The Star 10/24/2017

Nairobi residents should now expect better response to emergency and fire incidences after City Hall received 26 new fire engines. They were flagged off by President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday. The trucks were supplied by Somati Vehicles under the Official Aid Funded Project financed by the government of Belgium. Governor Mike Sonko said each of the 17 constituencies in the city will be allocated a fire engine. Gikomba Market, which has suffered several fire incidences in the recent past, will get two. Sonko said the equipment had long arrived at the Port of Mombasa and continued to incur demurrage to the tune of Sh27.6 million owed to Kenfreight Ltd by August 31. “I negotiated with the freight company, and they not only discounted the amount, but also stopped billing storage and…

JOSEPH BOINNET Reservists to get allowances At least 500 police reservists — some serving as unpaid volunteers for a year and a half — will soon be paid allowances for risking their lives in bandit-ridden Kerio Valley. Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet said on Saturday plans for payment and perks have been completed. The police boss did not disclose how much each reservist will be paid. See Page 32 FRED MATIANG’I Disrupt poll at your own peril Acting Interior CS Fred Matiang’i yesterday warned NASA leaders and their supporters of stern action if they dare disrupt the presidential election on Thursday. Matiang’i said assault and obstruction of public officers from carrying out their lawful duties is a serious criminal offence. The CS said any person preventing people from voting…

Deputy President William Ruto yesterday said Kenyans should have no anxiety over what NASA flagbearer Raila Odinga will say tomorrow. The DP said Raila’s business ended the day he announced he had pulled out of the presidential race. He was speaking to Kitwek, Chamge and Emoo FM stations yesteday morning. He said Raila does not want to participate because he will lose terribly. Ruto added that there is no room for dialogue, saying the electorate is the supreme body to answer any lingering questions. “We have nothing to debate or discuss with our competitors. We are anticipating to hear God’s voice through the electorate’s decision on Election Day,” he said. He assured Kenyans security will be beefed up countrywide. The IEBC is an independent body that should carry its constitutional…

COULD former Budalang’i MP Ababu Namwamba and his team have forgotten that their bosses - President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto – once vowed that no Kenyan citizen should be tried “at a foreign court”. On Sunday, Namwamba told the country that a team of researchers and investigators has been deployed across the country to collect evidence on election-related violence instigated by the opposition. The evidence would be submitted to International Criminal Court at The Hague. But now some Kenyans would like to remind Namwamba and team that politicians allied to UhuRuto ran a well-oiled campaigns to discredit the court, vowing no one from Kenya will have ever be taken to the court again. A legislator who lost in the August 8 polls from Western is a very…

With three days to the poll rerun, President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday ruled out talks with opposition leader Raila Odinga until after the election on Thursday. He also said there is no question whatsoever of his legitimacy as President, no question of a boardroom government. Jubilee has no poll preconditions, as long as the election is held on Thursday, the President said. Despite continuing clamour for some kind of dialogue, Raila yesterday repeated his no-election call, declaring, “Canaan beckons.” Though he has repudiated the polls and announced his withdrawal, his name will appear on the ballot. The opposition’s countrywide demonstrations against the rerun will resume today, he said. The former Prime Minister has promised to make a major announcement tomorrow on election eve “that will change the political debate” in Kenya.…

There is no election. What is going to happen on Thursday is going to be a forcible installation of President Uhuru Kenyatta outside the Constitution. As NASA, we will not consider what will happen on Thursday as an election.The tribal kingpins who are behind the President have told him he must be the President at whatever cost. So he just going to install himself as the President. His election on August 8 was annulled by the Supreme Court and his people are not happy that he was not handed over the instruments of power. After he is sworn in, he will want to pretend to call for dialogue with NASA. NASA is not interested with dialogue after the election, but we are telling him that what we wants is a…