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WATER
and Irrigation Minister Mrs Charity Ngilu has opened a new frontier
in Kenya’s politics to tackle the nation’s selfish leadership.
Launching
her Presidential bid, Ngilu isolated five issues that she plans to
tackle in five years if elected President. According to the plan,
provision of Food and Water, Healthcare, Education, Wealth Creation
and Women Empowerment will reverse the 50-year successful march of
poverty in Kenya since independance. “ It is a five point plan for
five years, a guarantee that Haki Yetu Sasa Inawezekana”(Our rights
are now achievable), she said at Kenyatta International Conference
Centre.
At
an earlier media briefing, the Minister for water said she was
neither a running mate or anybody nor in alliane with anyone. Raising
her palm, Mrs Ngilu said her alliance lies with her plan to reverse
the advances of poverty as pegged to the five pillars. “These five
issues is my business and agenda for the election and not those
people that you are reffering to. This is the alliance I am in today.
If anyone believes in it too, then they are free to join in”, said
the Narc party leader.
Her
bid is a surprising one that will catch many flat footed and as she
put it- is about the lives of rodinary citizens- not about anyone or
alliances. The Anchor presents her agenda verbatim on Page 6.
In
yet another front of her struggles,High Court Judge has ordered the
ministry of energy not to enter into any deal with the controversial
firm- Fenxi Mining Industry that has been granted rights to mine Coal
in Mui Basin.
Residents
of coal-rich Mui basin in Kitui county went to court seeking orders
to stop the mining deal between the government and the Chinese firm.
Initially, Justice George Dulu granted a 14 day order stopping Fenxi
from mining coal and coal methane until the case is heard and
resolved.
As
we went to press, another Judge Mr Asike Makhandia extended the order
till October 16 when the matter will be heard interpartes, meaning
that nothing will be done till the residents of Mui Basin are assured
that a beneficial, transparent, diligent and assuring process is in
place before the mining begins.
The
residents, buttressed by their leaders Mrs Charity Ngilu and Kiema
Kilonzo are afraid that they will be deprived of benefits of coal,
yet they will be relocated from their domiciles and excluded from
enjoying the wealth that will come from the mineral resource.
The
residents claim that the awarding of the mining deal contravened and
infringed their constitutional rights by awarding of mining
concessionary rights on Mui coal basin deposits to their exclusion.
The
applicants are represented by lawyer Apollo Muinde. They include
Felista Peter, Makau Musyoka, Elijah Mutua, Jacob Musyoka, Francis
Kithome, Andrew Kasee, Nicholas Musyoki.
The
Permanent Secretary ministry of Energy, the Attoney General, the
Fenxi, the Great Lakes Corporation and the Jingu group of China are
the respondents. Jingu Group have been popping into the scene as
partners of Fenxi and were not parties to the concessionaire. Great
lakes Corporation are local partners of Fenxi, with a Mr Kareithi as
Director. It is claimed that its other directors are linked to the
owners of Equity Bank.
Vice
President Kalonzo Musyoka is supporting the Fenxi, Jingu and Great
Lakes tripartite and has vowed to ensure that nothing stands in their
way in the quest to exploit the minerals.
Fenxi
plan to exploit the mineral and transport it to a county in coast
province where a power generation plant is proposed to be
constructed. Mrs Ngilu and Kiema are demanding that the power plant
be constructed in Kitui and that all local minerals be processed in
Kitui county so that locals can benefit from the mineral resource.
These
issues have created fundamental differences between leaders in the
county, making the mining of minerals in the county an issue that may
well decide who wins elections in the county. Mrs Ngilu and Mr
Kilonzo have received public approval from Mui coal basin residents
to block a Fenxi from mining coal.
The
two were given consent to take action by residents during a tour of
the belt. They addressed meetings at Karung’a, Mathuki, Mui,
Miambani, Mutitu and Sombe markets at which by a show of hands the
residents unanimously gave them the go ahead to use all means
including court action to block the coal mining unless locals get a
50 per cent of the profits. The two leaders have expressed open
reservations over the awarding of the mining concession in Blocks C
and D on the Mui basin.
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