President Barack Obama, who has made enactment of an immigration bill one of his top priorities for this year, praised the Senate Judiciary Committee’s action, saying the bill was consistent with the goals he has expressed.

“I encourage the full Senate to bring this bipartisan bill to the floor at the earliest possible opportunity and remain hopeful that the amendment process will lead to further improvements,” Obama said in a statement released by the White House.

By a vote of 13-5, the Senate panel approved the bill that would put 11 million illegal residents on a 13-year path to citizenship while further strengthening security along the southwestern border with Mexico, long a sieve for illegal crossings into the United States.

The vote followed the committee’s decision to embrace a Republican move to ease restrictions on high-tech U.S. companies that want to hire more skilled workers from countries like India and China.

In a dramatic move before the vote, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont, withdrew an amendment to give people the right to sponsor same-sex partners who are foreigners for permanent legal status.

Leahy’s colleagues on the committee – Republicans and Democrats – warned that the amendment would kill the legislation in Congress. Democrats generally favor providing equal treatment for heterosexual and homosexual couples, while many Republicans oppose doing so.

“I’m committed to ending that discrimination,” Leahy said before withdrawing the amendment.

“Democrats should be ashamed of themselves for not defending LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) families against the scapegoating of their Republican colleagues,” said Rachel Tiven, executive director of Immigration Equality, a gay rights group.

Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah said the changes made to visa rules governing high-skilled workers, which he had demanded on behalf of the U.S. technology industry, were the price of his support for the bill when the committee voted. Hatch voted for the bill.

In another encouraging sign for the legislation, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said he will not block the measure from coming to the floor for a full debate.

McConnell of Kentucky did not say how he ultimately would vote on the bill, but he told reporters that the bipartisan measure “made a substantial contribution to moving the issue forward.”

All of the core elements of the legislation have been maintained after five long work sessions by the committee. Furthermore, some border security provisions critical to conservatives and border-state members of Congress have been strengthened.

Frank Sharry, executive director of the pro-immigration reform group America’s Voice, said the bill was now “battle-tested” and was emerging with more Republican support than when the Senate panel began work on it this month.

“It’s remarkable. You have a dysfunctional Congress, where both parties have been at war with each other, working together on a bipartisan basis on a controversial issue and making tremendous progress,” Sharry told Reuters.

That bipartisanship may have been fostered, at least in part, by the November 6 presidential election in which Obama vowed to get an immigration bill through Congress as his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, urged undocumented immigrants to simply “self-deport.”

Romney won less than 30 percent of the Hispanic-American vote, spurring Republican party leaders to quickly pivot and call for passing comprehensive immigration legislation.

SHARP EXCHANGES

Some of the most conservative Republicans on the Senate panel, however, persisted in their attempts to significantly change the bill ahead of Tuesday’s vote.

Source:chicagotribune.com

Entering Kenyatta International Airport in 2001, I remember the reflection of the deteriorated economy. After several years in the United States, I entered into a dark and gloomy airport.  The lighted advertisements had lights on one side, the floors had holes, the baggage claim area had a belt that swanked loundly and there was no guarantee that I would find my luggage intact.

From 2001 to 2013 I have travelled through the airport every year and can actually say that there is a great improvement in Jomo Kenyatta’s physical and psychological mood.  A pleasant move toward the true definition of an airport! This reflects the economic development within the country. Nairobi Java house reflects this economic development: Nothing like having a Latte while waiting to board Swiss Air freight.

This time when I arrived at the airport, I wondered whether my plane had been diverted to Bangkok! Tens of young Chinese men, ages 25 to 35 occupied all the seats at the lobby. I have never seen so many Chinese people in my life!  I know that China is involved in building the roads and everything, including toilets in Kenya. But I thought it was a few engineers who were involved in these projects! I am completely confused! I thought we have University of Nairobi graduates, Kenyatta, Edgerton, Moi, Catholic, Methodist, and Presbyterian, etcetera!  Don’t we have a work force?

These Chinese people I saw at the airport were not engineers. I could tell they were Chinese laborers! We are using Chinese companies to build our roads with our money, which is great, but I thought the idea is that we create jobs for our youth! No wonder my village still has so many young people sitting around “Mugetho”. Help me understand!

I thought that only in West Africa they are having problems with Chinese companies bringing in young people to even move the dirt! Are Africans so stupid and inert that they cannot do manual labor? For goodness sake! Go to the port of Mombasa and you will see our young people! Strong young men working like donkeys moving gunias! Can’t these same young men be used to move dirt?

What is wrong with us? I know our companies when given contracts do a shady job! But our youth are not lazy! I flew through Zurich on Swiss air and the majority of the people  who were working were Swiss! Common!

Teddy Njoroge Kamau (PhD), SYR Radio/TV, Director, International Desk

Deputy President William Ruto communicated the decision to the former Prime Minister last week when the two met privately at Ruto’s Karen house.

During the meeting, Raila reportedly reminded Ruto that Jubilee had promised that it would increase his personal security along with former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka.

Raila and Kalonzo were assigned close to 100 police officers during the last government but they were withdrawn, along with their government vehicles, shortly after President Uhuru Kenyatta was sworn in on April 9.

A few police officers continued guarding them but without clear guidelines.

Raila and Kalonzo met Uhuru and Ruto at State House on April 13 to express concern over their security and government promised to issue a directive.

Head of Public Service Francis Kimemia was expected to issue guidelines on how many men and resources their security details would have.

However there has been no communication from the government since then. According to sources, this prompted Raila to meet Ruto again to request an enhanced security detail of up to 20 police officers working in shifts.

Ruto, according to insiders, said 20 officers was too high but said that Jubilee government would honor the VIP status of Raila and Kalonzo with no further elaboration.

There is no law clearly providing for how a former PM and VP should be treated. Both Raila and Kalonzo missed out when President Kibaki rejected the Retirement Benefits (Deputy President and Designated State Officers) Bill 2013 in January.

Kibaki rejected the Bill because of the huge retirement packages that MPs had awarded themselves just before the end of the last Parliament.

Retired Presidents Daniel Moi and Mwai Kibaki are both well catered for under the Presidential Retirements Benefits Act.

The Act gives a retired president 12 security officers- six for his own personal security and six others to guard his Nairobi and rural homes.

In the April meeting with Uhuru and Ruto, it was suggested that the two Cord leaders be each accorded 12 police officers like Moi and Kibaki.

Insiders within Jubilee said that Raila and Kalonzo would first have to quit active politics before they can enjoy such benefits.

“Even before the enactment of a law, this can easily be done through a circular by the head of public service. But what we know is that such retirement benefits cannot be extended  to  a person one who is still active in politics,” said a source at the Office of the President yesterday.

The Presidential Retirements Benefits Act provides that that a former president will lose all his benefits if he engages in active politics.

The bill rejected by Kibaki provided that “an entitled person shall not hold office in any political party at any time.” Raila and Kalonzo have indicated that they will continue leading the opposition from outside Parliament.  Raila is still the ODM leader while Kalonzo continue to serve as the leader of Wiper Party.

The Bill had also provided that a person entitled to retirement benefits “may be requested by the Government to perform specific official functions and shall be paid a reasonable allowance in respect of such official functions.” On Sunday, Raila stated that he is not ready to take up any job assigned to him by President Uhuru.-

Source:The Star

Rev. Annah wambua was mother to Mercy Mutiso, Jane Mutiso and Joyce Mutiso. We humble appeal to all Kenyans of goodwill to stand with us in prayers and support us we make preparations to repatriate pastor’s body to Kenya. We are meeting at Rev Karanja J. minister in Charge Proclaimers Sanctuary Residence 46 HOBART ROAD TILBURY ESSEX RM18 7DF every evening from 6pm- 8:30pm prompt for prayers and support.

Your monetary contribution is highly appreciated and will go along way to support the family in Kenya and us here to repatriate the body of our pastor.

May God lead you and bless you if you cannot make it personally, kindly send your donations to PROCLAIMERS SANCTUARY, LLOYDS TSB BANK- GRAYS BRANCH, SORT CODE 30-93-61 ACCOUNT NUMBER 26531460.

Contacts: Rev. Karanja J. 07903157894: Rev. Damaris K 07886819110, Pastor Godfrey Gichuki 07853389428.

-Misterseed

As the drama begins, a husband and wife are seen arguing on the third-floor patio of an urban apartment building.

‘Who shirt is this,’ demands the husband in Portuguese.

The wife angrily flings the shirt into a whooping crowd that has gathered below.
Their fight is juicy enough as is, but just off to the side a man appears in the couple’s window.

Shirtless and angry, the man may be an adulterer but he’s awfully quick-thinking.

He tosses out the window an escape rope he’s managed to fashion from knotted t-shirts and bravely begins to climb down.

On a window sill below, he stops. The cackling crowd mocks both him and the woman’s husband.

‘Cornudo,’ the growing audience yells at the husband, a Portuguese word for a man being cheated on.

As if a Hollywood celebrity had just fallen from the sky, the passersby hoot and ogle and snap photos.

They chant ‘JUMP!’ as emergency workers arrive to assist the struggling man. And he does just that.

A soft mat is placed below the shirtless man and the crowd cheers as leaps and bounces down to the street.

Barefoot and scowling, the shirtless man gives the woman and her husband a good shake of the fist, then shakes it at the crowd for good measure and marches out of view.

Source:standardmedia.co.ke

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