The Nation (Kenya) articles from February 2010

The Nation (Kenya) archives from February 2010

Joy As Former Inmate Set to Join University.
February 28, 2010... A former inmate at the Naivasha Maximum Security Prison is among thousands of students admitted to public universities this year. Mr Justine Tony Mabuka scored an A-minus in the 2008 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education. He has been...

Accidents Dent African Airlines.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Joseph Bonyo Air accidents by African operators were the worst in 2009, with accident rates rising significantly to 9.94 per cent from the 2.2 per cent recorded in 2008, a recent report by the International Air Transport Association...

Export Ban On Scrap Metal 'Good'.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Jevans Nyabiage No jobs will be lost if the government imposes a ban on scrap metal exports, the Association of Battery Manufacturers has said. The remark comes as the government's decision to stop exports continues to elicit sharp...

Devani Property Was Disposed of in a Lawful Manner, Bank Tells the Court.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Sam Kiplagat East Africa Development Bank has defended the sale of property belonging to Yagnesh Devani, saying elaborate steps were taken before the transaction was concluded. In a reply argued in court last week, EADB through...

Punish Errant Flower Farm Owners.
February 28, 2010... The handling of the deaths of fish in Lake Naivasha is another grim reminder of failed regulatory systems. In a whirlwind tour of the lake, the minister for Public Health and Sanitation, Mrs Beth Mugo, gave offending flower firms seven days...

Public Schools Expected to Top KCSE List.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Benjamin Muindi Schools and students are anxiously awaiting the release of Form Four results on Tuesday. On Sunday, teachers said public secondary schools were expected to dominate, unlike in the primary stage where private schools...

Teachers' Union Official Ousted.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Nation Reporter The wrangles in a teachers' union worsened on Sunday when its secretary-general was thrown out. Kenya Union of Post-Primary Teachers secretary-general Njeru Kanyamba was further barred by a court order from entering...

Court Not Obliged to Accept Consent Between Parties.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Linda Awuor Ochieng "A criminal case, once before the court, ceases to belong to any particular party. It belongs to the people, and the court, as the custodian of the people, must act in the best interest of the people. If public...

KPA On the Spot Over Tender.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Benjamin Muindi The Kenya Ports Authority is on the spot again for increasing the value of a tender to modernise its power supply and distribution network. The National Audit Office has raised issues with the increased contract...

Pan Paper to Roar Back Into Life As Cash Pledged.
February 28, 2010... Pan Paper Mills will be reopened in two weeks, a Cabinet minister has announced. Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetang'ula said the President had directed the Treasury to release Sh500 million for the firm to resume operations. So far Sh190...

Spare Us Water Cuts, Cry Coast Hoteliers.
February 28, 2010... Hotel managers have protested against the rationing schedule introduced last week. The Mombasa Water and Sewerage Company took the drastic step alleging inadequate supply by the Coast Water Services Board. It said it could only supply 55,000...

Proposed Law Comes to the Aid of People Living With HIV.
February 28, 2010... The rights of people living with Aids could get a boost once a Bill that seeks to secure them becomes law. The East Africa HIV Prevention and Management Bill seeks to correct errors in current laws which criminalise the transmission of the...

Chiluba Gets Hero's Welcome On Tour.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Elias Mbao Former Zambian president Frederick Chiluba received a thunderous welcome in Eastern Province, a rare experience for the ex-ruler. Mr Chiluba attended an annual traditional ceremony, the Nc'wala, of the Ngoni people of...

Gallant Usiu Slide Into Final.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Ayumba Ayodi Wonder girl Barbara Simiyu created an equaliser and scored a sudden death penalty flick as the United States International University-Africa stunned favourites Sliders 2-1 to storm into the national women's hockey league...

Raila to Consult Over Coffee Debt.
February 28, 2010... Byline: James Ngunjiri Prime Minister Raila Odinga's Kigumo rally fulfilled the earlier promise made by the organisers that it would tackle development issues. "I have come for development purposes and with me I have brought solutions to...

Safari Rally Reverts to Traditional Easter Date.
February 28, 2010... The KCB-sponsored Safari Rally returns to its traditional Easter date this year with organisers hoping they can raise the profile of the competition to the erstwhile dizzy heights that saw it regarded as one as one the toughest rounds of the...

Tanzanian Robbed and Left to Roam the Concrete Jungle.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Alphonce Shiundu Bilal Laxman Patel, a 22-year-old Tanzanian national, will forever remember his four-day sojourn in Kenya. He left his supervisory job at an auto garage in Dar es Salaam to come to Nairobi for prospects of a better...

Ignore This 'Expert' Advice On Higher Education.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Rasnah Warah One knows one is growing old when one begins sentences with, "In my day...". This is exactly what I found myself doing with some Swedish friends, as I recounted to them the days when education, from primary to university...

Fear of Knowing HIV Status Hurts Blood Donation.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Sammy Cheboi Kenya is unable to meet its annual blood requirements due to fears among potential donors that their HIV status would be known. The trend has made it difficult and expensive for the National Blood Transfusion Services...

Tusker Drown Red Berets.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Sammy Kitula It's only in sports that a civilian can intimidate a police officer and escape unscathed. That's what befell Red Berets Sunday at the Nyayo National Stadium when they were stunned 3-1 by Tusker FC in the Kenyan Premier...

Nation Sued in UK Over Sh121 Million Deal.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Gitau Wa Njenga A Kenyan lawyer based in the United Kingdom has become the first person to sue a Commonwealth country in a British court. Mr Ronald Onyango, 36, enjoined the Republic of Kenya and the Kenya High Commission in London...

What's the Point of Being a Shareholder?
February 28, 2010... Back in the days when investment was worthwhile, people with little money to spare used to buy shares as a way of saving for old age. Even though the prices of their stocks would rise with the tide, the long-term shareholders did not sell...

Scottish Cry as Obesity On the Rise.
February 28, 2010... Authorities in Scotland last week all but played bagpipes to warn of a ticking time bomb. It's one most developing nations, especially African, give lip service. Obesity is the "bomb." It's often erroneously, especially in most parts of...

Kibaki, Odinga Unite to Mark Accord Anniversary.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Dave Opiyo Calls for peace, reconciliation and national healing dominated Sunday's prayers to commemorate two years since the National Accord was signed. President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga used the occasion to calm...

Ruto Allies Seek New Alliance.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Peter Leftie and Bernard Namunane The stage is set for a political alliance between President Kibaki's allies and Rift Valley leaders, the Nation can now reveal. MPs in Agriculture minister William Ruto's camp said that they had...

Individually, Locals Must Play a Role to Fight Graft.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Matunda Nyanchama Corruption in Kenya has become endemic; it permeates society to such a degree that it has become the norm. We are not likely to make much progress in the current circumstances, with the current leadership and current...

Five PSs Interdicted Over Scams.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Kenneth Ogosia Five permanent secretaries asked to step aside over the maize and free education cash scandals two weeks ago have been interdicted. They have been instructed to surrender their official government vehicles although...

Bankers Cruise Past Mwamba.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Ayumba Ayodi Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) chalked up a 26-18 victory over Mwamba in a Kenya Cup match in Ruaraka on Saturday. The victory locked out Mwamba from the play-offs but enabled the bankers to share the top spot with Kenya...

MPs Vow Not to Give Up Bid for Presidency.
February 28, 2010... Agriculture minister William Ruto said on Saturday he would not be intimidated into giving up his presidential ambition. Mr Ruto said he wanted the Kalenjin community to enjoy equal rights with other communities that support the Orange...

Shun Politics for New Law, Urge Lobby Groups.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Alphonce Shiundu The political power-play between the top coalition partners is the biggest threat in Kenya's quest for a new Constitution, the civil society has said. National Civil Society Congress chairman Morris Odhiambo and...

Tension High At Ethiopia Border.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Barnabas Bii Security personnel were on Sunday deployed to the Kenya-Ethiopia border following the death of a senior policeman. Merille bandits are said to have shot the General Service Unit Chief Inspector on Friday evening. The...

Kenya, Tanzania in Joint Wildlife Census.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Paul Juma Kenya and Tanzania on Sunday began a joint census in Amboseli to assess the impact recent prolonged drought had on wildlife. The count is targeting large mammals and will cover the entire 6000 square kilometre Amboseli...

Odinga's ODM Backs Proposed Constitution.
February 28, 2010... Byline: Alphonce Shiundu The Orange Democratic Movement has fully backed the proposed Constitution even as President Kibaki vowed to rally MPs to delete some clauses that could legalise abortion. The party's secretary general, Prof Anyang'...

Coalition Committed to Agenda Four - VP.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Emeka-Mayaka Gekara Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, who is also leader of ODM-K, an affiliate of PNU, spoke to EMEKA-MAYAKA GEKARA on progress in the coalition government. Excerpts: There is growing disaffection among Kenyans that...

Political Strategists Behind the Scenes.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Emeka-Mayaka Gekara Though he wrote a flurry of praising pieces on ODM presidential candidate Raila Odinga ahead of the 2007 polls, few of his readers would have recognised him in the streets. Not until journalists captured the antics...

We'll Stay On and Fight for Reforms, Says Odinga.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Murithi Mutiga Raila Odinga became Kenya's second Prime Minister following the signing of the National Accord two years ago today. He spoke to the Sunday Nation about his decision to agree to negotiate with rival Mwai Kibaki, the...

Militias Turn Into Criminal Gangs.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Fred Mukinda Militias which perpetrated some of the worst violence in the last general election have transformed into criminal gangs and pose a grave threat to the nation's security. Most of them are taking advantage of the...

Beer Wars Loom.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Sunday Nation Reporter A fierce battle for the Tanzanian beer market looms as East African Breweries is set to swiftly seal an acquisition deal for the country's second largest brewer, Serengeti Breweries Ltd. Sources say that on...

CMA Mulls Over Lifting of Broker Licence Freeze.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Muna Wahome Capital Markets Authority (CMA) is considering a proposal to liberalise the stock market that could hammer the final nail in the coffin of stand-alone brokers. Sunday Nation understands a long-standing moratorium on...

Free Cereals Board of Politics, Urges Expert.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Mwaniki Wahome The National Cereals and Produce Board, which has been in the spotlight over malpractices, is set for an overhaul in an attempt to streamline its operations. Last week, the board advertised senior positions in its...

Desired - a Serious Shake-Up At the Top.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Gichinga Ndirangu It is open season and we are not short of suitors wanting to run for the presidency in 2012. Outside the orbit of familiar and seasoned politicians, an interesting caste is assembling and giving us reason for a good...

Kibaki Assures Support Over Anti-Abortion Law.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Wanjiru Macharia and Francis Mureithi President Mwai Kibaki Saturday assured Kenyans that Parliament would not pass a draft constitution that supports abortion. He said he was confident with the current Members of Parliament, that...

Dons Reject WB Proposal to Increase Varsity Fees.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Kennedy Lumwamu University lecturers have opposed a plan proposed by the World Bank to have fees for students under the regular degree program increased. Speaking in Eldoret during the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) Moi...

Two Years of Ceasefire But Little Progress On Key Issues.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Lukoye Atwoli On February 28, 2008, former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan emerged from a meeting with President Mwai Kibaki and his then bitter political rival Raila Odinga and uttered the immortal words "We have a deal". His...

Why Rift Voters Won't Oppose Draft.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Otieno Otieno To feel the political pulse of Rift Valley Province, one only needs to follow discussions on morning call-in talk shows on vernacular radio. Information gleaned from reports of an international media monitor shows...

Why a Discredited TJRC is Good for Our Leaders.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Ahmednassir Abdullahi For the last three months, there has been a cacophony of voices calling for the resignation of Mr Bethuel Kiplagat as the chairman of the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC). The reasons...

Optimistic Signs Dot the Landscape.
February 27, 2010... Over the past few weeks the political scene has been awash with clear signs that the coalition partners are pulling in different directions, giving indications that the two- year- old marriage between PNU and ODM is on the rocks. Given the...

ODM Kingmaker Turned Destroyer of the King.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Emeka-Mayaka Gekara After the last General Election, the Orange Democratic Movement party praised Agriculture minister William Ruto as the ultimate kingmaker. But today he seems to have reversed roles: he can be said to be on a...

How Hardliners Failed to Stop Signing of Deal.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Murithi Mutiga A flurry of last-minute interventions by hardliners failed to stop the signing of the National Accord that brought the country back from the brink of civil war two years ago. Speaking for the first time about the...

Big Parties Grapple With Dissent.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Peter Leftie For a party that used its numerical strength in Parliament to take both the Speaker's and Deputy Speaker's seats two years ago, ODM is today a pale shadow of its former self. This was demonstrated this past week when a...

Mother's Day-Long Kidnap Ordeal.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Mwaura Ndung'u February 8 will be a day to remember for 34-year-old Rose Mugo. A morning shopping trip from Joska in Matungulu District to Nairobi became a nightmare. As she stood at the bus stop waiting for a matatu to town, all she...

You Are a Hero, Central Tells PM.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Walter Menya and James Ngunjiri Prime Minister Raila Odinga was received in Central Province on Saturday with placards declaring him a national hero. The scenes that greeted Mr Odinga as his motorcade made its way to Kigumo...

TJRC Official Offers to Quit.
February 27, 2010... Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission vice-chairperson Betty Murungi on Saturday said she would step down if questions about members' ability to deliver are not resolved. Speaking to the Sunday Nation, Ms Murungi revealed that she had...

Ocampo Seeks to Use Evidence Compiled By Local Agency.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Lucas Barasa The International Criminal Court has requested to use key evidence collected by a Kenya national human rights agency to prove its case to the Pre-Trial judges. The Hague-based institution has written to the Kenya...

Reforms Under Way But Nation Not Out of the Woods.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Oliver Mathenge The National Accord spelt out key reforms the coalition government must deliver before the next General Election. Constitutional, judicial and land reforms, as well as restructuring the police force, were among the...

Parties Strategize for 2012 Elections.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Peter Leftie Inspired by the fallout in ODM, MPs allied to the PNU coalition have been on a retreat in Naivasha in the past two days to plan on consolidating the party's support base ahead of the 2012 elections. PNU strategists...

Accord Doesn't Expressly Provide for Equal Power.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Emeka-Mayaka Gekara and Samwel Kumba Unending wrangles in the grand coalition between President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga have triggered a fresh debate on whether the power-sharing deal is in favour of PNU. The most...

Leopards Have One Leg in the Second.
February 27, 2010... Byline: John Ashihundu AFC Leopards have one leg in the second leg of the Confederations Cup as they take on take on Banks of Ethiopia in the second leg of their preliminary round in Addis Ababa on Sunday. The former regional cha,pions...

Campaign Mood in Matuga Goes.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Mazera Ndurya and Eunice Machuhi A day after the House Speaker declared Matuga parliamentary seat vacant, campaign mood in the constituency went a notch higher with various political actors taking strategic positions. Local voters...

National Coalition Principals No Longer at Ease.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Bernard Namunane The principals in the grand coalition government have been secretly working at cross-purposes most of the time in the last two years. The occasional show of unity by President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga...

Raila's Visit - Stop Parochial Nonsense.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Philip Ochieng' Kenyans must be the smallest-minded people in the world. It is the only country I know of where the Prime Minister -- because he was born in one tribal area of the country - causes a national controversy merely by...

Three Names Submitted for KAA Top Post.
February 27, 2010... Byline: David Okwembah The new managing director of the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) will be selected from three names forwarded by the board last Wednesday. But the process has been termed flawed following accusations that the...

PNU Affiliates Form Movement.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Macharia Mwangi The Party of National Unity coalition of parties will transform into a unified political movement in readiness for the upcoming referendum and 2012 General Election. PNU secretary-general Kiraitu Murungi said the...

ICC Must Hear Locals' Cry for Justice.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Murithi Mutiga When three policemen raided Rosemary Akinyi's house in Kibera at the height of the post-election violence, she had only one request when their intentions became clear. Rape me, if you must, but please spare my...

Revealed - Plot to End Annan's Mandate.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Peter Leftie A powerful lobby within the government has hatched an elaborate plan aimed at pushing the African Union (AU) to end chief mediator Kofi Annan's mandate in Kenya, according to well-placed sources. The carefully...

Tough Drivers Set to Raid Narok.
February 27, 2010... Organisers are wary of the weather conditions as over forty machines prepare to zoom off the first round of the 2010 Cross Country Raid Rally event by the outskirts of Narok on Sunday. While the event is meant to test competitors on some of...

A Contest of Power and Popularity.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Macharia Gaitho When Prime Minister Raila Odinga launched the anti-graft crusade that climaxed with his abortive suspension of Cabinet ministers William Ruto and Samson Ongeri a fortnight ago, he must have had two goals. One was to...

Local Athletics Champion Lelei Laid to Rest.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Jonathan Komen Hundreds of mourners turned up to lay silver medallist David Kiprono Lelei to rest on Friday. A contingent of elite runners, Athletics Kenya national officials and MPs Elijah Lagat, Peris Simam and Jushua Kutuny...

How Nairobi Came Up With Names of Its Streets, Roads.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Stephen Mburu Did you know that before Kenya gained independence from Britain in 1963, streets and roads in Nairobi bore mainly English and a few South Asian names and that this situation lasted for at least a decade until founding...

Row Brews at Nairobi Water Company Over New Union.
February 27, 2010... A row is brewing between employees and the management of the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company. At the centre of the dispute is transfer of the membership from an umbrella trade union to a new one solely for the company's employees. On...

Mess at the Truth Team Goes Beyond Kiplagat.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Makau Mutua The resignation of Ambassador Bethuel Kiplagat from the chair of the TJRC cannot, by itself, save the truth commission. The controversy over Mr Kiplagat's suitability has exposed deep schisms among the commissioners and...

We've a Ceasefire Government, Not Peace Accord.
February 27, 2010... Byline: Mutahi Ngunyi This is an assessment of the Peace Accord after two years. I will begin with a story about President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was a bored man. Moreover, he was tired of the small talk at the top. During conversations,...

Postbank in Plans to Start Giving Loans.
February 26, 2010... Byline: Kaburu Mugambi Postbank could start giving loans to its customers from June this year, after the Government changed the law that founded the bank to allow it to lend. Finance permanent secretary, Joseph Kinyua, said on Thursday...

Anger as Kiplagat Vows to Stay Put.
February 26, 2010... The civil society on Friday dismissed truth commission chairman Bethuel Kiplagat's statement that he would stay put. The head of the International Centre for Transitional Justice, Kenya office, Mr Njonjo Mue, said Mr Kiplagat's statement did...

Truth Team Selection Panel on the Spot.
February 26, 2010... Byline: Samwel Kumba Questions have emerged over the choice of the truth team after some members of the selection panel disclosed that background checks were neither required nor done. It also emerged on Friday that there were no specific...

Kiplagat Has Served for Many Years in Diplomacy.
February 26, 2010... Byline: Emeka-Mayaka Gekara The Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission chairman boasts a long career in the diplomatic service and peace building missions.Internationally, his reputation remains impeccable. He has been chairman of...

Invesco Roars Back to Life 2 Years Later.
February 26, 2010... Invesco Assurance Company came back to life on Friday after two years under statutory management with a pledge to provide cover to matatu business. Company chairman Simon Kimutai said revival of the insurer will herald a fresh start for the...

Telkom Kenya in Forex Swap Talks.
February 26, 2010... Byline: Muna Wahome Telkom Kenya is expected to make a major move in the market that could see it make a multi-billion forex swap or wrap up a refinancing arrangement. Players in the process said a deal was still in the discussion stages...

Shares Sale Lifts Bamburi Earnings.
February 26, 2010... Byline: Jevans Nyabiage Bamburi Cement's 2009 full-year pre-tax profit increased by 96 per cent on the back of a 30 per cent jump in operating profit and the sale of shares in a rival firm. This was a near double performance from Sh4.89...

When Different Words Come Together to Form an Idiom.
February 26, 2010... Byline: Philip Ochieng' In the headline "MPs short changed persons with disabilities", the Nation combined two separate words - the adjective "short" and the noun "change"- and used them as a verb. I commend the attempt because it means the...

Tourism Eyes 1 Million Visitors This Year.
February 26, 2010... Byline: Joseph Bonyo Tourism last year generated Sh62.4 billion, an indication that the country is clawing back to its position as a favourite destination in the world. The industry posted an 18.5 per cent increase on the previous year's...

What If Pio Gama Pinto Came Back to Life Today?
February 26, 2010... Byline: Cabral Pinto If Pio Gama Pinto were to resurrect today, what would he think of the Kenyan political leadership? How would he assess the economic, social, cultural and political advancement of Kenya since his death in 1965? Would he...

Former NHIF Boss Cleared of Charges.
February 26, 2010... The former director of the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) has been acquitted of abuse of office charges, with the judge citing reluctance from the prosecution. According to the magistrate, the prosecution had failed to prove the...

Ex-Panpaper Bosses Must Explain.
February 26, 2010... The Government's injection of funds into Pan-Africa Paper Mills of Webuye is a welcome move. But the move must come with the assurance that it will not amount to throwing away good money after bad. Taxpayers' money must not be used to bail...