Daily Nation Kenya story:By Maina Muiruri and Abiya Ocholla

Ninety new MPs — 40 elected and 50 nominated — may find their way into an already crowded Parliament next year, adding to the burden of the Kenyan taxpayer.

This emerged as the country on Thursday night edged closer to getting more constituencies after President Kibaki authorised the publication of a Bill to create new electoral zones.

However, the Government would still have to marshal two-thirds majority of MPs to amend the Constitution for it to have the force of law.

The Proposed Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill 2007 sets a minimum of 210 and a maximum of 250 parliamentary constituencies.

By approving the Bill after a Cabinet meeting at State House, Nairobi, on Thursday — which if passed would open the gates of the august House to 50 women through nomination — the President opened a new battlefront in a bitter war over electoral zones that has divided his own Cabinet down the middle.

Already, the environment is polarised, with the Opposition having rolled up its sleeves and vowed to block the move until after the General Election.

Being read in some sections as a plot to gift President Kibaki with more MPs in friendly areas, the proposed nomination of 50 women MPs above the 250 elected would bring the number in the House to at least 300.

On Thursday, the Bill was authorised for publication alongside the Prevention of Organised Crime Bill 2007.

The Attorney General is now expected to publish the Bill within the stipulated 14 days and take it to Parliament through the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.

Earlier, Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister, Ms Martha Karua, had said the Government would beat the July 31 deadline set by the Electoral Commission of Kenya to review constituency boundaries.

“Be assured that we will beat the deadline, but do not ask me how. What I know is that we will make it,” she said at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi, on Thursday.

The Bill is bound to encounter stormy resistance when it goes to Parliament as the Government pushed ahead with the move despite spirited opposition mounted by both the Opposition side and Government of National Unity (GNU) MPs.

GNU members failed on two occasions last week to agree on many issues, among them how the proposed constituencies would be created.

On Tuesday last week, a day after The Standard exclusively carried details of the ECK review proposal touching on 57 constituencies, Attorney General Mr Amos Wako differed sharply with some MPs at a GNU meeting who opposed creation of constituencies through an Act of Parliament.

Assistant minister Mr Moses Wetangula and Kabete MP Mr Paul Muite put Wako to task, arguing that the number of constituencies could only be increased by amending Section 42 of the Constitution, which sets the minimum number of seats at 188 and maximum at 210.

The meeting, chaired by Vice-President Mr Moody Awori at KICC was stormy as both Wako and Karua argued that an Act of Parliament could be used to create the new constituencies.

The MPs also failed to agree on the number of the electoral areas, with some recommending a maximum of 300 and others 320.

Muite and Wetangula accused Wako of trying to use a backdoor shortcut to achieve the same aim, arguing that creating extra constituencies through an Act of Parliament would be unconstitutional. Karua hinted then that the Bill was ready to be taken to Parliament.

Speaker Francis ole Kaparo is on record as having ruled that additional constituencies can only be created through a constitutional amendment. The Speaker has powers under the Standing Orders to reject any Motion that would be against the Constitution.

Opposition politicians led by Lang’ata MP Mr Raila Odinga protested at what they saw as a sinister motive by the Government to fast-track the creation of new constituencies in areas where the exercise would favour President Kibaki.

Raila protested: “We are fully aware that the proposed list of new constituencies is designed only to facilitate gerrymandering by the Government in order to confer numerical advantage to that side and therefore to make even more uneven the playing field on which the General Election will be conducted.”

Government is currently overburdened

Addressing an affirmative action women’s meeting in Nairobi, Raila opposed the increase of more seats saying the mode of creation should be looked at carefully.

“The Government is currently overburdened and increasing seats would also eat into the pockets of taxpayers,” he said, while warning that Parliament Chambers lacked capacity to cope with an increased number of legislators.

Eldoret North MP Mr William Ruto expressed scepticism that the Government would give the ECK a free hand to conduct the exercise.

“We want to be sure that the Government has no hand in the ECK proposal for its own political mischief,” said Ruto.

And former Vice-President Mr Musalia Mudavadi questioned the criteria that would be used in creating the extra electoral areas.

Lifted and published by Korir, API*APN africanpress@chello.no tel +47 932 99 739 or +47 6300 2525 source.DailyNation.Ke

Kenya Daily Nation story: 

Kanu has technically pulled out of ODM-Kenya, further weakening a movement that has been bruised and battered by internecine wars. The move was communicated in a letter written by Kanu’s secretary for Legal Affairs, Mr Taib Ali Taib, to ODM-Kenya secretary, Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o, on Thursday.

Taib details six points, which he says have not been addressed by ODM-Kenya at the expiry of their 14-day ultimatum.

“I am forced to recommend to the chairman and NEC (National Executive Council) to deal with ODM-Kenya as any other political party, a party potentially in competition with Kanu,” stated Taib.

And Kanu has found an unlikely partner in the Labour Party of Kenya (LPK), which, like Kanu, wants to field Parliamentary and Civic candidates.

And addressing 45 aspirants at the Railway Club, Nairobi, Presidential aspirant, Prof Julia Ojiambo, also called for review of ODM-Kenya constitution to provide for post-election coalitions.

“We have written to ODM concerning our right to nominate and present our own parliamentary and civic candidates in response to the fact that hitherto there is no coalition agreement in ODM-Kenya on this subject,” Ojiambo said.

On Thursday, Taib expressed concern that ODM-Kenya had refused to commit itself to operate as an umbrella body instead of a party.

He also cast aspersions at the party’s Nyong’o-led Executive Committee being viewed as bona fide party officials.

Taib based his argument on the fact that he received a letter from the registered party chairman, Mr Dan Maanzo, asking them to deal with him as the chairman.

“Considering the present situation and the uncertainty of the registration of officials of ODM-Kenya, we feel that this is an issue that we would like clarified to ensure that we are dealing with the right persons in this regard,” said Taib.

Despite the anomaly, Taib noted they were ready to deal with the matter at hand. Taib punctured holes into Nyong’o’s letter.

Definition of a corporate member

He said their definition of a corporate member was at variance.

“It appears that your idea of corporate membership is similar to that of the ill-fated so-called Narc, where the constituent parties ceded their powers to the “main” party and they merged in all but the names,” stated Taib.

Taib said they envisioned a corporate member in a situation where they would have their identity. Taib maintained that Kanu would not cede it powers to ODM-Kenya.

That is why, he said, they opted for the 40-40-20 principle.

“It was our understanding from the onset that ODM-Kenya would be that umbrella organisation bringing together all the member-parties and uniting them, but not usurping their powers,” said Tab.

Taib dismissed the “poncho” principle, where a corporate member slowly dies off.

“It flies in the face of what Kanu as a party had agreed to in entering the coalition and it is a principle Kanu is not ready to accept,” stated Taib.

Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) France’s Foreign and European Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner on Thursday called for the rapid deployment of the approved 19,000 hybrid peacekeeping force in Darfur, Sudan.

Kouchner arrived on Thursday in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa to meet with African Union (AU) Commission and Ethiopian officials to discuss the current issue in Somalia and Sudan as well as the Ethiopia and Eritrean border issue.

He expressed grave concerned over the situation in Darfur, saying “We have to speed up the process to deploy the approved peacekeeping force in Darfur…the process is not going on rapidly enough,” the minister said.

It can be recalled that in June, the AU and the UN agreed to deploy about 19,000 peacekeeping forces to Darfur to replace the current 7,000 AU peacekeepers there.

Kouchner said his country was doing its best to support thousands of Internally Displaced persons (IDPs) both in Sudan and in neighbouring Chad where France has a large military presence.

AU officials including Konare and UN will meet in September at the UN general assembly where the issue of financing the AU and UN mission in Darfur would be discussed, Kouchner said.

He said that there should be no military solution for the current border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

With Regard to the current situation in Somalia, he indicated that all parties in Somalia, including the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) should play do all they can to reinstall peace to Somalia.

Published by Korir, API*APN africanpress@chello.no tel +47 932 99 739 or +47 6300 2525 source.apa

Dakar (Senegal) French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, on a two-day working visit to Dakar on Thursday, pledged his country’s assistance to Senegal in order to ensure a fair trial of former Chadian president, Hissène Habré who is pursued for crimes against humanity that he allegedly committed during his nearly eight-year rule.

Sarkozy made the pledge in response to Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade’s speech relating to the case.

“I told President Wade that Senegal cannot finance the case alone “, Nicolas Sarkozy told a press conference he held jointly with President Wade at the State House in Dakar a few hours upon arrival.

The fact that “Senegal has been assigned a former dictator’s case is a tribute to the Senegalese democracy “, he said, and promised that France will make its contribution to ensure a fair and successful trial.

“We have already secured France’s agreement in principle to finance this case ; you all know that it is up to the international community to finance the case but above all it is an African issue “, Abdoulaye Wade said.

“I told President Sarkozy that we would propose the setting up of a commission to monitor this case and handle all the legal issues. However, some aspects are still complicated. Hence, we will require funds and maybe legal assistance from France”, President Wade added.

M. Wade described the case as “complicated ” since it will require thousands of witnesses to travel back and forth, and investigations to be conducted in Chad and maybe in Belgium.

He said he would send his Minister of Justice, Cheikh Tidiane Sy, to France in the near future to examine the modalities of France’s assistance in the case.

“We have personally agreed to judge Hissène Habré (…) because Africa trusts us, our legal system, and our magistrates”, President Wade said.

“Unfortunately, since we accepted this mission, things have moved too slowly on the side of the African Union-and I mean what I am saying- to send us the resolution that assigned this mission to Senegal”, he said.

The Senegalese minister of Justice recently reaffirmed his country’s commitment to judge Hissène Habré who has been living in exile in Senegal since the 90s, following the military Coup that overthrew him after he led the country from 1982 to 1990.

Published by Korir, API*APN africanpress@chello.no tel +47 932 99 739 or +47 6300 2525 source.apa

Dakar (Senegal) French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived on Thursday afternoon in Dakar, Senegal, for a two-day working visit and during which he and the Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, will sign one agreement on investments and two on funding mechanisms.

He arrives in the country from Libya where he held talks with President Gaddafi.

Shortly upon arrival, both leaders will hold a joint press conference at the State House to be followed by a major speech by Sarkozy on French policy on Africa in a large lecture room at the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar.

Dakar is the second leg of Sarkozy’s African tour which had taken him to Tripoli.

His will fly next to Libreville in Gabon on Friday morning.

Published by Korir, API*APN africanpress@chello.no tel             +47 932 99 739        or             +47 6300 2525        source.apa

Bouake (Cote d’Ivoire) The Ivorian Prime Minister and chairman of the “Peace Flame” organising committee, Guillaume Soro, said Thursday in Bouake that five African heads of state had confirmed their full participation in this peace ceremony scheduled for Monday in Bouake, the former rebels’ stronghold.

“In addition to Laurent Gbagbo, Presidents John Kufuor of Ghana, Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso , Faure Gnassigbe of Togo, Yayi Boni of Benin and Thabo Mbeki of South Africa will be in Bouake on Monday 30 July. They all confirmed their arrival to me,” Soro said at a meeting mainly with the various foreign communities living in Bouake.

The leader of the former Ivorian rebel group thus asked the citizens of the countries whose presidents are due in Bouake to get ready to welcome the guests of Cote d’Ivoire.

“You will have to mobilise to welcome your presidents and I will urge each of them to meet with his community,” Soro said before an audience of nationals mostly from mainly Burkina Faso, Mali, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Guinea and Niger.

“We need a better mobilisation than when we welcomed President Thabo Mbeki here in 2004 for these heads of state to remember Bouake,” he added.

The “Peace Flame”, which includes a main ceremony of weapon incineration, is one of the provisions of the Ouagadougou political agreement.

Under the mediation of Blaise Compaore, Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo and Guillaume Soro signed the latter agreement on 4 March.

The peace ceremony will not only mark the end of the country’s partition but also the beginning of the disarmament process, one of the key programmes to end the crisis.

Since 19 September 2002, President Gbabo has not visited Bouake (centre) which became the capital of the rebels following their failed coup against the regime of the ruling Ivorian Popular Front (FPI).

Published by Korir, API*APN africanpress@chello.no tel             +47 932 99 739        or             +47 6300 2525        source.apa

Khartoum (Sudan) Britain and France have dropped the threat of sanctions against Sudan in a proposed UN Security Council resolution that would authorize an expanded peacekeeping force in Darfur, APA learnt on Thursday.

The new text removes a threat that the council would take further measures, a reference to sanctions, if Sudan refuses to comply with the African Union-United Nations hybrid-force in Darfur.

It also drops a specific condemnation of Sudan for failing to ensure humanitarian aid reaches refugees in the region.

The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has welcomed the new amendment.

Ministry spokesman Ali Al-Sadig stated on Thursday that the amended version is far better than the first draft.

Al-Sadig said the government is currently studying the latest draft resolution put forward by the Security Council and it will formally respond to the council within two days.

However, Sudan\’s UN ambassador, Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad has blasted the document, saying it still contained \”hostile language\” and \”insinuations.\”

He described it as “very ugly and awful.\”

The language used, “all necessary means”, gives a mandate even to fight the Sudanese army, he claimed.

Published by Korir, API*APN africanpress@chello.no tel             +47 932 99 739        or             +47 6300 2525        source.apa

Nairobi (Kenya) The former Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi has been appointed Kenya’s special peace envoy to Sudan, APA has learnt.

Announcing the appointment on Wednesday, President Mwai Kibaki said Moi has “vast experience and knowledge of African affairs” and that his stature as an elder statesman made him well suited for the role.

The appointment followed consultations between President Kibaki and President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir of Sudan.

Kibaki noted that over the years Moi had shown great dedication to the cause of peace in the region and Africa as a whole.

“The experience would help the people of Sudan in their quest to consolidate peace and achieve prosperity for their country and the region,” Kibaki said in the statement announcing the appointment.

Kibaki, who is the current chair of the Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), said Moi will play a critical role of engaging in peace diplomacy in the sub-region.

Moi will in particular facilitate the successful implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that was signed in Nairobi on January 2005 between the government of Sudan and the southern Sudan rebel movement, the SPLM, the announcement said.

The semi-autonomous government of South Sudan led by Salva Kiir recently asked Kibaki to intervene to ensure the withdrawal of Sudanese government troops from the south in accordance with the agreement.

Kibaki said the new envoy will in the next few days deliver a special message of goodwill to the Sudanese president.

Published by Korir, API*APN africanpress@chello.no tel             +47 932 99 739        or             +47 6300 2525        source.apa