Deteriorating Security in Marsabit and Neighbouring Counties

The problem of insecurity that dogged counties of Northern Kenya, particularly Marsabit for most of 2013, has crossed with them into 2014.

In the past, the National Government cobbled pretenses like deploying the military and sending more police to deal with the menace.

It would appear that deployment of the military in what are police operations, dispatching policemen to go after the attackers and the Nyumba Kumi programme are all that Jubilee had in mind for security.

Truckloads of police and military officers have failed to contain the menace in Marsabit and neighbouring counties including Turkana and parts of the Coast. These have not worked.

Instead, gunmen have attacked the police and the military, the very institutions the country relies upon to ensure its internal and external security. This is a reflection of a deepening problem.

Consequently, Kenyans in these areas appear to be getting left on their own. The National Government appears to be raising its arms in surrender and blaming the victims as insecurity soars.

The leadership of the County Government of Marsabit is being blamed for failing to contain insecurity. This latest twist is the clearest indication yet that the Jubilee Government is getting increasingly clueless over the worsening state of insecurity in the country.

It ought to be clear to all that security is a function of the National Government and not the County Government. Of all the functions of the National Government, provision of security to life and property of citizens is the most sacred. It is where the government is failing the most.

As Opposition, we have consistently demanded that county governments be given a say on security matters and that Governors be allowed to chair security committees.

Jubilee has resisted this and insisted on the renamed provincial administration as the custodians of security across the country. It has failed to work and Jubilee must not shift blame.

The National Government must take full responsibility for the failure and escalating insecurity across northern Kenya and other parts of the country.

We call upon the Jubilee administration to desist from stigmatizing and antagonizing governors with their voters by blaming them for responsibilities that belong to the National Government.

We see a plot by Jubilee to dissolve particularly the county government of Marsabit in the hope that another election may yield Jubilee leadership.

There appears to be a scheme to terrorize pastoral communities into a belief that their security lies with voting for the ruling coalition.

For some strange reason, Jubilee has never forgiven the people of Marsabit, the Coast and Turkana for voting for CORD.

CORD finds these maneuvers completely unacceptable and will fight them to the bitter end.

We call upon the residents of the affected counties to demand their right to security from the National Government and to hold the same national government fully responsible for their misfortunes.


RT. HON. RAILA A. ODINGA
JANUARY 10, 2013.

Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga message of condolence following the death of Hon. Waruru Kanja

"We have this morning lost another great son of our nation, a great fighter who stood up for
the truth no matter the consequences.

The death of Waruru Kanja ends and era.  It is the era of the politics of principle and ideals that his demise moves to a close.

The Son of Wairimu was among the venerable political leaders who guided Kenya through its early years of tumult by speaking truth to power and insisting that as a nation, we must stick to the ideals of the founding  fathers.

I was with Mr Kanja in Hospital about a month ago, and I can testify that he did well as a leader and he remained true to his beliefs and must have died a free man, at peace with his conscience because he did and said all the right things that Kenya needed in its formative years.

It is sad that even the seemingly indestructible Kanja has had to depart from us. It is a handing over of sorts with Kenya marking its 50 years of independence.

We mourn with his family and friends and celebrate his life and times."

Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga
Leader of the Coalition for Reform and Democracy - Kenya

Hon Raila Odinga Statement Against the Appointment of the JSC Tribunal

By Raila Odinga

What began as a disciplinary hearing against an employee of the Judiciary has now matured into a major inter-branch conflict within the government, engulfing the Judiciary, the presidency and the legislature, and culminating in the appointment yesterday of a tribunal to look into the suitability of six members of the Judicial Service Commission to continue in office.

The situation has reached here because of a failure of leadership at every point. There was a failure of leadership when the Speaker of the National Assembly allowed the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee to assume jurisdiction over the dispute between the Judicial Service Commission and the former Chief Registrar of the Judiciary despite the fact that this was an internal issue of the Judiciary and secondly, notwithstanding the fact that the matter was still under deliberation within the JSC.

There was also a failure of leadership when the National Assembly adopted the report of the Legal Affairs Committee calling for a tribunal for the removal of the six members. Better counsel would have led to the search for a more amicable way of dealing with this matter at that point.

The President had a choice to accept the recommendation of the National Assembly for the appointment of a tribunal or to reject the recommendation. He could have used the opportunity presented to him to bring about dialogue among the concerned branches with a view to averting the crisis that we are now experiencing.

However, he has failed to do so and has chosen to appoint a tribunal whose effect would be to dismember the Judiciary and to leave it as an appendage of the presidency and the Legislature. Again, the failures by the president have been failures in judgment, and in leadership. It is now clear that the president is a willing participant in the scheme to destroy the Judiciary.

The appointment of the tribunal must be viewed in the wider scheme of what is going on in the country at the moment. The National Assembly has already enacted the Kenya Information and Communication Bill, which contains severe limitations on the freedom of the media in Kenya.

Currently, the National Assembly is debating amendments to the Public Benefits Organizations Bill, the passage of which will severely limit funding for civil society organizations in the country, and bring an end to the culture of civic vigilance which is an important source of the freedoms that we enjoy in this country.

Insecurity reigns in the country with the bandits holding free reign in northern Kenya while the promise to institute inquiry into Westgate attack remains just that; a promise.

Viewed together, these three developments lead to the conclusion that the Jubilee government is determined to bring an end to all autonomous institutions in the country. A pattern of a return to repression is taking shape. What is being attempted currently is to establish a country of presidential and legislative tyranny, and where no other institution in and out of the government will be allowed a voice. The people of Kenya must wake up to the fact that the new Constitution which they enacted and which they cherish, is now under threat because of the actions of this government.

The choice of members of the tribunal to look into the suitability of the six members of the JSC merits comment. All four have close ties with the ruling party. The inescapable conclusion is that their selection is motivated by a desire to reach a pre-determined outcome. The proposed tribunal is, therefore, an act of deception, clothed in the formalities of a constitutional process. CORD rejects both the individuals selected and the idea of the Tribunal, and calls upon the president to revoke the appointment.

As the country knows, CORD has taken blows in the hands of the Judiciary, whose decision in the presidential election petition we did not agree with but which we still accepted. We did so because we believe in the rule of law, which is now under attack through the actions of the President and the National Assembly.

Our belief in the rule of law brings us to the defence of the Judiciary, even though we do not admire its record. We call upon the Judiciary to remain steadfast in the face of this blatant bullying by the presidency and the legislature.

It is not too late to find an amicable resolution of this mater. CORD also calls upon the President to lead in the search for such a resolution of the crisis that he and the National Assembly have created.

The writer is Party Leader, Coalition for Reform & Democracy (CORD) and former Prime Minister Republic of Kenya

CORD's Rebuttal Statement to Hon. Mudavadi's Allegations

PRESS RELEASE BY HON. WAFULA WAMUNYINYI, THE FORD-KENYA CHAIRMAN, BUNGOMA COUNTY AND CHAIRMAN OF HON. MOSES WETANGULA CAMPAIGN TEAM ON HON. MUSALIA MUDAVADI’S OUTBURST ON RT. HON. RAILA ODINGA.

Following the cowardly and unfortunate statement by Hon. Musalia Mudavadi towards the Co-Principal of the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) the Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga yesterday, I wish to respond as follows;

Musalia Mudavadi re-appears from the ashes of the March 4th 2013 to do what he does best… SPOIL.

Musalia Mudavadi yesterday released a hard hitting press statement targeted at the Rt. Hon Raila Odinga accusing the Prime Minister of seeking to "divide the Luhya community for personal gain."

The biggest limitation of Hon Mudavadi is his lack of vision; what he sees as an attempt to divide the Luhya community is in reality a selfless effort at uniting the Luhya community with the rest of
 Kenya! He should learn from Senator Bonny Khalwalwe who has seen the error of his ways and joined CORD in pursuing a vision of one Kenya for all.

Mudavadi should know that there is no battle for supremacy between him and Mr. Odinga because he holds no waters in Bungoma politics. Nobody takes him seriously on anything as it is a fact that everyone knows his opportunistic and cowardly style of politics where he is always waiting to be invited, offered and given.

It is an open secret that Amani group have a post election agreement with the Jubilee coalition and this makes the Bungoma Senatorial race to be a contest between CORD and Jubilee. Therefore, it is foolhardy for Mudavadi and his team to purport to run away and disown their association with Jubilee as this only explains how opportunistic he can be.

On the 19th of December 2013, the people of Bungoma will vote for their Senator and regardless of how one interprets it; this will be a race between CORD and JUBILEE. I want to tell Mudavadi for free that the people of Bungoma county and Western region as a whole have absolutely no time for Jubilee and their shenanigan will tumble come the 19th of next month.

Mudavadi can not just accuse the Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga of being disrespectful to others when in his statement he displays the most veil, discourteous and disrespectful language towards the same man he is accusing; as two wrongs don’t make a right.

CORD's vision goes beyond tribal cabals organized to act as a platform to propel individuals to power or shield them in times of adversity. CORD seeks to integrate all Kenyans as one people regardless of ethnic, religious, social or economic background.

This is why CORD has legislators, Senators and Governors from all over Kenya! Mpuri Aburi in Meru, Simba Arati in Nairobi, Hassan Ali Joho in Mombasa, Ukur Yattani in Wajir, Millie Odhiambo in Mbita, Wilfred Machage in Migori, Chris Bichage in Nyaribari Chache, Ababu Namwamba in Budalang'i, Alfred Mutua in Machakos, Peter Ole Nkedianye in Kajiado, Wycliffe Oparanya in Kakamega, Amason Kingi in Kilifi, Mutula Kilonzo Junior in Makueni, John Munyes in Turkana etc, etc... ODM's Executive Director Mr. Magerer Langat is from Kipkelion, Deputy Director from Central, Wiper Executive Director Brigadier Rop is from Nandi, the list goes on and on. Our nominated Senators are ALL WOMEN; the youngest Senator Miss. Daizy Kanainza (24) is from CORD and hails from Kakamega whom Amani fought vehemently before she was confirmed.

Look at the face of the Amani Coalition; where is the diversity? Where are the women? What is this "unity" that Hon Mudavadi talks about? Tribal unity? CORD on the other hand stands for national unity.

Hon. Mudavadi must explain to the Luhya nation how he lost the control of Vihiga County, his birthplace to Hon. Moses Akaranga on a little known party called PPK… He must explain why he lost his parliamentary seat in 2002 to the same Mr. Akaranga while serving as the Vice President of the Republic of Kenya before he accuses others of being disrespectful. The man is a relic of political history and unworthy of the engagement of CORD Principals Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga, H.E. Hon. Kalonzo Musyoka and Hon. Moses Wetangula.

We urge Hon Mudavadi to conduct an issue based campaign, if he cannot;
he should leave it to those who understand the issues facing Kenyans.

HON. WAFULA WAMUNYINYI, MP-KANDUYI
FORD-KENYA CHAIRMAN, BUNGOMA COUNTY.
27TH Nov. 2013

Official Statement of the CORD Parliamentary Group Meeting of 29th October 2013

OFFICIAL CORD PG STATEMENT

We members of the CORD Parliamentary Group, Governors Summit and National Executive Committees meeting at Orange House on the 29th day of October, 2013 wish to make the following statement:

We congratulate Gov. Cornel Rasanga and the Honorable Stephen Mule for recapturing the Siaya Gubernatorial and Matungulu parliamentary seats respectively in the just concluded by elections.As a Coalition we also commiserate with our brother Hon. KalembeNdile for losing the Kibwezi West seat.

We also thank our members and supporters in the areas where by-Elections were held for the many votes they gave our candidates. We urge them to remain steadfast and do the same in the upcoming by Elections slated for December this year.

We shall continue being united as a Coalition in the forthcoming by-election scheduled for December 2013 in Bungoma, LungaLunga, NyaribariChache, BomachogeBorabu and the vacant County Wards across the country. We ask our members and supporters to remain peaceful and show political maturity during the campaigns.

The Kenyan Government with the help of some member states of the African Union (AU) has requested for a deferral of the two cases before the ICC by invoking Article 16 of the Rome Statute. It’s to be noted that the Rome Statute itself has provided this specific mechanisms for purposes of a deferral. This factor should be born in mind by those calling for a withdrawal from the ICC or the repeal of the International Crimes Act. For the record, CORD has not changed its position on this matter and we are prepared to have a structured and constructive engagement with both the Government and the International Community within the context of the Rome Statute to ensure that victims get justice and impunity is punished.

CORD wishes again to condole and extend its sympathies to the victims of the Westgate Mall attack. Our view is that in handling both the attack and its aftermath elements within the security forces mishandled the operations. We note that the KDF has admitted that there was looting by some soldiers. We call upon the President to immediately establish an independent judicial commission of inquiry to investigate and establish the circumstances surrounding the planning and execution of the attack and the subsequent conduct of Public officials and institutions including the Disciplined Forces and the NSIS. CORD as the official opposition should be involved in making recommendations regarding the persons to be appointed as Commissioners.

Lately we have seen an unlawful and unconstitutional invasion of the freedom of the media and the freedom of expression. These two freedoms are the basic pillar and foundation of an open and democratic system of government. We will not allow the carpet to be rolled back against this fundamental democratic space that Kenyans fought for valiantly for so many years. The government should come out clearly both in its conduct and management of public affairs whether it supports and is prepared to protect these basic freedoms.

Finally CORD members of the National Assembly have drafted a Bill which is undergoing publication for purposes of exempting essential commodities from VAT. We call upon the leadership of the National Assembly to prioritize and expedite debate and enactment of the Bill.

Message from the Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga on Mashujaa Day - 20 October 2013

By Raila Odinga
Mashujaa Day this year has found me in the United States of America with some of our country’s governors seaeking opportunities for our people living in some of our most neglected counties. It is an interesting coincidence that got me thinking of the work that the heroes of yesterday began and that our children and their children have to carry on with. Our country has had great men and women standing up at different times but towards the same goal of ensuring liberty, prosperity and justice for all.


The freedom fighters risked all to liberate us from the colonial yoke. After independence, another generation stepped in and risked all when the very dreams that inspired the freedom fighters were being rolled back. These are the heroes of the Second Liberation who faced the single party machine and reclaimed the rights and freedoms that were being taken away. Of course they paid a great price. The heroes of our first and second liberations have brought us this far. We are immensely indebted to them.

In December, Kenya turns 50. As we remember the heroes of the past half a century, we must focus on the next 50 years ahead and ask ourselves, who will be our heroes of that period and what will make them?

Listening to governors Ukur Yatani of Marsabit and Ahmed Abdullahi Mohammad of Wajir speak about the challenges and promises of their counties, I found myself thinking of our country’s next fifty years, its old challenges that we have been unable to subdue and the new ones we are yet to start figuring out. Then it occurred to me that the heroes of the years ahead might be made in the counties.

Our counties are certainly set to be the next theatre of action, opportunities, challenges and growth. In Wajir for instance, there is not an inch of tarmac road, 50 years after independence. The governor recently laid his hands on a 1913 colonial government report saying the county has sufficient limestone to produce cement for 100 years. The limestone has never been exploited to date.

In Marsabit, NASA records the strongest all round the year wind blowing in the same direction and capable of generating electricity for all of East Africa. It has never been exploited. Like many other African nations, Kenya is changing fast but transforming too slowly. The economy is growing. But so is poverty. Despite new challenges and new opportunities, the old mindset persists. The heroes of the next fifty years of our country will be men and women who accept that we cannot create the future by clinging to the past.

Kenya has a chance to open a new chapter with the coming of devolved units. Already, a number of our governors are toying with grand visions.

In the struggles of these governors, I see a journey to determine the country’s future by expanding our country’s productivity. In this regard, the counties carry great potential in determining our country’s next heroes. Unfortunately, the passion of the governors alone is not enough. Every defining moment in a nation’s history needs a champion at the centre. Abraham Lincoln stepped in to save the union that remains standing as USA. He remains his country’s hero to date.

Kenya too needs somebody to champion and save devolution and secure our next fifty years. There is a simple logic that makes me passionate about the future of the counties. The logic is that when I try to empower and make a neighbour rich, I create room for sharing, trading and making life bearable for my neighbour and myself.

We still need to work hard to create better relations between our forty plus ethnic groups. To win the battle against colonial powers, our founding fathers pulled together, in one direction. Today, we are falling apart at the seams. The heroes of the years ahead will be the men and women who will recognise this fact and act to permanently patch up the widening cracks between our ethnic groups by addressing honestly and candidly the things that are setting tribe against tribe.

But we must also never forget that the struggle for freedom never ends. Future heroes will be men and women who remember the words of Ronald Reagan that…”Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on…”

Finally, whether we are ready for it or not, the world is moving into the era of innovation, science and technology. Economists tell us that the world is getting smaller, but it is not coming together. The nations that innovate are going to rule the world.

Kenya has pioneered mobile money. The M-pesa is a unique Kenyan contribution to the world. While it shows the capacity of Kenyans to innovate, it may not be long before somebody comes up with something better. The heroes of the coming years will have to be men and women who keep Kenya on the front row through innovation, science and technology. We live in an era when some corporations are richer than entire nations. I am confident that if we invest in them, the Kenyan youth will give us the Sony, Citicorp, Philip Morris, Yahoo and Google of the next century and make them our heroes. The choice is ours.

The writer is CORD Leader and former Prime Minister of Republic of Kenya

Hon Odinga Interview in South Africa on Westgate Attack

JOHANNESBURG - Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga says Kenya is even more determined than ever to play a role in the fight against terrorism.

He was speaking in an interview on eNCA on Thursday evening.

Odinga says despite al-Shabaab's terror attack, the country will not pull troops out of Somalia.

"We will not be intimidated or blackmailed by these desperate acts of terrorism because we did go to Somalia for a reason and that was to protect our own territorial integrity which was under threat.

"We already had a lot of terrorist attacks before our troops went to Somalia. Our presence in Somalia has helped to stabilise that country, we have weakened al-Shabaab substantially in Somalia and normalcy has returned to a very substantial portion of the Somali territory," said Odinga.

His statement follows last week’s terrorist attack on Nairobi’s Westgate Mall, in which more than 60 people have been killed. Forensics teams from around the world are in Kenya helping to recover bodies and identify the terrorists behind the attack.

“Al-Shabaab is part of al-Qaeda, it’s part of a bigger international terrorist organisation and as you know this is not an issue that can be eradicated overnight. It has a process, but the international community is determined to proceed with this and Kenya must play its part in this whole confrontation,” he said. 

• This story has been updated with more comments from Raila Odinga.

-eNCA