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Tag: President William Ruto

  • Saudi Arabia offers Kenya 2,500 jobs – Kenya President

    Saudi Arabia offers Kenya 2,500 jobs – Kenya President

    Kenya has made a deal to send workers to Saudi Arabia, according to President William Ruto.

    Kenya made a deal on Thursday to send nurses and other skilled workers to a country in the Middle East. They plan to send 2,500 workers in the first group.

    “Before, we only sent local workers, but now we can send trained workers to Saudi Arabia and other countries,” President Ruto said on Friday. He also said that the workers will get paid 200,000 Kenyan shillings ($1,300; £1,000) every month.

    The announcement comes almost a week after Kenya’s labor ministry said it will send 1,500 workers to Israel with a guaranteed monthly income of $1,500.

    President Ruto went to Germany last month to talk about getting 200,000 jobs for people in Kenya.

    Mr Ruto has been searching all over the world for jobs for Kenyans. He believes Kenyans are known everywhere for working hard.

    Mr Ruto wants more Kenyans to work in other countries to help with the unemployment problem in Kenya. He hopes they can send money back to help with Kenya’s foreign exchange reserves, which have been getting smaller and making the Kenyan shilling weaker.

  • Ruto finds 200,000 employment opportunities for Kenyans in Germany

    Ruto finds 200,000 employment opportunities for Kenyans in Germany

    President William Ruto wants to help Kenyans get jobs in Germany because there are not enough jobs in Kenya.

    He created the plan just before leaving for Europe for a G20 meeting.

    Over twelve African leaders are going to Berlin, Germany to look for ways to boost Africa’s economy, like exporting workers and getting more money invested in their countries.

    The leader of Germany visited Kenya around three to four months ago. I am going to Germany tonight because he said he will make sure 200,000 people get jobs. I need to go check out those chances,” Mr Ruto said on Sunday.

    Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been visiting Africa, including Kenya and Nigeria. He is interested in increasing investment in Africa, especially in minerals and green energy.

    This meeting called G20 Compact with Africa wants to make the economy stronger by connecting African countries with G20 countries.

    Thirteen African countries are in the program – Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo, and Tunisia.

    Leaders from other African countries, like Kenya and Nigeria, are coming to the event as special guests.

  • Part of my work is to be travelling – President of Kenya

    Part of my work is to be travelling – President of Kenya

    Kenyan President William Ruto has guarded his various visits overseas, saying they have profited the nation financially.

    Mr Ruto has been scrutinized for having made the most noteworthy number of remote trips in a year compared to any of his forerunners. Neighborhood media say he has been to 38 nations since coming to control in September 2022.

    But in an address on Sunday, Mr Ruto said that through the trips, he had been able to secure employments for Kenyans and packed away a few reciprocal bargains pointed at opening up markets for nearby deliver.

    “There are individuals on my case as to why I am making outside trips. That’s my command as the president. I am the chief specialist of Kenya and envoy who will arrange on how the nation will move forward,” Mr Ruto said at a church gathering.

    The president said he secured 350,000 occupations and venture openings for Kenyans amid later visits to Saudi Arabia and China.

    The secretly claimed Standard daily paper has depicted Mr Ruto as “the flying president”.

  • Kenya’s president signs contentious healthcare law

    Kenya’s president signs contentious healthcare law

    Kenya’s President William Ruto has given permission for a new law that will bring major changes to the country’s health sector. This is the most significant update in over 20 years.

    His plan is centered on making sure everyone gets healthcare. It means that everyone who works has to give 2. 75% of their pay to a special fund for health.

    The government promises to make healthcare cheaper and easier to get for poor Kenyans.

    However, many Kenyans do not like it because they think of it as a new tax.

    They are saying that Mr. Ruto has introduced more measures that are making the cost of living crisis worse. This is despite the fact that he won elections last year by promising to help families with their financial difficulties.

    Some people are worried that the new healthcare fund will be corrupted, just like the current one. This means that they might not be able to get the healthcare services that they should be getting.

    However, parliament has supported Mr Ruto by approving the Social Health Insurance Bill, along with three other bills related to health, on Tuesday.

    Right now, people in Kenya have to give an amount of money every month to a health insurance program called NHIF. The amount they have to pay can be anywhere from 150 Kenyan shillings to 1,700 shillings.

    It will be changed to a new fund, where you need to give at least twice the amount of money, and most people with jobs will give a greater percentage of their earnings.

    Susan Nakhumicha, Kenya’s Health Minister, said that the new plan is good because it will let people in Kenya from all backgrounds give money based on how much they earn.

    She said that people who earn less money have to pay a larger portion of their income compared to those who are wealthier.

    Employers, who have to add money to their employees’ contributions, disagree with the 2. 75% deduction because they think it is too much.

    They are saying that this will harm businesses and make the cost of living even worse. This caused people in Kenya to protest earlier this year.

    In June, Mr. Ruto approved the Finance Act, a new law that made employers and employees pay a 1. 5% This money will help the government create affordable housing because prices are very high, and many city-dwelling Kenyans cannot afford to buy homes.

    Some groups that focus on health and society have also criticized the health plan, stating that the 2. 75% deduction is significant. This is especially concerning because fuel prices and living costs have recently increased.

    In September, the Kenya Faith Based Health Services Consortium stated that this rate burdens struggling individuals who earn a fixed income and have the responsibility of supporting big families and various services.

    Kenyan people must sign up for the National Social Health Insurance Fund to use public health services. If they don’t register, they won’t be able to get these services.

    The government will support Kenyans who cannot give money to the fund by providing 26 billion shillings.

    The new fund will replace the current NHIF. The NHIF has lost a lot of money due to corruption, which means many people who have been paying for healthcare cannot access it.

    Some people in Kenya are worried that the new fund will have more money, and this could lead to more corruption. They are also concerned that they will still not receive healthcare from the government.

    Critics are worried that the new social healthcare organization will use most of the money it collects on things like paperwork and staff salaries, instead of putting it towards actual medical care.

  • Kenyan sets himself ablaze due to high cost living

    Kenyan sets himself ablaze due to high cost living

    On Thursday afternoon in the seaside city of Mombasa, a Kenyan man allegedly set himself on fire in protest at the exorbitant expense of living.

    He lit himself on fire after ascending a statue in the midst of a busy roundabout. The man is seen clutching the Kenyan flag in a video that has since gone viral. He then shouts, and a second later, a massive flame engulfs him.

    He was saved by witnesses who swiftly assisted in putting out the fire, and he was then rushed to the nearby Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital where he is currently receiving treatment.

    The unidentified man explained to onlookers that he was protesting the high cost of living and the “stolen” presidential election from the previous year, in which Raila Odinga lost to President William Ruto. In court, the victory was affirmed, and Mr. Odinga’s charges of irregularities were rejected.

    In recent weeks, dozens of people have died in Kenya as a result of police crackdowns on large-scale demonstrations calling for election reforms and an end to inflation.

  • Political negotiations in Kenya expected to start soon

    Political negotiations in Kenya expected to start soon

    Political issues over growing living costs and electoral changes are expected to be resolved through talks between the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition and the opposition Azimio la Umoja coalition.

    Azimio organised and led violent demonstrations in March and July against President William Ruto‘s administration in order to press for the dissolution of the election commission and a reduction in the cost of living.

    When the government increased taxes and levies in July to earn money for President Ruto’s first budget, the discontent grew worse.

    A rights group estimated that 30 protesters perished, but the opposition reported a greater death toll of 50.

    A 10-member group has not provided a timetable for the discussions, and disagreements about the agenda still exist.

    After losing the previous year’s elections, the opposition led by Raila Odinga wants to talk about the cost of living and electoral changes, but the administration claims that it is already working to control inflation and lower the price of necessities.

    In order to allow for a comparable bipartisan conversation process, the opposition put a halt to protests in April and May. However, after the talks broke down, protests were resumed.

    Mr. Odinga and Mr. Ruto concurred that no power-sharing agreement would result from the negotiations.

  • Odinga says he stayed away from protests due to a bad flu – Odinga

    Odinga says he stayed away from protests due to a bad flu – Odinga


    Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga     cites a “bad flu” as the reason for his absence from the three-day street protests, which he had initiated to protest against the rising cost of living and tax hikes.

    “It is not a must that opposition leaders have to be seen on the streets,” Mr Odinga told a Kenyan TV station about the protests that are due to end today.

    The veteran politician, who lost disputed presidential elections last year, said “game-changing” demonstrations belonged to the people and were not his alone.

    He denied suggestions his absence was a ploy to do a deal with President William Ruto, adding he was not seeking to be a part of the government.

    “We have not, and we will not seek a ‘handshake arrangement’,” the opposition leader said referring to the name for the deal he made with the previous President, Uhuru Kenyatta.
    President Ruto remains firm in his stance, asserting that he will not enter into any negotiations with Mr. Odinga to address the current deadlock.

    Last Thursday, he commended the police’s response to the protests after the police chief expressed concerns about the demonstrations posing a threat to national security.

    Riot officers were deployed across the country in response.

    However, the security forces’ handling of the protesters has drawn criticism, resulting in multiple fatalities.

    This week’s anti-government protests have seen significantly lower participation compared to previous demonstrations.

    On Wednesday and Thursday, many individuals chose to stay at home, apprehensive of potential violence.

    Nonetheless, as Friday dawns, there are signs of a return to normalcy, with schools and businesses reopening.

    Major bus stations in the capital, Nairobi, and other cities are slowly resuming operations.

    The opposition’s three designated meeting points for Friday’s protests, including one in Nairobi’s central business district, seem deserted with little or no activity.

  • Kenya’s president dismisses suggestions of tenure extension

    Many Kenyans have been eager to hear President Ruto’s position since a governing party lawmaker floated the idea last week.

    Kenyan President William Ruto has urged legislators not to remove presidential terms limits from the country’s constitution, dismissing comments by a legislator that there should be no such limits on a capable leader.

    He said this on Wednesday during a meeting with lawmakers of the governing United Democratic Alliance, during which he urged them to focus on laws that could improve the lives of Kenyans.

    Many Kenyans have been eager to hear Ruto’s position since Salah Yakub, a UDA legislator made comments about tenure extension for the president last week.

    Saib had promised to sponsor a bill to that effect, saying the constitutionally permitted two five-year terms are limiting for governance.

    Opposition members said the lawmaker was testing the waters for the new president, who succeeded former President Uhuru Kenyatta after winning in the August polls and was inaugurated in September.

    On Wednesday, Ruto asked the legislators to stop “pushing for selfish and self-serving legislation like changing the Constitution to remove term limits,” according to local media outlets.

    The governing party’s chairperson, Johnstone Muthama, denied there was a plan to amend the Constitution in favour of Ruto after heavy criticism from the opposition parties.

    Since the former British colony became independent in 1963, its democracy has evolved. For several years it was a de facto one-party state and then was officially a one-party state from 1982 until 1992, when multiparty democracy was adopted.

    Term limits on the presidency are widely considered sacrosanct, contributing to the view of Kenya as a beacon of stability in the East African region. A number of countries in the region have abolished presidential term limits, allowing leaders to stay in power for long periods.

    Source: BBC.com 

  • Kenya has sent hundreds of troops to join a regional force in eastern DRC

    President Ruto has dispatched over 900 military personnel to combat armed groups in eastern DRC.Kenyan President William Ruto has announced that his country will send over 900 military personnel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to join a new regional force tasked with attempting to defuse deadly tensions fueled by armed groups.

    Ruto on Wednesday called the mission “necessary and urgent” for regional security and said he and the DRC’s president had agreed on how Kenyan forces would work with Congolese and other forces on disarming rebels and peacekeeping in the country’s troubled east.

    The Kenyan forces will be based in Goma, eastern DRC’s largest city. The East African Community regional force, agreed upon by heads of state in June and led by a Kenyan commander, also has two battalions from Uganda, two from Burundi, and one from South Sudan.

    Nairobi made its troop commitment a day after angry crowds set fire to United Nations vehicles in Goma as frustrations mount over the advance of M23 rebels and the deteriorating security situation in the eastern DRC.

    Violence by armed groups has led to a diplomatic crisis between the DRC and neighboring Rwanda. The DRC has accused Rwanda of supporting the rebels, which Rwanda denies. Meanwhile, it has accused the DRC of backing another rebel group hostile to Rwanda.

    In October, Kinshasa expelled Rwanda’s ambassador to the DRC.

    The UN vehicles were targeted in Goma over false rumors that the peacekeeping mission known as MONUSCO had transported rebels, adding to the dissatisfaction many people in eastern DRC have towards the troops.

    “Because of these rebels, we have fled our homes in Rugari, Kibumba,” protester Kasereka Munyafura said, standing next to a truck on fire. “That is why we are angry, and we have just burnt the vehicles of MONUSCO because it makes us suffer.”

    Earlier on Tuesday, the UN peacekeeping mission had announced a “strategic and tactical withdrawal” from embattled Rumangabo. The M23 rebels have been trying to advance on the town, where a military base is located.

    The M23 rose to prominence more than a decade ago when its fighters seized Goma, which sits along the border with Rwanda. After a peace deal, many of the M23′s fighters were integrated into the national military.

    The group took up arms again in November last year, saying the government had failed to live up to its promises. Over the weekend, the rebels doubled the territory they hold, seizing control of two major towns.

     

  • Kenya to start trials of ‘killer police squad’

    Four policemen in Kenya who have been accused of a spate of murders, abductions and torture will be arraigned today in the capital, Nairobi.

    They are said to be part of an elite squad that was disbanded by President William Ruto for reportedly executing extrajudicial killings and disappearances of suspects over several years.

    Two Indian nationals who went missing in July and whose remains were discovered last week in a forest in central Kenya, are among their alleged latest victims.

    The members of the now disbanded Special Services Unit face multiple charges including murder, abuse of office and conspiracy to commit felonies.

    The unit was disbanded after the president received a police report on the disappearance of the two Indian nationals.

    Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan and Mohamed Zaid Sami Kidwai were in Kenya to help the electoral campaign of Mr Ruto, but they went missing together with their local driver Nicodemus Mwania soon after being picked up by police in Nairobi.

    Human Rights groups say their independent investigations have linked the squad and other police units to the death of more than 600 people over the past four years.

    Some of the bodies were later recovered in rivers in western and northern Kenya.

    A coalition of international and local NGOs is now calling on the government to prosecute the rogue officers, and to compensate the victims of police excesses.

  • Kenya’s president ousts the ‘killing police squad’

    Kenyan President William Ruto has disbanded an elite police unit accused of extrajudicial executions in the country in recent years.

    The president, who took office in September, stated that the decision was part of attempts to modernise the country’s security forces.

    He told a church congregation on Sunday:

    Quote Message: I am the one who ordered that the Special Service Unit that was conducting extrajudicial killings be disbanded. We have a plan on how to secure this country so that we avoid the shame of Kenyans killed [elsewhere and bodies dumped] in Yala River and others. We are going to change this country for the better.”

    Kenya’s Daily Nation newspaper said, “an investigation report on the disappearance of two Indian nationals and their local taxi driver precipitated the disbandment” of the unit.

    The two Indians arrived in Kenya in April to join Mr Ruto’s campaign team ahead of the August general election but went missing three months later with their Kenyan taxi driver, the paper said.

    In January, it emerged that at least 19 unclaimed bodies had been retrieved over the past two years from the Yala river in different stages of decomposition.

    There is no evidence that the security forces had anything to do with any of the Yala bodies.

    But human rights organisations have documented many cases of killings directly attributed to police officers.

     

  • Museveni’s son apologises for Kenya invasion tweets

    Ugandan General Muhoozi Kainerugaba has apologised to Kenya’s President William Ruto over tweeted threats about invading the neighbouring country and capturing its capital in two weeks.

    Gen Kainerugaba’s tweets drew angry reactions from Kenyans and prompted his father, President Yoweri Museveni, to apologise to Kenya.

    In his Thursday evening apology, the general said he had never had any problem with President Ruto.

    He added: “If I made a mistake anywhere, I ask him to forgive me as his young brother.”

    Mr Museveni – who has been in power since 1986 – has long been suspected of grooming his 48-year-old son to succeed him when he eventually steps down, an allegation he has always denied.

    Source: BBC

     

  • Kenya gas pipeline: Ruto commits to building Tanzania-

    In an effort to reduce energy prices, Kenya is to move forward with the construction of a natural gas pipeline from Tanzania’s largest city, Dar es Salaam, to its coastal city of Mombasa and ultimately to the capital Nairobi, according to Kenya’s President William Ruto.

    Local reports put the costs of the 600km (372-mile) pipeline at about $1.1bn (£990m).

    Mr Ruto spoke to Tanzanian media on Monday, shortly after holding bilateral talks with President Samia Suluhu, on his first visit to the neighbouring country since he took office in September.

    Mr Ruto said the project would lower energy tariffs in the industrial sector, as well as for families in their homes.

    In May last year, Mr Ruto’s predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta, and Ms Suluhu signed a preliminary agreement covering the transport of gas from Tanzania to Kenya for use in power generation and, potentially, for cooking and heating.

    The deal was said to be part of a longer-term plan to expand infrastructure links between the two big economies of East Africa.

    You can listen to the full media briefing of the two presidents, in Swahili and English, here:

     

     

  • Kenyan NGOs protest approval of GM crops

    The Kenyan government’s decision to reverse a ban on the import and cultivation of genetically modified organisms was “hasty,” activists and agricultural lobby groups denounced Thursday, calling for the prohibition to be “reinstated.”

    The government of new President William Ruto on Monday allowed the import and cultivation of GMOs, banned since 2012, to address the country’s severe drought.

    “The hasty decision to lift the ban on GMO imports into the country was taken without public debate,” according to a statement signed Thursday by a dozen organizations, including Greenpeace Africa.

    “Food security is not only about the quantity but also the quality of food,” according to the organizations’ statement, which called for “the ban to be restored.”

    Kenya had banned the cultivation of GMOs in 2012, in part to protect small farms, which account for the majority of farms in the country.

    The country, the economic engine of East Africa, had been criticized after taking this decision, including by the United States, a major producer of GMOs.

    In a statement issued on Monday, Kenyan authorities said they wanted to “significantly redefine agriculture in Kenya” and announced the authorization of “crops that are resistant to pests and diseases”.

    The authorities claimed to have relied on advice from the World Health Organization and the FAO before making their decision.

    But for activists and agricultural pressure groups, this decision “will open the market to American farmers who receive large subsidies”, which may weaken small Kenyan producers.

    William Ruto, one of the country’s richest men, was elected in a close election last August and has promised to tackle inflation, which includes fuel, food, seed and fertilizer.

    Within a week of taking office in September, the head of state had halved the price of fertilizer.

    A former minister of agriculture, Mr. Ruto has promised to revitalize the sector, a pillar of the economy that accounts for 20% of GDP.

    Kenya, the economic engine of East Africa, is suffering from a drought of unprecedented intensity in 40 years, and hunger is affecting at least 4 million people out of a population of more than 50 million. According to authorities, the drought is affecting 23 of the country’s 47 counties.

    Four consecutive poor rainy seasons have created the driest conditions since the early 1980s.

    Source: Africanews

  • President Ruto visits Ethiopia for bilateral meeting

    Kenyan President William Ruto met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Thursday to discuss bilateral cooperation and deepen the economic and strategic ties between the two countries on regional issues.

    This is President Ruto’s first visit to Ethiopia after being elected.

    It is to be recalled that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had taken part in the inauguration ceremony of President William Ruto in Nairobi on September 13/2022.

    Ethiopia and Kenya are countries that have long-standing friendship and cooperation based on mutual benefit.

    The visit also comes amid the ongoing war between Ethiopian troops and the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF).

    Talks about the ongoing Tigray conflict are expected to take centre stage in the meeting between the two leaders.

    Earlier on, President Ruto had affirmed that his administration would play an active role in spearheading the peace talks between the region.

    Already, the African Union has organized high-level talks in South Africa on the protracted conflict, with Kenya’s former President Uhuru Kenyatta set to be part of the mediators.

    Source: Africanews

  • Kenyan leader calls for Africa to lead in clean energy

    Kenya’s President William Ruto is calling for African countries to give priority to climate change, which has devastated the continent, by leading in development of clean energy.

    He says despite being the most affected by climate change, Africa has the opportunity “to lead the world and show that we do not need to destroy the climate to prosper”.

    Writing in the UK’s Guardian newspaper, he points out how millions of Kenyan people and in the Horn of Africa are suffering from a devastating drought due to climate change.

    “Climate change drives the droughts that affect the provision of water; destroys lives and livelihoods; cripples food production, and destroys our homes and infrastructure”.

    He says the current energy crisis, which has been made worse by the Ukraine war, calls for less reliance of fossil fuels and more investment in clean energy.

    He cites Kenya’s efforts, whose energy uses he says comprise 74% clean energy, while committing to a 100% by 2030.

    He says Kenya will now demand the delivery of finance and technology that Africa needs to adapt to climate change, at the globalclimate summit in Egypt next month.

  • Genetically Modified Foods: Kenya allows farming and imports of GM crops

    Kenya has lifted a restriction that had been in place for ten years due to health concerns, allowing the cultivation and importing of genetically modified crops and animal feeds.

    It comes after a catastrophic drought grips the nation. Millions are going hungry as a result of the worst drought in 40 years.

    President William Ruto’s government has turned to genetically modified crops as a way of helping boost yields.

    It says the country needs seeds that are resistant to drought, pests, and diseases.

    A decade ago the production and import of GM crops were banned due to concerns over possible health risks.

    It was clearly an unpopular decision in America, which is home to major producers of genetically engineered seeds.

    In July, Joe Biden’s administration announced a new partnership with Kenya which included a commitment to boost trade in the agriculture sector.

    Despite the prospect of better yields, some are wary that farmers could become too reliant on rules laid down by foreign, private companies.

  • Politicians dominate Kenya’s new cabinet

    Kenya’s President William Ruto on Tuesday appointed his cabinet ministers and advisers who include 10 women and elected politicians.

    The president had promised 50% appointments to women but out of the 22 ministers, only seven were women but he further appointed two more women as advisers and a female secretary to the cabinet.

    The appointments are being seen as rewarding his loyalists who campaigned for him across the country.

    Politicians have made a grand comeback to the cabinet after the previous administration, in which he was a deputy president, had introduced technocrats to the executive.

    There was a debate during election campaigns whether ministers should be involved in politics as some of the technocrats openly campaigned for veteran politician Raila Odinga – who was being backed by then President Uhuru Kenyatta.

    By-elections will have to be held in areas where the senators and MPs have been named in the new cabinet.

    Kenya’s Daily Nation newspaper described President Ruto’s new cabinet as a “heavily political”, while the Standard newspaper website said the cabinet was “heavily populated by politicians rewarded for loyalty”.

    Source: BBC

  • President Ruto meets cabinet who opposed him

    Kenya’s new President William Ruto has chaired his first cabinet meeting attended by some ministers who openly opposed his presidential bid.

    The Tuesday meeting at State House, Nairobi, was attended by all outgoing ministers.

    It came as the new administration grapples with drought and security situations in the northern parts of the country.

    President Ruto is expected to name his new cabinet in the coming days and had promised during the election campaigns a 50:50 gender representation among ministers.

    The president’s office has tweeted pictures of the meeting:

    Source: BBC

  • Kenyans criticise State House plan for monthly prayers

    Some Kenyans are criticising plans by First Lady Rachel Ruto to host monthly prayer meetings at the official presidential residence in Nairobi.

    On Sunday, dozens of church leaders met and prayed at State House.

    The first couple are evangelical Christians and President William Ruto has attributed his faith as having played a key role in his election victory.

    Mrs Ruto told the religious leaders that they would always be welcome at State House.

    “The doors of State House are open and know that you have Mama Rachel here that will always open the doors for you when the president is busy,” she said.

    Local newspaper the Daily Nation shared a clip of the first lady’s remarks:

    But some Kenyans say the regular prayer meetings should not happen as Kenya is a secular state and no religion should be given preference.

    “If a Muslim president did what the Christians are doing in State House right now, there would be countrywide protests. We are a secular state; no religion comes before any another,” a Kenyan said on Twitter

    “The involvement of the church in this current government will be interesting to watch for the next five years in Kenya,” another Twitter user said.

    Others have a positive view. “We all need prayers and so does every institution. What’s wrong with offering prayers in the State House?” this Kenyan asks.

    Source: BBC

  • Kenya’s first female chief justice to preside over election petition

    In a country once known for political interference in the judiciary, Kenya’s Chief Justice Martha Koome is no pushover: she built her career defending dissidents, and this year her court torpedoed constitutional changes proposed by the president who appointed her.

    But her own reputation for independence and fairness is on trial after opposition leader Raila Odinga filed a Supreme Court case on Monday seeking to overturn the results of the Aug. 9 presidential election.

    The election commission is split: the chairman announced that Deputy President William Ruto won by about 233,000 votes, but four out of the seven commissioners dissented, saying results were not aggregated correctly. Kenya’s largest civil society election observation group says its count supports the chairman.

    Any perceived misstep in the ruling by Koome or the six judges she presides over could damage public faith in the judiciary and imperil the peaceful transfer of power in East Africa’s richest and most stable nation.

    The dispute has raised tensions in a nation with a history of deadly election disputes.

    “We urge the judiciary to remain an impartial arbiter,” the Angaza Movement, a Kenyan civic and human rights consortium, said on Friday, adding the “tranquillity and peace of the nation” depended upon it.

    The stakes are also high for the judges themselves: when Kenya’s Supreme Court nullified the 2017 election results, judges faced a torrent of abuse, were called “crooks” by the president and one of their bodyguards was shot and injured.

    Koome, appointed in May 2021 by outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta, has a reputation for integrity.

    Months after her appointment, she quashed broad constitutional reforms backed by both Odinga and Kenyatta, which were widely seen as an attempt to sideline Ruto. Kenyatta fell out with Ruto after the 2017 elections and formed an alliance with Odinga.

    Koome’s ruling prompted praise even from critics like Ahmednasir Abdullahi, a lawyer who has frequently questioned Koome’s independence and who supports Ruto.

    “On the whole, good judgment by the Supreme Court,” he tweeted, praising Koome and a second judge for being “outstanding in their reasoning”.

    CHALLENGING POWER

    In 2017, the Supreme Court became the first African court to scrap the re-election victory of a sitting president, after it annulled on procedural grounds results giving Kenyatta a second term. Kenyatta won the rerun after Odinga boycotted it.

    Four of those judges remain on the Court. The chief justice retired and Koome replaced him.

    Koome – who has 34 years of legal experience – cut her teeth representing political detainees like Odinga when he protested against state repression in the 1980s and 90s.

    In Odinga’s stronghold of Kisumu, faith in the courts helps keep protesters off the streets.

    “Many years ago … courts seemed to be controlled by the government. But today’s courts have come out to be more independent,” said carpenter Meshack Nyamema.

    Koome, 62, is already a trailblazer: her appointment made her the first female head of any Kenyan branch of government. She often discusses her Christianity and liberal social views.

    One of 18 children from a polygamous family of subsistence farmers, Koome co-founded and chaired the Federation of Women Lawyers. It campaigns for women’s rights, offers poor women free legal services and contributed to a landmark 2010 constitution that guaranteed women new rights.

    In another departure from orthodoxy, in 2019 she supported a ruling that it was not illegal to identify as gay. Gay sex is punishable by 14 years in jail.

    This May, Koome used a national prayer breakfast to warn against settling election disputes on the streets.

    “I pray for those who might be tempted to divide our nation for their selfish reasons,” she said. “This country belongs to everyone, and not just politicians.”

    Source: Reuters

  • Kenyan presidential elections in 2022: Raila Odinga and William Ruto are in a close contest

    Kenyans are electing a new president following a contentious election season marked by discussions about the cost of living, unemployment, and corruption.

    Outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta, having served the constitutionally limited two terms, is backing one-time foe Raila Odinga, 77, to succeed him.

    His decision followed a falling out with Deputy President William Ruto, 55, who had expected to be endorsed.

    More than 22 million Kenyans have registered to vote.

    There are other additional elections taking place at the same time, and a mix-up of ballots in some locations for some of those votes has once again called into doubt how the general election was organized.
    Voting is available for 11 hours starting at 6:00 local time (03:00 GMT). 
    Voting will be open to anybody in the queue  when it closes.

    The results of the last presidential election in 2017 were annulled after the Supreme Court ruled that the electoral commission had not followed the law when it came to the electronic transmission of the vote tallies from the polling stations.

    Judges ruled that “illegalities and irregularities” had taken place.

    A re-run was won by Mr. Kenyatta, but boycotted by Mr. Odinga – the main opposition candidate at the time.

    The chairman of the electoral commission, Wafula Chebukati, who was also in charge of the 2017 vote, has frequently tried to reassure Kenyans that his team will be up to the task this time.

    But Monday’s logistical problems have increased the pressure on him.

    Baba v Hustler

    This election looks like it will be a tight race between frontrunners Mr. Odinga and Mr. Ruto.

    Mr. Odinga – a long-serving opposition leader, nicknamed Baba (“father”) by his supporters, is running for president for the fifth time. Mr. Ruto, who has tried to emphasize his connection with ordinary Kenyans by calling himself a “hustler”, will be taking his first stab at the presidency.

    Two other candidates – David Mwaure and George Wajackoya – are also in the race.

    Despite the campaign being dominated by issues, ethnic loyalty may also play a part in determining how people vote.

    For the first time in the multi-party era, none of the main candidates are from the country’s largest ethnic group – Kikuyu.

    But knowing that those votes are vital, both have chosen Kikuyu running mates.

    Voting process

    To win the presidential race in the first round, a candidate needs:

    • more than half of all the votes cast across the country
    • at least 25% of the votes are cast in a minimum of 24 counties.

    Voters will also be choosing MPs and senators to go to the national parliament, county governors, and county assembly members, as well as 47 women’s representatives, to sit in the National Assembly.

    On election day, voters will have their fingerprints scanned to check their identity but a printed register can also be used if the machines fail.

    Each voter will then be given color-coded ballot papers for each of the elections, which they will mark in a private booth and drop in the relevant ballot boxes.

    Counting will start at the polling stations shortly after voting ends. Officials will then take a photo of the final tally and send the image to both the constituency and national tallying centers.

    To ensure transparency the media, political parties, and civil society groups have been urged to run their own tallies using final results declared at the more than 40,000 polling stations.

    However, after examining the paper and digital ballots submitted to the national counting center, only the electoral commission can proclaim the presidential election’s victor.

    The leading candidates for president have sworn to respect the outcome of the vote.