<By Shem Kosse.

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A major face off is looming large between employees of Kenya Marine Fisheries Research Institute (KEMFRI) and its top notch officials over rampant graft, neopotism, embezzlement of funds which continues to take its toll in the institution. 

And the workers are now up in arms against their parent ministry Permanent Secretary professor Mutiba and Director Dr Kazungu Johnson for allegedly colluding with the KEMFRI board of directors to frustrate implementation of employees recommended pay hike, non payment of retirement benefits among other sleazes. 

Talking on strict conditions of anonymity, the workers fraternity who have vowed to take to the street to demand for the removal of the PS and Director said the two have refused to award them salary reviews recently made by government for its civil servants on job groups A to L.

But instead, the director issued an internal circular to all staff claiming that the KEMFRI management submitted its request to treasury for supplementary budget of 45 million to pay salaries but no additional funds were remitted to any of the National Research Institutions by the ex-chequer. This is according to a signed document by Director dated 15^th September sneaked to the press.  

The letter was circulated to the employees after their recent bid to see the Minster both in kisumu and Mombasa to present their range of grievances-through KEMFRI management board chairperson Mrs Pennina Aloo- was thwarted by the embattled duo, thus giving credence to the alleged malpractices dogging the once vibrant outfit.

The unwillingness to honour the proposed salary increment was arrived at in Mombasa.This year’s presidential Labour Day salary increment is also yet to be implemented.   

Retirees too, haven’t been spared by this cartel’s wrath. Those retired close to five years ago are yet to collect their belongings from their former working stations because of not only non payment of their pension dues but also transport to ferry their goods. The Retirement Benefit Scheme (RBS) is under full control of the director. 

The agitated workers gave a perfect example of two hapless retirees Kepha Nyandera, Isaya Ndere who retired 6 months and one year ago and are still glued in kisumu’s sprawling estate of manyatta because they can ill afford fare to ferry their consignments.

Pensionable workers are entitled to monthly payments for a period of 10 years and majority of them succumb to death within three years of retirement as a result of extreme poverty. 

Independent Investigations by this journalist reveals that the workers’ monthly contribution under pension scheme is trickling to three firms namely Alexander, Insurance Company of East Africa (ICEA) and KEMFRI staff pension scheme. 

All the trio firms, further fall under the umbrella body PLUSPOINT firm which to workers appears to be a phantom outfit since it has never served satisfactorily the interest of majority of retirees who are now languishing in abject poverty courtesy of the current regime’s incompetence and inefficient management.

The workers are perplexed since they don’t know which among the said firms controls their hard-won money adding that they better entrust their contributions with the government’s recognized body, Kenya Revenue Benefits Authority (KRBA) board.

It’s worth noting that the KEMFRI’ retirement board which is headed by director is yet to hold its elections, three years down the road.

During the KEMFRI meeting in there headquarter, Mombasa , the director reportedly told the minister that much of the workers contributions are being channeled to their medical kitty. A move that has been brushed off by workers fraternity as a white wash.

The workers are pitiful lot. Their umbrella union of Kenya Marine Fisheries Union (KMFU) which is supposed to act as their mouth piece to fight for their rights is a toothless bulldog-the contract it signed with the Marine expired three years ago and with no sign of renewal on sight. And yet the secretary general continues to draw salary from employees.

A spot check to KEMFRI offices indicates that the workers morale has gone down-they report to and leave work late since the job security is neither here nor there. “If we were to sign performance contract as the government is pushing for it how will we perform?” marveled one of the disgruntled workers.

Further investigations reveal that the crippling institution is operating without a proper scheme of work. A worker who was employed as research officer in Nairobi was mysteriously elevated as the supplies officer, Kisumu, to the chagrin of workers,because he is related to current director.

“The Directorate Personnel Management circular is now in the offing and KEMFRI has never and will never adhere to it in grading workers” said the agitated workers.

Back to KEMFRI, the institution is also bedeviled with bureaucratic red tape. An employee has to get a letter of commitment from employer. Clear cut criteria for dispatching commuter allowances is also lacking- the chosen few are the ones who benefit, chiefly.

Also, the leave letters to the employees have to adopt a colonial approach to be furnished with one: a worker has to get a letter of clearance from their respective area chiefs; something that they said is supposed to be automatic.

Ironically, the institution is currently putting up a state-of-the-art laboratory building in Mombasa to the tune of staggering 85 million shillings flavoured with accommodation rooms and it claims it can’t effect the workers salary increment.

Additionally, it is also involved in Aquaculture, consultancy work and also working in collaboration with so many institutions such as Lake Victoria Environmental Management Programe (LVEMP), European Union (EU) among other vibrant projects which pumps millions of shillings to its coffers.

The workers who urged the minister to crack the whip to salvage situation, hailed the reign of the immediate former director Dr Okemwa and challenged the minister to pay an impromptu visit-more so to Kisumu-and witness no any research centre is working effectively.

The relentless efforts to reach the adversely mentioned officials proved futile since their cell phones went unanswered.

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API

<Investigative Reports By Leo Odera Omolo 

Unsuspecting landless people and sugar cane farmers wishing to expand their farms have lost thousands of shilling to a group of well organized conmen and fraudsters cheating them that they would be settled in a new land scheme at Keyan, along the Rongo-Trans-Mara district borders.

The scam has been going on ever since the establishment of the multimillion shillings government owned Sony Sugar Company based at Awendo town in 1977. Thousands of farmers were displaced under the government land acquisition programme, which paved the way for the creation of nucleus estate for the white sugar manufacturing firm.

Some of those who were compensated handsomely by the government for their land plots, later parted with thousands of shilling paying out for a phantom land scheme along the Luo-Maasai, and have waited to be shown their plots for close to 30 years.

The scam is still going on. People are said to have travelled from a far field as Rachuonyo, Siaya, Kisumu and Suba district and paid for non-existence land plots,

 Some people are said to have already sold their pieces of ancestral land  in the hope of getting new parcel of land plots in this agriculturally rich region in vain.

And a survey carried by this writer at the weekend revealed that there is not even iota of land parcel, which is unregistered. All the pieces of land plots on the Maasai side of the border were demarcated many years ago and land title deed issued to the rightful owners.

The groups of land dealers are said to be based in South Sakwa location, around Mariwa and Ulanda markets. Others  are said to be residents of Malunga school. Each time a small aircraft is seen flying low over the border areas, such flights became a boon for the conmen who tells the victims of their heinous scam that such aircraft had been sent by the government to carry out aerial survey of the  parcel of land in question..

The names of people allegedly involved in ther scama were given as a Mr. Aseto Okundi and Ochieng’ Achando. All are the residents of South Sakwa Location, Rongo district . Other names of people allegedly linked to the scanma were given as Elsam Okoth Midiny,Daniel Opo Apindi and Odeny Amala..

The exact amount of money which the group is being rumoured to have received from the hungry landless people could not be established immediately. The victims of the scam are also said to be shying away from publicity. But the number is said to have swollen up running into hundreds.

Those whose names featured prominently in link with the scam could not be reached for the immediate comments, but the residents have appealed to the Provincial Administration and police authorities in Rongo, Migori and Trans-Mara districts to launch a full scale investigations with the view to bringing this issue to and immediate end.,

The victims are said to have sold their livestock, and even some sold their ancestral pieces of land while hopping to acquire new plots in the scheme.

It all started with the deadly rumoured that there were laying thousands of acreage of land along the Rongo-Trans=Mara district, which to date remained a no-man’s land, and which is yet to be survey and demarcated. The land is said to be available in areas classified as Area “A” and Area”B”. These were vacant areas in the late 1940s and 1950s during the internal disorder and tribal skirmishes pitting the indigenous Siria sub-clan of the Maasai which had settled in the areas at the opening of the 20^th century against the newcomer sub-clans of Moitanik who migrated fronm Kitale and the Uasin Gishu sub-clans from Eldoret areas.

The two Maasai sub-clans were forcefully removed from Uasin Gishu and Trans-Nzoia areas in the early 1920 to pave the way for the large scale White Settler farmers in the two areas, which were classified as part of the White Highland. The Two Maasai sub-clan were re-located to Trans-Mara area under the British-Maasai agreements.

The much more militarily superior Moitanik and Uasin Gishu moved in and over run areas previously occupied by Siria sub-clans. The fiercest Siria violently resisted the intruders, but could not withstand the prolonged war as they were miniority in the area, and at the same time the newcomers were being supported by the Colonial Administration, which had ealier on acquired their land in Trans-Nzoia and Uasin Gishu areas.  The skirmishes created a vacuum of land space sending Sirias to the Ole Nyati areas and vacating.

The Luos residents of South Sakwa and East Suna locations also benefited and moved to areas previously classified as Area”A” and Area”B” as this was the beginning of settlement of Luos and Luhyias in areas like Ogwedhi, Kwa, Upper Oyani, Mahena, Utoma and Angaga areas. And even the Abagusii of South Mugirango and part of Bomachoge secured some extra land in the Nyamaiya area.

The border land issue was later resolved by the then African District Council of South Nyanza and the African District Council of Narok {ADCs}, which met in 1948 and 1952 with their Narok counterpart and have the issue resolved once and for all. This agreement between the two then known local native council brought the matter to an end, and left no piece of land in the area for anybody to scrambled about.

Residents of Trans-Mara district says, they too, have heard about the land speculation and were wondering about the whereabouts of the piece of land in question. |As far as we are concerned, all the residents of the Luo-Maasai border areas have consolidated their land and duly registered them as required by the law of the land. “Whoever is cheating people that there is vacant land along the border is a thief and is a big cheat, said a Maasai farmer at Sikawa Hills who preferred to maintain his anonymity.

Civic leaders in Trans-Mara district told this writer that the Maasais are generous people. Those amongst them who had oversized land plots have voluntarily sold part of their land to the Luos, the Kisii and even the Kuria on a willing buyer willing seller. All the communities are living around with us, and we are forging a head with the life peacefully.”

 The Maasai farmers also said they have heard people talking about a new settlement scheme in Keyan areas as common bar talks around Awendo, Mariwa, Oyani Maasai and Ogwedhi markets, but they really don’t know the exact place where such land existed .

We have many alien farmers, and even the retired President Daniel Arap Moi is sugar cane farmers. Some are cultivating maize wheat and other cash crops on the Maasai side of the border.”We don’t discriminate anybody who has a lust for farming, but all these are done of mutual agreement with the Maasai land lords, and there is no room for a new settlement. scheme. Those who have paid the dealers handsomely, should demand their money back.

 Mr Ole Tiampati a Sirian Maasai from Narok urged the government to investigate and arrest the illegal land speculators. They must be stopped from further fleecing the pockets of the poor farmers with the fake sales of land. There is no land for sale in Maasai land except special cases of individual deals..

None of the alleged land speculators could be reached , though this writer spent the whole day investigating the issue around Mariwa, Oyani, Ogwedhi and Angaga areas, but the issue is a common knowledge with people traveling from Sakwa West, North, Kamagambo East, Sakwal Centra, Sakwa East, Kanyamkago East, Kanyamkago North all said to have paid in advance and were waiting to be allocated with their parcel of land.

Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

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API

The number of grandparents worldwide caring for grandchildren orphaned by AIDS has doubled during the past 10 years, with half of the globe’s 15 million AIDS orphans being cared for by a grandparent, according to new research released on Sunday by the United Kingdom-based Help the Aged, the PA/Press and Journal reports. The figures also show that if this trend continues at a constant rate, the number of grandparents responsible for AIDS orphans will double again by 2015.

David Clarke, international manager for Help the Aged, said, “These findings highlight the silent explosion of the number of grandparents fighting to keep their grandchildren alive.” Clarke added, “Unrecorded, unrecognized and unsupported, these older people, many in their 80s and 90s, will struggle on less than a dollar a day to feed newborns, nurse sick toddlers and put children through school. Throughout their tireless battle, many grandparents tell us their greatest fear is not knowing what will happen to their grandchildren once they have gone.” According to Help the Aged, there also are “gaping holes” in the amount of international aid that older people receive, with the needs of older caregivers being underreported or overlooked.

The PA/Press and Journal reports that a UNAIDS report earlier this year found that the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa has orphaned nearly 12 million children younger than age 18, suggesting that natural age distribution in many African countries had been “dramatically skewed” by the disease. Consequently, there are concerns that low-income grandparents lack enough food, sleep and medicine for themselves and have been forced to work in physically demanding jobs, carry out heavy domestic tasks and nurse sick grandchildren. Help the Aged said it plans to present a signed petition to the United Kingdom’s International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander to call on the government to encourage the United Nations to work to ensure that older people are accounted for when HIV/AIDS progress worldwide is tracked.

According to the Department for International Development, Alexander at the United Nations Global Summit last week called for more action to eradicate poverty and fight HIV/AIDS. A DFID spokesperson said, “We recognize the crippling burden that HIV and AIDS create across all parts of society in developing countries, which is why DFID recently made a commitment to spend” six billion British pounds — or about $11 billion — “up to 2015 on developing better health services to tackle the disease. In addition to this, our social transfer scheme gives families struggling to care for AIDS victims and their relations — which are often the older generation — a regular form of income” (Silverman, PA/Press and Journal, 9/29).

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API/Source.kaisernetwork

Morocco said on Tuesday that it had “important and fruitful” talks with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the developments of the 33-year old Western Sahara issue at the at the UN headquarters in New York.

Moroccan press quoted the head of the country’s diplomacy, Taib Fassi Fehri saying that the talks with the secretary-general were dictated by concern to reach \”intensive negotiations as soon as possible\” on the issue.

He said discussing the issue with the UN could lead to the implementation of Security Council resolutions on the problem.

Talks held in Manhasset, New York, on the Sahara crisis \”stalled\” after four \”unsuccessful\” rounds launched in June 2007.

In 2007, Rabat proposed an autonomy plan for Western Sahara (about 250,000 sq. km) which was placed under Moroccan sovereignty in 1975 after the withdrawal of the colonial power, Spain.

Washington, Paris and London backed the Moroccan proposal.

The Algeria-backed Polisario Front, however, insists on “a self-determination referendum\” which Rabat has dismissed as \”inapplicable\”.

In April, Peter van Walsun, former UN mediator in the Western Sahara issue said the option for independence claimed by the Polisario separatists was \”unrealistic\”.

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API/Source.apa

The Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA) on Tuesday called on the regional governments and international community to intervene and quickly recapture the Ukrainian ship MV FAINA hijacked last Thursday by Somali pirates.

In a statement issued to the press in Nairobi, RECSA said the hijacking of the ship believed to be carrying an assortment of arms could lead to the proliferation of small arms in the region if the buccaneers offload the cargo.

The statement warned that the arms could find their way into neighboring Somali and Sudan.

\”The hijacked ship is potentially dangerous to the region, the statement noted.

RECSA also called on regional and international community to resolve the Somali war crisis to halt the proliferation of small arms in the region.

RECSA Member countries are Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Uganda, Seychelles, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Burundi and Somali.

Speaking to APA over the telephone on Monday, Kenya Department of Defense spokesman Bogita Ongeri disputed claims by the pirates that the weapons were destined for Southern Sudan on which the United Nations has imposed an arms embargo.

The ship now has 20 crew members, 17 Ukrainians, 2 Russians and one Latvian.

The pirates are demanding $20 million ransom for releasing the ship which is carrying a cargo of grenade launchers, ammunition and T-72 tanks.

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API/Source.apa

Sudan ambassador to Egypt Mohamed Abd Al-Menem Mabrouk on Tuesday called on the international community to pressurize armed movements to join the peace process in Darfur.

In a statement issued here, he said the current situation impedes efforts to achieve security and stability in the region and will raise more problems.

He also said Sudan was happy with the ending of the ordeal of the 19 foreign tourists and Egyptians held captive for about 10 days by gunmen in the border area between Egypt, Sudan and Libya.

He said the incident had proved once again the need for greater coordination and cooperation to achieve stability in the region and a political settlement for the Darfur crisis.

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API/Source.apa

Zimbabwe’s political leaders have referred a deadlock on ministerial allocations to former South African president, Thabo Mbeki, after failing to reach an agreement, APA learnt here on Wednesday.

President Robert Mugabe met arch-rival and Prime Minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai on Tuesday but Tsvangirai’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change immediately declared a deadlock on the discussions, accusing the veteran leader of refusing to share power.

“There was no agreement again because we remain worlds apart, with ZANU PF wanting to hold on to all key ministries while relegating the MDC to a peripheral role in the new government,” MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said.

He said the dispute had been referred back to Mbeki who last month brokered an initial power-sharing agreement between the two Zimbabwean political rivals.

Mbeki resigned as South African president last week after being forced by his African National Congress party to do so, but remains as the official mediator in the Zimbabwean political crisis.

The deadlock between Mugabe’s ZANU PF and the MDC centres around control of the key ministries of home affairs, finance, foreign affairs and local government.

Both parties are understood to want control of all ministries in a proposed unity government

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API/Source.apa

All the 11 foreign tourists and the Egyptians held hostage by kidnappers, arrived safely on Monday afternoon at Cairo airport on board an Egyptian military plane after more than week in captivity.

Defense officials, the ambassadors of Italy and Germany and the Egyptian minister of Tourism Zohier Grana welcomed the group upon their arrival at the airport. They appeared in good condition.

The tourists were taken by helicopter directly to hospital for medical check- up immediately after their arrival.

Official Egyptian sources had earlier announced that the 11 tourists and the eight Egyptians kidnapped with them in the remote border region of Egypt for more than a week were liberated and were in good health.

The sources said the process ended without paying any ransom to the kidnappers.

President Hosni Mubarak expressed his pleasure on hearing the news of their release.

However further details have so far been revealed about the process of ending the drama.

Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Minister of Defense and Military Production underlined that half of the kidnappers were killed during ending the drama.

Gunmen kidnapped the group of tourists last week, including five Germans, five Italians and a Romanian, as well as their Egyptian guides, drivers and guards in south-west Egypt, while they were on a desert tour near the borders with Sudan and Libya.

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API/Source.apa