East Africa

Details: East Africa; 13 June 2022; 930

Wiper Machakos governorship candidate Wavinya Ndeti. [File, Standard]

Photo Courtesy

Wiper Democratic Movement Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka has promised to have Machakos Wiper governorship candidate Wavinya Ndeti and Chama Cha Uzalendo candidate Nzioka Waita agree on who should step down for whom.

This, as it was clear who his preferred candidate was.

Kalonzo was speaking during Azimio La Umoja Coalition public rally addressed by Presidential Candidate Raila Odinga at Masinga in Machakos County yesterday (Sunday).

He said that he would speak to Waita to step down for Wavinya since she is the most popular candidate on the ground.

He urged Waita not to emulate Kavaluku’s political strategies. [Kavaluku (Rabbit) is the nickname for the outgoing Governor Alfred Mutua in reference to his shifting and, at times, bewildering political moves].t two general elections emerging second behind Governor Alfred Mutua and that if no agreement is reached, the seat might go to Kenya Kwanza Alliance.

“I will be reaching out to my sister Wavinya Ndeti and my brother Nzioka Waita so that they reach an agreement for one of them to go for the Machakos Governorship seat. We cannot afford to lose the Machakos governorship due to friendly fire,” said Kalonzo.

Wavinya served as Kathiani MP after being elected in the 2007 general election and served as an Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Youth Affairs. After losing to Mutua in the 2017 election, President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed her as the Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of Transport.

She resigned recently to run for Machakos governor.

Chama Cha Uzalendo Machakos governorship candidate Nzioka Waita who Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka wants to step down in favour of his party's Wavinya Ndeti. [File, Standard]

Waita served as State House Chief of Staff and Head of Presidential Delivery Unit before resigning to vie for Machakos Governorship seat. He previously worked as Corporate Affairs Director at Safaricom Limited which he joined in 2001 as a legal officer.

The former Vice President said that the Wiper Democratic Party had fielded strong candidates for various seats in Machakos, Makueni and Kitui counties and would be leading talks among the Azimio Coalition parties to ensure that they identified the most popular candidates to run.

Kalonzo said that the Kamba nation needed to speak with one voice in order to have a formidable bargaining power should Azimio form the next government since he had carried out fruitful negotiations where community interests are well catered for.

He dismissed leaders from the Akamba community who were “misleading” the locals to support Kenya Kwanza Alliance which he said did not have any interests of the community. By Edwin Nyarangi, The Standard.

Details: East Africa; 13 June 2022; 810

By JULIUS MBALUTO

Asylum Aid had gone to Court of Appeal in the UK to stop the deportations of refugees from the UK to Rwanda. The case has started in London and many wait to hear the final word and last decision to determine whether the first group of 31 refugees will be deported to Rwanda from the UK.

Royal Court of Justice is hearing from the case, the legal challenge to block the British government's controversial policy to deport refugees to Rwanda. Charities against the deportation have called the policy, immoral, dangerous and inhuman and want it stopped.

The move to deport asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda has also been condemned by UNHCR. Under the policy, all those who arrive in the UK illegally will be given one way ticket to Rwanda for processing and settlement.

Details: East Africa; 12 June 2022; 923

Ms Jackie Nabatanzi was arrested as she covered the Uganda National Agricultural Education Show at Jinja Showground, and immediately taken into custody at Nalufenya Police Station. PHOTO/COURTESY

What you need to know:

Mr Robert Ssempala, the executive director of Uganda Human Rights Network for Journalists [UHRNJ], urged the Police to be professional when handling Ms Nabatanzi’s matter.

A journalist attached to Kiira FM in Jinja City has been arrested in connection to last month’s murder of a businessman, while several other scribes are being sought as persons of interest.

Ms Jackie Nabatanzi was at around 3pm on Saturday arrested as she covered the Uganda National Agricultural Education Show at Jinja Showground, and immediately taken into custody at Nalufenya Police Station where she was still being detained by press time.

Ms Nabatanzi’s arrest comes after Jinja businessman, Shaban Malole, was on the night of May 14 shot dead by unknown assailants who were travelling on a motorcycle.

What we know so far about Jinja businessman shot dead at weekend

The deceased, a resident of Buwera East, Buwenge Rural Sub-county in Jinja District, was at the centre of a 900-acre family land wrangle belonging to the estate of his late father, Hajji Sulaiman Malole, located at Kituba Village, Kisozi Sub-county, Kamuli District.

Until his death, Mr Malole was in support of his family’s efforts to lease the land to an investor for 40 years to construct a sugar factory, a move his siblings said was aimed at locking them out of their father’s estate.

The Kiira region Police Spokesperson, Mr James Mubi, in the aftermath of the shooting, said the deceased was attacked at his home, shot at by unidentified gunmen who were reportedly traveling on motorcycle and died on the spot.

Over 10 people have since been arrested, including family members and residents, and are being detained in Kampala and Nalufenya.

Ms Milly Tibigwayo, who works with Apex FM, and was with Ms Nabatanzi at the time of her arrest, said Ms Nabatanzi received a call in the middle of a press conference at one of the stalls within the showground, and excused herself.

“Immediately after she stepped out, she was surrounded by Policemen who accused her of being in possession of a stolen phone and whisked her to Nalufenya Police Station, initially on that charge.

“But at the Police Station, the story changed to using her phone to call somebody who was eventually shot dead. Police said they believe she was the last person who called the deceased,” Ms Tibigwayo said.

Mr Shaban Malole, a resident of Buwera East, Buwenge Rural Sub-county in Jinja District, who is one of Hajji Malole’s children, was on Saturday night fatally shot by unidentified assailants traveling on a motorcycle. PHOTO/ COURTESY

However, Ms Nabatanzi, according to Ms Tibigwayo, maintains her innocence, saying a colleague from Baba FM used her phone to place the call to the deceased after he reportedly ran out of airtime.

Mr Abbey Mwase, a councilor for Jinja City Southern Division and chairperson of Jinja Tenants’ Association, was detained a week earlier as another person of interest in the gruesome murder.

For his part, Mr Mwase is being accused of hiring the car that transported the journalists to the deceased’s Village on that fateful day, prior to a meeting the following day to solve the family impasse over land.

Asked why Ms Nabatanzi is being detained at Nalufenya Police Station, Mr Mubi asked: “What is wrong?” He then declined to further comment on the matter.

Calls, especially from the media fraternity in Jinja, to have Ms Nabatanzi, who is said to be seven months pregnant, released are gaining momentum, with journalists vowing to storm Nalufenya Police Station to demand for her unconditional release.

Mr Robert Ssempala, the executive director of Uganda Human Rights Network for Journalists [UHRNJ], urged the Police to be professional when handling Ms Nabatanzi’s matter.

“When Police are doing their investigations, they should be professional and also consider the fact that journalists can talk to people and what happens in their professional life should not be linked to what happens in their sources’ lives,” he said. By Philip Wafula, Daily Monitor

Details: East Africa; 13 June 2022; 768

TSP leader Mwangi Kiunjuri during a Kenya Kwanza campaign in Tharaka on June 10, 2022. MWANGI KIUNJURI

The Service Party leader Mwangi Kiunjuri has elicited debate over his remarks where he heaped praise on the rival team, the Azimio la Umoja coalition.

Speaking during a rally in Nyandarua county on Sunday, June 12, he advocated for the vote-rich Mt Kenya region to elect leaders from the central region in order to safeguard their interests.

The Kenya Kwanza principal urged his colleagues in the coalition to emulate Azimio's planning style, noting that the openness had made the Raila-Odinga-faction grassroots level amass massive popularity.

The Service of Party leader Mwangi Kiunjuri during a rally in Nyandarua county on Sunday, June 12.

FACEBOOK MWANGI KIUNJURI

"In our coalition of Kenya Kwanza, you notice we are always fighting each other, but the other side in Azimio - they have planned their government. They know who will be who and what everyone. However, in Kenya Kwanza even insiders like myself are not aware of what is happening," the former Agriculture CS noted.

In what is perceived as a slip of the tongue, Kiunjuri went ahead to refer to Azimio as his coalition, urging the Nyandarua residents to support their bid.

This, however, raised an eyebrow from TSP politicians who seemed astonished at the remarks.

"As leaders of the country within Azimio, we have decided that Mt Kenya will elect the best leaders across all counties including Nyandarua, Laikipia and Meru. This is because those leaders will vouch for our interests in parliament."

"The leaders of the mountain need to be keen as we have alienated ourselves. If you look closely, other people have secured their interests in their specific region while we fight amongst ourselves. When we fight, the others take advantage and divide the wealth of this country," he stated.

Efforts by Kenyans.co.ke to reach Kiunjuri for clarification were futile as our calls went unanswered.

Over the recent past, leaders have been on a six-piece pattern to Kenyans in a bid to safeguard their interests in the subsequent government.

Recently, Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi was captured on video complaining that UDA fielded candidates within his home turf in the Western region. The leader urged the Vihiga residents to vote for candidates drawn from his party.

"Let me ask you this since we are in a coalition with Ruto, we are all at the top of the government. But let me ask you, are the people from Sugoi going to elect a Member of Parliament from ANC?" Mudavadi pondered.

Former Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri (left) and President Uhuru Kenyatta during a past press briefing in 2020. PSCU By Brian Kimani Kenyans.co.ke

Details: East Africa; 12 June 2022; 820

Photo collage between Ramesh Vala and Gurajat village FILE

Ramesh Vala, a Kenyan-born philanthropist who grew up in Ngara, Nairobi, made headlines for his kind venture that changed the fate of a whole village in India.

The Kenyan-born Briton, who was one of the recipients of the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) during Queen Elizabeth II's 2022 Birthday, raised Ksh51 million in record a four hours that was used to rebuild a village of 335 homes, as well as three schools.

This was during the January 26, 2001 earthquake in the Gujarat region of India that left families homeless and kids without schools.

File photo of Ramesh Vala INCE

The London School of Economics graduate started school at Nairobi River Primary before completing his A-levels at Jamhuri High School, where he was recognised as the top all-round student.

According to Ince London, a company in which he is listed as a consultant, Ramesh has devoted his life to changing the lives of different people all over the world.

The company noted that Ramesh has raised over Ksh 277 million towards helping different people in the world.

"His fundraising experience includes climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya (twice), running the London and New York marathons, numerous half-marathons, cycling from Nairobi (Kenya) to Ngorongoro Crater (Tanzania)," a statement by Ince read in part.

In one of his charity ventures, Ramesh cycled from Nairobi to the Ngorongoro Crater, covering 263km in three and a half days.

He used the expedition to raise Ksh29 million which he channeled towards saving 15,000 children in Nairobi.

In a previous interview, Ramesh revealed that when his mother passed, he became the sole provider for his family and thus developed the virtue of kindness.

Other than being feted by the Queen, Ramesh has also been recognised by the Indian government for his philanthropic acts.

"In addition to his CBE, Ramesh has been nominated for various awards, including the prestigious Dadabhai Naoroji Award inaugurated by the last coalition Government to honour those who have helped to improve UK/India relationships," Ince described him.

"I take this opportunity to reaffirm my continued commitment to working tirelessly to serve the public and the communities in which I live and balancing this with my professional life," Ramesh stated after being honoured by the UK.

File photo of Ramesh Vala NMG