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Concept Advisory Services

• Why You Should Have A Website

  Posted: May 14, 2008, 7:51 pm by admin

  I decided to come up with a website after much interaction with prospective clients and all I was hearing is… why have I not heard of this before? Where can I find such info? This is timely! And a lot of other interesting answers. This website and blog was created with the public in mind where anyone could access personal finance articles and be able to make a decision in as far as better management of their finances goes. I am happy to see that I have achieved this goal if the feedback from readers is anything to go by.

   Even though majority of you do not like putting comments on the actual articles, many of you have written directly to express gratitude at finding the website and more so the blog. And yet, some of you have become clients courtesy of the website.

  Initially I was hesitant on the whole idea of a website. I knew that we Kenyans are fond of visiting websites where politics is the main theme or social sites like Mashada. Even popular sites like stockskenya.com have had to provide a forum where people can discuss other things apart from investments. So, for someone running a ‘serious’ website what chance did I have of succeeding! However, as I continued to interact with prospective clients, the more confident I became that a personal finance website would work.

   My first negative experience as far as getting a website was concerned was the person I initially gave the task to develop. Despite being a reputable firm and having a sizeable clientele, the firm was a disappointment. I had been warned to avoid ‘cheap’ developers but no one had told me to do a due diligence and that price is not the only factor. I had talked to the owner of the firm who had promised heaven only for the project to fall behind in months. A website that should have been online in October had not been touched by 1^st of November. I finally talked to one of the technical people, an insider by then, who did a superb job.

  
  My feeling is, for anything technical, have a chat with the real people handling the task. It is only after talking to one of the technical guys that I realized what was going on and I managed to avert further loss of money and time.

  
  In the five months the site has been operational, I have not conducted major publicity like advertising in the newspapers. I occasionally contribute to stockskenya.com and much of the traffic comes from this direction. There are other bloggers who have added CAS to their blogroll and I am grateful for the gesture.  The blogs are relevant to what I do hence there is no mismatch. It just goes to show, whether you have the greatest product on earth or something that will save mankind and yet no one knows about it, then it is of no consequence. Many thanks for those who have added CAS to their blogroll. There are also visitors who introduce the website to their friends through the online form in the main website. Kudos to all.

  I normally visit other blogs…check my blogroll, many of whom started way before mine. When I constructed the site I had not considered that it’s such an exciting yet demanding undertaking. Sometimes I would log into one of my favorite blogs and if there was no new content, I would be so disappointed.  However, I now understand. Between serving clients and keeping informed on the investing world, it is very easy to forget to post new content. This is especially the case when most of the time is spent answering emails. Do not read me wrong, am not complaining here but rather very humbled by the overwhelming number of emails I receive. In the near future, I plan to be posting the answers to the common questions on the website. This way, hopefully, you can always look forward to new content which touches on the lives of the majority of Kenyans

   The advantage of having a website is on the number of people you are able to reach. I have made many friends and it all started with an email. I now have important contacts hailing from our neighboring countries to as far as Romania. A website is a truly great tool due its wide reach.

   If you are thinking of a having a website and you are not sure of its importance then know it works. The only requirement is to have a website that has your clients in mind.

   

• How To Fund Your Child’s Education

  Posted: May 9, 2008, 7:55 pm by admin

  (As interviewed by the standard Newspaper dated 5^th May , 2008)

  My name is Douglas Mutiso and i am 38 years old with a family of three children. I work with a local manufacturing company in a managerial position where i take home a net salary of Ksh 90,000. I also earn Ksh 20,000 from two servant quarters i took a loan to construct. I do not pay for rent since I live in my own house, but am repaying the loan at Ksh 35,000 a month. I also pay Ksh 10,000 a month to my personal pension scheme. My employer doesnt provide this. My eight year daughter was recently detected with asthma, and i spend approximatley Ksh 7,000 for her medication a month. I also pay school fees amounting to Ksh 25,000 a month for my children in classes one, three and five. My wife takes care of the other home expenses from her salary as a secretary, but i chip in about Ksh 10,000 a month.

  I would like to take up an educational fund for my children too and secure my family’s future. How do i achieve that and still be comfortable with my other responsibilities.”

  Mr. Mutiso, the key to funding your child education is to start planning and saving now, no matter what your child’s age. It is a good thing that you have already identified this major financial goal and you are willing to develop a plan to achieve it.

  There are various ways that you can meet this goal. A good place to start would be for you to come up with a spending plan that will help you identify areas that you can cut on spending or seek alternative means that will save you money. For example, instead of paying k’sh 84,000 towards your daughter’s medical bill from the pocket, I would recommend taking a medical cover for the same amount in premiums but with a limit more than 10 times the amount. This will afford you cover for all the members of your family and would come in handy if an emergency arose.

  Mr. Mutiso, in your break down of expenses you have not mentioned whether you have an emergency fund. An emergency fund cushions you against a financial calamity. This may include loss of job, illness, or making a major purchase. With an emergency fund, you can access your money in a short notice. Generally, it is recommended for an individual to put 15% of one’s income after tax in such a fund. The best place to have an emergency fund is a high yielding savings account without many restrictions on withdrawal. Your personal pension fund may not meet your emergency obligations due to the restrictive laws governing such schemes. When the funds grows to a certain amount, say a year’s saving, you can invest this money directly in the stock market or engage the services of fund mangers who operate unit trust schemes.

  Having put k’sh 16,500 (15% of k’sh 110,000) in an emergency fund you’re left with k’sh 6,500. This is the amount you need to work with in setting an education fund.

  Various options exist in setting an education fund. You can open a children savings account with any of the banks. Normally, the account is in the child’s name but the parent operates the account. The interest is usually higher than your average savings account. Greatest advantage is you can pull out anytime and there are no penalties. The only charge is for closing the account.

  But with such an account, you may not fully realize a good return on your money. Savings accounts provide minimal return and will not protect you from inflation. Ultimately by the time your child is of school going age and you want to liquidate your savings, the savings may not cover the cost fully. Again, a savings account may not require your disciplined effort to save. It’s possible then to lack motivation and hence find yourself no longer being motivated to carry on this noble goal.

  My advice would be for you to consider taking a unit linked education policy with any of the insurance companies. With a unit linked policy, a larger part of your savings is invested, say in the stock market and the remaining option affords you an insurance cover. Thus, as an investor you are guaranteed better than average returns in the long term. The returns in the long term can be higher than the rate of inflation in a similar period hence preserving the value of your money. And with the mandatory life cover, you can sleep well knowing that even if you are not there the family will be provided for.

  A unit-linked policy affords you monthly contributions, with a low of k’sh 3,000 and an option to vary your contributions upwards or downwards depending on current circumstances. Upon inception, the requirement is to put a direct debit in force. With this arrangement, the amount of premium is debited from your account and remitted to the insurance company on the time you have specified. It’s advisable to put the direct debit falling close to the date you receive your salary. This would remove the temptation to withdrawal the funds before paying the premium as the bank will already have remitted the cash. A unit-linked policy is a long term savings machinery with a minimum period of ten years. This would require a disciplined effort on your part. It will also call for a sacrifice on your current consumption where you will do away with non-essential purchases.

• Monkey Business

  Posted: May 7, 2008, 8:42 pm by admin

  Once upon a time in a village, a man appeared and announced to the
  villagers that he would buy monkeys for k’sh 500 each.

  The villagers seeing that there were many monkeys around, went out to
  the forest, and started catching them. The man bought thousands at k’sh 500
  and as supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their effort.
  He further announced that he would now buy at k’sh 1000. This renewed the
  efforts of the villagers and they started Catching monkeys again.

  Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back
  to their farms. The offer increased to k’sh 1,500 each and the supply of
  monkeys became so little that it was an effort to even see a monkey,
  let alone catch it!

  The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at k’sh 4,500! However,
  since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would
  now buy on behalf of him.

  In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers. “Look at
  all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected. I will
  sell them to you at k’sh 3,500 and when the man returns from the city, you
  can sell them to him for 4,500 each.”

  The villagers rounded up all their savings and bought all the monkeys.
  Then they never saw the man nor his assistant again, only monkeys
  everywhere!

  How many of us whose stock trading imitate that of the villagers? You buy and dispose shares on mere hype and publicity.

   Share your experience on a stock you bought cauze of the hype and what was the outcome.

• Thinking Of Investing? Steps To Follow

  Posted: May 2, 2008, 7:45 pm by admin

  1. Figure out your goals.
  When you first start thinking about this, it seems nebulous. It’s often hard to tangibly state what your goals are, especially if you’re young and single. However, you often find that they day you get married, it feels like a flood of goals hit you at once - buying a house, having a child, and so on.

  Here’s what to do to get started. Take out a sheet of paper and list every financial goal you have in your life right now. What are you saving for? What would you like to be saving for? Things that might wind up on this list are retirement, your children’s education, a house down payment, complete debt freedom, a car, “walk away from your job” money, money to start a business, and so on. Some of those will be important to you, some won’t, and you may have some that aren’t even listed there.

  Then, take that list and rank them by importance to you (or to you and your spouse). Don’t worry about what society says, but I will say that younger people tend to undervalue the importance of retirement. Other than that, it’s really about what’s important in your own life - not in what society thinks or what someone else sees as being important in life.

  I tend to argue in favor of focusing on the top two to four goals. This way, an average person can actually reasonably accomplish those top goals in a reasonable timeframe. Figure out that time frame for those top goals. How much time is it before you reach that goal?

  This doesn’t mean that your goals are set in stone. Everyone’s life changes over time and your goals may in fact change. The point is that your investment decisions are led by your goals, so before you even start investing, you should have a good grasp on what your goals are.

  In my own life, I have several goals: retirement (targeted for age 60), my children’s college education (targeted for about seventeen years down the road), a new car (targeted for 6months-1 years from now), and a new house in the countryside (targeted for about twelve years from now). Each of these have a different investment strategy, which we’ll get to in a minute.

  2. Know your risk tolerance.
  One major piece of the puzzle that people don’t address before they start investing is their risk tolerance. Often, they overestimate their risk tolerance, then find themselves in an investment situation that leaves them feeling very nervous about their financial position.

  Spend some time thinking about this. Would you not worry if you woke up and found out that you had lost 5% of your investment if you knew in the long run it would build up in value? How about 20%? If you had k’sh 100,000 in stocks, and then over a very bearish month, k’sh 20,000 of that vanished, how would you honestly react? Would you take your money out?

  The reason this is important is that it is extremely dangerous to be invested in something that exceeds your risk tolerance. If you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night nervous about where your money is, you’re likely to make an emotional move, like taking your money out when it’s about to rebound.

  As a general rule of thumb, if you feel nervous about losing money at all, you probably shouldn’t be invested in stocks. Keep it in cash, in either your bank account or in certificates of deposit. Don’t feel weird - my best friend is in this camp.

  On the other hand, most people have some degree of risk tolerance, though, and if you find that losing 10% or so won’t make you scared and ready to pull out, then you should dip your toes into stock investment. We’ll get to the specifics later.

  3. For short term goals (less than two years or so), keep the money in cash.
  That means store it in a savings account or perhaps fixed deposit account at a bank - whichever option gets you the best interest rate and enables you to have cash in hand on the day you need it.

  Why? Keeping it in cash means that it won’t be exposed to the up and down nature of the stock market. Quite often, over short term periods like two years, it’s quite possible that not only will you not turn a profit, but you might actually lose a piece of your invested money.

  4. For medium term goals (two to ten years), diversify at your comfort level.
  If your investment window is more than two years, the odds that you’ll come out ahead on the stock market start to get better, but it still comes with some risk. The stock market is never a guarantee, and past performance is never a guarantee of future returns.

  Another factor to consider: how much is your life relying on this money? It makes sense to be more conservative with retirement money than with, say, money you’re saving for a new car. That’s because a downturn in your retirement can force you to work for years longer, while a downturn in your car savings just means you might have to continue to drive an older car for a year longer. The more vital that money is to your life plans, the more conservative you should be with it. If you’re not sure, be more conservative than less - keep plenty in the savings account and just dabble in the stocks.

  5. For long term goals (ten years or more), stocks are a pretty good place to put your money.
  Over the history of the stock market, almost every period longer than ten years has seen a profitable return in a broad stock investment. Even better, during many ten year stretches, the returns are quite impressive. Because of that (even though past performance isn’t a guarantee of future returns), it generally makes sense to put long term money heavily in the stock market.

  6. The best place for first-time stock investors to put their money is in a unit trust
  There are several reasons for this.

  First, the  fund allows you to be invested in a lot of stocks at the same time. That way, you’re not affected by the ups and downs of a single company just as you are getting your toes wet in stocks.

  Second, a low cost fund means that the investing house isn’t eating much of your money. Look for a fund with a cost less than 2%. That way, the gains go into your pocket, not in the pocket of your investing house

Mwalimu: Know. Succeed!

• Canada makes life better for international students

  Posted: May 1, 2008, 9:19 pm by admin

  Changes in the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program, makes it easier for graduating international students to obtain work permits and acquire Canadian work experience. The changes to ( the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program ) remove the requirement to have a job offer at the time of application. International graduates can now obtain an open work permit, i.e. [...]

Concept Advisory Services

• Why Many Aren’t Securing Their Financial Future

  Posted: April 26, 2008, 3:47 pm by admin

  Most people know they should invest, just as most people know they should watch their diet and exercise. Nonetheless, millions of people — I estimate that 80 percent to 85 percent — don’t invest at all. What I mean by this is that these people aren’t active investors.

  An active investor is someone is someone who actually lives off their investments as opposed to wages from a job..

  It’s similar to the difference between amateur and professional golfers: Amateurs may be very good players, but can they live off their golf game? A professional can withstand the heat of competition and has the mental toughness and the physical skills to create a stream of income.

  At age 65, many amateur investors “turn pro” — whether they like it or not. And that’s a frightening thought.

  In this article, I take a humorous as well as a more serious look at why people don’t invest. This is a list of why people don’t invest — even though they know they should.

  Why People Don’t Invest: 12 Humorous Reasons

  1. They’re already paying into Social Security.(NSSF)
  2. Their budget includes k’sh 200 per week for lottery tickets, which is bound to pay off soon.
  3. They believe that inflation means their money will grow.
  4. Old people don’t eat much anyway.
  5. They sit at home waiting for the Publishers Clearing House van to pull up in their driveway and deliver their cheque.
  6. Their money is safely buried in the garden.
  7. Their rich Aunt Alice will die soon.
  8. Little Moses is sure to make it big in Nairobi.
  9. They’ll write a book and live off the royalties.
  10. They plan on marrying a young wife/husband when they’re 60 and depend on their financial support.

  Sometimes we need a break from the seriousness of why we invest and take a moment to laugh a little…or maybe cry. Unfortunately, even though funny, this list contains many truths.

  Apart from a light-hearted look at why people don’t invest, there are serious reasons for their inaction:

   
  1. They have an entitlement mentality.
  When the word entitlement is used, many people point an accusing finger to the poor and those on welfare. Yet, the sad truth is many people have an entitlement mentality. Starting with our President and working down, millions of people expect the government (or a business) to take care of them once their working days are over. This despite the shaky financial footing of Social Security and Medicare.

   I believe we should all learn to take care of ourselves. I agree and believe it’s about time our schools teach people to take care of themselves, rather than believe they’re entitled to government support.
  
  2. They lack vision.
  Millions of people cannot see past tomorrow. It was Tolstoy who said: “The most unexpected thing that happens to people is old age.” This year, the first Baby Boomers turn 60.

  As a young person, I hear many peers say, “I don’t have to worry. I’ll just keep working.” They don’t see that the day will come when their body cannot work anymore — if they’re lucky to live that long.

  The cost of long-term care exceeds what most people earn today. For example, a friend pays over 26,000 a month to keep his mom in a modest facility — that’s more than most families earn monthly. What’s going to happen when 5 million Baby Boomers start needing long-term care?

  Today, I also hear young people blithely saying, “I’m still young.” Whenever I have the opportunity, I remind young people that the Baby Boom problem is really theirs to finance.

  
  3. Our school system doesn’t teach us much about money.
  “Go to school to get a job” is common advice. But that idea echoes the entitlement mentality, the idea that once you have a job, the company and the government will take care of you. It also reflects a lack of long-range vision. Today, we need to be educated about money beyond just “getting a job.” We need to be educated for life after a job, after our working days are over.

  The entitlement mentality and myopic vision stem from one place — our schools and the lack of financial education in our educational system. It’s time for our educational system to enter the 21st century and prepare people for the real world.

   

Gathunuku

• Hello world!

  Posted: April 25, 2008, 9:43 pm by admin

  Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Mwalimu: Know. Succeed!

• Australia to allow ALL students to work after April 26th 2008

  Posted: April 22, 2008, 11:37 pm by admin

  Starting 26 April 2008, students  on a student visa will automatically be granted permission to work. Permission to work will also apply to eligible family members that will stay with the foreign student in Australia. The new rule will save time and money, as foreign students are no longer required to apply to work separately once [...]

• OPT be 29 months for STEM students

  Posted: April 22, 2008, 11:21 pm by admin

  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security released today an interim final rule extending the period of Optional Practical Training (OPT) from 12 to 29 months for qualified F-1 non-immigrant students. The extension will be available to F-1 students with a degree in STEM( science, technology, engineering, or mathematics ) who are employed by businesses enrolled [...]

mzalendo :: Eye On Kenyan Parliament

• Truth be told Cabinet is bad news for Kenya

  Posted: April 14, 2008, 5:33 pm by admin

  BY MWALIMU MATI

  In 2007, the Kenya National Budget was set at about Ksh 700 billion (about USD 10.7 billion).

  Of this amount, the Government has to make loan repayments and pension payments (for retired civil servants) to the tune of Ksh 141 billion (or USD 2.1 billion).

  Of the remaining Ksh 559 billion (USD 8.6 billion), the Government planned to spend Ksh 300 billion (USD 4.6 billion) on running 34 Ministries.

  After catering for Government’s running costs (salaries, equipment, furniture both office and household), there is only Ksh 260 billion (or USD 4 billion) for Development Expenditure available. However not all this money comes from the Government. In fact it borrows about Ksh 52 billion (or USD 800 million) for building roads, improving infrastructure, providing health and education services etc… from international donors. In the past the Government has misused loans and left Kenyans to repay.

  At the end, only Ksh 200 billion (USD 3.2 billion) will remain for spending on the people of Kenya - the majority of whom live below the poverty line.

  Now that the Cabinet has been increased to 43, the Government must spend more. Back of the Envelope Calculations say that the average recurrent cost of running a Ministry is Ksh 8.8 billion – or USD 130million. Therefore 9 new Ministries would cost 9 times Ksh 8.8 billion equivalent to Ksh 79.2 billion or USD 1.2 billion. This increase wipes out the Ksh 50 billion, the Ministry of Finance will raise from selling some of its Safaricom shares.

  The money for the new Ministries will, of necessity, be deducted from the Ksh 200 billion development budget (USD 3.2 billion).

  So at the end of the day, having 43 Ministries means that Kenyans are not likely to have more than Ksh 130 billion (USD 2billion) spent on them for Education, Health, Road Construction and Water to take a few examples of what Government is meant to actually be doing to develop Kenya.

  It is tragic that a 43 member Cabinet means that Kenyans will expect only about 19% of the Ksh 700 billion national budget to be spent on developing the country. It appears as if the GOK has ceased to have a development function and exists only to tax Kenyans, and spend taxpayer’s money on GOK recurrent costs (salaries, loans and pensions).

  What will those who pay for all this (taxpayers and donors) have to say to this economic mismanagement knowing that Kenyans:

  - live with inflation above 20%

  - want an end to the sad situation whereby well over 150,000 IDPs live in tents (supported by the Red Cross – not the GOK)

  - will soon suffer from food shortages this year and have to rely on charity

  - thought that the National Accord was intended to facilitate relief to the poorest and worst off – and not to construct a bloated government

  - have heard that the Government has asked donors for Ksh 31 billion (USD 476 million) to resettle the IDPs, because the GOK is unable to raise this amount from its own resources.

  And to cap it all, Parliament will now have to scrutinise the budget for this leviathan Grand Coalition with only 129 MPs not in Government. Last year over 36 vote heads were guillotined, and passed unscrutinised, for lack of debating time. This included the budget for the Ministry of Finance, which prepared the budget for 2007, and suspiciously doubled its own budget. The death knell is being sounded for parliamentary check on executive authority.

  Finally, are the Kenyan people architects of their own misfortune, or victims of rapacity in the political elite?

• NO MORE THAN 24 - SMS CAMPAIGN

  Posted: April 8, 2008, 2:57 pm by admin

  Kenyans for Peace and Justice (KPTJ) have launched a SMS campaign to urge politicians to fight against a bloated Cabinet. Given the current impasse, there is still an opportunity to urge OUR elected representatives to stop being selfish and to put the nation’s interest before their personal interests.

  While we do not have the contact information of all MPs, we at Mzalendo are working hard to update what is missing. We do have quite a number of emails and phone numbers so click on the MP profiles and use that information to contact them and express your views - our country should not be held hostage by a few individuals. Also, please help us fill the information gaps by leaving a comment or via the contact page. If you are unable to SMS, you can express how you feel by leaving a comment on your MP’s profile page. Also please forward this widely to your own networks and contacts.

  Some examples of messages you can send are below (it adds strength to your sms if you personalize it by addressing the MP directly. e.g. “Mr. Saitoti, Kenyans want a lean, clean cabinet.”)

  Siasa Ya Pupa
  Njaa Kwetu!

  Kenyans Want A Lean, Clean Cabinet

  Lean and Clean
  Greed is Obscene

  Cabinet Feasts
  IDPs Starve

  Do the Right Thing for Kenya
  No More Than 24

  Our Country Our Cabinet
  No More Than 24

  Contact info for some of the MPs:

  Abdirahman, H.Ali - Wajir South - KANU - 0721-724746 / 0722-144999 ahassan@tradeandindustry.go.ke

  Chiaba, Mohamed Abu - Lamu East - PNU - 0722-410177

  Bahari, Abdul Ali - Isiolo South - KANU - 0733-289501

  Balala, Mohammed Najib - Mvita - ODM - 0733 333500 /0724 - 650000 najib@mombasa.co.ke

  Bifwoli, Wakoli Sylvester - Bumula - PNU - 0733-865323 Wakolib@yahoo.com

  Chepkitony, Lucas Kipkosgei - Keiyo North - ODM - 0733-635894 / 0722816064

  Ethuro, David - Turkana Central - PNU- 0722-526370 dethuro@yahoo.com

  Gesami, James Ondicho - West Mugirango - ODM- 0733 826090

  Gisuka, Machage Wilfred - Kuria - DP - 0733-451806/0725834575

  Kajembe, Ramathan Seif - Changamwe - ODM - 0721 609777 Langoni@swiftmombasa.com

  Kajwang’, Gerald Otieno - Mbita - ODM - 0722-882787

  Kamama, Asman Abongotum - Baringo East - PNU - 0731-583303

  Karua, Martha Wangari Gichugu - PNU - 0721 623 342 / 0733-747551

  Kenneth, Peter Gatanga - PNU - 0722 512996 andykenneth@hotmail.com

  Kenyatta, Uhuru - Gatundu South - KANU - 0722 463 891

  Keter, Charles Cheruiyot - Belgut - ODM - 0722 530555

  Khalwale Boni - Ikolomani - NEW FORD-K - 0721 318722

  Khaniri, George Munyasa - Hamisi - ODM - 0722-859341

  Kilonzo, Julias Kiema Mutito - ODM-K - 0722-513605 kilonzo@wananchi.com

  Kilonzo, Charles Mutavi - Yatta - ODM-K - 0734-621593 ckilonzo@crystalvaluers.com
  Kimunya Amos Muhinga Kipipiri PNU - 0722518801 / 520936 kipipiri@wananchi.com

  Kinyanjui, Lee Maiyani - Nakuru Town - PNU - 0722 842653

  Kiunjuri, Festus Mwangi - Laikipia East - PNU - 0721 600 305

  Kuti Mohammed Abdi - Isiolo North - NARC-K - 0733 235914

  Lesirma, Simeon Saimanga - Samburu West - ODM - 0722-719946 simeonlesrima@yahoo.com

  Magara - James Omingo - South Mugirango - ODM - 0722 911274 jomingo45@yahoo.com

  Katoo, Ole Metito J - Kajiado South - 0721-640175

  Midiwo, Washington Jakoyo - Gem - ODM - 0721 504 040 / 0733 421277/ 0722 935761

  Mohamed, A.H.M - Mandera West - ODM - 0722-779942

  Mohammed, Haji Yusuf - Ijara - KANU - 0722-709395

  Mugo, Beth Wambui - Dagoretti - PNU - 0722-205753 bmugo@kenyaweb.com

  Mungatana, Danson Buya - Garsen - NARC-K - 0722-411971 mungatana@wanainchi.com

  Munyes, John Kiyonga - Turkana North - PNU - 0721-339094 johnmunyes@yahoo.com

  Murungi, Kiraitu - South Imenti - PNU - 0721-240863 waziri@kenyaweb.com

  Musila, David - Mwingi South - ODM-K - 0722 571117 davidmusila@yahoo.com

  Musyoka, Stephen Kalonzo - Mwingi North - ODM-K - 0722 523 872 / 0735 161 588

  Mwangi, Onesmus Kigumo - PNU - 0722-778581 kiharamwangimp@yahoo.com

  Mwatela, Andrew Calist - Mwatate - ODM 0733 719 871

  Mwiria, Valerian Kilemi - Tigania West - PNU - 0733-657562 kilemimwiria@africanonline.co.ke

  Ndambuki, Gideon Musyoka - Kaiti - ODM-K - 0720-384553/0734-758567 gndambuki@wananchi.com

  Githae, Robinson Njeru - Ndia - PNU - 722514837

  Nkaisserry, Joseph Kasaine - Kajiado Central - ODM - 0721-356786 nkaisserry@wananchi.com

  Nyong’o, Peter Anyang’ - Kisumu Rural - ODM - 0733 454 133 pan@africaonline.co.ke

  Odinga, Raila Amolo - Langata - ODM - 0733 620 736 railaaodinga@yahoo.com

  Oginga, Oburu Bondo - ODM - 0733 818517/ 0724-105493 oburu_oginga@yahoo.com

  Odeke, Sospeter Ojaamongson Amagoro - ODM - 0733 967345 / 0722 813819

  Ojode, Joshua Orwa Ndhiwa - ODM - 0722- 514830 Ojode7@hotmail.com

  Okemo, Chrysanthus Nambale - ODM - 0733-608895 Chrisokemo@yahoo.com

  Olweny, Patrick Ayiecho - Muhoroni - ODM - 0722-734187/0733-784633

  Onyancha, Charles - Bonchari - ODM - 0722-248190 jonyancha2002@yahoo.com

  Oparanya, Wycliffe Ambetsa - Butere - ODM - 0722 521856

  Osebe, Walter Enock Nyambati - Kitutu Masaba - N LP - 0722 724 556

  Poghisio, Samuel Losuron Kacheliba - ODM-K - 0722-520663 / 0734-200836 poghisio@wananchi.com

  Ruto, Samoei William K. - Eldoret North - ODM - 0722 517 997 info@williamrutto.com

  Shaban Naomi Namsi Taveta KANU 0722 814 412

  Shitanda, Peter Soita - Malava - NEW FORD-K - 0721-341241 soita-shitanda@yahoo.com

  Sugow Ahmed Aden Fafi KANU 0721-596726

  Twaha, Yasin Fahim - Lamu West - NARC-K - 0722-925108

  Wekesa, Noah Muhlanganga - Kwanza - PNU - 0722-774374 noahwekesa@hotmail.com

  Were, David Aoko Matungu - ODM - 0722 707548/0733 569180 scorpionwere@yahoo.com

  Wetangula - Moses Makisa Sirisia - PNU - 0722 517 302 / 806 363 mwetangula@hotmail.com

  ATTORNEY GENERAL OF KENYA

  Amos Wako 0722 772 453

• Feed the People Not the Fat Cats

  Posted: March 27, 2008, 12:29 pm by admin

  By Mwalimu Mati

  It is astonishing to hear that some crazy person, or people have suggested
  a Kenya Cabinet size of 44. According to the 2007/8 budget the total cost of running 34 ministries
  this year is Ksh 299.6 billion (an average of Ksh 8 billion per ministry
  per annum). Using the same average cost, 44 Ministries might cost you and
  I about Ksh 387 billion. Are you prepared to fork out another 100 billion
  shillings or so every year to accommodate your Member of Parliament’s
  desire to have a flag and to be called “Waziri”?

  Let’s be clear, MPs were elected to represent us, not to agitate for
  wasteful government expenditure in the name of power sharing. Certainly,
  they are not meant to be inciting Government to spend Ksh 100 billion more
  for no serious purpose beyond contriving to get Mwai Kibaki and Raila
  Odinga to give them sinecures at public expense.

  If you read the 2007/2008 Estimates of Recurring Expenditure of the
  Government of Kenya, you will find that Ksh 100 billion per year is
  equivalent to Kenya’s current annual public debt repayments. Ksh 100
  billion would finance the youth fund for 100 years and the women’s fund
  for 50 years. Ksh 100 billion would build ten 10-lane highways each of 50
  km of length – the distance between Nairobi and Thika. It is twice the
  aid in loans and grants received from bilateral partners for development;
  and four times all the grants Kenya receives from multilaterals such as
  the World Bank.

  We cannot afford to spend Ksh 100 billion this year on a bloated
  government. We have better things to do with our money. What has the GOK
  done about IDPs who are still living in tents and being chased from place
  to place by GOK security personnel whenever they dare to complain about
  their abysmal living conditions? Nothing. What provision is really being
  made for the resettlement and welfare of these unfortunate fellow
  citizens? Your guess is as good as mine. Do the people negotiating the
  size of the Cabinet have even a spare thought for the IDPs? I doubt it.
  Ksh 100 Billion is two times as much as we all lost because of corruption
  in Anglo Leasing. It is twice the amount of money Treasury will raise
  from the sale of public shares in Safaricom. In fact it is equivalent to
  at least 5 years of Safaricom’s profit at 17 billion shillings.

  Kenya needs a good government not a big one. Today noone seriously argues
  that we have a good government in place. In fact, and here I am
  suggesting a vetting methodology for high offices, only 7 of the current
  Ministers would pass the test of not being adversely mentioned in PAC,
  PIC, KACC reports, or adverse court judgements. At over 30 Ministries
  (larger and better paid at top level than any World power) we already have
  a big government. Who is trying to get us to pay more for an even larger
  cabinet? For how long can we continue this way?

  In my opinion, we need no more than 12 Ministries with one Assistant each.
  The rest of the Members of Parliament should represent us as they were
  voted, and are paid quite handsomely, to do from the Back Benches on both
  sides. We need good honest technocrats to run the public service for the
  benefit of the public with minimal political interference by temporary
  ministers. We need to stop pampering politicians who only recently caused
  us all to have the life threatening, or near death experience that we
  euphemistically call the “post election crisis”. On this point many of
  those jostling and lining up for positions at our expense ought properly
  to be investigated for their individual roles in the making of this
  crisis. What were many of them doing in the run-up to the election of
  December 27th 2007? Where were many of them when we needed them to help
  Kenyans? Who has mismanaged our public resources in the past, present and
  in the near future if we don’t stop them? Indeed these are questions we
  should be focusing our energy in answering.

  Our immediate and priority concern should be directed to the poorest and
  not the wealthiest Kenyans. Nearly twenty million Kenyans live on less
  than Ksh 64 per day. That means they will make no more or have no more to
  spend than Ksh 25,000 in a whole year. And that is for families! These
  are the Kenyans we should be spending money on. I would prefer to spend
  100 billion shillings this coming year on poor Kenyans rather than
  continuing to fatten political sacred cows.

  Finally, the only reason such a proposal is even seeing the light of day
  is the fact that despite the clear provisions of section 16 of the
  Constitution, Parliament has never made a law to establish and determine
  the number and portfolios of the Cabinet. Never - in 45 years! Is this
  the reason why there is no outrage from our elected MPs about the abuse of
  authority and culture of sinecures which has persisted in Kenya since the
  days of Jomo Kenyatta?

  [Mzalendo readers what are your views on the Cabinet? What should be the ideal size? What reforms need to be undertaken? ]

Mwalimu: Know. Succeed!

• H1B visa cap in April 1st 2008

  Posted: March 26, 2008, 8:40 pm by admin

  Update: Both the 20,000 and General Cap met by application date. The USCIS issued a final rule for the H1B selection process for FY 2009. (i) Multiple H1B Filings for an Employee by same employer prohibited, but an individual may be the beneficiary of multiple petitions filed by different companies. (ii)The first 20,000 H1B petitions received for foreign [...]

mzalendo :: Eye On Kenyan Parliament

• Sign a petition asking Kenyan MPs to cut their salaries

  Posted: March 25, 2008, 4:35 pm by admin

  Details can be found here.

Since'97 :: David Mugo's Think Lines - Kenyan Politics, Views and Opinions :: A blog by David Mugo

• Hello world!

  Posted: March 21, 2008, 3:44 pm by admin

  This blog is dedicated to the Kenyan, a young youthful politician who has been through life and not spoonfed through the steps of living. It is for the Kenyan who loves Kenya, the one who prays through each day that peace and growth prevails in our beautiful country. It is a new walk…the start of [...]

Hisanet Africa Blog

• Safaricom IPO: General Schedule

  Posted: March 20, 2008, 7:59 pm by admin

  With the confirmation of the Safaricom IPO, these are the facts
  you need to have as an investor;

  IPO Opening Date: March 28th 2008
  IPO Closing Date:   April 23rd 2008
  Price per Share:      Kshs 5.00
  Shares on Offer:      10 Billion
  Target Funds:          Kshs 50 Billion
  Par Value:                 50 cents
  Minimum Shares for local individuals: 2000 Shares.
  Minimum Shares for Corporates: 100,000 Shares.

  Market Value of Company at IPO: Kshs 200 Billion
  Book Value: Kshs 5,813 representing 14% discount
  Market Value at book value: Kshs232.6 Billion
  Trading date in Secondary Market: June 9th 2008.

  Due to the expected rise in demand for the Shilling, strengthening of the
  shilling against other currencies is highly anticipated during this period.
  It is therefore advisable for investors in the Diaspora to consider sending
  in funds sooner before further strengthening of the local currency.

  According to the transaction advisers, the applications for the sale will be online as well as manual; make your choice. The online application is intended to make the whole process more transparent as well as reduce the time spent on processing the applications.

  For online application, investors will be required to log in to www.kenyaipos.co.ke. However, payments will be made to the broker.

  Allocation of the shares is expected to be on a pro-rata basis, meaning that it will be a percentage proportional to the number of shares you apply for.

  Some of the key questions that the offer is raising now are: Given that the number of shares on offer this time round is a massive 10million shares, will investors get a substantial amount of the shares they applied for or is it going to be similar to recent IPO’s where over subscription has led to minimal allocations?

  Another question the IPO is raising is how high the share will go on the first day of trading on 9^th of June. And how will floating of these shares affect other counters at the bourse?

  We recommend a strong buy on this counter

mzalendo :: Eye On Kenyan Parliament

• Parliament in the news

  Posted: March 18, 2008, 5:53 pm by admin

  -MP vows to table Bill to cut MPs salaries. A table showing how Kenyan MPs’ salaries compares with their counterparts in other countries can be found here.

  - MPs lifelong pension to cost Kenyans billions of shillings.

  - Mutahi Ngunyi on why the Accord Bill should be amended.

The Shikwekwes - African Comic Strip - Webcomic

• Luck- When Preparation Meets Opportunity… Sort of

  Posted: March 16, 2008, 4:15 am by admin

  

  Don’t you hate it when luck comes in the way of enjoying a good game?

  

  

Hisanet Africa Blog

• Safaricom IPO: High Anticipation, Market Effect

  Posted: March 14, 2008, 11:56 am by admin

  Anticipation of the Safaricom IPO some time at the end of this month has already caused ripples at the bourse with most investors seeking to sell off their shares.

  The market over the week in review has witnessed a substantial amount of supply of shares, a trend which is expected to prevail in the days culminating to the IPO. Since the political settlement reached two weeks ago, the market has experienced a lot of positive energy, a trend that was expected to spill over into this week.

  Investors who had taken positions at the beginning of the year when prices were very low have managed to take profits after the price surge that was witnessed right after the signing of the power sharing deal. Take for instance the week right after the announcement, the NSE 20 Share index gained a total of 282 points (approx 5%) to settle at 5,354.68 points against the 5072.41 recorded in the previous week.

  However, rumors of the IPO have led investors to sell of their shares, causing most of the counters to dip. The tendency of investors selling to exit their positions ahead of an IPO was witnessed during the Kengen IPO in 2006.

  A preliminary valuation of the company, which is Kenya’s most profitable; put the net worth of the company at Kshs221billion. The pricing of the Kshs55billion sale is expected to be discussed after the actual date is known.

  The unconfirmed reports on the IPO pose a few questions for the investor. For instance, what will the impact of the IPO in the market? How do we expect the secondary market to react once the shares start trading? And most importantly, how far up do we see the share moving once it starts trading?

The Shikwekwes - African Comic Strip - Webcomic

• Ground Rules

  Posted: March 13, 2008, 5:51 am by admin

  

  Once you get to know the rules of the game, cricket can be lots of fun!

  

  

Mwalimu: Know. Succeed!

• UK Skilled Migration (Tier 1 for General Highly Skilled Migrants)

  Posted: March 12, 2008, 11:32 pm by admin

  Starting on 01 April 2008, the HSMP ends for India applicants based in India, and for the rest of the world HSMP ends in summer of 2008. But you can switch to the newer Tier 1. Who can switch into Tier 1 . For those already legally resident in the UK, a switch into Tier 1 [...]

The Shikwekwes - African Comic Strip - Webcomic

• Playing Time

  Posted: March 12, 2008, 6:30 am by admin

  

  According to my trusty old Wiki,

  “Typically, first-class cricket matches are played over three to five days with at least six hours of cricket being played each day. One-day cricket matches last for six hours or more. Cricket therefore has special rules about intervals for lunch, tea and drinks as well as rules about when play starts and ends. ”

  So if you are going for a cricket match, come prepared with some chai and maandazi .

  

  

mzalendo :: Eye On Kenyan Parliament

• List of Nominated MPs for the 10th Parliament

  Posted: March 11, 2008, 2:53 pm by admin

  Orange Democratic Party (ODM)
  Sophia Abdi Noor (Mrs.)
  Millie Grace Akoth Odhiambo (Mrs.)
  Racheal Wambui Shabesh (Mrs.)
  Musa Cherutich Sirma
  Muhamad Dory Mohamad yakub
  Joseph Nyagah

  Party of National Unity
  Maison Leshomo (Ms.)
  Musikari Kombo Nazi
  George Omari Nyamweya

  Orange Democratic Movement-Kenya (ODM-K)
  Shakila Abdalla (Ms.)
  Mohamed Abdi Affey
  
  Kenya African National Union (KANU)
  Amina Abdalla (Ms.)

The Shikwekwes - African Comic Strip - Webcomic

• The Gentleman’s Game

  Posted: March 11, 2008, 5:59 am by admin

  I have always been mystified by this game called cricket.  I don’t think I would have the patience to sit through a whole day of watching grown men knock around a ball with some twigs .

• The Evolution of Stan

  Posted: March 10, 2008, 7:36 am by admin

  

  We are back! Hope to make it work this time

  

  

mzalendo :: Eye On Kenyan Parliament

• Legislative Agenda for the 10th Parliament

  Posted: March 8, 2008, 9:47 pm by admin

  BY MZALENDO REPORTER

  President Kibaki on Thursday March 6, 2008 opened the second session of the tenth Parliament and set a crowded though ambitious agenda for Parliament in the next 5 years. This includes over 20 Bills and a raft of Sessional Papers. Four of the Bills, according to the President, must be accorded top priority by the Coalition government and the whole House in general.

  The top priority Bills are:
  1) the National Accord and Reconciliation Bill
  2) the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill
  3) the Establishment of Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation Commission Bill
  4) the Establishment of the Ethnic Relations Commission of Kenya Bill.

  The National Accord and Reconciliation Bill, perhaps the most urgent, is aimed at putting into legislation the power sharing deal signed by President Kibaki and ODM leader Raila Odinga after one month’s mediation talks chaired by former United Nations chief Kofi Annan. The Bill seeks to create the position of Prime Minister, and two deputy prime ministers. It also seeks to transfer the roles of the head of government from the President to the Prime Minister leaving the president as the head of State. It will also provide clear roles of the new posts as well as criteria of appointing and dismissing the prime minister and the deputies.

  The Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill is aimed at giving Kenyans a new constitution, which has been elusive for over 15 years. PNU and ODM agreed that there will be five stages in the review of the Constitution, in and outside Parliament, culminating to a referendum.

  The Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation Commission Bill seeks to create a special commission mandated to inquire into human rights violations, including those committed by the state, groups, or individuals. This includes but is not limited to politically motivated violence, assassinations, community displacements, settlements, and evictions. The Commission will also inquire into major economic crimes, in particular grand corruption, historical land injustices, and the illegal or irregular acquisition of land, especially as these relate to conflict or violence. Other historical injustices shall also be investigated. The Commission will inquire into such events which took place between December 12, 1963 and February 28, 2008.

  The Ethnic Relations Commission of Kenya Bill on the other hand seeks to establish another commission with the mandate of probing how various communities have related to each others and causes of conflicts amongst them.

  According to President Kibaki, the government is focused on improving market performance of several key commodities. The government has proposed amending the Coffee Act 2001 to provide for direct sales of coffee and to amend the Sugar Act 2001 to restructure the sugar industry. It also plans to introduce bills and Sessional papers covering the dairy, poultry and fishing industries, among others. To boost the tourism industry, the government will be tabling three bills; the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations Guidelines, the Tourism Bill and the Wildlife Bill.

  The government also plans to table a Sessional Paper on Cooperative Development Policy and a bill on Savings and Credit Cooperatives. These are aimed at giving an impetus to the role played by cooperatives in the production and marketing of produce as well as mobilizing savings and providing credit to the majority of Kenyans. The government will also introduce legislation that will regulate the role of non-public entities such as civil society and international education providers as well as propose the establishment of a Technical Industrial Vocation and Entrepreneurial Training Authority. This is inline with implementation of the free primary and free secondary education programmes, which according to the President, require legislation to entrench the reforms in the entire education sector within the country’s laws.

  Entrenching a culture of science, technology and innovation in the society and boosting the country’s dream of Vision 2030 is also in focus. In this relation, the government will introduce a National Policy for Science, Technology and Innovation. It has also proposed a bill to upgrade the National Council of Science and Technology to the National Commission of Science and Technology. On the way as well is a bill that will lead to the creation of the National Science Foundation and National Innovation Agency. To deal with poverty and inequitable development, the government plans to table a Sessional Paper on Cooperative Development Policy and a bill on Savings and Credit Cooperatives.

  In the health sector, the Government has proposed to review the Public Health Act so as to consolidate 23 different Public health laws into a single Act of Parliament. It plans to table policy papers on Health Care Financing, Health Services Commission and Decentralised Funding of Health Facilities. With regard to the youth, the government has proposed amendments to the Armed Forces Act to enable youth trained under the National Youth Service be absorbed in the armed forces. It will also table a bill to provide for the creation of a National Youth Council. Further, the Government will re-table the Sessional Paper on Employment Policy for discussion in the House on the urgent and critical matter of providing enough jobs for young people. With regard to the protection of the family and children, the government has proposed amendments to the Children’s Act 2001 for better implementation. The government also plans to introduce the Information Communication Technology Bill as a regulatory framework for broadcasting, electronic transactions and cyber crime.

  In the water sector, the government will table the National Water Harvesting and Storage Policy to facilitate harnessing and storage of recurrent floodwaters as well as the National Shared Water Resources Policy to promote equitable development of water resources nationally. Government plans also to introduce a policy on the registration of contractors as well as the creation of a national construction company to build capacity among local contractors. It will also introduce legislation touching on the Protection of Road Reserves, Registration of Engineers and Architects as well as Quantity Surveyors.

  With regard to local authorities, the government plans to bring to the House new amendments to the Local Government Act to enable the direct election of mayors and county council chairmen.
  According to President Kibaki, this particular reform is long overdue and this Parliament should deliberate on it as a matter of priority. To ensure proper planning and development of urban areas as well as the proper enforcement of laws and by-laws for regulation of urban development, the government plans to table proposals to set up a National Urban and Metropolitan Areas Authority.

  To promote the development of affordable housing the government will present the Housing Bill and a Landlord and Tenant Bill. The government also plans to table the Organised Crimes Bill to contain the emergence of organized gangs and militias which bode ill for our society. It also plans to table the Anti-money Laundering Bill as well as introduce amendments to the Chief’s Act and Firearms Act.

The Shikwekwes - African Comic Strip - Webcomic

• Jambo to all “The Shikwekwes” Fans!

  Posted: March 8, 2008, 9:41 pm by admin

  A new site re-design plus a bunch of new comic strips coming up!!

  

  

mzalendo :: Eye On Kenyan Parliament

• Text of the National Accord and Reconciliation Act

  Posted: March 8, 2008, 9:06 pm by admin

  Preamble:
  There is a crisis in this country. The Parties have come together in recognition of this crisis, and agree that a political solution is required. Given the disputed elections and the divisions in the Parliament and the country, neither side is able to govern without the other. There needs to be real power sharing to move the country forward.
  A coalition must be a partnership with commitment on both sides to govern together and push through a reform agenda for the benefit of all Kenyans.

  Description of the Act:
  An Act of Parliament to provide for the settlement of the disputes arising from the presidential elections of 2007, formation of a Coalition Government and Establishment of the Offices of Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers and Ministers of the Government of Kenya, their functions and various matters connected with and incidental to the foregoing.
  1. This Act may be cited as the National Accord and Reconciliation Act 2008.
  2. This Act shall come into force upon its publication in the Kenya Gazette which shall not be later than 14 days from the date of Assent.
  3. (l) There shall be a Prime Minister of the Government of Kenya and two Deputy Prime Ministers who shall be appointed by the President in accordance with this section.

  (2) The person to be appointed as Prime Minister shall be an elected member of the National Assembly who is the parliamentary leader of –
  (a) the political party that has the largest number of members in the National Assembly; or
  (b) a coalition of political parties in the event that the leader of the political party that has the largest number of members of the National Assembly does not command the majority in the National Assembly.

  (3) Each member of the coalition shall nominate one person from the elected members of the National Assembly to be appointed a Deputy Prime Minister.

  4.(1) The Prime Minister:
  a) shall have authority to coordinate and supervise the execution of the functions and affairs of the Government of Kenya including those of Ministries;
  b) may assign any of the coordination responsibilities of his office to the Deputy Prime Ministers, as well as one of them to deputise for him;
  c) shall perform such other duties as may be assigned to him by the President or under any written law.
  (2) In the formation of the coalition government, the persons to be appointed as Ministers and Assistant Ministers from the political parties that are partners in the coalition other than the President’s party, shall be nominated by the parliamentary leader of the party in the coalition. Thereafter there shall be full consultation with the president on the appointment of all Ministers. (3) The 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.

  (4) The office of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister shall become vacant only if -
  (a) the holder of the office, resigns or ceases to be a member of the National Assemb1y otherwise than by reason of the dissolution of Parliament; or
  (b) the National Assembly passes a resolution Which is supported by a majority of all the members of the National Assembly excluding the ex-officio members and of which not less than seven days notice has been given declaring that the National Assemb1y has no confidence in the Prime Minister Or Deputy Prime Minister, as the case may he; or
  (c) the coalition is dissolved.

  (5) The removal of any Minister nominated by a parliamentary party of the coalition shall he made only after prior consultation and concurrence in writing with the leader of that party. 5. The Cabinet shall consist of the President, the Vice- President, the Prime Minister, the two Deputy Prime Ministers and the other Ministers.

  6. The coalition shall stand dissolved if:

  (a) the Tenth Parliament is dissolved; or
  (b) the coalition parties agree in writing; or
  (c) one coalition partner withdraws from the coalition by a resolution of the highest decision-making organ of that party in writing.

  7. The prime minister and deputy prime ministers shall be entitled to such salaries, allowances, benefits, privileges and emoluments as may he approved by Parliament from time to time.

  8. This Act shall cease to apply upon dissolution of the tenth Parliament, if the coalition is dissolved, or a new constitution is enacted, Whichever is earlier.

Hisanet Africa Blog

• EABL 6 months results upto 31st Dec 07 (Unaudited)

  Posted: March 5, 2008, 9:22 am by admin

  Business Overview

   

  We have delivered a strong start to this financial year posting a growth of 26% on net turnover and 22% PBT growth in an environment where economic growth was buoyant yet inflationary pressure were high. We have shown strong growth in volume, turnover and profit.

   

   

  We continue to benefit from the additional investments in marketing across the region and this is set to continue in the second half with the launch of Tusker Project Fame 2 among other activities. We have had strong consumer pull in Tanzania and Kenya, which posted 13% and 22% growth respectively, while Uganda was flat. Profitability across the group reflected volumes growth with Kenya up 21%, Uganda flat while Tanzania share of profit was up 20%.

   

   

  Our first half results were not materially affected by the post-election crisis in Kenya as it only impacted the final four days of December 2007. Although in January and February 2008 our volumes were ahead of last year we experienced a slow down in our growth rate. With the political reconciliation arrangements having been entered into, beer and spirits volumes in the region should pick up again for the remaining part of the year.

   

   

  The highlights of the group results are as follows:

   

   

  § Net revenue of KShs 16.1bn (+27%) compared to KShs 12.7bn last year

   

  § Profit before tax of KShs 6.5bn (+22%) compared to KShs 5.3bn last year

   

  § Profit after tax of KShs 4.7bn (+27% compared to KShs 3.7bn last year

   

  § Free cash flow reduced by KShs 0.8bn during H1 to stand at KShs 7.2bn

   

   

  Overall the board considers this as a strong set of results for the Group.

   

   

  Dividend

   

  The directors are pleased to announce an interim dividend of KShs 2.40 per share, which compared to the KShs 2.15 (KShs 1.79 restated) per share paid last year, represents a 34% increase on a restated basis. The total dividend payout is KShs 1.9bn compared to last year at KShs 1.4bn an increase of 34%.

   

   

  The register of members will be closed from 28^th March 2008 to 31^st March 2008, both days inclusive. The interim dividend will be paid on or about 14^th April 2008 to shareholders on the register as at 28^th March 2008.

   

   

  The Group:

   

  Kenya Breweries Ltd

   

  Uganda Breweries Ltd

   

  East Africa Maltings Ltd

   

  Central Glass Industries

   

  UDV (Kenya) Ltd

   

  International Distillers Uganda Ltd

   

  Consolidated Profit and Loss Account
  	Six Months to 31-Dec-07 (KShs ‘M)	Six Months to 31-Dec-06 (KShs ‘M)	Changes %
  Net Revenue	16,089	12,654	27%
  Cost of Sales	(96,153)	(4,536)	36%
  Gross Profit	9,936	8,117	22%
  Other Operating Income (Expense)	85	107	-20%
  Selling and distribution costs	(1,110)	(918)	21%
  Administrative Expenses	(3,235)	(2,556)	27%
  Profit From Operations	5,675	4,750	19%
  Net Finance Income	323	171	89%
  Income from Associate	455	379	20%
  Profit Before Taxation	6,453	5,300	22%
  Profit After Taxation	4,732	3,713	27%
  Minority Interest	(864)	(701)	23%
  Net Profit	3,869	3,013	28%
  Basic EPS (Dec 06 restated)	4.89	3.81	28%
  Interim DPS paid (Dec 06 restated)	2.40	1.79	34%

   

  Beer Volumes up 19% (440K HLS) Spirits Volumes Up 22% (150K 9L Cases) Net Turnover Up 27% (3.4bn KSh) Marketing Spend Up 21% (200m KSh)

  Profit Before Tax Up 22% (1.2bn Ksh) Profit After tax Up 27% (1bn KSh) Earnings Per Share Up 28% Interim Dividend Up 34%

• Uchumi out of the woods with 63M in profit

  Posted: March 2, 2008, 1:24 pm by admin

  On 31^st May 2006 the Board and Management of Uchumi Supermarkets Ltd. Passed a resolution to cease trading and the company operations were shut down, a closure that lasted from June 1, to July 14, 2006. Following the decision, the company’s secured debenture holders were compelled to appoint Receiver Managers on June 2, 2006. Subsequently, stakeholders that included GOK, the debenture-holders, unsecured creditors and a few Uchumi shareholders spearheaded a Framework Agreement (FA) governing Uchumi revival route.

   

   

  On July 14, 2006 the debenture holders under the FA appointed a Specialized Receiver Manager (SRM) who commenced reopening Uchumi retail branches for operations on July 15, 2006 with the last branch of the fourteen reopened being done on Feb 9, 2007. The SRM in consultation with an Advisory Committee crafted The Uchumi Rescue Plan (URP) that is at an advanced stage of implementation, and the successful turnaround is pinned on the URP among others.

   

   

  The 2005/6 performance highlights relative to the previous year were the declining sales revenue (by 31.7%), downswing in trading margins and customer numbers, and increased debt carrying capacity resulting in higher financing costs and a recorded annual loss of Shs 751 million, culmination in to a closure of operation by end May 2006.

   

   

  The operating REVIVAL year 2006/7 marked an upswing in sales revenue, and trading margins by 27% and 22.8% respectively compared to the previous year. These were despite operating fewer branches for fewer months in the year. The positive results were attributed to the implementation of the URP that included the successful re-launch of the brand and refocused and redefined core purpose and business objective. Further, in line with the FA, the business substantially met its bargain in corporate obligations to the pre-receivership creditors and current suppliers. The operating costs included one-off exit costs on facilities that were regarded as unviable to operate. The resultant performance was reduced loss of Shs 256 million from Shs 751 million in previous year.

   

   

  The six months from July to December 2007 of the current operating year is a remarkable period as effects of the URP are realized. The turnaround from loss to profitability of Shs 63 million was recorded with steady decrease in loss from Sh 4.17 and Shs 1.43 per share for 2006 and 2007 respectively to profit of Sh 0.35 per share in the first six months in 2007/8. The balance sheet in terms of increased total assets and decreased current liability in the period strengthened in line with the improvement in profitability.

   

   

  The positive outlook is pegged on completion of implementation of the blue print URPO including invitation of strategic equity partners, and the planned business growth in all strategic adjacencies. These will be coupled with roadmap to lifting of receivership and application for readmission to NSE, all expected in the middle of 2008.

  UCHUMI SUPERMARKETS LTD (IN RECEIVERSHIP) CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT
  	UNAUDITED JULY-DEC 07	AUDITED JUNE 2007	AUDITED JUNE 2006
  	KShs ‘000	KShs ‘000	KShs ‘000
  Net Sales	3,422,376	4,503,241	3,551,833
  Cost of Sales	(2,790,350)	(3,694,845)	(2,907,847)
  Gross Profit	632,027	808,396	643,986
  Other Income	69,921	155,298	141,500
  EXPENSES
  Admin & Establish	(494,791)	(1,019,791)	(1,314,510)
  Selling & Distrib	(48,079)	(48,339)	(54,202)
  	(524,871)	(1,068,130)	(1,368,712)
  Profit (Loss) – Ops	159,077	(104,436)	(583,226)
  Finance Costs	(96,003)	(152,124)	(167,854)
  Profit (Loss) before tax	63,075	(255,560)	(751,080)
  Taxation	-	-	-
  Profit (Loss) after tax	63,075	(255,560)	(751,080)
  Profit (Loss) per share	0.35	(1.43)	(4.17)
  CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET
  Assets
  Non-current assets	763,199	820,220	1,004,007
  Current Assets	937,327	763,537	487,117
  Total Assets	1,700,526	1,583,757	1,491,124
  Shareholder’s Equity & Liabilities
  Capital and Reserves	(1,007,937)	(1,071,012)	(813,072)
  Non current Liabilities
  Terms Loans	1,597,950	1,597,950	802,472
  Current Liabilities	1,110,514	1,056,819	1,501,724
  Total S/Holders Fund & Liab	1,700,526	1,583,757	1,491,124

• Financial results and market reaction

  Posted: February 21, 2008, 4:39 pm by admin

  Quite a number of firms have released their financial results; EAC, BBK, Access, Total and many more are expected. All have registered positive growth but it seems like the market reaction isn’t in tandem with the results; what’s in the investors minds?

   

  Take a look at Access Kenya; it delivered strong financial results by three-fold with after-tax profit of Kshs 150mn with the turnover hitting the billion mark, all these besides a proposed dividend of Kshs 0.30. A day after the results are announced; the share price declined by Kshs 0.50. The company is at the same time meeting it’s set out strategies by expanding into more towns using wireless network

   

  Barclays bank on the other hand; the most profitable bank in the region posted 9% increase in it’s pre-tax profits and has an impressive balance sheet that stands at Kshs 157bn from the previous Kshs 117bn. A dividend payout of Kshs 1.65 should definitely pull in the long-term investors.

   

  Why then, are we having a slight drop in the share prices?

Mwalimu: Know. Succeed!

• Hello world!

  Posted: February 18, 2008, 8:51 pm by admin

  Mwalimu will be back!

The Kenyan Stories Community

• Our New Home

  Posted: February 4, 2008, 1:23 pm by admin

  We are now at http://kenyanstories.blogspot.com Check our new home out now. Cheers!

mzalendo :: Eye On Kenyan Parliament

• Parliament resumes 15th January

  Posted: January 17, 2008, 1:20 pm by admin

  By Mzalendo REPORTER

  January 15, 2008, which was the first day of the first session of the 10th Parliament. ODM’s candidate Mr. Kenneth Otiato Marende, 52, was pronounced Speaker in a theatric session that lasted for more than seven hours. ODM’s Mr. Farah Maalim also won the Deputy Speaker’s seat handing the opposition double victory against the government’s side controlled by President Mwai Kibaki.

  Former speaker Mr. Francis ole Kaparo was backed by President Kibaki and his Party of National Unity MPs and their colleagues in affiliate parties. Marende, however, beat Kaparo garnering 105 votes against Mr. Kaparo’s 101, during the three rounds race.
  In the first round Marende won after garnering 103 votes, Kaparo 99 votes while former Kibwezi MP Kalembe Ndile had 2. The only female candidate Njoki Ndungu had 0 votes, just like former Nyeri MP Wanyiri Kihoro. In the second round, Marende managed to get 104 votes to Kaparo’s 102. Wanyiri Kihoro this time round managed a single vote. Voting then moved to the third stage which requires a simple majority win.
  For a candidate to win in the first round of voting, he or she must garner two-thirds majority or 148 MPs of the entire composition of Parliament. But if no candidate qualifies at this stage, the process enters the second round but here only two candidates are voted for. These are two candidates who would have garnered most of the votes during round one. For one to be declared winner in round two, he or she must garner two-thirds majority or 148 MPs of the entire composition of Parliament-just like in round one.
  If no candidate qualifies at this stage, the process enters the third round and the candidate who gets a simple majority is declared the Speaker of National Assembly.

  The whole session, which started at 2.30 pm and lasted till past midnight was characterised by angry exchanges between members of the opposition and those from the government‘s side. As the session was about to start, the Opposition side wildly cheered and rose in honour of its leader Raila Odinga as he entered the chambers accompanied by Pentagon member, Mr. Najib Balala. Raila has insisted he won the December 27 general election. Opposition MPs had originally planned to sit on government benches but they did not live to their threat. Raila took the seat reserved for the leader of the opposition.
  His followers, some sporting orange handkerchiefs in their breast pockets, declined to stand up as President Kibaki entered the chamber – sending a clear message to him that they do not regard his election as valid. Only the Government side rose for Kibaki, as he walked towards the seat reserved for the Head of State-a couple of steps from where Raila was occupying the official opposition seat.

  The election of Speaker was first thrown into disarray after ODM objected to the secret ballot system saying it provided the government’s side with an opportunity to rig.
  Ugenya MP, Mr. James Orengo fired the first salvo and challenged the Clerk of National Assembly Samuel Ndindiri that the Standing Orders do not restrict members to voting by secret ballot as he had prescribed. But the government’s side remained firm arguing that secret ballot was the legal way of electing a speaker and that it has been the practice is all Parliaments across the word under Commonwealth.Mr. Ndindiri, who was conducting the whole process, had a rough time in controlling the MPs. President Kibaki on his part watched in disbelief. Those who also took the floor from the ODM side objecting to the secret ballot method included Eldoret North MP William Ruto, Prof Anyang Nyongo (Kisumu Rural) and William Ole Ntimama (Narok North). “We went through (national) elections with a secret ballot, and you stole the vote,” Ruto said insisting that the vote for the Speaker could be rigged too in a secret ballot.

  Attorney General Amos Wako, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, Justice and constitutional affairs minister Martha Karua and Mbooni MP Mutula Kilonzo on the other side defended the secret ballot system calling on the clerk not to allow being “coaxed” by the opposition. “We hope and we expect that eventually everybody will come to their senses, realise that we’ve got to learn to live with each other,” Karua said as she pushed for secret ballot. “The Speaker has to be fair. Standing Orders mention no secret ballot but it has been a tradition that the House has always followed,” said Mr. Wako.

  Mukurweini MP Mr. Kabando wa Kabando (Safina) caused a stir when he claimed that some ODM MPs had been threatened by Mr. Ruto that violence would be unleashed against them if they supported the government’s side. He claimed that ODM was rejecting the secret ballot system so that it can monitor who amongst its members side with the government. The secret ballot however carried the day leading to Marende’s election as Speaker and Maalim as the deputy.

  Even after voting and electing speaker and his deputy, there was yet another hurdle for the House. ODM wanted the Speaker to rule in their favour that they should not take an oath swearing their allegiance to the President. The speaker however ruled that as per Standing Orders, an MP has to swear allegiance to the President. Some ODM MPs including Ababu Namwamba (ODM-Budalangi) however still objected. Raila and Nyongo are among the ODM MPs who declined to swear allegiance to the President instead swearing to the Republic of Kenya.

• Kenyan Pundit is down

  Posted: December 31, 2007, 12:36 pm by admin

  Hi everyone, Kenyan Pundit is down. Don’t want to post from here in case they shut this down too.

  Still trying to verify that it is not a technical issue but all indications are that I’ve been hacked. I can’t post or moderate comments.

  Will try to set up an alternative blog as soon as possible.

  Please spread the word.

• 30 Dec 2:00 Update

  Posted: December 30, 2007, 6:04 pm by admin

  We’re now up to 164 members. Sorry again about the delay — people have to sleep, eat, etc.

  We’ve also added a facility to view the seat distribution, accessible from the navigation bar on the left hand side.

  

  This will allow you to see the number of members each party has.

  

  You can further drill down further to see these members.

  

  We’ll update the official results as soon as we get them from the ECK

• 9:00 Update

  Posted: December 28, 2007, 11:30 pm by admin

  We’re now up to 95 constituencies, view the latest list here

  BTW guys need to relax a bit on the requests for updates. We’re doing the best we can with our staff of two, and my laptop rapidly (and I do mean rapidly) approaching its deathbed. I was last in bed on Wednesday.

• 3:00 Update

  Posted: December 28, 2007, 4:05 pm by admin

  Mzalendo now has the results for 64 Constituencies. For the complete up to date list click here

• More parliamentary results

  Posted: December 28, 2007, 3:40 pm by admin

  The latest results (it’s been interesting to see how sentiments expressed by Kenyans on Mzalendo are being reflected in the results).

  - Kajiado North - counting suspended due to electoral misconducted, some ballot boxes not sealed properly and others found empty. Sakuda was losing last night, but Saitoti suddenly started picking up this am.

  - Garsen - counting also suspended due to chaos after a helicopter landed at the counting station with 12 unaccompanied ballot boxes. The crowd destroyed the 12 boxes and started going after the boxes that had already been counted, they had to be dispersed with tear gas.

  - Kibwezi - Kalembe out

  - Budalangi - Ababu Namambwa in

  - All Moi sons out. Raymond lost to Luka Kigen.

  - Mt Elgon - Kapondi out

  - Kulundu out

  - Kabete - Muite out, Nguyai in

  - Nyakach - Pollins Onyango in

  - North Imenti - Mwiraria out

  - Sotik - Lorna Labasi in (women doing well in Rift Valley)

  - Kipiriri - Kimunya in

  - Ntimama in

  - Cherangany - Kirwa out

  - Belgut - Charles Ketel in

• 1:00 Update

  Posted: December 28, 2007, 3:06 pm by admin

  We have the results for some 34 Constituencies. View the results here

  10 former cabinet ministers so far have lost their steats. These include VP Awori, Mwiraria, Kombo, Kulundu, and Kagwe

• 2:00 Update

  Posted: December 28, 2007, 3:06 pm by admin

  Mzalendo now has the results for 47 Constituencies. For the complete up to date list click here

  Highlights

  - All of Moi’s sons have lost
  - Minister Munyao has been defeated

• Prelimiary Results

  Posted: December 28, 2007, 1:52 pm by admin

  Mzalendo will continuously update to give you the preliminary results of the parliamentary aspirants. For an up to date list go here MP Listing

• Preliminary Results for Parliamentary Seats (28th Dec 4:00 am)

  Posted: December 28, 2007, 6:26 am by admin

  Been waiting for some decent MP results for most of the night, because I think they will be far more interesting than the Presidential results and of course because of Mzalendo. Here’s what I have so far again via NTV. Lots of surprises - Kisii, Western and Central very interesting. Again keep in mind these are very preliminary.

  - Westlands - very tight between Tett 43% and Gumo 41%, Mueke is sitting at 16%.

  - Langata - Raila 60%, Livondo 40%

  - Mvita - Balala 63%, Taib 29%

  - Matuga - Mwakere 39%, Mwanyoha 31%

  - Mwatata - Mwatela 51%, Madoka 33%

  - Saku - Waqo is leading.

  - Nithi - Mbiuki is leading

  - Siakago - Lenny Kivuti

  - Tetu - Francis Nyammu by far

  - Kieni - Warugongo by far

  - Mukurueni - Kagwe 63%, Kabando 36% (was supposed to be a tight one)

  - Nyeri Town - Mathenge in the lead

  - Mwea - Peter Njunguna in the lead

  - Gichugu - Karua 57%, Jackson Gutu 40%

  - Kiharu - Ngenye Kariuki over Kembi Gituara

  - Juja - Thuo 50%, Kabogo 23%

  - Kiambaa - Githunguri - 79%, Karume 21%

  - Keiyo North - Chepiktony in the lead

  - Keiyo South - Kiptoon 68% over Biwott 30%

  - Eldama Ravine - Lessonet leading over Jonathan Moi

  - Laikipia East - Letai over Kiunjuri

  - Narok South - Lankas over Ntutu

  - Kajiado - Sakuda over Saitoti by big margin

  - Boment - Kones over Salat

  - Malava - Soita Shitanda leading

  - Butere - Oparanya leading.

  - Kimilili - Murungu leading, Kituyi third

  - Sirisia - John Koyi over Wetangula (close race)

  - Butula - Alfred Bwire leading

  - Funyula - Nyongesa over Moody (very close though)

  - Alego - Edwin Yinda leading

  -Gem - Midiwo leading

  - Rarieda - Gumbo 80%, Tuju 20%

  - Kisumu Rural - Anyang Nyong’o 96%

  - Rangwe - Martin Ogindo leading

  - Kuria - Shadrack Manga over Machage

  - South Mugirango - Ayiema over Magara

  - Bobasi - Obure over Manoti

  - Nyaribari Chache - Monda over Nyachae

  - Kisauni - Joho over Mwaboza

  - Kitutu Chache - Angwenyi over Onyonka

• Election Day Dec 2007

  Posted: December 27, 2007, 5:33 pm by admin

  You’ve looked up your MP’s records on Mzalendo, you’ve made comments on their performance, you’ve weighed in on the aspirants, now let us know how you voting day went - any issues? mood on the ground?

  Please leave a comment.

• Highlights of KNHCR findings regarding misuse of public resources in the election campaigns

  Posted: December 18, 2007, 11:19 pm by admin

  The KNCHR has so far covered at least eighty (80) campaign rallies and related
  events across the country. In this four key areas of focus, the KNCHR has
  discovered a worrying trend of blatant violations of the electoral code of conduct
  amongst other malpractices. Below is a summary of the key findings:

  a) MISUSE AND MISAPPROPRIATION OF PUBLIC RESOURCES
  Section 6 (i) of the Electoral Code of Conduct requires that candidates refrain from
  any attempt to abuse positions of power, privilege or influence for political
  purposes, including any offer of reward or threat of penalty. In this respect, use of
  state resources to campaign for particular candidates is a clear breach of the Code
  of Conduct.

  Further, the use of state resources for partisan political campaigns offends Section 15
  (1) of the Public Officer Ethics Act, which requires public officers to ensure that
  property entrusted to their custody is adequately protected and not misused or
  misappropriated. Using Government vehicles for partisan political activity is
  therefore an electoral offence. Ministers and Assistant Ministers wishing to campaign
  should use party or personal resources and not abuse their positions of political
  power, privilege and influence to secure undue political advantage for their
  preferred candidate.

  While it is very clear that electoral campaigns ARE NOT official government
  business, KNCHR has found substantial evidence of misuse of public resources in
  partisan political campaigns. These mainly included the use of government vehicles
  and government aircrafts to conduct campaigns.
  Our monitors spotted over 141 government vehicles and two aircrafts. The KNCHR is
  in the process of obtaining particulars of other forty (40) vehicles bearing civilian
  registration plates but highly suspected to be government vehicles. (See attached
  photographs of the vehicles Annex 1 and List of vehicles Annex 4).
  The use of government resources for partisan political engagements is a blatant
  misuse of tax-payers money. It is the position of the KNCHR that there can never be
  any justification whatsoever for using public resources to conduct partisan political
  campaigns, especially given the fact that such campaigns are essentially unofficial and private party business.

  b) PARTICIPATION OF PUBLIC OFFICERS IN THE CAMPAIGNS
  Section 16 (1) of the Public Officer Ethics Act states that A public officer shall not, in
  or in connection with the performance of his duties as such-
  a) Act as an agent for, or so as to further the interest of a political party, or
  b) Indicate support for or opposition to any political party or candidate in an
  election
  Sub section (2) provides that A public officer shall not engage in political activity
  that may compromise or be seen to compromise the political neutrality of his office.
  The prohibition against public servants getting involved in politics is further
  reinforced by Section 17b (1) of the National Assembly and Presidential Elections
  Act, which provides that no public officer shall-
  a) Engage in the activities of any political party or act as an agent of any such
  party
  b) Publicly indicate support for or opposition against any party or candidate
  participating in an election
  Sub section (2) provides that any public officer contravening this requirement is
  guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding Kshs 50,000/- or to
  imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or both.
  The KNCHR is concerned by the continued involvement of high-ranking government
  officers in electoral campaigns. A notable example is the Presidential Advisory
  Board (PAB) and the Presidential Elections Board (PEB), strategy groups for
  President Kibaki s re-election campaign, which comprises of numerous high ranking
  public officers including:
  a. Joe Wanjui (Chancellor, University of Nairobi)
  b. Nathaniel Kang ethe (Director, Kenya Revenue Authority (KAA)
  c. George Muhoho (Managing Director, Kenya Airports Authority (KPA)
  d. Eddy Njoroge (Managing Director, Kengen)
  e. Titus Mbathi (Chairperson Kengen)
  f. James Kimonye (Managing Director, Kenya Meat Commission (KMC)
  g. Professor Nick Wanjohi (Vice Chancellor, Jomo Kenyatta University
  Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT)

  In addition to the above-cited cases, the KNCHR is following up on numerous
  allegations of involvement of the provincial administration and other civil servants,
  including teachers in partisan political campaigns.
  KNCHR reiterates that public officers must remain non-partisan in the electoral
  process and not engage in partisan political activity through acts that could
  compromise their political neutrality.

  c) INCITEMENT AND INCIDENCES OF VIOLENCE
  • Electoral violence
  Electoral violence remains a big challenge in Kenya s electoral process.
  Widespread electoral violence has led to loss of lives, injuries, internal
  displacements and immense destruction and loss of property. Additionally,
  thousands of Kenyans are at a risk of being disenfranchised following violent
  displacements targeting particular ethnic groups especially those perceived to be
  politically incorrect.

  Other forms of electoral violence stem from differences in opinion when supporters
  of competing parties and/or candidates violently confront each other. This kind of
  violence was witnessed in various parts of the country when the Party of National
  Unity (PNU) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) supporters clashed in
  campaign rallies (see attached Incidents summary-Annex 2).
  Widespread violence was also witnessed during parliamentary and civic party
  nominations the November 16th 2007.

  At least seventy (70) people have been reported dead since July 2007, in election
  have been reported dead since July 2007, in election related violence during campaign rallies and ethnic clashes. Over 2,000 familieshave fled their homes in Kuresoi and Mt Elgon for fear of further attacks as the violence spread to various parts of the
  constituencies.
  Following the displacements, over 20,000 registered voters are at the risk of being
  disenfranchised.
  • Police Response
  Whereas the police have in some instances been fairly responsive to incidences of
  electoral violence, the KNCHR is nonetheless concerned by the failure of the police
  to contain the recurrent acts of violence. This was the case in Kuresoi and Mt Elgon
  where information on impending attacks had been relayed to the police several
  days before actual violence erupted, but no immediate action was taken.
  Between 20/7/07 and 25/11/07, the KNCHR contacted the police after receiving
  information of impending attacks from our monitors and residents of Kuresoi and
  Mt.Elgon.
  An illustrative case is the fresh wave of violence that erupted in Kuresoi on 28/11/07
  leading to several deaths and massive internal displacement.
  Two days before the attack, the KNCHR, contacted the Police and the Provincial
  Administration in Rift Valley after receiving information that groups of youths
  suspected to be raiders had been spotted in Tiloa Forest.
  At the time, raiders struck Murinduko village on the morning of 28/11/07, there were
  only two police officers. The officers were reportedly overwhelmed by the over 100
  armed raiders who launched concurrent attacks from different directions. Two
  people were killed by the raiders while scores of others sustained fatal injuries.

  It is instructive to note that the attacks took place when President Mwai Kibaki was
  addressing campaign rallies in the neighbouring Molo constituency.
  The KNCHR was informed by KNCHR monitors on the ground that most of the police
  officers in the area (including all senior police officers) had been deployed to
  provide security at the presidential rallies.

  • Impunity
  The Commission is immensely concerned by the levels of impunity with which
  senior government officers continue to engage in campaign acts that violate the law.
  In our first report, the KNCHR called for action against the Minister for Roads, Hon
  Simeon Nyachae for his role in the Kisii violence against ODM leaders on 21/9/07.
  No known action has been taken.

  On 25/11/07, a government vehicle (White Mitsubishi Pajero, GK A545H) (See
  vehicle in Annex 1) assigned to the Assistant Minister for Water, Raphael
  Wanjala, was impounded in Naivasha carrying assorted crude weapons. The
  weapons included 100 pangas, whips, bows and arrows and 70 Somali swords. Also
  found in the car were President Mwai Kibaki s campaign posters and those of Mr
  Wanjala. No known action has been taken against Hon Wanjala regarding this
  incident. In another incident, weapons were impounded in a vehicle belonging to Hon Bifwoli
  Wakoli, former member of parliament for Bumula. To date, no known action has
  been taken against Mr Wakoli.

  • Intimidation of rival candidates by ‘powerful’ incumbents.
  The Commission has received reports that powerful incumbent politicians are using
  their positions of influence to intimidate and threaten their opponents and
  supporters. The Commission is investigating persistent complaints of this nature from Kangema,
  Kiharu, Mathioya,Starehe and Mukurwe-ini constituencies.
  The KNCHR wishes to particularly mention repeated threats and/or attacks to
  parliamentary candidates Ngenye Kariuki (Kiharu), Kimani Mugo (Kangema),
  Kabando wa Kabando (Mukurweini) and Bishop Margaret Wanjiru (Starehe).

  Violence Against Women
  While commending the unprecedented huge turnout of women aspirants in this
  year s General Elections, the KNCHR notes with grave concern the spiraling wave of
  violence targeting women candidates and their supporters. This kind of violence is
  calculated at intimidating women candidates and scaring them away from the
  political field. Ms Alice Onduto, a parliamentary aspirant for Lugari Constituency who lost in the
  nominations was shot dead while on her way home to Nairobi s South C estate on
  1/12/07. Her assailants have not been apprehended.
  At least 30 women Parliamentary and Civic Aspirants have been attacked or
  threatened since July. The KNCHR is concerned that the police have not instituted sufficient measures to
  protect women candidates in view of their vulnerability.

  (D) HATE SPEECH, DISTORTION, INFLAMMATORY, DEFAMATORY AND
  UNSAVOURY UTTERANCES
  Hate Speech is defined as any written/spoken material, any image or any other
  representation of ideas or theories, which stigmatises, insults, stereotypes,
  advocates, promotes or incites hatred, discrimination or violence, against any
  individual or group of individuals, based on race, colour, descent or national or
  ethnic origin, as well as political affiliation and religion if used as pretext for any of
  these factors. Use of hate speech is outlawed in national and international human
  rights law since such speech contributes to intolerance, discrimination, xenophobia
  and violence.
  Although there has been a slight decrease in overt use of hate speech during
  campaign rallies, use of covert hate speech, defamatory and unsavoury language
  continues unabated. (See attachment for sample incidences-Annex 1))
  Unfortunately, Kenyans continue to condone and cheer hate speech and have
  themselves become active agents of proliferation of hate campaign against
  politicians and fellow Kenyans.
  The KNCHR is disturbed by the escalating use of SMS and email disseminating hate
  messages against particular candidates and other communities.
  The KNCHR has chosen not to publish, in this report, the numerous emails and SMS
  texts so as to avoid the unintended effect of further dissemination of hate speech.

  However, the KNCHR shall forward the hate texts and emails to the relevant
  authorities, including the ECK and Attorney General for action.
  The KNCHR regrets the failure by the ninth parliament to enact the proposed
  legislation against hate speech that would have criminalized the use of such
  language and to protect the Kenyan citizens against belligerent politicians and
  individuals.
  Another issue of major concern is the distribution of leaflets, which have the
  potential of exciting hate passions and causing violence amongst communities and
  supporters of parties and candidates across the divide.

• Rarieda Constituency Profile (Part 2)

  Posted: December 13, 2007, 9:51 pm by admin

  By Mzalendo Reporter
  *This profile was written before the nominations process was conducted.

  During the year 2002 general elections Tuju garnered 15,949 against :”Malo Malo’s” 5,427 and Odindo 94 and the late Odiek Songa’s 367 votes. Malo is touted as one of the most credible challengers to Tuju. He comes from central Asembo just like Engineer Nicholas Gumbo and same as Tuju giving the voters a hard task to decide who among them to be left given that they are all “our sons”.

  This is the second time Malo Malo will be making a go for the seat. During the last general elections, he defected from the Narc party and joined the then James Orengo’s fronted Social Democratic Party where came second beating