A photo of former President Uhuru Kenyatta and Waita Nzioka PULSE KENYA
Former State House Chief of Staff and Head of Uhuru's Presidential Delivery Unit Nzioka Waita has announced his exit from politics in his new year message to the people of Machakos county.
Waita, who took to social media to declare his next move, stated he will be focusing on his personal and professional growth.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta signs the Military Veterans Bill into Law on June 15, 2022. FILE
“You ignored the insults, the juvenile propaganda, and voted for me in spite of the fact that I didn’t speak fluent Kikamba. For this, I am eternally grateful.
We did well, we hammered seasoned politicians at the ballot & put the fear of God in the old order by putting the people first,” Waita affirmed through his official Twitter account.
He was, however, quick to state that his loss was allegedly out of “weaknesses of institutions” tasked to run and oversee elections in the country.
“With elections behind us now, I can only pray for those in leadership to lead fairly and to fulfil the development needs of the County,” he added.
Additionally, he urged the youth not to allow anything to stand between them and what they believe in.
“I will continue to contribute to our nation’s development and well-being as a private citizen. I take this opportunity to wish you all a very Prosperous and Blessed 2023,” Waita added.
In October, the then Interior CS Dr Fred Matiang'i and Waita accompanied Kenyatta to the 3rd Ministerial Review and Performance Retreat in Abuja, Nigeria.
A photo of Nzioka Waita on the campaign trail before the August 9, General Elections NZIOKA WAITA ON TWITTER, By Sam Abuya, Kenyans.co.ke
META-owned platform, WhatsApp will stop working on a total of 49 smartphones this year. WhatsApp routinely ends support for older Android smartphones and iPhones. These devices are usually old and outdated devices that have long stopped receiving regular software and security updates and are no longer secure enough to use. As is customary, WhatsApp is ending support for a whole bunch of devices this year as well.
According to a report by GizChina, this year’s list includes around 50 smartphones including the ones from companies such as Samsung, Apple, Sony and Huawei. The report says that WhatsApp will stop working for a total of 49 devices starting December 31, 2022.
First, the Meta-owned messaging app will stop releasing new features, features updates and bug fixes for these smartphones. After some time, the company will completely end support for these smartphones.
Once that happens, users of these smartphones will no longer be able to send messages or make audio or video calls using WhatsApp’s platform.
Below are the some of the smartphones that WhatsApp will stop supporting starting from December 31: Apple (Apple iPhone 5 and Apple iPhone 5c); Samsung (Samsung Galaxy Ace 2; Samsung Galaxy Core; Galaxy S2; Galaxy S3 mini; Galaxy Trend II; Galaxy Trend Lite and Galaxy Xcover 2); Sony (Xperia Arc S; Xperia miro and Xperia Neo L).
Others are LG (Enact, Lucid 2, Optimus 4X HD, Optimus F3, Optimus F3Q and others). Huawei (Ascend D, Ascend D1, Ascend D2, Ascend G740, Ascend Mate and Ascend P1).
The others are Memo ZTE V956; HTC Desire 500; Quad XL; Lenovo A820; Archos 53 Platinum; Grand S Flex ZTE; Grand X Quad V987 ZTE; Wiko Cink Five and Wiko Darknight ZT. By Adeyemi Adepetun, The Guardian
Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya leader Raila Odinga says he is not bitter that he lost the August 9, 2022 presidential election to President William Ruto.
He says that his dissatisfaction with the polls outcome is motivated by his belief that the election was not free and fair.
Speaking on Citizen Television on Tuesday, December 27, Raila said: “Kenyans elected their leaders, from MCAs all the way to the president. The process was fairly smooth, people turned up and voted. The only issue that went wrong was the management of the presidential election.”
According to Raila, the chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Wafula Chebukati singlehandedly picked the winner of the presidential polls.
“It’s unfortunate that the chairman of the commission divided the commission, and went ahead to declare results that he only knows where he got them from. For two days, they (IEBC) had stopped the portal that displayed [presidential] results [at the Bomas of Kenya]. At the time, results from 29 constituencies hadn’t been received.
“I am not bitter, because the [presidential] election isn’t for Raila Odinga, but it’s for Kenyans. We want an audit of these results so that Kenyans can have confidence in the IEBC ahead of the 2027 and subsequent elections,” he said.
Asked whether he will be on the ballot paper in 2027, the ODM boss was noncommittal.
“I’m not talking about running for president. I am concerned about what happened [in the August 9, 2022 presidential election]. I want the [electoral] systems to be cleaned up.
“I don’t have to run for president in 2027. If I don’t run, somebody else would. But I haven’t said I won’t run.”
Should he decide to run for presidency in the 2027, then it would be the ODM boss’s sixth stab at the presidency.
He will be 82 years old at the time. - Brian Okoth, The Standard
Azimio la Umoja - One Kenya coalition leader Raila Odinga insists that his victory was stolen in the August presidential election and IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati should be held accountable for allegedly bungling the poll.
Speaking during an interview with a local TV station on Tuesday, December 28, the ODM party leader said Chebukati should be prosecuted for allegedly overseeing electoral fraud and jailed for the same.
Raila made the remarks while defending four embattled commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) under probe over their conduct during the August presidential election.
The four commissioners, led by then Vice Chairperson Juliana Cherera, Justus Nyang’aya, Irene Masit and Francis Wanderi rejected the results announced by Chebukati on grounds that the final tally was "opaque".
Raila said the commissioners were justified to differ with the IEBC chairman following the manner in which the final tally was conducted, claiming the chairman committed a great "crime against humanity".
"In my view, Mr Chebukati is a criminal who should be prosecuted and sentenced to jail. What he has committed is a great crime against humanity and the people of this country. I strongly believe that he (Chebukati) and not the other four Commissioners should be in the dock," Raila told Citizen TV in an interview aired on Tuesday night.
Cherera, Wanderi and Nyang'aya have since resigned citing lack of confidence in the tribunal led by High Court Judge Aggrey Muchelule. Only Masit has been represented in the hearings of the tribunal.
According to Raila, the presidential campaigns and the activities on the polling day were conducted in a satisfactory manner, save for what he termed as vote rigging at the national tallying centre at Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi.
“Kenyans voted effectively and the process was fairly smooth, the only issue was to do with presidential elections and this was messed up at the tallying centre,” Raila said.
“For the first time, Kenyans saw an electoral commission that was divided, not in the middle, but four out of seven commissioners disputed the results, meaning a majority of the commissioners said the results were not a reflection of how Kenyans had voted,” he added.
Raila hits out at Supreme Court
Raila also faulted the Supreme Court for dismissing his petition challenging the election of William Ruto as Kenya's fifth President, saying the ruling was a big blow to the country's democratic space.
“It is a tragedy of justice and it was an even bigger tragedy when the Supreme Court confirmed that blatant kind of rigging of elections," the ODM boss said.
“I am not bitter because the elections are not for Raila Odinga, it is for Kenyans. We want an audit of these results so that Kenyans can have confidence come 2027 that they can go to the polls, cast their votes and that their votes will count,” he added.
On claims that Azimio lost the country's top seat over disorganization and failure to deploy agents across the country, Raila said: "You need not have agents. Why should you have to pay agents in all 46,229 polling stations? It is a misnomer, it is something which should not happen. The Commission failed Kenyans and they have continued to fail Kenyans. The blame should be directed where it belongs. Our votes were stolen at the tallying centre not at the polling station. There was nothing wrong on our side. Our campaign was one of the best and the most organised campaign throughout."
Raila also defended former President Uhuru Kenyatta against claims of betrayal in the August poll, saying he got overwhelming support from the former Head of State's Central backyard.
"Uhuru was not supposed to be campaigning for me. I am a politician in my own right and I am capable of campaigning and winning elections and he knows it. He did not use his position as the incumbent President to swing the results in my favour. He didn't use the security forces, he did not give instructions to the police, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), or (the) Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to support me in any way," he said.
"I got a lot of votes in Uhuru’s backyard and that is where most rigging was done. I want to thank the people of Central Kenya for voting for me the way they did. I am very grateful to them for doing that." By Wycliffe Nyamasege, K24
Public Service CS, Aisha Jumwa, (right) and her bodyguard Geoffrey Otieno Okuto in court. TWITTER
The family of Ngumbao Jola, the murdered man in the case involving Public Service Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa and her bodyguard, rendered a prayer to the court requesting the bodyguard's acquittal from the case.
Reports indicated that the family had earlier expressed their doubts in their pursuit of justice for their slain kin. In a formal request, the family sought the release of Jumwa's bodyguard, Geoffrey Okuto.
Their scepticism about the endgame of the case was evident as per the remarks made by the members of Jola's family.
Consequently, they found it fit to relinquish their pursuit of justice and noted that they would "leave the matter to God".
People outside the Kilifi Law Courts on November 27, 2018 TWITTER THE JUDICIARY KENYA
They added that their poor status made them fear for their safety and hence added to their reasons for withdrawing from the case.
“We are mourning with bitterness because of the death and if there is God in heaven we leave it to Him," one of the deceased's kin stated in an interview with The Standard.
The development came weeks after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) dropped CS Jumwa from the case and instead adopted her as a key witness in the case.
Consequently, the bodyguard was charged alone in a fresh case for the murder of Jola.
In the event the case continued, CS Jumwa was lined up to testify as a state witness against her bodyguard in the case.
"In consideration of the oral application made by the ODPP in November, followed by a letter from Coast Region Coordinator Hassan Abdi, now tabled in court Jumwa is hereby discharged from a murder suspect to a state witness," the High Court ruled.
The dropping of Aisha Jumwa's case by the DPP was one of the cases against prominent individuals dropped since the ascension of the Kenya Kwanza administration to power.
Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji addresses the media on Thursday, March 5, 2020. SIMON KIRAGU KENYANS.CO.KE
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Former President Uhuru Kenyatta signs the Military Veterans Bill into Law on June 15, 2022. FILE
A photo of Nzioka Waita on the campaign trail before the August 9, General Elections NZIOKA WAITA ON TWITTER, By Sam Abuya, Kenyans.co.ke
