The Star 09/28/2017

Kenya is very tense. The Supreme Court nullified the August 8 presidential election, primarily because of problems in the transmission of results. Both sides over-reacted. President Uhuru Kenyatta accused the Supreme Court judges of a ‘coup’ and called them ‘wakora’. He called Raila ‘mchawi’. He has threatened to clip the wings of the judiciary after the October 26 election. This would effectively end the checks and balances between the judiciary, legislature and executive. NASA took the Supreme Court ruling as conclusive evidence of election rigging. Raila has called Uhuru a ‘madman’ and made increasingly alarming allegations about a conspiracy involving the IEBC, Safran Morpho, Safaricom and Al Ghurair printing company. He is now threatening a boycott of Safaricom, even though the company protests its innocence. The NASA and Jubilee hardliners…

Acting Interior CS Fred Matiang’i yesterday ordered the arrest of two politicians accused of alleged incitement. Matiang’i gave the Inspector General of Police 48 hours to arrest and arraign the two unnamed politicians. He spoke in Kajiado town after meeting top security officers from Rift Valley, including police chiefs from Narok and Kajiado counties. Matiang’i said the government has “noted with concern attempts by opposition politicians to cause chaos”. He said, “We cannot tolerate that anymore. They have pushed us to the wall and we are saying enough is enough. We have been providing them police security and we have now withdrawn it. That is final and there is no negotiation over our action.” Matiang’i went on, “We cannot run the security of this country on the basis of threats…

KAJIADO MCAS Reject clueless nominee The Kajiado assembly has rejected two executive nominees. They are Caroline Chege (Public Service) and Joseph Sankale (Water and Irrigation). The two are among 10 nominated by Governor Joseph Lenku (pictured) to take up county ministerial positions. Sankale was accused of being clueless, while Chege was tardy in submitting documents. See Page 33 EVANS KIDERO Ex-governor responds to Kisia Former Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero (pictured) has hit out at the final Town Clerk Philip Kisia over claims he ran down the county during his tenure. In an article in the Star on Monday, Kisia attacked the former city boss, accusing him of overborrowing and engaging in illegal deals. Kidero blamed Kisia for the problems at City Hall. See Page 27 PATRICK NJOROGE CBK sued over…

Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi and his predecessor Peter Munya have agreed to resolve their differences and work as a team to campaign for President Uhuru Kenyatta in the repeat election on October 26. The two leaders, who met and held discussions with Uhuru at State House, Nairobi, yesterday, said they would go back to Meru with a message of unity and conduct presidential campaigns with a common front. Uhuru also held a meeting with delegates from Jubilee Party and its affiliates and agreed they should remain united and focussed to ensure an even larger victory in the fresh presidential elections. “We are ready for the fresh election. I’m sure we will win with an even a bigger margin as we all work as a team,” he said. Uhuru told the…

NASA leader Raila Odinga (pictured) last week reprimanded and almost slapped an ODM MP at 3D Restaurant in Nairobi, whom he accused of demanding an unjustified stake from a county government in the Western part of the country. The MP is said to have helped the current governor during campaigns and they had a gentleman’s agreement to share the county posts on an equal basis once he assumed office. A little bird tells Corridors that the governor complained to Raila how the MP gives him sleepless nights over the county posts. Raila, who was meeting with ODM elected leaders at the high-end hotel, angrily confronted the lawmaker in front of his colleagues, leaving everyone stunned. A Jubilee honcho from Central Kenyan is a worried man. This is after his attempts…

NASA ALSO DEMANDS REMOVAL OF 10 OFFICIALS, INCLUDING ICT COMMISSIONER ABDI GULIYE, ICT DIRECTOR JAMES MUHATI, DEPUTY CEOS MARJAN HUSSEIN MARJAN AND BETTY NYABUTO, HEAD OF VOTER REGISTRATION IMMACULATE KASSAIT AND LEGAL DIRECTOR PRAXEDES TOROREY Despite past recriminations, NASA and Jubilee sat down together yesterday and talked at the Bomas of Kenya, trying to break the impasse over the presidential rerun. They will meet again today with the IEBC, which convened the meeting. Talks were postponed after NASA insisted Jubilee drop its plan to change election laws to limit Supreme Court powers to nullify a poll. The Jubilee negotiating team requested time to consult the party leadership. But the fact the feuding sides sat at a table to find a way forward was regarded by analysts as a positive step…