A monthly publication
of AFRICANEWS
For the period
covering December 16, 2002- January 15, 2003
1. Kibaki’s long
journey to State House
3. KANU finds
a new home
1. Kibaki’s long journey to State House
By Zachary
Ochieng
For President Emilio Mwai Kibaki, leadership is an ambition he started nurturing in childhood. But his long journey to state House, which started almost fifty years ago ended on December 30, 2002 when he was sworn in as Kenya’s third president. It has been a long journey filled with many ups and downs. He had previously made two unsuccessful attempts, in 1992 and 1997.
Born in 1931 in the central Kenyan town of Nyeri, Kibaki attended Nyeri High school between 1939 and 1946. It is here that he developed an interest in politics. At Nyeri, Kibaki emerged tops in the “O” Level exams by obtaining the highest pass mark – six points. He particularly excelled in English and mathematics. He then proceeded to the prestigious Mangu High School for his “A” Levels and again passed with flying colours by obtaining Four Principal passes and one subsidiary Pass – the highest level of passing.
In 1951,
Kibaki proceeded to the prestigious Makerere University in Uganda for an
undergraduate degree course in Economics. He graduated with a First Class
Honours Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree in Economics in 1955, making him the best
student in the faculty that year. While at Makerere, he also served as the
chairman of the Kenya Students Association.
His efforts
did not go to waste as he was awarded a scholarship which enabled him to join
the equally prestigious London School of Economics for a Masters degree. He
emerged with a First Class honours, besides earning a distinction as the first
Kenyan to be awarded a degree in Economics by the London School of Economics.
Upon his
graduation, Kibaki returned to Makerere as a lecturer in the Department of
Economics and later became its head. He however, returned to Kenya in 1961 at
the height of the independence struggle. He became the Chief Executive Officer
of the Kenya African National Union (KANU), a party he has now dislodged from
power.
At the first
multi-party general election in 1963, Kibaki contested and won the then
Doonholm constituency (later Bahati and now Makadara). He shifted base to
Othaya, Central province in 1974 and has represented the constituency since
then. He is thus Kenya’s longest serving MP, with Daniel arap Moi’s retirement.
When Kenya
attained independence in 1963, the late founding President Jomo Kenyatta
appointed Kibaki Assistant Minister for Finance, a post he held till 1966. He
was also the chairman of the Economic Planning Commission. Between 1966 and 1969,
he served as the Minister for Commerce and Industry.
When Moi took
over the reigns in 1978, he appointed Kibaki as his Vice-president and Minister
for Finance. He was the longest serving Finance Minister and during his tenure,
the economy grew by an average of 8 per cent. He was to serve in this position
until 1988 when he was sacked as the Vice-President and relegated to the
position of a Health Minister. He remained at the health ministry until
December 1991 when he quit KANU.
However,
Kibaki’s journey to the presidency began in earnest on the Christmas eve of
1991 when he announced at the coastal town of Mombasa that he had quit KANU and
founded the Democratic Party of Kenya (DP). He teamed up with among others
Charity Ngilu, Agnes Ndetei, Njenga Karume and Matu Wamae. Among his supporters
then was Mama Ngina Kenyatta – mother to Uhuru Kenyatta, who was Kibaki’s main
challenger in the just concluded 2002 presidential race.
Kibaki had a
hard beginning considering that he came to the limelight after the original
Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (FORD) of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga,
Kenneth Matiba and Martin Shikuku among others had already prepared the way.
His opposition colleagues branded him a coward and a fence sitter.
He was to
encounter hostility in his own Central province backyard and in Nairobi where
the Matiba euphoria was already in top gear. Kibaki held his first DP rally in
November 1992 and managed to attract a mammoth crowd. However, he could not
survive the KANU onslaught and that of FORD-Asili, which had broken away from
the original FORD.
In the 1992
multi-party election, Kibaki faced the then incumbent Daniel arap Moi and
Matiba among other presidential candidates. Moi garnered 1.9 million votes,
Matiba 1.3 million and Kibaki came third with 1.03 million votes.
Come 1997 and
Kibaki called the shots in Central province and Nairobi as Matiba withdrew from
the presidential race. He however, could not win the support of Nyanza province
as Raila Odinga was also running for the presidency. He was equally locked out
of Western and Eastern provinces where Wamalwa Kijana and Ngilu were running
respectively. But in 2002, he managed to succeed through the backing of these
leading lights.
When the 1997
results were announced, Moi polled 2.4 million against kibaki’s 1.8. He
challenged Moi’s victory in court but lost the petition. He was to remain
leader of the official opposition in parliament.
As the now
defunct National Development Party of Kenya (NDP) of Mr Odinga entered into
merger negotiations with KANU, Kibaki, Ngilu and Wamalwa held a series of
breakfast meetings in prestigious hotels, aimed at forming a formidable
opposition.
However, the
first such serious meeting was held in May 2002 and attended by 28 opposition
MPs. They formed what was then known as the National Alliance Coalition (NAC).
But disagreements persisted over who was to be the single opposition
presidential candidate.
In July 2002,
NAC was renamed the National Alliance Party of Kenya (NAK) and on September 18
unveiled its line up for the 2002 election, to the surprise of its detractors.
Kibaki was named the presidential candidate, Wamalwa his running mate and Ngilu
the Prime Minister designate. Meanwhile, a rebellion was brewing in KANU over
Moi’s preference for Uhuru Kenyatta as his successor. Odinga led a group of
KANU hawks including Kalonzo Musyoka, George Saitoti, Moody Awori, William
Ntimama and Joseph Kamotho in boycotting the KANU presidential nominations.
The group –
then calling itself the Rainbow Alliance – held its own historic rally at
Nairobi’s Uhuru Park on October 14, where it unveiled a new party known as the
Liberal Democratic Party. With this, the group joined NAK, which was then a
conglomeration of 14 political parties.
The super
alliance then became known as the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC). At the
Uhuru Park rally, Odinga suggested that Kibaki be endorsed as the single
presidential candidate, to which the crowd roared back in approval. Come
October 18 and Kibaki was endorsed as the single opposition presidential
candidate.
NARC then
embarked on vigorous campaigns, crisscrossing the country in search of votes.
But as fate would have it, Kibaki was involved in a motor accident barely three
weeks to the election. He was admitted to the prestigious Wellington Hospital
in London. The accident, however, did not affect the campaigns as Kibaki’s
colleagues carried on.
Signs that he was poised to win the election
emerged on December 14 when he returned from London on a wheelchair. He
received a hero’s welcome from a crowd that escorted him all the way from the
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Uhuru Park, a distance of 20km. When the
results of the December 27 general election started trickling in, it was
evident that this was Kibaki’s third time lucky. The 71 – year –old father of
four was sworn in as Kenya’s third president on December 30, 2002 before an
enthusiastic crowd estimated at 500000, a horde of diplomats and regional heads
of state.
Kibaki is
a member of the Muthaiga Country Club, Muthaiga Golf Club and the Karen Country
Club. He spends his weekends at these spots, playing golf. Kibaki – a wealthy
politician – is known to have interests in the hotel industry, real estate,
ranching and tea farming. He is married to Lucy Muthoni.
ENDS.
3. KANU finds
a new home
KANU finds a
new home
By Zachary
Ochieng.
The curtain finally fell on the domination of Kenyan politics by the Kenya African National Union (KANU), a party that had governed Kenya for almost forty years. The party was defeated at the December 27, 2002 transition General Election with a landslide by the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), a grouping of political parties that had only been in existence for three months.
Formed in
1960, KANU’s forerunner was the Kikuyu Central Association (KCA), which was
headed by the late Harry Thuku. KCA was later banned as the colonial government
felt that it bore a tribal tag. (Kikuyu is a tribe from Central Kenya). It was
after this that KANU was formed with the late James Gichuru as the first
chairman, the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga as the Vice Chairman and the late Tom
Mboya as the Secretary general.
When the late
Jomo Kenyatta was released from colonial detention in 1961, Gichuru stepped
down for him. Soon after independence in 1963, KANU won the General Election,
beating its only rival the Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU). Kenyatta
became the Prime Minister. In 1964, when Kenya became a republic, KADU
dissolved itself to join KANU, necessitating another election. Kenyatta became
the president, with KANU as the only party.
KANU was to
remain the sole political party until 1966 when Odinga defected to form his
Kenya People’s Union (KPU). KANU had become so autocratic in its style of
ruling and Odinga, who was the Vice President, differed with Kenyatta and
resigned from the government. Kenyatta used dictatorship inn the running of the
party. He then banned KPU in 1969, making Kenya a single party state.
When Daniel
arap Moi ascended to the presidency in 1978, he followed into the footsteps of
his predecessor. He had a difficult time controlling the party as he could not
get rid of the Kenyatta allies. However, the opportunity presented itself in
August 1982, when the sections of the Kenya Air Force staged an abortive coup.
Moi expelled all those he suspected from the party. Section 2(a) was introduced
into the constitution to make Kenya a single party state.
Moi then
reverted to autocratic rule, expelling dissenting voices from the party, thus
consigning them to political oblivion. So powerful was KANU that it usurped the
powers of the Executive. At the height of the single party tyranny in 1985, Moi
constituted a disciplinary committee, ostensibly to punish errant party
members. But the committee turned out to be an organ, which epitomised
dictatorship.
Headed by
former Karachuonyo MP, the late Okiki Amayo, the disciplinary committee
shamelessly summoned, questioned and humiliated the party’s most powerful
officials except Moi. It handed down suspensions and expulsions on very flimsy
grounds. Vindictive party branch officials took advantage of this to frame
charges against their opponents and hastily forward them to the committee.
But the committee only lasted three years
after a dramatic reign of terror. It was disbanded by none other than its
creator – Moi. Said he: “This thing called KANU disciplinary committee has
overreached itself and given itself more powers than I have”.
However, the
damage had already been done. At the time of its disbandment, 30 prominent
politicians had already faced its wrath, some of who literally wept before the
dreaded committee of 19. Among those who were punished were Elijah Mwangale,
then Foreign Affairs Minister and the late Peter Okondo, who was then the
Minister for Labour. Among those expelled were Odinga and the former Kitutu
Masaba MP George Anyona. They were expelled in 1982 when they attempted to form
an opposition party.
Even after
banning the disciplinary committee, Moi continued to run the party like his
personal property and his word became law. KANU insiders aver that this is what
led to the party’s defeat at the general election as he pushed a successor down
people’s throats. While rejecting the party’s nomination to parliament, former
Vice-president Musalia Mudavadi said the party lost because of the manner in
which it conducted its presidential nominations.
The party is
now a pale shadow of its former self. By rejecting the party’s nomination to
parliament, Mudavadi – an experienced debator who once acted as Leader of
Government Business in the House - has
opened floodgates to internal dissent following complaints that some of his
party colleagues actually fought for his downfall.
The internal wrangles might only weaken the
party further and it will be interesting to see how it performs as the leading
opposition party in parliament. With most of its good debaters having decamped
to the now government side, analysts doubt whether KANU, in the unfamiliar
opposition benches, will keep the ruling party NARC on its toes.
KANU MPs in
previous parliaments were mere voting machines, used to muster the necessary
numbers to vote for or defeat a motion. They would suddenly appear during a
debate, vote for or against a motion and then vanish.
Of special interest now is how the party will
preside over the affairs of the powerful parliamentary watchdogs – the Public
Accounts Committee (PAC) and the Public Investments Committee (PIC), which,
according to parliamentary standing orders, are supposed to be headed by
opposition members.
The question being asked is whether KANU will
have the moral strength and authority to question its on excesses committed
while in government. It is worth noting that previous reports from the said
committees have implicated senior KANU officials, some of whom are now in the
government.
KANU’s few
MPs, most of whom are debutants, are bound to have a rough time trying to
challenge the government side, which has prolific debaters. NARC boasts 132 MPs
in the House, the highest since the reintroduction of multi-partism. KANU has
only 68 MPs, including the nominated ones.
Matters have
been worsened for KANU considering that the other fringe opposition parties
have vowed to support NARC. KANU’s leader Uhuru Kenyatta is himself an
inexperienced debater. Nominated to parliament in October 2001 and appointed
minister for Local government, Uhuru rarely attended parliament especially
after he had been endorsed as the party’s flag bearer.
The spotlight is now on him. However,
observers point out that Uhuru is a man of surprises whose performance should
not be underrated. He conceded defeat at a time when a clique of KANU diehards
wanted him to dispute the election results. That he could finish second in the
presidential race, beating more experienced politicians is also an indication
that he could perform better in future.
Some party
insiders feel that Uhuru should be given a free hand to run the party and that
the party chairman Moi should quit, as he was responsible for the election
debacle. Indeed, the party has already started strategizing for the 2007
General Election. But what it requires is a complete overhaul.
The
party’s future, however, depends on how the NARC government performs. If NARC
implements all its election pledges, KANU will have a rough time trying to
convince the electorate to vote it back to power.
ENDS
1. Glossary of
Terms
All throughout
the chronology and updates are sprinkled acronyms referring to various
committees, commissions, political movements, etc. Here, we spell out these acronyms
and provide some brief background information.
CKRC =
Constitution of Kenya Review Commission. Chaired by Prof. Yash Pal Ghai, the
27-member group collects the views of a wide cross-section of Kenyan groups and
individuals. The commission is supposed to present Kenyans with a new
constitution on October 4.
PSCCR =
Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitutional Review. Chaired by Raila
Odinga, Minister of Energy, the committee monitors the work of the Constitution
of Kenya Review Commission (CKRC).
KANU =
Kenya African National Union, the party that has ruled Kenya since
independence. Daniel arap Moi is the president of Kenya.
NAC =
National Alliance for Change. This is a grouping of the Democratic Party,
FORD-Kenya, National Party of Kenya (NPK), FORD-Asili, the unregistered Saba
Saba Asili, SPARK, and several advocacy groups. The group is striving to field
one presidential candidate.
NAK = the National Alliance (Party) of
Kenya. This is the overarching political party that NAC has recently formed.
KPC =
Kenya People's Coalition. This is a grouping of FORD-People, Safina, the Labour
Party of Kenya, and the National Convention Executive Council (NCEC).
MPs =
Members of Parliament. Currently, the House contains a total of 224 MPs
(including two ex-officio members)
2. Chronology
December 16 – NARC presidential candidate Mwai Kibaki will be bound to a wheelchair for four weeks as a result of his accident injuries. His personal physician Dr Dan Gikonyo, however said he will be able to reenter the campaign trail immediately.
Vice president
Musalia Mudavadi was booed and heckled when he appealed to worshipers at a
church service to vote for KANU presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta.
Mudavadi, who had paid a surprise visit to St. Luke’s Cathedral in Butere, drew
the ire of the worshipers, some of whom walked out.
December 17 –
KANU yesterday launched its 2002 general Election manifesto, with promises of
economic recovery and sustained growth. Launched by Vice president Musalia
Mudavadi, the manifesto also promises to review the education system and reduce
poverty levels by 30 per cent by the year 2015.
Relevant
government departments are discussing ways of effecting a smooth transition.
Attorney General Amos Wako yesterday said talks between his office and that of
the Chief Justice were going on over the swearing in ceremony of a new
president.
December 18 –
President Moi yesterday repeated his claims that former vice president George
Saitoti was unfit to lead the country. He said he had been proved right because
Saitoti was not picked as a presidential candidate when he crossed to the
opposition.
NARC yesterday
threatened to organise the storming of state house if KANU rigs the general
election. NARC summit leader Raila Odinga said the December 28 storming of
State House would be preceded by a meeting at Uhuru Park, which he predicted
would attract more than a million people.
December 19 –
NARC presidential candidate Mwai Kibaki yesterday alleged that KANU was
planning to loot Sh 8billion for its campaigns. He said the money, acquired by
inflating the cost of extension of Jomo Kenyatta airport, was a government
scheme to loot before leaving.
Three people
were arrested after a man said to be mentally deranged threw a club at a
helicopter carrying president Moi yesterday during political campaigning. The
club was hurled at the president’s helicopter moments after it took off from a
sports ground in Rangwe, Homa Bay.
December 20 –
The Electoral Commission of Kenya yesterday sent warning letters to 15
parliamentary and civic candidates for alleged campaign violence and vote
buying. Provincial administration officials in Transmara District were
specifically warned to steer clear of campaigning.
Former Zambian
president Kenneth Kaunda is expected to be part of the international delegation
of observers in the forthcoming elections. Kaunda will be heading a delegation
of observers from the Carter Centre, a foundation established by former US
president Jimmy Carter.
December 21 –
Uproar greeted a decision revealed yesterday to let election officers allow
voters to cast their ballots even if their names are not on the roll. Major
political parties, including KANU and NARC condemned the move, saying it would
encourage rigging.
Most of the 30
million ballot papers for Friday’s voting have been received by the Electoral
Commission of Kenya. The papers were flown in from Britain yesterday.
December 22 –
Powerful cabinet ministers Julius Sunkuli and William Ruto were among 15
parliamentary candidates questioned yesterday by the Electoral Commission of
Kenya over accusations of election offences.
Attorney
general Amos Wako yesterday said that the military and the police will be among
the departments to be involved in the installation of a new president after the
elections on Friday. A military parade will be part of the handing over
ceremony while the police are expected to maintain law and order throughout the
country.
December 23 –
The Electoral Commission of Kenya chairman Samuel Kivuitu yesterday withdrew
his recent poll rule that would have seen non-registered people vote. Instead,
only those who appear in the registers for the 1992 and 1997 general elections
will be allowed to vote on Friday.
Kenya’s
mainstream churches yesterday called for free, fair and peaceful elections. The
National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) and the Kenya Episcopal Conference
called on political aspirants and the electorate to adhere strictly to
electoral regulations.
December 24 –
The Electoral Commission of Kenya has dispatched all voting materials to
various constituencies and the chairman Samuel Kivuitu, asked Kenyans to come
out and vote on Friday.
The sixteen
political parties and organizations making up the national rainbow coalition
(NARC) will be dissolved if it forms the next government. NARC summit member
Prof. George Saitoti said it is their intention that the groupings be phased
out and instead a single political party under NARC be established.
December 25 –
The Electoral Commission and political parties yesterday agreed that only
people on this year’s voter register will be allowed to vote on Friday. This
was the best way to avoid controversies.
Only three
days to the elections, Kilome KANU candidate John Harun Mwau financed the 12km
Sultan Hamud/Kasikeu rural electrification at a cost of Sh 10.5 million. The
candidate has also supplied the area with piped water.
December 26 –
Anyone with a voter’s card issued from 1996 to this year and on the current
register can vote tomorrow, Electoral Commission chairman Samuel Kivuitu has
clarified.
Religious
leaders yesterday urged Kenyans to come out, vote wisely and maintain peace
during tomorrow’s elections. In their Christmas Day message, the religious
leaders appealed to voters to ensure they elected only leaders who were capable
and committed to nation building and peace.
December 27 –
two people were yesterday shot dead in election violence in Westlands, Nairobi.
Witnesses claimed that the NARC supporters were shot dead by police as they
pasted their candidate’s posters on a wall.
Some 240
journalists have been accredited to cover today’s elections. The 240 are part
of the 1710 cleared by the Electoral Commission of Kenya to cover the polls,
which take place today.
December 28 –
NARC’s Mwai Kibaki has taken an early lead against KANU’s Uhuru Kenyatta as
counting of ballots continues. The presidential race was shaping in a two- way
contest between Uhuru and Kibaki.
Catholic
Archbishop Ndingi mwana Nzeki said yesterday’s voting exercise was the most
peaceful in the country’s election history. He also said the voter turnout was
wonderful.
December 29 –
National Rainbow Coalition leader Mwai Kibaki was last night on course to
become Kenya’s third president. He was heading for a landslide victory after
polling over a million votes more than his nearest rival, Uhuru kenyatta.
About ten
cabinet ministers have ben defeated at the election. They include Vice
president Musalia mudavadi, Julius Sunkuli, Sherriff nassir, katana Ngala and
Prof. Sam Ongeri.
December 30 – Newly
installed president Mwai Kibaki will drive back to state house today together
with Daniel arap Moi after a glittering swearing in ceremony at Uhuru Park. At
state House, Moi will usher his successor into his office.
Kenya’s new
president yesterday pledged to fight corruption, increase efficiency by
reducing the size of his cabinet and form an all inclusive administration. He
would ensure that all the 42 communities of Kenya are represented in the new
government.
December 31 –
Mwai Kibaki was yesterday sworn in as Kenya’s third president and commander –
in – chief of the armed forces. He was sworn in before a charged crowd
estimated at over 500000, surrounded by regional heads of state. The ceremony
marked an important transition in Kenyan politics; the first time a sitting
president has relinquished power and handed it to a political opponent.
January 1,
2003 – President Mwai Kibaki spent his first full day in office yesterday
constructing his government. The president was putting final touches on his
line up, which should be named by Friday.
President Mwai
Kibaki yesterday urged Kenyans to put politics aside and focus on nation
building. In his new year message, Mr Kibaki said time was ripe to focus on
pledges NARC made during the campaign period.
January 2 –
The National Rainbow Coalition has scooped 125 of the 210 parliamentary seats
contested in the last election. KANU was second with 64, while FORD-People
bagged 14 seats. Safina and Sisi kwa sisi each had two, FORD Asili 2 and
Shirikisho 1.
France, Japan,
Norway, Russia and the Netherlands are among countries of the world that have
congratulated Kenyans for managing a peaceful transition. Japan’s Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi described the elections and transfer of power as an
example to the rest of the continent.
January 3 –
Parliament meets under the NARC government on Thursday, setting the stage for
key policy changes and economic reforms promised during the campaigns.
President Mwai
Kibaki yesterday formally shifted to state house, Nairobi. He has been working
from his Muthaiga residence.
January 4 –
President Kibaki yesterday named his cabinet. In a clear break with the Moi
era, he announced the makeup of his government at an open press conference, in
the State house grounds. The highlight of his new government was a big
reduction in the number of assistant ministers, from 39 down to 24.
New Roads and
Public works minister Raila Odinga took over office an hour after his
appointment and promised to nullify shady road contracts.
January 5 –
The Liberal Democratic Party parliamentary group meets today to discuss the
cabinet unveiled by President Mwai Kibaki. They will also discuss plans to
transform NARC into one party.
The judiciary
is among the departments targeted for radical changes as the new government
settled in with a declaration of war on corruption yesterday.
January 6 –
Twenty-five NARC MPs yesterday accused president Mwai Kibaki of breaking a
power sharing agreement signed before the election.
Safina MPs
will sit and vote with their NARC counterparts in parliament as the party
considers itself part of the government. This was announced yesterday by its
leader Paul Muite.
January 7 –
President Mwai Kibaki yesterday witnessed the swearing in ceremony of his
cabinet ministers. He played down protests over the composition of his cabinet.
Former KANU
ministers handed over yesterday to their NARC successors. At Telposta towers,
Nicholas Biwott advised the new trade and industry minister Dr Mukhisa Kituyi
to focus on reviving the textile industry.
January 8 –
Retired president Daniel arap Moi arrived back in the city yesterday to begin
work on the Moi foundation. On arrival, he went straight to his private office,
whose location was not disclosed.
Two men were
yesterday jailed for buying voters’ cards during the just concluded general
election and a third one fined for multiple registration.
January 9 –
Former State House Comptroller Franklin Bett is among the six NARC
parliamentary nominees. NARC also nominated Dr Julia Ojiambo, Oloo Aringo,
Betty Tett Cecily Mbarire and Njoki Ndungu.
KANU yesterday
claimed that the appointments of Kijana Wamalwa as Vice-President and Betty
Tett as assistant minister were illegal. The opposition party argued: “The
constitution states that the president shall appoint a VP from among his
ministers who are elected MPs. Tett is not an elected MP and Wamalwa was not a
minister prior to his naming as a VP”.
January 10 –
Former vice-President Musalia Mudavadi yesterday turned down the chance to be a
KANU nominated MP. He said it would be wrong for him to go to parliament after
being rejected by the electorate.
The national
constitutional conference, thrown into disarray after the dissolution of
parliament, is likely to be reconvened in march, cabinet minister Kiraitu
Murungi said yesterday. He said a new constitution would be in place by June
this year.
January 11 –
Seven cabinet ministers yesterday took the anti-corruption crusade to the
country-side with a pledge to rout graft from parastatals and the central
government. They were speaking when they made visits to their home turfs.
A day after
rejecting parliamentary nomination, former Vice-President Musalia Mudavadi said
his political fortunes took a nose -dive when he quit the Rainbow Alliance to
rejoin KANU.
January 12 –
The three KANU women nominated MPs yesterday said they were confident the
former ruling party would transform itself into a vibrant opposition party.
Prof Ruth Oniango, Dr Esther Keino and Ms Amina Abdalla said they were happy
with the calibre of people nominated to the ninth parliament.
The 10
FORD-People MPs from Kisii yesterday said they fully support president Mwai
Kibaki’s government. They said they would support Bills aimed at improving the
lives of Kenyans.
January 13 –
NARC is set to control the majority of local authorities. It is set to pick 373
nominated councilors, compared to KANU’s 250, Electoral Commission chairman
Samuel Kivuitu said yesterday.
The Electoral
Commission will accept any FORD-People nominee who is fairly selected. A row
has been simmering in FORD-people over who should be nominated to parliament.
January 14 –
The fate of the Constitution Review Commission hang in the balance yesterday as
a new row broke out over its legality, its role, size and cost. The Commission
is still costing tax payers money although its work was suspended in October.
President Mwai
Kibaki is scheduled to chair his first cabinet meeting this morning, to set in
motion a programme to deliver NARC’s election pledges.
January 15 – Divisions
within the CKRC emerged yesterday following calls for a cut in the size of the
review team. A group of commissioners led by Prof Okoth Ogendo said they might
table a vote of no confidence in the chairman Prof Yash Pal Ghai.
The Electoral
Commission of Kenya has settled on former Bomet MP Kipkalya Kones as
FORD-People’s nominated Member of Parliament. The commission relied on the
party’s constitution.