FIFA President Sepp Blatter plans to move 2022 World Cup

Updated Thursday, July 18th 2013 at 15:37 GMT +3 Fifa president Sepp Blatter is determined to switch the 2022 World Cup to the winter because of the intense Qatar summer heat.
The head of world football's governing body is planning discussions over the change with his executive committee.

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The Premier League are opposed to the move as it would cause major disruption to league fixtures.
Blatter said: "The executive committee will certainly follow my proposal. Then we will have dealt with it for good."
Blatter will hold talks with Fifa's executive committee in October after medical evidence highlighted the dangers of playing games in temperatures that average 40C in June and can reach 50C.
The heat dips to an average of 20C during the winter months.
The host nation is planning to play games in air-conditioned stadiums, but Blatter said: "The Fifa World Cup must be a festival of the people, but, for it to be such a festival, you can't play football in the summer.
"You can cool down the stadiums, but you can't cool down the whole country and you can't simply cool down the ambience of a World Cup.
"The players must be able to play in the best conditions to play a good World Cup."
Moving the World Cup to the winter would significantly impact on the European leagues.
Blatter insists it would only affect one season, but the Premier League fear fixtures could be disrupted across Europe for three seasons
"The Premier League's view remains unchanged," a spokesman said. "We are opposed to the concept of a winter World Cup for very obvious practical reasons that would impact on all of European domestic football."

19 yr Kenyan girl to open Hacker Academy after US visa decline

Martha Chumo is on an ambitious path to establish Kenya’s first exclusive coding academy.

We must admit that it’s a bit embarrassing to pick local stories from international media but if it’s really inspiration and positive (which is rare) then we go all out, but of course give credit.

CNN yesterday featured a story of 19 year old Martha Chumo who has unbridled determination and ambition for her age.

Chumo is clearly intelligent. She was at the top of her class in her high school and was waiting to join the University of Nairobi to study Medicine when she got interested in programming.

“Learning code became my obsession. In June 2012, I took the little I had saved and bought a computer, installed Ubuntu and quit my internship,” Chumo told Code Academy in an earlier interview.

She spent hours at iHub learning and interacting with the community members and within a short period she was conversant with Ruby on Rails programming language.

“Programming opened an unknown world to me. I was planning on going to medical school, like most top-students in Kenya do. Now I’m taking a year off to explore software development. I’m especially excited about the world of open source software.”

Two months ago, Chumo applied and was accepted to the renowned US-based Hacker School, where upcoming programmers are enrolled for three months to write code, learn new languages and share industry insights.

iHub Nairobi

Although the tuition fee was catered for, Chumo needed to take care of her air fare of $4,200. Ever the enthusiast, she turned to the online crowdsourcing platform Indiegogo. She raised $5,800.

Happy that her travel costs had been taken care of, Chumo’s only other requirement was have US visa processed.

But the US embassy did not share her enthusiasm. Her profile – single, young girl, not in school – scored low and did not show sufficient “social ties” to Kenya according to the US visa section.

You would have thought the visa denial would have put discouraged the 19 year old but that only served to redirect her energy to a bigger dream.

“I thought if I can’t go to hacker school, let me try to bring the school to me,” Chumo told CNN.

She turned to the same crowdsourcing fund raising site with plans to start her own developers’ school in Nairobi.

Chumo says that, similar to Hacker School, Nairobi’s dev school will run for three months and be free of charge for participants. Its goal is to equip young programmers from across East Africa with valuable skills and help them build exciting new technology for the continent.

Barely a month after she launched her bid to start Nairobi Dev School, she has secured space for the school and managed to raise $12,000 out of a $50,000 target.

“In some way, it was a good thing that they didn’t let me go to Hacker School.”
Source: CNN and CodeAcademy

Jaramogi Oginga Odinga regarded Kenneth Matiba, Mwai Kibaki as political novices

Updated Thursday, July 18th 2013 at 10:35 GMT +3 Kenya: The doyen of Kenyan opposition politics the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga was not a spiteful man. But he never held his cool when it came to former Ford-Asili leader, Kenneth Matiba. This was especially after a disjointed opposition lost the 1992 elections to Kanu.

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Ford was formed to fight for democracy and remove Kanu from power. But just a few months before the General Election in 1992, it split into Ford-Kenya led by Raila’s father, Jaramogi and Ford-Asili headed by Kenneth Matiba.
They were whitewashed by Kanu in the elections. It seemed Jaramogi never forgave Matiba for the split. On July 18, 1993, The Standard on Sunday splashed a story titled; Odinga dismisses Matiba. It quoted Jaramogi referring to Matiba as ‘a political novice who was leading an infant party’.
“He at the same time said his political acumen could not be compared with DP’s Mwai Kibaki.  Mr Odinga said he is the one who persuaded Mr Kibaki to quit his teaching job at Makerere University and take up the job of Executive Officer of Kanu in 1960,” reported the paper.
 By referring to Matiba as a political novice and his party, Ford-Asili as an infant entity, Jaramogi could have given in to emotions.
Party disunity
He was angry at the fact that the combined opposition votes in 1992 presidential election was more than what former President Moi garnered, but they still lost due to disunity, which was blamed on Matiba.
 Having been humiliated at the first multi-party elections in 1992, the opposition was humbled. Jaramogi seemed to have realised the only way to beat Kanu was for them ‘to stick together to survive, or be hanged separately’, to use the late Kijana Wamalwa’s words.
But Matiba was unrelenting. In the 1992 General Election Ford-Asili won 32 seats against Ford-Kenya’s 30 to become the second largest party and also the Official Opposition.
After defections and subsequent by-elections where it lost seats to Kanu, FORD Asili remained with only 23 seats by 1994. This saw Ford-Kenya became the Official Opposition party.
But even after defections, Ford-Asili and Ford Kenya had an even number of parliamentarians. The rift then ensued on whether Ford-Asili should still retain its identity as the Official Opposition party.

Wayne Rooney arrives at Manchester United's training ground amid doubts on future

Updated Thursday, July 18th 2013 at 14:51 GMT +3 Adapted from SkySports
Rooney drove into the Carrington training complex around 9am, and is set to continue receiving treatment for a hamstring injury, which prompted his early return from their pre-season tour.

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United manager David Moyes, who is in Australia on the latest leg of the club's Far East tour made a public appearance in Sydney on Thursday - but refused to be drawn on the future of the England striker.
The 27-year-old - who is reportedly "angry and confused" at his treatment by United - was the subject of a bid from Chelsea earlier this week - something confirmed by Jose Mourinho at a press conference on Wednesday.
"Chelsea is interested in this player, made a bid, and what we did, we did officially," Mourinho said.
"The bid is there. The club knows we want the player, the player has to know we made a bid for him.
"Now we have nothing more to say. We want the player, we made the bid and now it is up to Man United and we respect their decision.
"Now I keep doing what I'm doing, working with my players, trying to improve my players, and we'll see what happens. Now he's with Man United, not with us.
"From me no more comments with respect to Man United, my colleague (United manager) David Moyes and my players."

Woman 36 rapes 14 year old boy in Nyahururu

Updated Thursday, July 18th 2013 at 14:45 GMT +3 By James Munyeki
NYAHURURU, KENYA: Shock has gripped Kinamba village in Nyahururu district after a 36 year old woman was found defiling a 14 year old boy.

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The woman had wooed the minor to his house and sexually molested her for the whole of Wednesday night before neighbors raised alarm.
The woman is said to have cheated the boy who sat for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education KCPE examination last year that if he had sex with her, he would not feel pain when he goes for circumcision.
It is then that the minor agreed to spend the night with her and they entered the house at around 6 pm in full glare of her neighbors.
The uncircumcised boy did not proceed to secondary school after sitting for his examination last year.
Ngarua DO Rufus Kihara who confirmed the incident said the woman was caught red handed on Thursday morning after a tip off from the members of the public.
“The neighbors just thought he was a relative but got curios after they heard noise coming out of the house at night. Her wayward behavior is known by local residents and they informed the boy’s parents,” he said.
The DO said the parents reported the matter to the police when the boy failed to return home in the morning and police laid a trap.
“We got the woman right in the act at Kinamba Township  early in the morning,” he said.
The boy has since escaped from home following the shameful act.
The administrator said the woman would be arraigned in court once investigations are complete.

Woman sentenced to life for killing fiance on their wedding day

Updated Thursday, July 18th 2013 at 11:36 GMT +3 An eastern Pennsylvania woman sentenced to life in prison in the stabbing death of her fiance on their wedding day says she still loves him.
Thirty-two-year-old Na Cola Franklin was convicted of first-degree murder in the August death of 36-year-old Billy Brewster after an argument at their Whitehall Township apartment hours before the ceremony.

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Easton's The Express-Times newspaper reports Franklin said Tuesday before she was sentenced to the mandatory life term she hadn't meant to kill Brewster.
Franklin told the victim's mother in court, "I love him. I do still love him. I love him more than myself."
Defense attorney John Waldron has vowed an appeal. He argues Brewster came home drunk from an impromptu bachelor party and attacked Franklin.

Robert Downey Jr Named Forbes Highest-Paid Actor

Robery Dawney

Both Marvel superhero films featuring the 48-year-old took more than $1 billion at the box office.
In second place is new father, Channing Tatum, who financed and starred in Magic Mike, about male strippers.
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, it made $167 million (£110m), contributing to the actor's $60 million (£40m) pay.
Completing the top three is Australian actor Hugh Jackman, whose new film The Wolverine is about to open in the UK.
He is thought to have earned $55 million (£36.5m) in the same period - June 2012 to June 2013.
Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington are due to co-star in 2 Guns
Other stars in the top 10 include Mark Wahlberg, star of comedy film Ted, who earned $52 million (£34.5m) and Adam Sandler with $37 million (£24.5m).
Denzel Washington, who is in ninth place, earned approximately $33 million (£21.8).
He took a cut in pay for the film Flight in exchange for a share of the profits. The film ended up making $162 million (£107m).
Last year, 51-year-old Tom Cruise topped the list with earnings of $75 million (£49.5m).
This year he dropped to eighth place with $35 million (£23.1), gained largely from his international audience, Forbes said.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Liam Neeson complete the top 10 with earnings of $39 million (£25.8) and $32 million (£21.1) respectively.

Two International Criminal Court witnesses withdraw from Uhuru Kenyatta’s case

Updated Thursday, July 18th 2013 at 12:04 GMT  Two witnesses have withdrawn from testifying against President Uhuru Kenyatta at the International Criminal Court ( ICC) due to security concerns.

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ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda informed Trial Chamber V (B) that they had  also dropped a third witness whose evidence was no longer necessary.
“The Prosecution hereby notifies the Chamber of the withdrawal of three witnesses from its list of witnesses to be relied on at trial. This notification is designated “confidential, ex parte” because it contains security-related information about former Prosecution witnesses that, if disclosed to the parties or the public, may place the witnesses and/or their family members at risk,” Bensouda stated.
She said Witness 5 has informed the Prosecution that he is no longer willing to testify at trial due to security risks.
She said the witness believed that recent events in his life indicated efforts to discover his location and that there have been public speculation about his cooperation with the ICC.
“In sum, it appears that Witness 5’s concerns for his security [REDACTED] have become too great for him to bear, and he has decided to withdraw as a consequence,” Bensouda stated.
The ICC Chief Prosecutor  said Witness 426 has informed the Prosecution that he is no longer willing to testify against President Uhuru despite discussions to meet his concerns about the case.
“These talks were unsuccessful and Witness 426 maintained that he was not willing to testify,” said the ICC prosecutor.
Bensouda said upon review, the prosecution decided to withdraw the evidence of Witness 334 as  it was no longer necessary.
President Uhuru, his Deputy William Ruto and former radio journalist Joshua Sang are facing crimes against humanity charges at The Hague based ICC.
Some witnesses who were to testify against Ruto have already withdrawn.

Uhuru, Ruto mark 100 stormy days

PHOTO | SULEIMAN MBATIAH | FILE Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto during the campaign period prior to the 2013 General Election.  NATION MEDIA GROUP

By SAMUEL SIRINGI ssiringi@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Wednesday, July 17  2013 at  23:30

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The teachers strike, insecurity and ethnic divisions are the biggest challenges that the Jubilee administration has had to deal with in its first 100 days in office.

The four-week teachers’ strike that ended on Wednesday had threatened to derail schools’ plan to run mock examinations, which start this week. Mocks prepare candidates for the national examinations, which start in two months.

The other major challenge that faced President Kenyatta and his deputy, Mr William Ruto, was the division caused by the March 4 General Election.

An opinion poll conducted by Ipsos Synovate published earlier this month showed that 51 per cent of Kenyans had confidence in President Kenyatta while 48 per cent had confidence in Mr Ruto.

President Kenyatta’s rating is closer to the 50.07 per cent of votes that the electoral commission announced he garnered in the March 4 election, showing that those who did not vote for the Jubilee candidate had not had a change of heart.

“The rating is surprisingly low,” Synovate researcher Tom Wolf had said when he announced the results of the survey.

The Kenyatta administration has also had a hard time combating insecurity caused by gangs, militia groups and ethnic fighting in regions like Bungoma, Mandera and Tana River.

Although the killings have subsided in recent weeks, Mr Kenyatta had at one point to warn that he would send in the military to deal with ethnic groups engage in some of the conflicts.
More than 100 people were killed in the attacks, marring the first 100 days of the new administration.

Some of the killings, including acts of terrorism in northern Kenya, occurred before Mr Kenyatta could appoint a substantive Cabinet secretary for Internal Security. Attorney-general Githu Muigai acted in that capacity for a few days before Mr Joseph ole Lenku was appointed and sworn in on June 6.

Mr Ruto said recently that the government had restored security in the worst-hit areas.

The delay to constitute a government also caused anxiety among Kenyans.

Many people felt that the Executive was over-consulting before picking individuals for various offices.

In the Ipsos Synovate poll, 10 in every 100 people interviewed reported that they had been victims of crime in the last three months with Nairobi recording the highest number of cases.
Fifty-eighty per cent of those who reported crimes to the police were unhappy with the response, while an equal number chose not to report at all.

Although the government promised to lower the cost of living, there has not been adequate effort to set the pace for a reduction in the cost of basic goods.

In fact, prices of basic commodities are likely go up should Parliament pass the controversial Value Added Tax (VAT) Bill currently before the House.

The Ipsos Synovate opinion poll showed that the high cost of living was the most serious problem facing Kenyans, with 54 per cent of respondents mentioning it, up from 39 per cent in November 2012.

Another 49 per cent of the people felt their general personal and household economic conditions had worsened under the Jubilee administration.

The new government has also been faced with the challenge of stopping the rising number of accidents on Kenyan roads, many of which have been attributed to failure by traffic police to crack down on offending motorists.

School re-opening to be announced, says Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi

Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi.

NAIROBI; KENYA: Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi Wednesday night said the Government would announce when schools would reopen and issue a schedule to recover lost time.

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“We would like to notify pupils, parents and the general public that the government will announce the date of re-opening of primary schools and give a clear time table to take into account the time lost during the strike,” Kaimenyi said, noting Knut’s action to call off the strike.
Earlier, Kaimenyi announced the closure of all public schools following a lengthy strike by teachers which was, however, called off Wednesday.
Kaimenyi called on teachers to respect the rule of law by heeding the institutions of State.

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Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission official admits changes to forms 35 during poll

Updated Wednesday, July 17th 2013 at 23:19 GMT +3   

NYANZA; KENYA: Hearing for the Bonchari constituency election petition came to an end with the returning officer admitting changes were made to forms 35 in a number of polling stations.

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The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission ( IEBC) official, Peter Resa, was testifying as the final defence witness in a petition filed by poll loser John Oyioka and voter Onditi Nyabaro challenging the election of Zebedeo Opore as MP during the March 4 polls.
Errors noted
He admitted errors were noted in Kenyorora, Gesero market, Ekerorano and Botoro polling stations. Opore is represented by lawyer Ken Nyaundi.
Resa told trial judge Justice Ruth Sitati that alterations to forms 35 were made at the polling stations and not at the tallying centre as claimed. He further denied using two sets of forms 36 to declare results of the poll.
During cross-examination by Oyioka’s lawyer Gilbert Nyamweya, the official said the changes were made by presiding officers and countersigned at polling stations. Opore polled 9,992 votes against Oyioka’s 8,987, to win by a margin of five votes. In one of the polling stations identified as Kenyorora Primary School, the number of valid votes cast was indicated in form 35 as 332 while in form 36 it was 331.
Lawyer Jackson Omwenga for the petitioners told the court that presiding officers at Kiabusura and Mogumo polling stations did not use official IEBC forms to declare results, but instead opted to use improvised ones.

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Microsoft Has an Operating System for Your House

Updated Thursday, July 18th 2013 at 10:23 GMT +3 Adapted from Technology Review
Researchers at Microsoft have released software aimed at making it easier for homes to be monitored, automated, and controlled using computers and the Internet. It also paves the way for developers to create apps that can be “installed” into homes with numerous different devices to make use of them in new ways.

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Although Internet-connected products for the home—including security cameras, thermostats, and motion sensors—are readily available, it can be challenging to install them, and they typically work independently. The new software from Microsoft, called Lab of Things, provides a centralized virtual dashboard for monitoring and controlling different “smart home” devices. It also provides standards for building “apps” for homes with the Lab of Things software installed.
Microsoft researcher Arjmand Samuel announced the Lab of Things software this week at Microsoft’s annual Faculty Summit, held for researchers from inside and outside the company. He said it was needed because the challenges of installing and running collections of home automation devices are holding back research into new possible uses for the technology.
The Lab of Things software “lowers the barrier to deploying field studies in connected homes,” he said, explaining that trials of home automation systems that combine multiple types of sensors and other devices are typically small-scale and short-lived due to the inconveniences for both researchers and the volunteers who welcome them into their homes.
Providing a common platform will help ready technology for consumers who want to automate or augment their home, said Samuel, by making it easier for researchers to try out new ideas and create home automation apps.
Lab of Things is named for the phrase Internet of Things, which refers to the idea that inanimate objects and devices will begin to co?perate using the Internet. The project builds on an earlier Microsoft Research software package called HomeOS, which was used by outside researchers in projects including ones that allowed gesture control of home appliances, and for mobile apps to configure home automation devices.
The Lab of Things software, available from the project’s home page, needs to be installed onto a computer in a home, and can then automatically detect home automation devices sharing the same network.
In a demonstration by Microsoft researcher A.J. Brush, Lab of Things automatically recognized a sensor that detects whether a door is open or closed as soon as it was connected to the same network. Brush could then use a Web interface to configure an alert that would send an e-mail as soon as the sensor detected a door had been opened. Brush also showed how she could log into Lab of Things running in her own home via the Web to view footage from a security camera there.
A separate presentation at Microsoft’s Faculty Summit by Kamin Whitehouse of University of Virginia described trials of a sophisticated use of home automation. Whitehouse, who is not part of the Lab of Things project, installed large numbers of sensors into 20 houses to research how home automation could address energy use.
Sensors over each door in participating homes, combined with others monitoring water and electricity use, made it possible for software to follow the habits of people in those houses, and identify ways they could save power without compromising their routines.
Without needing to program in the layout of a house or details of who lives there, “we can identify the floor plan of the house, which people are in the house, which rooms they’re in, and the electrical and water usage,” said Whitehouse of his system. “No configuration [is] required. You open your phone app and it’s there.”

Britons advised to keep off Kenya

Updated Thursday, July 18th 2013 at 11:10 GMT +3

By Shamlal Puri
London, UK: Britons have been advised to keep away from the Eastleigh area of Nairobi and avoid visiting low income areas of the city, including all township or slum areas because of threat of terrorism and kidnapping from Somali extremists linked to Al-Shabaab.

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The Foreign and Commonwealth office (FCO) issued an advisory in London on Tuesday (July 16) saying all but essential travel should be undertaken within 60 kilometres of the Kenya-Somali border; to Kiwayu; coastal area of Pate Island and to Garissa District.
A statement from the FCO said, “Attacks have previously occurred in Nairobi, especially, the area of Eastleigh, Coast Province including Mombasa and North Eastern Province. Further attacks are likely.”
The statement however, noted in particular that while local violence does occur at the Kenyan coast, “it is not normally directed towards foreigners.” “There are incidents of crime including mugging, armed robbery and carjacking, particularly in the large cities,” said the FCO.

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Wins and losses for duo in Hague cases

 

PHOTO | FILE Deputy President William Ruto is welcomed by his lawyer Karim Khan to the International Criminal Court at The Hague for the Status Conference of his case earlier. He is accompanied by his wife Rachel (centre).  DPPS

• In Africa, the Jubilee government has been lobbying the continent’s leaders to put up a spirited fight to either terminate the ICC cases or have them tried by the African Court of Justice

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President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto are still just as shackled to the International Crimininal Court cases 100 days into their government as they were months before the last elections.

While they overcame the ICC-related obstacles to win the presidential race in March, how they handle the charges they face at The Hague could define their term at the helm.

Though their legal teams are fighting the court battle of their lives, their clients, since winning the election, have chosen to advance the quest for their freedom from the Luis Moreno-Ocampo-initiated charges on both continental and international stages.

Insiders at The Hague say the Kenya case will be pursued to the most logical end as it is a demonstration of the relevance of the ICC, which has faced its fair share of criticism.

Despite facing charges on crimes against humanity, President Kenyatta and Mr Ruto contested and won the election against a backdrop of warnings from the United States and a couple of European Union member states.

A senior US diplomat on African Affairs warned that “choices come with consequences”, while the UK and key EU member states said they would only have “essential relations” with an Uhuru-led government.

The diplomatic community was left in a quandary. There was apprehension that their respective countries’ determination to nurture democracy, end impunity and bring to justice perpetrators of crimes against humanity in the world would be thrown to the wind if they stood arm-in-arm with the Jubilee government.

“The policy of my government remains that we do not have contact with ICC indictees, unless it is essential,” said British High Commissioner Christian Turner in February this year.
This triggered the fear that the West could come up with sanctions against Kenya — a tool mostly used against nations that are perceived to be “enemies” of the US and the EU. In fact, the phrase “essential contact” was coined by the US to define its relations with some Middle Eastern countries that, while it was necessary to relate with, Uncle Sam believed could not serve Washington’s interests in the region.

In the face of this position by the West, the Uhuru administration turned East, especially towards China and Japan, for aid, trade and diplomatic relations.

In so doing, the Jubilee government thrust itself into the “voluble war” between China and the West over Africa, a continent seen by both as a growing platform for trade, resources and development aid.

Recently, speaking on African soil, US President Barack Obama cautioned African countries against relations with the East. Without mentioning names, President Obama described the Sino-Africa relations as a one-way street spiced with exploitative trade tricks.

“When we look at what other countries are doing in Africa, I think our only advice is ‘make sure it’s a good deal for Africa’,” he said.

“Somebody says they want to come build something here. Are they hiring African workers? Somebody says ‘we want to help you develop your natural resources’. How much of the money is staying in Africa? The profits stay there, the jobs stay there and not much stays in Africa.”

It is significant to note that President Obama skipped Kenya during his second trip to Africa, stating that the “timing was not right for me as President of the United States to be visiting Kenya when those issues need to be worked on.”

The “issues” he was talking about were the fact that his would-be-hosts, President Kenyatta and Mr Ruto, are about to face trial at The Hague, together with former Kass FM broadcaster Joshua arap Sang.

As it plays down President Obama’s exclusion of his father’s homeland from his African itinerary, the Jubilee government has been waging a tough battle at the UN headquarters in New York, requesting the world body’s Security Council to terminate the Kenya cases.

In May,  Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the UN Macharia Kamau  sent a letter to the UN Security Council requesting the ICC to terminate the cases against the President and his deputy, arguing the trials were a threat to Kenya’s national security and undermined the country’s sovereignty.

Mr Kamau also said ICC should leave Kenya alone to allow Kenyatta and Ruto to lead the new government.

Telecom firms face stiffer penalties over quality

Updated Monday, July 15th 2013 at 22:36 GMT +3

By Macharia Kamau
Telecommunication firms face hefty fines in coming months for failure to adhere to the terms of their licences, including quality of services.

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The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) is amending the Kenya Information and Communication Act and in its proposals, the regulator wants the fines to telcos to be based on their revenues. It has also proposed to backdate this to the number of years that the telcos have committed the offences as opposed to starting on a clean slate.
This is in comparison to the current regime where fines are at a fixed Sh500,000 for players that go against the terms of their licences. CCK thinks the penalty is too lenient for players that whose turnover run into tens of billions of shillings per year and may not be adequate to keep the telcos on their toes especially where quality of service is concerned.
The regulator wants operators to pay one per cent of their revenues as fines whenever they are found guilty of an offence. The amendment bill, which is still in its draft stages, also wants these backdated to the years that the offence has been committed.
The amendment proposes that telcos pay a fine “of Sh100,000 or one per cent of the annual gross turnover of the offending licensee for every calendar quarter… in which the offence is continuing, whichever is higher”.
Among the areas that telcos have been gross offenders include offering of substandard services. An annual survey by CCK on quality of service among the four mobile service providers has found the quality wanting and it has threatened to penalise them.
While the telcos have voiced their concerns about the manner in which the regulator undertook the survey, they also concede that there are certain instances where their services have not been the best.
sake of millions
“We have tweaked what is in the act currently to reflect the annual gross turnover of the offending licensee. At the moment the penalties are not proportionate to the offence of the damage… the amendments are aimed at keeping the operators within the scope of their licences.” The operators are likely to try to water down the amendments during the consultative stages but telecoms analyst Peter Wanyonyi notes that CCK should stand its ground on this one, especially for the sake of millions of customers that suffer when operators do not adhere to the terms of their licences.
“I think the flat-fine approach has not worked. The telecom operators in the country generally make such large profits that a flat fine achieves little, if anything,” he said.
“Tying the penalty to the operator’s turnover is appropriate because it introduces proportionality to the sanction: the higher the number of customers an operator has, the large the number of them affected when the operator defaults on a given performance indicator, and so the larger should the sanction be.”

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Kenya in talks to send 600,000 refugees home

Somalia refugees stand in front of an entrance to the Dadaab refugee camp. Photo/FILE 

By EDITH FORTUNATE efortunate@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Wednesday, July 17  2013 at  23:30

In Summary

• Repatriation will make the country more secure from terrorism threats

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The Cabinet has approved the return of more than 600,000 refugees to their countries from January next year.

The six months before the exercise will be sufficient time to prepare for the relocations, according to Secretary to the Cabinet Francis Kimemia.

“We are preparing and negotiating with countries where the refugees come from before we begin the official relocation. Kenya has to be freed of the 600,000 refugees from next year,” said Mr Kimemia.

Voluntary repatriation

“This is one way to secure the country and we decided to fast-track their relocation since it’s a major concern to the government.”

Last month, Kenya and Somalia signed a “voluntary repatriation” deal and plans are being made to start moving the people back to their home.

Last year Nairobi ordered more than 30,000 refugees in urban areas to return to the camps.

Mainly targeted for repatriation are refugees of Somali origin and this, Mr Kimemia said, was the reason the Kenya Defence Forces were still in Somalia. “We have to stabilise Somalia first so that the refugees can go home.”

After signing the repatriation deal last month, President Uhuru Kenyatta said help was being sought from the international community.

“We have called for the support of Igad, UNHCR and the international community to ensure the success of this exercise,” Mr Kenyatta said.

Attacks and kidnappings

He disclosed that he and Somali leader Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had discussed threats, attacks and kidnappings by Al-Shabaab on innocent people in the two countries and agreed on joint security operations.

Mr Kenyatta briefed President Mohamud on Kenya’s position regarding the disproportionate burden of hosting the refugees and the economic, social, security and environmental consequences.

The two leaders agreed to establish a joint taskforce to prepare for a conference on refugees in Nairobi next month.

Former Taveta MP Basil Criticos land woes deepen as locals, ‘outsiders’ eye piece of vast farm

Taita-Taveta County Governor John Mruttu addresses squatters on the disputed land. [PHOTO: RENSON MNYAMWEZI]

By RENSON MNYAMWEZI
KENYA: Former Taveta MP and assistant minister Basil Criticos is a broken man on the brink of becoming a squatter on a vast swathe of land he once owned.

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Hundreds of people have invaded the vast farm after his lease 99-year lease expired despite applying for its renewal.
Following recent invasions of his land in Taita Taveta, Mr Criticos claims he is a victim of racism and incitement by local politicians, while accusing the Government of abandoning him at his hour of need.
Lately, his vast farm has been turned into an epicentre of conflict among squatters who have been scrambling and fighting over land.
On Tuesday, violence erupted between locals and non-locals on the farm where three people were shot with arrows and admitted to Taveta district hospital.
It is alleged locals want ‘outsiders’ out of the farm to pave way for their settlement. The chairman of the area conflict resolution committee Alfred Jurua said some youth were incited to cause violence.
Land leases
He said police were earlier informed of the attack but failed to act. “A farmer had alerted police that a group of 30 armed youth was planning to attack residents but they failed to respond,” claimed Mr Njuruka.
On Wednesday, Taita Taveta County police commander Richard Bitonga warned politicians against inciting residents to invade private properties. The police boss warned anyone found inciting residents would be arrested and prosecuted.
“Squatters should not take advantage of expiring of land leases to invade private properties. They should respect the rule of law,” said Mr Bitonga.
Briefing The Standard on the security situation, the police boss said no suspect had so far been arrested in connection with the attack, which left three people seriously injured.

Knut officials still face jail threat

PHOTO | STEPHEN MUDIARI Knut acting secretary-general Mudzo Nzili (seated second from right), chairman Wilson Sossion (centre) and other union officials during a Press conference in Nairobi on July 14, 2013  NATION MEDIA GROUP

By RICHARD MUNGUTI rmunguti@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Wednesday, July 17  2013 at  23:30

In Summary

• Union chiefs set to know their fate in case by TSC seeking to send them to jail and fine Knut Sh20m on July 22

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The teachers’ employer wants Kenya National Union of Teachers chiefs jailed for allegedly ignoring a court order to call off their strike.

The Teachers Service Commission also wants Knut slapped with a Sh20 million fine for the four-week job boycott that was called off on Wednesday.

TSC wants Knut chairman Wilson Sossion and acting secretary-general Mudzo Nzili punished for allegedly refusing to end the strike as was directed by the Industrial Court on July 1.
Lawyers representing the two sides made their final submissions yesterday and Mr Sossion and Mr Nzili will know their fate next week.

“I will deliver a ruling on the contempt application by TSC against Knut, Mr Sossion and Mr Nzili on July 22, 2010 at 10.30am,” Lady Justice Linet Ndolo directed.

In its concluding remarks, TSC through State counsel Muthoni Kimani, Francis Mwangi and Allan Sitima asked the court to jail the Knut bosses for six months without the option of fine. “For seven clear days, they have not called off the strike. This court should not allow the two to benefit from their mischief,” Mr Mwangi urged the judge.

He asked the court to impose a Sh10,000 fine on Knut members for refusing to report on duty on July 2.

However, Mr Sossion and Mr Nzili opposed the request, saying they were not personally served with the court order. Their lawyer, Mr Chacha Odera, also asked the judge to reject the request to jail without an option of fine.

TSC claimed it attempted to serve the order at Knut head offices but it was snatched from the server, Mr Alex Mutua, at the registry on second floor.

The allegations were denied by Knut Nairobi branch chairman Ephrahim Orenge and a security officer, Mr David Kimeli— who denied seeing Mr Mutua at Knut headquarters.

 

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‘Dead in the water’ policies hurting real estate industry

Updated Wednesday, July 17th 2013 at 20:18 GMT +3 From the use of the 1948 British building regulations and apparent inaction on numerous stalled policies, the property market as well as the wider building and construction industry appear to live more in the past than the present, writes MKALA MWAGHESHA
With each election every five years, Kenya gets new office bearers. That is not quite true for the country’s developmental policies. Some policies that Kenya inherited from the colonial government have, with time, been changed to fit Kenya’s current needs.

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Quite a good number have, however, remained the same, with little or no effort being made to change, update or scrap them.
According to a UN-Habitat report on Nairobi released in 2006, lack of policies has led to the stagnation of the slum settlement in terms of improvements and upgrading.
“More than 60 per cent of Nairobi’s population lives in slums. Overall policies and practices to address slum dwellers’ needs have been poorly developed and implemented. As the informal sector keeps expanding, appropriate strategies are in order to enhance its economic growth as well as harness the efforts of various partners and communities, with a view to providing for slum dwellers’ basic needs through coordinated service delivery,” said the report.
Regulations
In the real estate industry, these policies are meant to govern the distribution of land and land-related resources, offer adequate and affordable housing for Kenyans, set rules and regulations to govern the construction industry, and by extension act as reference points for industry players.
“Politics plays a big role in determining the passing, rejection, or the implementation of policies in this industry,” says Waweru Gathecha, chairman of the Architectural Association of Kenya.
“Contest, especially in Parliament where you can rarely get 100 per cent support, is not necessarily bad, but it can slow down progress in coming up with policies as there are always people with self-serving interests,” he notes.
“I would say policies are failing because of the thinking around housing. It is a big sector and there are a lot of factors that come into play that are, sometimes, not considered by the Government’s technocrats,” said Reginald Okumu, a director at Ark Consultants, a Nairobi-based real estate advisory firm.
The former chairman of the Institution of Surveyors of Kenya adds: “The Narc Government passed a housing policy that, to date, has not been implemented. Corruption is also rife as housing requires a lot of funding.”
Many policies in existence are specific to certain aspects of the industry. For instance, the Housing Act is primarily concerned with the National Housing Corporation, a body that was established to play a principal role in the implementation of the Government’s housing programmes.

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