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

The Anchor: Send your views

The Anchor: Send your views

The Anchor: Send your views

The Anchor: Send your views: What do you think? The Editor welcomes you to read this web edition of The Anchor. Each time The Anchor rolls out of the Press, the c...

Send your views

What do you think?


The Editor welcomes you to read this web edition of The Anchor. 
Each time The Anchor rolls out of the Press, the contents are uploaded to this blog.You can now read about the events taking place within the Machakos, Kitui and Makueni Counties.

We welcome your comments about your impressions on this blog and content. You may also indicate your location and stories that you may want featured. 

Send your comments to info@theanchormedia.org or editor@theanchormedia.org

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...

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.