Boxing legend Muhammad Ali dies at 74

Corruption major warning to devolution, say lawmakers

The anti-corruption organization only has provincial offices which serve a number of counties.

From left, Elgeyo-Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen, Senate Majority Leader Kindiki Kithure, Devolution Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri, Senate Speaker Ekwee Ethuro and Mombasa County Senator Hassan Omar during the 2016 Inaugural Legislative Summit between county assembly members and senators at the Emerald Flamingo Beach Resort in Mombasa on May 24, 2016.

Senators and MCAs want the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to open offices in every county in a bid to curb runaway corruption in the devolved units.

On Thursday, they said having EACC operations in the counties would help to stop the vice that has been blamed for the increasing audit queries in the Auditor-General’s reports.

In a resolution reached during a legislative summit held in Mombasa that brought together the two sets of lawmakers, they concluded that graft was the biggest threat to devolution and should be dealt with before it totally ruins it.

“The conference, therefore, resolved and recommended to increase resource allocation for the establishment of EACC offices in every county to facilitate ease of reporting and of carrying out speedy investigations,” said the lawmakers.

This was one of the 17 resolutions adopted during the inaugural summit.

Currently, the anti-corruption agency has only regional offices that serve several counties.

The EACC has said it is unable to have 47 offices unless the government allocates more funds to it.

The battle against graft was one of the key topics during the five-day summit that began on Monday, with governors being accused of running schemes to swindle counties out of money.

“The biggest threat to devolution is the blatant looting of public resources in the counties. Corruption has permeated both the national and county governments but our mandate as a Senate is to look at the counties. Devolution was not put in place to create small demigods in the counties the way it is now,” said Senate Majority Leader Kithure Kindiki.

Senate Minority Leader Moses Wetang’ula said county assemblies should be strengthened and made financially independent from governors in order to ensure they performed their roles undeterred.

Mr Wetang’ula said devolution had enabled distribution of national resources but decried the extravagance in the devolved units.

“Devolution is a wonderful dream but we are afraid that some governors are giving it a bad name,” said the Bungoma senator.

Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar said senators and MCAs should work closely to make sure governors account for resources allocated to them yearly.

“We are the protectors of devolution, not governors. Let us not make the mistake that those counties equal governors. We protect resources of those counties. There is no contradiction in senators asking governors to account for money given them,” said Mr Omar.

Senate Speaker Ekwee Ethuro challenged the lawmakers to lead the way in the fight against corruption, saying it affected both levels of government.

“Corruption in whatever sector and whichever level is an anathema and must be ruthlessly eradicated before it haemorrhages or bleeds Kenya to death,” said Mr Ethuro.

The summit ends on Friday.

Courtesy of DAILY NATION

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali dies at 74. #RIP

Late Friday night, the world lost a legend.

The great Muhammad Ali, who suffered for years from Parkinson’s disease, died at the age of 74 after being hospitalized in Phoenix with respiratory problems.
As news broke of Ali’s passing, the tributes began to pour in over social media reflecting on the life and impact of the LEGEND.

Muhammad Ali was, at his peak, arguably the most famous man on the planet.

His prodigious boxing talent was matched only by a towering self-belief.

"I am the greatest," he said, and who could doubt a man who won the World Heavyweight Championship three times.

His outspoken support for civil rights endeared him to millions of people across the world.

He was born Cassius Marcellus Clay in Louisville, Kentucky, on 17 January 1942, the son of a sign painter. He was named after a prominent 19th Century abolitionist.

When he was 12, he reported his bicycle had been stolen and told a police officer he was going to "whup" the culprit.

The officer, Joe Martin, trained young fighters at a local gym and suggested the youngster learn to box before he challenged the thief.

Clay quickly took to the ring, making his competitive debut in 1954 in a three-minute amateur bout.

"He stood out because he had more determination than most boys," Martin later recalled. "He was easily the hardest worker of any kid I ever taught."

Over the following five years, his amateur career flourished and he won a number of awards including the Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions in 1959.

In 1960 he was selected in the US team for the Rome Olympics. At first he refused to go because of his fear of flying. Eventually, according to Joe Martin's son, he bought a second-hand parachute and wore it on the flight.

It was worth all the effort. On 5 September 1960, he beat Poland's Zbigniew Pietrzykowski to become the Olympic light-heavyweight champion.

He received a hero's welcome when the team returned to New York but the reality of the segregated US society hit home when he got back to Kentucky and was refused a table in a restaurant.

Ali claimed in his 1975 autobiography that he threw away his Olympic medal in disgust but it was later revealed that he lost it a year after his return from Rome.

Outrageous

Though only 18, he joined boxing's paid ranks and began his professional career later the same year with a six-round points win over Tunney Hunsaker, a police chief from West Virginia.

"Clay was as fast as lightning," Hunsaker said after the bout. "I tried every trick I knew to throw him off balance but he was just too good."

Ali also took on Angelo Dundee, the trainer who would contribute so much to his boxing success.

A steady succession of victories, reinforced by outrageous self-advertising, brought him fame, if not universal popularity.

Clay's extraordinary manner in the ring involved dancing around his opponents like a lightweight.

He taunted them, delighting crowds with his showboating, shuffling feet and lightning reflexes.

He offered further hostages to fortune by predicting not merely his opponents' defeat, but when precisely he would dispose of them. "They must fall the round I call," he boasted.

In London in 1963, he was floored in the fourth round by British champion Henry Cooper, but fulfilled his pre-fight prediction when cuts to Cooper's eye forced his retirement in the next round.

Nation of Islam

The following year Clay challenged the formidable world champion Sonny Liston, whom he referred to as "that ugly old bear".

Clay was given no chance by the boxing press but ran rings round his older opponent and forced Liston to quit on his stool at the end of the sixth round.

"I shook up the world," a near-hysterical Clay declared after the fight.

Away from the ring, Clay was a fierce opponent of the racism that blighted large areas of the United States in the 1960s.

Raila liabilities Ruto for Uhuru's transformation of mind

– The opposition led by Raila Odinga and Moses Wetangula visited State House on Tuesday, May 31, upon invitation from President Uhuru Kenyatta

– The Cord leaders later on claimed that they agreed to form a team that would dialogue on the fate of the IEBC, claims State House has vehemently denied and termed as lies

– Raila and his team are now accusing DP William Ruto of prevailing upon President Uhuru to change heart over the same 

– They believe Ruto is resisting electoral reforms because he fears they will weigh him down come 2022 when he launches his presidential bid

Opposition leader Raila Odinga is accusing Deputy President William Ruto of prevailing upon President Uhuru Kenyatta to change heart on the national dialogue issue.

The opposition chief and his counterpart, Moses Wetangula, have led their brigade to accuse the DP of being a stumbling block in the way to arriving at an amicable solution that will see the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioners sent home.

Raila Odinga holds a small talk with a host of politicians at State House when he was invited by Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday,May 30. It is from the invite that Raila claims a deal was struck between Jubilee and the opposition over the fate of IEBC commissioners.

The Cord coalition has maintained that Uhuru and Raila, who met at State House on Tuesday, May 31, agreed to form a team that would hold talks on the same.

“I am ready to swear with the Bible…we agreed that we should come up with a team of five — each from the coalitions — and it is very dishonest of the president and his deputy to lie to Kenyans on national television,” said Raila during a prayer rally in Kisumu.

However, the opposition believes DP Ruto is not happy with the agreement reached and has made the president change heart over the same, something that has seen State House deny Raila’s claims that such an agreement was reached.

“Ruto has been overwhelmed by selfish political interests. His 2022 presidential ambitions are weighing him down from patriotic ideals. He is the obstacle in every step we want to make to carry out electoral reforms,” Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma said as quoted by Star.

 The opposition strongly believes that the deputy president is resisting the electoral reforms because he fears missing out come 2022 when he launches his presidential bid.

On June 1, during Madaraka Day celebrations at Afraha stadium in Nakuru, Ruto blasted the opposition for agitating for the removal of IEBC commissioners from office, telling the Cord to follow the law to do so.

Ruto’s entire speech was clearly an attack on the opposition and its demands.

President Uhuru also reiterated that to remove the commissioners from office, the process would be achieved through the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee of the National Assembly.

State House dismissed claims by Raila that Uhuru invited him to discuss the IEBC, saying he only invited him to attend the Madaraka Day celebrations.

“No such agreement was struck, as it would have been inconsistent with President Kenyatta’s stand on the subject, which is that any discussions on the IEBC or any other constitutional body must be done within confines of the law,”State House said.

The Cord coalition has threatened to go back to the streets on Monday, June 6, if the Jubilee side shall have not indicated by Sunday, June 5, that they are ready for dialogue.

Courtesy of tuko.

I know politics is tricky and I do not want to get caught up in this mess but this is hilarious! The poor chap was subjected to the humiliation of reading the President’s speech to the grass – perhaps they will now feel inspired to grow.

Outside the #IEBCdemos, predictions for 2017

Elections are 442 days away. There is no much time left if you compare the situation now and how it was in the run-up to 2013 General Election. Two questions that linger are: How prepared is the IEBC? How prepared is the country for the next elections?

On the first question, the Commission has always informed the country that it is on course preparing for the next elections. Amidst the heightened political debate on the future of the Commission, we must always remember that operational preparedness is the most significant in any electoral process.

The National Independent Electoral Commission of Congo (CENI) has just announced that it is not ready to conduct presidential elections to be held in December 2016. It claims that it needs about USD 1 billion (Sh100 billion) and about 16 months to register voters and commence other electoral processes.

This is not the situation that I would want to see Kenya. That is why, as a country, we must keep on preparing and investing in the electoral process at all times.

The IEBC rolled out the 2017 GE Elections Operations Plan in January this year. The plan, which was published widely, sets out the priorities for legal reforms, voter registration, voter education, electoral technology, voting operations, stakeholder engagement, results management, funding, procurement, among others. The priorities are based on the lessons learnt in the 2013 General Election. This EOP was a major milestone and we must be faithful in its implementation.

Four months after the launch of the EOP, the Commission has conducted the first phase of voter registration. The data is being processed for purposes of inspection and certification as required by law. The next mass voter registration exercise will be undertaken early next year to ensure that all eligible Kenyans are given the opportunity to register before the elections.

The Commission has also been in the forefront on electoral legal reforms. The Elections Amendment Bill is now at the 2nd reading in the National Assembly. The amendments address gaps that exist in voter registration, party nomination, qualification of candidates, among others. It is now upon the National Assembly to fast-track enactment of the proposed amendments. Timely enactment will allow for effective implementation.

Results management is core to the credibility of the electoral process. As prioritized under the EOP, the process of streamlining elections results management has commenced. By August this year, the Commission hopes to have the framework endorsed and adopted by all stakeholders. In addition, acquisition of electoral technology is expected to start in time in the hope that all technology must be tested at least six months before the elections.

This week, the Justice, Legal Affairs Committee of the National Assembly endorsed the Commission’s 2016/17 budget. The Sh19 billion budget caters for programmes geared to-wards the 2017 General Election. Once approved by the National Assembly, the Commission will be in a better position to procure electoral materials and equipment in good time. Now with a stronger procurement unit and improved system in public financial management, every shilling allocated must give us more value and must be accounted for.

On the second question on whether the country is prepared for the next elections, I must say that I highly doubt. The extent of political polarisation is worrying. Although history seems to be repeating itself, I still believe there are opportunities to enable the country move forward. Critical players must be able to take their roles to instill confidence in the electoral process.

Political parties must responsive to people’s voices especially on nomination. Parliament must fast-track electoral law reforms and allocate enough resources to the Commission. The Judiciary must continuously strengthen its capacity to deal with election related disputes. Security agencies must ensure that the electoral process is undertaken in an environment of peace without compromising basic principles of democratic participation.

Citizens must be well informed to effectively participate. The private sector and religious leaders have a role to play in mediating differences across the political divide. The Executive must ensure that Commission is fully resourced. The media must report on the electoral process in a way that inspires confidence and not fear among ordinary citizens.

The current debate must go beyond looking at the Commission and reflect on operational ingredients for credible elections. Despite the pressure that the Commission experiences, it has made significant progress in identifying priorities that are key to successful elections. We must deliver on these priorities.

(Chiloba is the Chief Executive Officer of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission)

Leader of Garissa University attack killed in Somalia“Sixteen armed men, four of them senior commanders including Mohamed Mohamud Ali known as Dulyadin… were killed by the Somali commandos and the special forces of the Jubaland”/FILE

MOGADISHU, Somalia, Jun 1 – A jihadist leader who organised the April 2015 attack on Garissa University in eastern Kenya which left 148 people dead, has been killed in a raid in southwestern Somalia, a local official said Wednesday.

“Sixteen armed men, four of them senior commanders including Mohamed Mohamud Ali known as Dulyadin… were killed by the Somali commandos and the special forces of the Jubaland,” Abdirashid Janan, minister of state security for Jubaland, an autonomous region in southern Somalia.

Janan was speaking at a press conference in the coastal town of Kismayu.

The April 2, 2015 assault at Garissa University College, 365 kilometres northeast of the Kenyan capital Nairobi, left 148 people dead, most of them students.

They were slain in their dormitories or rounded up and executed in a hall of residence.

The operation was carried out by four gunman from the Shabaab, Al-Qaeda’s East Africa branch.

It was the country’s bloodiest terror attack since Al-Qaeda bombed the US embassy in Nairobi in 1998, killing 213 people.

On July 16 last year, the Kenyan government said that Dulyadin – also known by the aliases of Kuno and Gamadhere – had been killed in a US drone strike, but it swiftly backtracked on the claim.

More than 30 Shabaab militants were killed in that operation, the government said.

The United States has in recent years launched numerous drone strikes against Shabaab leaders, including a strike in September 2014 that killed the group’s leader Ahmed Abdi Godane.

Kenya has suffered at the hands of Shabaab since sending troops into neighbouring Somalia to fight the jihadists in 2011.

Terrorist attacks have been frequent and deadly while in Somalia, Kenyan soldiers have been killed and their commanders accused of war profiteering through involvement in charcoal and sugar smuggling.

In January, Kenya suffered what is thought to be its worst-ever military loss when an army outpost in southern Somalia was overrun by Shabaab fighters.

Some estimate that as many as 180 soldiers died.