To the Chief Editor/ API

Dear Mr. Korir:

�

You know that for months I supported, encouraged and prayed for you. I trusted you to do that which was right, what you promised you would do, release the Michelle Obama tape and Kenyan birth document.

Our Constitution states that a person must be a natural-born US citizen to become president of the United States. There were specific reasons that our founding fathers wrote it this way, the main reason being that they wanted to assure that there were no divided loyalties.

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You know that Obama is not a natural-born US citizen. You should also know that he is not loyal to the United States of America. His refusal to salute our flag, recite the Pledge of Allegiance, etc. are significant signs that he is not loyal to our nation. He calls himself �a citizen of the world,� not a citizen of the United States.

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He supports some very evil and destructive policies such as abortion, homosexuality, etc. that are totally contrary to the Bible on which our nation was founded. Yes, our nation was founded as a Christian nation.

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His fiscal policies, his plan to greatly weaken our defense, his plan to allow dangerous illegal aliens into our country, his plan to prohibit all Americans from owning guns to defend themselves, his wanting to �dialog� with our enemies unconditionally, etc. are all very frightening.

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Obama is a Muslim. He claims to be a Christian, but the Muslim world claims him as their own and he grew up a Muslim. The Muslims now say �it is now our turn� and intend to make our once-great nation a Muslim nation and a third-world country. As a Muslim he will no doubt make Islam the official religion and outlaw all others, including Christianity.

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The Muslims/Islamists try to convince the rest of the world that they are a peaceful people, but that could not be further from the truth. They are a very violent and cruel people and they will stop at nothing to get their way. Search their behavior in Muslim countries and you will find that I am correct.

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I think you must not understand how very dangerous Obama is to our nation. Foreign Muslim people sent him millions of dollars to buy this election, and they intend for Obama to do what they want him to do for them, sell our nation out to them to make us a Muslim nation and a third-world country, as I stated above. Yes, with Obama as president our world as we know it will cease to exist.

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I am a born-again Christian who loves the Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross to pay the awful penalty for my sins that I justly deserved to pay. Until now I have been free to go to the church of my choice and worship Him freely. Under Islam I will be persecuted severely for my faith. I will no longer be free to go to church to worship with other believers.

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The book you plan to publish with all of the emails, etc. included will not �heal� me when I am being persecuted for my faith. It will not �heal� me when I am stripped of all of my freedoms. It will not �heal� me if I am killed for my faith.

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I am not a racist. Race has nothing to do with my fear of Obama. The white people of the United States did not make an issue of race at all during the campaigns, only Obama fomented race as an issue, and that for his own benefit.

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Yes, I am very much afraid of Obama, his administration, his policies and plans, and I have extremely good reasons for being afraid. I have outlined above some of the reasons for my being afraid � even terrified of him.

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I feel very much betrayed by you and I am very deeply hurt. I was very loyal to you and defended you all the way through. And now you have �sold me out�, betrayed me totally. I am on the verge of tears as I write this to you. I really thought you were an honorable man and could be trusted. Now I know I was wrong.

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Sincerely,

�

McFarland/ United States of America

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The above Letter to the Editor is a reaction to the story below:

• API will now seek to have its place at the White House Press Briefing Room – The importance of Obama Presidency

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END

�

The above�is a reaction to the story below:

It has been interesting following the American politics. API feared that the new president would easily impose leaders on� the Kenyan people. That fear has now gone after listening to the president’s inauguration address a number of times.

The man is inclusive and he has demonstrated that when making appointments selecting even some politicians who were his critics.

API has written a personal letter today to President Obama congratulating him for having demonstrated inclusiveness as soon as he took office.

During the campaign, API was one of the media outlets that criticised the President and that brought many Americans to API site because they too were critical of him.

Recently, we have asked those readers to join hands and give their President a chance to govern instead of disruptions.

During the campaign we realised that those who did not want President Obama to win were very radical in their thoughts. We realised that when we read through all the thousands of emails they send to API� telling API how President Obama was to be stopped from winning. Most of them left comments�in API comment boxes that led us to believe that they were very scared to let President Obama to win.

�Many of them who send in there emails expressed fear that if Obama won, it was going to be the end of the world for them. Many of those people were so negative and could not find in their heart to forgive themselves if the country ended up electing a black man to become the president.

Reading the emails, one realises how desperate they became because they were faced with a situation never experienced before.

These emails received from the US expressing fear, thousands of them will now be put into one document and will be used in healing those who send them in when they were psychologically angry. Once the document is compiled it will contain over 15 thousand emails and comments. As a healing process, API will send a copy to all the people who emailed their expressing their desperation, so that they may use it in the much needed healing process now that the man they wanted to see not elected has become their president.

The document will be very important because of the election that will take place in 4 years time when President Obama seeks re-election. It is important to use it now to heal the American wounds so that the next election will be smoother.

�

Here below is the letter dispatched to the president:

—– Original Message —–

From: African Press International (API)

To: comments@whitehouse.gov

Sent: Friday, January 23, 2009 10:51 PM

Subject: Congratulations on taking over the US presidency

President Barack Obama

The White House

The United States of America

�

Dear Mr President,

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It is now time to congratulate you Mr President, and to wish you well in your new role as the leader of the only powerful nation in the world – The USA.

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You campaigned, you were criticised from all corners by some. You campaigned and you were supported from all corners by many.

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African Press International – API was among your critics during�the campaign. Coming from Kenya originally, I personally feared that if you win, you may impose a leader on the Kenyan people. This is something I have to get over and move on. I have also realised that those who were competing with you, your heart is big enough to accommodate them in your administration. This is one major thing people in politics should exercise – being politically mature as you have shown by being inclusive, appointing your opponents into your administration.

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After listening to your inauguration address, I sensed that you are the man this world now needs and that gives me and others great hope that you will do your best to bring peace to the world so that our children may live in peaceful environments.

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Being�one of the people’s representative who is experienced, having climbed the ladder from being a State Senator and now at the top in your political career, I believe that you�understand that politics is a dirty game and a game that people play tactically and with many different approaches.

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While on this, I would like to congratulate you for having won many hearts and now me joining the list at long last.

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Having heard how you plan to move forward in your plans to govern America and how you intend to extend your political guidance to the larger world, API has now decided to follow your policies closely, and what best way for us to do so than get API branch office in Washington and seek to be allowed to have API represented in the White House Press Briefing Room alongside other journalists.

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We look forward to be able to see new faces of journalists in the briefing room, API’s representative included,�because there is a huge interest from all corners of the world to follow what your administration will do for the American people and the world at large.

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Once more, API takes this opportunity to congratulate you�and your wife, and hope your two beautiful daughters get peace in Washington and be allowed by the media to continue being the children they are, to live peacefully, play peacefully and enjoy making new friends in the new environment.

�

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With regards,

�

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Yours sincerely

�

Sammy Korir

Chief Editor

African Press International – API

�

Oslo, Norway

�

 

Here below are Letters to the Editor: REACTION TO THE ABOVE STORY:

• Flabergasted by an honest man – API�s letter to President�Obama
• About President Obama: The Muslims now say �it is now our turn� and intend to make our once-great nation (America), a Muslim nation and a third-world country. As a Muslim he will no doubt make Islam the official religion and outlaw all others, including�Christianity.

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writer �Leo Odera Omolo

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The Government of Kenya stands to loss a colossal amount of money to the tune of Kshs 121 billion about 17 per cent of the national budget in current financial year due to inflated procurement quotations.

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This amount is only Ksh 6 billion of the 2008/09 budget deficit of Ksh 127 billion.

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According to study by the Public Procurement Authority (PPOA) carried out last year, most of the tendered products/services are being brought with a mark-up of 60 per cent on the market price.

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�The central government is loosing a lot of money which could be used at this time when the country is in major national famine arise, with Kshs 37 billions needed to rescue the condition,� the acting director of PPOA Maurice Juma was quoted as saying by �a local media

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�Official records at the Ministry of Finance show that the Central government spends about Kshs 234 billion per year on procurement.

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Late last year, in a bid to stream line procurement in various Ministries and state of common products bought as a guide.

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�Most of our accountants have been turned into clerks and are not utilized fully,� says Mr. Henock Kirungu ,the Manager for Policy and Research at PPOA �Public procurement entities spend over 60 per cent of their time analyzing tender quotations, instead of using more transparent way.�

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Dr Juma was further quoted by the DAILY NATION as saying that the procurement body is rolling out an open system that would allow everyone to take part in the tendering process in a rotational manner. This way, he adds, officers involved can minimize expenditure and thus save resources.

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He says there is need for consolidating all procurement processes in line with user needs which will be subjected to competitive biddings as to get the best deals.

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State Corporation, Mr. Kirungu says can save up to 25 per cent of the procurement function is well managed the body says that the maize and oil scandal can be attributed to earlier regulation that did not address corruption in the procurement process like tendering.

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In collaboration with the Kenya Anti-corruption Commission (KACC), we are carrying out investigation on the recent corruption scandals in the oil industry,� the managing director said.

PPOA blames poor planning for tendering and �limited implementation of procurement laws for the corruption in public Offices. In line with �this Dr. Juma says they will release a generic manual to assess �procurement officers for implement laws and similar one for bidders

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On the tourism tract, the Kenya Tourist Board is reeling from the recent revelations that its former managing director Dr. Ongong�a Achieng authorized an irregular payment of Ksh 43 million to two private companies.

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Between April and June last year, the scandal involving the sale of the Grand Regency Hotel, now Law Regency, threatened to split the Grand coalition government.

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And on September 25, 2008 Somali pirates hijacked a ship carrying military of the Kenya enact with 33 T-72 Russian-made tanks rocket propelled grenades and other military arm.

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The Ukrainian vessel Mv Faina was hijacked of the Kenya coast with 23 T-72 tanks and other military hardware, which includes rockets, propelled grenades, 23 anti aircraft guns and ammunition.

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Kenya inarted that the weapons were meant for its military, but a US navy spokesman said the arm was imported by Kenya on behalf of Southern Sudan.

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At around the same time the De ha Rue scandal came to light. It is believed that the scandal lock the Disparity Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya, this Jacinta Mwatela her job.

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And at NSSF, pensioners as said to have lost over Ksh 3 billion through dubious investments, including Ksh 1.5 billion in Descent securities, a troubled stock brokerage from that has seen been put under statutory management

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The Institute of policy analysis and Research (IPAR) fault the country�s national accounting system in the budgeting process saying they are week continuous occurrence of errors in the poor practices observed depict high level audit risks

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This despite the internal audit manual of 2005 clearly not strictly adhered to or where utilized has not been fully realized IPAR said the ministry and finance lacks standards for recording as presenting accounts.

ENDS

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com �

By Leo Odera Omolo �

The appointment of the MP� for Buret Franklin Bett as the new Kenya�s Minister for Road was well received in Kericho and Litein Towns.

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And so is the appointment of Mrs Beatrice Kones as an Assistant Minister for Home-Affairs. But the community seemed not to satisfied still and felt, it could have been allocated more full cabinet slots taking into account its voting strength and numeracy of Kipsigis in parliament..

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Bett, a former State House Comptroller and long time close political associate of the ODM supreme Raila Odinga was all the same expected to clinch the cabinet position following his long duration as a member of the ODM. He was nominated by Mr. Odinga and had served in the ninth parliament as an MP

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Many members of the community had a high hope that the former powerful PS for Internal Security and Provincial Administration Zakayo K. Cheruiyot, who is the MP for Kuresoi in the volatile Molo district would fill in the gap to succeed the late Kipkalya Kones.

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Cheruiyot has of late emerged as the most respected community leader in the Southern Rift.but the appointing authority who is none, but President Kibaki had settled on Bett, perhaps ostensibly on the advise of the Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

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Cheruiyot, however, is well known as not being an apologist and does not entertain politics of sycophancy. He said to be a principled man who does not speak to please.

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A number of the Kipsigis political personalities interviewed most welcome the appointment. They include the chairman of the UDM, Lt. General {rtd}John Koech and a prominent Kericho Politician Mr. William Kipkemoi Arap Kettienya, who felt the community deserves more portfolios in the coalition government in order to make look rather representative.

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Gen Koech said the community was pleased with the appointment taking into account Hon Bett�s experience in both public and government affairs, and expressed the hope that the Minister would thrive to unite the community .

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The appointment ignited enthusiasm and dances in both Bomet and Litein Towns,, where bands of people were seen discussing it in low tones at the various centers. One elderly farmer in Litein said. It is like a thanks giving to the late Kones family in particular and Bomet constituents in general. �We are pleased and thanks the President Kibaki and the Prime Minister Raila Odinga for having considered the hitherto forgotten Kipsigis people

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The general feeling around the entire Kipsigis community is that the newly appointed Ministers would popularize the coalition government in the region and could easy tensions recently sparked by the planned eviction of thousands of Kalenjin families in the contentious Mau Forest Complex..

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Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

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By Leo Odera Omolo

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Uganda has declared it will destroy passport worth Ushs 4 billion (USD 710,000) designed for the East African Community before Rwanda and Burundi join the regional bloc

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The document will be redesigned to include the two new BAS members, although the printing of the earlier passport was stopped primarily because the equipment broke down two years ago.

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The immigration department which planned to issue the passports to 70,000 Ugandans says the detective printer used outdated technology that relied on lamination at the applicant�s photograph into the travel document.

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Although immigration departments across the region have sense introduced new technology to curb passport forgeries, EAC passports have not been upgrades because of the need for consensus by member countries

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That site, Uganda had a huge crock of printed passport books that causes not be issued using the new technology, which involves scanning and embedding the photographs in the passports.

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News emerging from Kampala qualified officials as saying that the Ugandan government pursing machine supplied by UK firm De ha Rue in 1995 is now in serviceable; although it can still capture data and do laminating work, it cannot do the final printing.

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De ha Rue experts had inspected the machine and continued that there are neither spore parts for the neither old machine nor new machine of the same make because the opted for new technologies.

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Mr. Wilberforce Ngonde, the Uganda�s Assistant Commissioner for immigration weekly as saying that DeLa Rue has advised the government to buy a new machine, whose lost, is yet to the determined.

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�To sort out the problem, we will have to buy a new machine and destroy the unused stock of old passport book, which lost USD 710,000. The government said forced to incur the lost because the old machine cannot be serviced. It is a scrap,� said the Minister of State Internal Affairs, Maria Kasaija.

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It has been established that in spite of failing to print the passport in the past two years, the immigration Department continues to reject new applications for the EAC passports

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The official says demand for the passport has shot up with the coming on board of Rwanda and Burundi.

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Uganda says it will put off issuing of the passport initial a redesign is endorsed by the region. They further stated that the Each African immigration chiefs with new features that would be contained in the new passports then pass them to the� Council of Ministers of the EAC for approval.

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It major issue for discussion during the design is the logo for the passports as the current document does not reflect the new member presence in the community old EAC passports.

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East African passport are supposed to ease movement of East Africans across the boarder of the member countries. For example holders such passports do not need to have the stamped each time they cross regions as boarders. A stamp is valid for at least six months

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�Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

�Reports Leo Odera Omolo.

The Catholic Church in Kenya has come out bold enough and asked the grand coalition government partners to act in the challenges and myriads of problems facing the country. The twenty four Bishops led by their chairman of the Kenya Espiscopal conference John Cardinal Njue called for an end to the culture of impunity if challenges facing the nation were to be addressed. �None in high places has been prosecuted for crimes that have been under investigation,� Said Njue. He said poor governance had been caused by corruption and impunity.

In a lengthy statement release after their day long meeting held at Dimese Sister�s Retreat Centre, Karen, the Bishop called for the full implementation of the National accord signed by president Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga last year following peace negotiation brokered by former UN Chief Dr Koffi Annan. �We should avoid having two center of power,� they said.

The Bishop challenged Kibaki and Raila to respond to the needs of all Kenyans. They said the current constitutions should be respected as we await the new one. The Bishop expressed concern over the illegal exportation of maize. �If the allegations are true then we demand action,� they added. On the contentious Kenya communications (Amendment) Act 2008, the Bishop called for sobriety. �We appeal to the media for the responsible accountable and uphold professional ethics in the technique of the duties� The Bishop called for dialogue between teachers and the government to and the ingoing skills. At the same time cardinal John Njue has asked Kenyan�s intelligence net work of poor performance. He wandered hoe the maize and oil scandals took place without them (intelligence) knowledge.

Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com