Friday 18 November 2011

Fr Makewa: State evidence ends

D-Day set for Fr. Makewa

By Daniel Kituku
in Wote
Fr Makewa on his first day in court

THE State closed its  attempted murder case against suspended Fr John Wambua Makewa in a Makueni Court, ending episodes of dramatic tales that left a catholic pries for dead.
Fr Makewa in the dock

Mwingi Residents Defend their sand

Mwingi residents fight for Sand

 By Wambui Kirubi


Works at a project to tarmac the phase 1 of a 21km Mwingi-Muunguu road by a Chinese company has hit a snag after residents blocked the firm from collecting sand from local rivers as raw material demanding compensation.

Relief Food. DC Interdicted

Kibwezi DC on forced
leave over relief food
By Nguma Kitone


KIBWEZI DC  Mike Kimoko is on interdiction over alleged theft of relief food.

Fruit Farming


Fruit factory mooted
for Makueni

By Daniel Kituku
The ministry of agriculture has announced plans to construct a fruit processing factory in Makueni county to tap the large produce  resource in the area.

Projects Stall in Mwala

Work stalls on three
key Mwala projects

 By Anchor Correspondent
 
Construction work on three development projects funded by the government to the tune of Sh 32 million in Mwala district has stalled.

Mwingi Water Supply


Water shortage looms
large in Mwingi town
ByWambui Kirubi
Hope for the about 50,000 residents of Mwingi who rely on the Kiambere-Mwingi pipeline to get water after a 23 day shortage, was thwarted by heavy rains that poured recently.

Understanding Devolution


Unpacking the benefits of
a devolved system of Govt

By Boniface Mulu

An official of the National Civic Society Congress (NCSC),is highlighting the weaknesses and failures of the Kenya’s old constitution. Mr. John Nyongesa, who is a civic educator, was speaking recently at the Kitui Mini-Lodge and Restaurant in Kitui town.

Opinion

Opinion
Time to 'plant' change agents



 
 Who bewitched Kenya? A country of 48 year old self independence yet we can’t defeat 1963 post independence vices we inherited from our colonial masters.

Editorial- November- December 2011


Editorial

Kitui residents must enjoy
the fruits in Mui Basin

The Government of Kenya has carried out coal exploration in the Mui Basin in Kitui County,  which covers an area of 400km2.

Jailed for defiling sister

Man jailed for life
for defiling sister


By PURITY KALUMU


A 33-year-old man who raped his 17 year old sister while armed with a knife will languish in jail for the rest of his life after Machakos court found him guilty of the offence.

The Anchor: Kengen Boss in land tussle

The Anchor: Kengen Boss in land tussle:

Ex-minister Mbathi trapped in land tussle By Martin Masai FORMER Cabinet Minister Titus Mbathi is embroiled in a tussle that exposes h...

Kengen Boss in land tussle

Ex-minister Mbathi
trapped in land tussle
 
By Martin Masai
FORMER Cabinet Minister Titus Mbathi is embroiled in a tussle that exposes his illegal occupation of someone’s land and possible conflict of interest.

Turmoil in Machakos School

Return of turmoil at 
Machakos School
By Nitram Iedn

MACHAKOS School was temporarily closed town forcing the more than 200 KCSE candidates to take their papers from outside the school.
It is probably the first time in the history of the school founded in 1950 that an examination class is send home during examinations.
 The closure also affected over 600 students in Forms One to Three who had to go home and report after the Form Four Class had left, underlining some rare loathing that is yet to be analyzed and categorized
The candidates were ordered out of the school after a meeting chaired by Machakos DEO Mr.Richard Midambo following disturbances that saw windowpanes at the Assembly Hall broken by riotous boys whose grievances were not understandable, an act the hints at raw carnage in school.
 Police recovered a toy pistol, machetes and rubber whips from the fourth formers.
 Midambo said the rest of the students in forms One, Two and Three were sent home until  last batch of the candidates with sit for their last paper and leave the school.
 The return of turmoil to Machakos School is an imperfection to a peaceful stint enjoyed at the School.It is an incident that took many by surprise, given that the School enjoyed a peaceful year since the posting of Mr Masaku Muiya as Chief Principal to lead the institution.
 After the turmoil begun, the Form Four boys were escorted back to the school under tight security to go and sit for the remaining examination paper the next day.
 Acting OCPD P.N.Wambugu confirmed the toy pistol and the whips were found in a bag inside the dinning hall after smoking the students out.
“It is difficult to establish the owner of the bag now but we have launched investigations into the incident”,he said.
 “There were no grievances from the form four students. They only wanted to protect the bad things they intended to do”,he said.
 Eye witnesses said some of the form four students were spotted in Machakos town during the day and were heard singing solidarity songs in readiness for mayhem. Nevertheless, hundreds of students from the other classes streamed out of the school that evening to avoid being harmed by the Form Fours.
 They spend the night in unknown places in Machakos Town where they were seen loitering, dressed in school uniform, T- Shirts, some carrying books in their hands.
 Sources indicated that the decision to send the boys home and scatter the form fours was reached at the advise of the District Security Committee after it analysed evidence and arsenal found with the Form Four class,  “ They seem to have a mission unaccomplished and we will not avail them the opportunity to cause mayhem in the school” said a security source.
It is also clear that the security team assessed the situation and concluded they could not guarantee security for the students given the prevailing circumstances.
 The form four students spent the night in the cold outside the local DCs offices  under armed guard after the police herded them there following the aborted riots.

During the night incident, the fourth formers broke glass widows using machetes and sticks, forcing the police to move a in and arrested them.

The discovery of a toy pistol, rubber whips and the machetes and an assortment of crude weapons remained a mystery to the school community, security agents and the towns residents, stressing that a criminal assault was on the cards.

Mr Muiya said a section of the form four candidates sneaked into the school and stole books belonging to other students.

The DC said posters advertising a “leaver” disco at a club in the show ground were recovered in the school. Police are investigating the origin of a text short message send to the Principal during the skirmishes.

“The white man cannot afford to erode our culture, the traditions of Machakos school must be kept pure. Military training is good for their future”, read the message sent to The Anchor by Mr Muiya. There was no immediate interpretation of the message, but there is no pretence that a perverted mind engineered the text. It seems the message was generated after the school administration remained firm that any form of hooliganism would not be tolerated. The School has had a history of annual lawless that was stopped last year after the posting of Mr Muiya

It is possible that the perverts were referring to this past lawlessness as the school’s ‘culture’ since the Form Four Class has endured riots since they were in Form I, four years ago.”It has been the school’s culture for the departing students to either beat up their juniors or cause damage on the school infrastructure as a departure signal” said a source that refused to be named. Reports indicate that the students planned to ‘discipline’ their juniors and destroy property before leaving.

Mr Muiya says one of his tasks in the school is to rid the 1950 institution of this negative attitude of destruction and instill a sense of positive thinking, that the students must leave the institution better than they found it since it has a long tradition of producing leaders.


Kitui's Mineral wealth

Kitui County's range of 
mineral wealth is unveiled
 By Boniface Mulu

A policy consultant for the Kenyan government, Mr. Peter Temi Mutia, has said that it has been established that the Kitui County has one of the biggest quantities of mineral deposits in the world.

The Anchor: Konza Ranch: Approval for subdivision but...

The Anchor: Konza Ranch: Approval for subdivision but...: NEMA bows to pressure   By Anchor Reporters   KONZA Ranch flexed its muscles, forcing the National Environment Management Authority(NEMA) ...

Konza Ranch: Approval for subdivision but...

NEMA bows to pressure 
By Anchor Reporters
 
KONZA Ranch flexed its muscles, forcing the National Environment Management Authority(NEMA) into action towards the subdivision of the ranch.

The Anchor: Battle for Coal: Who will benefit in Kitui?

The Anchor: Battle for Coal: Who will benefit in Kitui?: Battle lines drawn over Coal mining in Mui Basin By Martin Masai OVER 30,000 families face displacement in the Mui basin as the rush ...

Battle for Coal: Who will benefit in Kitui?

Battle lines drawn over
Coal mining in Mui Basin
By Martin Masai
 
OVER 30,000 families face displacement in the Mui basin as the rush for 400 million tones of Coal in the Kitui County begins.

Syokimau demolitions: Exposing the rot

Syokimau demolitions: Mavoko land woes... 

Exposed!
 
By Anchor Reporters


The demolitions of hundreds of homes at Syokimau area of Athi River District in Machakos County  could just be a tip of the iceberg in the region, The Anchor reveals
The Anchor Page One

Monday 17 October 2011

The Anchor: The Anchor: The Anchor Oct 2011: Ngilu- Kalonzo du...

The Anchor: The Anchor: The Anchor Oct 2011: Ngilu- Kalonzo du...: The Anchor: The Anchor Oct 2011: Ngilu- Kalonzo duels : Mrs Ngilu at Ndovoini Borehole in Kangundo Ngilu, Kalonzo hold swords aloft By N...

The Anchor: The Anchor: Read The Anchor

The Anchor: The Anchor: Read The Anchor: The Anchor: Read The Anchor : Opening New Frontiers in Kenya's Journalism Now you can read about the issues that define life in Lower Ea...

Friday 14 October 2011

The Anchor: Read The Anchor

The Anchor: Read The Anchor: Opening New Frontiers in Kenya's Journalism Now you can read about the issues that define life in Lower Eastern Province- the area cov...

The Anchor: Read The Anchor

The Anchor: Read The Anchor: Opening New Frontiers in Kenya's Journalism Now you can read about the issues that define life in Lower Eastern Province- the area cov...

Read The Anchor


Opening New Frontiers
in Kenya's Journalism




Now you can read about the issues that define life in Lower Eastern Province- the area covered by the three Counties of Kitui, Makueni and Machakos.

The Anchor: The Anchor Oct 2011: Ngilu- Kalonzo duels

The Anchor: The Anchor Oct 2011: Ngilu- Kalonzo duels: Mrs Ngilu at Ndovoini Borehole in Kangundo Ngilu, Kalonzo hold swords aloft By Nguma Kitone W ater and Irrigation minister Charity...

Read The Anchor


Opening New Frontiers
in Kenya's Journalism


Now you can read about the issues that define life in Lower Eastern Province- the area covered by the three Counties of Kitui, Makueni and Machakos.

The Anchor Oct 2011: Ngilu- Kalonzo duels

Mrs Ngilu at Ndovoini Borehole in Kangundo
Ngilu, Kalonzo hold swords aloft
By Nguma Kitone


Water and Irrigation minister Charity Ngilu has told her enemies to brace for a bruising political battle with her in future.  “I want to tell those fighting me politically to be prepared because I will soon take them head on’, cautioned the Kitui Central MP.

The Anchor october 2011: Machakos Liquor Court

Liquor Court 
rejects 109 bars

MACHAKOS  District Liquor Licensing  Court announced a rejection of 196 bar license applications out of the 406 gazetted ones.

The Anchor October 2011: Kanziku Residents seek to restrain firms


Kitui residents
fight cement firms

Residents of Kanziku/ Mathima location in Mutumo district,Kitui County have moved to court to stop several mining companies from prospecting in the area.

Lawyers Onesmus Makau and Bigambo Abucheri represented the petitioners who also want the Respondents restrained from evicting them from the land in question. The petitioners sought interim orders from the High Court in Machakos stopping  the respondents and government agencies from  demolishing, transferring or in anyway alienating the suit premises pending the hearing and determination of the petition.

But judge Kihara Karanja declined to grant the prayed orders arguing there was no sufficient evidence to proof claims of harassment and intended forceful eviction of the petitioners by the respondents.

Judge Kihara gave the petitioner’s led lawyer Makau the option and liberty of seeking for more evidence to support the claims.

The respondents include Athi River Mining,Devki Cement and Steel Industry,East African Portland Cement Company,Criss Cross Company Limited and Bamburi Cement Company Limited.

Others are Ministry of Mining and Natural Resources, the Attorney General,National Environment and Management Authority,Kitui County Council and the Chief for Mathima Location.In their application,the lawyers for the petitioners claimed respondents one to five as listed above had threatened to evict their clients form their land.

They argued the petitioners will be rendered landless, homeless and would suffer gross violation of their inalienable human rights.In his affidavit, Solomon Malyunga said the residents of the affected areas will be greatly prejudiced and stand to suffer irreparable loss and damages if the five cement companies proceeded with the mining activities and enforcing their eviction notices.As the court matter rolled out. residents of the coal-rich Mui basin in Kitui county were laying tough conditions they want coal industry investors to meet before commencing mining.

This is part of positioning themselves to engage positively within the 500 square Kilometer coal belt nominated the Mui Mines and Minerals Company Limited to negotiate with ministry of Energy and would-be investors.During a coal delegates meeting held at the Mathuki Secondary School in Mui division of the Mwingi East district, Malili Ranch lawyer Erick Kyalo Mutua was named to represent the Mui Coal Basin Community. He is mandated to negotiate, make inquiries and communicate on behalf of the coal-belt community.The belt has an estimated 400 million tons of coal deposits and straddles Kitui and Mwingi districts. At the meeting, the community demanded that the ministry of Energy recognizes the community as an indispensable stakeholder in coal mining business. The meeting chaired by retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Charles Mukungi resolved that it must be involved in every step of the way in the planning and execution of the mining process. It remains to be seen how the lobby with engage the investors in vies of the many cases that are yet to be resolved in court. The meeting also demanded that the coal extraction factory be set up within the Mui basin and offer 90 per cent of jobs to locals. They insisted that the community should be entitled to 80 per cent of the royalties derived from the mineral resource.


The Anchor October 2011: Mwala wildlife victims compensated

Mwala wildlife
victims get cash

Four victims attacked by wild animals in Mwala district have received Sh 200,000 from the Kenya wild life service [KWS] as consolation for the injuries they suffered.

The Anchor October 2011: Kalonzo Vs Musyimi

Kalonzo: Will Mutava change
the game in Ukambani politics

 The entry of Gachako MP Mutava Musyimi in the race to State House is causing nightmares in the Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka’s camp.

The Anchor October 2011: Yatta Canal


Storm brewing over use
of water in Yatta Canal

By Anchor Reporter

AN Effort to narrow the differences between the Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and Yatta MP Charles Kilonzo has resulted into a row over the Yatta Canal.

The Anchor October 2011: Makueni County Council


Syokati elected  Makueni Council
Boss as County Clerk is removed

By Daniel Kituku

The elections of chairmanship and various council committees of County Council  Makueni were finally held  after the High Court quashed a court order filed last month  and another order early this month by a section of councilors stopping the elections.

The Anchor October 2011; Governance

'Awards' winning Sacco yet
to attain SASRA recognition

Masaku Teachers Sacco bags baffling fifth
'international award' as members crave for dividends
BAFFLING awards to the mismanaged Masaku Teachers Sacco notwithstanding, some members are rising the red flag, alleging impropriety in the management of the once vibrant sacco.

The awards have now made the sacco the town’s laughing stock with residents wondering why anyone would award an organization that does not provide any benefit to its members. As we went to press, the Sacco has bagged five international awards, the latest being two weeks old. The awards winning spree is a stunt that the sacco is using  as a gimmick to hoodwink teachers that all is well at Mwalimu House.

“Just what are they awarding?.” Asked Mrs Brenda Kioko a teacher of 22 years who withdrew from membership some six years ago?

This has been the big question. The last time an audit was done at the sacco,  debts running close to a billion  were discovered and the matter remains unresolved. Matters have not been helped by findings that the Sacco Societies Regulatory Authority(SASRA) has yet to license the teachers sacco.

This means that the award winning Sacco is currently operating a Front Office Service (FOSA) illegally. To demonstrate that Masaku Teachers Sacco is at the verge of dissolution unless something drastic happens, The Anchor has donated space elsewhere in this paper to inform its readers all Sacco societies registered by SASRA.

Even as as these shameless stunts continue angry members are rising the

 red flag over alleged deep rooted corruption that has led to non payment of dividends concerned.

“We are cheated that the sacco has received several Awards but according to our investigation,Mr Kyelenzi and his chairman are just beating about the bush but time has come to spill beans. Teachers have suffered for long and we appeal to our  able media houses to expose the rot since the sacco is on the blink of collapse once again”

The say the ministry of the co-operative development and marketing carried out an inquiry into the mal-prac-tices in the Masaku teachers Sacco Society Ltd.According to our investigations, but it seems the management has now compromised officials of the Co-operatives ministry. They allege the awards may have a link with corruption and the sacco is paying heavily for funding international trips for officials to receive the awards..

The accuse a top manager of buying himself two brand new cars, yet the society cana not pay dividends.

The teachers claim the loaning policy of first come first served is also grossly violated and loans are only available to a section of membership who are perceived to be loyal to the system. “The decline in the Sacco’s loaning performance has forced most of our members to seek loans from commer-cial banks and other financial in-sti-tutions to cushion them-selves from the harsh and hostile economic hardships facing almost everybody in Kenya today”, a letter in possession of The Anchor says.

The tough economic conditions that has  faced the society has seen the greatest decline in membership . Earlier, the mem-bership stood at over 11000 be-fore the society management  ran amok., The sacco lost over 2000 members through vol-un-tary withdrawals, retirement or natural attrition. This represents an 18.6% decline.

 

Contribution policy pegged to loaning

In some cases, free loans and advances were awarded to these members and some ended up receiving hundred of thousands of shillings. 

“When Kyelenzi  took over we were promised  that we would be able to obtain members loan details at the click of a button at the reception”, but that is a pipe dream, they say.

Members have  been carefully looking into the operations of the FOSA. We have been keenly studying the op-erations of the main office as well as those of the  branches. “The main office has been making a profit from its monthly activities but the branches, during the year under re-view recorded huge losses thus eating into the surplus netted at the head office.

Well connected committee members, those loyal to the systems have jumped into the band-wagon and like the rest pocketed what was allowed to them.

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