The Star 10/17/2017

Former Kilome MP John Harun Mwau is seeking to stop the IEBC from holding the repeat presidential election scheduled for October 26. He says the conduct of the rerun is in violation of the Constitution. The case came 10 days to the repeat election. Mwau says after the August 8 election results were nullified by the Supreme Court, the IEBC should have conducted nominations before ordering the rerun. The apex court directed the IEBC to conduct a fresh presidential election in 60 days, as required by the Constitution. Mwau’s case seeks orders on whether a legitimate election can be held on the basis of nominations, which, according to the petitioner, have already been quashed by the Supreme Court. Mwau has sued the IEBC and its chairman Wafula Chebukati. He says…

WAFULA CHEBUKATI IEBC told to avert crisis A lobby group has urged the IEBC to seek clarity on legal hurdles that may derail the fresh presidential election on October 26. Elections Observation Group said the Supreme Court nullified President Uhuru Kenyatta’s victory because of failure by the electoral agency to comply with the law. ELOG yesterday said lack of a clear legal path could lead to a crisis. See page 10 MAIZE FARMING Farmers want better prices North Rift farmers want the government to increase maize prices from Sh3,200 per 90kg bag, announced last week, to Sh4,000. The National Cereals and Produce Board is to open its depots this week to start buying farmers’ maize. This follows a directive by Agriculture CS Willy Bett. Farmers backed by their governors have…

NASA presidential candidate Raila Odinga has been directed to respond to a suit that seeks to reverse the Supreme Court judgment that annulled the August 8 presidential election. Deputy registrar of the Supreme Court Daniel ole Keiwua told Raila to respond to the suit filed by Jackson Ndegwa and Edward Kings by close of business yesterday. Jubilee Party, which has been listed as a respondent, had also been directed to file and serve replies by yesterday. The application by the businessmen had earlier been rejected by Keiwua, but the two filed an appeal and will now appear before a single judge of the Supreme Court for further directions. Ndegwa and Kings say the September 1 judgment that invalidated President Uhuru Kenyatta’s win was erroneous and should be overturned. They say…

IT is said life is like a game of chess and in politics one has to play his tactfully to outshine rivals. Indeed, the former Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka (pictured), now the Senate Speaker, played properly, outshining his political nemesis and Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang’ula. Lusaka’s strategic gamble with Jubilee to become Wetang’ula’s boss in the Senate was a shocker the NASA co-principal never imagined could happen. Word has it that the eloquently talkative Senate minority leader has never spoken in the House since Lusaka assumed office. Many Bungoma residents have been eagerly waiting to see Wetang’ula on his feet, honouring Lusaka by addressing him as “Mr Speaker”, after their earlier rivalry over county leadership. However, the senator has disappointed the residents who watch him on TV entering the Chamber…

Police yesterday raided two homes of billionaire businessman Jimmy Wanjigi and said they recovered five AK-47 rifles and 93 bullets. The first house raided by a multi-agency team is a palatial home in Malindi, Kilifi county, where the officers recovered the weapons and arrested four workers. A later raid at Wanjigi’s home in Nairobi’s Muthaiga estate was frustrated when police accessed the compound, but were unable to enter. Wanjigi had locked the doors and refused to admit them. The standoff was continuing as at 7.30pm. Wanjigi is a fabulously wealthy and secretive tycoon recently associated with NASA as a financier, but he never funded much of anything and the association reportedly ended. Yesterday, NASA leaders visited Wanjigi’s heavily guarded Muthaiga home — across the street from the US Ambassador’s residence…

A lot of stuff that is happening now should be seen within the context of the state trying to create an atmosphere of fear ahead of the repeat presidential poll. When you hear Jubilee vice chairman David Murathe say after the poll President Uhuru Kenyatta is going to be more brutal, ruthless and lethal, that is just the curtain raiser. We are seeing the police killings, some people have been choreographed to say that NASA flagbearer Raila Odinga and his running mate should be taken to the ICC, police raids on citizens like Jimmy Wanjigi – all these things are curtain raisers to people being intimidated. What is going to happen is despite the protests by the opposition, the IEBC and Jubilee who are essentially on two sides of the…