The Star 05/01/2017

Delays in voting and some voters’ names missing from the ODM register characterised the party’s Nairobi nominations, despite an assurance measures had been put in place to avoid such hitches. Voters and aspirants, including ODM leader Raila Odinga’s 2013 presidential chief campaigner Eliud Owalo, contesting Kibra parliamentary seat, were yesterday shocked to find their names missing. There were also claims of rigging through double voting in Lang’ata. ODM National Elections Board chairperson Judy Pareno on Saturday said they prepared adequately and nominations in the city’s 17 constituencies were to be done in polling stations recognised by the IEBC. Returning officers announced results for MCA and MP aspirants at ward and constituency respectively, while results for senator and woman representative were announced at the Nyayo Stadium. Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero and…

INNOVATIVE KENYAN Stands to win Sh50 million An innovator who has created a village ATM for sanitary pads, condoms and diapers is among the four Kenyan finalists in the first international competition for hardware-led social innovation. The competitors stand a chance of winning Sh50 million ($500,000 ) in cash and in-kind to help bring solutions to the market. See Page 11 GOVERNOR ASPIRANTS Losers team up in Nyandarua Four of the six Jubilee Party Nyandarua governor race losers have refused to concede defeat. They are incumbent Daniel Waithaka, his deputy Waithaka Kirika, former Tourism executive Peter Gathimba and businessman Moses Badilisha. They have united - in what is being referred to as the losers’ coalition - to demand a repeat of the exercise. See Page 24 JUNET MOHAMED Rival accuses…

JOSEPH KANGOGO / Six people are feared dead and three injured amid ongoing alleged retaliatory attacks between Pokot and Turkana in Kapedo, the border of Turkana and Baringo counties. Suspected armed Pokot bandits killed one person on Friday at Lokori in Turkana, driving away an unknown number of animals towards Lomelo in Turkana county. Turkana residents laid retaliatory attacks against Pokot in Kapedo, killing five at the shopping centre on the spot. According to witness Lomudang Domonyang, the armed Turkana bandits went to Kapedo carrying guns in sacks before spraying bullets indiscriminately, killing five and injuring three. The attack started at 3pm on Saturday. Tension is still high in the area. It took the intervention of the Red Cross to ferry the injured to Chemolingot Hospital yesterday. A woman is…

ARE President Uhuru Kenyatta (pictured) and his Jubilee brigade increasingly worried about another faceoff with NASA flagbearer Raila Odinga at the August polls? Word has it is no longer business as as usual in the ruling party since Raila was named standard-bearer. Uhuru and Deputy President William Ruto immediately dismissed Raila’s candidature on Thursday and even considered him a pushover. Corridors is told the JP principals’ failure to divide NASA to either split vote-rich Western or Ukambani is giving them sleepless nights. It is said JP has resorted to capitalising on propaganda such as terming Raila and his running mate weak candidates they defeated in 2013 to cause voter apathy in NASA strongholds. It is also said JP has instructed its bloggers and propagandists to up their game to ensure…

BARELY four days after the National Supper Alliance lineup was unveiled, its five principals have embarked on a mission to put their house in order and lay strategies to see them win on Election Day August 8. On Thursday, Raila Odinga was announced the NASA torchbearer, Kalonzo Musyoka his running mate, Musalia Mudavadi the Premier Cabinet Secretary and Moses Wetang’ula and Isaac Rutto his deputies. A litany of mistakes, internal wrangles, bungled party nominations, confused tactics and poor strategy cost Raila the presidency in 2013. Raila got 43.7 percent of the vote compared to 50.07 percent for Uhuru, and later contested the results at the Supreme Court. Among the contributing factors to Raila’s dismal performance in 2013 was the way ODM nominations were conducted. They were very messy, especially in…

THE unveiling of Raila Odinga as the NASA presidential flagbearer and Kalonzo Musyoka as his running mate is no news at all. It is something we in Jubilee expected. It has zero impact. It was just a confirmation of the obvious. Raila has made several attempts to become the CEO of the Republic, starting his journey in 1997, 2007 and 2013, and on all these attempts performing miserably. His supporters label him “the best President that Kenya never had”. But he never will be President. Whatever political game plan he has invented, Raila is a spent force whose time has come to take a bow and exit Kenyan politics. Raila is a perennial loser and he will remain the opposition leader. The tragedy is it’s as if NASA has yet…