The Nation (Kenya) articles from July 2009

The Nation (Kenya) archives from July 2009

Arc Under-19 Tourney On the Home Stretch.
July 31, 2009... Byline: The Punter Zimbabwe will be the first team to arrive for the Africa Rugby Confederation Under-19 tournament which kicks off at the Rugby Football Union of East Africa on Tuesday. Zimbabwe, who were supposed to host the age-grade...

Coming Up - Battle of Identicals.
July 31, 2009... Byline: The Punter Two rugby teams who have a near identical approach in their matches meet today at the Nairobi Railway Club as the push for supremacy in the Kenya Cup league intensifies. Hosts Mwamba and Nakuru RFC prefer to run the ball...

Third Gold in the Bag in Mauritius.
July 31, 2009... Byline: Chris Musumba Kenya has secured a third gold on the second day of the Ninth Africa Junior Championship in Port Louis, Mauritius. James Magut (3:37.05) won the men's 1,500m while John Cheruiyot, Nickson Chepseba, Newton Kipngeno and...

Keitany Hungry for Berlin Gold.
July 31, 2009... Byline: Chris Musumba African 1,500m champion Haron Keitany will be casting his net wider when he seeks to ruffle the seeding order in the four-lap race at the World Championship in Berlin, Germany, from August 15-24. He missed the trip to...

Stars Novices Wont Be Cowed By Yellow Jerseys.
July 31, 2009... Byline: Sammy Kitula When Brazilian Paulo Sergio lifted the World Cup in 1994 after their 3-2 post-match penalties victory over Italy, Kenya's striking prodigy George Odhiambo was barely two years old. The two are worlds apart: Sergio...

There Has Been Too Much Debate On Mau; Now It's Time for Action.
July 31, 2009... Byline: Cabral Pinto The debates, dialogues, intimidations, and political posturings that continue on one of Kenya's critical water towers -- the Mau Forest -- must immediately end. What we need is an organised citizen power for action....

Choosing a Good Man And Truth.
July 31, 2009... Byline: Kwamchetsi Makokha Kenya's Bethuel Kiplagat the chairman of the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission, brings an undisguised and unassailable maturity to his new appointment -- quite apart from the criticism levelled against...

It's Futile to Blame Kibaki And Raila.
July 31, 2009... Byline: Sarah Elderkin I keep being told that the last General Election in Kenya was a contest between two personalities, Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga, and that the ensuing violence was their fault because they persuaded us to vote for them....

ICC Must Hurry Up And Arrest the Suspects.
July 31, 2009... The International Criminal Court has been presented with one stark reality: The Kenyan Government has no intention to bring to justice the key figures behind Kenya's post-election descent into anarchy and bloodshed. It follows, therefore,...

Guest's Speech Was Punctuated By Tearful Sobs.
July 31, 2009... Byline: Philip Ochieng' I liked the metaphor in the statement by a reporter that Nakuru's mayoral elections "were punctuated with physical blows". I could see the "city fathers" inserting a few commas and semi-colons into their balloting...

Cabinet Actually Resolved to Do Nothing On Trials.
July 31, 2009... Byline: Macharia Gaitho The statement read by Kenya's President Kibaki after the marathon cabinet meeting on Thursday was a masterpiece in obfuscation. It said plenty, but artfully avoided putting in black and white the real outcome of the...

Hunt for Economic Deals, Envoys Urged.
July 31, 2009... Kenya's envoys have been challenged to come up with plans that can enhance the country's competitiveness in the wake of globalisation. Foreign minister Moses Wetang'ula on Friday said that besides strengthening ties with host countries, the...

Act Tough On Abuses Clinton Told.
July 31, 2009... The US has been asked to focus on human rights abuses during an African trip by its Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. Africa director of Human Rights Watch, Ms Georgette Gagnon, in a letter asks the US official to put Kenya's leaders to...

The Cutting Edge.
July 31, 2009... On this one, cabinet minister William ole Ntimama is quite right, illegal squatters who have destroyed the Mau Forest complex deserve no compensation, says Victor Abuka. "Rift Valley leaders are making too much noise about compensation yet...

Resign, NCCK Tells Cabinet Over Post-Poll Chaos Trials.
July 31, 2009... Byline: Oliver Mathenge Protestant churches in Kenya on Friday asked the government to resign for allegedly promoting impunity by refusing to punish those responsible for last year's post election violence. The National Council of Churches...

Pressure Mounts On Leaders to Resign.
July 31, 2009... The government is being pushed to resign in seven days for failure to deliver a "sound option" for the trial of post-election violence suspects. Victims and survivors of torture under past regimes are now mounting pressure on the government...

Women in 12 Regions Yet to Gain From Fund.
July 31, 2009... Byline: Billy Muiruri Women in at least 12 constituencies are yet to spend a single cent of the Women Enterprise Fund despite the money being readily available for borrowing. Women's groups in the affected constituencies are not aware the...

Kibaki Launches Census Drive.
July 31, 2009... Byline: Alphonce Shiundu And Cynthia Vukets Kenya's President Kibaki has warned Kenyans against giving false information to officials during this month's census. He noted that data from some areas may be manipulated to increase their share...

Fake And Expired Drugs Seized.
July 31, 2009... Byline: Barnabas Bii Counterfeit and expired drugs were seized in Kenya's Eldoret Town on Friday and a suspect arrested in a crackdown by the Pharmacy and Poison Board. Also confiscated in the raid on private pharmacies were drugs meant...

Under the Common Law, a Dog is Allowed One Bite Free.
July 31, 2009... Byline: Peter Mwaura William Shakespeare captures the spirit famously. In The Merchant of Venice, Shylock tells Antonio (in modern English): "You called me a dog before you had any reason to. But since I'm a dog, beware my fangs." Under...

Mau Forest Settlers Given Three Months to Surrender Deeds.
July 31, 2009... Byline: Dave Opiyo The 2,500 illegal settler-families in the Mau Forest Complex have three months to surrender their title deeds to the government. If they do not heed the directive agreed by the Cabinet on Thursday, they will be evicted...

Why a Person Who is My Enemy's Enemy is My Friend.
July 31, 2009... Byline: Gikonyo Gitau Since events last week, the highest corridors of power in Kenya have been playing a song by Heavy D and the Boyz that hit the charts a few years ago. The lyrics went like this: "Now that we've found love what are we...

Bishop Who Took On a Brutal Regime Over Rift Valley Killings.
July 31, 2009... For people residing in some parts of the Rift Valley, the period 1991-1992 was a time of living dangerously. At that time ethnic clashes had broken out around Kipkelion, Olenguruoni, Molo and some parts of Bomet. The government preferred...

How Coup Bid Exposed the Softer Side of Moi.
July 31, 2009... Byline: Sam Kiplagat The coup attempt occurred exactly 27 years ago today(Saturday), but a former Nakuru youth leader recalls every tense moment. Mr Francis Karanja alias Mkombozi, then 35, was the Nakuru District Kanu youth leader and was...

Preserved Head of Chief Who Killed Dutch Soldiers Returned.
July 31, 2009... Byline: Francis Kokutse It reads like the plot to a novel but it is true. An African Chief killed two European intruders on his land and was punished by hanging. His head was cut off and sent across the Atlantic to far-away Holland. But...

Alarm Over Mungiki's Influence.
July 31, 2009... Mungiki gang members have established themselves in every sector of the Kenyan government, according to the National Security Intelligence Service. The spy agency made the disclosure while responding to questions from the Parliamentary...

How Grabbing of Forest Land Started.
July 31, 2009... Byline: Samwel Kumba It all started in the mid 1980s as a well-meaning campaign to settle the landless. The government, under President Daniel Moi, decided that the Ogiek community should not be homeless anymore. They were to be...

Aga Khan Pledges More Support for Zanzibar.
July 31, 2009... Byline: Costantine Sebastian The Aga Khan has assured the people of Zanzibar continued support in development projects, including setting up a micro-finance scheme that will provide loans of more than Sh1 billion. Speaking during the...

Country Boxed to a Corner By Mogadishu Skirmishes - PS.
July 31, 2009... Byline: Kevin J. Kelley And Paul Juma The war in Somalia has left Kenya with a difficult choice between the security of her own citizens and humanitarian concerns of fleeing Somali refugees. According to Information PS Bitange Ndemo, high...

Mastermind Tobacco in Threat to Sue KRA.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Kaburu Mugambi Mastermind Tobacco says it may take legal action against the Kenya Revenue Authority for passing wrong information to the press that it had closed its cigarette factory. Newspaper reports on Thursday quoting a KRA...

Kerrow Urges State to Enforce Act to Curb Losses.
July 30, 2009... The government should enforce the Financial Management Act to seal off routes through which the country loses money. Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission commissioner, Billow Kerrow said the Ministry of Finance should aggressively enforce the law...

Feeling Cheated By Car Dealer? Worry Not.
July 30, 2009... The vehicle you are driving could have travelled 300,000 kilometres - about seven and a half times around the earth at the Equator - despite your seller having claimed it had done only 20,000 kilometres. Crooked Kenyan car dealers have been...

Envoys' Resolve Over the Mau Forest Saga.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Mazera Ndurya The issue of the Mau took a new turn on Thursday as ambassadors and high commissioners meeting in Mombasa's South Coast decided to take time off their programme to discuss it at length. In a statement read out by...

Man Who Defied Court Order Repentant.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Eunice Machuhi A Dutch national who defied a court order and sneaked his child out of the country now wants a warrant of arrest against him lifted. Mr Patrick Tiekken who was being sought by Interpol for sneaking his five year old...

Ministry Plans on Census for Street Children.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Mwakera Mwajefa A census on all the street children in the country will be conducted before the end of this year to set up rehabilitation programmes. In a speech read by her permanent secretary James Nyikal, the Gender, Children...

Youths Demolish Church and Steal Property.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Anthony Kitimo A gang of more than 20 youths on Thursday descended on a Pentecostal church, vandalising it and destroying worth more than Sh400,000. The gang suspected to be the abolished vigilante group 'Sungu-Sungu' raided the...

Speaker's Ire at Absent Ministers.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Alphonce Shiundu Kenya House Speaker Kenneth Marende has lashed out at the Executive for neglecting Parliamentary business on Thursday. Mr Marende was irked after ministers failed to respond to MPs' questions despite them being in...

Minister Blocked From Conducting House Business.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Alphonce Shiundu A Cabinet minister has been banned from Parliamentary business while another one faces a ban after they failed to respond to scheduled questions. Regional Development Authorities minister Fred Gumo was banned after...

This is a Shameful Dereliction of Duty.
July 30, 2009... That a Kenyan Cabinet minister can be stopped by foreign soldiers inside his own country reveals blatant violation of Kenya's territorial integrity. What is most shocking, however, is that what happened to Immigration minister Otieno Kajwang'...

Making the Region Thrive.
July 30, 2009... During the three-day East African Investment Conference which ends today a few important lessons emerged. One was that partner states have to take regional cooperation with utmost seriousness for economic take-off. The other was that...

Hippo Beats Man in Battle for Food.
July 30, 2009... Byline: James Kariuki For the Kenyan villagers, it was the feast that never was. But with a resolve fuelled by hunger pangs, they kept vigil, not taking their eyes off the ailing mother hippo and its calf - both of them stuck in the mud. ...

Are You Over 65? Line Up for Token Pay.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Jonathan Manyindo Kenyans aged 65 and above and orphans have something to smile about following a decision to pay them a stipend. Gender, Children Affairs and Social Services minister Ester Murugi said in Mombasa on Thursday that...

Driver Jailed for Killing Walkers.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Sam Kiplagat A matatu driver will spend five years in jail for causing the death of three pedestrians in Nairobi Kenya three years ago. After serving the jail term, Mr Richard Kennedy Onkendi's driving licence will be suspended for...

CID Furious As Stipend is Cut.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Fred Mukinda Discontent is brewing among Kenya police detectives after they were stripped of Sh30,000 annual allowance, allegedly without any explanation from their bosses. Those affected are constables, corporals, sergeants and...

Detribalising the Census Futile.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Korir Sing'oei A campaign mounted by some citizens group to bar the Kenya Bureau of Statistics from collecting information on ethnicity in the national census invites serious reflection. The main thrust of the campaign is that...

Lack of Skills Blamed for Site Disasters.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Wanjiru Macharia The increasing number of collapsing buildings in Kenya was on Thursday blamed on councils' lack of capacity to monitor and supervise work. Architectural Association of Kenya chairman Steven Oundo said local...

Divided Cabinet Gives Up on Post-Polls Tribunal.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Bernard Namunane and John Ngirachu A divided Cabinet on Thursday gave up on a local tribunal and decided to clean up the police force and the local courts and have them try post-election violence suspects. But it will also hand...

Wilson Airport Faces Closure.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Kibiwott Koross A city airport may shut down soon for failing to meet international aviation standards. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority on Thursday conceded that the airport could be closed in the next two months when an...

Leaders Must Emulate Raila's Principled Stand On the Mau.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Paul M. Mwangi In the past, I always thought there is nothing that Kenya's Prime Minister Raila Odinga uttered without a political motive behind it. Certainly, in the last decade, he tried to please anyone who could vote for him...

No Need to State Tribe, After All.
July 30, 2009... Byline: John Ngirachu Kenyans who do not wish to disclose their tribe on the census forms need not do so and can simply write "I am a Kenyan." At the same time, the cost of the census, whose countdown starts on Friday with the launch of an...

Security Teams Blamed for Killings.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Fred Mukinda Kenya's security agencies and politicians are to blame for the brutal murders of 42 people in clashes between Mungiki and vigilantes in parts of Central Province. The victims were killed in parts of Kirinyaga West and...

Crashing On Swiftly - to Death.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Clay Muganda On July 9, at 7.25am, a Citi Hoppa-branded bus (fleet number 177, insured by Direct Line Assurance vide policy number 3015913 and certificate of insurance number A388812) that was hurtling along the slip road from Kipande...

No Matter How Dirty, Only Truth Will Set Country Free.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Lucy Oriang' There is this washing powder advertisement that plays on reverse psychology to get the attention of the house proud woman. She is told that dirt is good. As long as she uses the magical powers of the soap to zap away...

Firms Linked to Mau Forest Saga Don't Exist.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Kenneth Ogosia Four ghost companies and a non-existent church organisation were allocated 7,183 hectares of land in the Mau Forest, a search at the Registrar of Companies revealed on Thursday. Kelewa Enterprises, Kapkembu Tea...

Immigration Minister Stopped at Sudan Border.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Peter Leftie The man responsible for regulating Kenya's border posts was on Thursday barred from accessing an exit point. Mr Otieno Kajwang', the Immigration minister, was blocked by Sudanese soldiers manning a roadblock on the...

The Cutting Edge.
July 30, 2009... The Kenyan leaders who can't agree on how to try the suspects of the post-election violence suspects, have failed fellow Kenyans, says Walter Biegon. He adds: "Since the 42 ministers don't know how to go about it, President Kibaki should...

ODM Mayoral Aspirants Vow to Remain United.
July 30, 2009... Nairobi ODM councillors gunning for the party's ticket for the mayoral seat on Thursday vowed to remain united after one of them is declared the winner. They will be facing off in a mini-election on Friday. The four aspirants are incumbent...

Kerrow Urges State to Enforce Act to Stem Cash Loss.
July 30, 2009... The government should enforce the Financial Management Act to seal off routes through which the country loses money. Kenya Anti-corruption Commission commissioner Billow Kerrow said the Ministry of Finance should aggressively enforce the law...

Utilise Renewable Energy, EAC Urged.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Justus Ondari The East African region has a huge renewable energy untapped potential, which investors should help the region to exploit. According to Minister of State in charge of Energy in the Rwanda Government, Dr Albert Butale,...

Govt to Employ 1,500 Health Workers.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Mike Mwaniki The government will employ 1,500 new health workers during this financial year, the Medical Services ministry has said. Permanent Secretary Prof James Kiyiapi on Thursday said most of the workers will be deployed in...

Kibaki Group Calls for Caution Over Mau.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Njeri Rugene A movement associated with Jimmy Kibaki has called for caution in the manner in which the government is handling the Mau issue. The group, fronted by Kenya President Kibaki's son, says the government, led by Prime...

Cabinet Meets Over Polls Violence Tribunal.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Lucas Barasa Kenya ministers are holding a meeting of the cabinet to discuss the legislation for setting up a local tribunal and the explosive Mau issue. The meeting, chaired by President Kibaki, started at 10.00am and a final...

Kivuva Relishing Underdog Tag.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Chris Musumba Jackson Mumbwa Kivuva believes a spoiler will emerge and win the 800 metres gold medal at the Berlin World Championships in Athletics. And that spoiler will be himself. Going to Berlin as an underdog, Kivuva, the...

Africans Need to Buy Own Art Before It Ends Up in European Galleries.
July 30, 2009... Despite its negligible presence in the multi-billion dollar global art market, all is not lost for Africa. On the contrary, the continent is making steady progress breaking out of what Ghanaian artist El Anatsui describes as the "invisibility...

Mathare Display Champs' Form to Floor City Stars.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Sammy Kitula Champions Mathare United bagged their third consecutive win in the second leg of the Kenyan Premier League with a 2-0 win over hosts Nairobi City Stars to climb to fourth in the log. Being a Nairobi derby, Mathare...

I'll Clear All Barriers Next Time - Mathenge.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Eric Odanga Peter Mathenge, the eight-time Kenya full-bore target rifle champion, has set his eyes on winning the Imperial Meeting Bisley next year. The Armed Forces shooter, who finished 14th at the recently-concluded 140th...

Cross Country Series Headed for Baringo.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Twincam Preparations are underway for the next round of the Fina Bank sponsored cross country challenge to be staged on the outskirts of Lake Baringo next month. Raid rally, as it is commonly known, is one of the fastest growing...

Cherono And Muia Strike Gold.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Jonathan Komen And Chris Musumba World Junior 3,000 metres champion Mercy Cherono and World Junior 3,000m steeplechase title holder Jonathan Muiya harvested Kenya's first gold medals yesterday at the Africa Junior Championship in...

Country to Join Hunt for Barry Cup in Mombasa.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Larry Ngala The stage is set for this year's Coast Open Golf championship at the seafront links' Mombasa Golf Club course this weekend. A reduced field of 96, including a strong contingent of 16 players from Dar es Salaam Gymkhana,...

Alarm As Third Dormitory Destroyed By Fire.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Nation Correspondent A third dormitory has been burnt in a Malindi school in two weeks. In the latest arson attack, 54 girls were left with nowhere to sleep after their hostel at Ngala Memorial Girls Secondary School in Dabaso,...

Environmentalists Ask Government to Mind Country Coastal Forests.
July 30, 2009... The government has been asked to extend the campaign against destruction of forests to the Coast. Environmentalists on Thursday said that the effects of encroachment of coastal forests, wetlands and beaches have started being felt and warned...

American Coach Geatz Coming to Train Juniors At Sadili.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Eric Odanga David Geatz, a three-time Big Ten coach of the year and head coach of the University of Minnesota between 1988 to 2006, will be in Kenya for two weeks to oversee a junior tennis camp at the Sadili Oval Sports Club. ...

Duncan Enters Mustang in Classic Safari.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Chris Musumba Former Safari Rally winner and multiple Kenya National Rally champion, Ian Duncan, will be looking to add another feather in his cap by winning this year's Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally in November. ...

EU And U.S. Welcome Abyei Ruling.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Sam Kiplagat The European Union and the United States has welcomed the redefined boundaries of oil-rich Abyei area in Sudan. In a joint statement, the US and the Council of European Union further said the decision by the Permanent...

President's Clash With Ruling Party.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Wene Owino The bitter feuding in the faction-ridden Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) is likely to hit a new high as President Ian Khama seeks to neutralise the influence of those who humiliated him in party polls and show them who is...

Generals 'Not Obliged' to Salute Tsvangirai.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Kitsepile Nyathi Zimbabwe's Defence Minister says army generals are not obliged to salute Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai despite the power sharing agreement with President Robert Mugabe. The generals who include army commander...

Farmers to Get Stake in Sugar Firms.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Cosmas Butunyi and Erick Ngovilo The government has pledged to ensure that sugarcane farmers have a clear stake in sugar factories when privatised. Agriculture Minister William Ruto said that a consultant has been enlisted to look...

Country Bans Cashew Nuts Export.
July 30, 2009... Byline: Muchemi Wachira The government has banned exportation of raw cashew nuts as it moves to revive the industry, Agriculture minister William Ruto announced on Thursday. Mr Ruto further said that it is only the government and the...

Five Park Death Men Identified.
July 29, 2009... Byline: Fred Mukinda The five bodies of men killed in a bizarre attack at the weekend have been identified by relatives. The victims went missing on separate occasions, with the first disappearing on Tuesday and the fifth on Friday, a day...

Poor Turnout As New Voter Listing Ends.
July 29, 2009... Byline: Jackline Moraa The Interim Independent Electoral Commission has registered a total of 49,508 in Bomachoge constituency as per last week's figures. Speaking in Ogembo town, the registration officer Mrs Jane Arita said they were...

Queries Over 33 Bodies At Mortuary.
July 29, 2009... Byline: Maurice Kaluoch Mystery surrounds 33 unclaimed bodies dumped by police at the Homa Bay District Hospital mortuary. They are part of a total of 44 unclaimed bodies that are currently chocking the mortuary. The mortuary serves the...

More Power Plants to Be Set Up.
July 29, 2009... Kenya's Parliament has endorsed a motion that seeks to set up more power plants on the few rivers that are yet to dry up. The motion by Vihiga MP Yusuf Chanzu (ODM) is hinged on the promise of expanding the cottage industry in the country,...

5,000 People Still Waiting for Land.
July 29, 2009... Byline: Barnabas Bii More than 5,000 members of the Ogiek community expelled from public forests in the North Rift region are still waiting for resettlement. The families that were evicted from forests in Uasin Gishu and Nandi South...

Mau Triggers Simmering Tensions.
July 29, 2009... Byline: Macharia Gaitho It looked like a drastic fallout between Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Agriculture minister William Ruto. But the spat over the Mau Forest issue was just the trigger to bring to the open long-simmering tensions....