The Star 04/22/2017

ODM has once again indicated that party boss Raila Odinga would fly the NASA presidential flag. It has convened a huge meeting to anoint him. The Orange Party is set to hold a National Delegates Convention on May 4 to nominate Raila as the ODM presidential flagbearer. Although the party nomination is a ritual envisaged in law, the timing of the convention is quite telling. This is because the NASA Pentagon is officially set to unveil its line-up on Thursday next week that will face-off with President Uhuru Kenyatta. This means Raila’s ODM anointment will come exactly one week after NASA officially names its line-up. In a statement to newsrooms yesterday, Orange House said all party organs, including ODM delegates countrywide, are expected to attend the convention. “The main agenda…

BOYS’ BAND State revives Ohangla group President Uhuru Kenyatta gave the band leader new instruments and equipment during his visit to Kisumu. The government pledged it would revive the 17-member band, which lost its instruments in June last year when their boat capsized in Lake Victoria. Nine members died. See page 22 JOSHUA OIGARA Staff axed to protect profits KCB Group has opened the door for early retirement as it gears up for the next phase of layoffs, two months after it downplayed media reports it planned to retrench more than 500 staff. It targets to cut its Sh17.72 billion wage bill by about Sh2 billion every year. It says it will recover the one-off undisclosed retrenchment cost after 18 months. See page 12 CHILDREN’S TOYS Ban harmful chemicals in…

Gender CS Sicily Kariuki yesterday condemned violence against women seeking elective positions. She urged leaders to settle their scores in other ways instead of resorting to physical violence, hiring goons and intimidating opponents. “The way women are being exposed to hooliganism and being threatened by their male opponents is totally unacceptable. It is barbaric and uncalled for,” she said in her Harambee House office. Kariuki said that during the election period, leaders should stand up for equality and shun acts of violence as it portrays Kenya in bad light. Cases of women being assaulted during campaigns have been on the rise, with most aspirants complaining of intimidation and some physical violence and destruction of their campaign materials. Nyeri senator aspirant Sheila Githaiga was robbed by more than 30 men armed…

JUBILEE Party secretary general Raphael Tuju is said to be under intense pressure. First, some political operatives close to the presidency are said to have preferred candidates. Second, the interest in tendering has grown overnight, putting the former Rarieda MP (pictured) in a tight corner. Third, some people seem to be working at the party and reporting somewhere else above. The number of plainclothes security officers stationed at the Jubilee building raises questions on exactly what is going on at the headquarters. So the man from Siaya may have a difficult time delivering. The Jubilee primaries, for instance, were a spectacular failure. HAS Funyula MP Paul Otuoma set himself up for trouble by quitting ODM before a repeat of the Busia governor nomination? Well, some ODM enthusiasts were heard saying…

I APOLOGISE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE CAUSED TO OUR ASPIRANTS AND SUPPORTERS,” JP SECRETARY GENERAL RAPHAEL TUJU THIS IS VERY DISAPPOINTING SINCE WE DID NOT EXPECT A PARTY OF JUBILEE’S STATUS TO HAVE DISORGANISED POLLS THE WAY THEY DID It was a disaster. Chaos, long delays, insufficient ballot papers, missing names and general confusion forced President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party on Friday to abandon nominations. “We are forced to take this unprecidented recall and we are going back to the drawingboard,” JP secretary general said. Most were in Central Kenya, Uhuru’s backyard, and DP William Ruto’s bedrock Rift Valley. There was ballot burning by angry voters, melees and arrests of suspects with a carload of crude weapons and campaign material. It was a major loss of face and credibility for Jubilee…

WE ARE FORCED TO TAKE THIS UNPRECIDENTED RECALL AND WE ARE GOING BACKTOTHE DRAWING-BOARD Jubilee Party had allotted only one day to nominations and this was too ambitious, considering the magnitude of the process. So it was no surprise JP nominations were split over two days, the first on Friday, which was fraught. Nominations started very late in many centers and there were numerous irregularities. Jubilee had been critical of ODM for staggering its primaries over several days and giving direct nominations. Jubilee has done the same. Both parties primaries are controversial. These developments are not surprising at all as nominations were expected to be competitive. There are a number of strong candidates seeking one ticket. For example, in Muranga polls show the top two candidates are Governor Mwangi Wairia…