NEW GOVERNOR VYING FOR LAMU COUNTY.

By EMMANUEL BOAZ The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Museum of Kenya (NMK) has officially declared his candidature for the position of Lamu County Governor. Mr Issa Timamy who has today resigned said that he believes for the 9 years he has served as the chairman of NMK he has served to the best of his capacity and his achievements and successes are there for all to see. Mr Timamy is vying for the governor`s seat using the the United Democratic Forum (UDF) party ticket. “I’ve transformed the NMK from a moribund to a vibrant, relevant and effective institution,” he said. Mr Timamy has tones of promises for residents Lamu County. He will first deal with education sector. “Lamu County has been tailing when it comes to education and no leader has raised an eye brow and questioned the reason behind this. This is the chance for Lamu to shine when it comes to education,” He will also deal with economic empowerment where he will initiate small projects in agriculture and fishing. “Lamu has been ranked seventh resource wise but it is currently ranked one of the poorest Counties in Kenya. It is a contradiction in terms and this is indeed a reflection of poor leadership where resources do not benefit the citizens,” he said Mr Timamy will deal with drug abuse because Lamu has a dubious reputation of being drug den unemployment is rampant, poverty and inequality has increased. “In 90 days we will be able to scrape away drug abuse in Lamu once he is governor because he feels the current Government is not taking any action to curb drug abuse,” He added. With the construction of the new port at Lamu the Culture and heritage Concert is not affected and Mr Timamy will see to it that those who will be affected by the construction will be compensated fully and handsomely. Ends.

FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE MUSEUM OF KENYA EYES TO BEING THE GOVERNOR FOR LAMU COUNTY

By EMMANUEL BOAZ The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Museum of Kenya (NMK) has today resigned and officially declared his candidature for the position of Lamu County Governor using the United Democratic Forum (UDF) party ticket. Mr Issa Timamy said that he believes for the 9 years he has served as the chairman of NMK he has served to the best of his capacity and his achievements and successes are there for all to see. “I’ve transformed the NMK from a moribund to a vibrant, relevant and effective institution,” he said. Mr Timamy has tones of promises for residents Lamu County. He will first deal with education sector. “Lamu County has been tailing when it comes to education and no leader has raised an eye brow and questioned the reason behind this. This is the chance for Lamu to shine when it comes to education,” He will also deal with economic empowerment where he will initiate small projects in agriculture and fishing. “Lamu has been ranked seventh resource wise but it is currently ranked one of the poorest Counties in Kenya. It is a contradiction in terms and this is indeed a reflection of poor leadership where resources do not benefit the citizens,” he said Mr Timamy will deal with drug abuse because Lamu has a dubious reputation of being drug den unemployment is rampant, poverty and inequality has increased. “In 90 days we will be able to scrape away drug abuse in Lamu once he is governor because he feels the current Government is not taking any action to curb drug abuse,” He added. With the construction of the new port at Lamu the Culture and heritage Concert is not affected and Mr Timamy will see to it that those who will be affected by the construction will be compensated fully and handsomely. Ends.

MUSLIM AND CHRISTIAN CLERICS TO WORK TOGETHER TO PROMOTE PEACE iIN MOMBASA

By EMMANUEL BOAZ The Muslims and Christians clerics in Mombasa have been urged to come work together and preach peace. The chairman of the Kenya Muslim National Advisory Council (Kemnac) Sheikh Juma Ngao said that those who bomb churches break and destroy business premises in the name if Islam must be arrested and taken to court because they are criminals.

“As the chairman of (Kemnac) we strongly condemn the violence and burning of churches. In order for peace to prevail where as it shall be easy for Christians and Muslims to go to houses of prayer the perpetrators of the criminal activities should be arrested and taken to court.” He said. He further urged the government to form a committee to investigate all people who participated in one way or another in the killing of Sheikh Aboud Rogo, to bomb churches in Nairobi northeastern, the bombing of the crusade in Mtwapa, the killing of Orma and Pokomo in Tana River. Saying that the ones involved should be arrested and face the law. Sheikh Ngao who is pursuing a degree in theology and has read both the Bible and the Quran spoke against the Muslim preachers who parade themselves by the road side and criticize the Christians and the bible saying that Christians are pagans should stop doing that since it raises inter religious conflict. “I have read the holy Bible for 4 years and the holy Quran for 7 years. I have also preached the both for 7 years. The Muslim preachers who come together to criticize the bible and calling the Christians pagans should stop politics of criticism in religion because there is no one has the right to judge the other,” he said While quoting verses from the Bible and Quran he congratulated the Christians for not taking the law into their own hands even after many churches were looted and burnt. The act of turning into a religious war is not good because it has brought consequences for Nigeria by the Boko Haram, Somalia, Burundi and Rwanda. “We should come together Muslims and Christians as brothers and sisters in order to know the ones who killed Sheikh Aboud Rogo and the ones who burnt down Churches.” he added. The Chairman of Kenya National Inter Religion Network (KENIN) Rev Alfred Obaya said that they are bring together religious leaders to promote inter religious interaction and provide civil education in order to bring amicable resolutions of promoting peace in Kenya. “As Christians feel like we are being looked down on because our churches are being burnt, we are bombed while conducting crusades and we do not know the reason why. The government should provide maximum security,” Rev Obaya said. We seem to blame the Muslims but as we see the perpetrators are the youth who are criminals. The criminals and their criminal act can be ended by providing security and bringing to book these criminals,” he added Sheikh Ngao concluded by saying that the ones who are participating in the criminal activities are not Muslims but just pagans who have no sense of belonging and they are out to tarnish the Muslim religion because the holy Quran preaches against burning and looting of places of worship. They should be arrested and taken to court. He also urged all Mosques to call off the demonstration by Muslims meant for tomorrow after the afternoon prayers.

THOSE WHO LOST PROPERTY IN THE MOMBASA CLASHESMUST BE COMPENSATED

By EMMANUEL BOAZ.

The Prime Minister Raila Odinga today condemned the assassination of Sheikh Aboud Rogo. The destruction of property particularly churches, the targeting of innocent people and use of grenade attacks was further condemned by the prime minister. “I condemns the hidden hand behind the killing of Sheikh Aboud Rogo and the act of trying to create inter religious strives in the country,” the pm said Speaking to the press Mr Odinga said that the current situation at the coast can be controlled if the evil actions are condemned and the perpetrators isolated because their intention is to create war between the Christian and Muslim religions. The Pm said the way forward is to compartmentalize the communities that are the Christians and Muslims. Speaking to the press at the Nyali beach resort after attending to a meeting of coastal leaders to agree on the way forward after the experienced chaos in Mombasa following the death of Sheikh Aboud Rogo, the PM said that the Muslims and Christians must work together in harmony and send a message of unity to all the supporters. “The Muslim and Christian communities must work together in harmony and a message of unity must be send and leaders must also overcome leadership crisis,” the pm said. However those whose property was destroyed particularly churches will be compensated whereby their property will be reconstructed and restored, promised the Prime Minister.

GOVERNMENT CONDEMNED OVER BEING RELUCTANT IN RESPONDING TO THE TANA RIVER MASSACRE

By EMMANUEL BOAZ

Peace and security for development (PSD) network that comprises five organizations yesterday condemned the government for being reluctant in responding to the massacre killing in Tana River County. Coast Interfaith Council of Clerics (CICC), Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK), Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance (KMYA), Likoni Community Development Program (LICODEP) and Muslim for Human Rights (MUHURI) have come together to make sure there is justice, security and prosperity in the community. “We feel that there is discrimination. If there are other tragedies in other areas, the government reacts faster and sends appeal, emissaries, martialing government resources bur now that about 50 people have been killed in tanariver, many losing their homes and livestock but nothing has been done not even an official statement from the government over this issue has been heard. Is it because this is a marginalized area?” said the executive director MUHURI Mr Hussein Khalid. Why has the government done completely nothing about the worsening situation in Tana River County? Is it because the area is densely populated and gathers not so many votes or is it because the residents are poor so as to be killed and massacred in a cold blooded manner? Where is the prime minister the president and the minister of internal security? He added. The vice chairman CICC Sheikh Ahmed Said that laxity in the part of security authority bearers hence making helpless children and women become a victim of such kind of skirmishes if the government takes more interest in ensuring security is beefed up such kind of massacres would be either controlled of kept to a minimum or avoided altogether. Bishop Kinoyah a CICC member said that it is perturbing that from the year 1998 we have an infiltration of small fire arms and this has been well known to the authorities we have had skirmishes on and off in various areas well known to the authorities some of these pastoralists need to bring their cattle to water points we wonder if these water points were availed so that they would not have a need or reason for the cattle to pass through the farms they were supposed to have areas where they would get to water points without interfering with the farms. If this was taken care of and availed, the skirmishes would have been maintained at a minimum. “All this happened despite the fact that information on the ground was made available to the authorities. Several meetings were held prior to the violence but the authorities downplayed the concerns and instead assured the public that all was well,” Said the human Right Officer Tana River County Ms Kupesha Mohammed. “We insist that our good government portrays a picture of concern which so far has really lacked. Some of the people have been housed by their relatives while others are in the bush. She added The network demands that the tanariver people must be treated like human beings. The government’s inaction and failure to address the concerns of the people in tanariver has brought all these actions to take place. The PSD networkalso demanded that swift action to be taken by the minister of internal security and special programs and set aside funds to help thebereaved familiesand those injured, dead buried and those that are hurt taken to hospital. Homes that were destroyed should also be rebuilt. “We appeal to the public to get concerned over the state of affair in the region and also contribute funds, foodstuffs and medicine to the affected communities” The group has already dispatched a strong team of human rights activists, religious leaders, peace makers, social workers and conflict managers to TanaRiver County to assist our officers on the ground to restore peace They urged the people of Tana River County in particular those from the Orma and Pokomo communities to exercise restraint and soberness. “We urge the three Members of Parliament of Tana River County, Honorable Danson Mungatana, Nuh Nassir and Dado Godana to personally see to it that peace prevails in the region.” This reaction comes a day after there were massacre killing in of 50 residents of Riketa in Tana River County most of them being women and children. Ends

TANA RIVER CLASHES

By EMMANUEL BOAZ

68 people Riket village in Tana delta were yesterday killed. Many of which are women and children. Speaking outside the provincial commissioner’s (pc`s) office, the councilor of Tanariver who also doubles up as the chairman of the council of tanariver ward Mr Salim Ngolo said that the 200 villagers were attacked during the night by an outlawed group of Pokomos. Their houses locked from outside before they were set ablaze and those who attempted to escape were sliced into pieced. “This is a peaceful village 40 kilometers away from where the clashes happened between the pastoralists and farmersit is a day of great sorrow because 200 villagers lost their homes and 500 livestock were all murdered by the gang of around 100 Pokomos. I have come to the pc`s office in order to give him the full details of the situation in the ground in order for him to help,” Mr Ngolo said. “There is a hidden agenda of the illegal group spreading the war all over Tana River County and they want to involve the whole community the government should come in and give a helping hand,” he added. Coast province commissioner Samuel Kilele said that he is yet to get the full details on the situation because his officers have not reached the area yet. He has GSU and Aps have been deployed in the area. “The attack took place in an area that is swampy so it has taken time for our officers on the ground to reach the place. Our officers have been forced to go back to Tarasaa and find another root to Ricket, from what I know it is a conflict and I do not have an idea of what has happened,” he said. “We had a very good meeting last time and everybody agreed to keep peacethe locals were advised to come together and talk, whereby they came to a conclusion with village elders that a Sh 10,000 fine for those who kill livestock and those who feed crops to livestock.The whole problem is not about government providing security but about the villagers revenging, “The way forward is to conduct peace forums with the clashing communities,” He added This incident comes barely two weeks after there were skirmishes in the Kau village in tanariver delta that left 110 families homeless, 190 heads of cattle dead.

End.

JUDICIARY MARCHES WEEK

By EMMANUEL BOAZ Yesterday marked the first day of a country wide program dabbed Judiciary Marches week that is to be conducted annually between the 21st and 26th august. In Mombasa the marches were launched by the Mombasa Law Court resident magistrate Mr Stephen Riech and the resident judge Mr John Mwera. “We are launching the judiciary marches week, an event to be held once every year around the country, as part of our transformation program. Through the judicial matches’ week, we seek not only to make the judiciary more accessible to the public, but also to remind ourselves of the constitutional edict that judicial authority comes from the people,” said the chief justice Mr Willy Mutunga in his speech that was read by the Mombasa resident judge Mr John Mwera. The program is meant for the judiciary to carry out a series of activities that place its officials in all courts stations around the country from the judges, magistrates and kadhis, in order to be in direct contact with the mwananchi. “Judiciary staff are marching, proud of the fact that they are in the service of the public, and appreciative of the fact that it is this public that pays our salaries, pays our allowances, and buts our cars, and they do this despite the fact that 50 per cent of the Kenyan population live below the poverty line. We are bonded to serve Kenyans foot the bill for justice and we have a duty to explain ourselves to them,” said Mr Mutunga. This comes due to the expectation by the new constitution on the judiciary. It requires the judiciary to meaningfully engage with the public and all stakeholders. The judiciary is therefore transforming into a more open and accessible institution. “The constitution requires a recreation of public needs and continuous accountability in the execution of their mandate. This is part of the mental shift that public institutions and servants need to make as part of the Kenya`s new constitution dispensation. We live in an age where power must be accountable including judicial power. So we, as the judiciary, are marching as part of this accountability,” Mr Mutunga said. This is the first time the judiciary is making ties directly with the public by holding meetings at public places to explain how the courts work, and how the public can access and use them. They will visit various groups to receive public feedback, engage with education institutions and professional associations to explain the role of the judiciary and the staff will take part in charitable activities as part of the institution`s social responsibility action. Through the platform of dialogue and feedback the judiciary will nurture and sustain public support by responding directly to them and ultimately build faith in the institution and better deliver its mandate by delivering its own voice. In the next couple of months the chief justice will be joining colleagues and the public in the marches. “I shall join colleagues and the public in areas long marginalized to be a part of this conversation. No place is too remote for the reach of justice. The judiciary is for Kenyans there is no more favored and none discriminated against, “We are to establish court user committee at national, county and court station level, which give all the actors in the justice chain from the prosecution directorate, the attorney general, the police to the prisons to civil society organizations a forum to work together to resolve issues that prevent them from delivering on their mandates,” said the chief justice. A representative of the court users committee Mr Jackson Ondari asked more staff to be hired in the office of the dpp in order to fast track backlog of cases. “We must assist the courts in achieving its dream it takes two to tangle. As court users, we trust all players, the challenge of inadequate staff in the dpp`s office should be addressed to remove backload of cases this way we will be able to realize our dream in the short way possible,” Mr Ondari said. The Mombasa law court serves the greater Mombasa district and has several courts under it. We have the main law court housing both the high court and the chief magistrate`s court. A special court which is administered in compliance with the children`s act is the Tononoka children`s court handles all cases involving children and also handles child custody and maintenance disputes. There are 7 judges of the high court 15 magistrates, 2 kadhis and 165 judicial staff in the Mombasa Law Court. The Mombasa court also has the kadhis court presided over by the chief kadhi hence making Mombasa the headquarters of the kadhis court in the country and it handles civil cases in which one or both parties profess Muslim faith. It also handles marriage and divorce cases. The judiciary has also opened the municipal court to handle offences under the municipal by laws. “In order to make it more effective we are consulting with other stake holders to have the courts handle disputes and claims against bodies established under the Local Authorities Act which will include licensing approvals and rates defaults. With the aid of giving strengthening the capacity of the court to give rate payers value for their money, the municipal law courts will also handle suits brought by dissatisfied rate payers against the municipal council,” said the Mombasa resident magistrate Mr Stephen Riech. Lastly the Shanzu Law Courts which was inaugurated over two months ago; serves Bamburi, Kiembeni, Mtwapa, and Kijipwa police station in Kilifi. The Mombasa resident magistrate says that the establishment of the shanzu courts has gone a long way into decongesting the Mombasa Law courts and a source of convenience to litigants who used to travel long distance to come to Mombasa Island. In the next few years, we intend to open courts in Likoni and Changamwe, in order to take justice closer to the people. “It is a moment for us who are privileged to serve in the judiciary to open up to the public; explain to them how we work; and get feedback from the people on how to improve our services.” “We have embarked on an elaborate program to transform to transform the judiciary by making it people centered and services and service oriented. Indeed, this is the first pillar of the judiciary transformation framework, launched a little over two months ago.” “The new judiciary is becoming more open, accessible, modern, efficient and effective.” Challenges The resident magistrate Mr Stephen Riech says that the main challenge in Mombasa is the existence of backlog of cases which have been brought up by lack of adequate number of Judicial Officers. With the aid of solving the backlog of cases, Mr Riech said that 10 magistrates have been hired by the judicial service commission 6 of which have reported and 4 others are yet to report. The high court has 6969 civil cases, 41 criminal cases, and 75 criminal appeal cases which are lying pending. The chief magistrate court has 46,580 civil cases and 3,305 criminal cases that are lying pending. Way forward Strategies have been adopted in order to determine the cases these being reduction of the hearing of criminal cases for those charged with ordinary offences and are in remand to a maximum of 6 months. For those charged with capital offences, a 9 months target period has been set to finalize the cases. In civil cases, all cases will have hearing dates fixed by courts instead of relying on parties to initiate the process. “From next year there will be no civil cases filed without a hearing date. If on that date for hearing parties who have been notified and are not present, the cases will be dismissed,” the resident magistrate said. 7,390 civil cases in the high court and 7,280 civil cases in the chief magistrate court old cases where action has not been taken by parties will be dismissed for lack of prosecution in the next two months. Judgment will be delivered on due date and no orders for judgment to be deliveredon notice. Lastly provision of civil procedure act order 3 rule 3 will be implemented faithfully, Which includes small claims cases that involve not more than two parties and whose monetary value does not exceed Sh 49,999, fast track cases which are cases with undisputed facts and legal issues relatively few parties and would likely be concluded within 180 days after the pretrial directions and multi-track cases which are cases with complex facts and legal issues or several parties and which would likely be concluded within 240 days from the date of pretrial direction. In order to address the problem of lost or misplaced files, the Mombasa Law courts will in the next one month enter into partnership with Kenya Transitional Initiative of the USAID to digitize all files in Mombasa and save them in soft copy for easy retrieval. The Mombasa Law Courts have also set up an information and customer care desk to guide one when he or she comes into the premises, a hot mail number 0711 347 207 was provided were one can call or send sms giving the case number name and the question one needs to ask. The Mombasa law courts will get back to the person within 16 hours. An email address mombasacourt@judiciary.go.ke was set up in the aid to enhance interactiveness with clients. “We urge all of you to use the above avenues to communicate to us or better still you can sms your argument to 5834 for the ombudsperson,” said Mr Riech. However, to address the challenge of inadequate court rooms and chambers, the judiciary is putting up a modern court premises to house the court of appeal and all divisions of high with the help of the World Bank. To confirm the judiciary commitment, A Mombasa Law Court staff pledge was made publicly by the Mombasa judicial staff that they pledge to cordially great clients and welcome them to the courts, treat clients with courtesy, dignity and respect, they will explain the court and registry processes to clients with patience and understanding, they will accept and respond to clients` complaints and comments in written, verbal, or electronic form, they will provide reasonable assistance due to delay or inability to locate files and reconstruct any missing file with a sense of urgency and lastly that they will take all due and deliberate steps to expedite the finalization of cases.

Ends