The Star 04/05/2017

Another case of police extrajudicial killing has emerged following the shooting of a woman, her son and his friend in Gathiga, on the outskirts of Nairobi. A group of men on Saturday invaded the family home and pumped bullets into the three, killing them on the spot. Cartridges recovered from the house have now been confirmed as government issued. It is the same kind of bullets given to police and the military. On Saturday, James Ndung’u, 24, was taken home on a boda boda by his friend Peter Waweru, 19. They were in the house with Ndungu’s mother Hannah Mumbi, 43, when a group of people burst in and shot them. On Thursday, Ndung’u was arrested in the crime-infested village by people who identified themselves as police officers and beaten…

GARISSA FARM Abandon livestock for farms Some pastoralists in Garissa have abandoned livestock in favour of irrigation farming for food security. The Dololomide Farm Group in Sankuri said it is impossible to recover their dead livestock during drought, but irrigation ensures they have some food. They plant sorghum that is drought resistant, as the area receives little rainfall. See page 35 MTONGWE FERRY A relief, but painful reminder The reopening of Mtongwe ferry channel on March 13 was a relief to residents, as it will relieve pressure on the congested Likoni Crossing Channel. But it also brought back memories of the sinking of the ferry in April 29, 1994, in which 272 people died. An investigation found it had been overloaded and could not sustain the rough tide. See page…

The cigarette smoking chimpanzee rescued from Iraq and quarantined in Laikipia has now been freed from solitary confinement. Manno was confined for four months in a cage at Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Ol Pejeta, as he was tested for disease. Veterinarians were worried he could be carrying ebola from his original home in Central Africa. Kenya Wildlife Service chief veterinarian Dr Edward Kariuki gave Manno a clean bill of health early last week. Caretaker Stephen Mukundi said, “He was so happy when he stepped out of his crate into his new home.” Ol Pejeta said Manno will gradually be allowed to mix with other chimps at the conservancy. “Snatched from his mother at a young age, Manno cannot remember what another chimpanzees sound like, let alone how they look, or how…

DISCLOSURES that Deputy President William Ruto (pictured) has purchased the iconic 680 Hotel in Nairobi’s city centre for a whopping Sh3 billion have left many tongues wagging. Some Rift Valley legislators were heard saying just how rich their boss has become. Many MPs from the region are looking at the DP with envy and believe that, with time, the man from Eldoret will join the super league of the super rich. COUNTY executive committee members are actively drumming up support for the reelection of their bosses. A Mt Kenya senator contesting the governor seat was heard lamenting and criticising the CECs in his county for traversing villages, campaigning for their boss. It is said the senator even accused the incumbent of “forcing” the CECs to intensify the campaigns until he…

NASA has delayed naming a presidential candidate for tactical reasons, not because of discord or inability to decide, insiders say. The alliance will wait until the last possible moment to unveil its ticket, Machakos Senator Johnson Muthama told the Star yesterday. He is on NA-SA’s 12-member National Coordinating Committee. The IEBC deadline for reporting candidates is May 10. The election is on August 8. Despite a torrent of criticism, mockery and anxiety over delay, the strategy is to take Jubilee by surprise, Muthama said. “Our secret weapon is how we are moving. We cannot just expose things to our Jubilee opponents because they will start poking holes in us,” he said. Delay in naming a candidate delays implementation of Jubilee’s own strategy, which depends on undermining the opposition flagbearer. “We…

FOR weeks now, NASA, the political formation that brings together ANC, Ford Kenya, ODM and Wiper, has kept Kenyans guessing on their next very important move – that of who will be NASA’s presidential flagbearer on August 8. While they have had many meetings in the quest to reach this anxiously awaited decision, so far they have scored 100% on activities and utterances – but zero on results. NASA should be alive to Kenya’s political history, and, since history is wont to repeat itself, borrow a leaf from it either to replicate its successes or avoid its countless and gaping pitfalls. To this end, I believe to reach the most viable candidate that will deliver this edition of the polls to the opposition, NASA must consider the following principles. In…