Category Archives: Local News

IEBC issues statement on disappearance of 3,000 KIEMS kits

August 3, 2022 Ian Amulega

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has denied reports that 3,000 KIEMS kits have gone missing.

In a statement dated Wednesday, August 3, IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati – in response to concerns raised by the Kenya Kwanza faction and the Azimio la Umoja brigade, reiterated that the reports were misleading.

Chebukati indicated that it was the BVR kits that had disappeared and that they were only used for the registration of voters in past elections.

*A file image of someone registering as a voter in a past exercise. PHOTO: COURTESY*

Further, the electoral body downplayed fears that stolen KIEMS kits can be used to manipulate poll results insisting that they had put in measures to prevent such incidents.

“This report is false and misleading. The Auditor General’s report made reference to BVR kits and not KIEMS kits. BVR kits are used for voter registration and not voting. The Commission procured 15,000 BVR kits in 2012 that have technically reached the end of life.

“The Commission keeps an inventory of all its kits and in the event of any loss, the kit will be blocked from doing any transaction on the system,”
read the statement in part.

Additionally, the Chebukati-led agency insisted that the Form 34’s – used for tabulating presidential results cannot be tampered with given the special features they had put in them.

“These measures include but are not limited to visible and invisible security features, polling station data personalization, barcodes and QR codes.

“IEBC in partnership with the National Police Service has deployed armed security to guard ballot papers in transit and at the respective warehouses,”
he stated.

However, the Electoral body stated that discrepancies on the presidential results form can only be resolved by the presiding officers at the polling station or the supreme court.

“Complaints with respect to the results announced at the polling station must be resolved by the Presiding Officer.

“Any complaints or discrepancies that may arise in the results Form 34A can only be resolved by the Supreme Court through a Presidential Election Petition pursuant to the decision in Raila Amolo Odinga & Another v Independent Electoral and BoundariesCommission & 2 others (2017)”
Chebukati stated.

Local News

Eight suspects arrested over inciting leaflets in Uasin Gishu

August 2, 2022 Ian Amulega

8 people have been arrested in connection with the threatening leaflets that were circulated in Uasin Gishu County, Interior CS Fred Matiang’i has said.

The CS while pledging to crack down on everyone involved in the spread of hate during the electioneering period stated that Kenya is a democratic country that allows divergent political views.

He further ascertained that the 8 arrested have no links to the office of the president as earlier claimed by the Ruto-led Kenya Kwanza team.

“Even the claims you heard yesterday that the leaflets were authored by people from the office of the president, now we have eight suspects in police custody and none of them is an employee of the office of the president,”
Fred Matiang’i said.

Read: Matatu Tout Arrested for Incitement to Violence Against Fruit Vendors in Kericho

Earlier in the week, there were claims that leaflets had been circulated in different parts to coerce people to vote for a certain faction of people. Failure of which there were consequences.

Deputy President William Ruto while addressing the same accused the office of the President of plotting to cause disharmony in the country with elections just days away.

“I want to tell my friend Mr. President, the same way you told off (DCI George) Kinoti when he started that nonsense of post-election violence please tell off the characters at the office of the president who are now printing pamphlets to cause disharmony in the Republic of Kenya, they need to stop because they are not about to succeed,”
Ruto said during a rally.

The incident has since been condemned by religious leaders and politicians alike.

30 elders from different communities in Uasin Gishu also condemned the acts while calling on tolerance of each other’s opinions.

Local News

Uhuru Kenyatta launches Ksh.24bn dam in Gatundu

August 1, 2022 Ian Amulega 1 Comment

President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned the Ksh24 billion Karimenu II Dam in Gatundu North, Kiambu County on Monday, August 1.

The Vision 2030 flagship project started in 2019 with joint funding from the Governments of Kenya and China.

Other key projects alongside the dam include a water treatment plant laying of 67 km of raw and treated water transmission pipelines and two concrete water storage tanks in Ruiru and Juja each with a capacity of 23.5 million litres and 5 million litres respectively.

“The 59-metre high dam occupying 600 acres of land will supply 70 million litres of water daily to close to 1 million residents of Gatundu, Juja, Ruiru and parts of Nairobi City,” a statement from State House read in part.

*The Ksh24 billion Karimenu II Dam in Gatundu North, Kiambu County: TWITTER*

It has two terminal tanks with capacities of 23,500 cubic metres and 3,000 cubic metres in Ruiru and Juja, respectively.

The 59 metres deep project was supposed to be completed in March this year but was derailed due to succession and land compensation challenges.

*Karimenu II Dam in Gatundu North, Kiambu County: TWITTER*

Uhuru promised to settle all pending compensation claims for land owners who ceded their land for the project noting that the funds had been factored into this year’s budget.

With just eight days left to the August 8 General Election, the President rallied Gatundu North residents to elect leaders allied to Azimio La Umoja Coalition led by presidential candidate Raila Odinga and running mate Martha Karua saying the duo was best placed to steer the country forward.

The Head of State, who was on a working tour of Kiambu County, also presided over the issuance of 14,000 title deeds to area residents at Kamangu Primary School grounds in Kikuyu.

His working tour in the region formed part of the busy schedule that saw him launch other landmark projects worth billions of shillings as he prepares to retire.

On July 27, he launched the revitalized 217km Nakuru – Kisumu Meter Gauge Railway (MGR) and the Nakuru central railway station during a development tour of the county.

The 465km Longonot – Malaba segment of the railway line was also commissioned. There will be an aggregation hub for farm produce from the agriculturally-rich Central Rift region for onward freight to the Coast for export.

The Nakuru Railway station will be an important stopover for transit trains destined for Eldoret, Kisumu, Kitale, Malaba, and Kampala. It will also open up the area for more business.

In Vihiga County, the president awarded Kaimosi Friends University College (KAFUCO) a university charter. KAFUCO is the first university in the County and is regarded as Uhuru’s retirement gift to the county.