The road to anything near perfect democracy is not and has never been easy. Kenya for instance has passed through a lot of treacherous times that democracy has been quite elusive. However since NARC and president Kibaki came in power in 2002 the democratic space has greatly widened. But this does not mean that Kenyans democracy has fully grown up.

Still voting in Kenya is influenced by among others tribalism,
clanism, political gerrymandering, disfranchising of opponents,
political violence, votes buying, ethnic violence etc. In Kenya
politics is still the business of the rich more so the presidency and most of the parliamentary seats in the country.

It does not follow that the rich have the best ideologies nor have the best interests of the country on constituency at heart. Political parties in Kenya are nothing to write home about. They are like small kiosk which have owners. As such to have ideology or issue driven politics with an import from political parties is a big mirage of expectations; suffice to say that politics are driven by special interests of individuals or communities.

As such this is not to negate or down play the great milestones
covered with the growth of democratic processes in Kenya. Soon after independence and for a long time after independence (and this not to say colonialism  was anywhere near even worse – it was terrible) it was unfathomable that a head of state could retire or even get involved in competitive politics in an election for his or her position leave alone loosing the seat. Presidency in Kenya was life time.

Today in independent Kenya, presidency is more accountable and vulnerable to competitive politics. This however does not mean we are out of political woods yet. It is very much possible to have a president who can reverse the gains of democracy. The presidency is still a very powerful position and that the presidency still roughshod all institutions of governance. That is the simple reasons that a certain or certain communities still fear one another in the sense of a member of the other rising to the presidency. It is all founded in the fear of presidency and its capability.

This has led to irrational, tawdry, fastidious, and fathomless and
very confused sentiments that members of this or that community are not electable. This is sheer nonsense with no place in modern Kenya and modern world. Every community in Kenya has a democratic right to have one of their won rise on the top of the nation’s leadership. Additionally the solution to the ‘monster’ associated presidency is simply to demystify it.

The only way to demystify it and make it appreciated within acceptable and reasonable realm is by building strong institutions of the various arms the government viz Executive, Judiciary and the Legislature plus of course has a strongly flourishing and responsible Fourth Estate (Media). As it stands now the Presidency if not checked can be easily misused.

Unfortunately the 9th Parliament and politicians of means within 2002 and 2007 have contrary to expectation been unable to deliver the desired constitution reforms or change to herald this path. This means instruments of dictatorship are still in place and that one of the urgent businesses of the next government apart from leading to higher economic growth is institutions reforms. A new and widely accepted constitution can no longer wait. The tide is clearly against those opposed to reforms.

Otherwise as Kenyans go to the poll on December 27, 2007 they should be aware that the road ahead is challenging but we are capable of taking our nation to the next desirable level. Our democracy is still fragile. We are not yet there yet.

By Harrison  Mwirigi  Ikunda,
Nairobi.
KENYA.

Published by API/APN africanpress@chello.no

<From J. cholo Brooks/Liberia

As tension between the Liberia Agriculture Company (LAC), a Belgium Company and Liberia’s second largest rubber plantation,  and a traditional group claiming to be protecting what they called their “ancestors’ land” denying LAC the opportunity to expand its operation, the company is still providing health services to the disgruntles.

Interestingly during a brief visit by a team of international journalists, including the GNN over the weekend at the plantation, workers at the Company’s health center, the only referrer hospital in the area, were seen rendering a robust health services to hundreds of patients mostly the elderly women, young pregnant women and children from the areas which elders are persistently refusing to allow LAC’s expansion.

Speaking to journalists, the Administrator of the LAC Health Center, Dr. Emmanuel N. Sandoe said employees, their dependents and non-employees of the plantation are on regular basic direct beneficiaries of the company’s kind gesture medically.

He said his medical center which also has two mobile clinics is providing professional medical services to over 700,000, “We provide health to people coming from Rivercess, Buchanan, District number four, the St. John Rover areas, even including the area presently under contention. As I speak some of them are here taken treatment”, Dr. Sandoe smartly told journalists.

Dr. Sandoe praised the management of the Liberia Agriculture Company which provides majority of subsidy at the hospital for its smooth operation, and at the same time helping to reduce the high rate of deaths in the area due.

He disclosed that most services at the LAC medical center are relatively free, “The Company is not charging much. It is free to all employees of the company. But a flat rate is charged for outsiders. If outside patient came in on critical list, we don’t have to wait for the money before starting their treatment; some time patients are charged, and if they do not have money to settle their bills we ask them to go”, Dr. Sandoe humanitarianly noted.

The LAC Medical Director also said other services at the Hospital include ambulance service, where people who are not accessible to car roads like those rejecting the expansion of LAC’s activities in their areas in most cases are rescued by the LAC’s ambulance service.  He said patients who are carried on wheelbarrow or on the back of others some die before reaching health centers.

Speaking to some of the patients who had early arrived at the hospital prior to our visit from the troubled area, said they were grateful to the management of the LAC hospital, “I brought my wife here at this hospital. She has been sick since two weeks ago. I had to put her on my back from my village to the main car road before the ambulance from here could pick us up. I am grateful Dr. Sandoe for helping us”, a man believed to be in his late fifties joyfully told journalists yesterday.

The Company has constructed several educational and health institutions, and also providing benefits to its workforce, according to our correspondent, farm to market roads are being built by this company to enable citizens of the county to easily sell their good and services

LAC like any other professional investment entity has built a cordial relationship with residents of the county where the company is stationed, “LAC has done a lot for us, especially providing health centers, schools for our children and the construction of road
in our area, we are grateful to this foreign entity”.

Published by API/APN africanpress@chello.no

By Standard Team Kenyans living in Sweden held a demonstration to protest an alleged deportation attempt of an embassy official.

BY Leo Odera Omolo

Kisumu, 17/12/07

The Association of the Port Management Eastern and Southern Africa (PMAESA) is in full support for the establishment of the maritime force possibly as a maritime component of the Africa’s stand by Force against piracy in the high seas.

The Association Secretary General Mr. Jerome Ntibarekerwa says the issue of the possibility of the regional maritime force being established to check the nagging pirate in Africa has been debated exhaustively.

‘’This has been the latest debate as Somali water remain a major danger zone to fishing cruise and cargo vessels.

In a policy statement carried out in the latest PMAESA newsletter entitled ‘Our Ports’’ Ntibarekerwa called for a bilateral and multilateral engagement in the form of continued conferences, exercises and joint operations.

‘’Those opportunities will help foster good relations, share and standardize best practices and develop information and intelligence regime,’’ he says.

Earlier this year, some ship operators in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa had suggested that the government should provide armed escort to commercial ships plying between Mombasa port and Somali waters. The demands followed the capture of Mombasa based vessels by Somali pirates as they delivered relief food for the UN World Food Programme.

However, Transport Minister Chirau Ali Makwere, ruled out such as arrangement, citing international conventions to which Kenya is a party.

In February, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and the transitional government of Somalia proposed the formation of a joint task force to conduct anti-piracy and collective reporting activities.

Two weeks ago, a leading sailors welfare organization the Seafarers Assistance Programme (SAP) supported the United Nations Security Council’s decision to address piracy and armed robbery facing vessels sailing off the coast of Somalia.

SAP national co-coordinator, Andrew Mwangura, warned fishing vessels to keep away from Somali waters, apart from being in danger, the presence of such vessels in Somali was largely illegal and contrary to the UN convention of Law of the sea. ‘’It was a great joy to see the Taiwanese fishing vessel, Ms Cheng Fong Hwa 168 calling on Mombasa port two weeks ago after spending more than six months in captivity in Somalia,’’ Mwangura said.

He said the ill-fated vessel and her 16 crew members comprised two Taiwanese, two Phillipinos and 12 Chinese were hijacked by Somali gunmen on April 18 this year while on a fishing expedition in Somali fishing grounds.

They were released after Taiwanese ship-owners paid a ransom.

Narrating their six-month ordeal, the crew said the pirates shot and injured one crewmember a few days before brutally exempting another.

The pirates robbed them of their personal belonging before releasing them.

Mwangara said fishing in Somalia coastal line waters was illegal and all foreign fishing vessels must stay away ‘’since illegal fishing vessels are using Mombasa port as their port of convenience, we call upon the Kenya maritime Authority to reactivate port state control on fishing vessels in accordance with the international plan of Action (IPOA) against illegal fishing,’’ he said.

IPOA calls for landing of illegal caught fish to be prohibited by all states and access to point or its facilities denied for illegal fishing vessels. It also calls for detention and arrest for illegal fishing vessels should they enter seaports.

Published by API/APN africanpress@chello.no

Posted by Leo Odera Omolo

Kisumu

17/12/07

Written By Kipsiele Arap Sugurut

A youthful former bank manager is causing sleepless night to other parliamentary aspirants in Konoin Constituency, in Bureti district.

Nicholas Cheruiyot Rotich who was formerly a senior manager with the National Bank of Kenya (NBK) joined the race for Konoin seat rather late. And although he lost ODM ticket to Dr. Julius Kones during the party preliminaries, the youthful aspirant has already turned the heat on other contestants.

They include the immediate former MP Samy Cheruiyot Koech, another ex –MP Raphael Kitur (Chepesa) Dr. Kones who won the ODM ticket and others in the final race for the election proper.

Rotich popularity has come about as a result of his family background. He is the son of the famous educationist, politician and farmer Mr. Makerere of Chebangang’ village in Konoin.

The soft spoken Rotich who studied for masters degree in business in an Indian University has served the bank for well over 15 years in top management is contesting the election on the ticket of the Chama Cha Uzalendo ticket.

But he has caused stirs due to his popularity with the youth and women. The electorate in Konoin is seeing Rotich as someone who is seriously committed to bring about the change in Konoin. This is a tea-growing zone, where the previous MP Sammy Koech is blamed for having failed to utilize the CDF money on road network.

Rotich who is a member of the ODM only jumped to the other party after loosing the party’s ticket to Mr. Kones to a highly flawed election. In the ODM preliminaries aspirant were forced to count their on ballot papers using computers. It was manipulated because the election logistics did not arrive at all.

Rotich is seen as someone who stands for change.

Meanwhile the electorate in Kipsigis region have vowed to defy the pleas being made by the retired President Daniel Arap Moi that the community should vote as a bloc and support Kibaki re-election for another five-year term.

Moi did not help the Kipsigis during his 24 years of misrule in which the nation’s, economy was destroyed. He will also go down in history as the architect of the tribal clashes which began 1991 and is still bedeviling government after the other.

The community had no confidence in Moi’s leave alone respect as a result of the way he had handled the transaction of land in and the content in the issue of sales of the large-scale tea plantations and factories in Kericho, Bureti and Bomet.

Moi has no value added to the Kibaki election campaign because he had enriched himself, his family and a few cronies and sycophants at the expense of the majority of the Kalenjin who are still languishing in abject poverty.

He had used a few Kipsigis individuals but dumped them after succeeding in his massive political manipulation therefore he should leave the Kipsigis in peace and let them chart the course their own destiny.

Moi’s hostility and hate for Raila Odinga has no meaning to the community. He should be advised to take a back seat and enjoy his retirement benefit peacefully. The entire Kalenjin people want a change but his Kibaki project will come down fumbling like his Uhuru Project of 2002.

Published by API/APN africanpress@chello.no

Researchers insist planned Internet banking security measures are insufficient.

PHOTO: Poppe, Cornelius

Researchers at the University of Bergen (UiB) broke into Norwegian Internet banks from March to November to demonstrate their lack of security.

Arne Skauge insists that the BankID system is fully secure. PHOTO: Furulund Svein Erik

UiB professor Kjell Jørgen Hole argues that the ID system used by Norwegian net banks is vulnerable to crime, NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting) reports.

“The banks’ ID system has, in the opinion of myself and other researchers, serious design flaws,” Hole told NRK.

Arne Skauge of the Norwegian Financial Services Association (FNH) believes the banks’ systems are completely secure, and that the researchers are not aware of all of the security systems in place.

“Of course business is aware of this but there is nothing in this that should make BankID customers uncertain about the security of the system. There is every reason to believe in a year and a half 2.5 million Internet banking customers in Norway will use BankID as their signature and identification.

A decision is about to be made on which system of electronic identification will be used for secure signatures on the Internet, for use on, for example, public documents. As the owner of BankID, the FNH has a clear interest in the selection of their system.

Minister of Government Administration and Reform Heidi Grande Røys refused to agree that BankID is in practical terms already chosen as the security solution, and said the decision about a national electronic signature method has yet to be taken, NRK reports.

Lifted and published by Korir, API/APN africanpress@chello.no source.aftenposteneng

Two top Defense brass had two trips to sex clubs in Amsterdam – the bill was picked up by a company dealing in military electronics.

Business partners paid for Defense trips to Amsterdam’s Red Light District. PHOTO: AP Former Defense Minister Kristin Krohn Devold. PHOTO: Gorm Kallestad / SCANPIX

Financial daily Dagens Næringsliv reports that the sex club visits are detailed in the classified 277-page report from the Dalseide Commission, the second governmental look at spending practices in the military.

Two people at management level in military electronics company Thales Norway invited two top Defense figures to Amsterdam’s Red Light District in March 2003 in connection with the completion of a contract.

The Dalseide-2 report lists costs of NOK 7,000 (USD 1,295) for two visits to sex clubs, including dinner and drinks, that were paid for by Thales Norway. The report criticizes the Defense participation in the outings and categorizes the value of the benefits received as excessive.

The report also lists Thales payments for trips to Paris, salmon fishing in Orkla, annual summer boat trips and Christmas parties for Defense brass. According to Thales, the total of such expenses to Defense staff from 2000-2006 totaled NOK 2.6 million (USD 480,500).

Thales Norway has not been charged in the corruption case against the Norwegian military being investigated by special economic crimes unit Økokrim.

Peter Andre Moe, leader of the Union of Norwegian Officers, feels that the culture of corruption in the military can be a legacy of the egocentric, macho culture that flourished during Kristin Krohn Devold’s stint as Defense Minister, from 2001-2005 in the Bondevik 2 government.

“The attitude of the military leadership and the Defense Ministry then was that it was most important to listen to yourself or your closest hand-picked colleagues, but not to the people in the military,” Moe told newspaper Dagsavisen.

Krohn Devold herself had to repay about NOK 4,500 (USD 830) last year after overbilling for travel expenses during her time as Minister of Defense.

Moe believes it is now time for an overhaul and that Chief of Defense Sverre Diesen must take responsibility.

“I demand that the Chief of Defense be made responsible, as top ranking leader. If he is capable of cleaning up, he must demonstrate it, aggressively. If not, then I am afraid others will have to do it,” Moe said.

Sverre Diesen would not comment, and Krohn Devold, now head of the Norwegian Mountain Touring Association (DNT), was unavailable for comment.

Lifted and published by Korir, API/APN africanpress@chello.no source.aftenposteneng

An aerial view of the Statfjord A platform shows the oil spill breaking up in the churning sea.

PHOTO: KYSTVERKET / SCANPIX
Poor weather conditions around the oil spill from the Statfjord-A field on Wednesday have made clean-up operations virtually impossible – but they may also solve most of the problem.

PHOTO: AFTENPOSTEN

The same storm that played a role in causing Norway’s second largest oil spill in the North Sea may also save StatoilHydro’s reputation. Experts say that the gales in the area are now dissolving the oil.

“We have indications that something like this is happening now, yes,” said StatoilHydro information chief Gisle Johansen.

The wind is whipping up the oil, thinning it out and mixing it into the sea. This will reduce the amount of environmental damage the spill can cause to bird, fish and plant life in the area.

Several oil spill vessels are observing the sheet of oil that is off the Snorre-A platform in the Statfjord field, about 200 kilometers west of the coast of Bergen.

“So far there is nothing to indicate that the spill will reach land. We are keeping continual watch over the area, with an eye to bird species,” Johansen said.

Meteorologists expect the powerful winds to abate in the final hours of Thursday, and StatoilHydro said they would be continuously evaluating the feasibility of a clean-up operation.

The Institute of Marine Research (IMR) believes the spill is not likely to cause major damage to fish in the area.

Mackerel spend the winter near the sea bottom, and the spill will probably not reach the 170 meters depth where they live.

“There are also large quantities of pollock, blue whiting, and other bottom fish like cod and ling in the area. We do not expect this species to hurt by the spill either,” the IMR said.

The Coast Guard will fly out on Thursday to observe the spill as well.

Lifted and published by Korir, API/APN africanpress@chello.no source.aftenposteneng