Now now wants Kalonzo and Mudavadi back as ODM-K falls apart

 By Vitalis Kimutai

Kanu is wooing ODM-Kenya presidential aspirants Mr Musalia Mudavadi and Mr Kalonzo Musyoka in a bid to form a grand coalition before the General Election, Baringo Central MP Mr Gideon Moi has revealed.

The opposition party sees the two politicians as key in crafting a formidable team to face other parties.

Gideon said Kanu would enter into coalitions with other political parties following ODM-Kenya’s rejection to include it as a corporate member.

“Kanu will compete with ODM-Kenya in the elections since the latter is an independent party and not a coalition,” he said.

The MP said they had opted to talk to Mudavadi and Musyoka owing to confusion and backstabbing in the Orange party. He said a rebirth of a major political coalition was in the offing.

“Let Kenyans know there will be a major political realignment as we approach the election,” he said.

Kanu, he said, had pulled out of ODM-Kenya because of what he called lack of a proper structure in the party and arrogance and power greed of some presidential aspirants.

“Some top ODM-Kenya leaders are power hungry and arrogant, which is why others have walked out. The party has its owners,” Gideon said on Saturday.

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Kenya: Media bill may force journalist to go underground

 The Media Bill passed by Parliament last week is one of the many attempts by the Government to control the media, writes Athman Amran.

As the controversial Media Bill 2007— which aims at scaring away crucial news sources that would like to remain anonymous — awaits President Kibaki’s assent , spirited attempts by the current administration to gag the Press can be traced back to embarrassing scandals exposed by the Fourth Estate.

They include the multi-billion shillings Anglo Leasing and Goldenberg scams, in which top Government officials were allegedly involved. The fictitious Artur brothers’ saga also ranks highly among embarrassing exposes.

The Anglo Leasing scandal was one of the biggest embarrassments to the Kibaki Government. It led to the resignation of senior Cabinet ministers.

Vice-President Mr Moody Awori was also mentioned in the Anglo Leasing saga but withstood mounting pressure and refused to resign.

News sources or whistleblowers, like the ones who exposed the Anglo Leasing and Goldenberg scandals, are now being targeted by the new Bill.

Some in Government also seem to blame the media for the defeat of the pro-Government Banana camp by the Orange team at the referendum vote in 2005.

One thing led to another. The Government came out fighting.

Standard Group offices were invaded

In one of the major attempts to intimidate the Press, the Standard Group offices were invaded by heavily armed hooded police officers on March 2, 2006. They disabled KTN broadcast equipment, carted away computers and burnt the day’s newspapers.

Internal Security minister, Mr John Michuki, said the Government raided the Standard Group because the media house had “rattled a snake”. He even threatened to repeat the invasion.

It was news sources that told sections of the media that the raid on the Standard Group was first discussed by three Cabinet ministers in an office in Nairobi and executed by a special squad of the police, mostly from outside the city.

The purpose was to allegedly “teach them (The Standard Group) a lesson.” This would also serve to intimidate the independent media into submission. This information came from sources within the police force.

The saga of the Artur brothers — who were suspected to have been involved in the raid on the Standard Group — put Michuki and several Government ministers in an awkward position locally and internationally, thanks largely to news sources.

Government ignored speculation

While Interpol regarded Artur Magaryan as an international fugitive, the Government honoured him and his “brother” Artur Sargsyan with the posts of Deputy Commissioners of Police.

They drove around in cars bearing Government registration numbers and had Kenyan passports and security passes that allowed them access to any part of Kenya’s airports.

The Government ignored speculation and damning revelations by the media (through sources) until the internationally embarrassing incident at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport when Arturs drew guns and threatened to shoot security officers.

The truth on the relationship between the Artur brothers and the Government remains a mystery to Kenyans as the Kiruki report is yet to be released due to “security reasons”.

Michuki was dominant in the Arturs brothers saga and his spirited fight against the media.

Still on the Arturs saga, the Government attempted to “squeeze” the media to a corner when Standard Group Deputy Chairman and Strategy Advisor Mr Paul Melly, Chief Operating Officer, Mr Paul Wanyagah, Editorial Director, Mr Kwendo Opanga and Group Managing Editor, Mr Chaacha Mwita were held incommunicado for close to 10 hours in April this year.

Fist Lady stormed into the Nation Centre

They were arrested following a lead story published by The Standard on April 16, which quoted one of the deported Armenian brothers, Artur Magaryan. Magaryan claimed he had been hired by people in the Government to abduct and possibly assassinate Baringo Central MP, Mr Gideon Moi. The directors were later unconditionally released.

One of the most embarrassing moments in Kenya’s State House politics came when in early 2005, First Lady Lucy Kibaki stormed into the Nation Centre at night, on the eve of the World Press Freedom Day and harassed journalists.

This was after Mrs Kibaki hit the headlines after storming the Muthaiga residence of former World Bank Country Director, Mr Makhtar Diop, and disrupted his farewell party.

These high drama attempts to intimidate the media caused embarrassment to the Government.

Mr Mutahi Kagwe, the Minister for Information, Kagwe came up with the controversial Media Bill 2007 as one of the ways of clipping the Fourth Estate’s wings.

The controversial Bill would have been passed word for word were it not for the hue and cry from media practitioners, some MPs and civil society organisations.

The intention was to have the media under the tight control of the Government.

Last minute introduction of clause

Ironically, Kagwe had worked with the Standard Group between 1983 and 1994, where he rose to become the Commercial Operations Director. Incidentally it is under Kagwe’s watch as the Information minister that the Standard Group was raided as well as a local radio station, Hope FM, along Valley Road.

Another attempt by the Government to rein in the media came with the last minute introduction of a clause to the Media Bill by Ol Kalou MP, Mr Muriuki Karue.

It intended to corner journalists, create a cul-de-sac to the freedom of expression and make editors shiver when they come across some critical stories involving top Government figures.

Clause 38 (4) reads: “When a story includes unnamed sources and the matter goes to court, the editor of the story shall be compelled to reveal the source”.

Tellingly, he Bill was passed by only 27 MPs. The quorum should be 30 members, excluding the Speaker.

Kagwe, who was present when the Bill was passed, later said the clause, “refers to a scenario where you describe a person, and it is obvious to everybody, and when you go to court you say I was not referring to that person, then you will be duty bound to say whom you were referring to, but it has nothing to do with the source of your story”.

Minister has personal issues with the media

Under intense pressure from Kenyan editors who sought the President’s intervention, Kagwe last Friday forwarded the Bill to the Attorney General Mr Amos Wako for “a fresh look”.

He added that he was even ready to ask the President to hand it back to the House before signing it if it turns out the contentious clause will undermine the freedom of the Press.

Karue, who introduced the clause, has personal issues with the media. In 2003, he sued the Standard Group and the Nation Media Group for alleged defamation. The suits were dismissed as the courts ruled there was no defamation.

Among those who supported the Bill are those who have had nasty brushes with the media — like Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister, Ms Martha Karua. She has had a string of cases against media houses for alleged defamation.

One of Karua’s altercations with the media was after the hijacking incident while in the company of Catholic Priest Father Dominic Wamugunda.

The minister’s relationship with the media was so strained that at one point she was given a media blackout for some time.

MPs complained of having been “victims” of the Press

She confesses thus: “The media is a great tool for upholding democratic principles and for fighting against corruption. The media can also be a very destructive tool, if not used responsibly…they can perpetuate a hate campaign against individuals, groups and sections of society”.

Karua had on March 25, 2004 filed a defamation suit against Kiss FM and its two presenters Ms Caroline Mutoko and Mr Walter Mong’are alias Nyambane.

Tuju had around this time said a circular had been sent to all radio and TV stations warning them of consequences of disregarding professional ethics.

He was then (November 2005) giving a ministerial statement after Kaiti MP, Mr Gideon Ndambuki claimed that some radio stations were inciting Kenyans against each other and were likely to plunge the country into civil strife.

In April 25, 2007 Karua lost a defamation case against The Standard Group and its Editorial Director, Mr Kwendo Opanga.

Today, Karua terms the Media Bill as “most progressive”.

Other MPs who passed the Bill complained of having been “victims” of the Press. Mbita MP Mr Otieno Kajwang’, who was struck off from the list of lawyers by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) some years ago for alleged professional misconduct, was one of them.

Bill contravenes the Witness Protection Act

Kajwang’ claims to have been the subject of negative stories in the media while Gwasi MP Mr Zaddock Syong’o says: “You may never know how it feels until you become an object of ridicule by the media…”

Ntonyiri MP, Mr Maoka Maore has equated journalists to monkeys carrying loaded guns. “We need some control…in every bit of society you have some mad men and women. It is these elements that we want to control,” he says.

When the Media Bill was about to be passed, nominated MP, Ms Njoki Ndung’u opposed it.

She said: “Protection of sources is at the core of the practice of journalism. This is unconstitutional and it contravenes the Witness Protection Act”.

The Witness Protection Act, which was passed last year, prohibits disclosing identity of whistleblowers.

Muite terms the amendment by Karue as “atrocious”.

“If the President assents to the document, journalism is in jeopardy and it will be a major blow to investigative journalism,” Muite says.

He adds that the move would expose whistleblowers and deny the public vital information.

He claims that “State agents” keen on controlling the media introduced the contentious clause.

Laikipia West MP, Mr G G Kariuki says: “In my view no rational leader would want to muzzle the Press because no leadership can survive without the support of the Press. It has to inform the public what that leadership wants”.

Kariuki says the media have served Kenya by fighting corruption.

Appealed to the President

The East Africa Law Society of Kenya chairman Mr, Tom Ojienda says: “The clause will discourage the public from disclosing information and this is likely to make the fight against corruption and other social ills difficult”.

The Standard Group, the Media Council of Kenya, the Editors’ Guild and other media stakeholders have appealed to the President to save the media industry from the bad clause in the Media Bill.

Wanyagah and Opanga took issue with the clause introduced by Karue.

“The public’s right to know is at the core of a free Press. Media’s commitment to truth and its role as the watchdog of the society would be hampered by that clause. We ask to be spared from it,” Wanyagah said.

Opanga said: “This amendment seeks to compel media houses to disclose their sources. Sources are party to and parties in a story and they could be named or remain unquoted especially where they seek to protect themselves from reprisals from those they have exposed”.

“This amendment is asking the media to blow the whistle on whistleblowers or face unspecified legal action.”

The Law Society of Kenya has vowed to go to court to stop the implementation of the proposed law if Kibaki assents to it. US ambassador, Mr Michael Ranneberger and his German counterpart, Mr Walter Lindner, want it subjected to further scrutiny.

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Kenya-USa: Directing a finger at Mungiki in a suspiscious killing

 By Athman Amran

Mystery continues to surround the murder of a Kenyan woman and her two daughters in the US last week.

There are conflicting reports as to why and who committed the act. Some reports link the Mungiki sect to the murders.

Others reports say the murders were a normal criminal activity. Reports say since the three murders, there have been 10 others in Atlanta alone.

It is also not clear when or why Jane, 45, and her children went to America.

Jane and daughters Isabella, 19, and Annabelle, 16, were found dead in their two-storey Powder Springs home in Atlanta, Georgia last week. No suspects have been arrested so far.

Police have declined to divulge any information

Her seven-year old son, Jeremy and 10 year-old cousin, Peter Thande, were both found unconscious and were taken to the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite.

Police have already talked to Thande, who suffered a head injury, but have declined to divulge any information to the Press.

Jeremy has been in a coma and was transferred to the ICU. But recent reports from Atlanta indicate that both boys are now responding well to treatment.

According to a former photojournalist with The Standard who is in Atlanta, Mr Jacob Waweru, police there say the victims were beaten with an unknown object.

Further reports say before her death, Jane was seeking asylum for herself and her two daughters.

Application was turned down due to inconsistencies

According to an Atlanta Immigration attorney Mr Charles H Kuck, the application was turned down due to inconsistencies but an appeal hearing was set at the end of the month.

Conflicting information screened through the Internet by The Sunday Standard add more mystery to the murders.

The question has been whether the dreaded Mungiki sect had sent their “murder squad” to eliminate the family due to claims that Jane and her husband were against female circumcision.

According to the Associated Press, Jane had told Kuck that she fled to America fearing that the Mungiki would forcibly circumcise her daughters.

Area detective Danny Pierce, however, says autopsies show no signs of mutilation, ruling out any forced circumcision.

The hallmark of Mungiki linked killings is mutilated bodies through beheading and dismembering.

‘Jane fled Kenya in 2001 after the death of her husband’

Jane, says Kuck, fled Kenya in 2001 after the death of her husband, consequent destruction of their home and forced circumcision by the Mungiki.

However, close relatives living in the US have given another version of the events that led to Jane’s relocation.

In a message dated August 3, 2007 to the Kenyan community in the US Bay area, the relatives — who identify themselves as the Gakunju family through Isabella Omariba — claim through an online forum Mashada that Jane first went to the US in late 1996 not in 2001 and stayed in Albany, where she lived with a relative.

The Gakunju family refers to Jane in the e-mail as their cousin.

The message says that after a year in America, she returned to Kenya but went back to the US in 1999. By this time, the message says, Jane was expecting her third child, Jeremy who was born in Albany in October 1999.

She had intended to settle in US with her family

During her two trips to the US, Jane had left her husband and her two daughters in Kenya.

The email says her husband died of asthma in February 2001.

“She lost her husband to an asthmatic attack in February 2001…He died on Jane’s lap on their way to hospital,” the email message says.

The email message from the Gakunju family conflicted claims that the Mungiki murdered her husband. There was no mention of the sect members forcibly circumcising Jane or destroying her property in Kenya.

The email message to grieving friends and family members claim Jane decided to return to the US in 2002 with her three children after her husband’s death.

She settled in Atlanta, Georgia. The message also says that Jane liked the US and had intended to settle there with her family.

Judge ruled that Jane gave inconsistent testimony

The email gave family contacts in the US as Martha Njeri Gitiha and Njeri Gakunju.

But the Associated Press quotes the Atlanta Immigration Attorney as claiming that Jane sought asylum because she and her husband were targeted in Kenya for their opposition to female genital mutilation.

“Her fear was of the horrific practice of female genital mutilation and it happening to her daughters,” Kuck was quoted as saying in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week.

Kuck was handling Jane’s appeal after the US rejected the asylum application. Hearing for Isabella and Annabelle’s asylum cases was scheduled for August 29.

The judge ruled that Jane gave inconsistent testimony, Kuck said. “And the judge did not believe she was subjectively afraid to go back to Kenya, one of the requirements of proving asylum,” Kuck adds.

Kuck was not sure whether the deaths were connected to her alleged fleeing from Kenya.

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Cuba and CAR resume diplomatic ties

Bangui (Central African Republic) The Central African Republic (CAR) and Cuba restored their diplomatic relations on Friday after a 26-year misunderstanding between a close relative to former President Andre Kolingba and a Cuban ambassador, APA reports. The new Cuban ambassador, Bruno Desouza, arrived on Friday in Bangui. Addressing a news conference shortly after his arrival, Desouza reiterated his country’s resolve to co-operate with CAR not only at diplomatic level but also and above all in several development areas. “Faced with the various development challenges, it would be urgent to focus on improving populations’ living standards to get closer to the Millennium goals set by the international community,” said the Cuban diplomat who was greeted on arrival by the Central African Foreign Minister, Com Zoumarra Bellet. For his part, Bellet expressed the satisfaction of the CAR authorities with the resumption of diplomatic ties with Cuba. “This resumption will highly benefit our education and health sectors which are crucial to the Cuban side,” he said, adding that the CAR authorities should preserve and maintain the just resumed diplomatic ties with Cuba for national interest. Published by Korir, API*APN africanpress@chello.no tel +47 932 99 739 or +47 6300 2525 source.apa

Congolese singer Madilu Systčme passes away

Kinshasa (DR Congo) Congolese singer Madilu System, the composer of famous songs, passed away Saturday in the University Private Hospital of Kinshasa at 57, APA has learnt. Madilu Systeme (his real name is Bialu Makese), had reached his peak with the OK jazz orchestra of François Luambo Makiadi, also known as Franco whom he joined after a short career with Bakuba Mayopi, a second rank band. Upon the death of Luambo Makiadi, Madilu had first continued singing alone before forming his own band while his former colleagues from OK Jazz had created the Bana OK orchestra. Madilu is the composer of several famous songs, including “Ya Jean”, “Frere Edouard”, “Voisin”, “Sans compassion”. The Congolese Culture and Arts Minister, Malenso Ndodila, expressed his dismay upon the death of Madilu whom he called an “artist of peace that brought joy around him”. Published by Korir, API*APN africanpress@chello.no tel +47 932 99 739 or +47 6300 2525 source.apa

Kenya hotting up - Ngilu replaces Kalonzo in new ODM power deal

Story by DAVID MUGONYI and BERNARD NAMUNANE
Publication Date: 8/12/2007  

The Raila faction of ODM has proposed a new power-sharing arrangement which locks out Mwingi North MP Kalonzo Musyoka and brings in Health Minister Charity Ngilu, the Sunday Nation has learnt. 

Health minister Charity Ngilu: Her name features in the latest power-sharing proposal by the Raila group in ODM Kenya as a second vice-president. Photo/WILLIAM OERI

According to the new proposal, Mr Raila Odinga will vie for President with Mr Mudavadi (first vice-president) and Mrs Ngilu (second vice-president) as his running mates. Mr Ruto will be made executive prime minister if ODM wins and the Constitution amended to create the position, according to the proposal.

The new proposal replaces an earlier one rejected by Mr Musyoka according to which he was to be Mr Odinga’s running mate with Mr Ruto being promised the same position. The earlier plan made no mention of Mr Mudavadi and he has spoken strongly against it.

A rally that was to held in Eldoret yesterday was put off to allow the group to put the plan to their closest supporters, the Sunday Nation has learnt.

Sources within the group disclosed that Mr Odinga, Mr Mudavadi and Mr Ruto have given up on Mr Musyoka being part of their group.

But for fear of any candidate being seen to have stepped down for the other, the group intends to call a delegates meeting at Kasarani stadium, Nairobi, to ratify the deal.

This is more so for Mr Mudavadi whose career suffered a major setback after he abandoned Narc just before the last election and went back to Kanu and was rewarded with a short stint as Vice-President. He lost his parliamentary seat.

The power-sharing structure whose details the Sunday Nation can reveal are expected to be presented to “elders” from the Luo, Luhya and Kalenjin communities. 

It is understood that Mr Odinga, Mr Ruto and Mr Mudavadi are determined to have a presidential candidate named by the end of the month.

The new proposal includes positions of deputy prime ministers that will go to Coast, Central and North Eastern provinces. 

The positions are not in the Constitution, meaning that if Mr Odinga is elected he has to move with speed to amend the law. This also assumes that ODM will have a strong enough majority in the House to push through constitutional changes.

The plan is to implement the Bomas draft, which will, among other things, create the position of executive prime minister to be given to the representative from the Rift Valley, where ODM expects to get considerable votes.

Sources said that Mr Odinga has promised to serve only one term and then support Mr Mudavadi in the 2012 General Election.

The sources claimed that the Lang’ata MP is prepared to put in writing these promises, implement the Bomas draft to create the other positions and also make the deal public if it is accepted by supporters of other aspirants.

A similar arrangement that would have seen Mr Musyoka as Mr Odinga’s running made flopped when the Mwingi North MP refused to accept the deal last month.

Sources privy to the negotiations said the new proposal, now dubbed the “Western deal”, are confident that the group stands a good chance of beating President Kibaki. Their hopes are pinned on convincing voters in Western Province that this is a good deal because it involved giving Mr Mudavadi a clean run for the top job in 2012, with the promised support of Nyanza and Rift Valley.

That is to say the ODM leaders who hail from Nyanza and Rift Valley — Mr Odinga and Mr Ruto — will not run against Mr Mudavadi in 2012.

But five years is a long time in politics and it remains to be seen whether ODM will still be popular in those areas after a term in government if it wins the election. There is also a chance that candidates might emerge from the two provinces through a different party.

Yesterday, doubts were already being cast about the ability of those who step down to mobilise support for the party in their home turfs.

MPs Andrew Ligale (Vihiga) and Chris Okemo (Nambale) warned that should Mr Mudavadi settle for anything less than the presidency, ODM-K leaders will face an uphill task selling the party in Western.

“He (Mudavadi) has been a Vice President and we have one now (Mr Moody Awori). It will not make any difference to voters in Western. ODM-K is likely to lose the votes in the region but I am still hopeful that it will be he (Mudavadi the candidate),” said Mr Ligale.

Mr Chris Okemo said ODM-K leaders have to negotiate carefully to avoid a backlash. “It is very tricky because people in Western are now looking forward to a president and not a vice president,” he said.

The promise to Mr Mudavadi is intended to take care of a situation where Mr Kibaki picks Local Government minister Musikari Kombo as his running mate. ODM sources argued that even if he were to do so, he can’t guarantee him the 2012 ticket because there are many personalities in the Kibaki orbit, such as Education minister George Saitoti, waiting in the wings.

The Sunday Nation was informed that negotiations for the “Western deal” have been going on for three weeks and climaxed on Tuesday after talks with Mr Musyoka flopped.

It is understood that Mr Odinga, Mr Ruto and Mr Mudavadi were unhappy with Mr Musyoka for calling a reconciliation meeting then heading straight into other negotiations with Kanu chairman Uhuru Kenyatta, Labour Party of Kenya’s Julia Ojiambo and Shirikisho Party of Kenya officials.

Ironically Mr Ruto too headed for talks with Mrs Ngilu at the Norfolk Hotel after the meeting with Mr Musyoka.

The Health Minister has met several times with Mr Odinga, Mr Mudavadi and Mr Ruto and had promised to make up her mind after the passage of her ministry’s budget in Parliament.

But Mrs Ngilu, a wily and experienced political operator, has been cagey, sending coded political messages that she was warming up to ODM while she still hangs onto Narc, one of the parties that Mr Kibaki might choose to run on.

Yesterday, she declared that she would not give up the Narc chairmanship and that she was in the race for the presidency.

She vowed not to succumb to pressure to hand over the party to anyone and accused Ford Kenya of waging a hate campaign against her.

Ford Kenya, which belongs to the Narc coalition, has been making efforts to revive Narc with a new constitution. Mrs Ngilu has ignored invitations to meetings.

Speaking at Makutano Stadium in West Pokot district, she said: “This political seat we are fighting for belongs to the people and I do not want to hear anyone asking me to hand over Narc leadership because I have already declared that I will contest the presidency in the December polls.” 

Narc sources, however, said the President had not asked Mrs Ngilu for the party and that he could not predicate his political plans on a politician whose decisions have been “erratic”.

The Odinga group is confident that on his own Mr Musyoka will make little headway. The best he can hope for, sources in the group said, is the 470,000 votes the Mrs Ngilu got in her presidential bid in 1997.

“Even if Kalonzo was to run a precedent has already been set by Mrs Ngilu who vied for the presidency in 1997 without a strong team representing the face of the country,” a source said. But Machakos MP Daudi Mwanzia warned that isolating Mr Musyoka will cost ODM the election and dismissed suggestions that Mrs Ngilu can deliver her community’s vote.

“It is very difficult to divide the Kamba vote. In fact, they have already made up their minds on who they will vote for should Raila continue acting the way he is doing. Let me warn him that he faces the same fate that befell (South Africa’s chief Mongosuthu) Buthelezi,” he said.

To cement the plan, the Odinga group met for most of the afternoon at the home of Mr Mudavadi in Riverside, Nairobi, as well as in Karen where Mr Odinga and Mr Ruto live.

The group is hoping that promising Mr Ruto the position of a powerful prime minister will outweigh the efforts of retired President Moi and Keiyo South MP Nicholas Biwott who are regrouping under Kanu.

But there are already indications of shifting allegiances in the province with a number of MPs, among them Mr Charles Keter (Belgut), Dr Sammy Rutto (Kipkelion), Mr Gideon Moi (Baringo Central), and Philip Rotino (Sigor), appearing to move into the Moi orbit. Initially, the Biwott faction had on board Nick Salat (Bomet), Paul Sang (Buret) and Jimmy Choge (Aldai).

The Mr Musyoka camp was behind a reconciliation meeting at Karen Blixen Restaurant on Tuesday where proposals to create new party structures were tabled.

However, the meeting did not achieve much as the leaders could not agree. The agenda included reconciliation of warring factions, whether ODM-K was a coalition or party of individuals, new officials and a consensus line-up.

The meeting, organised by Nairobi lawyer Donald Kipkorir, a key ally of Mr Musyoka and Mr Dalmas Otieno, a Kanu vice-chairman, was to see groups led by Mr Daniel Maanzo and another by Tinderet MP Henry Kosgey removed.

In the Maanzo group are the registered officials Mr Abraham Chepkonga (secretary general) and Ms Lilian Aluga (treasurer). Mr Kosgey is interim chairman, Prof Anyang’ Nyongó (interim secretary general) and Omingo Magara (interim treasurer).

Their places were to be taken by Mr Odinga as party leader, Mr Musyoka (deputy), Mr Mudavadi (chairman) and Mr Ruto (secretary general). There were also proposals to create three positions of vice-chairmen and two deputies in each other senior posts to reflect the country’s regions.

However, Mr Musyoka did not allow any negotiations on this to take off and they agreed to continue the discussions tomorrow. It is Mr Ruto who was naming individuals to the new positions. The Mwingi North MP has since denied that any names were placed on the party structures.

Prior to the meeting Mr Kipkorir, Mr Otieno, Mr Ruto and Nambale MP Chris Okemo stayed up until 2 am discussing the agenda.

Yesterday, MPs who spoke to the Sunday Nation said it was important to have the consensus given a democratic rubber-stamp so that none of the aspirants jeopardises their standing among their supporters. Prof Nyong’o said Kasarani would be used for the delegates conference.

“We are going to use the delegates system to nominate the party’s presidential candidate. We at the secretariat are very prepared for the exercise and we will sit down soon to decide on the number of delegates,” he said. 

“We had agreed on 500 delegates but there have been suggestions that we trim the number to 200. We are working on different scenarios and they are likely to be less,” he added.

MPs Musa Sirma (Eldama Ravine), Mr Okemo (Nambale) and Mr Ligale (Vihiga) said only 20 delegates from each of the 210 constituencies would go to Kasarani to nominate a presidential candidate. It is understood that the presidential aspirants favour 20 delegates per constituency.

Sources said the plan to have delegates approve the consensus line-up was meant to give it wider agreement. The plan, sources said, is to go to Kasarani and “lose” to Mr Odinga. 

The fears have been heightened by the four-day trip that President Kibaki has made to the vote-rich region. Mr Ruto also faces a difficult situation after the re-union of the Kenyatta and Biwott factions of Kanu, apparently at the behest of Mr Moi. 

The Sunday Nation has learnt that some MPs who previously supported Mr Ruto may now be listening to Mr Moi for fear of losing their seats through his influence. Mr Moi is thought to favour an alliance between Kanu and Mr Kibaki. 

A delegate system through which Mr Ruto is seen to have lost to Mr Odinga in a “fair contest” is thought to improve his hand in dealing with Mr Moi and his allies in Rift Valley by showing that he lost in a fair contest.

Said Mr Ruto’s close ally, Mr Sirma: “We have to go to Kasarani and people should be informed in good time. It has been agreed that each constituency provides 20 delegates.”

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ICT A NEW GOOD FRONTIER TO FIGHT POVERTY GLOBALLY

Information Communication Technology (ICT) is presently a great avenue to utilize in addressing the great inequalities existing in the world today. The difference between the rich north and poor or poorer south is mainly attributed to disparities in knowledge, technology, exploitation, slavery, colonialism and the usual suspect in the name of unfair trade. The south continues to be suppliers of raw materials which are processed branded and resold dearer by the industrialized north.

There has never been a greater bridge of the gap existing in earthly terms than education. Literacy levels in developing world have remained poor compared to the developed world. However there have been gradual improvements that the developing nations have slowly started accruing the benefits of education. However due to poor governance in most of the developing world better progress in education and accruing benefits continue to be greatly hampered.

But success stories abound. The South East Asian Tigers of South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong set an unstoppable pace. Lately Malaysia, Thailand, China, Indonesia, Brazil and India have shown that there is nothing impossible with the right strategies and approach. And the approach has centered on Education and the resultant exploitation of Science and technology.

Not to belabour on the point ICT is here to bridge distances and
inequalities in a big way. Today a coffee farmer in Tetu, a miraa
farmer in Maua, a flower farmer in Naivasha can in a click of a button get market intelligence of their products globally. E-commerce is growing and very soon even education will be highly enhanced at the PC or laptop level. Internet has made the world a small village that events, knowledge and discoveries in any part of the world can be accessed or known by anyone in any part of the world at a click of a button. The use of Mobile phones has almost made the a bit inefficient (at least in the third world) fixed lines almost redundant.

The growing business in Business Processes Outsourcing (BPO’s) shows how there is no limit to innovation. A company in rich economies like in USA, UK, Germany, Japan and others does not have to worry about the rise in overheads  costs when it can easily have part of the processes carried on cheaply in India, Kenya, South Africa and others, which in effect creates many jobs in theses poorer or less developed economies.

What is the way forward for Kenya? Our regional neighbour and a recent entrant to the East African community Rwanda has set the pace. The benefits accruing from ICT, greater investments in human resource in terms of education and training plus a raft of incentives to improve commerce have made Rwanda one of the top investments destinations in the world. Rwanda a landlocked country who experienced a horrible genocide in 1994 realized that the only way to compete is to leverage on ICT and it is bearing profits.

Kenya is a regional giant in many fronts but globally it is quiet far below. Her ICT sector is growing very strongly. Her position a well educated population  and a growing economy can only make her a rich nation if there is greater improvements in the realm of education, commerce, infrastructure, health and of course ICT among others not to forget elimination of insecurity.

Recent projects to connect schools especially in remote areas of the country to internet and provision of computers to schools is a step in the right direction. Indeed greater emphasis need to be placed on teaching, provision and utilization of ICT from the primary levels to the highest levels in education and commerce. Today companies making great strides locally and internationally are leveraging on ICT. We can only ignore ICT to our peril. We would simply be wiped out or grow very irrelevant in the global market!

By API*APN East African Correspondent

Harrison  Mwirigi  Ikunda,
P.O. Box 51806,
Nairobi, Kenya

Published by African Press International, API/ African Press in Norway, APN africanpress@chello.no tel +47 932 99 739 or +47 6300 2525