The Nation (Kenya) articles from August 2009

The Nation (Kenya) archives from August 2009

Country Warns of Heavy Rains in Last Quarter of 2009.
August 31, 2009... Uganda's meteorology department has warned that the country should brace itself for heavy rains that are predicted to start next month till the end of the year. Commissioner for Meteorology Steven Magezi said in a statement issued here on...

Newspaper's Entire Newsroom Gets Summons.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Chibaula D. Silwamba A Lusaka Magistrate court today summoned The Post newspapers' entire editorial staff to appear in the dock for contempt of court over an article authored by a Zambian law professor based in the USA concerning the...

Ringera Reappointed Anti-Graft Director.
August 31, 2009... President Kibaki has reappointed Justice (Rtd) Aaron Ringera as director of Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission for a further five-year period. In a gazette notice, President Kibaki appointed Justice Ringera to serve for a period of five years...

Concern Over EAC's Poor Transport Systems.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Ouma Wanzala The roads, railways and maritime transportation systems in the EAC region are, on average, in a poor state as are the railways and inland waterways transport systems. East African Community Secretary General Juma...

Coast MPs Vow to Use Force Over Border Dispute.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Daniel Nyassy Members of Parliament from the Coast will use force to protect the province's boundaries, they declared as a major boundary row between Coast and Eastern provinces erupted on Monday. Minister for East African...

Taita Leaders Fear Over Losing Identity.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Anthony Kitimo Leaders from the old Taita-Taveta district are worried they might lose their identity if they do not retain their old name in the newly formed districts. Led by Wundanyi MP Thomas Mwadeghu, the leaders suggested...

Dockworkers Polls Begin Late.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Gitonga Marete Voting at the Dock Workers Union elections started on a low key in the morning on Monday, but the poll was already marred with claims of irregularities. A spot check at several polling stations at Mombasa port...

Residents in Court Threat Over Eviction.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Anthony Kitimo More than 500 squatters from Bangladesh slums in Changamwe Mombasa have threatened to go to court to stop the planned eviction by Kenya Railway Corporation. The group said they would seek legal action to ensure they...

Dockworkers Polls Register Poor Turn Out.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Gitonga Marete Claims of irregularities and a low turn out characterised the start of the Dockworkers Union's elections in Mombasa on Monday. Voting started as late as 9 am at some polling stations despite earlier assurances that...

No Let-Up in High Cost of Electricity.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Jevans Nyabiage Kenyans will continue putting up with high power bills even after an electricity generating firm raises capital for enhanced production. This is because KenGen will invest 80 per cent of the proceeds from its Sh15...

Firms Scale Down Work Due to Power Cuts.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Kennedy Senelwa Power rationing has affected the manufacturing sector with 25 industries scaling down operations in Nairobi, Mombasa, Njoro, Webuye, Kisumu and Limuru. The Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) said a survey it...

Bamburi in Sh4.3 Billion Profit.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Mwaniki Wahome Bamburi Cement Group has announced a 49 per cent increase in pre-tax profit for the half year ending June 30. The company's earning rose from Sh2.9 billion to Sh4.3 billion compared to a corresponding period last...

Raila Tells Banks to Cut Loan Rates.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Daniel Otieno Prime Minister Raila Odinga has told banking institutions to reduce lending rates in the face of harsh financial times that many businesses and individuals are facing. He said such a move would allow small enterprises...

Yu Rolls Out Nationwide Coverage.
August 31, 2009... The yu mobile phone service has announced its attainment of a nationwide network coverage status beginning this month following the activation of 500 base transmitting stations. With the achievement, subscribers will now be in a position to...

Politicians Must Now Rise to the Occasion.
August 31, 2009... With the convention of parties' representatives to discuss a few issues that could hinder the quest for a new constitution, there seems to be some movement, but in what direction, Kenyans are not quite sure. From what they have been told,...

Census Data Doubtful.
August 31, 2009... The week-long national population and household count ended on Monday with the government announcing that the exercise realised a success rate of more than 90 per cent. At face value, that figure looks impressive given the disorganisation at the...

Settlers Plant Trees Despite Eviction Threat.
August 31, 2009... Settlers in Mau Forest are now planting trees in the water tower despite planned evictions. More than 2,000 tree seedlings were planted on individual parcels of land and on river banks in a campaign which began at the weekend. Apart from...

Top Officials Blamed Over Review Hitches.
August 31, 2009... Officials from the offices of President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga have been accused of seeking to interfere with the constitution review process. The accusations were made on Monday just a day before the Committee of Experts on...

The Cutting Edge.
August 31, 2009... Byline: The Watchman Nothing irritates Creasey Ikoa more than hearing politicians, especially Cabinet ministers, pontificating at public rallies all over the country on what needs to be done to solve the country's numerous problems....

Lenders Frustrate Government Bid to Revive Giant Paper Mill.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Jaindi Kisero By all indications, political will within the government to revive the troubled PanAfrican Paper Mills Ltd, the largest paper manufacturer in East Africa currently under receivership, is still strong. And even though...

KPL Teams Take Deserved Rest as Sofapaka Lead.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Chris Musumba The international break this weekend will provide the Kenya Premier League clubs some breathing space and an opportunity to reload as they enter the final round with eight matches remaining on card. While not every...

Under-17 Tournament to be Biennial.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Richard Mwangi The new Africa Cricket Association under-17 championship will be held once in every two years. The venue for the next qualifiers, due next year, has however not been decided, ACA tournament director Tom Tikolo said...

Odinga to Confront Party Issues.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Bernard Namunane and Peter Leftie The Mau forest evictions and setting up of a local tribunal to try masterminds of election violence will take centre stage at a meeting of the Orange Democratic Movement on Tuesday. MPs and...

Kimunya and Mwakwere Face Probe over RVR Deal.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Peter Leftie Two Cabinet ministers may find themselves on the receiving end of investigators if recommendations by a parliamentary committee are implemented.Trade minister Amos Kimunya and his Transport counterpart Chirau Ali Mwakwere...

Country to Let in Duty Free Sugar.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Kaburu Mugambi The government will allow importation of duty-free sugar in a few days to ease a local shortage and to curb the rising domestic prices. Agriculture minister William Ruto said on Monday that Kenya plans to let...

Success of By-Elections Explained.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Abiud Ochieng' and Benson Amadala Transparency and efficiency were key to the success of the just-concluded Bomachoge and Shinyalu by-elections, a key polls official said on Monday. Interim Independent Electoral Commission chairman...

Torture Victims Told to Be Patient.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Kenneth Ogosia Attorney General Amos Wako has urged Moi-era torture victims not to rush to court in their quest for payment. Mr Wako wrote to the victims' lawyer, Mr Gitau Mwara, urging him to advise his clients not to take action...

National Team Ready for Title Defence.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Larry Ngala Kenya's national men's team is in Entebbe, Uganda, ready to defend the East Africa Challenge Cup it won last year at the South Coast-based Leisure Lodge Golf Club. The six players and two officials joined an advance...

Abductors Still Holding Captive.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Alphonce Shiundu Exactly 11 months ago on Tuesday, Jonathan Ngolo fell into the hands of Internet fraudsters in Guinea. The Nairobi aviation lecturer was lured to the West African country with promises that he would mint millions...

Wild Animals Not Spared by Drought.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Oliver Mulanda and Macharia Mwangi The huge animals have been moved from Lake Nakuru National Park to save them from starvation as their former habitat has been hard hit by drought. The acute shortage of pasture has forced the...

All Set for Kanu Makeover Ahead of 2012.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Nation Reporter Kanu has embarked on a campaign to overhaul its grassroots structures in readiness for the 2012 election. The party will pick delegates from the village to the national level as its national chairman, Mr Uhuru...

Police Officers in the Line of Fire as Gangs Run Riot.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Fred Mukinda Policemen are increasingly getting in the line of fire from criminal gangs with one officer being killed on Monday morning. Constable Charles Muchiri of the city's Buruburu police station was shot dead at Kayole...

Uproar as Ringera Gets New Five-Year Contract.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Dave Opiyo Outrage greeted the re-appointment of Mr Justice Aaron Ringera as the chief executive of the top anti-corruption agency. Lawyers argued that President Kibaki had erred in re-appointing Mr Justice Ringera, at a time when...

Langata Off to Winning Start.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Sammy Kitula Langata High School launched what they hope will be a golden era at this year's East Africa secondary school games here with a 1-0 victory over Uganda's Buddo Secondary. Bernard Meki set the Nairobi side on their way,...

Driving Community Health from the Grassroots.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Peter Ngatia A few years ago, Bumula village in Busia District had one of the highest rates of death in Kenya for children under five and mothers as a result of malaria. Of every 1,000 babies born, 144 lost their lives to malaria, as...

Rotavirus Vaccine Can Save Millions.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Fred Were Every year, millions of African children do not live to see their fifth birthday due to illnesses such as pneumonia and diarrhoea, which are among the top causes of childhood deaths. We cannot make any strides in child...

Stars' Legion of Pros Jet in for Trip to Maputo.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Chris Musumba French club Auxerre striker Dennis Oliech and his colleague Allan Wanga, who plays for Petro Atletico of Angola, arrived on Monday ahead of Sunday's World Cup qualifier away to Mozambique in Maputo. The two are among...

Country's Census Ends with High Score.
August 31, 2009... Byline: Joy Wanja The national population and housing census ended on Monday with a 98 per cent success rate achieved. Planning and National Development permanent secretary Edward Sambili said the census had been successful and the...

VP Asks Law Review Team to Avoid Bias.
August 30, 2009... Vice President Mr Kalonzo Musyoka has asked the Committee of Experts on Constitutional Review not to take sides in the debate on what form of Executive Kenya should adopt - a parliamentary or presidential system of government. Mr Musyoka said...

Forest Evictions Head to Parliament.
August 30, 2009... Byline: Alphonce Shiundu Parliament will Tuesday be turned into the next battlefront over the controversial evictions of all settlers from the Mau Forest. This follows the scheduled debate of the government taskforce report on the...

Crucial Issues Left Pending As House Takes Break.
August 30, 2009... Byline: Alphonce Shiundu Parliament's in-tray is still full of pending business even as MPs take a two-month break from Tuesday. Top on the list of failed legislation is the Bill to establish a local tribunal to try suspects who committed...

Ngilu Appeals for More Cash to Revive Irrigation.
August 30, 2009... The government has been urged to allocate more funds to boost irrigation programmes. Water and Irrigation minister Charity Ngilu said over-reliance on rain-fed agriculture was the cause of food insecurity in the country. Speaking during a...

Boy Who Nearly Lost His Life in Hot Spring.
August 30, 2009... Byline: Wanjiru Macharia Curiosity, they say, killed the cat. It nearly ended the life of Form Two student, Joseph Mbii, of Kajiunduthi High School in Meru. Mbii encountered the forces lurking deep within the earth, forces that generate...

State House Vows Action in Vehicles Tender Riddle.
August 30, 2009... State House will crack the whip on officials involved in the tender riddle of eight luxury vehicles which it rejected two months ago. Investigations into how six officials handled the procurement are underway to will establish if any official...

Murugi in War On the Female 'Cut'.
August 30, 2009... Thirty-seven communities in Kenya are still carrying out female genital mutilation 10 years after the government banned it. Gender minister Esther Murugi on Sunday criticised the custom, adding that it was most prevalent among the Maasai,...

Mau Report Promises Heated Debate in House.
August 30, 2009... The country's collective environmental eye will be trained on Parliament on Tuesday as MPs debate a report by the government taskforce on the rehabilitation of Mau Forest. Tuesday afternoon promises fireworks in the House if the discordant...

Probe Reveals Deep Rot in Medical Training College.
August 30, 2009... Byline: Kenneth Ogosia Thousands of youths who qualify to join the Kenya Medical Training College are denied the chance by a cartel of unscrupulous board members. Investigations by the Efficiency Monitoring Unit revealed that rogue board...

Stem Teen Pregnancies, Urges Moi.
August 30, 2009... More than 10,000 girls drop out of secondary schools every year due to pregnancies, retired president Daniel arap Moi has said. The girls should not just expect to get married; with a university education they can get better jobs, hold top...

Women Rule the Roost in Households.
August 30, 2009... Byline: Rasna Warah My husband and I grew up in households dominated by women. My grandfather and father were outnumbered by six females -- grandmother, mother and four girl children. My father was the strong silent type, which meant that...

15 MPs Oppose Border Review.
August 30, 2009... Byline: Daniel Nyassy Fifteen Coast MPs have opposed a secret scheme to alter the region's border with Eastern Province. They were reacting to an incident where census officials and councillors from Eastern Province invaded Coast's Voi...

What Became of Free Education?
August 30, 2009... Byline: Samuel Siringi For a docket that raised the hopes of many Kenyans about taking more than two million out-of-school children back to class a few years ago, the Education ministry owes the public an explanation for the rather lacklustre...

TSC Bosses Locked in Promotions Row.
August 30, 2009... Byline: Benjamin Muindi The promotion of nearly 10,000 P1 teachers hangs in the balance as a dispute within the top management of their employer over the validity of their degree certificates rages on. The Teachers Service Commission...

Cost of Vice President's House Doubles to Sh380 Million.
August 30, 2009... Byline: David Okwembah The cost of building an official residence for the Vice-President has doubled to Sh383 million after the original contractor was fired for delays and poor workmanship. A new contractor, Italbuild Imports, has been...

Is Greed, Ignorance Or Impunity the Cause of This Brouhaha?
August 30, 2009... Byline: William Ochieng' Like most Kenyans, i have been greatly puzzled by the Mau forest imbroglio. Indeed, why would anybody doubt the obvious fact that Kenya is in trouble environmentally? But on second thought, we need to be a little...

Wrangles Blamed for PNU Loss.
August 30, 2009... Byline: George Munene The Party of National Unity is fast losing its popularity due poor governance and disunity among its leaders, a group of MPs said on Sunday. The party, whose flag bearer President Kibaki was declared the winner of the...

Fertiliser Price Cut Welcomed.
August 30, 2009... Byline: Barnabas Bii And Dennis Odunga The reduction of fertiliser from Sh2,500 to Sh2,000 by the Kenya Government is a welcome move and will ensure that farmers who had opted to shift from growing crops to dairy farming will reconsider their...

Total Kenya Recovers From Loss Making.
August 30, 2009... Total Kenya has recovered from the losses it made in the first quarter of 2009, by posting an after tax profit of Sh37 million for the six months ending June 30. The company had made a pre-tax loss of Sh109 million for the first three months...

Fuel Dries Out As Firms Feud.
August 30, 2009... Byline: Kennedy Senelwa A blame game has ensued between the national electricity distributor and Mombasa-based oil refinery, Kenya Petroleum Refineries Ltd (KPRL), over the shortage of petrol that has gripped the country. Kenya Power and...

Scientific Researchers Sleeping On the Job.
August 30, 2009... A few months ago, the country's scientific community earned international accolades for the high number of scholarly works published in the world's most respected journals. However, there is no evidence that this high productivity has...

National Team in Elgon Cup Hat-Trick As Women Complete Double.
August 30, 2009... Byline: Innocent Ndawula Needing to win by a nine-point margin and clinch the annual Elgon Cup for the first time since 2006, The Rugby Cranes upstaged Kenya 18-13 in the second leg of this year's edition at Kyadondo RFC on Sunday but fell...

Conje Made to Go the Whole Hog for Ko Against Livahi.
August 30, 2009... Byline: Richard Mwangi Former Women's International Boxing Federation middle-weight champion Conjestina Achieng' was made to go the full distance before stopping Batroba Livahi on Saturday. In the fight at the Chui Place, Museum Hill that...

They Must Be Qualified.
August 30, 2009... Four months since it was reported that the Teachers Service Commission would get tough about vetting primary school staff seeking to be upgraded to degree status, the matter is still a major bone of contention. At a meeting called last week...

15 MPs Oppose Provincial Border Review.
August 30, 2009... Byline: Daniel Nyassy Fifteen Coast MPs have opposed a secret scheme to alter the region's border with Eastern Province. They were reacting to an incident where census officials and councillors from Eastern Province invaded Coast's Voi...

Parties Meet for Talks On Draft Constitution.
August 30, 2009... Byline: Bernard Namunane And Oliver Mathenge The search for a new constitution gains fresh momentum on Tuesday when political parties gather to discuss proposals by the Committee of Experts on the major sticking points that have derailed...

Parliament to Take Two-Month Break.
August 30, 2009... Byline: Alphonce Shiundu Parliament takes a two-month break on Tuesday; four months after the new House rules took effect. However, there is little to celebrate regarding the implementation of the new Standing Orders. The Executive arm of...

Sh24 Billion Lost in Traffic Jams Yearly - Minister.
August 30, 2009... Byline: Philip Muyanga A cabinet minister has said that Sh24 billion is lost annually on the roads by motorists due to traffic jams. Nairobi Metropolitan minister Mr Njeru Githae said private motorists ought to be banned from entering the...

North Rift Farmers Want AFC Loans Written Off.
August 30, 2009... Byline: Dennis Odunga Farmers in the North Rift want the government to write off loans they owe Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) The farmers said that they were spending sleepless nights thinking about how they will repay the loans...

'Kape' Won't Be Whipping Boys - Coach.
August 30, 2009... Byline: Sammy Kitula Mention of Kapenguria, a dry town northeast of Kitale in Kenya, sends banditry, insecurity and drought races through the mind. Many people may think that nothing of substance can come out of this district. But the town...

Odinga to Read Riot Act Over Party Rifts.
August 30, 2009... Prime Minister Raila Odinga will on Tuesday seek to tackle the two issues threatening ODM unity: discontent among party leaders and the Mau eviction saga. Mr Odinga is expected to use a meeting with the ODM lawmakers and the party's national...

International Court Set to Take Over Polls Trials.
August 30, 2009... Byline: Charles Wanyoro and Philip Muyanga The International Criminal Court could decide to take over trials of key poll chaos suspects after meeting a government delegation at the end of September. An official of the court made the...

Lower Your Birth Rate, Kenyan Families Urged.
August 29, 2009... Byline: Daniel Wesangula Kenyan women are giving birth to an average of five children, creating a population boom that has distorted growth projections, according to a recent report. Now experts are warning that the high birth rate could...

The Epidemic of Gender-Based Violence.
August 29, 2009... Byline: Makau Mutua Kenya has an epidemic of gender-based violence. I know that some men will ask why I am picking on Kenya. It is true that all societies are plagued by this abomination, but I now only wish to address the problem in Kenya....

MPs Back State On Mau Evictions.
August 29, 2009... Byline: Alphonce Shiundu Eight Rift Valley MPs on Saturday called for the eviction of all the settlers in the Mau complex before the onset of the short rains. The MPs from the Maasai and Samburu communities led by Internal Security...

How Raila Turned Tables On Rivals.
August 29, 2009... Byline: Murithi Mutiga and Peter Leftie Kenya's Prime Minister Raila Odinga threw a bash for close associates to celebrate crucial by-election victories that have strengthened his hand in ODM but appear to have done little to heal the rifts...

Campaigners Drum Up Support for Imanyara Bill.
August 29, 2009... Byline: Dave Opiyo An ambitious campaign to have Kenya's Parliament pass a proposed law to set up a special tribunal to try suspected masterminds of the post-election violence has begun. The campaign, fronted by a number of MPs and civil...

U.S. Observers Cite Bribery in Elections.
August 29, 2009... Byline: Oliver Mathenge Election observers from the US Embassy in Kenya have reported rampant bribery and vote-buying in the Bomachoge and Shinyalu by-elections. A statement from the embassy said the observers had witnessed agents from the...

Genesis of Raila-Ruto Conflict.
August 29, 2009... Byline: Gitau Warigi A group of Rift Valley MPs allied to Kenya's Agriculture minister William Ruto has been pushing the line at almost every rally that they will front one of their own for the presidency in 2012. Outside this group, the...

Handy Lessons for Political Parties On Internal Democracy.
August 29, 2009... Byline: Patrick Mayoyo and Daniel Otieno The results of the just concluded Shinyalu and Bomachoge by-elections should serve as an eye-opener to political parties on how to entrench democracy within the party structures. Apart from ODM...

Fencing of Aberdares Completed.
August 29, 2009... Byline: John Kariuki Kenya's Wildlife and Forestry minister Noah Wekesa on Saturday joined conservationists and residents of Nyandarua in celebrating the completion of a Sh850 million electric fence around the Aberdare Ranges. Fencing of...

Women in Camps Turn to Prostitution.
August 29, 2009... Byline: Muchemi Wachira and Cynthia Vukets More than a year and a half after they fled their homes in the post-election violence, many women living in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kenya are taking to prostitution to eke...

Rift Hardliners Playing Into the Hands of Their Enemies.
August 29, 2009... Byline: Kenneth Mikkola Since the referendum of 2005, Rift Valley has emerged as easily the decisive force in Kenyan politics. Its mass support helped the Raila Odinga-led Orange Democratic Movement hand President Mwai Kibaki's camp a...

Maruge's Life and Lessons On Overcoming Odds.
August 29, 2009... Byline: Mugo Kibati In life, you must hold dear your dreams and aspirations - they are what make every minute worth living and encourage us to press on, no matter what. And just as an individual holds dear his or her goals, a nation must...

Computer Courses That Click With Market.
August 29, 2009... Byline: Sam Wambugu Today, knowledge of basic computer skills is very useful to everyone. We all need to use computers for different purposes. It is no wonder that the ongoing national census is collecting data on the number of households...

No Tribe Has Ever Wronged This Country.
August 29, 2009... Byline: Philip Ochieng In their complaints, the Nyayo House victims point a powerfully accusing finger at a senior policeman called Opiyo. But whether or not he is culpable, his name proves that the Nyayo factors were not a Lassallean...