Businessman Jimi Wanjimi came under a hail of stones from ODM supporters in Migori on September 17, 2021.

Businessman Jimmy Wanjingi came under a hail of stones in Migori Friday, when youths disrupted his roadside rally.

In a viral video, Wanjigi has just started addressing a roadside rally from the sunroof of a four-wheel-drive vehicle when youths started hurling stones at him.

He quickly tucked back before his convoy sped off, causing panic among his entourage and handlers.

“When I say ODM, say Fagia Wote (sweep all of them),” these are the remarks that seem to have infuriated a section of youth who hurled stones directly at him, missing him by a whisker.

Several ODM leaders and officials led by Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna condemned the incident.

“My office is in contact with the office in Migori for a full brief on reported cases of violence targeted at one of our members Mr. Jimmy Wanjigi. I have also tried to reach Mr. Wanjigi on phone to confirm he is OK. Full brief to follow,” he tweeted.

Wanjigi is advocating for democratic nominations in Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic (ODM) party, describing him as “old and tired.”

“Raila has fought for liberation for the last 30 or so years, so it is time he quits the stage,” Wanjigi was quoted as saying in one his public meetings.

Odinga is eying the presidency on his party, which has never held democratic nominations for the presidential ticket.

And that is what Wanjigi is now advocating for.

On Friday, Wanjigi kicked off his tour of Luo Nyanza, seen as the political bedrock of Odinga, the former Prime Minister.

Wanjigi was earlier scheduled to address a rally at Maranatha Faith Assemblies Church where Orange ODM supporters had started streaming in before it was disrupted.

Youths armed with crude weapons stormed the venue beating up party delegates who scampered for safety.

Majority of the delegates were injured during the fracas that left a trail of destruction in the church.

Police officers were forced to lob teargas to restore nomalcy.

Rev. Joshua Ater, a senior member of the church says they moved swiftly to terminate the contract they had with the ODM officials.

The youths were heard saying they won’t allow Wanjigi to have a meeting in Migori.

Wanjigi’s tour of the Nyanza region was opposed by a section of local party officials who accused him of organizing a tour without informing them.

He arrived in Kisumu on Thursday where he castigated party officials whom he said won’t intimidate him as he seeks to wrestle the ODM party ticket ahead of next year’s General Election.

He was expected to visit Siaya County on Saturday before winding his tour in Kisumu on Sunday where he is scheduled to attend a church service at Kibuye Catholic church. By Ojwang Joe, Capital News

By JULIUS MBALUTO

Kenya is among 8 countries to be removed from the red list , a UK’s Traffic light system of handling Covid-19 pandemic. Kenya will be removed from the red list on 22^nd September 2021, other countries including Turkey, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Maldives, Oman, Bangladesh & Kenya.  

The UK has also made changes. The Amber list classification has been scrapped and replaced with Red -list and Rest of the World classification.

PCR has also been discontinued for fully vaccinated UK residents from a green list country and replaced with lateral flow test which instance, also costing around £ 30. Results will be within an hour. This will happen before end of October.

Those who are unvaccinated will be facing challenges, will have to quarantine and do tests.

Ruto said he is ready for the talks and won't set any conditions because "President Uhuru Kenyatta is my boss and we were elected together." /FILE

Deputy President William Ruto has welcomed the Catholic Church offer to mediate the rift between him and President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Ruto said he is ready for the talks and won’t set any conditions because “President Uhuru Kenyatta is my boss and we were elected together.”

“Church leaders have said they want to reconcile us with the president, I am ready early in the morning with no condition because I respect the president. He is my boss,” Ruto said at his official residence in Karen on Thursday when he addressed a delegation.

He was responding to an offer by the Catholic Bishops to bring the two leaders together after months of an acrimonious relationship which Ruto and his allies blame on the president’s dalliance with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

“We are deeply concerned that if this open disagreement between the President and the Deputy President is taken up by their supporters, the trickle-down effect it could generate across the Country will be dire to even contemplate,” 23 bishops meeting in Nairobi under the banner of Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) told news reporters on Wednesday.

“In a young democracy like ours, it is important that there is unity among the top leaders as this gives confidence to the people,” the bishops who included Archbishops Anthony Muheria and Philip Anyolo said.

On Thursday, Ruto said he has no problem with the president, “It is some conmen who came in between us and spread a lot of propaganda and they started telling the president to put his Deputy aside.”

“But I have no problem, I am ready to work with the president to complete our agenda on the pledges we made to the people,” he said. 

Without mentioning names, Ruto said, “people who were not elected by the people cannot come and claim a share of the government.”

Last month, President Kenyatta urged the DP to resign instead of criticising the government he serves from within but Ruto has said he will not quit.

Differences between President Kenyatta and his Deputy Ruto escalated soon after the Head of State shook hands with Odinga in March 2018 when they buried the hatchet following a divisive election in 2017 in which the former PM claimed the vote was rigged in Kenyatta’s favour and even petitioned the Supreme Court which cancelled it and ordered a fresh election.

Odinga urged his supporters to boycott the vote and Kenyatta was declared the winner

After the handshake, Kenyatta and Odinga initiated a process to change the Constitution under the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) which they billed as a unity bid to end perennial conflicts during and after elections but the process was declared null and void by the High Court’s constitutional court, a decision upheld by the Court of Appeal. BBI proponents have filed a challenge at the Supreme Court.

Ruto has always been opposed to the bid to change the laws, terming it a waste of time.

In recent months, Ruto has been missing from key government meetings including recently a bilateral session between Kenya and Estonia at State House Nairobi where President Kenyatta was joined by several Cabinet Secretaries for official talks with President Kersti Kaljulaid.

This and many other signs are what led the bishops Wednesday to offer meditation.

The church leaders stated that the strained relationship between the two leaders poses a huge threat to the stability of the country as it edges closer to the 2022 general elections.

The bishops further called on President Kenyatta and his deputy to seek ways of reconciling of for the sake of the country and its citizens adding that they were ready to lead the talks between them to find ways of repairing their relationship.

The bishops further advise Kenyans to remain united and avoid being manipulated by the political leaders to engage in violence.

“We also call on all Kenyans to desist from following political leaders blindly. We must not allow ourselves to be manipulated by leaders to engage in violence or perpetuate negative ethnicity because we all belong to this one great Country called Kenya,” they said.