Featured photo: President William Ruto and Comoros President Azali Assoumani. Ruto is on transit, again. He’s in Egypt to attend the COP27 conference.
Empty Chairs on President Ruto’s First Mashujaa Day Celebration
Thursday, October 20, was a national Mashujaa Day, a public holiday where the nation celebrates the Kenyans who have made a remarkable difference in the life of fellow citizens and made the world a better place.
The holiday was President Ruto’s first national event since he was sworn in as President of Kenya on September 13. Unlike when national holidays in Nairobi were held in Nyayo or Kasarani Stadiums, the nation marked the event at Uhuru Gardens.
Netizens filled social media sites with images of empty chairs, some stacked on each other, at the venue, indicating a snub of the event by most people in Nairobi. Previously, such national ceremonies were marked with crowds of people who arrived as early as 5 am in readiness for the festivities.
Questioning of the DCI detectives
During his speech at the Mashujaa Day ceremony, President William Ruto ordered a speedy investigation of the disbanded Special Service Unit, which is domiciled in the DCI. The next day, on Friday, 21 officers from the defunct unit were interrogated over claims of having carried out extrajudicial killings, mainly of two Indian nationals, Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan and Mohamed Zaid Kidwai. They were said to be members of Ruto’s campaign team.
Kenya Kwanza woes Kalonzo in Ukambani
Sunday, October 23, President Ruto and DP Gachagua were in Kitui for a church service, where they asked Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka to join them in the government.
In what could be seen as an attempt by Ruto to silence the opposition, Ruto told the Kamba community that he was ready to work with Kalonzo.
“Kalonzo is my big brother. I am ready to work with him. I asked him to join me and form the government, but he told me he wants to try the opposition first,” Ruto said.
In what was seen as a veiled blackmail to the Kamba community, which voted overwhelmingly for Azimio in the August polls, DP Gachagua implied that the failure of Kalonzo to join the government would mean no development for the area.
“Please, Ukambani leaders, we beg you. This area has serious water and other problems. These people should and must be in government. If Kalonzo is lost in Azimio, Malombe, and Wavinya, you all are enough to lead your people into government,” Gachagua said.
The death of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif
Arshad Sharif, a renowned senior Pakistani investigative journalist, was killed on Sunday night at a roadblock along Magadi-Nairobi Highway in Kajiado County. The Kenya Police said Sharif’s killing was a case of mistaken identity.
The police said that they mistook Sharif’s car for a carjacked vehicle they were tracking. And things escalated when the car refused to stop at a roadblock mounted to nab the carjackers.
Police say the carjacking incident occurred in the Pangani area of Nairobi, where a child was taken hostage.
Sharif, 50, left Pakistan in July to avoid arrest over criticizing the country’s military. The journalist was also a critic of the administration of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who has frequently said he believes in press freedom.
The swearing-in of Ruto’s cabinet
Thursday 27th, President William Ruto’s Cabinet was sworn into office after the National Assembly okayed all the 22 nominees, including Peninah Malonza, the CS nominee for tourism, who the vetting committee had rejected for being “unsuitable.”
Consequently, Musalia Mudavadi becomes the first Prime Cabinet Secretary after promulgating the 2010 Constitution. Following his nomination into the cabinet, Mudavadi also relinquished his leadership role in his Amani National Congress party.
Lamu Governor Issa Timamy took over as the ANC boss.
RAILA WARNS RUTO
Raila warns Ruto about prosecuting state officers of the past regime
Azimio la Umoja leader and veteran politician Raila Odinga Thursday shot a warning at President William Ruto over the ongoing probe of extrajudicial killing mainly focused on George Kinoti, the immediate former DCI chief.
Odinga said Ruto is after settling scores with Kinoti over his dislike for him. The Azimio leader said he would lead an opposition to the ongoing probe and persecution of state officers who he said were only doing their job in the former regime.
“Ruto appears to believe that the coming of his regime is a perfect mandate for him to punish the officers he long had a grudge against. We are here to say no,” Odinga said.
Kinoti resigned from the office of the DCI boss soon after Ruto was sworn in as President. Ruto would, a few weeks later, disband the DCI’s Special Service Unit, which he said was carrying out extrajudicial killings.
Odinga also asked Ruto to order the probe into the mysterious deaths of the ICC witnesses.
Murathe summoned by the EACC.
Jubilee vice chairman David Murathe was asked to present himself at the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) offices to shed light on corruption allegations. Murathe was summoned Thursday with Cotu secretary general Francis Atwoli and Former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo.
The trio was summoned over an investigation into an Sh200 million land saga in Nairobi. They are implicated in obtaining the money through a Jirongo-associated company.
The company is said to have received the money from Nairobi County as compensation for land it claimed in Mukuru slums. However, an inquiry by the EACC is said to have found that the land belonged to a primary school and dispensary.
Reaction to Principal Secretaries
Wednesday, President Ruto forwarded the list of Principal Secretaries that have been nominated to serve in the 22 ministries of the government.
Kenyans took issue with the list of 51 nominees, saying they don’t represent the face of Kenya and therefore fail the regional balance requirement of the Constitution.
Among the 51, 26 are from two tribes– the Kalenjin and the Kikuyu, while some regions/tribes have few or none. For example, the Kisii community has no PS, and the Coast has one representative; the same applies to the Meru, Maasai, and Turkana tribes. The Somali has eight nominees.
The return of Prof Paul Wainaina to KU
Professor Paul Wainaina, the former Kenyatta University Vice Chancellor, was Thursday reinstated to his office, two months after he was unceremoniously sacked and hounded out of office for refusing to play ball with the government in its quest to own part of the University’s land.
Professor Wainaina was sacked from office on August 15 after he refused to cede part of the KU land to the government of former President Uhuru Kenyatta. The government wanted the University to surrender 410 acres for developing an infectious disease unit under the World Health Organisation.
Prof Wainaina refused to surrender the University’s title deeds after he rejected the subdivision of the land.
“This is an official communication to all staff members that following settlement of previous disputes about the leadership of Kenyatta University, Prof Wainaina has been reinstated,” the University’s memo read Thursday.
Meru Governor’s husband protests GBV against him.
Murega Baichu, the husband of Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza, on Friday, October 28, said that MCAs have forced him out of the governor’s official residence and barred him from using his wife’s official vehicle. He said he was being subjected to Gender-Based Violence.
“I’ve been forced to use a wooden house that my wife and I lived in before she relocated to the official governor’s residence. According to the MCAs, I am not supposed to sleep in the governor’s official residence because I am not a State official,” Baichu outside Milimani Law Court.
“The EACC should now enlighten me on the boundaries I shouldn’t cross as the spouse of an elected governor. I’m mostly interested in knowing whether I can sleep in the governor’s residence or I can use the county government vehicles,” Baichu added.
Takeoff dies in Houston at 28
Famous American rapper, Takeoff, was shot dead In Houston, according to the Punch Newspaper. Takeoff, a member of the hip-hop trio, ‘Migos’ which includes Quavo and Offset, was shot while playing a dice game at a bowling alley in Houston.
He died on the spot. He died at 28.
According to TMZ media, a couple of hours before the shooting, Takeoff posted a selfie from the bowling alley. Quavo had also posted a video earlier in the night, driving around Houston with Jas Prince, who was celebrating his birthday.
Takeoff, whose real name is Kirsnik Khari Ball, was the youngest member of Migos. Quavo was his uncle, and Offset was his cousin. They came together in 2008.