NAIROBI: ODM SUSPENDS ELECTIONS, CALLS FOR PROPER INTERPRETATION OF THE LAW.

The Orange Democratic Movement Party –ODM has suspended the planned grassroots elections that were scheduled to kick off tomorrow Friday 1^st July 2011.

This is in respect to the Court Order issued by the High Court in Nairobi on Wednesday 29^th July 2011.

Addressing the press at Orange House on Thursday (30^th June 2011), Deputy Party Leader Mr. Musalia Mudavadi said the party had decided to take that decision to respect the Order that was issued by Justice Jean Gacheche prohibiting it from conducting the much awaited elections.

He said the party learnt of the issuance of the Court Order from the Media. “Media reports suggest that at least two of the applicants that sought this court order are members of the ODM” said Mr. Mudavadi who is also the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Government.

He regretted that “that ODM members with ample opportunity to address whatever issues they might have through the normal Party channels and structures as provided for by the Political Parties Act and the Party Constitution chose to initiate legal action at the last minute without notice to the Party”.

Mr. Mudavadi said it was annoying for such Orders to be issued at a time when the party and its membership had prepared for the exercise and decried the trend that has been adopted by the Courts of blocking such exercises at the 11^th hour.

“Unfortunately – and even though we are ready and eager to hold our grassroots elections - the ODM respects the courts, adheres strictly to the rule of law and constitutionalism, and therefore cannot ignore the court order” said the DPM.

Mr. Mudavadi said that it was high time the issue of “who can or cannot hold political party positions is resolved by a competent court once and for all”.

Mr. Mudavadi at the same said the interpretation of the Constitution is not in the purview of the Commission on the Implementation of the Constitution, the Attorney General or the Registrar of Political Parties saying it is the responsibility of the Supreme Court.

“The mandate of the CIC is to look at the laws that are enacted by Parliament in respect to the implementation of the Constitution and not its interpretation” said Mr. Mudavadi.

Party Secretary General Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o said the interpretation of the Constitution must be fair. “Cabinet Secretaries and Ministers are two different things” said the Medical Services Minister.

Present at the Press Conference were Cabinet Ministers James Orengo, Mohammed Elmi and Amerson Kingi and Assistant Minister Manyala Keya. National Elections Board Chairman Eng. Philip Okundi and Secretary to the Board Dr. Joseph Misoi, party officials and members from across the country among others.

Meanwhile, the National Elections Board of the ODM has officially announced the suspension of the grassroots elections scheduled to start tomorrow due to the Court Order prohibiting the party from carrying on with the exercise.

A statement signed by the Board Chairman Eng. Philip Okundi and his Secretary Dr. Joseph Misoi said in part that “ the Board calls upon all the Returning Officers to immediately surrender all election documents, application forms and finances to the National Elections Board Headquarters at Orange House in Nairobi.

Ends......

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Orange Democratic Movement,
 ODM Orange House Kilimani

NAIROBI: SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY HON. MWAI KIBAKI, C.G.H., M.P., PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE DEFENCE FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA DURING THE CADETS COMMISSIONING PARADE AT KENYA MILITARY ACADEMY, LANET ON 28TH JUNE, 2011

Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased to preside over this passing out parade and to commission new officers into the Kenya Defence Forces.

I congratulate all the granduands for the hard work, perseverance and dedication which have enabled them to complete the 21 months of rigorous training at this institution.

After your commissioning today, you will be deployed to various units of our Defence Forces where you are expected to offer leadership to soldiers placed under your command. As you commence your duties, I urge you to demonstrate the same commitment and strength of character that enabled you to successfully complete your training.

Let me remind you that you are joining an institution that maintains a great tradition of service to the country before self, of discipline and courage in the line of duty and of loyalty to the Government and the people of Kenya. You are expected to uphold this proud tradition by dedicating yourselves to serve your country to the best of your ability and in accordance with the oath of allegiance you have just recited.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
As the world becomes increasingly sophisticated due to rapid technological changes, defence forces all over the world are faced with new security challenges. This underscores the need to provide training that will enable officers to handle modern day security challenges and keep abreast with emerging trends in the field of security.

It is for this reason that the Government decided to transform and upgrade this institution from a Diploma awarding college to a bachelor's degree awarding academy in collaboration with Kenyatta University.

In this partnership, cadets will, beginning this year, undertake a three year degree programme leading to the award of Bachelor of Military Studies degree. The programme is benchmarked internationally and will provide cadets with a broad liberal education. This is designed to develop versatile, creative and critical thinkers who can adapt to the professional challenges that will confront them in their careers.

It is also designed to provide a foundation for continued intellectual and professional development. I am proud that the Government has been able to provide the resources for funding this worthy programme and the necessary infrastructure, both of which we opened this morning.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
In addition to the primary duty of safeguarding our territorial integrity, our defence forces have won commendable recognition for their humanitarian and civic activities in various parts of the country.

Through a wide range of interventions such as operation Dumisha Amani, Operation Good Hope, Operation Okoa Maisha, Operation Linda Mpaka and others, our defence forces have made a direct contribution to the improvement of security and the well-being of our people.

The civic activities that our Defence Forces have continued to undertake include the building of dams, drilling of boreholes, construction of schools and roads, distribution of relief food, and the treatment of people and their livestock.

I commend the Kenya Defence Forces for these activities and urge them to sustain them as they are beneficial to the well being of our country.

I also commend the defense forces for their efforts in environmental conservation. I encourage you to continue planting more trees so that our country can attain its goal of exceeding 10 percent forest cover.

Beyond humanitarian and civic activities, our Defence Forces have also continued to participate in peace keeping in various parts of the world. I wish to commend our Defence Forces for establishing an exemplary record of high standards of professionalism in peacekeeping operations throughout the world. Your exemplary performance has earned Kenya tremendous respect internationally and ensured that our diplomacy and defence forces are in high demand within the UN and African Union systems.

My Government remains fully committed to the vision of the African peace and security architecture and to the development of the East African Peace and Security force as an instrument for peace and security in our sub region.

I commend the Kenya Defence Forces for the collaborative work they have done with other regional militaries and partners to deliver this instrument.

In conclusion, I congratulate all members of the Defense forces for the remarkable service that they have continued to render to our country.

With these remarks, I once again congratulate the newly commissioned officers and wish them successful careers in the Kenya Defence Forces.

Thank you and God bless you all.

NAIROBI: STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER

29^th June 2011

PRIME MINISTER RAILA ODINGA CALLS ON THE NEW IMF HEAD TO TACKLE HIGH FOOD AND OIL PRICES FOR AFRICA’S POOR:

Rt. Hon. Raila A. Odinga, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kenya, issued the following statement on the appointment of the new Managing Director of the IMF:

“On behalf of the Government and the people of Kenya, I wholeheartedly congratulate and welcome Madam Christine Lagarde on her appointment as the next Managing Director for the International Monetary Fund.

Africa holds high expectations on her as the turbulence in the global economy – extremely high international prices of food and oil, and the debt crisis in Europe --   is lowering Africa’s growth prospects and deepening its poverty.

In addition, many countries in Africa are afflicted by severe drought, which has forced millions of people into hunger. I call on the IMF, under the new leadership of Christine Lagarde, to be bold and innovative in assisting Africa sustain high economic growth, maintain macroeconomic stability and achieve the Millennium Development Goals, with greater and timely flows of highly concessional resources. 

I acknowledge with appreciation the financial assistance Kenya is currently receiving from the IMF, and look forward to building stronger partnership with Kenya and IMF.”

NAIROBI: PRESS RELEASE

The Orange Democratic Movement –ODM’s grassroots elections will go on as scheduled.

Party Secretary General Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o says he has not been served by any orders blocking the planned elections and that the elections shall be conducted all over the country starting this Friday 1^st to Tuesday 5^th July 2011.

In a statement, Prof. Nyong’o said “As the Secretary General of the ODM, I have not been served by any orders. The National Elections Board-NEB shall proceed to carry out party elections as planned”.

Ends……

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Orange Democratic Movement,
 ODM Orange House Kilimani

NAIROBI: PRESS RELEASE

The Orange Democratic Movement Party –ODM members go to the polls this Friday (1/7/11) through to Tuesday (5/7/11) to elect their grassroots officials in all the 210 Sub-Branches (Constituencies) across the country.

Plans and arrangements for the much awaited exercise have been completed and the stage set for the elections.

The exercise had earlier on been postponed due to the tight schedule by Members of Parliament owing to their Parliamentary duties which included debates on crucial bills on the implementation of the constitution.

According to the Secretary to the ODM National Elections Board Dr. Joseph Misoi, the Board shall observe high level of integrity among the officers appointed to preside over the exercise across the country to avoid cases of election malpractices.

Dr. Misoi said the Board’s mission is to ensure free and fair elections and that nobody feels cheated nor denied the opportunity to elect or be elected.

He said the Party members who will take part in the exercise will only be required to carry their National Identity Card and the Voters’ Card to be allowed to vote.

Dr. Misoi called on party members from Northern Kenya Counties of Garissa, Mandera, Wajir, Marsabit and Isiolo and also Turkana to turn up in large numbers for the exercise despite the hardships that they encounter day by day.

The elections shall be held from the Sub-Location (Kijiji level) on the Friday the 1^st of July in all regions, Location (Ward level) on the Saturday 2^nd, Sub-Branch (Constituency) on Sunday 3^rd and the Branch (County) on Monday 4^th. However, areas dominated by the SDA faithful shall have their Location/Ward elections held on Sunday 3^rd, Sub-Branch/Constituency on Monday 4^th while the Branch/County elections on Tuesday 5^th.

Ends……

NAIROBI: PRIME MINISTER RAILA ODINGA MEDIA CONFERENCE, JULY 12.

Mon, June 27, 2011 9:10:50 PM

On July 12, 2011, Prime Minister Raila Odinga will hold a joint media briefing in Nairobi with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who will be visiting the country.

There are a lot of protocol and security issues to be taken care of. Consequently, we ask media houses to submit names of reporters to cover the event. Multi media houses will be allowed two reporters whose names must be submited by responsible authorities.

We would be glad if these names could reach us by end of week to facilitate registration and preparation of press badges by the embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Office of the Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister Raila Odinga leaves the country later tonight for a visit to Germany and the United Kingdom. The PM will be out for a week and is scheduled to hold discussions with Prince Charles on the final modalities for the funding of the restoration of Lake Naivasha. He will also meet other leaders. The PM is however not scheduled to meet Merkel during the visit to Germany.

DENNIS ONYANGO

NAIROBI: PM RAILA ODINGA VISITS KRA OVER TAXATION:

Mon, June 27, 2011 11:32:32 AM

Prime Minister Raila Odinga will this afternoon visit the Kenya Revenue Authority offices in Times Towers in relation to the issue of payment of taxes by Members of Parliament.
The PM will be at KRA shortly after midday for an open session with tax officials.
Thereafter, he will hold a media conference at the auditorium on the Seventh Floor of his offices on Harambee Avenue.

Looking forward to seeing you at both events

DENNIS ONYANGO

NAIROBI: ‘The Power is in the Pen’

In memory & honour of Kimani Maruge

An audience with Justin Chadwick

Justin Chadwick the director of The First Grader took time to speak to Kenya London News about his inspiring film; The First Grader.

The film is based on a true story of an 84 year old Kenyan, Kimani  Maruge, who fought for independence and freedom, a mau mau warrior, goes back to school, and demands an education and learns to read, this is after Kenya’s Government under the leadership of President Kibaki  extended  free education to all.

The film deals with the power of education and whilst essentially an uplifting an inspiring story, the story deals with some hard hitting issues.

Justin’s film captures Kenya’s history (The struggle for independence) Kenya’s vision of the future (Education for all Kenyans). It’s a great reflection of Kenya that wants to move on, but must be allowed to deal with its past.

Justin had never been to Kenya, had never really followed the story of Kenya’s struggle for independence, his knowledge of Kenya was based on what he had read/seen in the western press, but as soon as he landed in this beautiful land, he fell in love with everything KENYA, the dust, the traffic jams, the humour of Kenyans and the hope. This is when he made the decision to make the film in Kenya.

South Africa had been the practical choice to shoot the film based on the country’s superior infrastructure yet  Justin fought to shoot the film in Kenya. ‘Kenya has this unbelievable, inexplicable energy – the inherent in the children, and the people we were making the film about’ It was a different feeling and I wanted to capture and use this feeling in the film, giving the film the authentic edge it deserved’’. He told us

Justin spent time in Kenya researching, he spoke to education experts and real history of Kenya’s colonial past. Some stories were first hand and gave a true authenticity.

Justin met Mr Maruge then 89 and suffering with Cancer, despite being very sick, Maruge refused to give up, the spirit of a fighter that is Maruge, Justin tries to infuse in the film. ‘The power is in the pen’ Maruge told Justin.  Maruge sadly died before the shooting started. But his story lives on to inspire many generations of Kenyans in The First Grader’

Asked about the challenges he faced while shooting in Kenya, Justice told us’ Shooting is difficult, it doesn’t matter where you are,’’ We began this project in February and by Christmas we had completed making this great movie’ This shocked us.

Kenya as a film making destination is growing, and the officials and the government are working to ensure support for home grown talent as well as sell Kenya as a Film destination.  What struck Justin and the team was the amount of talent they found in the country. Unlike other films, we worked with the local talent, we did not have to import crews,’’ from professional creative departments, film makers, costume departments, technician etc.

 We used the Kenyan talent; this gives the film the authenticity it deserves. Maruge is played by Oliver Litondo, a Kenyan who started his career as news reader while Jane Obinchu the teacher who defied authorities to take Maruge as a student is played by Naomi HARRIS known for her role in the Hollywood movie Pirates of the Caribbean.

Justin Chadwick ‘The First Grader’ tells the story of Kenya from a Kenyan perspective, highlighting the complicated colonial past, and the struggle and despite a slow pace, a country despite tribal differences that is ready to work with what unites them. Education!

It’s our story despite being told /made by a non Kenyan, It does not robe us of our dignity like most stories you see in the western headlines. Justin Chadwick in my words is our nation’s great ambassador.

‘The Power is in the pen’

Screening across the UK started on the 24^th of June 2011, you are a KENYAN, and you must see this film.

Agnes

"shikug@aol.com" <shikug@aol.com>

NAIROBI:Civil Society Advocacy Meeting - Advocating for Improved Maternal, New Born and Child Health (MNCH) Policies and Programmes in Kenya

Background

Maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality have been recognised internationally as public health priorities. More than 15 years since the launch of the Safe Motherhood Initiative (SMI), efforts invested in maternal and newborn health programmes have not yielded the expected results. This is due to a combination of structural and infrastructural challenges that need redress to reverse the situation.

At the household and community levels, awareness of maternal danger signs, and of the need to act quickly, is low due to inadequate knowledge and information. As a result there is limited participation of community members, family and individuals in prenatal, postnatal and family planning services. This is aggravated further by reluctant male partners and harmful socio-cultural practices. In addition, there is unreliable or unaffordable transport to local health facilities and referral centres. There is therefore the need for the citizens to understand policy directives that the government has put in place to ensure community members are adequately informed and prepared to demand for MNCH services.

  

All women should have a skilled attendant at birth but in reality more than half (53%) of women deliver at home. This is an increase by 2% in last five years an indication that the country is moving from bad to worse. Loss of public confidence in local public health facilities and health care providers has negatively affected the uptake of maternal, new born and child health services including PMTCT services.

The need for policy makers to address training, recruitment, distribution and retention of health service providers is urgent if at all the country is to address negative maternal health indicators. There have been calls to the government to address training, recruitment and retention of health care providers. Indeed the government took steps and spearheaded the development of Human Resource for Health Strategy. Since the development of the strategy it is not clear whether the document was adopted by the government for implementation, and if so what steps are ongoing on its implementation.

The amount of budget allocated into the health sector has not been sufficient for meeting the felt need in the health sector. The national budget allocation to health is 8% of the total budget which far much below the 15% in the Abuja Declaration. As a result, many health facilities are poorly maintained, they lack sufficient supply of essential commodities and medicines such as the Emergency Obstetric Care medicines are not available in all ANC health facilities incapacitating their response to direct obstetric complications leading to high maternal deaths that can be prevented. The user fees though fairly subsidised for MNCH services is also bottleneck to utilisation of the services. They deter poor clients from using the health facilities.

It is therefore prudent to interrogate how allocation for the health budget sector is conducted, and how the Ministries of Health allocates the available resources including the decentralized health funds such as Health Sector Services Fund (HSSF) to support MNCH programmes.

Objective

To discuss advocacy gaps in MNCH policies and programmes including the role of policy makers and stakeholders in addressing the identified gaps and challenges.

Specifically the meeting will focus on:

·        The inter-face between the community level and health facilities for improved demand and supply of MNCH services,

·        Training, recruitment and retention of health care providers for quality MNCH service provision at health facilities and,

·        The 2011/2012 budget estimates earmarked for MNCH programmes.

Draft Programme

Time	Activity	Responsibility
7:00 –7:30 am	Arrival, Registration
7:30 – 7:45 am	·        Official welcome ·        Introductions ·        Objectives of the meeting	HERAF& KANCO
7:45-8:15am	MNCH Situation of programmes: ·        Critical policy and programme gaps negatively affecting demand and supply of MNCH services in Kenya	NCPD
8:15-8:45am	MNCH Policy and programmes gaps hampering: ·        Demand & Supply of MNCH services, ·        HRS Strategic plan ·        2011/2012 Budget estimates allocations for MNCH services	MOPHS
8:45-9:45am	Plenary  discussions and the way forward	HERAF& KANCO
9:45-10:00am	Closure of the meeting Vote of thanks	HERAF& KANCO

NAIROBI: Invitation to Civil Society Advocacy Meeting - Advocating for Improved Maternal, New Born and Child Health (MNCH) Policies and Programmes in Kenya

June 8^th, 2011

Health Rights Advocacy Forum (HERAF) is a non-governmental organization that brings together health professionals, NGOs, FBOs and PLWHA organizations to advocate for health as a fundamental human right in Kenya.

HERAF with support from UK Department for International Development, through International HIV&AIDS Alliance and Kenya AIDS NGOS Consortium (KANCO) has developed an advocacy plan of action with the aim of influencing policy makers and stakeholders to improve Maternal, New Born and Child Health (MNCH) Policies and Programmes in Kenya. To achieve this, HERAF has organized a breakfast meeting targeting health sector policy makers, health care providers, media and stakeholders to advocate for improved MNCH policies and programmes implementation.

The meeting will discuss gaps in MNCH policies and programmes including the role of policy makers and stakeholders in addressing the identified gaps and challenges. Among the MNCH issues identified for discussion include the inter-face between the community level and health facilities for improved demand and supply of MNCH services, training, recruitment and retention of health care providers for quality MNCH service provision at health facilities and the 2011/2012 budget estimates earmarked for MNCH programmes.

The meeting will be held on Thursday, June 23^rd, 2011 at Silver Springs Hotel, Nairobi starting from 7:00 am. Attached, kindly find the background information and the program to guide you further. For more information kindly contact Josephine on email:  info@heraf.or.ke; Josephine@heraf.or.ke or on Tel No. 020 3861482/3 or 0724825663.

Thank you for your support and collaboration.

Sincerely,

Health Rights Advocacy Forum

E. Miano Munene

Executive Director

NAIROBI: PRIME MINISTER RAILA at Stanchart Dinner

Tue, June 21, 2011 5:37:29 PM

The Prime Minister will this evening officiate at the Standard Chartered Bank dinner marking the Ban'k's 100 years of existence in Kenya. The function takes place at the Hotel Intercontinental from 7PM.

At 11 am tomorrow, June 22, 2011, the PM will launch the Regional Integration Steering Committee at the Norfolk Hotel. Later at 2pm,June 22, 2011, the PM will close the ongoing Constitution Implementation conference at the KICC.

Thank you.

Dennis Onyango

ARUSHA: Social Security Experts Discuss Co-ordination of Benefits Within EAC Common Market

Social Security Experts concluded a meeting in Arusha Friday 17 June to consider and consolidate the various actuarial studies undertaken by the Partner States’ Social Security Institutions. East African Community Secretariat, Arusha, Tanzania, 20 June 2011: A three-day technical meeting of the Social Security Experts concluded in Arusha on Friday 17 June 2011. The meeting was convened to consider and consolidate the various actuarial studies undertaken by the Partner States’ Social Security Institutions and address, among other issues, the financial and economic implications on the co-ordination of Social Security benefits, taking into account the current systems, policies and laws in the Partner States. The chairperson of the meeting, Mr. Oswald Habonimana, Burundi’s Director General of Social Protection in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Security, noted that the process of ensuring co-ordination of social security benefits in the Community was complex but manageable. He reiterated that the meeting was the beginning of another process (after the negotiations of the Common Market Protocol) which will ultimately lead to the adoption of a regulation by Council of Ministers on the co-ordination of social security benefits. The EAC Director for Social Sectors, Ms. Mary Makoffu commended the Social Security Experts for their commitment in the process of ensuring the co-ordination of social security benefits for workers in the Community. She applauded the experts for their valuable inputs which enabled the Council to make a decision on the way forward and the International Labour Organization (ILO) for the continued technical and financial support towards the process. The ILO Social Security Expert based at the Addis Ababa regional office, Mr. Aly Cisse, appreciated the continued efforts by the EAC Partner States to keep the dialogue and consultative process on co-ordination of social security benefits high on the EAC agenda.  He noted that the exercise to co-ordinate social security was complicated and a major process, as can be seen by the length of time taken in the European Union and Caribbean Community (CARICOM). The ILO Social Security Expert assured the experts of ILO’s continued committed and support to the EAC desired goals and objectives. During the meeting, Partner States highlighted the Actuarial Studies so far undertaken by the various Social Security Institutions. Some of the issues that emerged from the discussions were: none of the Actuarial Valuations that were carried out touched on the financial and economic implications of co-ordination of social security benefits. Secondly, none of the Valuations done factored movement of workers and were based on other assumptions and some of the Actuarial Valuations were not carried out during the last five years. Lastly the Actuarial Valuations presented focused on specific issues of the particular scheme and not on the financial implications of co-ordination. The meeting therefore noted that a Regional Actuarial Study was necessary to inform the process in order to achieve co-ordination of the Social Security Systems within the region. In this context, the meeting recommended that: a specific Actuarial Study focussing on co-ordination of social security benefits in the region be undertaken to analyze migration patterns within the region, determine administrative costs of co-ordination, the sustainability and robustness of each scheme. Secondly, in the interim, Partner States Social Security Institutions could enter into Bilateral or Multilateral arrangements to protect workers who have already moved within the Community. The meeting prepared Draft Terms of Reference for the actuarial study on the co-ordination of social security benefits within the EAC Common Market. The Draft TORs took into account the various variables needed to be captured in the Actuarial study to inform the process of co-ordination. The meeting further recommended that the EAC Secretariat procures the services of an Actuarial Consulting Firm or a qualified Actuary to undertake the Actuarial study on the co-ordination of social security benefits within the EAC Common Market. The meeting also recommended that the EAC Secretariat to mobilise the necessary resources to facilitate the study; and the ILO continues assisting the process by providing technical and financial assistance. A roadmap was developed to guide the process of undertaking the actuarial study and its validation process. A progress report to EAC Council of Ministers on the Study is expected to be submitted by end of November 2011 and a final draft report is expected by mid December 2011. The Meeting of the Ministers responsible for Labour and Employment to consider the Study findings is to be scheduled in March 2012 and in April the same year the Council of Ministers is expected to consider the Study recommendations. The meeting was attended by Social Security Experts from the Partner States, workers’ organisations representatives, East African Trade Union Confederation (EATUC), as well as social security experts from ILO Addis Ababa office. For more information please contact: Owora Richard Othieno, Head of Department; Corporate Communications and Public Affairs; Tel: 255-784-835021