The Star 01/26/2017

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists’ Union has filed an application in court to have their one-month suspended sentence postponed for another two weeks. Its officials were handed a one-month suspended sentence on January 12 by Justice Hellen Wasilwa after they were found guilty of contempt of a court order that directed doctors to resume work. The two-week suspension period was to enable the union and the Health ministry to negotiate and settle the issues surrounding the doctors’ strike. Doctors want the government to honour the Collective Bargaining Agreement signed in 2013. The judge directed police to arrest the officials and lock them up once the two-week negotiation period elapsed. The new application now places the official’s future in limbo. The court is expected to give directions on the…

KENNETH LUSAKA Don’t heckle leaders, youths told Heckling your leaders is outdated, archaic, barbaric and no way to win votes, Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka yesterday told the youth. He urged them to be tolerant and mature in exercising their democratic rights. “All leaders are welcome to Bungoma county to sell their manifestos and agenda. Just listen to them, instead of shouting.” See page 38 RAILA ODINGA Urged to be neutral in primaries Aspirants in Nyanza and Western have asked ODM leader Raila Odinga to keep off the party nominations next month. They said Raila should ensure party top officials, who claim to be close to him, do not impose candidates on the voters. Kisumu Governor Jack Ranguma said free and fair nominations will ensure unity among ODM hopefuls. See…

One hundred deportees from the United States yesterday arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The deportees, who have served jail sentences in the US, arrived on an Omni Air International plane from Dallas, Texas, at about 11am under escort by Federal Bureau of Investigation officers. Ninety eight of them were Somali citizens. They were put on a Jubba Airlines plane and flown to Mogadishu, while two Kenyans were handed over to the Immigration officials at the airport. A security officer at the JKIA said the FBI officers said the deportation is a result of President Donald Trump’s policy to deport illegal immigrants from the US. But Kenya Airports Police Unit boss David Bunei said it was a routine exercise in which any foreigners who have served jail terms are…

JUBILEE party headquarters (pictured) was in darkness for about an hour yesterday, after the generators ran out of fuel. But this was not the most ridiculous occurrence of the day for the ruling party, which has hired such a fine building. Our moles tell us that Kenya Power had gone in earlier and disconnected the governing party’s headquarters from the grid for not paying its electricity bill. Corridors is however sure that a party that spends tens of millions on events and whose leaders are the President and Deputy President will be able to pay a few hundred thousands of shillings. BRIBE-taking Traffic and other cops are suddenly demanding extra big bribes for “campaign season offences”. When bribe-giving members of the public go down on their knees and ask why…

 ‘Raila phobia’ propaganda peddled by Jubilee is driving up President Uhuru Kenyatta’s voter registration numbers in Central and Rift Valley. KABETE MP FERDINAND WAITITU EVEN SAID IF RAILA WINS, MT KENYA RESIDENTS WILL BE HUMILIATED AND FORCE TO REMOVE THEIR TROUSERS AND WEAR SHORTS, AS IN COLONIAL TIMES Jubilee is selling Cord leader Raila Odinga as the bogeyman and nemesis of all the good that Kenyans so richly deserve. The opposition is painting Kenyatta’s administration and Jubilee as failed, indifferent, irredeemably corrupt and a two-tribe outfit. The emotive campaign narratives have played out in voter registration as politicians battle for numbers that could well determine the outcome of the August 8 election. Truth is not a compelling issue here. Jubilee strategists are engineering a ‘fear of a Raila presidency’ and…

SOME people say that you can take everything else from an indigenous resident of Central Kenya but not their love for a decent livelihood that earns them good money. Anything that sounds like a threat to this ability to do business and make that money. If the numbers by the IEBC on the first week of voter registration are anything to go by, then Central Kenya faces a fear that it believes it can block using the vote. This fear, which has seen Central Kenya lead in the voter registration turnout, is that of a Raila Odinga presidency. Many Central Kenyans will tell you that Raila does not seem like a bad man, but they all harbor the fear that he could interfere with their lives – and especially their…