Nairobi, Kenya: 

The officers were alleged to be discharging their duties under the influence of alcohol after they were caught on a local TV station within the city.

“We cannot condone such misconduct and I have therefore suspended the said officers and will continue to suspend or interdict any other County employee engaging in corruption or any misconduct,” saidKidero.

The six officers from the City Inspectorate section are said to have been unable to relate to those they arrested during a night patrol on Monday night.

The City boss cracking of the whip on errant officials is seen as a surgical purge in an institution that has over the years been dogged by inefficiency, corruption and high-headedness in dealing with the public.

The suspension of the six brings to total the number of officials Kidero has so far interdicted or sent packing to 16.

Already 11 officers seconded to the senior officials have been interdicted and more heads are expected to roll in the next few days following an investigations launched by Kidero to unearth the corruption.

A source privy to the on goings at City hall says that a network of cartels within three departments- CityInspectorate, City Engineering and City Planning have been pocketing cash meant for service delivery.

But to do this, Kidero is aware that he will meet with the forces of impunity and those who have been looting the county wealth for their own selfish gains.

The City Executive said that top on his priority is to get rid of the mess created by the officials of the now defunct City Council of Nairobi.

Kidero laments that he took over from a dilapidated reign that stalled economic development, infrastructure, persistent corruption, lack of accountability and transparency.

Other issues that he inherited include bad governance, inefficient staff, indiscipline work-force and poor service delivery to the Nairobi residents.

In his seven pillar working strategy and implementation of service delivery, he has pledged to ensure that there is consists order to change the negative perception of residents towards the county office.

He has boosted the morale of the investigations office with his recent interdiction and now the officers are going full throttle in unmasking the rot that has bedevilled the city since independence.

It is estimated that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) leakage that come from wastage and the black market is currently at Sh600 billion pointing out that sealing the leakage will see the economy grow in a double digit.

“I am in the process of initiating necessary legislation on governance with special focus on tackling corruption within the County and within three months of the legislation, I will have sealed all revenue leakages and all financial malpractices,” Kidero added.

He said that he also intends to set up the County Ombudsman’s Office with a clear mandate to handle all aspects of integrity and more so corruption within the rank and file in the County.

Only last week he ordered for the withdrawal of all VIP parking stickers issued to sitting Ward Representatives and Former Nairobi City Councilors in an effort to boost revenue collection.

The VIP stickers enable those issued with to park their vehicles within the City free of charge for a whole year. There are more than 500 cars issued with such VIP stickers.

Source:standardmedia.co.ke

Nairobi, Kenya: 

The elections saw Jubilee MPs take vice chair positions in the two committees.

Budalangi MP Ababu Namwamba was elected to chairPAC after beating Nyatike MP Omondi Anyanga 16 votes to 10.

Cecily Mbarire was elected vice chair of PAC. She defeated Joseph Manji and Andrew Mwadime.

Adan Keynan was elected to chair PIC while Antony Kimani will be his vice.

He had a peculiar habit of skipping lunch by spending the one-hour break in his car, a cream Volvo registration KRT 934. He would recline the driver’s seat and take a lunch nap before heading back to his law office.

And she noticed him because he had an office also on the second floor. His name was Mutula Kilonzo, a slim, light skinned, handsome upcoming lawyer who had set up shop there after moving from a tiny office next to Jeevanjee Gardens.

It was a sign that his practice was beginning to flourish. She was then a pretty, innocent 22-year-old working as a secretary at Nelson Publishing Company, aneducational publishing firm also located on the second floor.

Nduku was a former student of Makueni Girls and later Kianda School, where her favourite subject was English and her sport netball.

She found the habit of sleeping in the car rather peculiar. She didn’t think much more about it. But she could not avoid bumping into Mutula in the lift every so often.

It was on one of those encounters, when they were the only passengers on the elevator that he said something to her that rubbed her the wrong way. It was a comment he made about her attractive figure, the kind of comment a man does not make to a woman he has just met and is trying to get her attention.

She ignored the comment and could barely wait for the elevator bell to ring on the second floor. As soon as the elevator door was open she bolted out and into her office leaving him stupefied.  It was one cold afternoon in June of 1981.

Occasional visits

“I was really upset. I mean, really! I went straight to my boss then, and asked him: who the hell is that?”

She had noticed that Mutula and her boss had been interacting, including occasional visits to their office.

He replied: “He is a lawyer. His name is Mutula Kilonzo.”

Nduku was firm; she read him the riot act. “I don’t like him. I don’t know him and I don’t like the way he talked to me. I want you to talk to him.”

He did and Mutula stayed away for a few days. But the man was stubbornly tenacious. The following week he could not contain himself anymore. The polished legal eagle used to winning court battles was finding the going tough. But he was not going to give in too quickly.

He returned to the battlefield more emboldened. ”He walked into our office, I was at the reception, he sat on the visitor’s seat facing me and declared: Unless you have lunch with me I am not leaving this office.”

Nduku shot back. “I don’t go out with married men.”

She had noticed in the course of those unwanted interactions that Mutula had a ring, not on the traditional finger on the left hand but more of a fashion ring on his right hand. She assumed he must have been married. Mutula was up on his feet.

“Tomorrow I will bring you evidence to prove I am not married,” he responded.  He left the office.

The following day, true to his word, he showed up with paper work confirming he had filed for divorce. The case had indeed been heard and only an absolute divorce decree was awaited.

“So you see, you have to go out with me. I have everything going for me, I am a tough lawyer, I am successful and I know you will not refuse me,” he declared pompously.

Nduku studied his abrasiveness and bravado. He was so confident.

But there was one problem. She was engaged.

Says Nduku: “I told Mutula we could only be friends.”

Nduku had been in a long distance relationship with a man who worked in the hotel industry in Mombasa. It had its challenges and she was not completely committed. Although she had accepted his engagement ring, she was still tottering on the fence about the relationship.

The man’s parents had already visited her folks but Nduku had advised her parents not to accept their traditional gifts, not just yet. Mutula responded by telling her: “Ah, that ring. You are going to be sending it back tomorrow.”

Nduku took a few days to think about the proposal. She put the ring in an envelope and mailed it to the gentleman in Mombasa with a note explaining that she needed to rethink his proposal. He was heartbroken.

So she agreed finally after playing hard to get to go out on a lunch date with Mutula.

The setting was Railway Club, a walking distance from their office building. Then, the restaurant was a flashy joint with a pricy menu and excellent food and a reputation for outstanding soup.

Across ridges

They both had soup, Mutula ordered fish, she had chicken. It was here that she stunned Mutula by revealing she was the daughter of Musau Mwania, a revered and affluent man from Ukambani whose fame travelled across the ridges.

“You can’t be serious, you are the daughter of Musau Mwania?”

“Yes I am.”

“He is client number three.”

Apparently Mutula and Mwania knew each other. He was representing him. It’s a small world. It was at this lunch that Nduku got to know a little more about the man who had upset her in the elevator a few weeks earlier. He had graduated from University of Dar es Salaam, set up his practice and had an office in Machakos as well. He told her about his family.

And they talked about his divorce. Mutula never felt intimidated that he was datingthe daughter of one of the richest men in Ukambani. He took it almost in stride, exuding plenty of confidence. He was also awestruck by her.

Mwania had a house off Kabarnet Gardens, just opposite then President Moi’s private residence. Nduku occupied the house and every Wednesday, Mwania would visit Nduku on his business trips that brought him to Nairobi at least once a week.

The dates

Once Mutula figured out that arrangement, he shifted gears. He would drive every Wednesday evening in his cream Volvo into Kabarnet Gardens road into Nduku’s house where he would find Mwania. Most times, the old man was surprised that his lawyer was visiting his daughter, but didn’t think much of it.

The visits were casual and social, it was Mutula’s way of winning his favour and getting the old man to accept him. But Mwania found the visits too coincidental that he finally cornered Nduku. What was going on?

“I am dating him.” She replied.

The old man was quiet, his mind racing.

“Isn’t he married?”

“He is divorced, “she responded.

Silence. He studied her eyes, he could tell she was considering a relationship with him. In his elderly, fatherly voice he told her: “You need to find out why he is divorced before you commit.” It had bothered her why he was divorced. But once she read the court divorce papers, Nduku was convinced to take the relationship to the next level. She and Mutula grew close, but she grew even closer to one member of his family that became the glue to their blossoming courtship — Mutula’s mother.

Rhoda Koki spent her time in their farm in Mbooni, which they both visited, but she adored Nduku and encouraged her. Her son Mutula had already proposed and Nduku had told him to give her three months to think about it.

Nduku’s mother, the late Lydia Kavivi Musau, had passed on when she was 12. She had thirsted for a mother figure to cover the void and she found it in Koki who showered her with affection.

It was Koki, Mutula’s mother who somehow won her over. One afternoon during their visit, they sat in the kitchen chatting with Mutula out of earshot.

Says Nduku: “I asked her to assure me that if I married Mutula she would accept me as her daughter.”

She responded: “Go and tell your man yes (to his proposal) because I have already accepted you.”

Mwania valued his daughter, he had a conversation with Mutula and told him he loved his daughter very much. He was a rich man and there was not much Mutula could offer him in exchange for her hand in marriage that he did not have. He just wanted him to care take of her.

He promised. So with Mutula’s request granted, he brought the traditional three goats in Akamba traditions referred to as antheo. On August 7th 1982 they were married in a traditional wedding ceremony. She was now Nduku Mutula.

Recalls Nduku: “There was something special about the number seven for him. He was born in July and we got married on the seventh day of August.” Before the wedding, Mutula had a conversation with her. “He told me now that you are going to be my wife, nobody else can be your boss. You are mine and mine alone”.

So Nduku quit her job at Nelson Publishing and agreed to be a housewife. Nduku says that all through their years, Mutula never held back his affection for her. As a housewife she threw herself into interior design and bead making which she has had a passion for.

Mutula supported her pursuits, but he had also promised her something else. Within their first five years of marriage he would buy her a house. They were currently residing in Ngei Estate phase 2, but he wanted to take her to the leafy suburbs of Nairobi.

In 1985 he took her on a drive to see a housing project being undertaken by his client, House of Manji, in old Runda. Nduku loved the house and at a cost of Sh1.5m he bought it.  And predictably on the seventh month, July, in 1986 they moved to their new home.

Grazing land

Mutula had a rose garden designed in the compound so that the flowers spelt her name.  And every so often he would pluck a rose stem and give it to her as a sign of his affection. He was very romantic.

He signed his valentine cards kitutu (starch), a nickname that stuck because Mutula was fat when he was born.

He gave her another promise; in five years he would build her a bigger house, which he did in the present day Gigiri, the house they currently reside. The house was carved out of a grazing land and purchased in 1989. Their new house was completed in 1992 and they moved in.

“Our life together was amazing. We had lunch together every Wednesday. He loved Chinese or Japanese. He loved dancing and a night out clubbing on Friday or Saturday was common in the early years of our marriage. He was a health fanatic and enjoyed working out,” she recalls.

He had been a smoker and used to drink. Nduku recalls his passion for alcohol that even led him to carry muratina back to his University of Dar es salaam room during his studies there. “One day (during his first marriage) he woke up and declared: I will not drink or smoke anymore”.

He stopped and never returned to either habit.

Like every marriage, it had its high and its rocky moments. During those difficult times when there were lows, Mutula would be silent and not talk when he was upset about something. “I used to call those moments nil by mouth. After a few days when he recovered from what had upset him, he would tell me: Woman, do you know that I love you very much?”

Then they would pick up from where they left off.

Besides, the man had a penchant for surprises. Nduku’s birthday falls on June 24. In May 2011, just two weeks shy of her birthday she was called by the house security to alert her that she had visitors from CMC, the motor dealership. She asked for the visitors to be ushered into the compound.

After an exchange of pleasantries, they asked her outside the house. They had something to show her. She stepped into the Gigiri sunshine and behold her eyes were drawn to a brand new dark VW Toureg SUV sitting proudly in the parking lot.

Her eyes glazed over the car in astonishment. It was her birthday present from Mutula valued at Sh8 million. She was overwhelmed. The vehicle’s last four digits are 748K, to denote July 1948, which happens to be Mutula’s birthday, and K for Kilonzo. One other vehicle in his stable shares the same last four digits.

Mutula also had a taste for jewelry, recalls Nduku: “Every piece of jewelry that I wear, he bought. He had taste and selected them himself.”

Source:The Standard

Although the self-proclaimed “skinny kid with a funny name” reminisces nostalgically the land of his father, his actions are disdainful of his Kenyan family and the people of Kenya at large. But let’s face it. Kenya has got its share of shortcomings. Being led by leaders indicted for crimes against humanity, run-away corruption, impunity, lack of institutional reforms and negative ethnicity are un-endearing turn-offs.

Yet, so does USA have a share of social challenges. The land of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King jnr. isn’t perfect either. Like a phoenix, America is rising from a darker historical place mired in racial discrimination, double-standard foreign policy and injustices against ethnic communities. However, America continues to perfect her union. So is Kenya. Although we are not there yet, we are on our way. Someday, we will arrive there.

But snubbing the most resilient people on grounds of social challenges faced by their country is a defeatist move. It is like giving up on a country whose people are trying so hard under very difficult conditions to perfect their social status. Lest he forget, president Obama is an inspiration to young Kenyans. As a matter of fact, his visit to Kenya would have re-awakened a new wave of hope in pursuit for intuitional reforms.

But make no mistake. Kenya may be corrupt. But it will forever remain a land of president Obama’s ancestors. Parents may be poor, indecent or criminals. Their negative social status can never negate their parenthood. Parenthood is a bond that transcends social status. It is a relationship that is bound by un-breakable DNA. Under no circumstances should a child disrespect his parents, at least not in Africa. Snubbing or looking at your parents disdainfully is in essence disrespecting oneself. That’s what US president Obama did. By snubbing Kenya again, he disrespected himself.

By Jacktone Ambuka, a Kenyan residing at State-college Pennsylvania USA. You can reach me at jsambuka@yahoo.com, twitter @JackAmbuka or check my Facebook page called Bunyore Discussion Board.

Kenya’s UN ambassador Mr. Macharia Kamau in typical Kenyan spirit and quest for Justice passionately requested the UN Security Council to urgently dispense justice by petitioning ICC to terminate charges against the three.  His action is a reflection of shared feelings by the Majority of Kenyans. His actions just like mine are inspired by the incomprehensible surreptitious conduct   of the ICC prosecutor in dealing with the Kenya case.

The UN ambassador did not require urging from State house to conceptualize the impact of this process on the general welfare of the peoples of Kenya. The results of the 2013 Kenya general elections speak volumes about how Kenyans now view the ICC.

Bensouda’s predecessor Moreno Ocampo failed to independently investigate the Kenyan case, his unethical dependence on illicit evidence from unscrupulous individuals helped build his case on conjecture and dysfunctional justice methods. The prosecutor relied on speculation by coached witnesses and subsequently birthed a well-choreographed conspiracy that is currently falling apart.

Bensouda has been at pains to try salvage the fast disintegrating case, she has denied the presence of liars and coached witness lined to give false evidence against the Kenyans, regretfully it is in record that false evidence and lies have already formed the backbone of the prosecution’s case. She obtained confirmation of the charges using some witnesses that lied and bolted before they could be cross examined by the defense, the famed witness #4 is just an example.

Shifting the burden of responsibility on her crumbling case to the Government of Kenya by demanding minutes of government security meetings while conspicuously avoiding those of ODM; the schemers financiers and executors of the violence is a disingenuous innuendo to buy time, her five years of waffling is a wise method hoping the senior two would make a fatal mistake giving her an excuse to apply for arrest warrants.

While it is true Bensouda must blame someone for the mortally ill case, evidently she can only blame Ocampo and she for starting a case set on quick sand.

No one understands the consequences of these heinous crimes better than Kenyans. We were hurt and traumatized for generations. It’s our children, our fathers and mothers that we witnessed being massacred in the name of politics… It is our mothers, wives, sister, and daughters that were raped and our property destroyed.

Prosecuting the three Kenyans with evidence outsourced from ODM functionaries such as Hassan Omar, Maina Kiai and others is a gross travesty of Justice. This should not be allowed to proceed one more day Longer.  The three Kenyans are not alone before the honorable Judges at ICC, Justice is on trial.

The developments at ICC are further promoting the unenviable charge that the ICC is a political weapon disguised as a court of justice by Neocolonialists to persecute those uncompromising African leaders and rewarding sycophants.

With all the above facts and many more, the UN Security Council and the African Union should move fast and relieve Mr. Kofi Annan off the eminent team member Status for arm-twisting Kenya to appoint a war lord as prime Minister.

The UN Security Council and The ICC President should also urgently constitute a commission of enquiry to be led by independent minded persons of unquestionable integrity, persons of international stature such as Senator John McCain and renowned Diplomat M/s Jendayi Frazer assisted by Britain’s MP for Falkirk Mr. Eric Joyce. This honorable people have a deep understanding of the Kenyan politics and the events of 2007/2008.

Their terms of reference should include;-

Roles of ODM affiliated individuals working in or closely with ICC officials on the Kenyan Case.

A)     Justice Joyce Aluoch,

B)       M/s Betty Murungi; Mrs. James Orengo.

C)      Mr.  Makau Mutua.  ICC mole.

D)      M/s Shamiso Mbizvio, ICC Co-operation adviser for the Kenyan.

E)       M/s Nyongo; daughter of ODM general secretary;

F)      UN special rapporteur Mr. Maina Kiai.

Kenyans have repeatedly reiterated that serious crimes against Humanity were committed in 2007/2008 and that the perpetrators should be subjected to a competent justice system.  Our commitment to the rule of law has seen Kenya become a signatory and strong support of the ICC by ratifying a new Constitution that factors the Rome statute.

This commitment should not be abused as is the case by Mr. Ocampo, his successor, and Kofi Anna. It behooves the UN Security to ensure that the sad events of 2007/2008 are investigated to their final conclusion. Bringing in the FBI and the M16 to investigate the criminal constituency of this matter would go a long way in ensuring Justice for the victims and the traumatized accused and their families

By John M Kamau.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has been debating a sweeping immigration bill to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws for three weeks now, and properly securing the nation’s borders has been a time-consuming, rigorous debate throughout.

Republicans on the committee, led by Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., spent much time last week pushing for a nationwide program to collect the “biometric” data of peopleleaving the U.S., such as fingerprints and iris scans. They want that system to better track so-called “visa overstays” — people who enter the country legally but remain in the county after their visas expire. That group makes up about 40% of the 11 million unauthorized immigrants living in the country.

“If you’re a sovereign nation, you’ve got to control your borders. That’s what other countries do,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, during Monday’s debate.

That plan was voted down last week when Democrats, led by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said it was too expensive and too complicated. She and others worried that failure to develop the system, which the government has been unable to implement despite congressional mandates dating back to 2001, would prevent the nation’s 11 million unauthorized immigrants from being able to apply for green cards and U.S. citizenship.

Feinstein said she fully supports a “biometric” program but argued that the current system of collecting “biographic” information, such as names and dates of birth, when people leave the country has been successful enough.

But on Monday, Feinstein and others on the committee agreed to a scaled-down proposal from Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. Under the plan, which was adopted on a 13-5 vote, the Department of Homeland Security would be required to:

• Implement a biometric exit system at the 10 U.S. airports with the highest volume of international travelers within two years.
• Implement a biometric exit system at the 30 busiest airports within six years.
• Create a plan to implement a biometric exit system at “major” sea and land ports within six years.

Feinstein, who chairs the Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence, called Hatch’s compromise a responsible response to the complaints raised during the bordersecurity debate.

“It really shows that people have listened to the discussion here,” she said.

The Judiciary Committee is scheduled to continue voting on more than 300 amendments to the immigration bill throughout the week.

Source:usatoday.com

President Obama and the First Lady look forward to traveling to Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania from June 26 – July 3.  The President will reinforce the importance that the United States places on our deep and growing ties with countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including through expanding economic growth, investment, and trade; strengthening democratic institutions; and investing in the next generation of African leaders.

The President will meet with a wide array of leaders from government, business, and civil society, including youth, to discuss our strategic partnerships on bilateral and global issues.  The trip will underscore the President’s commitment to broadening and deepening cooperation between the United States and the people of sub-Saharan Africa to advance regional and global peace and prosperity.

White House

The Senator said he was inspired to go back to school by Deputy President William Ruto who last year graduated from the University of Nairobi with a masters of science degree in plant ecology.

“Despite what the DP was going through in regard to the ICC cases, he found time to go back to school so he really inspired me, masomo haina mwisho (there is no end to learning),” he said.