The Mzalendo Newsletter

Weekly Newsletter - Issue No 196

23 July - 29 July, 2018

Editorial

When greed appears to be our national ethos then we the people will always be at the bottom of the food chain

This week people have been making jokes about the government stealing from the government then investigating the government as a way of mocking the whole corruption exercise. Others have taken the same approach on the MAU forest issue, saying the government is warning the government against evictions. The whole point being we seem to be having a government that’s pulling from different sides.

With everything that’s happening in the country right now, from corruption to evictions that are not considering basic human rights to questions of racism citizens are allegedly experiencing from the Chinese running the SGR; one would expect the government at the very least to appear to have a plan and clear one at that, but no, everyone claiming to speak for the government is saying something different.

Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju had to come out to clarify that where there’s a conflict of information between Jubilee MPs and the Executive, the public and the media should know the information from the Executive is the proper position of the government. This was over the MAU eviction confusion in which the Senate Majority Leader claimed he was speaking for the government.

And it’s possible it is for similar reasons that the Statehouse Chief of Staff had to make it clear which official Twitter handles are giving the correct information on the government, leaving out key offices within the same government.

In all these hullabaloo, the common man continues to suffer. In Kibra Constituency, the government has begun demolition of slums and eviction of slum dwellers in a manner that human rights activist are terming inhumane. What’s disturbing however is that people with the means to deal with these challenges like MPs and Senators are choosing to complain at public rallies and on social media instead of bringing a motion on the floor of Parliament and debating the matter to its conclusive end – by extension giving the squatters and slum dwellers some form of closure.

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News of the Week

MPs reject Ben Chumo for SRC chair

Members of Parliament surprise rejection of President Uhuru’s nominee for position of Chair, Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) was received positively by majority Kenyans on social media. MPs were on the receiving end for entertaining the decision to vet former Kenya Power MD, Ben Chumo over corruption allegations. Transparency International was among the civil society organizations that questioned MPs decision to vet the former KPLC boss. The MPs while rejecting his nomination cited failure to meet Chapter six of the Constitution on matters integrity.

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Judiciary budget cuts an attack on Kenya’s sovereignty – Council of Governors

The Council of Governors (COG) has criticized the Executive and Legislature for cutting by more than half the Judiciary budget, terming it a direct attack on Kenyans. The governors want the MPs and Treasury to reconsider their position and give the Judiciary a budget that will enable them to carry out their mandate to Kenyans. COG chair, Governor Nanok said that for the government to offer Sh50 million for judiciary’s development projects while they requested for Sh11.4 billion is in bad faith, unfair and misinformed. The Chief Justice warned that more than 70 courts and 41 other key projects would stall.

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Kiminini MP dismisses his party boss’ handshake

Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa has dismissed the handshake between his party boss and CS Water, Eugene Wamalwa over lack of consultations. The outspoken MP insinuated that the region’s political heavy weights such as the Speaker of the Senate, Ken Lusaka, former Ford Kenya chairman, Musikari Kombo among others were not consulted. He also took issue with the fact that this handshake was happening in his own constituency without his knowledge. The Ford Kenya MP further dismissed his party boss remarks that NASA was as good as dead. He went ahead to explain that nobody could leave NASA without writing to the Registrar of Political Parties formally and attach minutes [from the party meeting] for the party to leave NASA.

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Quote of the Week

"To me, I would suppose people would be pleased to hear four people are sharing a bed..it means that the hospital has good services, the bad ones have no patients."

Quote by Kiambu Governor, Ferdinand Waititu following complaints from residents of Kiambu County over poor services at the Level 5 Hospital; particularly sharing of beds. He made this comment in mother-tongue on August 1, 2018

Lest we forget

"Hospitals with a bed capacity of 250 and above and those serving 500,000 people are hospitals that are also acting as training institutions for our young professionals in the medical field. So, this House needs to look at it very critically so that those hospitals, and by extension, the Kenya public, do not suffer because we have not devolved funds to cater for them."

Sentiments by Hon. Robert Pukose when giving debating the Division of Revenue Bill on May 8, 2013.

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Newsmaker this Week

Nyali MP, Mohammed Ali made headlines this week after the Court of Appeal upheld his August 8^th win. The MP’s victory had been challenged by a voter who claimed the elections were marred by bribery, violence, and intimidation. The same voter had gone to the Appellate Court after the High Court gave a decision that did not satisfy him. The relieved MP was happy with the decision and vowed to work with his rivals to make Mombasa better. He made the same appeal to the voter who took him to court.

... PROFILE

Bills before the National Assembly

First Reading

Second Reading

THE LAND VALUE INDEX LAWS (AMENDMENT) BILL

- NO. 03 OF 2018