April 30, 2008
The Standard Team
The Government has broken unprecedented ground by formally making contact with the outlawed Mungiki sect and launching talks with its jailed leader, Maina Njenga, in a bid to tame the group’s daring excesses.
Details of how the Government has sent high-level emissaries to talk with the Mungiki leader emerged in an exclusive first media interview he granted The Standard on Wednesday at the Naivasha Maximum Security Prison.
As Njenga spoke in jail, an indicator of how the Government is changing tact in handling Mungiki was given by seven central Kenya politicians who called for his release. Former Cabinet ministers Mr Njenga Karume, Mr Joseph Kamotho, former MPs Mr Macharia Mukiri, Mr Waithaka Mwangi, Mrs Jane Kihara, Mr Daniel Karaba and Maragwa MP Mr Elias Mbau met in a Nairobi hotel from where they called for the sect leader’s release.
Njenga sounded optimistic of his possible release, saying he had told his family to stop the burial of his slain wife pending the outcome of the talks.
In a lengthy three-hour interview, Njenga made stunning revelations, saying he had met with a delegation led by former Provincial Commissioner Mr Cyrus Maina, who broke ground for talks to seek peace between the Mungiki and the Government.
Njenga said he had twice met the former Nairobi and Coast PC Maina, Catholic Priest Fr Ndikaru wa Teresia and ODM pointman Mr SK Thande.
Maina and Fr Ndikaru, the latter who is well-known to Njenga, were said to have been sent by the Office of the President while Thande, the Lang’ata Constituency Development Fund chairman, represented the Prime Minister’s office.
The first meeting took place last weekend but the initial contact was scuttled by the mysterious killing on Monday of two key Mungiki leaders on the Naivasha-Nairobi highway, Njenga said.
Giving dialogue a chanceHe added that the two leaders, acting Mungiki political wing chairman Charles Ndung’u Wagacha (chairman of the Kenya National Youth Alliance) and treasurer Naftali Irungu, were heading to Naivasha prison for a second scheduled meeting between him and the Government team, which aborted after they were killed.
But despite the killing of his lieutenants, Njenga said he still held another meeting on Tuesday with the former PC and his team, in which he presented Mungiki tribulations as targets of the police.
Njenga said despite the killing of his close allies, he agreed to the Government request to call on his sect to end all forms of violence and give dialogue a chance.
“We believe our talks will bear fruit and I have directed all our followers to stop engaging in violence. Police should also stop killing innocent youths now. We want peace,” he said.
Njenga claimed he had talked to Raila on phone over the ongoing situation of alleged police brutality. He said Raila told him that the Government was now different, and he could not allow it to oppress the poor.
He said he spoke to Raila on April 21, in a telephone conversation also overheard by senior prison officers. The Mungiki leader claimed the PM assured him that justice would prevail as long as he served in Government.
A fortnight ago, the PM had made a proposal to pursue peace with the banned sect.
Njenga, who spoke in a secluded section of the prison while clad in the stripped prison uniform known by inmates as kunguru, said his two deputies who were killed had documents implicating police in arbitrary executions, which they wanted to hand to the Government team.
“But we still managed to get photocopies of the documents later and handed them to for PC Maina on Tuesday to give to the President and the PM,” said Njenga.
He blamed police for high-level the executions, including that of his wife early this month, saying they plotted to finish the group’s top leadership.
He claimed for the first time that his former lawyer, Juliana Orieyo — who was killed mysteriously late last year — was a victim of police execution.
Executions politicalNjenga said he wanted the whole country to know of the start and progress of the talks between the sect and the Government.
The officer-in-charge of the prison, Mr Patrick Mwenda, confirmed that emissaries had visited Njenga twice in a bid to find peace over the ongoing clashes between the sect followers and the police.
Njenga said he would pursue the path to peace offered by the Government but demanded that police be restrained from killing suspected Mungiki youths.
He spoke bitterly, with tears welling up in his eyes, of his slain wife Virginia Nyakio, and dismissed as police propaganda, claims that he may have ordered her death due to infidelity.
Njenga said he had stopped the burial of his wife, her driver George Njoroge and the two men who were shot dead on Monday to await the outcome of the talks.
“There is no need for us to bury them and allow for more such killings,” he said.
The sect leader said all the four deceased were his relatives and he was in agony. But he encouraged his followers not to fear death and to soldier on as members of the movement.
Njenga said the movement had demanded an overhaul of the leadership of the police force as “it was letting down the Government”.
He demanded that Mungiki followers be allowed to give their views at the yet-to-be formed Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission.
A composed Njenga, who was armed with three political books and a Bible, said the ongoing clash between police and Mungiki youths was political and vowed to solve it.
Njenga caressed the books — 48 Rules of Power and Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom, both of which he said were sent to him by Raila, and Cry of the Oppressed, which he said was given to him by Fr Ndikaru.
“The war on succession in Central Kenya is behind the brutality that you are witnessing. A clique of the region’s elite is fearing the Mungiki revolution and now they are using police to suppress and oppress the youths but we will not accept that. We believe the new Government will listen to us,” he said.
He said the Central Kenya elite feared that the youths no longer supported them politically.
Njenga feared that innocent youths would continue to be killed under mysterious circumstances if the talks failed.
He said there were no divisions in the sect, and challenged anyone with parallel leadership to come out and let the public know.
He also revealed that his movement supported ODM in the last General Election and the sect feels it is now part of the Government.
Njenga went ahead to urge Embakasi constituents to back an ODM candidate in the coming by-election, saying the late area MP, Mugabe Were, had been his personal friend.
The Central Kenya leaders who supported Njenga demanded his release so that he could lead talks between the sect and the Government.
“We ask for the release of Maina, even if on bond, so as to lead a delegation to see the PM. The PM has assured them that he would address their plight. That’s the way to go if we want to end the crisis,” he said.
“Mr (Raila) Odinga has shown the wise way of ending the crisis. This is the only sure way of striking a compromise between the sect and Government. Bullets and guns will not end it,” said Karume, the immediate former Defence minister in Kibaki’s Government.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Raila stable as leaders unite to wish him well
Friday, 3rd September 2010
By Standard Team
If those who saw Prime Minister Raila Odinga in hospital report, they would simply tell you his grip is back. And indeed when two former Vice-Presidents visited him, he left his bed, stood between them, and swung his hands over their shoulders as his Press crew took pictures.
Visitors reported the PMs radiant smile was returning and he was in a jovial mood despite the admission to hospital.
The doctor’s verdict, too, was that the PM was making good progress, something that made them get him off the drip. "He had a good night and all I can tell Kenyans is that he is recovering fast. We have restricted the number of visitors to ensure he rests," his doctor, David Livingstone Oluoch-Olunya told the country.
Hardly 24 hours after he was operated on the left side of the head to ease pressure on his brain, the PM had a busy day on his bed, talking with those who showed up to wish him well.
They included President Kibaki, who because of his near-fatal accident in 2002 is familiar with the VIP room Raila is admitted to. The President’s handlers shrugged off news crews, including the Head of State’s, and he was with Raila for an hour. He had been to Lanet for a military pass-out parade before making his way back to Nairobi, and to the hospital to see his partner in the Coalition Government – a man he has fought many political battles with, including among themselves, reconciled, and often traded words.
Retired President Moi also sent a get-well-soon message to Raila and wished his family well, too.
The international interest in Raila’s state could be seen from the number of foreign diplomats who went to see him, including US ambassador on Tuesday, and a high-ranking European Union delegation, yesterday.
Though the PM is under doctor’s orders to rest for five days, something that demands tight control of visitors seeing him, the flow of well wishers was constant and in profile, they were Kenya’s movers and shakers.
They included two former Vice Presidents –George Saitoti and Moody Awori. Others were captains of blue chip companies such as Safaricom Managing Director Michael Joseph. The Cabinet, too, was not left out in walking to the PM’s bedside to cheer up, wish the PM well, and see for themselves how their boss was faring on.
Head of European Union delegation in Kenya, Eric van der Linden, said Raila was in a jovial mood and they, too, discussed football.
Former head of proscribed Mungiki Sect Maina Njenga who was accompanied by Raila’s son, Fidel, also walked into the ward and came out saying the PM was in a jovial mood. When Njenga was in prison, Raila sent him the all-time popular read, The 48 Rules of Power.
Those who saw him said Raila wanted to get off the bed and go about his business were it not for the doctor’s orders. Raila checked into the hospital on Monday evening after complaining of a headache and fatigue.
On Tuesday, sources said, family members, relatives, and friends contemplated flying out the Prime Minister to a medical facility where he could get complete rest, away from streams of visitors.
Source: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000012876&cid=4
By Standard Team
If those who saw Prime Minister Raila Odinga in hospital report, they would simply tell you his grip is back. And indeed when two former Vice-Presidents visited him, he left his bed, stood between them, and swung his hands over their shoulders as his Press crew took pictures.
Visitors reported the PMs radiant smile was returning and he was in a jovial mood despite the admission to hospital.
The doctor’s verdict, too, was that the PM was making good progress, something that made them get him off the drip. "He had a good night and all I can tell Kenyans is that he is recovering fast. We have restricted the number of visitors to ensure he rests," his doctor, David Livingstone Oluoch-Olunya told the country.
Hardly 24 hours after he was operated on the left side of the head to ease pressure on his brain, the PM had a busy day on his bed, talking with those who showed up to wish him well.
They included President Kibaki, who because of his near-fatal accident in 2002 is familiar with the VIP room Raila is admitted to. The President’s handlers shrugged off news crews, including the Head of State’s, and he was with Raila for an hour. He had been to Lanet for a military pass-out parade before making his way back to Nairobi, and to the hospital to see his partner in the Coalition Government – a man he has fought many political battles with, including among themselves, reconciled, and often traded words.
Retired President Moi also sent a get-well-soon message to Raila and wished his family well, too.
The international interest in Raila’s state could be seen from the number of foreign diplomats who went to see him, including US ambassador on Tuesday, and a high-ranking European Union delegation, yesterday.
Though the PM is under doctor’s orders to rest for five days, something that demands tight control of visitors seeing him, the flow of well wishers was constant and in profile, they were Kenya’s movers and shakers.
They included two former Vice Presidents –George Saitoti and Moody Awori. Others were captains of blue chip companies such as Safaricom Managing Director Michael Joseph. The Cabinet, too, was not left out in walking to the PM’s bedside to cheer up, wish the PM well, and see for themselves how their boss was faring on.
Head of European Union delegation in Kenya, Eric van der Linden, said Raila was in a jovial mood and they, too, discussed football.
Former head of proscribed Mungiki Sect Maina Njenga who was accompanied by Raila’s son, Fidel, also walked into the ward and came out saying the PM was in a jovial mood. When Njenga was in prison, Raila sent him the all-time popular read, The 48 Rules of Power.
Those who saw him said Raila wanted to get off the bed and go about his business were it not for the doctor’s orders. Raila checked into the hospital on Monday evening after complaining of a headache and fatigue.
On Tuesday, sources said, family members, relatives, and friends contemplated flying out the Prime Minister to a medical facility where he could get complete rest, away from streams of visitors.
Source: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000012876&cid=4
Mungiki ruthlessness returns
The Standard
December 23, 2009
By CCI Writer
The proscribed Mungiki gang is undergoing a transformation that has seen it adopt time-tested but ruthless methods of winning power, CCI can reveal.
The gang, known for its vicious attacks, has recently changed tact in its approach in the recruitment and indoctrination of members.
The pseudo-religious group that police blame for many crimes, including abduction and murders, has adopted new modes of running its underworld activities, mainly drawn from author Robert Greene’s 48 Rules of Power.
Published in 1998, Green’s book is a guide to obtaining power through deceit and cunning.
CCI established that the gang has translated the rules into Gikuyu language and published in booklets, which have recently become part of its creed and teachings.
Gift from the PM
The rules are taught to members during its recruitment drives in what police believe is an attempt to indoctrinate the youth fully before joining its extortion and murderous ring.
Green’s book is one of the several books given to Mungiki leader Maina Njenga by Prime Minister Raila Odinga while serving time at Naivasha Maximum Security Prison last year.
In an interview with The Standard last year, Njenga said the book, together with Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom, were given to him by Raila.
Last week, an official at the Prime Minister’s office confirmed the Raila sent the books but declined to discuss the matter further.
However, he said the book was delivered to Njenga by emissaries. At the time, leaders were reaching out to Mungiki and were calling for dialogue aimed at persuading the gang to stop the mayhem.
What could have been a gesture of the Government’s commitment to dialogue with Mungiki seems to have backfired, with the sect now picking the rules and transforming them into its own cruel creed.
The booklets are part of paraphernalia found by police in Mungiki oathing ceremonies across Central Province in recent months, where recruits were urged to commit the teachings to memory.
Former sect leader Maina Njenga with a Bible after he got saved.
A brief description of the book on the online bookstore www.Amazon.com says it "distills three thousand years of the history of power into 48 well explicated laws."
The rules advocate for ruthlessness in pursuit of control, with the fifteenth law urging those thirsting for power to "crush your enemy totally".
Greene himself borrows from other writers, including Italian Nicollo Machiaveli, whose book, The Prince, is regarded a gem by many in pursuit of power.
Grabbing power
Police believe Mungiki’s adoption of new methods of grabbing power is only part of the transformations it has gone through since it sprouted in the 1990s. It has moved from a traditional religious worship to a political movement founded in secularism and outright extortion.
Mungiki leader Maina Njenga’s alleged conversion to Christianity led hordes of gang members to the charismatic Jesus is Alive Ministries, which is steered by Starehe MP Bishop Margaret Wanjiru.
"Underworld gangs operate like this and keep on transforming themselves," said a senior police officer. "It’s usually a form of camouflage. Just look at the life of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar."
Escobar, who once controlled about 80 per cent of the cocaine smuggled into the United States, camouflaged himself through philanthropic activities, including building scores of churches.
The officer, who asked not to be named, said excerpts from Greene’s book started emerging in Mungiki ceremonies around September last year.
CCI saw the translated version of the rules, which were seized at a Mungiki oathing ceremony in Kirinyaga just after the Mathira massacre that left 29 people dead in April.
The officer said scrutiny of its activities showed that the gang was re-inventing itself after a fierce crackdown by police in 2007 that saw gang members turn against each other.
The officer said disagreements and turf wars worsened when police arrested five Mungiki suspects in Mukuru kwa Njenga slums, who gave valuable information that led to the recovery of four AK-47 rifles later in the day. The four were released without charge for helping police and promising to become informers.
However, other gang members turned on them, sparking a round of suspicion, mistrust and turf wars that nearly scuttled it.
At the time, Njenga was doing time in Naivasha. The officer said the gang is believed to have found a new lease of life when it was hired to attack members of certain communities in Naivasha at the height of post-election violence last year.
Active extortion ring
The Waki commission said in its report the Naivasha killings were planned at State House, where politicians later hired and transported mungiki for a murderous orgy that left 14 dead – including one family of 11 – and houses torched.
But even with claims of salvation and an appearance of lull in activities of the gang, CCI established that its extortion ring is very much alive.
Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe also confirmed killings were going on and cited the killing of a matatu driver who was stabbed last Tuesday at Gachie for refusing to co-operate with Mungiki members. His vehicle plied the Nairobi-Gachie route.
He said: "The gory details may not be there, but from what fellow matatu drivers have told us, we know he was killed by Mungiki. Yes, the killings are going on," Kiraithe said.
Kiraithe said police were closely studying the gang’s transformations and noted it was still active.
He would not comment on whether police had established who had taken over the mantle from Njenga if he had truly reformed, but confirmed "there is certainly no leadership vacuum in the gang".
"We are aware it is still operating, but we’ll continue using legal means to ensure they are stopped," said Kiraithe.
Kiraithe confirmed the gang had turned Greene’s book into its creed, saying the booklets had been found in Mungiki meetings.
Illegal levies
CCI established that the gang is still in operation especially around Nairobi. In Kayole, one of the gang’s strongholds, residents said it was still charging illegal fees at construction sites and from transporters. Lorries and pick-up trucks have to pay for merely passing through the estate.
"Nothing has changed," a resident said, and asked not to be named for fear of reprisal. "If you are building a house, they come to assess it and then arrive at a figure which you must pay."
However, another resident said although still active, the gang appeared to be concealing its activities. She said gang members were no longer collecting levies and ordering people around in the open.
Police sources also confirmed that the gang members are collecting money at the Muthurwa hawkers’ market and Wakulima Market, just a block away from Jesus Is Alive Ministries’ headquarters where many Mungiki members have renounced the sect and professed Jesus publicly.
December 23, 2009
By CCI Writer
The proscribed Mungiki gang is undergoing a transformation that has seen it adopt time-tested but ruthless methods of winning power, CCI can reveal.
The gang, known for its vicious attacks, has recently changed tact in its approach in the recruitment and indoctrination of members.
The pseudo-religious group that police blame for many crimes, including abduction and murders, has adopted new modes of running its underworld activities, mainly drawn from author Robert Greene’s 48 Rules of Power.
Published in 1998, Green’s book is a guide to obtaining power through deceit and cunning.
CCI established that the gang has translated the rules into Gikuyu language and published in booklets, which have recently become part of its creed and teachings.
Gift from the PM
The rules are taught to members during its recruitment drives in what police believe is an attempt to indoctrinate the youth fully before joining its extortion and murderous ring.
Green’s book is one of the several books given to Mungiki leader Maina Njenga by Prime Minister Raila Odinga while serving time at Naivasha Maximum Security Prison last year.
In an interview with The Standard last year, Njenga said the book, together with Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom, were given to him by Raila.
Last week, an official at the Prime Minister’s office confirmed the Raila sent the books but declined to discuss the matter further.
However, he said the book was delivered to Njenga by emissaries. At the time, leaders were reaching out to Mungiki and were calling for dialogue aimed at persuading the gang to stop the mayhem.
What could have been a gesture of the Government’s commitment to dialogue with Mungiki seems to have backfired, with the sect now picking the rules and transforming them into its own cruel creed.
The booklets are part of paraphernalia found by police in Mungiki oathing ceremonies across Central Province in recent months, where recruits were urged to commit the teachings to memory.
Former sect leader Maina Njenga with a Bible after he got saved.
A brief description of the book on the online bookstore www.Amazon.com says it "distills three thousand years of the history of power into 48 well explicated laws."
The rules advocate for ruthlessness in pursuit of control, with the fifteenth law urging those thirsting for power to "crush your enemy totally".
Greene himself borrows from other writers, including Italian Nicollo Machiaveli, whose book, The Prince, is regarded a gem by many in pursuit of power.
Grabbing power
Police believe Mungiki’s adoption of new methods of grabbing power is only part of the transformations it has gone through since it sprouted in the 1990s. It has moved from a traditional religious worship to a political movement founded in secularism and outright extortion.
Mungiki leader Maina Njenga’s alleged conversion to Christianity led hordes of gang members to the charismatic Jesus is Alive Ministries, which is steered by Starehe MP Bishop Margaret Wanjiru.
"Underworld gangs operate like this and keep on transforming themselves," said a senior police officer. "It’s usually a form of camouflage. Just look at the life of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar."
Escobar, who once controlled about 80 per cent of the cocaine smuggled into the United States, camouflaged himself through philanthropic activities, including building scores of churches.
The officer, who asked not to be named, said excerpts from Greene’s book started emerging in Mungiki ceremonies around September last year.
CCI saw the translated version of the rules, which were seized at a Mungiki oathing ceremony in Kirinyaga just after the Mathira massacre that left 29 people dead in April.
The officer said scrutiny of its activities showed that the gang was re-inventing itself after a fierce crackdown by police in 2007 that saw gang members turn against each other.
The officer said disagreements and turf wars worsened when police arrested five Mungiki suspects in Mukuru kwa Njenga slums, who gave valuable information that led to the recovery of four AK-47 rifles later in the day. The four were released without charge for helping police and promising to become informers.
However, other gang members turned on them, sparking a round of suspicion, mistrust and turf wars that nearly scuttled it.
At the time, Njenga was doing time in Naivasha. The officer said the gang is believed to have found a new lease of life when it was hired to attack members of certain communities in Naivasha at the height of post-election violence last year.
Active extortion ring
The Waki commission said in its report the Naivasha killings were planned at State House, where politicians later hired and transported mungiki for a murderous orgy that left 14 dead – including one family of 11 – and houses torched.
But even with claims of salvation and an appearance of lull in activities of the gang, CCI established that its extortion ring is very much alive.
Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe also confirmed killings were going on and cited the killing of a matatu driver who was stabbed last Tuesday at Gachie for refusing to co-operate with Mungiki members. His vehicle plied the Nairobi-Gachie route.
He said: "The gory details may not be there, but from what fellow matatu drivers have told us, we know he was killed by Mungiki. Yes, the killings are going on," Kiraithe said.
Kiraithe said police were closely studying the gang’s transformations and noted it was still active.
He would not comment on whether police had established who had taken over the mantle from Njenga if he had truly reformed, but confirmed "there is certainly no leadership vacuum in the gang".
"We are aware it is still operating, but we’ll continue using legal means to ensure they are stopped," said Kiraithe.
Kiraithe confirmed the gang had turned Greene’s book into its creed, saying the booklets had been found in Mungiki meetings.
Illegal levies
CCI established that the gang is still in operation especially around Nairobi. In Kayole, one of the gang’s strongholds, residents said it was still charging illegal fees at construction sites and from transporters. Lorries and pick-up trucks have to pay for merely passing through the estate.
"Nothing has changed," a resident said, and asked not to be named for fear of reprisal. "If you are building a house, they come to assess it and then arrive at a figure which you must pay."
However, another resident said although still active, the gang appeared to be concealing its activities. She said gang members were no longer collecting levies and ordering people around in the open.
Police sources also confirmed that the gang members are collecting money at the Muthurwa hawkers’ market and Wakulima Market, just a block away from Jesus Is Alive Ministries’ headquarters where many Mungiki members have renounced the sect and professed Jesus publicly.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Pro-Raila foreigners cause a stir by campaigning for him
Story by SATURDAY NATION Team
Publication Date: 8/11/2007
A group of foreigners took to the campaign trail in support of ODM Kenya presidential candidate Raila Odinga.
The team of 11, who said they were “investors and businessmen" from Germany urged a gathering of about 200 people in a hotel in Kapsabet town to vote for the Lang’ata MP when elections are called later in the year.
But the man they were campaigning for yesterday denied he had asked the group to drum up support for him as he seeks the ODM Kenya presidential nomination.
And the German Embassy in Nairobi also denied knowledge of the foreigners saying they had not informed it of their presence in the country.
The group is led by Mr Andrew Hemline, who last week addressed a meeting of grassroots leaders of parties allied to the Orange Democratic Movement, and urged them to vote out President Kibaki’s Government because it had allegedly failed Kenyans.
Friends of Odinga
Those who attended the meeting held in one of the hotels in Kapsabet Town, in Nandi North district, said they had been informed by ODM-K officials and Friends of Odinga lobby that some investors from Germany would hold a rally in the town and urge Kenyans to elect Mr Odinga in the December election.
But the organisers, among them ODM-K officials in Emgwen constituency, led by Mr Ishmael Choge, Ms Rose Ngeny and Mr Christopher Kemboi (Emgwen ODM-K chairman) and Mr Simeon Sawe (treasurer), said since they did not have a police permit to hold the rally, they advised the foreigners to hold their meeting in the hotel.
At the hotel meeting, the group praised Mr Odinga and denounced other ODM leaders, especially Mr Kalonzo Musyoka and Kanu chairman Uhuru Kenyatta, terming the two as sympathisers of the Government.
The group showed a film and urged Kenyans to follow the example of the people of Venezuela who took to the streets and unanimously helped President Hugo Chavez to win elections in 1999.
President Chavez charmed his way into the hearts of poor and working class Venezuelans by employing his charisma and flamboyant public speaking style on the campaign trail.
The team's calls for a Venezuelan kind of revolution prompted a walkout by some people.
However, Mr Odinga yesterday denied claims that he had brought the Hemline group into the country to campaign for him.
He described Mr Hemline as a friend and "a musician" who was giving his opinion about the present political situation in the country.
"He is not campaigning for me at all and I have not asked him to do anything for me," said Mr Odinga.
He said he had not thought of hiring outsiders to assist him in his campaign and stated that whoever emerged the ODM-K presidential candidate would win the elections.
Remain neutral
An official at the German embassy denied any official links with Mr Hemline and his group and sought to reassure Kenyans that his government had no preferred candidate in the Kenyan elections.
“Germany has no specific candidate it supports in the coming elections and will always remain neutral. The activities of private enterprise cannot be used to link the embassy with any politician,” said an official.
The Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK), which is in charge of voter education, also denied having enlisted the team to educate the people at the grassroots.
ECK Vice-Chairman Gabriel Mukele said the team was not part of organisations which will conduct civic education.
“We have just shortlisted 33 organisations to carry out voter education. They are well qualified and experienced but not those Germans. Enlisting them would not be proper,” he said.
Yesterday, the Nandi North district security committee said it was not aware of the group’s activities.
District Commissioner Haron Komen said the committee was never informed that the group would call a rally or a meeting in Kapsabet town in support of Mr Odinga.
Mr Komen defended the Provincial Administration, saying it did not play a big role whenever political rallies took place and that his office learned of the meeting after the group had left.
European Union
During the Kapsabet meeting, Mr Hemline urged Kenyans to vote for Mr Odinga, saying the German government and some members of the European Union wanted the ODM-K presidential hopeful to take over because President Kibaki had failed them and that his association with retired President Daniel arap Moi was meant to return Kenya to the single party era.
However, the claim was denied by the German embassy. “If they have said anything on behalf of the Government of Germany, then we strongly deny. Obviously, that is nonsense,” said the embassy official. “I have never heard of the group and the private enterprise is not obliged to tell us what their mission is in the country,” he added.
Apart from Mr Odinga, others seeking the ODM presidential ticket are former vice-president Musalia Mudavadi and MPs Musyoka, William Ruto, Najib Balala, Joseph Nyaga and Julia Ojiambo.
The group promised to have Kenyans in major towns mobilised within the next four weeks and rally them behind Mr Odinga for real change in the country.
Reports by Tom Matoke, Bernard Namunane and Lucas Barasa
Publication Date: 8/11/2007
A group of foreigners took to the campaign trail in support of ODM Kenya presidential candidate Raila Odinga.
The team of 11, who said they were “investors and businessmen" from Germany urged a gathering of about 200 people in a hotel in Kapsabet town to vote for the Lang’ata MP when elections are called later in the year.
But the man they were campaigning for yesterday denied he had asked the group to drum up support for him as he seeks the ODM Kenya presidential nomination.
And the German Embassy in Nairobi also denied knowledge of the foreigners saying they had not informed it of their presence in the country.
The group is led by Mr Andrew Hemline, who last week addressed a meeting of grassroots leaders of parties allied to the Orange Democratic Movement, and urged them to vote out President Kibaki’s Government because it had allegedly failed Kenyans.
Friends of Odinga
Those who attended the meeting held in one of the hotels in Kapsabet Town, in Nandi North district, said they had been informed by ODM-K officials and Friends of Odinga lobby that some investors from Germany would hold a rally in the town and urge Kenyans to elect Mr Odinga in the December election.
But the organisers, among them ODM-K officials in Emgwen constituency, led by Mr Ishmael Choge, Ms Rose Ngeny and Mr Christopher Kemboi (Emgwen ODM-K chairman) and Mr Simeon Sawe (treasurer), said since they did not have a police permit to hold the rally, they advised the foreigners to hold their meeting in the hotel.
At the hotel meeting, the group praised Mr Odinga and denounced other ODM leaders, especially Mr Kalonzo Musyoka and Kanu chairman Uhuru Kenyatta, terming the two as sympathisers of the Government.
The group showed a film and urged Kenyans to follow the example of the people of Venezuela who took to the streets and unanimously helped President Hugo Chavez to win elections in 1999.
President Chavez charmed his way into the hearts of poor and working class Venezuelans by employing his charisma and flamboyant public speaking style on the campaign trail.
The team's calls for a Venezuelan kind of revolution prompted a walkout by some people.
However, Mr Odinga yesterday denied claims that he had brought the Hemline group into the country to campaign for him.
He described Mr Hemline as a friend and "a musician" who was giving his opinion about the present political situation in the country.
"He is not campaigning for me at all and I have not asked him to do anything for me," said Mr Odinga.
He said he had not thought of hiring outsiders to assist him in his campaign and stated that whoever emerged the ODM-K presidential candidate would win the elections.
Remain neutral
An official at the German embassy denied any official links with Mr Hemline and his group and sought to reassure Kenyans that his government had no preferred candidate in the Kenyan elections.
“Germany has no specific candidate it supports in the coming elections and will always remain neutral. The activities of private enterprise cannot be used to link the embassy with any politician,” said an official.
The Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK), which is in charge of voter education, also denied having enlisted the team to educate the people at the grassroots.
ECK Vice-Chairman Gabriel Mukele said the team was not part of organisations which will conduct civic education.
“We have just shortlisted 33 organisations to carry out voter education. They are well qualified and experienced but not those Germans. Enlisting them would not be proper,” he said.
Yesterday, the Nandi North district security committee said it was not aware of the group’s activities.
District Commissioner Haron Komen said the committee was never informed that the group would call a rally or a meeting in Kapsabet town in support of Mr Odinga.
Mr Komen defended the Provincial Administration, saying it did not play a big role whenever political rallies took place and that his office learned of the meeting after the group had left.
European Union
During the Kapsabet meeting, Mr Hemline urged Kenyans to vote for Mr Odinga, saying the German government and some members of the European Union wanted the ODM-K presidential hopeful to take over because President Kibaki had failed them and that his association with retired President Daniel arap Moi was meant to return Kenya to the single party era.
However, the claim was denied by the German embassy. “If they have said anything on behalf of the Government of Germany, then we strongly deny. Obviously, that is nonsense,” said the embassy official. “I have never heard of the group and the private enterprise is not obliged to tell us what their mission is in the country,” he added.
Apart from Mr Odinga, others seeking the ODM presidential ticket are former vice-president Musalia Mudavadi and MPs Musyoka, William Ruto, Najib Balala, Joseph Nyaga and Julia Ojiambo.
The group promised to have Kenyans in major towns mobilised within the next four weeks and rally them behind Mr Odinga for real change in the country.
Reports by Tom Matoke, Bernard Namunane and Lucas Barasa
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Election favoured ODM mp, petitioner tells court
Election favoured Magara, petitioner tells court
The Standard
Wednesday, 14th October 2009
by Robert Nyasato and Wahome Thuku
A person who seconded Trade Assistant Minister Omingo Magara for the 2007 ODM nominations for the South Mugirango seat was recruited as a presiding officer.
Mr Mason Nyamweya, who is challenging Magara’s election, told Kisii High Court, this contravenes Regulation 10 of the National Assembly Elections Act.
On Wednesday, the petitioner told Justice Daniel Musinga the disbanded ECK hired Ms Teresia Kiage, who seconded Mr Magara, as a presiding officer, and posted her to Gekong’o Primary School polling station.
"The recruitment of election officials favoured Mr Magara and was part of a wider scheme to rig the polls in his favour," he said through his lawyer Ombati Omwanza.
He said on learning most election officials were Magara supporters, he lodged a complaint with the then Gucha District Elections Co-ordinator Astariko Atika. But Mr Atika dismissed his claims.
Mr Nyamweya also claimed Returning Officer Joseph Sang’anyi was not qualified to take up the job since he was aged above 60.
The same case applied to Assistant Returning Officer Susan Obachi, who the petitioner said was hired on the influence of the MP.
The election, he said, was also marred by bribery and intimidation of voters by Magara’s supporters.
He further claimed Magara’s wife Agnes took charge of vote counting at Nduru Secondary School tallying center, after rowdy supporters of the MP disrupted the process.
Clerks ran away
By this time, the tallying clerks had fled after youths flocked the hall chanting pro-Magara slogans.
Justice Musinga will today rule as to whether a video clip taken by a journalist during the chaotic tallying will be allowed as evidence in court as demanded by Oyongo as hearing continues.
Meanwhile, the High Court has again rejected Makadara MP Dick Wathika’s application to dismiss an election petition filed against him by former MP Reuben Ndolo.
Lady Justice Kalpana Rawal dismissed the application on Wednesday, after taking over the case last month.
Lady Justice Roselyn Wendoh, who has since disqualified herself, had rejected a similar application.
But Wathika renewed it in November, following a ruling of the Court of Appeal in another election petition.
Mr Wathika, also the Public Works Assistant Minister, had argued Mr Ndolo failed to provide results of the 2007 election, making the petition incurably defective.
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/news/InsidePage.php?id=1144026439&cid=159&
Related
Kibaki must give back Kenya's stolen election
EU observers condemn Kenyan election and call for investigation
The Standard
Wednesday, 14th October 2009
by Robert Nyasato and Wahome Thuku
A person who seconded Trade Assistant Minister Omingo Magara for the 2007 ODM nominations for the South Mugirango seat was recruited as a presiding officer.
Mr Mason Nyamweya, who is challenging Magara’s election, told Kisii High Court, this contravenes Regulation 10 of the National Assembly Elections Act.
On Wednesday, the petitioner told Justice Daniel Musinga the disbanded ECK hired Ms Teresia Kiage, who seconded Mr Magara, as a presiding officer, and posted her to Gekong’o Primary School polling station.
"The recruitment of election officials favoured Mr Magara and was part of a wider scheme to rig the polls in his favour," he said through his lawyer Ombati Omwanza.
He said on learning most election officials were Magara supporters, he lodged a complaint with the then Gucha District Elections Co-ordinator Astariko Atika. But Mr Atika dismissed his claims.
Mr Nyamweya also claimed Returning Officer Joseph Sang’anyi was not qualified to take up the job since he was aged above 60.
The same case applied to Assistant Returning Officer Susan Obachi, who the petitioner said was hired on the influence of the MP.
The election, he said, was also marred by bribery and intimidation of voters by Magara’s supporters.
He further claimed Magara’s wife Agnes took charge of vote counting at Nduru Secondary School tallying center, after rowdy supporters of the MP disrupted the process.
Clerks ran away
By this time, the tallying clerks had fled after youths flocked the hall chanting pro-Magara slogans.
Justice Musinga will today rule as to whether a video clip taken by a journalist during the chaotic tallying will be allowed as evidence in court as demanded by Oyongo as hearing continues.
Meanwhile, the High Court has again rejected Makadara MP Dick Wathika’s application to dismiss an election petition filed against him by former MP Reuben Ndolo.
Lady Justice Kalpana Rawal dismissed the application on Wednesday, after taking over the case last month.
Lady Justice Roselyn Wendoh, who has since disqualified herself, had rejected a similar application.
But Wathika renewed it in November, following a ruling of the Court of Appeal in another election petition.
Mr Wathika, also the Public Works Assistant Minister, had argued Mr Ndolo failed to provide results of the 2007 election, making the petition incurably defective.
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/news/InsidePage.php?id=1144026439&cid=159&
Related
Kibaki must give back Kenya's stolen election
EU observers condemn Kenyan election and call for investigation
Monday, January 26, 2009
Raila praises youth for their role in violence
Daily Nation
Jan 26, 2009
Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Sunday said the Interim Electoral Commission will start its work in two months. Mr Odinga said the new commission would register voters afresh and issue new cards.
Related Stories
Raila Odinga threatens the press
He said Parliament was moving with speed to ensure that the team was in place to restore voter confidence. He revisited the conduct of the disbanded Electoral Commission of Kenya and its chairman Mr Samuel Kivuitu, saying they mismanaged the 2007 elections.
Mr Odinga said there were 1.2 million dead voters in the register and were allowed to “vote”.
“Some people who had died resurrected on the voting day and went to the polls then returned to their graves after voting,” said Mr Odinga.
He asked the crowds to join him in condemning Mr Kivuitu and support his call for the former commissioners not to get a send-off package.
However, the Nation learnt that a budget to be approved by the Cabinet had been prepared to offer the ex-commissioners a hefty send-off package.
The PM praised the Kibera youth for coming to his rescue during the post- election violence when they made the country ungovernable, thereby forcing negotiations for the current Coalition Government.
“When you uprooted the railway line, it sent a strong message that things were getting out of hand and even Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni asked for my help to restore order,” he added.
He was speaking at a rally in Kibera after touring the area. Mr Odinga told the people that he accepted to negotiate and have the victory shared because of the lives that were being lost in the process.
The PM turned the heat on the media, which he accused of trying to implicate him in corruption.
“My record is clean and I am as white as snow. I will not accept to work with corrupt people or condone a government that is infested by corruption,” Mr Odinga said.
The residents interrupted Mr Odinga’s speech when he touched on the slum upgrading programme as they disagreed with him on the mortgage programme.
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/politics/-/1064/519712/-/yhdir3z/-/index.html
Jan 26, 2009
Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Sunday said the Interim Electoral Commission will start its work in two months. Mr Odinga said the new commission would register voters afresh and issue new cards.
Related Stories
Raila Odinga threatens the press
He said Parliament was moving with speed to ensure that the team was in place to restore voter confidence. He revisited the conduct of the disbanded Electoral Commission of Kenya and its chairman Mr Samuel Kivuitu, saying they mismanaged the 2007 elections.
Mr Odinga said there were 1.2 million dead voters in the register and were allowed to “vote”.
“Some people who had died resurrected on the voting day and went to the polls then returned to their graves after voting,” said Mr Odinga.
He asked the crowds to join him in condemning Mr Kivuitu and support his call for the former commissioners not to get a send-off package.
However, the Nation learnt that a budget to be approved by the Cabinet had been prepared to offer the ex-commissioners a hefty send-off package.
The PM praised the Kibera youth for coming to his rescue during the post- election violence when they made the country ungovernable, thereby forcing negotiations for the current Coalition Government.
“When you uprooted the railway line, it sent a strong message that things were getting out of hand and even Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni asked for my help to restore order,” he added.
He was speaking at a rally in Kibera after touring the area. Mr Odinga told the people that he accepted to negotiate and have the victory shared because of the lives that were being lost in the process.
The PM turned the heat on the media, which he accused of trying to implicate him in corruption.
“My record is clean and I am as white as snow. I will not accept to work with corrupt people or condone a government that is infested by corruption,” Mr Odinga said.
The residents interrupted Mr Odinga’s speech when he touched on the slum upgrading programme as they disagreed with him on the mortgage programme.
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/politics/-/1064/519712/-/yhdir3z/-/index.html
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Charge Kibor Or Release Him, Raila Tells Police
Kennedy Masibo And Wanjiru Macharia
26 February 2008
Mr Odinga accused the police of persecuting Mr Kibor and said if they were serious they would prefer charges against him or release him.
"They have been holding him since last Wednesday and have not preferred any charges against him," Mr Odinga said outside the Rift Valley Provincial Criminal Investigations Department offices in Nakuru Town.
He was accompanied by several Members of Parliament, including the party's interim chairman, Mr Henry Kosgey.
The ODM leader had arrived in Nakuru early in the morning and sought audience with Provincial Police Officer Joseph Ashamalla.
Later, he also talked to Provincial Criminal Investigations Officer Mohammed Amin.
While speaking to Mr Amin, Mr Odinga's team asked to see Mr Kibor but had to wait for more than two hours before he arrived under the escort of CID officers.
It is said the politician was being held at Menengai Police station, over 20 kilometres from Nakuru Town.
Mr Odinga said the police had no excuse for failing to act on the matter.
"The police are overzealous in some cases but selectively apply the law in other cases," Mr Odinga said.
He said the ODM team was not there to prove Mr Kibor's innocence but challenged the police to prove their case.
Camping in Nakuru
Sources say the 73-year-old politician may face either murder or incitement charges.
Mr Kosgey wondered why the police should have investigated the case before arresting the suspect.
"Days of detention without trial are long gone. We are camping in Nakuru until the matter is resolved," Mr Kosgey said.
One of Mr Kibor's four lawyers, Mr Gordon Ogolla, claimed the police were confused as to whether to charge or release his client because they did not have any evidence against him.
Related:
Kibor: We will devide Kenya
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