The Star 10/25/2017

The bungled anti-terror operation that ended in the death of billionaire industrialist Bunty Shah has sparked off a vicious row in the top echelons of the police service. Senior police commanders, among them of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Administration Police and the regular police, have distanced themselves from the operation and made it clear at a top security meeting on Monday that they would not carry the blame. They want their boss, Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet, to come out clean on the operation as they were neither consulted nor informed of the raid. It has since emerged the key security chiefs, who ordinarily would have been involved or informed, were in the dark and only the IG was aware of the operation. Yesterday, highly placed sources told…

KENYA POLIO FREE But monitoring continues Kenya will continue with routine polio immunisation and mop-up campaigns, even though no single case has been reported since 2013, the WHO says. The organisation said it will support this exercise, because there are still two endemic countries in the world - Afghanistan and Pakistan. “Teams have continued to monitor health,” WHO said. See Page 11 CHARLES KERICH Vetted for executive job Veteran journalist and Star Editor-in- Chief Charles Kerich, the Nairobi ICT executive nominee, yesterday promised to set up a data centre at City Hall for better services. Speaking during vetting, he said this will ensure faster and seamless flow of information within departments, between the executive and assembly. See Page 27 SELFIES Contribute to animal abuse Kenyans contribute 12 per cent of…

The controversial Jubilee-sponsored election laws will automatically come into operation this Friday with or without President Uhuru Kenyatta signing them. The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill 2017, criticised both locally and internationally, will come into force this week after attaining the constitutional 14-day application period that does not make it compulsory for the Presidents to sign. Uhuru received the Bill on October 13 from National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi after being passed and endorsed by the Senate without any changes. The opposition, political commentators and Kenyans have been wondering why Uhuru was taking so long to assent to the Bill his Jubilee legislators in both Houses hurriedly passed with the objective of sealing loopholes in existing electoral laws ahead of tomorrow’s repeat presidential poll. The Constitution requires the President to sign…

WAS a former female legistlator sent to go and threaten ex-IEBC Commissioner Roselyn Akombe (pictured)? Well, sources whisper to Corridors that the woman gave a chilling message that Akombe secretly recorded before she fled to the US. It’s said the woman told Akombe to her face that if she is murdered, there would be a few demonstrations in her Nyamira home county and press conferences here and there by the opposition and civil society but life would move on. She is alleged to have asked her to stop pushing the government too much. But even after she left Kenya, it’s whispered that a Kenyan diplomat is still on her case. Corridors hear that the diplomat is using his connections to seek Akombe’s dismissal from the UN. A Principal Secretary faces…

Despite many bitter words, President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday said he doesn’t hate NASA leader Raila Odinga but will deal resolutely with him or anyone disrupting tomorrow’s election rerun. Today the Supreme Court will decide if, indeed, there will be an election tomorrow. Raila has called for a boycott of the ‘non-election’. Meantime, Jubilee is going all out for a monster turnout to affirm Uhuru’s legitimacy in the face of Raila’s withdrawal, fury by millions of Raila supporters and claims the election will not be fair. PSVs are slashing fares. Even disabled and ailing voters will be hunted down and taken to polling stations. In an exclusive interview with the Star, Kenyatta said there was nothing personal between him and the opposition boss. “Raila is my elder brother and there is…

We all want a united Kenya, where everyone belongs to the government. A Kenya that we all belong to: The only duty of leadership is to bring the people together and forge a united agenda for the people and the country. The Supreme Court wanted the election done within 60 days. The IEBC is not prepared. I don’t know the solution because we are already late. IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati had the time to go to the Supreme Court and seek more time so that he can reorganize his team. He did not. Chebukati is a coward. He should know that he is the chairman because the Kenyan people gave him a job. He knew the country was divided and should have looked for a solution. It is high time…