Dozens flock to village in Makueni to see “Virgin Mary rock”

A picture of an impression on a rock that residents in Katheka Village, Makueni County, claim is that of Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. PHOTO | SAMMY WAMBUA | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

By PIUS MAUNDU
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Dozens of people are flocking to a dam in Makueni County over an alleged appearance of Virgin Mary and baby Jesus on a rock.

Man to serve 10 years in jail for travelling to Somalia

Richard Baraza Wakachala leaves the Mandera Law Courts to start his 10-year prison sentence at the Mandera GK Prison. He pleaded guilty to charges of traveling to a terrorist-designated country with the intention of joining Al-Shabaab and failing to seek a valid travel permit into Somalia. PHOTO | MANASE OTSIALO | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• Mandera Resident Magistrate Duncan Mtai noted that the accused, by his own admission, intended to join Al-Shabaab.
• Mr Mtai said the accused’s conduct not only posed a danger to himself but also to national security.
• Wakachala has 14 days to appeal against the ruling.

By MANASE OTSIALO
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A 24-year-old man who claimed he intended to join Al-Shabaab after failing to get admission to university despite scoring an aggregate of A-minus is to serve 10 years in jail.

Rein in hate mongers now or regret in 2017

 

In Summary

• Everybody that was in Kenya during the carnage that followed the 2007 election will understand the danger of the use of force as a tool of political mobilisation.
• It is true that the body’s first aim should be to build social cohesion above all rather than to take up adversarial prosecutions.

By EDITORIAL

Chief Justice Willy Mutunga was blunt in his assessment of the possibility that the 2017 election may be marked by large-scale violence.

Why are Chinese the main builders of our roads?

Road construction in Samburu County, in Maralal town on October 5, 2015. Do you recall that the present government committed to constructing 10,000 km of roads by 2017? PHOTO | JOHNSTON KETI | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• I am also alive to the fact that Chinese firms are not only adept at constructing roads throughout Africa and elsewhere, but they are also winning contracts to construct high speed railways in the United States and the United Kingdom.
• Of the top six companies that have tendered for the construction of the Gichuru- Rironi Road, five are Chinese.
• I am told the Chinese deliver, almost without fail, on quality and timelines. Can Kenyans not deliver on the same? Look East, but remember all politics is local.

By KWENDO OPANGA
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Have you noticed that most road construction in Kenya today, and from the previous administration, is being undertaken by Chinese firms?

Do you recall that the present government committed to constructing 10,000 km of roads by 2017?

Will local firms, and those from other countries, partake in this boom?

Inside Raila’s strategy to challenge Uhuru’s powers

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga addresses residents of Nyakach on October 30, 2015. In the corridors of Jubilee power, Odinga is seen as having gone to court with the hope of soaring up his economic fortunes to finance his political machine. PHOTO | TOM OTIENO | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• Odinga’s recent political blitz against Kenyatta comes through as a throwback to the defunct campaign against the omnipotent “imperial presidency,” now gone with the wind.
• In this regard, Cord has invoked Montesquieu’s doctrine of separation of powers to make the point that the President is “invading” the independent powers of the legislative branch.
• In the corridors of Jubilee power, Odinga is seen as having gone to court with the hope of soaring up his economic fortunes to finance his political machine.

By PETER KAGWANJA
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On October 29, 2015, the Raila Odinga-led Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) went to the High Court, challenging the powers of President Uhuru Kenyatta in law-making under the new constitution.

It’s time Africa addressed her education woes

Students gather as they demonstrate against the increase in university fees at the University of Pretoria on October 21, 2015. The Fees Must Fall student protests in South Africa have highlighted the many challenges facing university education in Africa. PHOTO | AFP 

In Summary

• This is just one of a number of global knowledge inequalities that need to be eradicated.
• Higher education across Africa is booming. The number of students enrolled in tertiary education has increased from fewer than 200,000 in 1970 to around 10 million today.
• While African governments now invest around US$2,000 of public funding per student (more than the average for developing countries), this follows decades of underinvestment in which drives for education focused on primary and secondary learning.

By Nic Cheeseman
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By Dr Sarah Jane Cooper-Knock
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The Fees Must Fall student protests in South Africa have highlighted the many challenges facing university education in Africa.

On the whole, African universities are under funded and under staffed.

Why the board is mudslinging non-governmental organisations

Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru (left) at a past press conference. Ms Waiguru has deferred the decision of the NGO Board towards the de-registration of 959 non-compliant NGOs. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• The original announcement about the intended ban had claimed that the NGO sector injected Sh140 billion into the economy but that Sh23 billion could not be accounted for.
• A forensic audit of 10,000 entities spread around the country is a massive exercise, one that would take a large amount of time and would involve a significant financial outlay.
• We have been here before when, in April, following the Garissa University terrorist attack, the Inspector-General of Police announced a ban on 85 entities, for being associated with Al-Shabaab.

By GEORGE KEGORO
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Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru has deferred the decision of the NGO Board, which had earlier declared the commencement of a process towards the de-registration of 959 non-compliant NGOs, announcing that the de-registration will now not go on after the expiry of the 14-day deadline that had been provided.

Blogs & Opinion

Jubilee MPs ask Raila to stop politicising Eurobond saga

Deputy President William Ruto with Tana River Governor Hussein Dado, Garsen MP Ibrahim Sane and Kabete MP Ferdinand Waititu during the opening of police houses at Garsen Police Station. PHOTO | DPPS  

In Summary

• r Ruto urged communities in arid and semi-arid areas to take advantage of irrigation schemes in their regions.
• Tana River Governor Hussein Dado hailed the government initiatives aimed at improving the lives of pastoralists.

By DPPS
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Three MPs have accused Cord leader Raila Odinga of politicising the Eurobond saga for selfish gain.

National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale, Kabete MP Ferdinand Waititu and his Garsen

Russian plane carrying 224 crashes in Egypt's Sinai

Relatives react at Pulkovo international airport outside Saint Petersburg after a Russian plane with 224 people on board crashed in a mountainous part of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on October 31, 2015. AFP PHOTO | OLGA MALTSEVA 

In Summary

• State television reported that Prime Minister Ismail Sharif was headed to the accident scene.
• A senior Egyptian air traffic control official said the pilot told him in their last communication that he was having trouble with the radio system.

By AFP
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CAIRO

A Russian charter plane carrying 224 people crashed in a mountainous part of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula Saturday, killing all on board, Egyptian security and medical officials said.

Stung by hackers, government moves to standardise ICT systems

Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua speaking during the Sensitization of the heads of Departments in the public service headquarters on community policing at KICC on August 14, 2015. Joseph Kinyua has ordered state agencies and ministries to streamline their ICT systems in order check the rising cases of cybercrime. PHOTO | NJUGI NGUGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• Cases of redundancy, wastage and difficulties in sharing government data are also to blame for the current lack of standards in State-run platforms.
• The directive calls on all Cabinet and principal secretaries, as well as accounting officers to ensure compliance.
• The national ICT master-plan 2017 states that the government in 2011 spent 65 per cent of the amount on hardware as opposed to the global benchmark which stands at 18 per cent.

By LILIAN OCHIENG
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State agencies and ministries have been ordered to streamline their ICT systems with a view to check the rising cases of cybercrime.

IMF names Kenya among top 10 states exposed to the risks of portfolio flows

Money Markets

The electronic trading board at the Nairobi Securities Exchange. Foreigners have been net buyers of securities in the equities market. PHOTO | FILE 

By GEOFFREY IRUNGU

In Summary

• The report on the state of the economy of various countries categorises Kenya with Ghana, Mongolia and Serbia as facing the risk of the portfolio flows reversing.
• Among the risks are sudden depreciation of the local currency and the pass-through to import prices and overall inflation.
• The IMF warns that the portfolio flows come at the cost of sudden outflows, such as is expected when interest rates in the US rise in coming weeks.

Kenya is among the top 10 countries with large portfolio flows that expose them to changes in global investor risk appetites, says a new study by the International Monetary Fund.

Banks lose battle to stop class action suit at Supreme Court

KBA chief executive officer Habil Olaka (left) and Jared Osoro, the research and policy director, at a recent event. PHOTO | FILE 

By BRIAN WASUNA, bwasuna@ke.nationmedia.com

Posted  Friday, October 30   2015 at  12:27

In Summary

• The Kenya Bankers Association was seeking to terminate a case pitting banks against borrowers who are accusing them of charging interest rates without the Finance minister’s authority as required by law.
• Kenyan law requires lenders to seek the minister’s permission before increasing interest rates or other bank charges.
• The Supreme Court ruled that the issues the KBA had raised in its appeal had not been argued in the lower courts and could therefore not be canvassed in the top court.
• The ruling paves the way for hearing of the case to begin in earnest.

Commercial banks Thursday lost a last-ditch effort to terminate a potentially devastating class action suit pitting them against hundreds of borrowers who are seeking compensation for interest rates they claim were illegally charged on their loans.

Inflation rises to 6.72pc in October

Money Markets

A lady sells cereals at Nyeri market on April 13, 2015. Inflation in Kenya rose to 6.72 per cent year-on-year in October from 5.97 per cent a month earlier, the statistics office said on Friday. PHOTOS | FILE 

By REUTERS

Inflation in Kenya rose to 6.72 per cent year-on-year in October from 5.97 per cent a month earlier, the statistics office said on Friday.

Month-on-month inflation was 0.50 percent in October

Kenya to sell power to Uganda

Corporate News

Olkaria geothermal plant. Kenya is currently self-sufficient in power generation after more than 280 MW was added to the grid last year from various geothermal projects in the Rift Valley. PHOTO | FILE 

By CHRISTABEL LIGAMI, TEA Special Correspondent

In Summary

• The power will be transmitted through a new high voltage line linking the two nations. The grand 400KV regional electricity power exchange line will run from Olkaria in Kenya through Uganda to Birembo in Rwanda. Uganda and Kenya are already connected by older lines. The latest project will add to the new sections.
• This is a deal under the Northern Corridor Infrastructure Power pool, in which the three heads of state of Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda agreed that the country can start off with 30MW.
• The regional power pool will allow power transmission capacity of over 500MW in the three partner states and ensure reliable supply in the region.

Kenya will start exporting power to Uganda following the recent increase in production from geothermal sources.

M-Kopa firm in first energy investment in Tanzania

Duncan Onyango, Acumen East Africa director. PHOTO | FILE 

By SIMON CIURI

In Summary

• Social venture fund Acumen has teamed up with Opes Impact Fund, Persistent Energy Capital and Heri Africa to invest undisclosed amounts in Tanzania solar energy firm, Devergy.
• Acumen has also invested in solar energy in Kenya with a product called M-Kopa.

Social venture fund Acumen has teamed up with Opes Impact Fund, Persistent Energy Capital and Heri Africa to invest undisclosed amounts in Tanzania solar energy firm, Devergy.

The firm targets the rural population not served by the national grid.

Climate change and its effect on coffee

Of great concern is the emergence of the borer, triggered by rising temperatures.

Party unity in danger as NRM faces fallout from disputed primaries

Youthful NRM supporters show their support for President Yoweri Museveni. Primaries for his National Resistance Party were disorganised. FILE PHOTO | MORGAN MBABAZI |   NATION MEDIA GROUP

By GAAKI KIGAMBO

As Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni begins his campaigns for a fifth term in office, the National Resistance Movement fears that disputes arising from the internal elections held on October 27 could derail the party’s unity.

Kagame free to rule till 2034

Rwandan President Paul Kagame. PHOTO | FILE 

By JOHNSON KANAMUGIRE

In Summary

• Specifically, Rwandan legislators approved a standalone Article 172 in the draft constitution which will allow President Kagame to rule the country as long as he wishes.

Rwandan lawmakers have removed term limits for the President, allowing the incumbent to rule the country for the next 19 years ending in 2034, if he decides to contest in 2017.

How due diligence saved top Kenyan financier from a bad Imperial deal

Shareholders of the troubled Imperial Bank tried to sell it to a tier-1 Kenyan bank, but the deal fell through at the last minute. PHOTO | TEA GRAPHIC 

By ALLAN OLINGO

In Summary

• The tier-1 bank is said to have appointed a leading law firm that is owned by a member of the Asian community. After the due diligence, the Imperial bank shareholders never heard from the prospective buyer.
• What may not have been disclosed to the leading bank was that the shareholders were suspecting ‘unexplained losses’ of as much as $400 million.

Shareholders of the troubled Imperial Bank tried to sell it to a tier-1 Kenyan bank, but the deal fell through at the last minute when the prospective buyer suddenly cooled off following its own investigation of the bank’s viability.

Magufuli must embrace reform to save CCM

Tanzania's President-elect John Magufuli waves as he leaves after the official election announcement ceremony in Dar es Salaam October 30, 2015. PHOTO | DANIEL HAYDUK |  AFP

By DANIEL K. KALINAKI

In Summary

• Dr Magufuli will have to reform more, not less, to keep CCM in power.
• Many who voted for Dr Magufuli did so for the man, not the party.
• Having run on an image of honesty, many will be looking at the new president to address the grand corruption that has characterised the Kikwete decade.

Having won a very competitive election with the lowest margin by a candidate of the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM), it may be tempting for Tanzania’s president-elect, Dr John Pombe Magufuli to stonewall on electoral and political reforms that would weaken the party and the presidency.

Regulator slaps pay cap on NGO donor funds

NGOs Co-ordination Board Executive Director Fazul Mahamed Yusuf (center) briefs journalists at Co-operative House in Nairobi on December 16, 2014. Mr Mahamed has said that NGOs will not be allowed to spend more than 20 per cent of funding from donors on salaries. PHOTO | RAY OCHIENG | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• The directive came after it emerged that out of Sh140 billion that NGOs receive annually, about Sh70 billion goes to recurrent expenditure.
• For instance, the NGOs sector report for last year indicates that NGOs spent Sh10 billion on salaries, Sh26 billion on administrative costs, Sh2 billion on international staff salaries and Sh5 billion on other costs.
• Meanwhile, Cord co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka and Ahadi-Kenya Trust Chief Executive Stanley Kamau have gone to the board to clear their organisations.

By OUMA WANZALA
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Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) will not be allowed to spend more than 20 per cent of funding from donors on salaries, the regulator has said.

A proud witness on the sidelines of history in Jo’burg

Zukiswa Wanner is a South African journalist and novelist currently living in Nairobi. Photo/FILE 

In Summary

• Upon arrival in Johannesburg last week on Wednesday, I went to Wits to find out what the students were fighting about. The document of demands that I saw was nothing but revolutionary.
• In my mind, I immediately apologised for all the time I have accused this continent’s youngsters born after 1990 of being individualistic and worse, writing e-mails in SMS language.

By ZUKISWA WANNER
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The invitation came telephonically in September. Would I be free to facilitate a book launch for Panashe Chigumadzi’s debut novel, Sweet Medicine and take part in the Es’kia Mphahlele colloquium at University of Witwatersrand? I said yes to both.

Married people more likely to bounce back after surgery: study

People who are married are more likely to bounce back after heart surgery than those who are divorced, separated or widowed, US researchers said Wednesday.PHOTO | FILE 

In Summary

• Going into surgery, the married participants already tended to be healthier than their counterparts.
• And after surgery, "marital status was significantly associated with death or a new functional disability," said the study.
• "Participants who were divorced, separated, or widowed had an approximately 40 percent greater odds of dying or developing a new functional disability during the first two years after cardiac surgery compared with the married participants."

By AFP
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People who are married are more likely to bounce back after heart surgery than those who are divorced, separated or widowed, US researchers said Wednesday.

NUTRITION: Diet after cancer

Clinical nutritionist Sona Parmar Mukherjee on what to eat and what to avoid after being treated for cancer. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• Garlic contains sulphur compounds that help deal with toxins and free radicals, while seeds like sesame and sunflower are rich in selenium, vitamin E, calcium and zinc, which are rich anti-oxidants.
• Sunflower seeds also contain pectin, which removes toxins and heavy metals from the body.

By SONA PARMAR MUKHERJEE
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The survival rate for breast cancer is very reassuring – once the tumour is removed, many women go on to live pretty healthy lives.

Pakistan seek series win as farewell gift for Misbah

Pakistan's Misbah Ul Haq plays a shot during the first day of the second Test cricket match between Pakistan and England in Dubai on October 22, 2015. PHOTO | MARWAN NAAMANI |   AFP

In Summary

• The 41-year-old quit one-day cricket after the World Cup earlier this year

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SHARJAH

Pakistan's third and final Test against England from Sunday could be a fitting farewell for Misbah-ul-Haq, the country's most successful captain who is mulling his Test future.

Nico Rosberg bounces back to top Mexican GP practice

German driver Nico Rosberg of Mercedes AMG Petronas is seen during the first practice of the F1 Mexico Grand Prix at the Hermanos Rodriguez racetrack in Mexico City on October 30, 2015. PHOTO | RONALDO SCHEMIDT |   AFP

In Summary

• Brazilian Felipe Massa was 10th in the second Williams.
• Hamilton was also among the spinners as the conditions changed from wet to damp to dry and then wet again, when it rained in the closing stages.

By AFP
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MEXICO CITY

Nico Rosberg bounced back from his disappointment in Texas last Sunday to top the times in Friday afternoon's second free practice for Sunday's Mexican Grand Prix, the first in the city for 23 years.

Don’t pester Uhuru and Ruto, Duale tells Raila

Majority Leader in the National Assembly Aden Duale addressing journalists at Parliament Buildings on October 7, 2015. Mr Duale has told Cord leader Raila Odinga to stop seeking the President and Deputy President’s attention. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• Mr Duale told journalists at Parliament Buildings Friday that he would continue responding to Mr Odinga because he is the Majority Leader and is recognised in the Constitution.
• Mr Duale told Mr Odinga that the only way he can engage Parliament is through National Assembly Leader of Minority Francis Nyenze and his Senate counterpart Moses Wetang’ula.

By JOHN NGIRACHU
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National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale has told Cord leader Raila Odinga to stop seeking the President and Deputy President’s attention.

Kenya Power unveils plan to invest Sh109bn in grid upgrade

Kenya Power Managing Director Ben Chumo (second left) with Chairman Kenneth Marende during the release of the results for the financial year ended June 30, 2015 at the Stanley Hotel on October 30, 2015. The utility firm plans to invest Sh109 billion within the next four years to expand its national grid network and help eliminate electricity losses. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• About Sh9 billion of the funds will be sourced internally while the balance will be in form of loans from both commercial banks and bilateral lenders such as the African Development Bank and the World Bank.
• Kenya Power General Manager, Finance Ken Tarus disclosed the investment plan Friday while presenting the company’s financial results for the year ended June 30.
• The utility company posted a six per cent rise in net profit to Sh7.43 billion for the year ending June 30. Net earnings for the previous year stood at Sh6.99 billion.

By IMMACULATE KARAMBU
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Kenya Power plans to invest Sh109 billion within the next four years to expand its national grid network and help eliminate electricity losses.

Blogs & Opinion

GE, AMI to host media training on energy and infrastructure

President Uhuru Kenyatta speaks during the CNN MultiChoice Africa Journalist media awards that were held at Kenyatta International Convention Centre on October 10, 2015. General Electric, which sponsored the CNN awards' energy and infrastructure category, has partnered with the African Media Initiative to train East Africa journalists on energy and infrastructure. PHOTO | PSCU | NATION MEDIA GROUP  

African Media Initiative (AMI) and General Electric (GE) have partnered to boost media coverage in Africa of Energy and Infrastructure issues.

High interest rates to affect Britam’s share earnings

Britam Managing Director Benson Wairegi. He said the company's 2015 earnings per share "may not perform very well" given the rise in interest rates. FILE PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• Britam has promised to foot the pension funds audit fees, levies paid to the Retirement Benefits Authority and its own administrative fees charged as the trustee.
• A member will receive up to 15 per cent of the funds deposited.

By OTIATO GUGUYU
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British American Investment Company (Britam) has said the 2015 earnings per share "may not perform very well" given the rise in interest rates, the weakening of the shilling and the poor performance of equities at the Nairobi Securities Exchange.