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Tag: kenyan politics

  • Somalia’s Threat to Withdraw from IGAD

    By: Evelyne Syombua (issyombua@gmail.com)

    Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed. Thumbnail photo courtesy of africanews.

    On Wednesday the 27th of January, Somalia threatened to withdraw from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development after the group sided with Kenya in a diplomatic row between the two countries. On Monday the 25th of January, Somalia ordered all its diplomats in Kenya to leave within seven days while also giving Kenyan diplomats to quit within the same period. This comes after the diplomatic relations between Kenyan and Somalia being severed for the recent weeks with Somalia blaming Kenya for meddling in its internal political affairs.

    Last month IGAD created a fact-finding mission seeking an intervention which was aimed at settling the tension between the two countries. Somalia wrote to the members of IGAD on the 15th of December 2020, demanding an independent mission to verify its claims that Kenta was training forces to fight the Somalia National Army forces stationed in Gedo their common border. This came after it cut its ties with Kenya.

    The team which was led by Yacin Elmi Bouh, the Djiboutian Ambassador to Kenya and his colleague to Somalia Aden Hassan Aden and also included an IGAD observer said they had found no evidence supporting violations by Kenya.

    The Somalia Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister, Mohamed Abdirazak on Wednesday said the country will reject the report since those who took part in it were “biased, partisan, unfair, compromised and predetermined to exonerate Kenya”.

    IGAD SUMMIT’: UHURU IN DJIBOUTI OVER SOMALIA. Photo Courtesy of wardheernews.com

    The Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the findings of the team were proof that Somalia’s claims were a political ploy meant to distract the region from security issues. “The report of the fact-finding mission affirms the fact that the allegations by Somalia against Kenya are wholly unfounded”, the ministry said in a statement. The ministry further said, “The impartial report definitively settles the matter, Kenya will not be drawn into the reckless campaign whose sole intent remains the creation of artificial fissures for parochial and domestic ends at the expense of regional peace and security and regional integration”.

    The report criticised Somalia for severing ties with Kenya, arguing the historical problems faced by the two countries could only be solved through deeper diplomatic engagements. “Somalia strongly holds to all its initial accusations against Kenya and will pursue all means to protect her sovereignty”, Abdirazak said in a statement, threatening that his country will withdraw from Igad.

  • Billions of Kenyan Shillings lost to Graft Daily

    By: Joy Ng’ethe (Shiku3joy@gmail.com)

    Thumbnail photo courtesy of kenyans.co.ke

    Kenyans have expressed their outrage over remarks made by the president on 18th January during an interview when he confessed that Kenya loses up to 2 billion shillings daily to graft. The president made these remarks when he was being interviewed on various Kikuyu radio stations.

    The angered citizens took their frustrations to social media expressing their distaste in the state of affairs as revealed by the man who had promised to fight corruption in his manifesto.
    Some users are quoted as saying, “I like how in Kenya we talk about 2 Billion shillings like its 20 bob”. Another user commented, “No, Mr President. I cannot allow people to eat Kshs. 2 billion each day while paying MORE THAN 50% of my income in taxes. If that amount of theft (over Kshs. 700 billion a year) was extinguished, Kenya could soon have a budget surplus!”

    The president went ahead to emphasize the importance of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) as well as defending the high cost of the referendum. He mentioned that the money needed for the referendum would probably be less compared to the amount of money lost to graft daily.

    Considering that the Kenyan debt is set to account for 69.8% of the country’s GDP by 2023, the rage expressed by the citizens is highly justified. The Kenyan debt to foreign countries currently stands at almost seven trillion with the expected addition of one trillion Kenyan shillings to the debt for the financial year 21/22. Given that 2 billion is lost to graft daily, it would take Kenya about one and a half years to repay her debts from this amount lost on a daily.

    Disclaimer: This calculation does not take into account the country’s earnings rather is using the amount mentioned by the president lost to his corrupt government. The president ended his remarks by saying that he is set on fulfilling his remaining goals for the next year he is in power.

  • Speaker Mutura Sworn in as Nairobi’s Acting Governor

    By Sumaya Hussein (husseinsumaya1@gmail.com) 

    Thumbnail photo courtesy of Capital FM

    Nairobi County Assembly Speaker, Benson Mutura, has been sworn-in as the county’s acting Governor by Judge Jairus Ngaah at City Hall, Nairobi.

    Mutura said that his first order of business would be to bring back on track the delivery of crucial services that have been stalled due to lack of funds. This was occasioned by the failure of former governor Sonko to assent to the finance Bill.

    “When Nairobians went to the polls in 2017, what they expected is service delivery. We therefore have no choice but to deliver. Today would have never occurred had we focused on service delivery,” said Mutura.

    Owing to this, Mutura signed the Governor’s warrant that gives the Treasury the green light to release money to the county. The governor’s warrant is a document that authorizes withdrawal of funds from the County Revenue Funds (CRF).

    Mike Sonko had refused to sign the warrant, thereby paralyzing operations in the county since October.

    By Mutura signing the warrant, this means that once the money has been released from the CRF, county and assembly staff will be paid their salaries. 

    Mutura will be assuming the role of governor in an acting capacity for 60 days, following Sonko’s impeachment on Thursday.

    He was to be sworn in last week but the event was postponed after the presiding judge failed to show up on time.

    Given that Nairobi County currently has no deputy governor, the speaker will serve for the next two months, as the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) sets a date for a by-election.

    Residents of Nairobi will then go back to the polls to elect a new governor who will serve the remainder of the term that ends in 2022. 

    Nairobi Deputy Governor Polycarp Iagthe resigned in January 2018, citing Sonko’s lack of confidence in him.

    Mutura said he will work with all Members of the County Assembly (MCAs), despite the recent impeachment having left the members divided.

    “My assumption to the office of the Governor is temporary and is meant to guide transition to the next government. I want to assure you that in the 60 days, I will be at the helm of this County, I will provide the required leadership to ensure smooth transition,” he said.

    Mutura signs the Governor’s warrant immediately after his inauguration. Photo courtesy of Capital FM

    Sonko was impeached by the county assembly over charge of abuse of office, a gross violation of the law, committing a crime under the national and international laws and lacking the capability to run the county.

    Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka gazetted Sonko’s impeachment in less than an hour of his removal.

    “On Thursday, December 17, 2020, the Senate resolved to remove Hon. Mike Mbuvi Sonko, the Governor of Nairobi City County, from office by impeachment,” read a gazette notice signed by the speaker.

    According to the Constitution of Kenya, Article 182, Clause (4) says if a vacancy occurs in the office of county governor, and that of the deputy, or if the deputy is unable to act, the speaker of the county assembly shall act as county governor.

    “If a vacancy occurs in the circumstances contemplated by Clause (4), an election to the office of county governor shall be held within sixty days after the speaker assumes the office of the governor.”

    “A person who assumes the office of county governor under this Article shall, unless otherwise removed from office under this Constitution, hold office until the newly elected county governor assumes office following the next election under Article 180 (1).”

    Director- General of the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), major-General Mohamed Badi and a few elected Nairobi leaders were present during Mutura’s inauguration.

  • Miguna announces gubernatorial candidature for Nairobi by-election

    By: Muhanguzi Tola (tolakofa1@gmail.com)

    Thumbnail photo courtesy of Twitter

    Political activist cum lawyer Miguna Miguna on Saturday, December 19 expressed his interest in the Nairobi gubernatorial seat following the impeachment of Governor Mike Sonko.

    The exiled author who had vied for the same seat in 2017 on an independent ticket stated via twitter that the decision comes after receiving legal advice from constitutional lawyer Waikwa Wanyoike.

    “Having received competent legal advice…I Miguna Miguna, a Kenyan citizen by birth and registered voter in Nairobi, hereby declare my candidature for the position of Governor of Nairobi in the upcoming by-election,” he declared.

    The fiery lawyer had on Friday taken to his twitter account to criticize the ousted governor, claiming that the latter had been imposed on Nairobians by President Uhuru Kenyatta, as he quoted his statements from the 2017 gubernatorial debate.

    “My friend Sonko is looting every land in Nairobi. He has a criminal record from Mombasa where he was jailed because of fraud, forgery and drug dealing,” claimed Miguna during the debate held at Daystar University.

    Sonko’s Impeachment

    Former Nairobi Governor, Mike Sonko. Photo courtesy of the-star.co.ke

    The seat fell vacant after the ouster of former Governor Mike Sonko by the senate on December 17, on accounts of gross violation of the constitution or any other law, abuse of office, gross misconduct and crimes under national law.

    Nairobi county assembly speaker, Benson Mutura, takes over as interim governor given the absence of a deputy governor since the resignation of Polycarp Igathe in January, 2018. According to Article 182(4) of the constitution, the speaker of the county assembly shall act as county governor with an election to the office of county governor being held within sixty days after the speaker assumes the office of county governor. 

    The speaker’s swearing-in ceremony that had been scheduled for Friday 18 had to be postponed following the late arrival of the judge assigned to preside over the ceremony.

    Reactions Following Announcement

    Kenyans have taken to twitter to react to offer their thoughts, with most of their sentiments directed towards the self-proclaimed general of the National Resistance Movement (NRM). Notable was blogger Robert Alai’s remarks which warned Nairobians against voting for the ‘general’.

    “Replacing Sonko with Miguna is like replacing Wahome of Helicopter with Kanyari. Mad men! Zero work!” stated Alai.