The Star 03/27/2017

Jubilee Party leaders yesterday dismissed NASA’s proposal to set up a parallel tallying centre during the general election. Led by National Assembly majority leader Aden Duale, three CSs, Tana River Governor Hussein Dado and more than 10 MPs and senators allied to JP, the leaders said there cannot be another tallying centre except the IEBC’s. “The tallying centre by NASA shall not be recognised. The only one accepted is that of the IEBC,” Duale said. The Jubilee leaders addressed thousands of supporters in the Malindi Municipal Stadium. They said the IEBC is the only legitimate institution mandated to conduct and announce winners during the election. They said having parallel tallying centres would create conflicts and lead to violence, similar to what was experienced during the 2007-08 post-election violence. Former CIC…

JESSIE LESIIT Launch of Cry for Justice The Kenya Women Judges Association has launched a project to push for the protection of children from incest and sexual violation at home, especially in Nairobi slums. KWJA vice chairperson Justice Jessie Lesiit, justices Lydia Achode, Stella Mutuku and Grace Ngenye, magistrates and judiciary officers rolled out the ‘Cry for Justice’ on Friday. See page 23 MUTAVA MUSYIMI No extra funds for counties The counties will not be allocated extra money since they mismanage funds, the National Assembly Budget Committee has said. Chairman Musyimi said the governors have no justification in their demand for more funds. He said MPs will not give in to the governors’ demands. Musyimi said the governors have failed to deliver services. See page 9 POLICE OFFICERS Chaos mars…

Nairobi governor hopeful Peter Kenneth has said only the nominations will end the “war” between him and Senator Mike Sonko. Both are seeking the Jubilee Party ticket to run for Nairobi governor. He has ruled out any negotiations with the senator, saying he is ready for the primaries. The party primaries are scheduled for next month. “We are ready for the nominations, because that is the only way all these things can be solved once and for all,” Kenneth said. He spoke yesterday to journalists after attending service at Githurai PCEA. Kenneth said he will launch his grassroots campaigns today. “Tomorrow we will launch grassroots campaigns for the President, the Deputy President and for ourselves. We want to bring all the aspirants together so that we go into nominations peacefully”…

A DAY IN POLITICS FORMER Mungiki leader Maina Njenga (pictured) has made a formal application to the Jubilee Party to have him refunded the money he paid for nominations. Maina will be seeking to run for Laikipia senator on a Kanu ticket. Sources inside the Jubilee Party say Maina made his application formal on Friday. This is despite Maina revealing that he would vie on the Jubilee ticket after a court ordered the party to consider his application unconditionally. Maina had defected from Jubilee to Kanu before going back to Jubilee – in a span of less than five hours. POLICE officers in an operation in Mbooni Forest have not been paid allowances. The officers (junior ranks) are living in hardship, whereas it is said their allowances run into the…

FOR THE FIRST TIME, JUBILEE’S HEAD OF SECRETARIAT AND SECRETARY GENERAL RAPHAEL TUJU DISCLOSED THAT THEY ARE ALSO RECRUITING 200,000 VOLUNTEERS WHO WILL BE ON GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGNS ACROSS ALL THE 47 COUNTIES PRESIDENT Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party has crafted an elaborate reelection plan and hired over 300 Secretariat staff as he kick-starts a grueling reelection battle against the National Super Alliance. The hundreds of staff, hosted at the JP’s state-of-the-art headquarters at Pangani Junction, Nairobi, include data experts, statistical analysts and communication professionals. The staff has intricate links to the grassroots, and will work round-the-clock to interpret information compiled in the field by a dedicated network of coordinators to ensure synchronised and seamless communication. For the first time, Jubilee’s Head of Secretariat and Secretary General Raphael Tuju disclosed that they…

I have written in this column again and again that President Uhuru holds the key to Ruto’s bid to succeed him. Uhuru’s re-election in August will give Ruto a head start. So, the allies should stop campaigning for two elections and focus on this poll. The 2022 election can wait – the 2017 election cannot. A few months ago, the leaderships of 11 Jubilee affiliate political parties finally agreed to dissolve their outfits and form a strong political party. During the launch of the new Jubilee Party, which had been thrice postponed, President Kenyatta would unveil its manifesto and cite two of its key pillars as fostering peace and unity; enhancing socio-economic development. Political observers argued Deputy President William Ruto had played a key role in the formation of this…