The Nation (Kenya) articles from October 2008, page 10

The Nation (Kenya) archives from October 2008

Varsities And Industries Urged to Bond Better.
October 11, 2008... Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka has called on universities and private companies to form stronger links to enable the country to attain its development and industrialisation agenda. He said that the two entities should work together to...

MPs Push for More Constituencies.
October 11, 2008... Byline: Caroline Wafula Members of Parliament have embarked on a new push for more constituencies in a bid to ensure equal representation in the House and equal distribution of national resources. Unlike in the past where the...

Choose a Meru Running Mate for Votes, Says MP.
October 11, 2008... The Meru community will only enter into a coalition with the party that appoints a legislator from the region as its running mate, an assistant minister has said. Agriculture assistant minister Japheth Mbiuki said, "Those who want the...

Tourism Board Given Sh1 Billion for Marketing.
October 11, 2008... Byline: Nation Correspondent The government has approved Sh1 billion funding for tourism marketing. Tourism minister Najib Balala said President Kibaki had directed Treasury to release the money to the Kenya Tourism Board. ...

Wrangles As UDM Asserts Autonomy.
October 11, 2008... Byline: Kipchumba Some Rift Valley MPs from the Kalenjin community are divided over calls to either integrate or disband the United Democratic Movement party. Those opposed to the move want to use the party as the community's...

Mwamba Keep Nakuru Sevens Title.
October 11, 2008... Mwamba RFC, last year's Kenya Rugby Football Union National Sevens Circuit champions conceded only five points on the opening day of the Western Union-sponsored Circuit which kicked off on Saturday in Nakuru. The Black Shirts beat...

Why Kibaki Needs a Performance Contract.
October 11, 2008... Byline: Mutahi Ngunyi President Kibaki should sign a performance contract like everyone else. Otherwise, he has no business asking teachers and farmers to do so. And maybe in future, we should take away his motorcade and give him a...

22 Days to Go, Republican Campaign Gets Dirty.
October 11, 2008... Byline: Kwendo Opanga The world has elected Barack Obama president of the United States. It is now waiting to see if the Americans will reject him on November 4. So far that appears a long shot because Obama now has a double digit...

Wanted - an ECK in Which Everybody Has Confidence.
October 11, 2008... Byline: Gitau Warigi One of the more harebrained statements I have heard lately is that, because the so-called international community funded the operations of the Kriegler commission, the Western envoys were entitled to walk into ECK...

Do Not Tribalise Number Two Slot in ODM.
October 11, 2008... Byline: Makau Mutua The sophomoric struggle between the allies of Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi, and those of Minister William Ruto, for the post of ODM Deputy Leader sums up what's wrong with Kenya's political class. Not...

Pirate Saga a Security Wake-Up Call.
October 11, 2008... The reported threat by Somali pirates to blow up the Ukrainian ship carrying weapons allegedly belonging to the Kenyan military -- killing themselves and the crew -- is testament to the fact that the pirates have imbibed the militancy of some...

Action On 'Obama Nation' Writer Justified.
October 11, 2008... Byline: Philip Ochieng For 500 years, black people responded with a booming "thank you, sir" when bodily assaulted or racially abused by a European. Africans have turned the other cheek for so long that many whites still take them...

The Cutting Edge.
October 11, 2008... The demolition of makeshift food kiosks in Nairobi's Industrial Area may have done a lot to clear the eyesores in that area, but it's a disaster for many of the poorly paid workers, Paul Origa moans. Before the decision was taken, he adds,...

Country Cannot Escape Financial Meltdown.
October 11, 2008... The government and business leaders must prepare for what the International Monetary Fund says will be an economic downturn linked to the international economic woes. In remarks by Mark Plant, deputy director, Africa department, the IMF...

Sir, It's Now Safe to Crawl Out From Under Your Desk.
October 11, 2008... Byline: Mutuma Mathiu Dear my brother, Mr Otieno Kajwang'. This is total malfeasance. You have hidden your tracks with mischievous care, but you can't buffoon me: all detention-without-trial orders are signed by the minister for...

Criminal Gangs Spread Terror in Kangundo.
October 11, 2008... Byline: Bob Odalo Armed gangsters have been terrorising residents of Kangundo and Kathiani constituencies the last few weeks, forcing many of them to abandon their homes. Benjamin Mbithi, a clinical officer based in Kangundo town...

End This 2012 Talk Now, Raila Urges.
October 11, 2008... Byline: Bob Odalo Prime minister Raila Odinga on Saturday led six Cabinet ministers and a number of MPs in calling for an end to the ongoing 2012 presidential campaigns. Speaking in Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka's Ukambani...

Babies' HIV Test Age Lowered.
October 11, 2008... Byline: Mark Agutu The Government has lowered the minimum age at which infants exposed to HIV/Aids infection can be screened for the virus and placed on life-prolonging drugs. It has recommended that the special testing for the virus...

Judge Schofield Fights On for the Cause of Justice.
October 11, 2008... Byline: David Okwemba Mr Justice DEREK SCHOFIELD, the suspended Chief Justice of Gibraltar, served as a High Court judge in Kenya and left the country under controversial circumstances in 1987. He handled a high profile case in which...

Tears Dry As Hope Sets in.
October 11, 2008... Byline: Daniel Wesangula You are now entering the kingdom of children. Jesus is king here," reads a notice at the entrance of the paediatric ward of the AIC Kijabe Hospital. The hospital is located at the bottom of a hill at the end...

Nine Months of Suffering, And It's Not Likely to End Any Time Soon.
October 11, 2008... Nine months after post-election violence broke out, most of the those displaced by the attacks and fighting have not returned to their homes. Although the government insists that the IDPs have been resettled, about 90 per cent of them...

Billions Banked in Cellphone Wallets - the Way of the Future.
October 11, 2008... Byline: Mugumo Munene Dorothy Achieng's lifestyle has been changed by the mobile phone money transfer service as she now does not have to worry about not having enough money as she studies at the University of Nairobi's main campus. ...

Leaders Have Completely Forgotten Us, IDPs Say.
October 11, 2008... Byline: Samuel Siringi Every day since January 1, Joseph Githuku has been visiting Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital to seek confirmation that his wife actually died in the New Year's Day fire that killed 35 women and children in an...

Political Parties Scramble to Beat Polls Deadline.
October 11, 2008... Byline: Samwel Kumba Lucy Ndung'u, the newly appointed Registrar of Political Parties at Electoral Commission of Kenya has her job well cut out for her. She has been handed the unenviable task of reining in wayward parties that for...

Crisis May Be Slow to Hit Continent - IMF.
October 11, 2008... Byline: Kevin J Kelley The financial crisis destabilising markets and economies in the developed world may not be fully felt in Africa until sometime next year, an official at the International Monetary Fund said in Washington on Friday....

Treasury Not Involved in Regency Sale - PS.
October 11, 2008... Byline: David Mugonyi Treasury was not involved in the sale of Grand Regency Hotel to Libyans, permanent Secretary Joseph Kinyua has said. Speaking to the Nation in Castries, St Lucia Island, on the sidelines of a Finance Ministers...

Local Interest in Obama Far From Misplaced.
October 11, 2008... Byline: Tom Wolf The considerable interest in the US presidential election around the world may partly reflect just its entertainment value. But it is also true that however much of its "single superpower" status America has lost...

Stanchart Scoops Top Award.
October 10, 2008... In a year when compliance with international accounting standards carried the top score, Standard Chartered Bank has come out tops to win this year's overall FiRe Award. The FiRe Award seeks to recognise excellence in financial...

Country Ranked As Emerging Economy By IMF.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Paul Redfern Kenya is now among a select group of countries - including Ghana, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique and Uganda - to be rated as emerging markets by the IMF. The stability of these countries along with Botswana and...

Study for Single Regional Shipping Line Almost Complete.
October 10, 2008... The push for an indigenous shipping service within the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (Comesa) is on its way to fruition. This follows feasibility studies done by the Intergovernmental Standing Committee on Shipping (ISCOS), a...

Local Marketers Honoured.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Philip Wahome The credibility of the marketing function is at stake and only marketers can redeem their image and restore public faith in the profession, a respected marketer has said. Indeed, the career has always struggled...

Cash for Chiefs And DOS a Good Move.
October 10, 2008... For the first time in a long while, the Government has directed its attention to the long-suffering provincial administrators. It has allocated some Sh66 million for operations for the divisional and locational offices which, for lack of...

Power - It's Time to Go Nuclear, But We Must Do It Right.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Peter Mwaura It is said that the amount of electricity you consume shows your standard of living. At the national level, an increase in productivity and standard of living is accompanied by a rise in individual energy...

Views On Somalia Annexation Have Been Misinterpreted.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Donald B. Kipkorir When I called for Somali's division last week, I expected the vitriolic reaction I have received from the war-weary country's refugees in the US, Britain, Denmark, Eritrea and Mogadishu. But what shocked me...

Tame Errant Churches.
October 10, 2008... It is official: the Government receives an average of two new applications daily from people seeking to register churches. At face value, we should be celebrating this explosion of spirituality as showing our godliness. But in...

As Obama Pulls Ahead, America-Lovers Can Hardly Wait.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Randy Smith When my oldest son was a little boy, he'd always cause a ruckus at the local restaurant. Innocently sitting in his high chair at the end of the table, he loved to eat pancakes and scrambled eggs on Sunday mornings...

Reduce Fishing in Lake Victoria to Avert Crisis, Say Experts.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Costantine Sebastian Experts have called for a 40 per cent reduction in fishing activities in Lake Victoria to counter the rapid dwindling of Nile perch stocks in the world 's second largest lake. The view is contained in a...

Post Office Defies E-Mail And SMS.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Samuel Kumba When was the last time you sent a social letter by post? The Saturday Nation set out to find out if Kenyans still use the post office for any other reason than receiving bills and bank statements, especially in...

MPs Probe Hijacked Cargo.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Githua Kihara And Dominic Wabala A parliamentary committee investigating the hijacked Ukrainian ship has received reports showing similar consignments of arms destined for Southern Sudan were imported in the ministry of Defence's...

Top Three Ministries Squabble Over Bonus Payment.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Samuel Siringi Three ministries declared the best performers in last year's government ranking are embroiled in controversy over the sharing of the prize money. The ranking, which saw the ministry of Foreign Affairs withdraw...

Team Formed to Tackle Media Act.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Mathias Ringa A task force to look into amendments to the Media Act 2007 has been formed. Officially launching the panel at Nyali Beach Hotel in Mombasa on Friday, Media Council chairman Wachira Waruru named the members as...

Ex-Refugees Protest Over Payments.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Lorraine Anyango Former internal refugees from the now closed Afraha Stadium held a demonstration demanding Sh35,000 payment each on Friday. They claimed that refugees elsewhere had been paid Sh35,000 each and demanded to...

Project to Restore Mau Forest Starts Next Year.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Kennedy Senelwa Planting of trees to rehabilitate the Mau Forest will start early next year. This will be carried out in a joint project of the United Nations and Kenyan Government. The United Nations Environment...

Regulate Churches - Religious Leaders.
October 10, 2008... Kenya urgently requires laws to govern church operations, say clergymen. They say the lack of regulations made it easier for the mushrooming of denominations for use by their founders as centres of corruption and avenues to quick riches....

How Preachers Fleece Their Poor Flock.
October 10, 2008... Starting a church is the latest way to make easy money, according to worried government officials. Ruthless church leaders tell vulnerable worshippers to give them lots of money for God's work for them to be rewarded with riches, an...

Church to Render Unto Caesar.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Peter Ng'etich Sacrilege. That is the only way to describe the case of a Catholic church being put up for sale. If Jesus were to come back now, He would probably be as angry as He was when He found hawkers selling their wares...

Poor Worshippers Pay for Preachers' Lavish Lifestyles.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Kipchumba Some And Billy Muiruri The number of churches in Kenya today is, perhaps, a reflection of the level of hopelessness brought about by poverty and unemployment. Villages, trading centres and slums across the country...

Irish Test in ICC Cup Match.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Richard Mwangi Kenya and Ireland face off in a four-day International Cricket Council Intercontinental Cup match at the Nairobi Gymkhana from Saturday with a place in the final against Namibia at stake. The final will be...

Stars Bubbling With Confidence.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Gishinga Njoroge Harambee Stars left Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on Thursday with the entire contingent looking forward to a great performance against Guinea in Conakry on Sunday in the final match of the first...

Experts Call for Controlled Fishing to Save Nile Perch.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Costantine Sebastian Experts have called for a 40 per cent reduction in fishing activities in Lake Victoria to counter the rapid dwindling of Nile perch stocks in the world's second largest lake. The view is contained in a...

How to Manage Transition Back to Democracy After Poll Chaos.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Ndung'u Wainaina The peace agreement signed early this year recommended the setting up of transitional justice mechanisms, a comprehensive constitutional review, land reforms, institutional transformation and socio-economic...

Text Messages Lift Girls' Spirits Ahead of Match.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Philip Onyango The Kenya junior girls' basketball team, whose morale has been highly boosted through text messages by top Government officials, may have an easy passage to the semi-finals if they beat hosts Tunisia in a match...

Why Diplomats Have No Right to Lord It Over Host Countries.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Gitau Gikonyo How long will it take for the West to regard us as equals or as capable of running our own affairs? Claude McKay (1890-1948), a black Jamaican-born political activist, novelist, essayist and poet, wrote a poem...

Shun Divisive Leaders, Says Moi.
October 10, 2008... Retired president Daniel arap Moi on Friday marked the holiday named after him by urging people to shun leaders who incited one community against the other. This, he said, was vital to avoid a repeat of the violence that erupted after...

Mugabe Party Rejects Mbeki Hand in Talks.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Kitsepile Nyathi President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu PF has rejected opposition calls for former South African President Thabo Mbeki to help end a deadlock over the formation of a unity government, saying the stalemate is...

Mbeki Set to Return to Mediate Deadlock.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Kitsepile Nyathi and Agencies Zimbabwe's main opposition party on Thursday said talks to form a new government under the power sharing agreement had reached a deadlock. Meanwhile, former South African President Thabo Mbeki...

The Removal of Mbeki Was a Coup Within a Coup in a Game of Very High Stakes.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Mike Stent The summary dismissal of Thabo Mbeki as president of South Africa happened with speedy precision. It was, or so it seemed, a triumph for the Jacob Zuma faction within the ANC. But what is the Zuma faction? ...

Egypt, Not Greece, Inspired Western Civilisation.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Bruce Strachan Although we might not think of calling these fathers of Western thought Afro-centrist, Herodotus, Plato, Aristotle, and Hippocrates all acknowledged the debt owed by Greece to Egypt. The assessment of Ancient...

The Cutting Edge.
October 9, 2008... Since strictly enforcing the ban on smoking in public places, Nairobi Town Clerk John Gakuo has shown that he cares by erecting shelters in smoking zones for those who must indulge in the deadly habit, notes S.M. Gikore. However, he says the...

No More Discussion On Arms Destination.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Alphonce Shiundu Kenya will not budge to media pressure to explain the destination of the hijacked arms aboard a Ukrainian ship, Government Spokesman Alfred Mutua said on Thursday. Addressing the weekly press briefing at the...

Nyatike MP in Court After Airport Scuffle.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Richard Munguti Nyatike Member of Parliament Mr Edic Anyanga Omondi was on Thursday charged with assault after he was involved in a scuffle with a security officer at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Mr Omondi...

Chiefs And DOs Get Sh66 Million Cash.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Samuel Siringi District officers and chiefs have been ordered to stop charging fees for services to the public. The Government has released Sh66 million to provincial administrators countrywide to help them foot fuel,...

Gor Mahia Battle for Survival.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Charles Nyende The battle to avoid the drop in the Kenyan Premier League will be in focus with two of the relegation candidates facing difficult fixtures today. Fourteenth-placed Gor Mahia hosts a resurgent Bandari at Nyayo...

Judges Send CJ to Kibaki Over Taxes.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Jillo Kadida Taxation of judges' salaries took a new dimension when they decided to send Chief Justice Evan Gicheru to meet with President Kibaki on the matter. The decision was reached after a number of meetings were held on...

Midiwo Facing Discipline Over Grand Regency Goof.
October 9, 2008... The ghost of the controversial sale of Grand Regency Hotel has returned to haunt Parliament, this time taking with it the conduct of a member to a powerful disciplinary committee. National Assembly Speaker Kenneth Marende agreed with MPs...

Cabinet to Decide on Electoral Commission's Fate.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Lucas Barasa The fate of the Electoral Commission could be determined on Tuesday when the Cabinet meets to discuss the Kriegler report. The report by the Independent Review Commission chaired by retired South African judge...

Farmers Hit By Delays in Fertiliser Supply.
October 9, 2008... Byline: John Njagi Delays in distributing fertiliser and seeds is hindering the start of the planting season despite the onset of the short rains in Central Province. Nyeri South district agricultural Officer George Mwai confirmed...

Raila Woos Investors At Global Forum.
October 9, 2008... Prime Minister Raila Odinga used the just-concluded World Policy Conference in France to reach out to Kenya's international partners to invest in the country. At the same time he seized the opportunity to explain that the country was...

Kibaki Praised for Fuel Tax Order.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Lucas Barasa The Kenya Association of Manufacturers (Kam) has welcomed President Kibaki's intervention to end the energy crisis threatening to cripple the economy. "The fact that the President decided to step in shows his...

After Years of 'Free' Service, Village Elders Recognised.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Lucas Barasa and Alphonce Shiundu Their word is taken as law. They are feared and respected at the same time. They are the village elders. For a long time, they have been rendering voluntary services, paying themselves by...

Wife Links Kamangu's Death to Alcohol.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Stephen Mburu And Eric Wainana Cobbler James Kamangu Ndimu may have died of complications caused by excessive consumption of alcohol, experts and his wife said Thursday Mr Kamangu had reportedly returned home at about 8pm on...

Team to Discuss Opposition Bill.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Odhiambo Orlale The stage was Thursday set for a showdown between MPs pushing for establishment of an office of the Official Opposition and Prime Minister Raila Odinga. The House Business Committee gave Mr Ababu Namwamba...

Mockery of Fate Failed to Dampen Her Caring Spirit.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Cosmas Butunyi And Benson Amadala After years of caring for other people's children, fate mocked her by having her two sons diagnosed with a life threatening blood defect. But that never dampened her spirit. Humility and...

Juniors Take On Hosts Tunisia in Africa Tournament.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Philip Onyango Kenya junior girls basketball team are determined to upset Tunisia at home when the two meet in the quarter finals of the 10th Africa Nations championships for under 18 women at the Rades indoor courts Friday...

Report Faults UN Complex Expansion Job.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Kevin J Kelley Poor management and inadequate accountability are plaguing construction projects valued at nearly $30 million (about Sh2.2 billion) at the United Nations' Gigiri complex in Nairobi, according to a new report. ...

Deadline for Eastleigh Contractor.
October 9, 2008... A contractor repairing the main commercial street in Nairobi's Eastleigh Estate might lose the job if he does not complete work by the first week of next month. The Government promised to terminate the services of the contractor should...

Four-Axle Trucks Ban Stays, Says Minister.
October 9, 2008... The Government will not relent on its ban on four-axle trucks. Acting Roads minister Chris Obure said Thursday he fully supported his Transport counterpart, Mr Chirau Ali Mwakwere on the ban. He said the Government had the obligation...

Ex-MP Wants Child Upkeep Money Cut.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Eunice Machuhi A former Member of Parliament who was sued by his wife for the maintenance of their two children wants the amount he was ordered to pay slashed. Mr Lucas Maitha, the former Malindi MP, has filed an application...

Kiplagat's Team Romps Home in AK Elections.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Chris Musumba There will be no change of tenants at Riadha House for the next four years. Isaiah Kiplagat and his entire team retained their seats as Athletics Kenya held its national elections Thursday, thereby receiving a fresh...

Protests As Police Hunt for Mungiki.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Sammy Cheboi And Fred Mukinda Matatu operators and traders in Nairobi's Kayole estate protested against a police operation on suspected Mungiki sect members Thursday. Public transport was paralysed and business at the main...

Country Gets Soft Draw for Sevens World Cup Qualifiers.
October 9, 2008... Kenya's chances of qualifying for their third straight Rugby World Cup Sevens looks brighter after the Africa Rugby Confederation released the draws for the Africa Zone qualifiers to be held in Tunisia on October 31 and November 1. Kenya...

Gloomy Forecast for Economy.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Kevin J Kelley and Justus Ondari Just weeks after praising Kenya's economic recovery, the International Monetary Fund warned on Wednesday that the country will be among six African states "hit hardest" by the global financial...

Biosafety Law Required.
October 9, 2008... Indications are that the Government may finally adopt the commercialisation of genetically engineered foods following years of antagonism between advocates and opponents of GMO technology. Unfortunately, even with the prospect that the...

Freed Sudanese Detainee Tells of Torture At Guantanamo.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Suna A former detainee at Guantanamo, Mr Mustafa Ibrahim Mustafa, who was released after seven years, has told of the suffering that he faced at the notorious prison after his arrest in Pakistan in 2001. At a press conference...