Weru/IRIN Displaced people from Mt Elgon area receiving food aid in Bungoma NAIROBI, 16 May 2008 (IRIN) - The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has called for an investigation into allegations of torture committed by security forces deployed in the clash-torn Mt Elgon district in western Kenya. “In seeking to return sanity [...]

• Tax Evasion Costs the Lives of 1,000 Children a Day

  Posted: May 19, 2008, 4:22 pm by Phil

  The lives of 1,000 young children a day are being lost to disease and poverty in poor countries because of illegal trade-related tax evasion, says a new report from Christian Aid. It has calculated that this evasion costs the developing world at least US$160bn in lost revenue annually. The culprits are companies using false accounting to [...]

• KENYA: Muslim Clerics Declare War on Condoms

  Posted: May 15, 2008, 12:51 pm by Phil

  Photo: Neil Thomas/IRIN Muslim leaders have promised to preach against the use and distribution of condoms in northeastern Kenya GARISSA, 12 May 2008 (PlusNews) - Muslim leaders in Kenya’s North Eastern Province have resolved to campaign against the promotion of condoms as a means of preventing HIV. The decision was made after a recent meeting on [...]

• Billion Tree Campaign to Grow into the Seven Billion Tree Campaign

  Posted: May 15, 2008, 12:47 pm by Phil

  Grassroots Initiative Hits Two Billion Mark -Target Raised to Over One Tree Per Person by Crucial 2009 Climate Convention Meeting Nairobi, 13 May 2008 - A unique worldwide tree planting initiative, aimed at empowering citizens to corporations and people up to presidents to embrace the climate change challenge, has now set its sights on planting seven [...]

• Food Price Crisis: A Wake-Up Call for Food Sovereignty

  Posted: May 13, 2008, 1:49 pm by Phil

  Food prices have been increasing sharply. According to the World Bank, global food prices have climbed by 83% over the last three years. The real price of rice rose to a 19-year high in March 2008, an increase of 50% in two weeks alone while the real price of wheat hit a 28-year high, triggering [...]

• An Answer to the Global Food Crisis: Peasants & Small Scale Farmers Can Feed the World

  Posted: May 13, 2008, 1:45 pm by Phil

  Prices on the world market for cereals are rising. Wheat prices increased by 130% in the period between March 2007-March 2008. Rice prices increased by almost 80% in the period up to 2008. Maize prices increased by 35% between March 2007 and March 2008 (1). In countries that depend heavily on food imports some [...]

• Financing Boost for Kenya’s Small Farmers

  Posted: May 7, 2008, 1:49 pm by Phil

  Photo: Manoocher Deghati/IRIN The cost of food is rising, placing a disproportionate burden on the poor who spend most of their income on consumables NAIROBI, 6 May 2008 (IRIN) - Small farmers and agricultural enterprises are the main beneficiaries of a financing partnership launched on 6 May to help them break out of poverty and [...]

• Call to End E-Waste Dumping in Developing Countries

  Posted: May 7, 2008, 1:48 pm by Phil

  The world federation of consumer organisations, Consumers International (CI), today called for tighter government monitoring to prevent the continued dumping of toxic e-waste on the developing world. The call comes as investigations by CI’s corporate watchdog partner, DanWatch, indicate that half a million second-hand computers are imported to Nigeria every month. The vast majority are obsolete [...]

• Compensation, Fear of Attacks Keeping Kenyan IDPs in Rift Valley Camps

  Posted: May 2, 2008, 10:12 am by Phil

  Photo: Manoocher Deghati/IRIN A young boy drinks rain water at the displaced camp at Eldoret. April 2008. The heavy downpour brings a risk of waterborne diseases that can hit the camp. ELDORET, 1 May 2008 (IRIN) - Along the Nakuru-Eldoret road, the charred remains of homes and businesses scar the picturesque landscape of Kenya’s Rift [...]

• Kenya Clergy Urged to Ditch Sanctimony in HIV Fight

  Posted: May 1, 2008, 12:09 pm by Phil

  Photo: Ann Weru/IRIN Canon Gideon Byamugisha, who facilitated the meeting, was the first member of the African clergy to disclose his HIV status NAIROBI, 30 April 2008 (PlusNews) - When Bishop James Otieno Okombo revealed he was HIV-positive in 1996, his archbishop summarily dismissed him, calling him a sinner and a disgrace to his church. “He [...]

• African Organizations Join Forces to Push for 15% Health Budget Commitment

  Posted: May 1, 2008, 12:07 pm by Phil

  It is the 7th anniversary of the pledge by African Union member states to allocate 15% of national budgets to health. In a statement to mark the anniversary, Archbishop Tutu stated: “The AU Abuja 15% pledge is one of the most important commitments African leaders have made to health development and financing, and [...]

• Kenya IDPs: Rosemary Kuria: “These children belong here, where else can I take them?”

  Posted: April 30, 2008, 2:52 pm by Phil

  ELDORET, 28 April 2008 (IRIN) - Rosemary Kuria, 40, has managed to remain cheerful and energetic, despite camping with at least 14,000 other internally displaced persons (IDPs) at the showground in Eldoret, in Kenya’s Rift Valley Province. Kuria, a mother of three girls, is optimistic that the country’s leadership will soon find a solution [...]

• Kenya IDPs: Camp Conditions Harsh for HIV-positive People

  Posted: April 30, 2008, 2:48 pm by Phil

  Photo: Manoocher Deghati/IRIN IDPs have insufficient food, soap and warm clothing in the camps NAKURU, 29 April 2008 (PlusNews) - Harsh living conditions and the onset of the cold rainy season in Kenya are making it increasingly difficult for HIV-positive people displaced in the recent post-election violence to stay healthy, according to health workers in [...]

You Missed This

• Kivuitu’s ECK All Set to Conduct By-Elections

  Posted: April 30, 2008, 7:05 am by Phil

  The ECK has finally announced that by-elections will be conducted in five constituencies and 55 wards civic wards on June 11th 2008. The constituencies are: Ainamoi, Emuhaya, Embakasi, Wajir East and Kilgoris.
  
  No, no, you’re not imagining things. Oh yes, the one and only Samuel Kivuitu, Kihara Muttu, Muturi Kigano and the rest of the crowd, are all set to supervise elections in June, just six months after bungling the general elections!
  
  With the country deeply divided, upwards of 1500 Kenyans dead; more than half a million others living as refugees in their own country and the constitution having had to be amended so as to accommodate a power sharing deal, one would imagine that the individuals responsible for this unfortunate turn of events would be sitting at a remand jail awaiting to be taken to court to face criminal negligence charges. And how WRONG one would be.
  
  Sure, there are some positive things that have arisen out of Kivuitu’s massive cock-up, but the negative aspects far outweigh them. The 2007 election failure impacted on many lives, affected businesses, disrupted education and agriculture plus much more, not just in Kenya, but throughout the Eastern African region. Yet, the clumsy and inept ECK commissioners who are 100% responsible for this tragedy still sit pretty in their red carpet aircon offices enjoying hefty emoluments on tax payer account. All this while thousands of Kenyans mourn their dead relatives and many others sleep in rain soaked tents. What an insult!
  
  Out of step with the real world
  
  Admittedly, there is urgent need for constituencies without MPs to get representation in parliament. But should current ECK commissioners, now hiding behind constitutional security of tenure, be allowed to oversee by-elections, let alone hold public offices? Personally, recalling events at KICC in December 2007 and Kivuitu’s arrogant attitude ever since, I wouldn’t trust any of those ECK commissioners to serve as members of a village borehole committee.
  
  Flashback: Towards the doomsday
  
  It would seem that Kivuitu’s fate and that of his fellow commissioners lie in the hands of Mwai Kibaki as president. The ECK is governed by Chapter 41 of the Constitution of Kenya which inter-alia says: “....... 5) A member of the Commission may be removed from office only for inability to exercise the functions of his office (whether arising from infirmity of body or mind or from any other cause) or for misbehavior, and shall not be so removed except in accordance with this section.
  (6) A member of the Commission shall be removed from office by the President if the question of his removal from office has been referred to a tribunal appointed under subsection (7) and the tribunal has recommended to the President that he ought to be removed from office for inability as aforesaid or for misbehavior.
  (7) If the President considers that the question of removing a member of the Commission under this section ought to be investigated, then—
  (a) the President shall appoint a tribunal, which shall consist of a chairman and four other members selected by the President........” The big question is whether the president will listen to the voices of reason and appoint the tribunal. Highly unlikely!
  
  The Independent Review Commission headed by Justice Johann Kriegler set up to investigate general elections fiasco will hold countrywide meetings to gather evidence and has given interest groups up to 16th May to submit their written memoranda.
  
  The influential Kenya National Commission on Human Rights Chairman, Mr Maina Kiai, has called for the Kenya Government to seek assistance from the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division (UNEAD) to oversee the by-elections. Maina reckons that the fact that there is an official inquiry into the conduct of the ECK is enough reason to ask for international assistance. He adds that the ECK lost credibility and integrity to conduct other elections after they messed up last year's polls.
  
  On their part, the Secretary General of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya Sheikh Mohammed Dor has said that the Government ought to abolish the ECK and create a new representative commission so as to ensure free and fair elections.
  
  Safina Party Leader and former Kikuyu MP Mr Paul Muite has also called for the reconstitution of the ECK before the June by-elections. Muite said it would be unacceptable for the ECK as currently constituted to run the repeat polls. "A majority of the commissioners are partisan, having being handpicked by one side of the political divide. Elections are like justice - they must not only be free and fair, but they must also be perceived to have been free and fair," said Muite. Instead, he urged for "an urgent constitutional amendment" to be fast-tracked in Parliament to put in place a professional ECK to conduct all future elections. Muite is foreseeing violent protests ahead citing Embakasi constituency which has the potential to easily become a flashpoint constituency to trigger off fresh violence if the outcome of the repeat polls was disputed.
  
  It might be recalled that the European Union (EU), the Commonwealth and the African Union election observers all condemned the ECK saying that it failed to meet "international standards of transparency in key areas of its mandate".
  
  All the international observer reports recommended that ECK be completely overhauled to build confidence in its independence and professionalism and also to ensure that it is credible, transparent and impartial.
  
  I can only see more trouble for this country if the ECK, as currently constituted, goes ahead to oversee the by-elections in June.
  
  
  Mombasa businessman faces the wrath of a stripper

Kenya Environmental & Political News Weblog

• ARV Programmes Slowly Recovering From Kenya Post-election Crisis

  Posted: April 29, 2008, 12:21 pm by Phil

  Photo: Manoocher Deghati/IRIN AMPATH has opened a satellite centre in the Nakuru Showground IDP camp where patients can receive ARVs ELDORET, 28 April 2008 (PlusNews) - Thousands of Kenyans who dropped out of HIV treatment programmes in January as a result of the country’s post-election violence are gradually returning to clinics and the antiretroviral (ARV) [...]

• Henry Mwitirere, Kenya, “I’m displaced but at least I can help other HIV-positive people”

  Posted: April 29, 2008, 12:14 pm by Phil

  Photo: Manoocher Deghati/IRIN Mwiterere and his family of seven children now live in a two-roomed house in Nakuru, but are still better off than most IDPs NAKURU, 28 April 2008 (PlusNews) - Henry Kamau Mwiterere works with the Academic Model for the Prevention and Treatment of HIV (AMPATH) as a facilitator for HIV support groups [...]

You Missed This

• PNU Mandarins ‘STUNNED’ by US Support to PM's Office

  Posted: April 28, 2008, 9:25 am by Phil

  
  ================================
  STUNNED, STUNNING, STUNS.
  1. To daze or render senseless, by or as if by a blow.
  2. To overwhelm or daze with a loud noise.
  3. To stupefy, as with the emotional impact of an experience; astound.
  ================================
  
  PNU mandarins are reportedly ‘STUNNED’ by the announcement that the US government has pledged US$500,000 (Sh30.5 million) direct funding to sustain the development and smooth running of the newly created Prime Minister’s office. What is raising eyebrows is that the funds will be channeled directly to the PM's office and not via Treasury (Ministry of Finance).
  
  One such mandarin is Kalonzo Musyoka’s sidekick and newly appointed Assistant Minister of Defence, Hon David Musila. He is quoted by the VOA accusing the government of US of behaving as if there are two governments in Kenya. You can read/listen to his remarks here.
  
  While making the announcement, US ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger was not sitting at Foreign Affairs Minister Wetangula’s office. He was infact making the politically unpalatable remarks in an interview with a local newspaper which quotes him saying that his country is putting "a lot of hope" in the PM’s office because of the role the Constitution has assigned it to co-ordinate and supervise government ministries.
  
  "In a government this large, the role of the Prime Minister is going to be critical. We will work very closely with the Prime Minister in co-ordinating and supervising the Government," the ambassador said.
  
  He added: "We recognise that critical role, and that is why we are ready to give money to strengthen the office."
  
  To add insult to injury, the Ambassador also announced that the US had invited Prime Minister Raila Odinga to Washington "at a mutually convenient date" to be hosted by the State Department and meet with Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice. He was cagey whether the visit would include a meeting at White House with President George Bush. Raila, Ranneberger added, was being invited to the US because of the importance Washington attaches to his role as the one "constitutionally required to supervise and co-ordinate the activities of government". Pressed to explain why the invitation was not extended to Mwai Kibaki as Head of State, the ambassador said he remained in close touch with Kibaki, adding that the President had been on a state visit to the US before.
  
  "We are inviting the PM so that we can review assistance here and show that we can co-ordinate closely. The US has such a large partnership with Kenya and we want to ensure it is properly co-ordinated," he elaborated.
  
  Following the desputed elections in December, President Kibaki sent a number of envoys to foreign countries in an attempt to gain legitimacy. President Kibaki appointed Uhuru Kenyatta, Raphael Tuju, George Saitoti and Moses Wetangula as special envoys to brief world leaders on the political crisis in the country caused by his disputed election as president. Government spokesman Alfred Mutua said yesterday the envoys would visit several African states and brief their heads of state about “the genuine situation in the country,” instead of relying on the international media. Uhuru Kenyatta was reportedly kept waiting and never given audience by Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, who went on to support Anan’s efforts in creating a power sharing deal. It is unclear whether the other envoys made any headway because only one or two world leaders congratulated Kibaki on his "re-election". Bloggers here will also remember that Kalonzo Musyoka, as newly appointed VP, made whistle-stop tours in UK and USA in a FUTILE effort to market the Kenya Government. This was long before the National Accord had been signed.
  
  Surprisingly, there has not been any official statement by Hon. Wetangula or Dr. Mutua on this new development regarding accredited envoys directly funding the PM.

• Breaking News: Raila Heads To Germany for Laser Eye Surgery

  Posted: April 27, 2008, 3:01 pm by Phil

  Prime Minister Raila Odinga left the country earlier today (Sunday) to undergo laser eye surgery in Germany.
  
  ODM Spokesman Salim Lone is quoted as saying: "Prime Minister Raila Odinga was traveling with his wife and will be back in Nairobi on Friday." Lone explained that the procedure was "minor laser eye surgery."
  
  Odinga and President Mwai Kibaki recently struck a power-sharing agreement after both men claimed to have won the Dec. 27 presidential election in a dispute that unleashed weeks of ethnically tinged violence. More than 1,200 people died and 300,000 were displaced.
  
  On Saturday, Odinga and Kibaki finished a three-day "peace tour" of areas hardest-hit by the postelection violence.
  
  Raila has been seen on many occasions dabbing his eye with a handkerchief. He attributes the "tears" to bad lighting in jail cells during his long nine-year stint in detention-without-trial, five years of which was in solitary confinement and incommunicado at the Kamiti Maximum Security Prison in Nairobi. His only reading material during the detention was the Bible and Quran.
  
  Resources:
  

  • Mediplus Laser Eye Surgery
    
  • Wikipedia LASIK

• Protocol Fiasco: VP Should Stay Away

  Posted: April 27, 2008, 5:38 am by Phil

  President Mwai Kibaki , left, and Prime Minister Raila Odinga , right, wave at a crowd of Internally Displaced persons(IDPs) in the Kenyan town of Naivasha Saturday, April 26 2008 as they toured the area to preach peace and reconciliation Most of the 157,000 IDPs living in camps still cannot go home more than four months after a disputed presidential election unleashed weeks of ethnically tinged bloodshed.
  
  For far too long now, this country has been treated to the tired old line. Constitution says this, constitution says that, blah blah blah. It is so ironic because the same constitution, everyone agrees, is responsible for a myriad of problems facing the country and is actually overdue for a major overhaul.Because of the same constitution, the electoral process has always been tipped to favour the incumbent and in 2007, ECK's Kivuitu took full advantage of a constitutional vacuum to declare Mwai Kibaki as president.
  
  It is my considered opinion that Raila Odinga and ODM are not in anyway obligated to participate in peace rallies organized by President Kibaki. But by graciously accepting to do so, some PNU politicians are already mistaken in assuming that ODM must see to it that IDPs are re-settled. To make matters worse, the minor protocol incident between the Prime Minister and the Vice President has already resulted in the IDPs saying that they will not return home. In these peace missions, it is now apparent that the VP is a heavy liability rather than an unifying asset and his attempts at gaining relevance is producing reverse consequences.
  
  Perhaps we ought to listen to Rift Valley MPs who are opposed to this hurried resettlement missions. The fact is that IDPs were present in Kenya even before the post elections violence broke-out; but it never received presidential attention. That’s right folks. The period between the 2005 referendum and the 2007 general elections saw Kenya become home to an unprecedented one million IDPs spread all over the country. This is the highest number of internal refugees anywhere in the world for a country not at war. I did not for once hear the Kiunjuris of this world insist on immediate resettlement of these hapless Kenyans. As presidential candidates, Kalonzo or Kibaki never bothered to highlight the plight of these forgotten citizens the current ODM MP for Mt. Elgon was nominated to run for the seat while in police custody on trumped-up charges. As head of state, and commander in chief, the president himself has never concerned himself with the state-sponsored insecurity that existed in some of the violence hotspots like Mt. Elgon, Kuresoi and Molo. It has not escaped anyone’s attention that because the majority of these so called IDPs in Rift Valley are from a certain ancestry, it has suddenly caught the attention of the powers that be we actually have Kenyans who are living like refugees in their own country. As we speak, the government is at war with its own citizens in Mt. Elgon through a massive military operation. Do you see where Hon Kapondi, Hon Ruto and Hon Bett are coming from?
  
  Back to the current peace mission in Rift Valley, it is an open secret that DULY ERECTED Kibaki would never have attempted to embark on a peace tour without the POLITICAL SHIELD that is Raila Odinga. After being forced to a agree to share power with ODM, the PNU coalition partner is using the discredited constitution to once again politically undermine the ODM by purporting to rank the Prime Minister as a junior to the Vice President. As the PM rightly told the President, these sort of juvenile games are what is creating problems kule mashinani (at the grass roots). The people know that the VP happens to be a miserable presidential candidate who was resoundingly rejected at the polls. The two leading contenders amassed votes that were more than TEN TIMES what the VP got. Now, now, the constitution says that this is the individual who will automatically take over power should our current president become incapacitated. God forbid!
  
  Regardless of what the constitution says, the facts arising out of the unique circumstances of early this year are;
  

  • The 2007 presidential vote was heavily discredited and even the ECK cannot ascertain who the winner was. (One political party known as ODM-K, unashamedly supported the release of disputed presidential results).
  • Two political parties (ODM/PNU) signed a peace accord to create a grand coalition as equal partners in order to make this country governable.
  • The VP and PNU ’half loaf’ cabinet remain answerable to the President and serve at his pleasure, while ODM ‘half loaf’ cabinet serve at the pleasure of the PM who is only answerable to parliament. How then Raila as PM be subordinate to Kibaki's 'servant' so to speak? My understanding is that Raila’s ODM and Kibaki’s PNU are EQUAL partners.
  • The accord says that the PM shall be the leader of the party with a majority of MPs in parliament. Unfortunately, some civil servants who should have retired when Moi and KANU were ousted from power, want us to believe that the VP is above the PM. The VP himself can hardly say he commands loyalty from his 15 ODM-K MPs.
  • The recently released CAPF report on political parties election funding indicates that although the VP’s party was the lowest in terms of expenditure….its sources of cash were from former president Moi, Uhuru Kenyatta and George Saitoti amongst other 'ghost donors' – all of whom endorsed and strongly supported the candidature of PNU’s Mwai Kibaki. The ODM-K and its candidate never had any intentions of being elected to rule this country but rather to withhold votes that would have naturally ended up in favour PNU’s opponents. A further proof of this was the party’s disgusting behavior in the election despute and its hastiness in jumping into bed with PNU for purposes of blackmailing the president to part with the vice presidency and cabinet positions in order to obtain legitimacy. Puuuulease!
    

  I wonder which brew intoxicates some of these PNU geezers. As the country tries to undo the sad consequences of Kivuitu’s irresponsible actions, the President must forthwith stop politicking with the resettlement of IDPs. In any case, the two grand coalition partners are EQUAL and should be the ones to make these peace missions on the ground. The VP’s presence and antics only helps to re-open old wounds and prolong the agony of IDPs. The IDPs quagmire requires political statesmanship, comprehensive land reforms as well as sustainable homeland security. I personally do not see Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka making delivery or even having a role to play in any of these! And this is not just me, the IDPs themselves have booed and jeered him severally at separate venues. Is anyone listening?

Kenya Environmental & Political News Weblog

• KENYA: IDPs Remain Cautious as Leaders Preach Peace

  Posted: April 25, 2008, 7:32 pm by Phil

  Photo: Julius Mwelu/IRIN Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced in post-election violence in Kenya ELDORET, 25 April 2008 (IRIN) - Ndirangu Mwangi, 26, one of 14,000 people camping in the Rift Valley town of Eldoret’s showground, was less than encouraged after Kenya’s political leaders visited the town as part of a “national healing” initiative. “We [...]

• Anti-Malaria Bed Nets: New Push Announced at UN

  Posted: April 25, 2008, 7:32 pm by Phil

  The United Nations has teamed up with religious, business and sports leaders in a new effort to send insecticide-treated bed nets to Africa to prevent millions of deaths from the disease, ahead of the first-ever World Malaria Day on Friday.“Nothing But Nets” is a grassroots campaign created in 2006 by the UN Foundation to raise [...]

You Missed This

• Raila, Kalonzo Rivalry Emerges at Peace Rally in North Rift

  Posted: April 24, 2008, 10:16 am by Phil

  What ails the NSIS?
  
  Kibaki and Raila start Peace Mission in Rift Valley
  
  Those following Citizen TV's live transmission pictures of today's peace rallies in North Rift at Eldoret's Keino Stadium must have been amused to see Raila officially invite the president to address the gathering only for VP Kalonzo to rush to the microphones, briefly addressed the gathering before inviting the president.
  
  Not only does this minor incident show a disorganised presidential programme but also gives IDPs little encouragement to reconcile with their own former neighbours. It is also a prelude of an interesting Kibaki succession battle.
  
  Matters were not made better when the mammoth crowd spent the better part of time cheering ODM ministers. At one point, the crowd shouted to Agriculture Minister William Ruto to allow Lands Minister James Orengo to address the gathering, only for him to be denied the chance at the behest of presidential protocol officials. Indeed, land is the major sticking point of all Kenya's problems and Orengo is going to be a man with a lot of work in his hands in the future.
  
  Earlier, the president, PM Raila and their ministers had toured the Eldoret IDP camp and said: "We do not want you people to continue living here and suffering, we will solve this problem very soon. We are here as leaders. ... We can solve all the problems in order for peace to exist."
  
  As at the time of posting this, the presidential entourage were addressing a peace rally in Cherangani and Raila, speaking after Kalonzo, has officially welcomed the president to address the rally. Kibaki has now taken upon himself to invite James Orengo to say jambo to the public amidst thunderous applause from Cherangani residents.

Kenya Environmental & Political News Weblog

• Inventor of Kenya’s ‘MoneyMaker’ Irrigation Pumps Wins $100,000 Award

  Posted: April 23, 2008, 7:24 pm by Phil

  The inventor of manual irrigation pumps used by peasant farmers in Africa has won the $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability. Martin Fisher is the co-founder and CEO of the nonprofit KickStart, which develops and markets tools such as the pumps that can help small-scale rural farmers. Nearly 62,000 people in Kenya, Tanzania and Mali are running profitable [...]

• Winners of UNEP Champions of the Earth Awards 2008 Call for Urgent Action on Climate Change

  Posted: April 23, 2008, 7:23 pm by Phil

  Catalysts for the Global Green Economy Honored at Gala Evening in Singapore Singapore/Nairobi, 22 April 2008 - Seven leading lights in the battle against global warming who are also catalyzing the transition to a greener and leaner global economy were today acknowledged as the 2008 Champions of the Earth. The winners, ranging from His Serene Highness Prince [...]

You Missed This

• Backstabbing ODM: Moi’s Secret Hand

  Posted: April 22, 2008, 11:29 am by Phil

  Read Kumekucha's red hot exclusive on how Maina Njenga's wife died
  
  
  ODM Rift Valley MPs Running Errands for Retired President
  
  Writing recently in the Sunday Standard, Jason Kap Kirwok presented startling figures that actually show that the current grand coalition cabinet is the most ethnically balanced ever. Said he:
  
  “.....Our source of statistics for Kenya’s ethnic composition is the March 2008 edition of the CIA’s World Fact Book. If we map ethnic composition against the distribution of full Cabinet positions, we get the following statistics. The Kikuyu, our most populous ethnic group, compromises 22 per cent of the population. Their share of positions in the Coalition Cabinet is 19 per cent. The Luhya, at 14 per cent of the population is the second most populous ethnic group. Their share in the current Cabinet is 19 per cent. The Luo come next at 13 per cent of the population; they occupy 12 per cent of the slots in the Cabinet. The Kalenjins represent 12 per cent of the population and their share of Cabinet positions is also 12 per cent, while the Kamba are 11 per cent of the population with a share of seven per cent of Cabinet positions. The Kisii represent six per cent of the population and have six per cent of the Cabinet positions, while the Meru are six per cent of the population with a two per cent share of the Cabinet. The rest of the other 35 African ethnic communities comprise 15 per cent of the total population. Their share of the Cabinet is a surprising 21 per cent. Finally, the non-African "tribes" — Europeans, Asians and Arabs — comprise one per cent of the Kenyan population with a share of the Cabinet of two per cent. The picture changes only slightly when we include the Assistant ministers. We may quibble about a percentage higher here and a percentage lower there, but a it is reasonably balanced. ....”
  
  How come then Rift Valley Members of Parliament, particularly from the larger Kericho area, be so adamant that their community has been left out of cabinet? Why would educated and presumably civilized politicians suddenly rise up with unreasonable demands on their party leader? Is someone controlling their utterances by remote control……to sabotage ODM unity?.......or perhaps to ensure IDPs are not resettled..?….or maybe to undo the grand coalition…..?...reinvigorate KANU….? YES to all the above!
  
  Looking at the history of the Orange Democratic Movement, it can be vividly recalled that during the period after the 2005 referendum when ODM-K was formed, it was none other than former President Moi who took it upon himself to politically undermine ODM-K and his efforts in infiltrating the party led to its eventual disintegration. First it was Uhuru Kenyatta who made history in the world as the first official opposition leader to abandon his post and support the incumbent. Uhuru, however, did not abandon the salary and other benefits that come with that office. Closely following him, Kalonzo Musyoka also purportedly ‘defected’ from LDP to LPK, while his puppets Chairman Maanzo and Secretary Chepkonga refused to hand over ODM-K to legitimate party secretariat officials. Shortly after this, the same Rift Valley politicians were on the frontline calling some ODM presidential candidates ‘unelectable’.
  
  Fast forward to the highly publicized ODM Kasarani nominations where Raila Odinga reigned supreme and was elected party torch-bearer, the former President then opted to make it his personal business to campaign against ODM at every given opportunity in Rift Valley and elsewhere. It was telling that everywhere he went Moi was not campaigning for the PNU candidate that he had endorsed but rather campaigning against ODM and its candidate. Some of his utterances were picked up by PNU adherents and this led to a marked rise in hate speech against the ODM candidate all over including those notorious vernacular FM stations.
  
  Prior to Kivuitu’s astonishing announcement, the very day almost everyone expected Raila Odinga to be declared president (and Kibaki was said to be willing to concede defeat because Raila was ahead by an unassailable 1.2 million votes during which time more than 90% of votes had been counted), it is rumoured Moi made a night visit to State House via helicopter. What happened to this country after that visit scarred Kenya forever.
  
  In the period after Kibaki’s swearing-in (bedroom Chris?), Moi’s respected peers from other African countries were in town in an effort to reconcile the ODM and PNU factions. Whereas it would have been natural for Moi to lead his peers in these efforts in his own country, his choice to engage in murky partisan politics could not allow him to do so. Even with Kenya at the brink of disaster and Koffi Anan shuttling between the Serena Hotel, State House and Pentagon House, ‘statesman’ Moi was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the same political forces unsuccessfully tried to intimidate Annan using crude methods and eventually leading to Annan resolving to deal directly with principals. At about the same time, senior figures in ODM were approached with cabinet appointments if only to sabotage the grand coalition plans that Annan was insistent on.
  
  After Anan’s effort bore some fruit and the grand cabinet was about to be announced, Rift Valley MP’s were at it again, demanding that one of their own be appointed Deputy PM. To end Moi’s political maneuvers, it took Raila Odinga’s personal intervention to compelling William Ruto to publicly support and show respect to Musalia Mudavadi. At Pentagon House, behind-the-scenes maneuvers were that Raila had to prevail in ODM cabinet appointments because some elements from Rift Valley did not want to see Joe Nyagah appointed to cabinet, something Raila did not take very kindly. Incidentally, save for Arap Moi, the Rift Valley MPs were conspicuously absent at Nyagah’s funeral last week. Nyagah himself was present at the funeral of Ruto’s father just three weeks ago.
  
  As if to show a deeply divided country who is in-charge, ‘statesman’ Moi was sitting at the presidential dais to witness the swearing-in of the grand-coalition cabinet. His presence at the swearing-in of a grand coalition cabinet and that of former Malawian President Bakili Muluzi, was in bad taste and it clearly shows, people still imagine the retired president has a role to play in the destiny of this country, his own disastrous reign and that of Muluzi notwithstanding. The whole inauguration ceremony was organized by the State House protocol officials. (Muluzi served a 10 year constitutional term from 1994 to 2000 in office as president of Malawi, but is now planning a comeback for the presidency in Malawi’s general elections due in 2009. Muluzi’s corruption CV is very similar to that of Moi. Both men have mega-fraud and embezzlement allegations following them like shadows).
  
  Today, Raila and Kibaki are due to meet with Rift Valley MPs because it has emerged it will take much more than Annan’s efforts to resettled individuals who had been displaced from that province. Rather than fight ODM, the advise to Moi’s (and his Moi Africa Foundation) to re-direct their efforts in re-settling IDPs in Rift Valley and elsewhere. Or better still, to please retire honourably at his farm in Kabarak.

• By-Elections: Why is the ECK Silent?

  Posted: April 20, 2008, 9:43 am by Phil

  Revealed: Esther Passaris to Vie in Embakasi
  
  It is emerging that scores of politicians are chasing the ODM party ticket for the forthcoming by elections, with some constituencies like Emuhaya, Embakasi, Ainamoi, Kamukunji attracting up to 50 aspirants. Other constituencies due for by-elections are Wajir North and Kilgoris. All signs are that the ODM hierarchy is taking the forthcoming by elections very seriously, an indication that the party has its eyes set on controlling the legislative agenda as well as positioning itself for the next general elections which could come earlier than the year 2012.
  
  Curiously though, despite the National Assembly Speaker having issued gazette notices earlier this month declaring Emuhaya, Embakasi and Ainanoi seats vacant, the disgraced Electoral Commission of Kenya has not announced the time-table for the by-elections, something it is mandated to do within fourteen days of such gazettements. Similarly, the country remains in the dark about the other three constituencies which never got MPs following the disputed general elections in December. This is a great injustice to those citizens who lack representation in parliament.
  
  Even as we wait for ECK to announce the by-elections timetable, for the next six months, the ECK itself will be placed under the microscope when the Independent Review Commission probing the 2007 elections will get down to investigating the disputed December 2007 election results including the role played by the ECK, political parties, the media, faith based organizations and the civil society. The ECK has already contracted a lawyer as it is due to appear as a witness(es) at the commission. But does this mean that unrepresented constituencies have to wait until the ECK is sorted out?
  
  Currently only existing on paper, Kibaki’s PNU and Kalonzo’s ODM-K which were leading political parties only a few months ago have turned out were only created to be used as miserable campaign vehicles with no intentions of ever fulfilling their glossy party manifestos. On the other hand, the ODM has kept its secretariat active with permanent staff and the party Secretary General, Ayang Nyongo busy networking in local and overseas travels. In contrast, its rivals are now a pale shadow of ‘vibrant’ parties they once professed to be having witnessed bitter fall-outs and complete shut-down of their own campaign secretariats. Whatever happened to the once all powerful Maanzos, Ojiambos, Kituyis and Tujus?
  
  In Embakasi constituency, long wrongly assumed to be hostile grounds to ODM candidates, this blogger can authoritatively reveal, the ODM front runner for the Embakasi seat is none other than Esther Muthoni Passaris - the founder of Adopt-A-Light. With her pentagon friends behind her, it looks likely that she will bag the ODM ticket.
  
  After she was deliberately omitted under dubious grounds as an ODM nominated councilor by the then Local Government Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, Passaris is now set to make a debut in parliamentary politics and not civic politics that she was unfairly denied in the first place. Uhuru Kenyatta and his well known godfathers will have to go back to the drawing board. Observers doubt if the PNU/ODM-K coalition can come up with a more acceptable candidate to face and beat Passaris in an isolated by-election with the ODM brigade behind her. Not only has Passaris been a frequent visitor at the Pentagon House, she hardly misses at any social function organized by ODM Captain Raila Odinga. Last Thursday, the flamboyant Passaris was present at the Prime Minister’s dinner at hotel Inter-Continental Nairobi in a function attended by who-is-who in Kenya’s political and business circles.
  
  Last year ODM collected billions of shillings in nomination fees, donations and sponsorship. The party was charging Kshs. 100,000/- for its parliamentary ticket, plus 20,000/- in party membership cards. It was reported that Passaris was among donors who made hefty donations into the ODM campaign kitty and provided millions of shillings worth of advertising space to the party. Not bad for someone who was originally a Kibaki supporter. It looks like the ODM strategy in Embakasi is to divide the massive GEMA vote while consolidating the youth and women’s vote in this large constituency.

Kenya Environmental & Political News Weblog

• Kenya’s Food Crisis Worsens as Fungi Destroys Rice Harvest

  Posted: April 18, 2008, 4:55 pm by Phil

  Geneva - Kenya’s food crisis was set to worsen after a fungi wiped out 10 to 20 per cent of its annual rice production, the UN said Friday. The fungi destroyed 5,600 hectares of rise in the Mwea Irrigation Scheme in Central Province, known as the rice basket of the country, according to the UN Office [...]

• Hunger Crisis Looming in Horn of Africa if Rains Fail this Month

  Posted: April 18, 2008, 11:23 am by Phil

  International community must act earlier to address increasing vulnerability. An estimated 14 million people in the Horn of Africa are facing a food emergency just two years on from the height of the worst drought in decades, CARE International warned today. Without significant rain this month, millions of people, already left devastated and vulnerable by the [...]

• Growing More Potatoes to Improve Food Security

  Posted: April 18, 2008, 11:22 am by Phil

  Growing more potatoes could help countries like Kenya to improve their food security at a time of high cereal prices, an agricultural expert said. Potatoes are a more efficient food source than maize or rice, requiring less land and water than the cereals. About 80 per cent of the potato crop can be used for human consumption, [...]

• Kenya IDPs: Reconciliation Key To Returns

  Posted: April 16, 2008, 10:09 am by Phil

  Photo: Allan Gichigi/IRIN IDPs at Mathare police depot. Reconciliation efforts will have to be stepped up before people start returning home NAIROBI, 15 April 2008 (IRIN) - Peace-building and reconciliation efforts to alleviate ethnic tension must be stepped up before internally displaced Kenyans are pushed to return to their homes or the risk of further [...]

• KENYA: When There’s NO Excuse Not to Use a Condom

  Posted: April 16, 2008, 10:05 am by Phil

  Photo: IRIN Young men and women have adopted the condom as a routine part of their sexual relationships. NAIROBI, 15 April 2008 (PlusNews) - When the music’s pumping, drinks are flowing and hormones are raging, condoms don’t often spring to mind, until it’s too late. By then, the shops are closed and a packet of [...]

• Relief Agencies Appeal for Funds as New Kenyan Coalition Government Named

  Posted: April 15, 2008, 10:37 am by Phil

  Photo: Allan Gichigi/IRIN IDPs preparing a meal at the Mathare police depot. The new appeal is aimed at helping those affected by post-election violence NAIROBI, 14 April 2008 (IRIN) - Relief agencies are seeking US$189 million for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and others affected by the post-election violence that rocked Kenya in January and February, [...]

• Water Crisis as Dry Conditions Persist in the NEP

  Posted: April 15, 2008, 10:26 am by Phil

  Photo: John Nyaga/IRIN A dead camel near Mandera during the 2006 drought. Ordinarily camels are the most drought-resistant animals. ISIOLO, 14 April 2008 (IRIN) - Serious shortages of water and pasture for livestock are being experienced in the northern Kenyan districts of Isiolo, Mandera and Wajir as dry conditions continue, local leaders said. “The situation is [...]

• Kenya Government to Roll Out Male Circumcision

  Posted: April 11, 2008, 10:37 am by Phil

  Photo: Mercedes Sayagues/IRIN Initial efforts by NGOs in non-circumcising Nyanza province have met with little resistance NAIROBI, 10 April 2008 (PlusNews) - The Kenyan government has embarked on an ambitious national programme to fast track the national rollout of male circumcision as a means of preventing HIV. Results from three randomised controlled trials in South Africa, Kenya [...]

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• Once Again, US Government Rescues Weary Kenyans

  Posted: April 9, 2008, 12:22 pm by Phil

  Yet again, for the second time this year, strong and uncompromising ‘diplomatic’ pressure from the American government is coming to the relief of frustrated Kenyans regarding their choice of government.
  
  After being defrauded of their democratic choice and enduring unending deprivation four months down the road, Kenyans are still having to put up with electoral rejects masquerading as government. These are the so-called leaders who have audacity to say they are ready for a parliamentary dissolution and fresh general elections while just less than eight weeks ago, they told a group of retired and respected African Heads of State, President Kufuor of Ghana, Nobel Peace Price Laureate Desmond Tutu and Kofi Annan that 'a duly elected president had already been sworn in (sic) and the Kenyan government was fully discharging its mandate!' Worst of all, many innocent Kenyan children are now surviving on meagre rations and missing school while they are forced to sleep in rain soaked tents just because someone somewhere MUST rule this country (read milk the country dry).
  
  One does not need to be a NASA scientist to discern that Secretary Rice is today openly threatening the Kibaki-led government, just as she did when the PNU Leader refused to sign the 28th February 2008 peace accord. Undoubtedly, heavenly powers are using the Americans to liberate Kenyans.
  
  Earlier today, Seccretary Rice warned the US would form its own opinion on the failure of forming the coalition government and would ‘act accordingly’.
  
  As if by magic, speaking to journalist this afternoon, a confident US Ambassador to Kenya said , after separately meeting both Kibaki and Raila, that a grand coalition cabinet which is acceptable to all parties would be in place shortly. "We expect that in a matter of days, or a week or so, there will be a coalition government. They are very close."
  
  Therefore Kumekuchans…….relax. You will sooner and not so later read an Alfie Mutua or Isa Kabira press release inviting ODM captain to Harambee House. A truly representative grand coalition government (repeat government and NOT cabinet) is on the way.

Kenya Environmental & Political News Weblog

• The Cost of Keeping Children from Knowing their HIV Status

  Posted: April 9, 2008, 11:25 am by Phil

  Photo: Peter Murimi/IRIN Gordon has written a book highlighting the importance of early disclosure KAMPALA, 8 April 2008 (PlusNews) - Throughout his childhood, Gordon Turibamwe, 20, was sickly, suffering from frequent bouts of malaria and chest infections, but his father only told him he was HIV-positive when he was aged 16, something Gordon says caused [...]

• KENYA: Talks Deadlock Could Slow IDP Returns - officials

  Posted: April 9, 2008, 10:44 am by Phil

  Photo: Julius Mwelu/IRIN A volunteer talks to the displaced at an IDP camp: Suspension of talks between ODM and PNU could slow or halt progress made in returning thousands of internally IDPs to their homes NAIROBI, 8 April 2008 (IRIN) - The suspension of talks between Kenya’s key political parties, announced on 8 April, could [...]

• Kenya Army and Rebel Militia Commit War Crimes in Mt. Elgon

  Posted: April 8, 2008, 2:11 pm by Phil

  End Murder, Torture, and Rape of Civilians The rebel Sabaot Land Defence Force and the Kenyan military are responsible for horrific abuses, including killings, torture and rape of civilians, in a little-known armed conflict in the Mt. Elgon area of western Kenya, Human Rights Watch said today in a joint statement with two Kenyan human rights [...]

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• Breaking News: ODM Suspends Talks With PNU

  Posted: April 8, 2008, 8:43 am by Phil

  As Violence Breaks Out in Kibera Slums
  
  Tension is steadily building around the country following the collapse of talks between PNU and ODM towards the formation of a grand coalition cabinet. The PNU have outrightly rejected ODM's demands for certain cabinet portfolios while the ODM had announced a few moments ago that it is suspending any further discussions with PNU until the current cabinet is dissolved.
  
  The calmness that has been prevailing in most parts of the country following the signing of the peace agreement on 28th February 2008 was this morning shattered following ODM's announcement that they had with immediate effect suspended any form of discussions with PNU until the current cabinet is dissolved. That announcement immediately triggered violent demonstrations in Kibera with mobs barricading roads and lighting fires. Police have already been dispatched to Kibera but reports reaching Nairobi say that tension is building Kisumu, Naivasha, Nakuru and Eldoret. These are the towns that witnessed the worst form of violence and destruction of property following the post election skirmishes earlier this year.
  
  At the time of posting this, the ODM Member of Parliament for Mt. Elgon Fred Kapondi was also reportedly being detained by police on unspecified charges.
  
  Update by Chris at 16:11 PM
  All indications so far are that Internal security Minister George Saitoti and his team have been on red alert since last night. There are reports coming in that there was also a little trouble in Kipkelion in the Rift Valley earlier today but it was swiftly contained. Reports also indicate that the troubles in Kibera have also been quickly snuffed out.
  
  There is a possibility that we will witness numerous arrests over the next few days as a way to pre-empt violence. Fascinatingly the thinking has not changed since last December. After the elections the game plan was to shoot to kill to scare. That one failed big time. This time it is arrest to scare. It is anybody's guess how effective this will be. However the fact remains that there are too many hungry jobless Kenyans out there for comfort.
  
  Update by Chris at 21:00 PM Kenyan Time
  Violence reported in Kisumu. I will give more details as I get them.

Kenya Environmental & Political News Weblog

• Climate Change will Erode the Foundations of Health

  Posted: April 7, 2008, 1:07 pm by Phil

  WHO Director-General warns vulnerable populations at greatest risk of projected impacts Geneva, 7 April 2008 - Scientists tell us that the evidence the Earth is warming is “unequivocal.” Increases in global average air and sea temperature, ice melting and rising global sea levels all help us understand and prepare for the coming challenges. In [...]

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• Cabinet Anxiety: Fencesitters Not Decided

  Posted: April 7, 2008, 10:49 am by Phil

  Despite a joint statement issued by PPS yesterday to the effect that discussions between Raila Odinga as leader of ODM and Mwai Kibaki of PNU and possibly conclude successfully and name a grand coalition, it is now past 16h00 heading towards the end of the day and the two have not met.
  
  During the day, a PNU parliamentary group meeting was called off without notice. Initially Kibaki was to chair this meeting at KICC, then PNU MPs received text messages saying the Vice President would chair the meeting then another text came in announcing the meeting had been called off indefinitely. The party is reportedly experiencing vicious power struggle that has resulted in deep divisions to the point that the mediations talks have had to be called off for lack of quorum.
  
  Meanwhile at Pentagon House, ODM top brass met early today and sent unequivocal letter in which ODM said it would make no further concessions and that Kibaki should accept what was already agreed between him and Raila on Thursday last week. At the time of posting this, ODM leaders are still holed up at their Pentagon House, in anticipation of that important phone call that will announce PNU’s decision on cabinet portfolio .
  
  As the president and his part cabinet continue to wait for Raila Odinga, the anxiety building countrywide. The current cabinet is also running the risk of being challenged in court because it is unconstitutional. In reality, any official business conducted by this government now and in the recent past is legally null and void. Meanwhile state house continues to embarrass itself when issuing public promises on the issue of cabinet when it knows the cabinet will only be formed upon the approval of Raila Odinga. It is no longer business as usual, Sir!
  
  The same table and VIP seats that were used by Raila and Kibaki while signing the Annan Peace Accord on 28th February 2008 were yesterday carried towards the entrance steps at Harambee House in the hope that ODM would accept whatever portfolios Kibaki would throw at them. The same furniture has been seen being brought forward today and it remains to be seen whether Raila and Kibaki will use them.
  
  It could only mean one thing: Raila will only come to Harambee House when Kibaki is ready to accept ODM preconditions for the cabinet portfolio balance. And my early prediction is that cabinet will be announced later today and that will be the beginning of a big fall-out in that party calling itself PNU.

• Countdown To Grand Coalition Cabinet

  Posted: April 6, 2008, 4:31 am by Phil

  Amidst growing disagreement on portfolio balance between ODM and PNU, President Mwai Kibaki has just arrived at Harambee House (10h30 local time). VP Kalonzo, Saitoti, Muthaura and Spokesman Alfred Mutua have met and escorted the president into his office.
  
  ODM pentagon and party officials have skipped church and are said to have been meeting at Pentagon House since 08h00 this morning. Even William Ruto who only buried his father yesterday, arrived in Pentagon House earlier today. It is unclear what time the ODM will be heading to Harambee House.
  
  President Kibaki had, through Government spokesman Alfred Mutua, indicated yesterday that he would go by the list disputed by ODM saying it was ‘final’ and based on consultations with Raila. Salim Lone has already disputed this and indicated that the list released by Dr. Mutua is unacceptable to ODM and the party will not make further concessions after accepting a bloated cabinet and making numerous concessions so as to progress peace.
  
  Update at 10h55 Local Time
  
  Raila Odinga has arrived at Harambee House for his meeting with Mwai Kibaki. He had earlier met members of the pentagon and senior party officials and left to meet Kibaki without addressing the press who have been camping at both venue since 6.30am today.
  
  According to official program, Kibaki is set to unveil the new cabinet at 15h00 local time.
  
  Uhuru Kenyatta, whose Ministry of Local Government is at the center of the dispute between ODM and PNU, is also said to be in the vicinity of Harambee House. He has threatened to lead what has been left of KANU out of the PNU should his ministry be given to ODM.
  
  Update 11h05 Local Time
  
  ODM Director of Communications informs the press that Raila is expected to reiterate to PNU that ODM has already made significant concessions in the formation of the grand coalition in the interest of resolving the post election crisis gripping our country and that the PNU should not expect any further concessions. In other words, ODM should not be dragged into PNU sucession wars and Kibaki should abide by the peace accord signed between himself and Raila which inter alia says: "........composition of the coalition government shall at all times reflect the relative parliamentary strengths of the respective parties and shall at all times take into account the principle of portfolio balance."
  
  Update 11.50 Local Time
  
  Kenya Government spokesman Alfred Mutua releases statement indicating that Raila Odinga and Mwai Kibai are presently in a closed door one-on-one meeting; without any one from their respective delegations in attendance. ODM Leader had been accompanied by members of the Pentagon while Kibaki's ministers, including the Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka had arrived in Harambee House much earlier than the president himself. It seems Mutua statement is to inform the public that the president and ODM leader are meeting on their own, while the rest are waiting outside.
  
  Update 13h00 Local Time
  
  Kibaki and Raila are still holed up in their meeting. No announcements have been made as yet. The original plan was for the president to announce the grand coalition cabinet today at 15h00 hours, only two hours away. Unless Kibaki and Raila rise above partisan politics and make decisions on the contentious portfolio balance that will move this country forward, then the cabinet will not be named today.
  
  Update 15h00 Local Time
  
  Kibaki and Raila have hit a deadlock. Members of PNU half cabinet and others from ODM are presently trooping into Harambee House in droves. No official word has been released but it appears Kibaki and Raila have opted to expand the meeting by involving members of their own teams into a meetin