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NAVIGATION
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PART 10 - 01th Mar. 2008 until
09. Mar. 2008
FACTS OF THE POST-ELECTION
VIOLENCE
KENYA OVERVIEW: TROUBLED NATION IN A TROUBLED
REGION (slow loading!)
SHORT CHRONOLOGY OF THE
CRISIS
THE NATIONAL DISASTER IN
SAD PICTURES
THE WHISTLEBLOWER FILES ON KENYA
TEXT OF KENYA
POWER-SHARING DEAL
EXCLUSIVE:
CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS IN KENYA
US AND THEM - THE
ENDURING POWER OF ETHNIC NATIONALISM
DAY 72
Kenya: Divisions arise
over deputy premiership
(09.03.2008) The Orange Democratic Party (ODM) walks into a peace
treaty with the Party of National Unity (PNU) as a divided house,
AfricaNews.com can reveal.
KENYA MAIZE SEEDS GE
CONTAMINATED
(09.03.2008) Biotech industry impunity
fuels global GE contamination spread
- AMSTERDAM, International - Biotech companies
are acting with impunity as cases
of genetic engineering (1) contamination continue on a
global scale, a new report launched today reveals.
Twelve African Army
Chiefs Meet in Kampala
(09.03.2008) TWELVE foreign army chiefs
under the Eastern Africa Standby Brigade (EASBRIG),
arrive in Uganda tomorrow to discuss plans of forming a
ready-to-deploy regional force to intervene in conflict situations.
Don't forget the real
issues, Kenyan cartoonists warn
(09.03.2008) NAIROBI: Kenya's power-sharing deal risks
lulling the country into a false sense of
security when the root causes of post-election
violence have barely been broached, the nation's
leading cartoonists warned.
Scores killed in fresh
Laikipia clashes
(09.03.2008) Fourteen people have died and
six were injured in clashes between
farmers and pastoralists in Laikipia West District in the
last two days. On Thursday, six people were killed, while four
others were reported missing in different villages.
Women demand ‘fair
share’ in new coalition
(09.03.2008) The government announced on Saturday that Kenyans who
fled to Uganda at the height of the post-election violence had
started returning home.
Mt Kenya leaders
petition Kibaki
(09.03.2008) Politicians from the Mt Kenya region are jittery
about the shape and form of the coalition government. The leaders
fears the 50-50 criterion of power sharing could result in the
region being left out of government.
Sustaining Kenya on
its democratic path
(09.03.2008) On Saturday night the United States Ambassador
Michael Ranneberger addressed the Law Society of Kenya. Here are
excerpts from his speech on the way forward for Kenya ...
Germany to help
Kenya’s tourism
(09.03.2008) The German government will help Kenya to revive the
tourism industry, Germany Foreign minister Frank Walter Steinmeier
said on Saturday. Dr Steinmeier said that the power-sharing deal
signed by President Kibaki and Raila Odinga was the only recourse
to peace.
ODM'S great
expectations
(09.03.2008) The Orange Democratic Movement has identified 18
ministries - among them 10 powerful portfolios now held by key
Kibaki allies - that it wants to hold in the new coalition
government.
10 killed in Laikipia
violence
(09.03.2008) The official death toll from
the violence that broke out in
Laikipia West district on Wednesday now stands at 10. Police have
arrested two suspects and recovered nine firearms during an
operation to crack down on the attackers who have burnt down 38
houses and left a trail of destruction and misery.
DAY 71
SHAME ! Kenyan
spindoctor exports free-media-muzzling tricks to Zimbabwe and
urges state-writes to help dictator back into the saddle !!!
(08.03.2008) BULAWAYO - The impartiality of the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission (ZEC) was in doubt on Tuesday, when officials from the
body barred journalists from the private media from attending an
election-reporting workshop.
Kenyans mark Women's
Day
(08.03.2008) Women around the world Saturday marked the
international women's day. In Kenya the day was celebrated with
focus shifting from the achievements of women to the plight of
women IDP's.
Pictures from the
valley of fear
(08.03.2008) The ethnic unrest in Kenya
has left in its wake thousands
of displaced people. The photographer Marcus Bleasdale
visited one of the hardest-hit regions, the Rift Valley, and found
that until issues surrounding land ownership are resolved, the
tensions will remain.
Bigwigs scramble for
deputy premier
(08.03.2008) Jostling for the post of deputy prime minister
intensified on Friday as politicians across the parties positioned
themselves for possible new roles in the expected unity Cabinet.
What Are the Mungiki
Gangs Up To?
(08.03.2008) A protest march by the Mungiki along the Nairobi
streets last week left people wondering what the outlawed sect is
really up to. What is clear, however, is that the youths, in an
apparent show of might, were sending a message or sounding a
warning in the demonstration, which caught the Government security
organs unawares.
VP appeals for
assistance to rebuild Kenya
(08.03.2008) Vice President Mr Kalonzo Musyoka on Friday led a
high profile Kenyan delegation in a meeting with two key ministers
of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Truth Commission -
Ultimate Test of New Partnership
(08.03.2008) The power-sharing deal signed by PNU and ODM leaders
has brought much relief and delight to Kenyans as it is a win-win
situation for both parties.
Three more killed in
flare-up
(08.03.2008) Three more people were shot
dead on Friday morning as confrontation between two communities
escalated in Laikipia West District. Scores of others were
seriously wounded while the number of houses torched rose to more
than 500.
Bills to legalise
coalition out
(08.03.2008) Bills to legitimise ODM leader
Raila Odinga’s position of Prime Minister have
been published to pave way for the
formation of a new government. Justice and
Constitutional Affairs Minister Martha Karua issued the
Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to establish
the position of PM and two deputies.
Emerging forceful
voices in politics
(08.03.2008) As women gather around the globe to mark the
International Women’s Day, there is cause for hope and for worry
among the Kenyan lot.
Why the Media Must
Take Up Opposition Role
(08.03.2008) Lord Jeffrey Archer, that failed
and criminal British politician but fabled
and hugely successful novelist slept with a whore after
paying her about $100 (Sh7,000) in 1987. When London's Daily Star
reported the dalliance, he sued the paper and was awarded $800,000
(Sh56 million) plus legal costs.
Teachers in IDP camps
paralyse learning
(08.03.2008) Operations in schools for the displaced in Eldoret
have been paralysed. Learning for the more than 2,500 displaced
pupils camping at the Eldoret showground were suspended after the
117 teachers demonstrated. The volunteer
teachers, waving twigs and placards,
held a peaceful demonstration within the showground to
protest at the delay in salary payment.
Targeting men in the
war against sexual offences
(08.03.2008) As women the world over
celebrate their International day this year, Unifem’s
interim director Joanne Sandler has a rosy vision of
“an end to the pandemic of violence against women and girls - and
genuine progress on achieving gender equality and women’s
empowerment.”
Raiders burn more
houses
(08.03.2008) Tension is high on the Borabu/Sotik border after more
houses were burnt on Thursday in separate attacks. In the first
incident, armed raiders struck Chepng’ombe village in Manga but
were repulsed by villagers. But they set three houses on fire
during the 10 pm incident.
Raila, only a step
away from being PM
(08.03.2008) The process to making Mr Raila Odinga the Prime
Minister was fast-tracked to the penultimate stage, with the
publication of the Bills to be debated in Parliament.
Will This Marriage of
Convenience Work? Time Will Tell
(08.03.2008) Can real power be shared? Now that the battlefield
has finally moved from the shamba to Parliament, Kenyans are
about to find out if it is possible. The pen has once
again vanquished the sword, using constitutional
fine print to spell out the exact powers (and perks) of a new
leadership. Where before there was one, soon there will be two.
Tackling Agenda Four
(08.03.2008) After the departure of former
United Nations secretary-general, Mr Kofi
Annan, the National Dialogue and Reconciliation team now faces the
tedious task of finding long-term solutions to a host of problems
responsible for the periodic violence in Kenya, especially at
election time.
SA provides R4m in aid
to Kenya
(08.03.2008) SOUTH Africa was to provide
R4 million in aid to Kenya’s
citizens, displaced after violence erupted in that country. The
Foreign Affairs Department spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said 10000
blankets, 1000 chemically treated mosquito nets, 1000 tarpaulins (plastic
sheeting), 2000 water purification tablets and female sanitary
items would be shipped to Kenya yesterday.
Governmental land
grabbing: Squatters to get Criticos’ land
(08.03.2008) The Government has cleared the way for the purchase
of 15,000 acres of land belonging to former MP Basil Criticos in
Taveta District to resettle squatters. Solicitor-general Wanjuki
Muchemi has written to National Bank of Kenya, advising them that
they are at liberty to accept payment for the land from Settlement
Fund Trustee (SFT) against the objections of Mr Criticos.
Dangerous path:
Ethnicity law plan wins support
(08.03.2008) President Kibaki’s proposal to table laws curbing
negative ethnicity received praise. The President in the State
opening of the 10th Parliament, proposed to the House a
comprehensive policy that would ensure national security and
social cohesion were not threatened by negative ethnicity.
Three More Killed in
Flare-Up
(08.03.2008) Three more people were shot
dead on Friday morning as confrontation between two
communities escalated in Laikipia West District. Scores of others
were seriously wounded while the number of houses torched rose to
more than 500. The killings brought the death toll to nine since
last weekend.
DAY 70
German foreign
minister compares notes on power-sharing with Kenyan officials
(07.03.2008) BERLIN (AP) - Germany's foreign minister compared
notes with senior Kenyan officials Friday on his country's
governing «grand coalition» of rivals, an exchange that came as
Kenya's politicians prepare to implement their own power-sharing
agreement.
Somalia: 'Muslims are
being massacred': Dobley mayor
(07.03.2008) DOBLEY, Somalia (Garowe Online) - The mayor of a town
in south Somalia which was the target of a U.S. air strike last
week says that al Qaeda has never set foot in the town. Ali "Dheere"
Hussein, the mayor of Dobley, told the BBC Somali Service that the
U.S. bombing killed innocent civilians.
Human Rights Council
discusses annual report of High Commissioner for Human Rights
(07.03.2008)
- Excerpt - High
Commissioner Says She Will Not Seek
a Second Term in Office - United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights Louise Arbour today presented her
annual report to the Human Rights Council which was
followed by an interactive dialogue. Ms. Arbour
announced that this would be her last annual report,
as she had informed the Secretary-General that she would not
seek a second term when her mandate expired at the end of June
2008.
BBC story baseless:
says Mutua
(07.03.2008) The government spokesperson Dr. Alfred Mutua has
expressed the government's shock at a story appearing on the BBC
that alleges that members of the proscribed group Mungiki held
meetings at Statehouse, Nairobi.
8 killed in continuing
Kenya violence
(07.03.2008) NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Eight people have been killed
in separate attacks in western and central Kenya, government
officials said Friday, underlining the difficulty of reversing
Kenya's cycle of postelection violence despite President Mwai
Kibaki and his rival agreeing to share power.
Tribe And Tribalism -
Identity Battle Rages On
(07.03.2008) The recent violent events in Kenya have prompted
attempts to analyse and postulate whether the same thing could
have happened in Uganda.
No Quick Fix for What
Still Ails Kenya
(07.03.2008) Political Accord Skirts Huge
Issue Of Land Reform - ELMENTEITA, Kenya - After
reaching a power-sharing deal last week, Kenya's rival political
leaders are now confronting one of the most explosive issues
underlying the post-election crisis, and one that every Kenyan
government since independence has managed to avoid: land reform.
UN Rights Chief
Stepping Down
(07.03.2008) The U.N.'s top human rights
official is quitting after only one term. Louise Arbour, the high
commissioner for human rights, says she has told U.N.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that she will not be available for a
second term. Arbour says she will serve until the end of her
current four-year term on June 30.
Kenya hails Kikwete as
Kibaki pushes peace deal
(07.03.2008) Kenya has hailed the diplomatic
techniques President Jakaya Kikwete used in ending the stalemate
over its bloody post-election crisis as an invaluable home-grown
conflict resolution input.
Team to Settle Chaos
Victims
(07.03.2008) A new department has been
established to oversee the resettlement
of internally displaced people in the country. The new
Directorate for Resettlement, plus National
Humanitarian Assistance Fund, are to assist internally displaced
people in farming areas to regain their livelihoods through
provision of free seeds and other farming inputs, President Kibaki
said.
Cattle Rustlers Give
Deaf Ear to Intense Political Activities
(07.03.2008) As millions of Kenyans went to the ballot on December
27 last year, heavily armed cattle rustlers went on the rampage in
the larger Meru and Isiolo districts, stealing hundreds of
livestock left under the care of herds boys. Voting was not in
their agenda for the day.
Thoughts On Way
Forward for Kenya
(07.03.2008) Yesterday, Kenya's 10th Parliament
convened formally, to implement the
Harambee House Accord. Kenya's urban middle classes
bask in the justified relief of our country being pulled
back from the very brink of civil war. But
the 600,000 Kenyans living in appalling destitution in
IDP camps have nothing to celebrate.
Kibaki sets out plans
for the nation
(07.03.2008) Government will table various
Bills to enale the country get
back on its feet - The following is an
abridged version of a speech delivered by
President Kibaki during the opening of
Parliament on Thursday.
Envoys support
Kibaki’s gesture on grand alliance
(07.03.2008) The international community yesterday pledged to
support the soon-to-be established coalition government to put the
country back on the path of stability and economic prosperity.
US backs pact with
Sh1.6 billion
(07.03.2008) The United States has given the Government an
additional $25 million (about Sh1.6 billion) to help in the
implementation of a power-sharing deal between President Kibaki
and ODM leader, Mr Raila Odinga.
Crime wave worries
lobby
(07.03.2008) More than 200 businessmen have protested over the
escalating insecurity in Malindi and urged the police
to act speedily to stem it. The local
branch of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and
Industry fears that the insecurity will affect tourism, the
lifeline of area.
President Says Crisis
a Turning Point
(07.03.2008) President Kibaki opened the second session of the
Tenth Parliament with a passionate appeal to members to look
inwards following events of the last two months.
New Squad Formed to
Crack Down On Mungiki
(07.03.2008) Another squad has been formed to crack down on
Mungiki sect followers. The squad, which will be based at CID
headquarters, has been instructed to investigate and bring to book
those behind the Wednesday protests by sect followers in Nairobi.
MPs skip debate on
Kibaki speech
(07.03.2008) Leaders from the Orange Democratic Movement and the
Government coalition Thursday agreed to suspend debate on the
presidential speech and deal with the Bills aimed to prop up a
grand alliance.
DAY 69
Nine killed in Kenya
as parliament tackles power-sharing deal
(06.03.2008) NAIROBI (AFP) - Nine people were
killed Thursday in western Kenya, underlining the fragility
of a landmark power-sharing agreement just as President Mwai
Kibaki was urging parliament to back the deal.
Militia Attack in Mt
Elgon (as of Mar 2008)
(06.03.2008) The map provides a spatial context to existing
reports, and an overview of the nature of attacks around Mt Elgon,
Trans Nzoia and its environments. Media reports puts the figure of
those who have died since the violence started at 534 people and
over 40,000 displaced.
Call to Action Against
Europe's Aggressive Agenda
(06.03.2008) We, civil society organisations,
including farmers, workers, women's, faith-based and
students' groups and organisations, call on our people to redouble
their efforts to stop the self-serving free trade agreements,
misleading designated as 'Economic Partnership
Agreements' that Europe seeks to impose on African, Caribbean and
Pacific (ACP) countries, and which will destroy the economies of
these countries.
Agenda for the 10th
Parliament outlined
(06.03.2008) President Mwai Kibaki Thursday expressed confidence
that the country shall overcome the setbacks it faced recently and
create a solid foundation for development.
Tackle Mungiki Menace
(06.03.2008) Without any warning, members of the proscribed
Mungiki sect made a dash into the Central Business District on
Wednesday and took over the city for a while catching both the
police and everyone else by surprise.
ALERT: Kenya may
resettle IDPs in tea belts encroaching on last forests
(06.03.2008) Plans by the Kenya government to settle internally
displaced people (IDPs) in state owned tea belts next to the
country’s main natural forests are raising fears of a major
environmental catastrophe.
Call for lasting
solution to insecurity in western region
(06.03.2008) NAIROBI (IRIN) - Weary of the violence that has
plagued Kenya's western district of Mount Elgon, residents have
urged authorities to step up efforts to restore security in an
area where long-standing disputes over land ownership erupted into
bloodletting in 2006.
Hard times at Kenya's
desert school
(06.03.2008) The turmoil following the elections in Kenya has had
a serious economic impact in some of the remotest corners of the
country, such as the northern oasis town of Marsabit, which is
suffering from fuel and water shortages.
Ethnicity - Releasing
the Continent's "Suppressed Rage"
(06.03.2008) Kofi Akosah-Sarpong argues that the key challenge for
African leaders to work with states created by Europe in a way
that they are able to appropriate the various ethnic groups'
histories and traditional values that form their nation-states,
for peace and progress.
Reform or fall, Odinga
warns new coalition
(06.03.2008) The survival of Kenya's new
coalition government will hinge on its success in pushing through
constitutional and land reforms, Raila Odinga, the man set to be
prime minister, has said.
AFRICANS AND VICTIMHOOD
(06.03.2008) - If you cannot
earn respect, earn fear. It will keep you safe. - There is a kind
of woman who relishes describing the physical and other wounds her
partner or spouse has inflicted on her. “He beat me so badly, I
had to have six stitches in my cheek”, she says, buying things for
her man's dinner. However atrocious the treatment she receives,
she goes back.
Kenyan parliament
convenes over power-sharing deal
(06.03.2008) NAIROBI (AFP) - President Mwai Kibaki on Thursday
urged Kenyan deputies to pass laws enshrininge a power-sharing
deal aimed at ending a post-election crisis that cost some 1,500
lives.
Swiss bank drops suit
against Wikileaks site
(06.03.2008) SAN FRANCISCO -- A Swiss bank dropped its lawsuit
Wednesday against the whistle-blowers Web site Wikileaks, which
also compiles the whistleblower files on Kenya, after stirring up
a free-speech furor over a judge's order, now rescinded, to shut
down the site for allowing the posting of private bank documents.
Uneasy Peace
(06.03.2008) Politicians in Kenya reach compromise. As
post-election violence in Kenya continues to worsen, talks between
the ruling Party of National Unity (PNU) and the opposition Orange
Democratic Movement (ODM) finally resulted in a power-sharing deal
after former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan met with both groups
separately.
Kenyan refugees in
Uganda fear returning home
(06.03.2008) Kampala, Uganda - More than 12,000 Kenyan refugees
who poured across the border to Uganda during the country's
post-election violence are afraid to go home despite a political
settlement signed by rival leaders, the United Nations said
Thursday.
Mediation talks
adjourned to next week
(06.03.2008) Former Nigerian Foreign Minister Prof. Oluyemi
Adeniji has adjourned talks aimed at resolving Kenya's deep-rooted
historical injustices until March 11th.
Kenyan president urges
MPs to back power-sharing deal
(06.03.2008) The Kenyan president, Mwai Kibaki, urged MPs from all
sides to back a power-sharing deal in the country's parliament
today, aimed at ending weeks of violence since his disputed
re-election.
Kenya's Kibaki urges
parliament to back peace deal
(06.03.2008) NAIROBI (Reuters) - President Mwai
Kibaki urged Kenya's divided parliament on
Thursday to set aside partisanship and enshrine into law a
power-sharing pact to end a bloody post-election crisis.
Kenya: will peace and
democracy survive?
(06.03.2008) The power sharing agreement that has ushered in
tentative peace after more than two months of violence in Kenya
has been dubbed by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown a "triumph for
peace and diplomacy."
Militias use cover of
lush forest to steal cattle worth millions and evict 'outsiders'
(06.03.2008) Security forces have identified Kabolet Forest as the
base of ruthless militias that have killed dozens of people and
stolen their livestock worth millions of shillings.
Once a source of
livelihood, Kabolet Forest now brings death to villagers
(06.03.2008) In the heart of Trans Nzoia East district is a
settlement of 3,000 members of the Sengwer community also known as
the Cherangany. According to a local dialect, Cherangany means
sunrise but the people of this area have been living in the shadow
of death due to frequent attacks by militiamen.
Mutua dismisses report
linking State to election chaos
(06.03.2008) The Government has dismissed a British Broadcasting
Corporation report claiming that post-election violence in parts
of the Rift Valley Province was State-sanctioned.
Mungiki demand leader’s
release
(06.03.2008) Thousands of Mungiki sect members swarmed city
streets Wednesday, calling for the release of their leader, Maina
Njenga from prison.
Armed gang robs
tourists
(06.03.2008) Hopes of a happy holiday in the Malindi sun were
dashed for eight Italian tourists when a gang of armed men raided
their exclusive villas and robbed them.
Elderly African leaders
should go
(06.03.2008) NOW THAT OUR LEADERS ARE agreeing to agree, there is
one item they should add to the agenda that all Kenyans would love
to see - an age limit for presidential and parliamentary
candidates.
Gov't and ODM MPs hold
joint meeting
(06.03.2008) MPs from the both the government side and ODM held a
joint meeting Thursday to forge a common stand. The one of a kind
PNU and ODM joint parliamentary meeting began shortly after 8 A.M
Thursday morning ahead of the State opening of Parliament later in
the afternoon.
US missile attack
missed key target
(06.03.2008) A US missile strike against the Somali town of Dobley
may have missed its target - Kenyan terror suspect Saleh Ali Saleh
Nabhan.
State denies BBC report
on link to post-election violence
(06.03.2008) The Government has denied a BBC report indicating
that the State sanctioned the recent violence in parts of the
country.
Mungiki storm city,
stage demo
(06.03.2008) Hundreds of followers of the outlawed Mungiki sect
staged a demonstration in Nairobi’s Central Business District,
where they demanded the release of their leader Maina Njenga.
Militia killed in Mt.
Elgon security operation
(06.03.2008) Two suspected Sabaot Land Defence Force fighters have
reportedly been gunned down. A police source said the two were
shot dead and 10 others arrested on Tuesday evening in a security
operation at Teldet Forest, along the Trans-Nzoia-Mt Elgon border.
Ailing tourism sector
gets back on track
(06.03.2008) The ailing tourism sector is now showing signs of
recovery. Tourism players said tourists arriving in Mombasa on
charter planes have started visiting the region for safaris.
DAY 68
UN launches first
expert team on conflict mediation
(05.03.2008) New York - Experts will be on standby to help the
United Nations deal with crises around the world as part of a
Mediation Support Standby Team, the UN Department of Political
Affairs said Wednesday in launching its first such team.
Kenya to Heal Wounds &
Rebuild
(05.03.2008) A Truth and Reconciliation-style body looks set to
examine and redress the injustices that have characterized Kenya’s
heterogeneous society for decades. Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki
and opposition chief Raila Odinga on Tuesday [4 March 2008] agreed
to unite and heal the nation that was nearly destroyed by deadly
post-election violence, the presidency said.
Kenyan government met
secretly with rebels
(05.03.2008) NAIROBI, Kenya (UPI) - Some 1,500 people died in
Kenya amid violence after a disputed presidential election last
December, BBC reported Wednesday.
Rape: A controversial
weapon in African politics
(05.03.2008) While those murdered in
African conflicts are obvious victims, rape victims are
often neglected by government organizations.
EU warned that Kenya
crisis is not fully resolved
(05.03.2008) The International Watchdog Organization, Human Rights
Watch, has warned the European Union not to regard the Kenyan
crisis as resolved.
Members of dreaded
militia gang march through Kenyan streets
(05.03.2008) Nairobi, Kenya - Hundreds of members of the outlawed
quasi-religious Mungiki sect, stormed the streets of Kenyan
capital here Wednesday, demanding for the immediate release of
their leader, Maina Njenga, who was handed a five year jail
sentence in June last year, after he was found guilty of being in
possession of firearms and administering oaths.
Kenya parliament will
reopen with busy agenda
(05.03.2008) Radical bills, innovative ideas, life changing laws
and comic relief amendments on the constitution will be the
highlights of the first session of the 10th Parliament that opens
its gates to business starting Thursday morning.
Report on Kenya’s media
coverage of political crisis released
(05.03.2008) The three organizations Reporters Without Borders,
International Media Support, and Article 19 have released a joint
report on Kenya’s media coverage in the violent aftermath of the
nation’s highly disputed December 27, 2007, elections.
Another referendum on
way
(05.03.2008) Kenyans will be treated to another referendum in 12
months on the new constitution to govern the country. The
mediation team went a step further to establish three bodies that
will address long-term issues that led to the post-election
violence in which more than 1,000 people were killed.
Top- level talks augur
well for Kenya
(05.03.2008) President Kibaki and ODM leader Raila Odinga on
Monday met and set up a team of six to draw up plans for
implementing the grand coalition deal they signed last week. The
meeting was significant in several ways.
Join opposition,
lawyers ask Kalonzo
(05.03.2008) Lawyers want the Vice-President, Mr Kalonzo Musyoka,
to step out of Government and be the Leader of
the Official Opposition. The Law Society of
Kenya (LSK) Chairman, Mr Okong’o Omogeni, and East Africa Law
Society (EALS) President, Mr Tom Ojienda, said Kalonzo should be
in the opposition for the interest of Kenyans.
Displaced people
returning home in Rift Valley
(05.03.2008) Life is slowly returning to normal for thousands of
people uprooted from their homes by post-election violence that
rocked Nakuru and Molo districts.
Smile, it's a new Kenya
(05.03.2008) President Kibaki and ODM leader Raila Odinga looked
relaxed and smiled freely as they met Tuesday for the first time
without mediators to prepare the ground for their coalition
Government.
Now Maathai’s security
detail reinstated
(05.03.2008) The Government has reinstated the security detail of
Nobel Peace laureate Wangari Maathai more than a month after
withdrawing it under unexplained circumstances.
Imam MP to back Muslims
(05.03.2008) ODM nominated MP and Muslim preacher, Sheikh Mohamed
Dor, will become the first Imam in Kenya’s Parliament. Dor and Ms
Safia Abdi were selected by the National Muslim Leaders Forum (Namlef)
for the ODM nominations and would be sworn-in on Thursday.
Switzerland denies visa
to Kenyan minister
(05.03.2008) Switzerland has translated her travel ban for Kenyan
leaders into practice by refusing a visa to minister Martha Karua
who was to attend a conference on human rights in Geneva
Switzerland.
Focus shifting to
recovery, resettlement of IDPs
(05.03.2008) NAIROBI (IRIN) - After two months of post-election
violence, the humanitarian focus is shifting to help the hundreds
of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to recover and
rebuild their lives.
Kenya's wildlife needs
tourists to come back - UN
(05.03.2008) NAIROBI (Reuters) - Conservation projects to protect
Kenya's rich wildlife, from its rhinos to whale sharks, are at
risk if the country fails to attract tourists back after a
post-election crisis, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
Early Recovery of
Nature-Based Tourism Good for Kenya and Good for Biodiversity Says
UNEP Head (05.03.2008) Achim Steiner Backs Kenya Tourist Board
and Kenya Wildlife Service Push at Berlin Tourism Fair -
Berlin/Nairobi - Tourism can play a key
role in restoring economic activity
and employment in Kenya and in doing so play its part in bringing
peace and stability to the East African country, the head of the
UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said today.
After weeks of violence
(05.03.2008) ... many wonder if Kenya’s success was merely an
illusion - TIGONI, Kenya - More than a century ago, European
colonists carved up Africa, jamming together people who spoke
different languages, danced to different music and worshipped
different gods within the same borders.
Kenya police fire
teargas to halt gang protest
(05.03.2008) NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenyan police fired
teargas on Wednesday to scatter
street protests by hundreds of young men demanding the release of
a former leader of the outlawed Mungiki gang from prison.
State 'sanctioned'
Kenyan clashes
(05.03.2008) The BBC has learnt of
allegations of state-sanctioned violence in
Kenya during the turmoil that followed last December's
disputed presidential poll. Sources allege that
meetings were hosted at the official residence of the president
between the banned Mungiki militia and senior government figures.
Choppers pursue Mt
Elgon militia
(05.03.2008) The Government has launched
the long-awaited ground-to-air operation
against the Sabaot Land Defence Force (SLDF) militiamen in
Mt Elgon and Trans-Nzoia West districts.
DAY 67
Museveni, Annan Discuss
Kenya
(04.03.2008) FORMER UN secretary general Kofi Annan has held a
meeting with President Yoweri Museveni to brief him about the
power-sharing deal in Kenya.
Africom: maybe next
time
(04.03.2008) African countries refuse to let in new us military
command. Base to remain in Germany - President George W. Bush is
wrapping up a week-long tour of five African countries. But not
even the success of the US president's visit is enough to get
Africa to change its mind about Africom.
Kibaki, Raila meet to
discuss grand coalition
(04.03.2008) President Mwai Kibaki Tuesday at Harambee House met
with ODM leader Raila Odinga and discussed how their two parties
will relate and work together in the coalition Government.
First Kenya meeting
since deal
(04.03.2008) Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and Prime
Minister designate Raila Odinga are holding their
first meeting since they signed a deal to share power.
Mr Odinga has hinted that MPs from the two parties will have a
joint meeting before parliament convenes on Thursday.
Tanzanian leader
emerges as regional power broker
(04.03.2008) By Daniel Wallis NAIROBI, March 4 (Reuters) - The
involvement of Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete in sealing a
deal to end Kenya's crisis has raised hopes he can push forward
east African economic and political integration as a strong
regional power broker.
Kenya's political
leaders seek to heal wounds
(04.03.2008) NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's political leaders are
intent on healing wounds and uniting a country torn apart by
post-election violence, opposition leader Raila Odinga said on
Tuesday.
Kenya President,
Opposition Leader Meet
(04.03.2008) NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Kenya's president
and the rival with whom he has agreed to
share power after weeks of bitter negotiations held a two-hour
meeting Tuesday about how to move the country past postelection
violence that killed more than 1,000 people.
These criminal gangs
must be destroyed
(04.03.2008) The killing of 12 people near
Kitale by a shadowy gang is sending a chilling message that calm
has yet to return to some parts of the country, despite the
efforts to end violence.
Knut wants Mt Elgon
land row resolved
(04.03.2008) Teachers want the Government to resolve the land
dispute at the controversial Chebyuk Settlement Scheme in
clash-torn Mt Elgon District which has affected learning in the
area.
Food reserves won’t
last long
(04.03.2008) Available food reserves can only last for the next
eight months. The Government says unless farmers in Rift Valley
prepare their farms in time and plant crops for this season, the
country was likely to experience serious food shortages.
13 people killed in
night raid
(04.03.2008) Thirteen people, including five family members, were
killed when suspected Sabaot Land Defense Force (SLDF) gang raided
a trading centre in Trans-Nzoia West District.
US missile strike kills
women and children at Kenya/Somalia border
(04.03.2008) The US military fired missiles at a town
in southern Somalia in the pre-dawn hours of Monday
morning, killing and wounding civilians. Local
officials in the town of Dobley told
news agencies that at least three
women and three children were killed in
the attack and another 20 wounded.
Kenyan brand of
democracy a facade
(04.03.2008) I detest the new tyranny in the façade of democracy,
especially the Kenyan brand. Though fronted as an inclusive
political system where the majority decide, the select few have
devised a way of circumventing the majority.
DAY 66
Kenyan Refugees Return
Home
(03.03.2008) KENYAN refugees at Mulanda
transit centre in Tororo district have begun going back home.
The deputy resident deputy district commissioner,
Richard Gulume, said at least 367 of the displaced at
Mulanda had returned home in the last few days.
Kenya's new geography
(03.03.2008) Post-election violence in Kenya has scarred the
country. - ELDORET, Kenya - The two months of post-election
violence that has plagued Kenya has created a new geography.
Francis, our driver, points it out to us as we drive through
Kisumu in Western Kenya.
Fifteen killed in Kenya
as politicians thrash out reforms
(03.03.2008) NAIROBI (AFP) - Fresh ethnic violence
claims at least 15 lives in Kenya's Rift Valley region,
police said Monday, while political rivals discussed
their new deal to share power and tackle root causes of the strife.
How Kikwete, New
Darling of the West, Saved the Country From Collapse
(03.03.2008) What influence and clout did
the chairman of the African Union, Tanzanian President
Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, bring to bear on the Kenyan mediation
process? Those were the questions on the lips of most observers as
the country celebrated last Thursday's historic breakthrough in
the protracted negotiations.
EAST AFRICA: 14 million
"face hardship from drought"
(03.03.2008) KAMPALA (IRIN) - Up to 14 million people in the
greater Horn of African region are expected to suffer under harsh
weather conditions in the next three months that threaten food
security, according to climate specialists meeting in Kampala, the
Ugandan capital.
Nakuru curfew lifted
(03.03.2008) The Government has finally lifted the one-month
curfew imposed in Nakuru and its environs. Speaking on phone to
Kenya News Agency Monday, the Rift valley Provincial Commissioner
Hassan Noor Hassan said that due to improved security, normalcy
has returned and people can now go about their business without
fear.
A somewhat misleading
piece by the BBC
(03.03.2008) The horrible attack, which happened last night in
Kinyoro / Trans-Nzoia-West District actually was a revenche
mission launched by the Sabaot Land
Defence Force (SLDF), a ragtag though well armed
militia of Kalenjin-speaking Bok people
against their own people of a Bok
community, which had not agreed to participate in the armed terror
the SLDF has slammed on all non-Kalenjin, especially the
aboriginal Ogiek, in the Mount Elgon and Trans-Nzoia areas.
Suspected US missile
strike in Somalia along Kenya/Somali border
(03.03.2008) KISMAYU, Somalia (Reuters) - Two missiles
hit a makeshift house in a remote area of southern Somalia
on Monday and local officials and witnesses said they
believed it was a U.S. air strike against Islamist insurgents.
Europeans ease Kenya
warnings
(03.03.2008) THE easing of travel advisories to Kenya by the U.S.,
U.K. and key European should be reflected by Australia
during the next week, according to
chairman Charles Bench at Australia’s leading African safari
operator Bench International.
UN role mulled after
Kenya election
(03.03.2008) UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Kofi Annan used all his
negotiating skills to work out a power-sharing deal over Kenya's
contested presidential election. If the former UN
secretary-general hadn't stepped in, African Union and UN
officials acknowledge, they wouldn't have known what to do next.
South African judge to
chair poll review team
(03.03.2008) Former head of South Africa’s Independent Electoral
Commission, Judge Christiaan Kriegler, is to chair the Independent
Review Committee that will investigate the 2007 General Election,
The Standard has learnt.
US pledges support for
deal
(03.03.2008) The United States of America will provide an
additional Sh2 billion to facilitate the implementation of the
power-sharing deal to end Kenya political turmoil.
IDPs receive power deal
with mixed reactions
(03.03.2008) Displaced people at various camps in Kisumu town have
received the power sharing agreement between President Kibaki and
Mr Raila Odinga with mixed reactions.
Ugandan soldiers did
not infiltrate the Force, says officer
(03.03.2008) Was the Kenya Police assisted by outsiders? This is
the question worrying human rights activists following reports
that hundreds of people speaking in an unusual Kiswahili and
sporting jungle camouflage and gumboots (rather than the normal
police boots) were reportedly seen in Bungoma, Eldoret, Busia,
Mumias and Kisumu operating alongside the Kenya Police.
Leaders protest at war
arrests
(03.03.2008) Cabinet minister Moses Wetang’ula wants the youths
arrested on the farm of former Saboti MP Davis Nakitare while
allegedly undergoing illegal military training released.
Raila in plea for
tourism revival
(03.03.2008) ODM leader Raila Odinga Sunday made a passionate
appeal to tourists to return to Kenya for their vacations saying
the country is now safe.
Somali elders say four
civilians killed in US air raid near Kenya/Somalia border
(03.03.2008) MOGADISHU/Nairobi (AFP) - An Islamist-held town in
Somalia came under attack Monday from what local elders identified
as a US Air Force AC-130 gunship, leaving at least four civilians
dead.
Kenyan police say 15
killed in Rift Valley attack
(03.03.2008) NAIROBI (AFP) - At least 15 people were killed and
several wounded when raiders attacked overnight a village in
Kenya's Rift Valley, which has been widely affected by
post-electoral violence, police said Monday.
DAY 65
World Bank Group
Statement on Kenya
(02.03.2008) The World Bank Group welcomes the signing of the
agreement and creation of a coalition government to bring an end
to the political impasse. We commend the leaders for making this
important commitment towards peace and reconciliation.
Kenya in Translation:
An Interview with Ngugi wa Thiong'o
(02.03.2008) Ngugi wa Thiong'o was imprisoned for writing in his
own language. He speaks to AlterNet about the importance of
language in battling oppression.
Militia Groups Are a
Worrying Phenomenon
(02.03.2008) That there are people preparing to disturb the peace
is really worrying. That these illegal and secretive armed groups
could be having high level backing is certainly shocking.
U.S. official: Missiles
fired at Somalia terror target at Kenya Border
(02.03.2008) WASHINGTON (CNN) - The United States on Monday used
precision missiles to strike a "known terrorist target" in
southern Somalia, a U.S. military official said.
America Gives Sh1.7
Billion as Reconstruction Begins
(02.03.2008) Reconstruction of structures destroyed during the
post-election violence has started after Thursday's signing of
power-sharing deal between President Kibaki and Mr Raila Odinga.
Deal-broker Annan
leaves Kenya (02.03.2008)
Former United Nations Secretary General
Kofi Annan has left Kenya after helping secure a
deal between the country's rival political
leaders. Mr Annan successfully mediated in talks following
the presidential election in December which the opposition said
was flawed by vote rigging.
Kofi Annan Urges
Kenyans to Ensure Peace
(02.03.2008) NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Kofi Annan said Sunday that
Kenyans must ensure the country moves beyond a bloody postelection
crisis now that its political leaders have agreed to share power.
Kenyans want live House
coverage
(02.03.2008) As Parliament has been convened on Thursday, a
majority of Kenyans believe the time has come for live radio and
television coverage of the proceedings in the House.
The Swiss deny minister
visa to travel to Geneva
(02.03.2008) A Cabinet minister has been denied a visa to travel
to Geneva, Switzerland, on official assignment. The minister, who
is a member of PNU and was to leave on Saturday night with a
ministerial team, cancelled the trip on Thursday after being
informed of the visa ban.
Nigerian diplomat
replaces Annan
(02.03.2008) Seasoned Nigerian diplomat, Ambassador Oluyemi
Adeniji, takes over as chair of the mediation talks this morning.
He is relieving Dr Kofi Annan who steered the process for a month
leading to last Thursday’s power sharing deal.
Major task ahead for AG
as Annan leaves
(02.03.2008) Chief mediator Kofi Annan leaves the country on
Sunday as the task of transforming the historic Harambee House
deal into law shifts to Attorney-General Amos Wako and Parliament.
DAY 64
MUST READ: Us and
Them - The Enduring Power of Ethnic Nationalism (01.03.2008)
- Ethnic nationalism a formidable force - March/April 2008 - Summary: Americans generally
belittle the role of ethnic nationalism in politics.
But in fact, it corresponds to
some enduring propensities of the
human spirit, it is galvanized by modernization, and in one form
or another, it will drive global politics for generations to come.
Once ethnic nationalism has captured the imagination of groups in
a multiethnic society, ethnic disaggregation or partition is often
the least bad answer.
Post-poll: 35,000
people in northern Kenya face starvation
(01.03.2008) Nairobi, Kenya - At least 35,000 people in northern
Kenya face hunger and starvation as a result of a debilitating
drought and post-election violence that cut off food supplies to
the mainly pastrolitist communities, a British international
charity, ActionAid warned here Saturday.
Kenyan opposition
leader says France could serve as model for new power sharing deal
(01.03.2008) NAIROBI, Kenya: Kenya's opposition leader said on
Saturday that France can serve as a model for Kenya because its
political system has allowed rival political parties to work
together in government.
It's Time To
Demilitarize US Policy in Africa
(01.03.2008) Since
the end of the Cold War, the U.S. has fomented no less than
fourteen wars in Africa -- enough is enough. It's time to
demilitarize US policy toward the African continent. Since the end
of the Cold War in 1989, Republican and Democratic administrations
alike have provided military aid, military training, military
assistance and arms transfers to at least 50 out of 53 African
nations, and fomented no less than fourteen wars.
Tension grips farms
following killings
(01.03.2008) Tension remained high at two farms in the Mau Summit
area of the clash-torn Molo District after three people were
killed, nine injured and more than 30 houses torched by raiders.
After the grand
coalition, let’s lay the foundation for a united nation
(01.03.2008) Kenya is 45 years old today, but it is yet to find
peace with itself. In this day and age, we still engage in tribal
clashes and cattle rustling as well as burn houses and chop off
one another’s necks.
Security Council urges
Kenyan leaders to implement power-sharing deal without delay
(01.03.2008) UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. Security Council
welcomed the new power-sharing agreement in Kenya and urged
President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga to
implement it «in full and without delay.
From Tutu to
Kikwete-World leaders who came calling
(01.03.2008) On January 29, Mr Kofi Annan predicted that the
squabble over the disputed presidential results would be solved
within a month.
Hate speech SMS
offenders already tracked
(01.03.2008) A list of more than 1,700 contacts of individuals who
created or forwarded short message service (SMS) messages to
incite ethnic violence has been compiled and is awaiting
government action.
Media urged to keep a
sharp eye on new deal
(01.03.2008) Journalists should monitor the historic agreement
signed by President Kibaki and ODM leader Raila Odinga to ensure
it is fulfilled to the letter.
PART 10 - 01th Mar.
2008 until 09. Mar. 2008
PART
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11
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