The Nation (Kenya) articles from April 2011, page 2

The Nation (Kenya) archives from April 2011

Attorney General Orders Police to Investigate Ocampo Six.
April 26, 2011... Byline: Bernard Namunane Attorney-General Amos Wako has ordered that the Ocampo Six be investigated over the post election violence. Mr Wako wrote to Police Commissioner Matthew Iteere two weeks ago directing him to include the suspects in...

Justice Msagha, the Lawyers' Judge, Has Steered Away From Controversy.
April 26, 2011... Byline: George Kegoro Whether or not he is appointed to the position of Chief Justice, for which he has applied, Justice Amraphael Mbogholi Msagha has already derived a personal benefit from the new Constitution. On October 8, 2010, he was...

Mobile Operators Go After the Rich Rural Data Market.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Jevans Nyabiage Mobile phone operators are targeting county governments in the race for the rural market to grow their data businesses. And e-health and e-learning value-added services will be the next battlefront for telcos seeking...

In New Economic Era, State Financiers Fight for Relevance.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Winsley Masese What do Haco Industries, Kuguru Foods, Mastermind, East Africa Spectre Ltd, Makiga Engineering Services, Dodi Body Builders, and Kevian (maker of Afia and Pick and Peel juices) have in common? They are not just...

Donor Pressure On Sugar Firms Sale.
April 25, 2011... Development partners are unhappy with the slow pace of privatising government-owned sugar millers, which was expected to inject efficiency needed to survive in the competitive global market. Stakeholders have cast doubt over the speed of...

In Nation's Banking, Big Remains Beautiful.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Justus Ondari Kenya boasts 43 commercial banks. But this money industry, it turns out, is dominated by just half a dozen players who control most of the activities - from customer deposits, assets and profits. According to a new...

Meeting to Inform Firm's Owners of Planned Sale.
April 25, 2011... Shareholders of Pan African Insurance Holdings will know the progress of the intended sale of a stake held by its subsidiary, PA Securities Ltd in APA Insurance at their annual meeting scheduled for next month. According to the financial...

Nation Loses Heavily in Global Theft of Flora And Fauna, Says New Report.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Mwangi Muiruri Kenya is among African nations losing billions of shillings through bio-pirates, an international report indicates, as the world observes the Intellectual Property Day on Tuesday. Bio-pirates are international...

Ban Foreign Trips And Freeze Perks to Cut Costs, Says MPs.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Caroline Wafula Two assistant ministers want MPs and ministers banned from foreign travel and allowances frozen until the government acts on the rising cost of living. They are also demanding that systems of public enterprise funds...

Parties to Face Off Over New Officials for Lobby.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Peter Leftie PNU and ODM will renew their rivalry on Thursday at the election of new officials of a lobby funded by parties to promote democracy. The struggle to control the Centre for Multi-party Democracy (CMD) has also stoked...

U.S. to Join Local Battle Against Fake Products.
April 25, 2011... The United States has pledged to work with Kenya in the battle against counterfeits. Outgoing US ambassador Michael Ranneberger said Kenya was lagging behind in protecting intellectual property rights. The Anti-Counterfeit Act was passed...

Man in 2.6 Kg Cocaine Case in Court.
April 25, 2011... A man allegedly found with 2.6kg of cocaine worth Sh9.6 million will be charged in court on Tuesday. Mr Franco Ouma Sande was arrested on Muindi Mbingu Street in Nairobi where he is said to have gone to deliver the drugs. The cocaine is...

Visitors Flock to National Park.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Elizabeth Wanjiru and John Njagi Lake Nakuru recorded an impressive number of local tourists during the Easter holiday. In an effort to attract more visitors, the park's management provided subsidised transport to and from Nakuru...

Ex-Addict Waging War Against Drug Abuse.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Galgalo Bocha Heroin abuse put 42-year-old Salim Said through misery. Eight years as a drug addict, he says, was a thin line between life and death. The recovering ex-addict has untold memories of his days as a heroin user, a path...

Hospitals On the Spot Over Deaths.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Gatonye Gathura Private hospitals are under attack from social media users over recent reports of 'healthy' women dying during childbirth. Never before has so much anger been directed at private hospitals in Kenya than in recent...

Harambee Rule Led to Poverty, Truth Team Told.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Issa Hussein The spirit of harambee was misused during President Moi's regime resulting in high poverty levels and injustices against Mandera residents, the Truth Commission heard on Monday. Residents told of how their livestock...

Police Face Uphill Task in Drugs War As Barons Fight Back And Change Tack.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Anthony Kitimo and Philip Muyanga Mombasa and other coastal towns have earned Kenya a bad name as a major route for heroin and cocaine to other local markets in the country. The town has also been hardest hit by drug addiction...

Sh1.6 Billion Sugar Import Scam Unearthed.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Patrick Mayoyo and Gitonga Marete The Kenya Sugar Board has unearthed a multi-billion shilling sugar importation racket at the Mombasa port in which the government could have lost more than Sh1.6 billion in revenue. Initial...

When Parliament Turned Into Sodom.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Joe Khamisi On February 11, 2002, the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) -- the body that oversees the welfare of MPs and staff -- appointed a tribunal to review and make recommendations on the terms and conditions of service for...

MPs Play With Fire in Poll Team Debate.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Bernard Namunane and Peter Leftie MPs will on Tuesday debate an issue which could determine whether the next election is peaceful or if the country will face another meltdown. The law establishing the Independent Electoral and...

After Judges, Let's Vet Our Political Aspirants.
April 25, 2011... For far too long MPs have been accused of corruption every time there's a vote on a crucial Bill or Motion. And the response has been almost canonical: Show us the evidence. Now we have it on record from a former MP, and the evidence is as...

Nurture Young Talent.
April 25, 2011... The talent shown at the recently-concluded school games underscores the need for every sports federation to put in place a strong youth structure to help tap and develop that talent. While schools focus on academics, sports federations should...

Serialised Articles On Judges Are Skewed.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Fred Ngatia In the recent past, lawyer George Kegoro has written articles which are held out as a factual treatise on the persons shortlisted for the position of Chief Justice. It is elementary that an article which pretends to be...

The Hague Can Redeem This Country From the Banality of Ethnic Conflict.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Angeyo H. Kalambuka The post-election violence was not only a tragic witness to the banality of ethnic evil, it was also a reminder that it is in vain that the elite regard themselves to be above savagery. Luckily, it never reached...

Kamukunji Aspirant's Aide Carjacked in City.
April 25, 2011... A campaign manager of a Kamukunji constituency parliamentary aspirant was on Monday morning carjacked. However, the unidentified gang members later released Mr Harun Mohammed. The ODM candidate, Mr Ibrahim 'Johnnie' Ahmed, suspects he was...

Congo's Selebwa Has the Last Laugh.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Odindo Ayieko Robert Matano became the second coaching casualty after AFC Leopards were stunned 1-0 by Congo United on Sunday, the debutant Mombasa club's first Kenyan Premier League win of the season. It has been an uphill...

Police Arrest Varsity Students, Rob Vaisakhi Trophy From Them.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Ayumba Ayodi Kenya Police (men) and Telkom Orange (women) on Monday displayed class to retain their Vaisakhi International tournament titles at the City Park Hockey Stadium. The champions chalked up dazzling shows especially in the...

Great Tournament in Nakuru But Room Left for Improvement.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Charles Ouko Strathmore RFC captain Brian Okwomi led his troops from the front, but like his predecessor from a year ago, Davis Nyarige, he could not emerge as undisputed champion of the Great Rift 10-a-side rugby tournament. Kenya...

Plan to Resettle IDPs Put On Hold As Views of Local Leaders Sought.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Bernard Kwalia The government has put on hold the resettlement of 255 families from Rongai to enable leaders to resolve the controversy surrounding the plans. North Rift deputy provincial commissioner Wilson Wanyanga held talks...

Obama Suffered Racist Abuse, Says Biography.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Kevin J Kelley Most narratives about the parents of the president of the United States have been dominated by Barack Obama Snr. The elder Obama — said to be brilliant, charismatic and self-destructive in roughly equal...

High Fuel Costs to Affect Cost of Houses, Says Official.
April 25, 2011... Construction projects in real estate sector might collapse due to increasing fuel prices don't abate, experts have warned. According to the chief quantity surveyor at the Ministry of Public Works Moses Nyakiongora, increase in cost of fuel...

Cane Farmers Seek Removal of Sugar Zones.
April 25, 2011... Byline: John Shilitsa Kakamega sugarcane growers have petitioned the industry regulator to scrap sugar zones to allow them sell their crop to millers of their choice. The farmers argue that private farmers are being intimidated by some...

KCC Warns of Higher Milk Prices.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Gerald Andae New Kenya Cooperative Creameries (KCC) is considering raising consumer prices if the cost of fuel remains high. "We have not increased the consumer price but if the cost of fuel does not come down, then we might have...

Consumer Federation Chief Warned Over Food Protests.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Paul Ogemba Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) secretary general Mr Stephen Mutoro on Monday recorded a statement with the police about threats to his life. Mr Mutoro, accompanied by his lawyer Paul Muite went to Kilimani police...

Man Held With Sh9 Million Drug Haul to Be Charged in Court.
April 25, 2011... Byline: Zadock Angira The man arrested with 2.6kg of cocaine worth Sh9.6 million will be charged in court today. Mr Franco Ouma Sande was arrested along Muindi Bingu Street in Nairobi when he went to deliver the drugs to a Dutch who was...

Unions to Strike Threat Over 60 Percent Wage Rise.
April 24, 2011... Byline: Gisese Nyambega The country's umbrella trade union has threatened to call for a nationwide strike should the government fail to raise the minimum wage by 60 per cent in six days. The Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU)...

Three Terror Suspects Transferred to Nairobi.
April 24, 2011... Byline: John Njagi Three suspected terrorists arrested in the border town of Liboi along the Kenya-Somali border have been handed over to the anti terrorism police unit in Nairobi. Police in North Eastern Province co-ordinated the transfer...

Breweries Assures Sorghum Growers of Ready Market for Crop.
April 24, 2011... Byline: Mwangi Muiruri A beer maker has guaranteed sorghum farmers an annual ready market of at least 50,000 tonnes. East African Breweries estimates its demand for sorghum stands at 12 tonnes this year and will double next year before...

Why Europe May Not Win War On Migrants.
April 24, 2011... Byline: Chege Mbitiru Two seemingly unrelated but telling events occurred in Europe last week. France and Italy briefly spat at each other over a human cargo. In Finland, a mighty politician got a surprising election victory. Underlying...

Uproar Over New Mortuary Site.
April 24, 2011... Byline: Mazera Ndurya A multi-million-shilling mortuary and crematorium built in an estate in Ukunda, Kwale County, is at the centre of a storm. Local residents, investors and government agencies have demanded that it be moved. The...

Kacc Names Ports Boss in Cranes Scam.
April 24, 2011... Byline: Peter Leftie Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission wants an assistant minister and a parastatal chief charged with corruption and abuse of office. In its quarterly report covering January to March 2011, the commission accuses the Kenya...

Anti-Terror Police Take Over Probe.
April 24, 2011... Byline: John Njagi Three suspected terrorists arrested in the border town of Liboi have been handed over to the anti-terrorism police unit in Nairobi. Police in North Eastern Province arrested the trio, a Sudanese national and two Kenyans,...

Mother's Vow to Shield Twins From Malaria.
April 24, 2011... Byline: Joy Wanja The charming smiles from her healthy four-month old twin daughters are things she wishes to protect for life. At any cost. The twins, Patricia Nduta and Racheal Wanjiru, like any other children born within the tropics are...

Respect Football Elections Guidelines - Twaha.
April 24, 2011... Byline: Philip Onyango Kenya Football Federation senior vice-chairman Twaha Mbarak wants football stakeholders to respect and follow the football elections guidelines to help end the current impasse in the management of the game in the...

Man Arrested With Sh9 Million Drug Haul.
April 24, 2011... Byline: Fred Mukinda Police in Nairobi Sunday arrested a man with a cocaine haul worth more than Sh9.5 million. The man, who is a Kenyan, was arrested outside a city market as he tried to board a taxi on the way to Jomo Kenyatta...

At Last, Congo United Can Party!
April 24, 2011... Byline: Philip Onyango, Winnie Atieno And Lawrence Ongaro Congo United registered their first win in the Kenya Premier League when they edged out AFC Leopards 1-0 in an entertaining match at the KPA Mbaraki Sports Club. It was a sweet...

Nakuru Force Strathmore Into Extra Time.
April 24, 2011... Byline: Francis Mureithi Impala RFC finally won their first silverware of the season when they beat Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) 12-0 to clinch the Plate of the Great Rift 10-a-side tournament at the Nakuru Athletic Club Sunday. Meanwhile,...

Cash-for-Questions MPs Turn House Into a Swamp of Corruption And Greed.
April 24, 2011... Sometimes in mid-2004, an individual associated with a Cabinet minister called me to a meeting at the Professional Centre, just a few metres away from the Parliament buildings. He told me he had been instructed to "facilitate" me -- a euphemism...

Polls Violence Victims Tackle Govt at Hague Court.
April 24, 2011... Byline: Oliver Mathenge Victims of post-election violence want the government stopped from responding to their submissions on its case challenging The Hague trials. In an application filed by Mr Christopher Gosnell, they claim the request...

Arresting Youth Unemployment At Once Should Be a Priority; Here's How.
April 24, 2011... Byline: Jackson Mwalulu Official statistics tell us that Kenya's unemployment rate stands at 40 per cent, 64 per cent of whom are youths who constitute 60 per cent of Kenya's estimated population of 40 million. This is the answer to those...

Why International Community Intervenes.
April 24, 2011... Byline: John B. Osoro In recent times, whenever massacres of civilians are reported such as those in Côte d'Ivoire and Libya, the UN Security Council hands over the matter to the International Criminal Court. What principles justify...

New Book Reveals the Many Separate Facets of Nairobi That Rarely Intersect.
April 24, 2011... Byline: Rasna Warah One of the long-standing debates within Kenya's literary community is whether foreigners have the "right" to write about this country and whether they have the knowledge and insight to analyse and describe events that...

Listen to the American Messenger.
April 24, 2011... Unless one is a beneficiary of the American ambassador's largesse, it is easy to dismiss the fears about Kenya's future that he expresses every so often. It is always easy to confuse the messenger with the message but it is not wise....

Let's Stop Importing Solutions From Abroad.
April 24, 2011... Today, Kenya and the rest of the world take stock of the progress so far made in reducing malaria illnesses and deaths. It is also a time to rethink strategies that work in fighting the killer disease, discard those which don't and strengthen...

Outlaw Use of Small Fishing Nets - Study.
April 24, 2011... Byline: Dave Opiyo Elimination of small-mesh nets that indiscriminately capture all fish would be a major blessing to the country's fishing industry, studies have indicated. The illegal fishing gear has been blamed for the dwindling fish...

Crown Berger Posts Sh169 Million Profit.(Financial report)
April 24, 2011... Paint Maker, Crown Berger has announced a pre-tax profit of Sh169.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2010. This is a 29.6 per cent increase compared to Sh139.8 million posted a year earlier. Turnover reached Sh3 billion as volumes...

Muthaura Cracks the Whip Over Urgent Bills.
April 24, 2011... Byline: Walter Menya Head of Public Service Francis Muthaura has directed ministries to cooperate with institutions monitoring implementation of the Constitution as the August 27 deadline nears. Mr Muthaura also ordered permanent...

U.S. Ambassador Ranneberger Wants to Settle Here.
April 24, 2011... US ambassador Michael Ranneberger on Sunday expressed his willingness to settle in Kenya. "You will never want to leave this country. I want to settle here," Mr Ranneberger told worshippers when he joined labour officials at St Stephen's...

Endangered - the Need to Go for Studies Abroad.
April 24, 2011... Byline: Tim Kamuzu Banda Education could be one of the most lucrative businesses in Kenya today. In Nairobi, for instance, there is a college on every other corner. Universities have established several campuses in a bid to increase their...

Local Herbs May Produce Major Cure for Malaria.
April 24, 2011... Byline: Gatonye Gathura The next major cure for malaria may come from local herbs, with researchers already having tested and confirmed several species to contain chemicals that kill the parasite. A breakthrough for Kenya could open a...

Ck Needs Quick Internal Change.
April 24, 2011... Many years ago, when Benjamin Ayimba and Oscar Osir were still playing for the national sevens rugby side that was known more for finishing at the bottom in every competition than for doing anything else, the management and writers who used to...

Thika United's Juniors Fire the First Shot in New Competition.
April 24, 2011... Byline: Odindo Ayieko For the last two weeks, Nairobi has been busy with young boys battling it out in the newly-formed Kenyan Premier League Under-19 championships. Thika United won Sh300,000 by beating Sony Sugar in the final, but the...

Never Have So Many Been Taxed So Mercilessly to Support So Few.
April 24, 2011... Byline: Waga Odongo Have you noticed that, when in the company of foreigners, you become more patriotic? When I am around aliens, I wave the Shield and Spears, become a roving, fast-talking ambassador of the Shangri La Republic of Eastern...

Azar Rolls Back the Years With Eldoret Victory.
April 24, 2011... Younger drivers with much faster, more modern machines watched in awe as the indefatigable Azar Anwar, 56, Sunday rolled back the years to clinch the KCB SME Rally in Eldoret in spectacular fashion. The three-times Kenya rallying champion...

I Will Not Step Down for Uhuru, Vows Karua.
April 24, 2011... Narc-Kenya leader Martha Karua Sunday vowed never to give up her presidential ambition in favour of Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta.She emphasised that her journey to State House was unstoppable and told off her critics. "Central Kenya...

Kamukunji Candidate's Comments Faulted.
April 24, 2011... Byline: Walter Menya and Casper Waithaka An intense "native-outsider" debate has emerged ahead of the Kamukunji by-election on May 23. Narc-Kenya candidate Brian Weke kicked off the storm by saying that the by-election will be a race...

Force to Hire Officers With Lower Grades.
April 24, 2011... It will still be possible to be recruited to the regular and Administration Police with grades below the C plain required by the Internal Security ministry. Assistant minister Orwa Ojodeh said the recruitment of those with lower grades will...

Kibunjia Puts On Notice Youths Using Facebook to Spread Hate.
April 24, 2011... Youths on popular social media sites have been warned against spreading hate speech. The chairman of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission, Dr Mzalendo Kibunjia, told the youth to be careful on what they post in the social sites... .

Bill Puts Livestock Professionals On Collision Course.
April 23, 2011... Byline: Kaburu Mugambi Akaburu Livestock professionals are on collision course over a government bill to regulate veterinary services, with those against the legislation warning of massive job losses leading to essential services such as...

Yellow Fever Scare As Man, 50, Dies.
April 23, 2011... Byline: Wycliffe Kipsang Health personnel in Baringo are on high alert after a 50-year-old man succumbed to a condition suspected to be yellow fever in Kapluk area. Baringo North District Medical Officer of Health Felix Atisa, however,...

'Foreign' Prize Giving Ceremony At Utrecht.
April 23, 2011... Byline: Elias Makori Erstwhile a small race in the Dutch city of Utrecht, the Jaarbeurs Utrecht Marathon is now all over in the news, but for all the wrong reasons. Since The Volksrant, a leading daily newspaper in The Netherlands, broke...

Union to Strike If State Fails to Employ Contracted Teachers.
April 23, 2011... Byline: Geoffrrey Rono Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) has given the government a two months notice to convert the terms of 18,000 primary and secondary school teachers who were hired on contract basis to permanent. The union's...

Police Hold Three in Al-Shabaab Crackdown.
April 23, 2011... Byline: John Njagi And Zadock Angira Police are trying to establish whether three suspects arrested on the Kenya-Somalia border have any connections with Al-Shabaab. Anti-terorism officials were also said to have increased security for the...

Bosire Has Strong Credentials But Past Kanu Ties Could Spoil for Him.
April 23, 2011... Byline: Dennis Mosota Justice Samuel Elkana Bosire is one of the well known members of the Kenyan Bench. That is principally because of his central role in two high-profile judicial engagements -- the commission of inquiry into the Goldenberg...

Act Now to Avert Chaos, Says U.S. Envoy.
April 23, 2011... Byline: Samwel Kumba As he vacates the scene in a matter of days, US Ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger remains hopeful about the country's future, but weary of the huge challenges ahead. Top on his mind is the likelihood of violence...

How Kalonzo And Uhuru Plotted to Stop Raila.
April 23, 2011... On a chilly evening, six men and two women made their way to the boardroom of Uhuru Kenyatta's private offices at the Chancery Building along Valley road, Nairobi. It was July 4, 2007. Earlier that day, several top Kenyan leaders had been at...

Maize Seed Shortage Forces Firms, Farmers to Get Creative.
April 23, 2011... Byline: Winsley Masese In a majority of Kenyan homesteads, lunch or supper is never complete without a plate or slice of ugali, served with sour milk or, better still, with traditional vegetables such as managu. A visit to Lwang'ni beach,...

Society Needs to Understand That You Get the Police Force You're Willing to Pay for.
April 23, 2011... Byline: Murithi Mutiga How would you feel if, every time you headed to work, there was a good chance you would get shot? That is a feeling Corporal Ahmed Khalif knows only too well. Mr Khalif is spending the Easter holiday at the Kenyatta...

Time to Launch a National Peace Manifesto.
April 23, 2011... Byline: Mukhisakituyi We are approaching that time of the political calendar when political parties put together their clever boys to draft a set of policy promises and dreams called manifestos. As one who has intimately participated in...

Why Court May Order the Arrest of Ocampo Two.
April 23, 2011... Byline: Makau Mutua The Ocampo Two - Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Eldoret North MP William Ruto - are behaving like blind mice. They just don't get it. It's an open secret that they are the prized catch at The Hague. So why are they...

Aids Vaccine Trials.
April 23, 2011... News that research into a vaccine that is viewed as the closest thing to a HIV vaccine yet developed has kicked off is encouraging. It is a good thing that Kenyan scientists are at the cutting edge of efforts to tackle the HIV menace, one of...

Relief in Local Art Circles As Gallery Watatu is Revived.
April 23, 2011... Byline: John Makeni Fifteen years ago, the oils and brushes at one of Kenya's most promising art galleries were packed and kept away. A great supporter of contemporary art in East Africa, Ruth Schaffner, a German-born American collector of...

Al-Shabaab Threat - Heed Iteere's Caution.
April 23, 2011... Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere issued an extraordinary alert a week ago about the methods now adopted by Al-Shabaab -- the group fighting the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia. The Police Commissioner warned parents that...

My Confrontation With Mr Ambassador's Security Escort.
April 23, 2011... Byline: Macharia Gaitho I had a run-in on Thursday with the American Ambassador's security goons. Here I was, making small talk with my daughter amidst the inspiring sounds of Peter Tosh's Mystic Man in the serenity of a mid-morning Uhuru...