The Nation (Kenya) articles from January 2010, page 10

The Nation (Kenya) archives from January 2010

Ensuring Renewal of Country As a Football Powerhouse.
January 9, 2010... Byline: Kwendo Opanga The African Cup of Nations, the continent's premier football showpiece, gets under way Sunday in Angola. Needless to say, Kenya is absent from this football fiesta. Kenya hosted the East and Central Africa Senior...

Coffee Dealers Accused of Fanning Chaos.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Muchiri Gitonga A directive issued by the commissioner of co-operatives two years ago is behind the latest wave of chaos in several coffee societies in the larger Nyeri district. The 2007 circular by the commissioner, Mr Fanuel...

Good Opening Day as 10 Medals Are Hauled in.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Sammy Kitula The first day of the Africa Zone Three and Four Swimming Championships at the Kasarani Aquatic on Friday saw a flood of medals, as Kenya won 10 of the 38 medals on offer. Braeburn School's Gaurav Kotecha was the toast...

Sh318 Billion Sent Through Phones in 12 Months.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Justus Ondari Safaricom and Zain transferred a whopping Sh318.4 billion through their mobile money transfer services in 12 months up to June last year, according to the Central Bank of Kenya. The bank says Safaricom and Zain...

New Rules to Open Up Power Business.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Joseph Bonyo The Energy Regulatory Commission has published proposed regulations on electricity licensing expected to open up the industry. The new rules are cited as the Energy (Electricity Licensing) Regulations, 2010. They are...

You Need the Gods' Help to Read Jimmy's Mind.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Wambua Sammy Now that 2010 is a week old and few things change in this country, a prayer is in order. People, seek the guidance of your gods to unravel innermost strands of Jimmy Kibaki's thinking. It's important because the young man...

Sh4 Billion Fish Farming Plan.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Ouma Wanzala and Macharia Mwangi Plans are under way to roll out a fish farming project at the coast at a cost of Sh4 billion. The project will be carried out in constituencies on Kenya's coastline. Fisheries Development...

Census Report Shelved to 'Cover All Areas'.
January 8, 2010... President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga ordered the shelving of the preliminary census report due to incomplete coverage of all districts. It was to be released on Thursday. Planning minister Wycliffe Oparanya on Friday said a...

Draft - the Ball is in the Court of Kibaki and Raila.
January 8, 2010... When the Committee of Experts took back the draft constitution after a month of listening to public submissions, it had one key task: to resolve the issues still outstanding, taking into consideration the views gleaned during that time. In...

The Coalition is Never Known for Being Proactive in Crisis.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Cabral Pinto I know quite a number of matatu drivers who are university graduates. I know, also of many conductors and touts who have secondary school education. I happen to know, too, the families of some of these drivers, conductors...

It's a Tight Race for Boys' Schools in City.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Joy Wanja As jubilation over good performance in last year's KCPE ebbs out, anxiety is setting in as candidates await to be told the secondary schools they will join. For male candidates who wrote the exam in Nairobi, getting a...

New Ferries Delay Raises Eyebrows.
January 8, 2010... Coast leaders on Friday asked the government to buy new vessels to replace the dilapidated ones operating in Likoni Channel. The leaders said the only way to solve the problem facing the more than 180,000 people, who use the channel daily, is...

Police 'Side With Drug Lords'.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Galgalo Bocha Anti-narcotics activists in Lamu West have accused police of siding with drug barons and peddlers in the archipelago. The activists, led by Sheikh Said Ali Baskuti, claimed that instead of supporting the war on drugs,...

Activists Protest Over Bid to Delay ICC Trial.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Walter Menya An MP and human rights activists have spoken of their disappointment at attempts to delay the Pre-Trial Chamber's decision on Kenya's post-election violence case. An international lawyer's organisation filed an...

Residents' Lobby Proposes Changes to Council Bill.
January 8, 2010... The Kenya Alliance of Resident Associations (Kara) has proposed amendments to the Bill seeking the review of the Local Government Act. Kara has welcomed the Bill saying that it will address various challenges bedevilling councils and more...

Sub-Division of Land Sparks Protests.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Noah Cheploen The government's move to reallocate land at a Naivasha settlement scheme has sparked protests. Beneficiaries of the first allocation of Ol-Jorai Settlement Scheme are accusing the government of bias and interfering...

Food Vending Banned to Curb Cholera Spread.
January 8, 2010... Hawking of cooked food in Ugunja Town, Ugenya District, has been banned following a suspected cholera outbreak. The move comes after 10 patients showing cholera symptoms were admitted to Ambira Sub-District Hospital in Ugenya on Friday. Of...

Two Charged Over Tourist's Killing.
January 8, 2010... Two men who allegedly staged a spate of robberies in Thika District have been charged with killing a foreign tourist. Mr James Osebe Nyambaka and Mr Alexander Munyao were accused of committing several violent robberies between October and...

Drug Packet Tampered With, Says Officer.
January 8, 2010... A witness testifying in a case in which a Ghanaian has been charged with trafficking in heroin told the court that one of the 10 packets containing the drug had been tampered with. Corporal Jacob Kathurima from the Special Crimes Prevention...

Free Us, Say Five in Arms Case.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Maureen Onyango Five arms cache suspects want their bail terms reinstated. They say the order issued by the High Court suspending their cash bail and barring their release has already expired. Through their lawyers, the accused...

Harambee Stars Get a Chance for a Scrap With the Big Boys of Cameroon.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Charles Nyende Thanks to weather conditions in Nairobi being similar to those in Lubango, Kenya's Harambee Stars have chanced on an international football match against Africa's highest ranked team in the world the Indomitable Lions...

Leave Africans Out and Soccer Loses Glamour.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Chrales Nyende We are back to that time of the year again, when European club managers scratch their chins in frustration as they stare at their depleted squads. Yes, it is January of the year that Africa holds its greatest...

Majority Say No to President-PM Govt.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Jeff Otieno and Oliver Mathenge More than half of Kenyans would oppose a clause proposing equal power-sharing between the President and Prime Minister, according to an opinion poll released hours after the Committee of Experts...

Mt Elgon It is as Poland Ticket Battle Intensifies.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Chris Musumba The battle for the Sh1 million Athletics Kenya jackpot will help raise the tempo as athletes descend on Kapsokwony High School on Saturday for the sixth of the seven-leg KCB cross country weekend circuit meetings. ...

Constitution Sets the Standards for Drafting in Plain Language.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Peter Mwaura Legal drafters love archaic expressions such as "pursuant to", "said", "instant case" and so on, not to mention legalisms such as "prima facie", "ad infinitum", "bona fide" and so on. Why do lawyers use legal jargon that...

Air Force Pilot's Widow Tells of Her Family Ordeal After the 1982 Coup Bid.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Roy Gachuhi In any account of military heroism and pathos, there is little to match this one. The life of the most experienced and senior most pilot of a trio selected by the rebels, in part, because of his enviable reputation with...

The Change Yar'Adua Brought.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Henry Owuor In power for 31 months in one of the most volatile African countries, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua has now been absent from his country for 47 days. From the eyes of a foreign observer, the appearance is that President Yar'Adua...

New Media Laws Herald Tough Times.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Kenneth Ogosia The government on Friday gazetted new laws that will regulate the broadcast media, setting the stage for a battle with Media Owners and journalists. Information and Communication PS Bitange Ndemo announced that the...

The Cutting Edge.
January 8, 2010... Byline: The Watchman While it's true that private schools, popularly referred to as academies, have been excelling in exams and sending more students to national schools, there is no justification for a quota system for admission to Form One,...

Kaunda Seeks India's Help in Aids War.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Elias Mbao Retired Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda has appealed for financial and drug assistance from India to fight HIV/Aids in southern Africa. During his meeting with visiting Indian Vice-President Mohammad Ansari in Lusaka,...

Agony of the Poor as Politics Replaces Leadership.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Enock Wambua I am a Kenyan of sound mind; a patriot at heart and in deed. I subscribe to the Christian faith and so I have been indoctrinated into a thing or two about morality. Not to say that I am a moralist. But I am a very bitter...

MPs to Be Kept on Their Toes.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Alphonce Shiundu The tribunal which reviewed MPs' salaries wants their performance appraised. In their report seen by the Saturday Nation, the tribunal recommends a performance contract between the MPs and voters on what is to be...

Minister Orders Audit of Private Primary Schools.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Samuel Siringi The government has ordered an inquiry into "unethical practices" used by private schools to post good results in national examinations. Education minister Sam Ongeri said some private schools were poaching bright...

Experts Present Hybrid Draft Law to MPs' Committee.
January 8, 2010... The Committee of Experts (CoE) on Friday presented a hybrid draft constitution to Parliament. And MPs, through the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Constitution Review, expressed hope that consensus would be reached on contentious issues...

Kibaki And Raila Ought to Demand a Census Repeat.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Kwamchetsi Makokha Counting is so hard. If little things like marked ballot papers can make the most educated person see double, imagine what counting human beings can do to the brain. You cannot really blame the President and the...

Less Than Half of Kenyans Will Vote for the Draft, Says Poll.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Jeff Otieno Less than half of Kenya's population would vote for the Harmonised Draft Constitution if a referendum were to be held today, an opinion poll says. The poll, conducted by a leading research organisation, says that only...

Govt Moves to Regulate Media.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Kenneth Ogosia The Kenya media suffered a severe body blow Friday after government published a new set of laws to regulate the industry. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication Dr Bitange Ndemo...

Poll - Draft Would Fail in Referendum.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Jeff Otieno Less than half of Kenyans would vote for the draft constitution if a referendum was held today, an opinion poll shows. According to the study released on Friday, only 34 percent of Kenyans were ready to vote for the...

Former Kemri Boss Denies Sh420 Million Fraud Charge.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Sam Kiplagat Renown researcher Davy Koech was Friday charged with defrauding a pension fund of more than Sh420 million. Dr Koech, a former Director at the Kenya Medical Research Institute, showed up in court as the prosecution...

Dismay At Plot to Delay Chaos Case.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Walter Menya A Member of Parliament and human rights activists are disappointed at attempts to delay a decision on the Kenya post-election violence case. Their dismay comes after an international lawyer's organisation filed an...

Scores to Miss Form One Places.
January 8, 2010... Byline: John Ngirachu Thousands of students who sat for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education last year are set to miss Form One places. Some 241,121 students or 33 per cent, who sat the national examinations will now be forced join...

Draft - Law Review Team Retains Hybrid System.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Oliver Mathenge and Lucas Barasa The team charged with writing a new constitution for Kenya retained the hybrid system of government in a revised draft released on Friday. The Committee of Experts presented the draft to the...

Mobile Phones Transfer U.S. $4 Billion a Year.
January 8, 2010... Byline: Justus Ondari Safaricom and Zain transferred a whopping Sh318.4 billion through their mobile money transfer services in 12 months up to June last year, according to the Central Bank of Kenya. The bank says Safaricom and Zain...

No Reprieve On Power Bills.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Kibiwott Koros Consumers will still pay more for electricity if the ongoing rains do not fill the Seven Forks dams complex to required levels. According to the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), despite the heavy rains...

Country Deports Jamaican Cleric to Gambia.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Dave Opiyo Kenya has deported radical Jamaican preacher Sheikh Abdullah al-Faisal to The Gambia. Immigration minister Otieno Kajwang said Thursday that the Muslim cleric was deported to the west African nation on his request. He...

Proposed Court to Ease Case Backlog.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Alphonce Shiundu The backlog of cases in the Judiciary could be eased if a proposal to set up of a Small Claims Court becomes a reality. The move will be an attempt to bring courts closer to the people, with a new draft law...

Exam Body Official Charged With Fraud.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Sam Kiplagat A financial director of the Kenya National Examination Council was Thursday charged with fraud. Mr Maurice Midenyo Opiyo denied six charges that included conspiracy to defraud, forgery, stealing and attempting to...

Marende Sees Bigger Role for Speakers.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Alphonce Shiundu And Agencies House Speaker Kenneth Marende has urged his colleagues in the Commonwealth to play a bigger role in parliamentary proceedings. Speaking at a meeting of Commonwealth Speakers and Clerks in New Delhi,...

PM Forms Task Force On Matatus.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Caroline Rwenji Prime Minister Raila Odinga has set up a task force that will address matatu operators' grievances in a move to avert future transport boycotts. The latest matatu strike paralysed transport in the country for two...

PM and VP to Receive Hefty Perks on Retiring.
January 7, 2010... The Prime Minister, Vice-President and Speaker of the National Assembly will enjoy hefty retirement packages if Parliament adopts proposals of the Akiwumi tribunal. But on the other hand, the tribunal, led by retired judge Akilano Akiwumi,...

Proposed Salary Package to Resolve Squabbles Over the Pecking Order.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Dave Opiyo Prime Minister Raila Odinga is set to earn a higher salary than the Vice President if proposals by a tribunal set up to review their perks are implemented. The tribunal led by retired judge Akilano Akiwumi has proposed...

New Pay Hike for MPs.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Alphonce Shiundu The salaries of Members of Parliament are to be increased from Sh851,000 a month to Sh896,000 a month, a tribunal appointed by the House has recommended. In addition, MPs' pay will be increased by five per cent...

Wives of Country's Top Three Leaders to Earn Massive Perks.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Alphonse Shiundu and Oliver Mathenge The spouses of the country's top three leaders are set to earn huge allowances once the leaders retire from active politics. A report by the Akilano Akiwumi tribunal proposes that the...

Leopards Coach, Players Suspended.
January 7, 2010... AFC Leopards' newly-elected office has cracked the whip, suspending embattled coach Nick Yakhama and four players for what club secretary Robert Asembo termed "insurbordination and unbecoming behaviour". On Tuesday, Yakhama and 12 members of...

The Cutting Edge.
January 7, 2010... Byline: The Watchman Nairobi Town Clerk Philip Kisia and city planning officers are sleeping on the job, says James Jalang'o, who is apprehensive about the developments in the Upper Hill area. "The massive constructions being approved are...

Form One Selection Kicks Off.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Benjamin Muindi Form One selection starts Friday amid calls for review of the quota system criticised for being blind to the growing disparities in performance between private and public schools. This year's selection will be held...

Maize Crop Destroyed by Armyworms.
January 7, 2010... Crops in Ukambani have been destroyed by armyworms that have invaded the region. Farms under maize are bearing the brunt of the insects. Many farmers were now harvesting maize cobs while still green to avoid losing out to the insects. ...

Www.laugh-Industry.go.ke.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Clay Muganda While writing a blog in www.drum.co.ke at the beginning of last year, I mentioned that Vitimbi, the poorly-marketed but extremely witty and highly popular television comedy show will never die because its actors...

Why Census Findings Were Withheld.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Kenneth Ogosia The government cancelled the release of preliminary census results following doubts about abnormally high figures in some regions. A source in Prime Minister Raila Odinga's office, who declined to be named as he is...

National Record Holder Leads Kenyan Assault in the Pool.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Sammy Kitula Chirag Patel, the national 11-year-old boys' 100m butterfly record holder, will lead top Kenyan swimmers looking to ward off a strong international challenge at the three-day Africa Zone Three and Four Swimming...

Strategies That Could Improve Civic Authority Performance.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Omae Onduso Nairobi city council generates alarmingly lower revenues per employee than cities like Chicago, New York, Toronto, Los Angeles or Sydney. It could either increase revenues for the current level of employees, or downsize...

Speed Up Poll Chaos Trials, Hague Court Urged.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Muchemi Wachira and Dennis Odunga The Hague has been asked to speed up the trial of suspects linked to post-election violence. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights asked Pre-Trial Chambers of the International Criminal...

Young Rally Ace Distressed as Mcdonald's Stops Funding.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Chris Musumba Quentin Mitchell, One of Kenya's promising young drivers eyeing the Pirelli Star Driver award this season, will have to shop elsewhere for a sponsor after his financier, McDonald's, pulled out. Mitchell will also not...

Nairobi Foursome Revs Up New Season.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Larry Ngala The 2010 golfing season, which started with the Year Opener events last weekend, gets into top gear this weekend with this year's Nairobi District Foursomes tournament at the par 71 Muthaiga Golf Club course. The...

Role of Parents in Education Vital.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Patrick Kabuya As parents, we need to ask what we can do to enhance the quality of education. Recent media headlines on education are alarming and should be a source of concern for all parents. Parents can, and should, increase...

Sacked Judge Fights to Get Back His Job.
January 7, 2010... One of the 23 judges axed during the 2003 judicial purge wants to revive a case in which he criticised the findings of a tribunal that recommended his removal from the Judiciary. Justice Thomas Mbaluto is urging the Court of Appeal to...

KRA Misses Half Year Tax Target by Sh1.3 Billion.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Justus Ondari The country's tax collecting agency has exceeded its tax collection target for the second quarter, although the surplus generated was not large enough to reverse the deficit it recorded in the first three months of its...

Eto'o to Play in Safaricom Unity Cup.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Chris Musumba Inter Milan and Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o has confirmed he will take part in the Safaricom Laikipia Unity Cup in July as part of his contribution towards environmental restoration and development. Eto'o, who is in...

Kidnappers Still on the Loose.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Fred Mukinda Criminal gangs involved in kidnapping are still operating despite months of police efforts to smash them. Cases reported in Nairobi this week show relatives of victims were forced to pay ransoms to free them from...

With This Move, Musalia's Legacy Might Be Assured.
January 7, 2010... Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi's plan to shake up local government is probably the best idea this side of an election. For much too long, councils have been the Achilles heel of public affairs management. It is time someone reined in...

Malindi Airport Hit by Jet Fuel Scarcity.
January 7, 2010... Air transport in Malindi has for the last three days been crippled by a scarcity of jet fuel, which has led to many aircraft being diverted to the Moi International Airport in Mombasa. This has sometimes left scores of tourists stranded at...

KPCU Abusing Court Process, Says KCB.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Sam Kiplagat The Kenya Planters Co-operative Union has been accused of abusing the court process, as the battle for the control of the giant miller's assets intensified on Thursday. In an application, Kenya Commercial Bank asked...

Authority Alarmed by Road Damage.
January 7, 2010... A State authority on Thursday warned that the current rains threaten Kenya's road infrastructure, and says additional funding for ongoing works may be required. Director general of Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), Meshack Kidenda,...

Livestock Sector Seeks Sh700 Million.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Mwaniki Wahome The livestock sector needs Sh700 million to restock, following massive deaths of the animals due to drought and current floods. Speaking during a leather stakeholders meeting at Jacaranda Hotel on Thursday, Livestock...

BPO Operators Forecast Robust Activity After Landing of Fibre.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Jevans Nyabiage The outsourcing sector in Kenya will see exponential growth this year, players in the sector have said. Ms Peres Were, managing director Cascade Global, says landing of the fibre optic cables last year has provided...

Tribunal Findings on MPs' Pay Gutless.
January 7, 2010... The report of the Tribunal appointed to review the terms and conditions of service for Members of Parliament and National Assembly staff is a big disappointment. One would have thought that at a time of widespread public anger directed at MPs...

Why All Settlers in the Forest Should Leave With Nothing.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Paul N. Ndung'u Debate rages on as to whether the government should compensate settlers who have been or are about to be evicted from the Mau Forest. In typical Kenyan style, politicians, particularly those who are beneficiaries of...

DC Denies Misusing Sh8.75 Million.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Rachel Kibui and Mwangi Ndirangu A district commissioner was Thursday charged with misappropriating Sh8.75 million meant for internally displaced persons. Mr Javan Sagero, the Laikipia DC, faced two charges of fraud and another of...

Protect the Witnesses.
January 7, 2010... There is growing disquiet over reports that witnesses expected to testify during the anticipated trial of the masterminds of the post-election violence are being intimidated, threatened with death, or bought off. According to human rights...

Tales of Agony in Foreign Land.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Anthony Kitimo What started as an accident involving a Kenyan househelp working in Saudi Arabia has turned into a nightmare for her family in Bondeni, Mombasa. Ms Asha Sherif Noor, 38, left Kenya for Saudi Arabia early last month...

Soldier Shot Dead Over Debt Dispute.
January 7, 2010... Disagreement over a debt between a policeman and a Prisons officer turned tragic when a soldier was accidentally shot dead. Two other people were left nursing gunshot wounds after the incident in Eldoret on Thursday. The Army man died...

Drop Fraud Case, Kirubi Tells Court.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Sam Kiplagat and Jillo Kadida Businessman Chris Kirubi on Thursday supported the termination of a fraud case against him and 13 others, saying the charges they were facing were irrelevant and continue to injure their reputation. ...

Children's Malaria Drugs Run Out.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Kenneth Ogosia A shortage of malaria drugs for children has hit hospitals as fears of an outbreak of the disease loom following heavy rains in various parts of the country. The Kenya Medical Supplies Agency said stocks of the drugs...

Ferry Crisis Sparks Mass Outrage.
January 7, 2010... Byline: Mazera Ndurya and Anthony Kitimo Outrage continued to pour from various groups over the deteriorating state of ferries at Likoni Channel in Mombasa. The Kenya Association of Tour Operators (Kato) and Muslims for Human Rights...