The Star 09/25/2017

The IEBC is facing a nightmare on meeting its own working timelines for the repeat presidential polls, amid fears that detectives might pounce on top officials at Anniversary Towers. The Star has established the IEBC may be forced to revise the schedule, especially in regards to technology, after it failed to hit key deadlines. The commission has also been slapped with court injunctions in two counties, blocking it from retrieving KIEMS kits used in the August 8 election. The High Court has blocked the IEBC from retrieving KIEMS kits in Embu and Machakos, following poll petitions by governor contest losers Lenny Kivuti and Wavinya Ndeti, respectively. According to the commission’s timelines, the retrieval of KIEMS kits from the field for reconfiguration ought to have ended by September 8. The Independent…

MUMIAS SUGAR COMPANY Paying up debt owed to farmers Last week, the Mumias Sugar Company started paying money it owed sugarcane farmers. The company last week paid out more than Sh21 million to 2,200 farmers through their Sukari Sacco Society. The firm owed farmers more than Sh900 million. Some contracted farmers say they will grow cane for the company if they will be paid promptly. See page 29 HENRY ROTICH Economy stable Kenya’s economy is stable, despite claims that the prolonged political period is hurting the economy. National Treasury CS Henry Rotich said all economic indicators show that key sectors are stable. He adds that politics has not affected the agricultural sector and Kenya is food secure. But a few businesses have slowed down due to the political situation. See…

Seven people have been killed in Esoit, Trans Mara West, Narok county, following clashes between the Maasai and Kipsigis communities. Deputy county commissioner Mohammed Noor said the skirmishes began when a local businessman in the area, Ben Kolian, was shot dead on his way home. A boy, Nicolas Ng’etich, from the Kipsigis community, was also wounded and later died during the incident at an M-Pesa shop. His body was found with deep cuts in the head. The killings have led to a killing spree. Police collected five more bodies dumped in the bush in Esoit on Sunday. “In retaliation, the Maasais accused their Kipsigis neighbours of being behind the killing and that is when they clashed and killed five [people], whose bodies were discovered in the forest this [Sunday] morning,”…

SO how did Justice Njoki Ndung’u (pictured) get all the time to scrutinise all the forms involved in the presidential poll petition and still write a 440-page ruling? Well, critics are saying going through the pile of Forms 34A and 34B could have taken the learned judge a whole 28 days, yet she delivered her dissenting judgment in a record 21 days. The 440-page ruling has also left some people with mouths agape. Justice Jackton Ojwang’, a professor of law and former dean at the University of Nairobi, wrote only 91 pages. The majority of four, including CJ David Maraga and Smokin Wanjala, PhD, only wrote 178 pages. Call it the power of a woman. Maybe. WORD has it that ODM’s Raila Odinga’s campaigns ahead of the October 26 fresh…

A single but potentially powerful article in the 2010 Constitution could be NASA’s secret card in blocking the repeat presidential polls if their push for electoral reforms hits a snag. Yesterday NASA leader Raila Odinga announced that they will go to Anniversary Towers on Tuesday to eject CEO Ezra Chiloba. NASA claims Chiloba was the chief architect of rigging during the August 8 General Election in which Raila lost to President Uhuru Kenyatta by over one million votes. “We don’t fear going to the election. But we will only participate if the IEBC is reconstituted. Starting Tuesday, we will hold demonstrations outside the IEBC offices to remove Chiloba from office,” Raila said in Kawangware on Sunday when he campaigned in Dagoretti North constituency. Interviews pieced together from constitutional lawyers indicate…

The Constitution is clear on the procedure for the election of President in Article 138. A president legitimately elected is democratically, globally and politically accepted. In a situation where both President Uhuru Kenyatta and his nemesis Raila Odinga draw almost equal support across the country, there is need for the IEBC to seek political support before purporting to conduct any polls. The Wafula Chebukati-led commission must therefore work extra hard to make the people move together into the next Presidential election so that credibility and legitimacy are obtained. Failure to do an election in any polling station or any polling centre nullifies the election. The question that arises is whether the government has adequate military and police power to force an election in some NASA strongholds. But then what will…