Al shabaab can interefere with electronic voting system, CS Mucheru says

ICT CS Joe Mucheru.

ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru on Thursday based the state's push for alternative manual voting system on fears of al Shabaab interference with the 2017 poll.

Mucheru, while appearing before the senate committee on legal affairs chaired by Amos Wako (Busia), defended the government's plan to amend election laws.

"We are at war with al Shabaab who are known to interfere with communication systems . The Ministry fully recommends manual back up system," he said.

He said that the option of manual system was viable not only because of terrorism but also for reasons related to challenge in the country's telecommunication infrastructure.

Mucheru said technology has failed even in the best of countries, adding that network failure and hacking can actually happen.

The CS said Kenyans will not wait for two days for the systems to be brought back in the event that the same collapses during the August 8 vote.

"I support full electronic process in future but we also need a back-up. We need an optional system," he said.

Mucheru said technology will not be used to violate the rights of other Kenyans.

"Cartels are trying to use technology to frustrate Kenyans. We have realized early enough and the same technology will be used to control all that," he said.

He said during voter register verification, voters will present themselves physically, adding that "this will guarantee a clean register."

"We'll ensure we have better systems that work faster, create transparency and are cheaper," he said.

But Mombasa senator Hassan Omar refuted Mucheru's al Shabaab claims saying, "it is a mediocre reasoning which is dangerous at this time".

Mucheru was before the committee to explain why Kenya must have manual back up in the next general elections.

This comes days after the National Assembly passed election laws that would allow a manual back up during the elections.

The changes, which significantly alter the Elections Laws (Amendments) Act 2016, have been opposed by Cord leaders and members of the opposition.

But Jubilee has said the manual voting system should be in place just in case technology fails.

The contentious election law arose from a negotiated agreement reached between Cord and Jubilee, that ended the anti-IEBC protests.

A Joint Select Committee on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, led by Senators James Orengo (Siaya) and Kiraitu Murungi (Meru), midwifed the law.

In the current circumstances, Cord may have to shelve its plans for mass action which have been set for same date.

Speaker Ethuro orders police to withdraw from parliament as senators debate election laws

Police barricade in parliament buildings Nairobi before they were ordered to leave. 

Senate speaker Ekwe Ethuro on Wednesday ordered police officers deployed to parliament to withdraw from the precincts ahead of the debate on amendments to election law.

This was after senators, both from Cord and Jubilee, complained over the presence of police around parliament buildings, saying it was in breach of parliamentary privileges.

Making the ruling, the speaker said: "The police were not brought to create fear in the way we carry out duties in the parliament,"

"I am going to direct the police and tell them we do not need them...we don't need them, they are not welcomed here," Ethuro said.

Ethuro said he would expect the police to facilitate access to the building rather than deny members rights to freely get into the August House.

"There was no cause for me to call for police action because the members of this house for the last four years have conducted themselves in a good matter," he said.

The speaker directed the chairman of National security to investigate under what circumstances police came to parliament.

"This is not a police state. We are a democratic country," the speaker said.

The legislators were meeting to consider controversial changes made to the electoral laws as adopted by the National Assembly on December 21.

Before the ruling, Khalwale questioned Ethuro on why the police were stationed outside parliament buildings.

"I have been denied access to this house...police dogs have barked at me...we have anti-riot police and all roads have been barricaded," Khalwale said.

"Has Parliament been held captive by the executive? Why have police barricaded roads near Parliament. We want to know why?" he asked.

His Siaya counterpart James Orengo asked if the closure of roads was from the orders of the speaker.

"When parliament is meeting, nothing should appear as if they is any interference...when I had an argument with the police, they told me there is no coming in with cars," he said.

Nominated senator Janet Ongera said: "We were not allowed to come with our cars...we want a clarification whether the executive has taken over,"

George Khaniri of Vihiga said he travelled overnight only to be denied access to the building.

"I stand with a heavy heart. I left my house at 5pm and travelled through the night only to get here and be blocked. These is ridiculous and unacceptable," he said.

"I have never seen anything like this before... this is an important house and they must be given full access to parliament."

Bungoma senator Moses Wetangula said they want to debate without fear and they should be protected from the officers.

"We come here and it looks like we are a state of conflict...this is not the way we conduct business we want to speak without fear," he said.

Meru senator Kiraitu Murungi said the house is a dignified house that they do not need restrictions.

"I share the concerns of members but under the police act it is the duty of police to protect Kenyans and their property.. it is their duty to ensure senators access parliament," he said.

"...they also have a duty to clear the roads for us."

Murungi further said he had an issue regarding the summoning of the special sitting session.

"Next time you call for a special sitting Mr Speaker, the business should be urgent and exceptional," Murungi added.

Police officers take their positions ahead of the election laws debate by senators on Wednesday, December 28. 

But Elgeyo Marakwet Kipchumba Murkomen said the senators should not complain about the police but themselves.

"We must condemn ourselves and our actions first before we condemn the police," he said, before the assigned police officers left their posts.

Read: Election laws: Anxiety as Senate decides

The changes, which significantly alter the Elections Laws (Amendments) Act 2016, have been opposed by Cord leaders and members of the opposition.

Opposition leaders Raila Odinga, Musalia Mudavadi, Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetang'ula have opposed the changes.

Jubilee has said the manual voting system should be in place just in case technology fails.

The contentious election law arose from a negotiated agreement reached between Cord and Jubilee that ended the anti-IEBC protests.

A Joint Select Committee on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, led by Senators James Orengo (Siaya) and Kiraitu Murungi (Meru), midwifed the law.

If the Senate endorses the changes and President Uhuru Kenyatta assents the bill into law, the IEBC will have powers to use a manual voting system.

Raila said the changes must be rejected as it would create room for dead voters “participating” in the 2017 general election.

The Kriegler Commission of Inquiry largely blamed the 2008 post-election violence on the use of a manual voting system and recommended major electoral reforms, among them the use of technology, in subsequent elections.

The determination by the Jubilee leadership to have the law in place saw Cord MPs walk out of the House in protest on Thursday, citing fears of plans to rig 2017 poll.

Cord has threatened mass action on January 4, 2017, if the President, whom they have accused of being behind the plot, signs the controversial changes into law.

The Senate however has room to either accept or reject changes passed by the National Assembly.

Read: Raila gives Uhuru nine-day ultimatum on election laws, says demos a last resort

Joho to lead Raila 2017 election team

Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho will lead an eight-member team to manage ODM leader Raila Odinga's fourth presidential campaign.

Although several other teams will be created, Joho's squad will be the main group as the opposition leader prepares for what is likely to be his final bid for the presidency.

The Star has established that ODM has identified a youthful team, most of them close confidants of the former Prime Minister.

Joho's team is meant to appeal to young people, but will also be in charge of resource mobilisation, recruitment and strategy.

Expert comment: Joho’s meteoric rise could be his downfall

The Mombasa kingpin and deputy party leader told the Star the team has asked Raila "to step aside and allow us the opportunity to make him Kenya's fifth President."

Joho himself, considered by many to be the Coast supremo, wants to be Kenya's sixth President in 2022.

ODM analysts say the new tack could lighten the burden on Raila, 72, who has been scouring every village for votes as he seeks to repulse Jubilee from his traditional bases.

The decision on the Joho team was reached at Mombasa last weekend after the governor threw a party to mark ODM's 10th anniversary. He almost single-handedly arranged the celebration, while Jubilee Party was launched in Nairobi.

Yesterday Joho confirmed he had been handed the responsibility of helping Raila win. He immediately warned the Jubilee Party to expect a run for its money.

"Things will not be the same. We have been tried and tested in Malindi and other areas where we have handed Jubilee huge loses in by-elections. Now we have matured. We know what to do and we will match them in every area."

He emphasised the team would ensure the party's election board holds free and fair nominations. "Poor nominations cost us votes in the last election. We will not repeat that," Joho said.

Working with Joho will be Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, Turkana Governor Josephat Nanok, woman MPs Aisha Jumwa (Kilifi) and Mishi Mboko (Mombasa).

Others are ODM chairman John Mbadi, Kajiado Central MP Elijah Memusi Kanchori and Mbita MP Millie Odhiambo.

It is believed Nanok can sway votes of the marginalised Turkana community toward the opposition, while Junet is key to delivering the Muslim vote.

The youthful Memusi is expected to influence the Maasai vote, at a time when the region and community have become a Cord-Jubilee battleground. This was witnessed at Wednesday's burial of William ole Ntimama when President Uhuru Kenyatta delivered a tongue-lashing to Raila who said Ntimama was staunchly ODM.

Jumwa and Mboko are both fiery and influential Coast politicians.

It is said another team, comprised mainly of ODM governors, will be led by Kakamega boss and ODM deputy party leader Wycliffe Oparanya.

ODM anniversary celebrations are set to continue in ODM-controlled counties.

Joho's team is meant to appeal to young people, but will also be in charge of resource mobilisation, recruitment and strategy.

ODM think tank analysts say the new tack could lighten the burden on Raila, 72, who has been scouring every village for votes as he seeks to repulse Jubilee from his traditional bases.

Raila is determined to lock out Jubilee from Nyanza, Western and Coast, as the party battles for swing votes, especially in Northeastern and among pastoralist communities.

“The mistakes that ODM has made before will not be repeated. We have a strong national party with very loyal members and a popular party leader. It is time those numbers are translated into votes,” Joho told the Star.

Thanks to Joho, ODM stormed Mombasa in style last weekend with a series of roadshows as thousands of delegates from across the country welcome the opposition supremo.

Joho hosted a reception in honour of Raila and his wife Ida, which was attended by hundreds of elected leaders.

The Mombasa fanfare with international artists including Alikiba and Diamond diverted some attention from the Jubilee jamboree.

Joho says he will vigorously campaign against Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya who decamped to Jubilee.

“They say I should not get involved in Kwale issues. I tell them the issues affecting the people of Kwale are same ones affecting me in Mombasa. I will visit Kwale in the morning, midday and evening.”

It is not clear, however, at what stage the entire opposition coalition would be involved in the planning, but Raila has made clear ODM will not go it alone in 2017.

“Unlike Jubilee, which is killing parties, we are broadening our coalition to bring in as many people as we can. We will then negotiate among ourselves who is the best candidate to defeat Jubilee,’’ Raila told the Star on Sunday. He referred to what appears to be the uneasy amalgamation of about 12 into Jubilee.

Raila's co-principals Kalonzo Musyoka of Wiper and Moses Wetangu'la of Ford Kenya both want to the coalition's presidential ticket.

However, the two skipped the ODM gala in Mombasa when the party unanimously endorsed Raila for the top job.

Raila is running against a moneyed incumbent and ta op-notch logistical organisation and planning are critical.

Jubilee has already acquired a building complex along Thika Superhighway and 47 state-of-the-art red for the campaign.

In 2013, ODM had several lobby groups spearheading Raila's campaign, including ODM Reloaded and ODM Sibanduki.

However, infighting for resources hobbled Raila's campaign.

In May this year, there were indications ODM was also expanding the directorates at Orange House for effectiveness and easy coordination.

It is not clear what became of the process.

Coast police clash with (IPOA) over bullets that killed schoolboy

Ruth Syombua (right), mother of 16-year-old form two boy, is turned away by a police officer at the Dog Unit Police station where she had gone to view the two bullets which were removed from her son's body who was shot dead by a police officer, September 06, 2016. The police officers denied to hand over the bullet to officers from IPOA who are investigating the the killing of the boy after a post moterm was carried out at the Coast General Hospital.

There was a stand-off yesterday when police refused to hand over bullets extracted from the body of a teenager they killed to Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) officers.

The two bullets were extracted during a second postmortem on the body of Tony Katana, 16, who was gunned down by police in Kongowea, Nyali constituency, on the night of August 12, 2016. Police and IPOA officers clashed over who should keep the bullet exhibits. 

The IPOA is investigating police officers accused of killing the boy in cold blood. 

Police in turn say they are investigating the killing, which a police commander said was justified. 

After the postmortem yesterday, Nyali CID detectives seized the bullets from Coast General Hospital authorities, saying they also needed to conduct investigations. 

This sparked protests from IPOA. Police claim Katana, who was a Form Two student, was killed when he attacked police officers with a machete, a theory disputed by witnesses who said last week that an officer shot the teenager in the back first, then walked over to him, turned him over and shot him in the head as he writhed in pain. According to relatives, Katana was on his way home from a wedding party.

The first postmortem on August 24 showed that he died from two bullet wounds. An X-ray on September 2 revealed that the two bullets were still lodged in the body. The cartridges were extracted yesterday.

A CID officer who was present during the postmortem engaged IPOA officers in an argument over who should keep the bullets. 

This sparked an argument between the CID and IPOA, and they went to Nyali Police Station where a decision was made to consult the deputy OCPD for Kisauni for direction. spinal injury One of the bullets, which entered the body through the neck, was still intact while the second, lodged in the back, was partly fragmented. 

Doctors said an injury to the spinal cord was responsible for Katana's death. Dr Ngali Mbuuko performed the second postmortem examination, which was witnessed by IPOA officers, the family of the deceased and Haki Africa officials. 

Haki Africa accused the police of displaying the "highest level of ignorance" by refusing to allow IPOA take custody of the exihibits.

"In this particular case, it is clear that the accused is a police officer, hence IPOA is best suited to handle this matter," said Haki Africa Executive Director Hussein Khalid.

The civil society group has been categorical that Katana should not have been killed. "This is clear case of extra-judicial killing by the police," Mr Khalid said. 

He added that his organisation had documented over 71 similar cases in the Coast region alone and would go to court to seek justice for families of the victims. 

Kisauni Deputy OCPD Walter Abondo said there were procedures to be followed in handing over exhibits to IPOA. "Until these procedures are fulfilled, the National Police Service will remain with the exhibits. We are taking them to Nairobi for ballistic examination," Mr Abondo said.

Mark Zuckerberg Seems Pretty Mad at Elon Musk About That Rocket Explosion

Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg had his jaunt to Africainterrupted by some pretty unfortunate news Thursday: A SpaceX rocket exploded on a Florida launchpad, destroying a satellite Facebook was planning to use to offer Internet access in parts of the continent he’s currently visiting.

“As I’m here in Africa, I’m deeply disappointed to hear that SpaceX’s launch failure destroyed our satellite that would have provided connectivity to so many entrepreneurs and everyone else across the continent,” Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook hours after the incident.

“Fortunately, we have developed other technologies like Aquila that will connect people as well. We remain committed to our mission of connecting everyone, and we will keep working until everyone has the opportunities this satellite would have provided,” he added, referencing Facebook’s massive Internet-beaming drone.

Zuckerberg’s statement reads like a jab at fellow technology billionaire Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX as well as electric automaker Tesla. For his part, Musk tweeted Thursday that the problem had something to do with the rocket’s upper stage oxygen tank, though an exact cause has yet to be determined. The SpaceX rocket, a Falcon 9, was undergoing a test at the time of the explosion; it was not set to launch until Sept. 3 at the earliest. The incident did not result in any fatalities.

“At approximately 9:07 am ET, during a standard pre-launch static fire test for the AMOS-6 mission, there was an anomaly at SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40 resulting in loss of the vehicle,” said Phil Larson, a spokesperson for SpaceX, in a statement Thursday afternoon. “The anomaly originated around the upper stage oxygen tank and occurred during propellant loading of the vehicle. Per standard operating procedure, all personnel were clear of the pad and there were no injuries. We are continuing to review the data to identify the root cause.”

Thursday’s incident marks a blemish on SpaceX’s record, which had been clean since another Falcon 9 was lost during a launch in June of last year. That explosion claimed another high-tech victim: Microsoft HoloLens headsets destined for the International Space Station.

Together with a French satellite operator, Facebook spent about $95 million to rent capacity on the satellite over the next five years. The satellite, Amos-6, was built by Israeli satellite firm Spacecom.

Mark Zuckerberg Eats Out At Mama Oliech!

No, this is not a joke, Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg tucked in for a delicious lunch at Mama Oliech Restauranttoday shortly after he arrived in the country. 

What did he have you ask? Well, you haven’t experienced Kenya until you’ve had our world famous Ugali and Mark was no exception. Trying both for the first time, he thoroughly enjoyed his ugali and whole fried tilapia, digging in like any Kenyan would.

Mark Zuckerberg and Joseph Mucheru, Kenyan Cabinet Secretary of Information and Communications

Mama Oliech is known for serving some of the best tilapia and ugali around town and was recommended by all when it was time for lunch. We do hope Mark gets to try more of our local cuisine while he’s around. Some Nyama Choma and a cold Tusker would undoubtedly make him stay longer!

On his word

"Visiting Kenya means getting to see amazing natural beauty and wildlife" - Mark Zuckerberg

David Luiz to Chelsea: Blues agree £34m fee with PSG as defender

David Luiz now looks certain to make a dramatic return to Stamford Bridge on deadline day after Chelsea agreed a £34m fee with Paris St Germain.


It is believed Luiz is already travelling to the capital to undergo a medical and discuss personal terms.

Chelsea made their move for the Brazil international last night having missed out on a number of defensive targets throughout the summer.

Luiz left Chelsea in a £50m deal just two years ago after his relationship with then manager Jose Mourinho soured.

But the 29-year-old is keen on a switch back to the Blues, where he won three trophies, including the Champions League, between 2011-14.

Luiz is concerned about his place at PSG having been substituted by new manager Unai Emery during the 3-1 defeat at Monaco on Sunday.

Emery wants Marquinhos, who Chelsea have wanted to buy since last summer, and Thiago Silva to be his first choice centre back pairing this term.

PSG rejected Chelsea's initial offer worth £32m, including add-ons, on Tuesday evening. But they have been convinced to cash in with a slightly higher offer worth £34m, including bonuses, this afternoon.


Luiz was a fans' favourite in his first spell at Chelsea despite making high profile mistakes at the back and was seen by the hierarchy as a future captain before his career began to go awry under Mourinho.

Chelsea have been desperate to sign a centre half throughout the window, but have seen bids for Kalidou Koulibaly, Leonardo Bonucci and Alessio Romagnoli all rejected.

They even made an enquiry for West Ham's Angelo Ogbonna yesterday only to be told that he was not for sale, especially with so little time to find a replacement.