Kenya’s PM Raila Odinga says he is ready to sacrifice his job and start baking dougnuts, while Ruto the minister says he is ready to be sacked: Friends parting ways are talking!

Now the two Kenyan leaders, Raila the PM who is also the leader of ODM is fighting with his deputy ODM leader and minister for agriculture William Ruto over Mau evictions.

Raila says he is ready to loose his political path and start selling doughnuts in Kibera while Ruto says he is ready for a sack from the government.

Why are the two fighting so hard and yet it is easy to do the honourable thing when gentlemen disagree – resign as the British ministers normally do whenever they disagree. They call it gentlemanly, a thing the Kenyan ministers are not used to, but instead fighting to the bitter end is the answer.

The Mau settlers are suffering while the leaders are heavyweighting and the public cheers to see the winner.

Now some MPs allied to Raila’s deputy leader Mr Ruto are planning a censure motion against the PM. If they get the numbers in parliament, Raila may have to go but then as the National Accord signed that enabled the formation of the government says, early elections may become necessary. Do the MPs want to go for early elections now and leave the high salaries they are comfortably chewing?

By Chief editor Korir

African Press International.

CAMBODIA: Poachers turn gamekeepers in eco-tourism projects

Photo: Brendan Brady/IRIN

A community ranger riding an elephant in Srepok Protected Forest in Cambodia’s eastern Mondulkiri province

MONDULKIRI,  – Poaching was a serious business for Chran Thabb – until his tracking skills were put to better use protecting his former prey. He is one of 45 rangers in the remote eastern province of Mondulkiri recruited for a grassroots tourism project that uses employment incentives to encourage environmental conservation.

“Before, whenever I saw an animal in the forest, my first thought was to shoot it,” said Chran, now a guide for treks around Dei Ey village, in a protected forest area in Mondulkiri.

“I don’t do that any more. The animals would become extinct and I want the next generation to see them,” he said.

Because of its forests, mountains and rare wildlife, rugged Mondulkiri has been targeted by the Cambodian government as an area for eco-tourism development, after lobbying by WWF. The wildlife group launched conservation projects more than four years ago in this remote region, which has been likened to Africa’s Serengeti for its abundant wildlife.

WWF has recruited former hunters to put their knowledge of the forest and expert tracking skills to good use. The overall aim is to establish an environment where wildlife can recover after years of hunting, poaching and neglect. Richer wildlife, conservationists hope, will attract tourists – and, in turn, create jobs for local communities.

Most of Mondulkiri’s impoverished population comprises indigenous communities who practise shifting cultivation but also grow cash crops, although this is under threat from deforestation and changing climate patterns, according to a September 2009 report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Lack of access to education and primary healthcare are key development concerns in Mondulkiri, IOM says, with 59 percent of its population living below the poverty line, according to a 2004 study by the Cambodia Development Resource Institute and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

“In a poor province such as Mondulkiri, eco-tourism offers a long-term alternative livelihood to combat the short-term illegal activities they do now to earn a living,” said Olga van den Pol, head of WWF’s eco-tourism operations in Mondulkiri province.

Wildlife in the area, which is near the border with Vietnam, was severely depleted in the 1970s and 1980s when battling Khmer Rouge and Vietnamese soldiers relied heavily on hunting for survival.

But since the launch of conservation projects, rangers are seeing an increase in wildlife for the first time in years.

Community values

Most people in the area belong to the Phnong ethnic group. Bill Herod, a development worker who works with Phnong youth, said cultural forces should operate in favour of conservation efforts.

“Phnong are more likely to see common ownership of the land, and less likely to want to hunt for wildlife on an individual basis,” he said.

Given Cambodia’s violent past, it is especially important to avoid using violence to deter poaching and instead focus on encouraging livelihoods, conservationists say.

In countries such as Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo, governments have resorted to heavily armed patrols in an attempt to combat poaching. But this method is increasingly being shunned.

“For a poor rural person who wishes to feed their family, no deterrent will be sufficient, but the chances of being killed are far higher,” said James MacGregor, a researcher for the London-based International Institute for Environment and Development. “Guns raise the stakes but don’t combat the poaching necessarily,” he told IRIN.

Challenges

While those employed by the projects hope their fortunes will improve, the initiatives are no panacea for the area’s poverty.

Krak Sokny, a teacher and farmer in Dei Ey village, doubted the eco-tourism initiatives would reach a sufficient scale to extend benefits to locals not directly involved, but said they would instil an active interest in conservation in villagers.

And while Dei Ey and other areas appear to be on the path to recovery, other lands in the province still face serious threats from speculators and slash-and-burn practices.

Local development workers also say police and well-connected officials continue to traffic wildlife and timber with impunity.

Against these forces, villagers in Mondulkiri’s eco-tourism enclaves are trying to carve out a space for themselves and adventurous tourists.

“I’m hoping there will be more tourists so we can earn money that way and not have to go hunting in the forest,” said Am Pang Deap, who previously made ends meet selling fried bananas in Dei Ey, but now works at a new eco-tourism resort. “People are trying to hunt less and maintain what’s left for tourists.”

bb/ey/mw source.irinnews.org

A young child grasps a bowl of food in Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady Delta. Food insecurity has left many families vulnerable

MYANMAR: Funding shortfall hits Nargis survivors

Photo: Stacey Winston/ECHO

BANGKOK,  – A lack of funding is still posing a serious problem for recovery efforts to help the survivors of Cylone Nargis, the UN says, despite fresh pledges from donors.

At a Post-Nargis and Regional Partnership Conference, held on 25 November in Bangkok, donors pledged more than US$88 million for an appeal for $103 million to cover critical recovery needs – part of the earlier Post-Nargis Recovery and Preparedness Plan (PONREPP) released in December 2008 by the Tripartite Core Group, comprising the Myanmar government, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the UN.

The original appeal called for $691 million for a three-year recovery plan from 2009 to 2011.

“There was very good support and excellent response from the donors – there was a good acknowledgement of the recognition of the need,” said Bishow Parajuli, the UN Resident Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar.

However, “what must be underlined is that the $103 million is only for needs identified until July 2010, and moreover this need doesn’t include many other critical elements”, he told IRIN.

Nargis struck Myanmar in May 2008, killing at least 140,000 people and affecting another 2.4 million, mostly in the Ayeyarwady and Yangon divisions. Damage was estimated at more than $4 billion.

Recovery threatened

Thierry Delbreuve, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Myanmar, said there had been a sharp drop in contributions to recovery activities in the Ayeyarwady Delta.

“Pledges were made this year but very little has trickled down so far,” he told IRIN, adding that there was also a need for funding for general humanitarian assistance outside the delta in areas such as Chin state and the border regions.

Photo: Contributor/IRIN

Shelter remains a key challenge for many Nargis survivors

Before the 25 November announcement, only $120 million of the $691 million had been committed, with $64 million received, according to the UN.

Parajuli warned that a lack of funding would stop recovery activities.

“It is a big challenge,” he said. “Several NGOs and UN agencies have started cutting down staff because of a lack of funding. If there is no new funding, some of the critical activities could be stopped.”

With money just trickling in for the PONREPP, the TCG decided in October to launch an appeal for the $103 million to address critical gaps in education, health, livelihoods, shelter, and water, sanitation and hygiene until July 2010.

The money will be used to provide 17,800 new houses, 40 new schools and 16 cyclone shelters, as well as livelihood programmes, water and sanitation facilities, education facilities and health services, ASEAN said.

Delbreuve said support for the restoration of livelihoods was crucial, with indebtedness growing among survivors who had borrowed money to rebuild their homes. However, he said shelter was the most important need identified for now.

“Only 10,000 individual shelters delivered by humanitarian agencies can be considered truly durable with cyclone-resistant features,” Delbreuve told IRIN.

“There is still an overall gap of 178,000 households that require urgent shelter assistance and have been waiting for support from the humanitarian community for over a year,” he said.

ey/ds/mw source.irinnews.org

Cutting PM Raila Odinga’s wings will not be good for the common Kenyan but will only serve to protect the rich: Mau: Rift Valley MPs plot vote against Raila

Why do some MPs want to destroy the PM? Is the PM touching their wealth and causing them to revolt or are the MPs are really genuine that they are fighting for the poor Kenyans? (API)

Prime Minister Raila Odinga (centre) with ministers Henry Kosgey, William Ruto and Anyang’ Nyong’o after a past ODM retreat in Naivasha. Mr Ruto is seen as part of a new ethnic political alliance. Photo/FILE

By NATION Team

 

It’s going to be a Christmas of political intrigue, as MPs on Sunday stepped up the war of words over the conservation of Mau forest and deal-making ahead of an election which is still three years away.

In the Rift Valley, a group of MPs appeared to be canvassing support to bring a confidence against Prime Minister Raila Odinga, allegedly because of allowing the inhumane treatment of evictees and “dictatorial” leadership.

Odinga’s critics

A grouping of Mr Odinga’s critics appeared to take shape last week, when more than 50 MPs, among them Cabinet ministers, attended a fundraiser called by Agriculture Minister William Ruto, to collect money for evicted families.

On Sunday, Mr Odinga, who has accused those criticising him of being “rich landowners exploiting the poor for their own benefit”, stuck to his guns, saying he is willing to pay any political price in the fight to conserve the Mau.

“Raila is here today but will not be there tomorrow. We have to cater for the future generation. The removal of settlers from Mau will continue even if it will make me go home. I am ready to come and sell mandazi (doughnuts) in Kibera. I will remain firm,” he told a rally in his constituency.

In Rift Valley, MPs promised to bring a confidence motion against Mr Odinga “in the next 14 days”. Konoin MP Julius Kones said “consultations between three leading political parties” were at an advanced stage for Parliament to be asked to declare it had no confidence in the Prime Minister.

Dr Kones said MPs “dissatisfied with the premier’s leadership” will present National Assembly Speaker Kenneth Marende with a notice of the confidence motion in two weeks. He  claimed that Kenyans were not happy with the manner in which  the premier had handled the eviction of the Mau squatters and  the only remedy to “clip his wings”  was the vote of no confidence to serve as a lesson to other would be “heartless leaders” in future. Being removed

“It is absurd that Mr Odinga is happy to see squatters being removed from their farms without compensation or being resettled yet it had been agreed in the Cabinet and Parliament that either of the options had to be fulfilled before the evictions were carried out,” Dr Kones insisted.

Mr Odinga, however, asked his critics to stop threatening that Rift Valley voters will not elect him again. The evictees voted for him, Mr Odinga said, and not those now claiming to be representing their rights. “Those shedding crocodile tears didn’t get the votes from them. I am not inhuman. Yes, they voted for me but they must leave the forest,” he said.

“If you have a problem with Raila, just say it. We promised to bring changes to this country and the position is still the same. We said let the work start now,” he said.

The tension between sections of the Rift Valley political elite, whose political support was instrumental to the PM’s electoral success, have been simmering since early last year, after Cabinet appointments were announced. Some MPs were not happy with the way the positions were distributed.

The PM has supported punishment for those who took part in the election violence, a position that some Rift Valley politicians view with suspicion. Their province was the worst affected by the violence. A section of local leaders and businessmen will likely face justice over their alleged role in masterminding and funding the slaughter of hundreds of innocent Kenyans.

But it is over the Mau that latent discontent has boiled over into open rebellion. The government has encouraged the first lot of squatters, who have no documents or claim to the land, to leave. The next phase, however, is likely to target those with title deeds, said to have been illegally obtained.

An inter-ministerial committee, overseeing the conservation of the forest, has endorsed the eviction of this second lot. Many powerful politicians in the Rift Valley are believed to own hundreds of acres under this phase. The 400-hectare Mau Forest, parts of which have been destroyed, is the country’s most important water source. Its destruction has caused the drying up lakes such as Lake Nakuru and threatens important national assets such as the Maasai Mara Game Reserve.

But speaking to supporters in Kibera, his constituency, Mr Odinga said Mau was not only a national but international issue and that he was fighting for its restoration in the interest of future generations. More than 60,000 ha of the forest had been illegally given to individuals in the Moi regime, he said, adding that because of the ensuing deforestation many rivers originating from Mau were now drying up.

Parliament can vote, by simple majority, to declare that it has no confidence in a minister. In the past, ministers, such as former Finance minister Amos Kimunya, who have lost such a vote have been compelled to resign. MPs can also pass a similar motion against a president. If such a motion is passed, then the government falls and the country goes to election.

There has been some debate around what the constitutional position would be if MPs pass a motion of no confidence in the PM, since the National Accord, under which the office was created, does not seem to have anticipated such an eventuality. Speaking at a harambee (fundraising) for the construction of classrooms at Embomos secondary school in his constituency, Dr Kones said an MP from outside the Rift Valley will move the motion, so that Agriculture minister William Ruto will not be accused of engineering it. Cherengany MP Joseph Kutuny said MPs will censure Mr Odinga if the evictees are not compensated.

Simple majority

He, however, said they were waiting to see if the government keeps its promise to provide humanitarian assistance to the evictees before deciding whether to move against Mr Odinga. “Unlike the impeachment of the President, we will only require a simple majority to remove the PM,” Mr Kutuny said.

Speaking in Mombasa, the Speaker denied that a confidence motion against Mr Odinga had been filed. “I have not received any document from MPs of no confidence in the PM and I will take required procedures once I receive it since it is their right if they feel to do so,” said Mr Marende, adding that he is neutral.

Speaking on Sunday, Kuresoi MP Zakayo Cheruiyot claimed the confidence motion had “overwhelming support” from MPs, unhappy with the inhumane eviction of Mau squatters. He said the motion will be tabled by Mr Kutuny. MPs Kambi Kazungu and Dhado Godana said they will not support the motion if it is taken to Parliament.

“I have already received calls from certain MPs asking me if I will support it but I told them they are doing so because of their personal interests,” said Mr Godana. On Sunday, Mr Odinga hit out at leaders building regional alliances, possibly in reference to the much talked about grouping of Rift Valley, Eastern and Central province politicians.

“We cannot develop if divided on tribal lines. You cannot say you can only work with certain tribes. This is cheap politics. Kenya will only be taken to greater heights by democrats. Kibera represents the face of Kenya. All communities are here. If I wanted to represent the Luo I would have vied in Kisumu or Bondo,” he said.

He pointed the damage caused by the destruction of Mau, especially the drying of Lake Nakuru, the low water levels in Sondu River and risk of flooding in low-lying coastal areas. The removal of settlers in the Mau will continue, he vowed, and the next phase will be those with title deeds and who will be paid compensation.

Reports by Lucas Barasa, Geoffrey Rono and Anthony Kitimo

 

source.nation.ke