Times of Taita Taveta October 2013

LEADERS APPLAUD GOVERNMENTSenator's Necessary Selfishness

h e n S e n a t o r WDanson Mwazo urged women to

allow their husbands to marry more than four wives in order to have more children as a means of boosting local population, he had in mind a myriad of things in his mind. However he ended up provoking an outrage from among leaders, s cho l a r s and o rd ina r y Kenyans alike.

H e b e l i e v e s t h a t , through multiplying their n u m b e r s , ' s m a l l communities' would boost their chances of neutralizing what has popularly come to be known as the "tyranny of n u m b e r s " i n K e n y a ' s domestic politics. It was however quickly interpreted to mean, he was asking women to ignore family p l a n n i n g , t o t a k e o n uncontrolled births in order to increase the number of "potential voters", he s p e c i f i c a l l y r e q u e s t e d women to a l l ow the i r husbands to marry more than four wives to give birth to potential 'voters' in the future.

resident Uhuru Kenyatta's move to issue land title deeds to residents of the Coast Province

Pis a major step towards, empowering the ordinary local person to be able to eliminate abject poverty, that has impoverished the society for decades. It comes in as a major step

by the jubilee government, towards curing major social problems that have been a major contribution of disparities that have not assisted but impoverished the region.

The land problem at the coast is a ticking time bomb that has been on, and the state must listen to the Coastal leadership or it will be embarking on a futile and potentially counter-productive exercise.

President being installed elder of Taita-Taveta communities

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IN THIS ISSUE

Cont. pg 2.>>

Cont. pg 3.>>

Invaders subdivide 3,000 acres among themselves,

after the lease jointly held by the former MP

lease had expired.

COUNTY LEADERSHIP WILL DISCUSS THE ISSUES OF EXPIRED

LAND LEASES!

PROSPECTS FROM THE EAST

Page 3

Page 8

Page 14

By Collins Akong'o

Photo

Courtesy o

f PPSU

VOL 2 | SEPTEMBER 15TH TO OCTOBER 15TH 2013

Thank you Mr. President

Page 4

he High court sitting in TMombasa has ruled that Governor John Mruttu

was validly elected, and dismissed a n e l e c t i o n p e t i t i o n t h a t challenged his election by former

Mruttu was Validly ElectedDeputy Governor of the central bank of Kenya, Mrs. Jacinta M w a t e l a . A d d r e s s i n g h i s supporters at Mbaraki sports club in Msa after the judgment Mruttu stated that, now that the true

position as been established that the elections were free and fair, we all will work together in the interest of the county without any fear of contradiction. He reiterated that he will continue to

guide all nature of services to all as provided in the Constitution and continued to extend, all persons to contribute positively in their fields of experience to the s u c c e s s o f t h e C o u n t y Government.

Page 10

WHAT WE ARE DOING IN TAITA TAVETA COUNTY

By Dishon Shangala

@

Governors of Taita Taveta, Kilifi and Kwale and Mombasa have cautioned, and fear risk in the process if it will not be carried out in a t ransparent way, and suggested a rigorous audit, not to touch off a new wave of land grabbing.

Eng John Mruttu, Salim Mvuria and Amason Kingi and Hassan Joho argued that to avoid that risk, the distribution of titles must be done with proper c o n s u l t a t i o n u n t i l t h e beneficiaries are audited and investigations carried out to ensure fictitious persons are not issued with them.

The point must be made that in order to ensure the process is not bungled, inflamed by politics or sabotaged; the state must work with grassroots l e a d e r s a n d l i s t e n t o t h e communities affected. That is the only way the process would proceed smooth ly and be accepted by the indigenous and legitimate locals, as fair and inclusive.

It is also important for the

state to listen to the governors' plea to the lands cabinet secretary that "the planned exercise should exclude settlement schemes and other adjudicated areas in order to ascertain true beneficiaries".

They pointed out that the most affected are the adjudicated land and settlement schemes where the allotted on papers do not reflect those on the ground. They also argue that the title deeds the president was planning to distribute were generated from government settlement schemes, which have some disputes.

There have been perennial clashes, mainly targeting the influx of people from upcountry a n d i nve s t m e n t s h e l d by foreigners. It is also incontestable that most of the beneficiaries of coastal land belt allocations, particularly at the prime beaches, are either foreigners or Kenyans from outside the coastal region. They are curiously the ones with title deeds for their parcels and most of the coastal residents themselves have no title deeds for their parcels.

he first settlers at the coast To f K e n y a t o t h e formalized annexation

off the Kenyan hinterland by the British colonial government to the myth of sanctity of title at independence, when it was argued that once a person acquires title to land, it cannot be questioned even in a court of law! The result of which is that Kenya at independence inherited one of the most skewed patterns of land d i s t r i bu t ion in the wor ld compared only to South Africa, Brazil, Zimbabwe and Namibia, where equally crisis of legitimacy of land rights and security of tenure is a bewildering variety of tenure arrangements befitting redress.

In line with provisions of the constitution of Kenya 2010, that guarantee existing property rights; but simultaneously places the state under a constitutional duty to take reasonable steps to enable citizens to gain equitable access to land, promote security of tenure and provide redress to those who were dispossessed of property since colonial time to the present as a result of past discriminatory laws or corrupt practices, the historical injustices indeed need to be addressed.

This is the only sure way our

land policy development process shall ensure establishment of c r e d i b l e b a s i c l e g a l a n d institutional frameworks that would improve secure property rights as a means to protect environmental and cultural r e s o u r c e s t o f a c i l i t a t e productivity.

At the county level the g e n e r a l t h r u s t o f p o l i c y formulation as regards to land should be an exercise that is forward looking in that it should a i m a t s y s t e m a t i z i n g a n d modernizing of laws, policies and institutions that have hitherto regulated dealings in land. Archaic laws and systems will have to be discarded both at the national and county level should therefore respond to the social, economic, ecological and political challenges facing the country as it seeks to harness its scarce resources for development needs in a rapidly globalizing world. Thus stated, some will be tempted to question whether addressing land related historical injustices would be a preoccupation worthy of a policy formulation exercise. Forty years of independence is a long time during which any historical injustice regarding land should have been resolved.

The facts of the matter

Indeed, the anchor and pillar of the renegade Mombasa Republican council lies in this problem, which is added fuel by the startling number of squatters in their own ancestral lands. There is also another dimension to the presidential decree.

True, some of the titles dating back to the 1980s and 1 9 9 0 s h a v e b e e n l y i n g uncollected. Others are for parcels under ownership dispute, and over which 'caveats' have been placed. But issuance of titles before audit of land ownership can be a powder keg for the region, just like the rest of Kenya. The assurance by the national land commission, which is vested with the powers of resolving Kenyan historical land injustices that it was involved in the president's and cabinet decision is welcome. According to i ts chairman Mohamed Swazuri, the commission did offer technical advice to the lands ministry before the announcement was made.

The reason this title deed issuance programme should be handled professionally and delicately can be seen in the argument by the opposition that

the jubilee government is keener on pol i t ica l ga in , through hoodwink ing coas ta l in to believing it has the region interests at heart. It should be remembered that because of land issues, most of the residents in th i s r eg ion vo ted ag a ins t President Uhuru's candidature. It is therefore predictable that these sentiments could derail or muddy he process that has just started off.

The presidents and cabinet decree for issuance of 60,000 title deeds to coast residents within a month is bittersweet news to the region that has suffered from land alienation problem for long. It is good news that it seeks to formalize land ownership in the region on unprecedented scale. The seriousness of jubilee government to resolve the squatters issue was spearheaded by deputy president William Ruto who declared that "We have instructed the ministry of lands to issue title deeds to people and be vigilant in looking at those whose l and owne r sh ip i s uncontested and we plan on issuing 1000 this year alone so tha t we can g e t down to business".

however is that there are certain deep rooted injustices among various communities in Kenya. T h e g o v e r n m e n t ' s p o s t independence land policies have not resolved or fundamentally addressed these injustices. The politically ignited land clashes of the 1990s are a manifestation of deep rooted grievances which cannot be glossed over in a reform process. The constitution of Kenya recognizes this fact and requires the government to embark upon the t a sk of redressing historical injustices.

The grievances remain unresolved because successive post independence governments have failed to address the land problem in a holistic manner. In fact, the land policies pursued a f te r independence e i ther exacerbated the problems or only offered artificial or temporary s o l u t i o n s t o t h e m . T h e consequence of this approach by the government is that there is a number of land problems in Kenya which have refused to go away. Arising from these reality, the land policy to be adapted both at the county and national level must deliberately acknowledge the existence of these injustices and declare the government's intent and commitment to

resolve them at once and for all.The acquisition of land by

w h i t e s e t t l e r s m e a n t t h e d i s p l a c e m e n t o f e n t i r e communities from their ancestral land. Upon independence, the land s in question either remained in the hands of settlers or was acquired by other communities through purchase. The most pronounced of this scenario is the land which was formerly inhabited by Maasai community forms Laikipia district. The Maasai claimed they were cheated and therefore threatened and indeed invaded some white owned farms and again the grievances were expressed during the cons t i tu t iona l r ev i ew hearings. The problem is more complex in that it cannot be resolved without hurting the rights of other communities. Yet all these, the land policy to be effected must address this issue in a manner that satisfies the aggrieved communities.

One way would be to seek solutions through organizing and holding a land conference to discuss the historical claims to the land by all other communities concerned. The conference will address all the parties concerned in a manner to maintain harmony and unity. The needs of the

community should be addressed i n l o n g t e r m b a s i s . T h e conference will provide the government with an opportunity to devise ways whereby economic incentives are offered to the communities in lieu of the land they lost to other communities. In return, the affected communities shall undertake to recognize and respect the rights of the title ho lde r s o f the l and . T he agreement signed should be honored from generation to generation.

The government shall also deve lop capac i t y bu i ld ing strategies for alternative land based and off land economic incent ives to the a f fec ted c o m m u n i t i e s . H o w e v e r , questions may arise to why this par t i cu l a r communi ty was favored. This is due to the fact that all communities in Kenya were dispossessed in one way or another. The answer is that there are the most glaring of the in jus t ices meted aga inst a community as a whole. Theirs is a grievance that refuses to recede. T h e y a l s o r e m a i n l a r g e l y dependent on land resources for day to day survival.

Complex Questions dominate Land in the Coast Province.

LEADERS APPLAUD GOVERNMENT>> Cont. from pg 1.

TIMES OF TAITA-TAVETA | 2 SEPTEMBER 15TH TO OCTOBER 15TH 2013

HISTORICAL INJUSTICES!

By Dishon Shangala

At a thanks giving ceremony held at Voi Stadium on August 17, Mwazo also declared his wish to contest the national Presidency in the next election. Wundanyi MP Thomas Mwadeghu and County Women Representative Ms Joyce Lay apparently joined him and urged residents of the county to work towards increasing the local population, to be able to meet constitutional requirement in the future where some parliamentary constituencies will be merged, which would cause the County reduced development funding.

SelfishSenator Mwazo came under

criticism from Prof. Ngure Mwachofi of USIU, who reacted by s t a t ing tha t "Urg ing a community to increase the number of births to add up to the number of votes were selfish and irresponsible". The don recalled that the same Senator, when he was Minister for Tourism and Voi MP, had told his constituents in a

public rally that 'he would not a s s i s t i n d i v i d u a l s w h o approached him and sought to pay their maternity bills, and that he was not an ATM where they could get money. "It would be fine to call for more babies when the county economic position improved" said the don.

The poverty levels of Taita Taveta based on the latest Kenya Integrated Household Budget Survey(KIHBS) stand at 54.8%, while the 2009 Census indicates there are 145334 men and 139323 women in the county whose numbers are dwindling because of abuse of mbangara (local brew) by the youth.

The census further indicates that Taita Taveta falls among the c o u n t i e s w i t h t h e l owe s t population while Wundanyi and Tave ta cons t i tuenc i e s a r e categories as the least populated with 56021 (men 28063, women 27958) and 67665 (men 35019, women 32646) respectively. Mr.

Mwadeghu said he said he was disappointed that the public attention had only centered on the "birth issue" and not the actual realities.

"It is very unfair to be bashed right, left and centre without being given a chance to explain yourself and why you said so", said the MP who maintains he was quoted out of context. He saw the county's dwindling population would negatively a f f e c t t h e a l l o c a t i o n o f Constituency Development funds. Low population also means we may end up losing some constituencies merged into one which will deny us more funds for development," he said. While he is in favor of increased births, Mwadeghu differed with Mwazo on the question of polygamy, stating that, he was a staunch Catholic.

When contacted , most probably embar rassed, the senator seemed to pull back when

he said, "That is a closed chapter, and I am not making any further comments".

Women leaders interviewed expressed "shock and disbelief" over their male counterparts' desire to use women as "voting machines", although any children born around this time round would not be old enough to vote in the 2017 polls though they will be in future.

Esther Tolle, a former p e r m a n e n t s e c r e t a r y, a n unsuccessful Senate candidate said economic empowerment and redistribution of resources was the answer to the country's future prosperity, not more children. Fridah Mwadime said the solution is not marrying more wives or urging women to produce like rats but to know that population has its own dynamics.

"We cannot compete with the Kikuyus who number 6622576, Luhyas 5338666 or the Kalenjin 4967328 when most of

us live in abject poverty and preferred leaders to approach leadership meaningful ly by a d d r e s s i n g o u r p o s i t i o n differently other than pursuing the numbers," she said.

Dishon Mngoda, a lecturer at the Taita Taveta campus of Jomo K e n y a t t a U n i v e r s i t y o f Agriculture and Technology, stated that the leaders to re examine their priorities and required Senator Mwazo to apologize to the community for his remarks. He said he is disappointed by the political leaders who did not care about the declining education standards in t h e r e g i o n s . O t h e r s w h o commented on the issues include former Voi Municipal Council, public officer Rachel Mariwa, Voi businesswoman Jane Moto and youth leader Danson Mwakoma.

nvaders subdivide 3,000 Iacres among themselves, after the lease jointly held by

the former MP lease had expired.More than 500 people have

invaded former Taveta mp Basil criticos land and subdivided it among themselves, after they were told that his lease had expired.During the invasion of the farm, banana crops and oranges were destroyed

Mr. criticos said that his employees were kicked out of the 3,000- acre farm before the mob moved in.

Cleared by the Court,The farm workers have

recorded statements at the Taveta Po l i c e S t a t i o n , b u t i t i s unfortunate that there is no action being taken, he claimed. He added that the land seizure comes two weeks after he was cleared by the High Court in Na i rob i and the r e fo r e to subdivide one of the farms is improper because of attached by t h e A g r i c u l t u r a l F i n a n c e Corporation for over a Sh. 100

TAVETA-TAVETA;BUILDINGS, FARM MACHINERY AND CROPS RUINED AT, CRITICOS FARM

million loan."This particular farm is so

far not attached by any financial institution and anyone who purported to be taking over the land committed a crime," he said.

The police, he said, have an obligation to protect life and property of anyone irrespective of his or her race, religion or political affiliation.

Determination of Ownership,The politician said he had

applied for renewal of the lease and it was up to the Land Commission to decide whether to renew it or not and in case of non-renewal the same institution would determine the new owner.

According to Taveta deputy police boss Eshipan Gichohi ,investigations had been launched to establish the truth of the matter before the perpetrators could be brought to book."Land is a very emotive issue and as security agents, we cannot allow anyone to play politics that would threaten peace, "he said.

Senator Displayed Necessary Selfishness

WHAT IT MEANS TO COME FROM A SMALL TRIBE!

regard to the vexed issues of ethnic diversity and nepotism. In his four years at the helm, Kilinda was found to have hired three siblings, two brothers and a sister.

Kilinda's sister is a telephonist, a brother was hired as a welder while the other holds a clerical position which is clearly a case of nepotism. However a brief background of the organization, the TTT, found that all previous Managing Directors and senior officers have had their kin employed in the organization and had not been sent on leave nor sacked. Nothing has ever been said on the following record by the EMU.

The Kalenjins, with 427 employees are the largest group, followed by Kikuyus (317), Luos (242), Kamba (112), Kisii (86), Taita (73) and Meru (57).

After Managing Directors job was advertised and eventually Celeste Kilinda lost the job for employing three relatives. However for those who know and understand what the KPLC was about to embark on the construction of it's a major construction phase worth billions of moneys can guess that Kilinda would not have been allowed to handle a contract of such magnitud.

Had Celeste Kilinda been a Kamau or a Kipchirchir ,the case would have been handled differently…..

avid Chirchir the Cabinet DSecretary for Energy had hardly been a month, at the helm of the

Energy and Petroleum docket, but the cabinet secretary began flexing his muscles by sending the Managing Director of Kenya Pipeline Company Mr. Seleste Kilinda on compulsory leave on account of hiring three of his "tribesmen".

A report prepared by the Efficiency M o n i t o r i n g U n i t ( E M U ) , a m i d speculations that the new cabinet secretary for energy conveniently used the report as the beginning of political witch hunting, by targeting communities that did not vote for the ruling party during the last general elections.

"The cabinet secretary has studied the report by EMU and has found it necessary to ask you to proceed on your 30 days leave to facilitate full investigations," said a letter to Mr. Kilinda signed on the minister's behalf by a deputy secretary in the ministry of Energy, Mr. Paul Ngatia.

He has sent the managing director of the Kenya Pipeline Company, Mr. Seleste Kilinda, home to pave way for an investigation into the corporation's recruitment practices especially with

>> Cont. from pg 1.


Hon. Andrew Mwadime MP for MwatateAddressing the Public in Moi Stadium – Voi.

Hon. Thomas Mwandeghu giving thanks For the people of Taita Taveta.

Hon. Jones Mlolwa addressing congregation at Moi Stadium - Voi


overnor John Mruttu, Gh a s c o m m e n d e d President Kenyatta, for

personally spear-heading efforts to resolve land issues in the region, and specially so, for assuring the residents of Taita-Taveta, appropriate support, to the various projects from the central government. He noted that, streamlining land ownership issues would go further to provide equitable opportunities and raise hope among families in many other aspects in their lives. "It will serve to reverse the infamous 'man eat man' culture, w h e r e s o m e m i n o r i t y c o m m u n i t i e s h a v e b e e n marginalized in many ways on their own traditional lands." The Governor took the opportunity to explain that local leaders were under intense pressure from the

Thank you Mr. PresidentBy Our staff writer

public to resolve various basic issues, and at stages they are moved to take certain unpopular moves. "I believe in approaching issues through 'meaningful dialogue' where entitled parties would benefit. I must say, I am par t i cu l a r l y e l a t ed by the Presidents' public promises at Voi and elsewhere, that in my opinion will largely benefit the County and its residents in many ways. "I am particularly delighted by the fact that, the Voi-Taveta railway will also be modernized, the roads and a Para-medical staff training college and others that are in stages of implementation. In an exclusive interview with the times Governor Mruttu, disclosed that, the county government and the entire leadership is aware of the land ownership in Taveta and is prepared to initiate talks with

lease-owners and any other relevant state organizations towards resolving emotive land issues in the county amicably. "That, President Uhuru directed the secretary in charge of lands Mrs. Charity Ngilu, in public at Voi to work, with the county government to resolve all land problems, is on its own, a positive indication of his willingness and both the people and their leaders are happy," Said the governor. All leaders now know and agree with the advice b y t h e N a t i o n a l L a n d Commission that, until the legal framework is put in place, to enable the commission to address land ownership, and settlement, and this is now our envisaged position."

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Special Invitation to Home Alive Church

PASTOR CHRIS OBIALOR

For more information visit : Wesapart Building Ground Floor.Telephone 0770901221, 0727320444 VOI

THE NEW DISPENSATION

he county governor is Tdirectly elected by the voters registered in the

county at a general election of a term of five years and, if re-elected can serve another final t e r m o f f i v e y e a r s . T h e constitution of Kenya 2010 creates an ambitious county government structure based on principles of democracy, revenue r e l i ab i l i t y, g ende r equ i t y, accountab i l i ty and c i t i zen participation. The constitution provides a two-tier system of government (national and county respectively). From the outset, article 1(4) of the constitution recognizes the fact that the sovereign power of the people is exercised at both the county and national levels. The constitution further creates 47 counties as outlined in the first schedule with d e l i n e a t e d f u n c t i o n s a n d responsibilities. It is imperative to note that the governments at the national and county levels are distinct and inter-dependent and shal l conduct their mutual r e l a t ions on the bas i s o f consultation and cooperation. Article 174 of the constitution highlights key objectives of devolved government, among them, promoting social and economic development and the provision of proximate, easy accessible services throughout K e n y a ; f a c i l i t a t e t h e decentralization of state organs, their functions and services from the capital of Kenya, Institutions of county government.

COUNTY ASSEMBLIES

A County assembly consists of: m e m b e r s e l e c t e d b y t h e registered voters of the wards in a general election; the number of special seats necessary to ensure that no more than two-thirds of the membership of the assembly is of the same gender. Members

Civic education:o f m a r g i n a l i z e d g r o u p s , i n c l u d i n g p e r s o n s w i t h disabilities and the youth as p r e s c r i b e d b y a n a c t o f parliament and the speaker, who is an ex-officio member. The members in 2 and 3 are to be nominated by political parties in proportion to the seats received in the election in a particular county.

COUNTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The executive authority of the county is vested in the county execut ive commit tee. The committee consists of the county governor and deputy county g o v e r n o r ; a n d m e m b e r s appointed by the governor, with the approval of the assembly, from among persons who are not members of the assembly. The number of members of the committee should be a third of the number of members of the county assembly, if the assembly has no more than 30 members; or 10, if the assembly has more than thirty members. The county governor and his/her deputy are the chief executive and deputy chief executive of the county respectively. Members of a county executive committee are accountable to the county governor for the performance of their functions and exercise of their powers. If a vacancy arises in the office of the county governor, the members of the county executive committee cease to hold office but the executive committee of the county, as last constituted remains competent to perform administrative functions until a new executive committee is constituted in case of election.

FUNCTIONS OF COUNTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

1. Implement county legislation2. Implement within the county,

national legislation to the extent that the legislation requires.

3. Manage and co-ordinate the functions of the county a d m i n i s t r a t i o n a n d i t s departments

4. Prepare proposed legislation for consideration by the county assembly.

5. Provide the county assembly with full and regular reports on matters relating to the county.

COUNTY GOVERNOR AND DEPUTY COUNTY GOVERNOR

To be eligible for election as a county governor, a person must be eligible for election as a member of the county assembly. Each candidate for election as county governor will nominate a person as his/her running mate to be the deputy governor.

REMOVAL OF A COUNTY GOVERNOR

1. Gross violat ion of this constitution or any other law

2. There are serious reasons for believing that the governor has committed a crime under national or international law

3. Abuse of office or gross conduct

4. Physical or mental incapacity to perform the functions of office of county governor.

STAFFING OF COUNTY GOVERNMENT

A c o u n t y g o v e r n m e n t i s responsible, within a framework of uniform norms and standards prescribed by an act of parliament for:

1. Establishing and abolishing offices in its public service

2. Appointing persons to hold or act in those offices, and confirming appointments.

he member of parliament for Mwatate Mr TAndrew Mwadime is concerned about statuu of Education at all levels and particularly the

shortage of teachers in the county and wished a statement from the chairperson of the committee on Education, Research and Technology concerning the shortage of teachers countrywide.

Mr. Speaker sir, this is hindering the quality of education in the country. For instance, in my constituency Mwatate and in Taita Taveta County, there is a shortage of 134 primary school teachers and 353 secondary school teachers, yet we were only allocated 15 primary school and 78 secondary school teachers. This is of concern as there will also be some teachers retiring this year, thus compounding the problem.

Mr. speaker, in her statement, the chairperson should inquire into and report on:

The long term measures the ministry of Education has for ensuring sufficient number of teachers in primary and secondary schools in the country in the learning process.

SHORTAGE OF

SCHOOL TEACHERS

IN TAITA-TAVETA COUNTY

Calling Farmers in Taita Taveta County

Hay Available while Stock Lasts

For more enquiriesPlease Call: 0721 543064 0r 0733 294 890


ood Hope Rehabilitation Centre is committed to Gsafeguard the lives of young persons in Taita Taveta County who are wasting away by engaging

in drug and substance abuse. In an interview with Times of Taita-Taveta, Mr. John Converter, a popular Gospel Singer and Volunteer at the Centre, said that their main aim is to achieve full life potential for the drug dependent person and work with the community towards Realisation of Freedom from addiction and the drug abuse phenomenon in Taita-Taveta County and beyond. He added that Good Hope Rehabilitation Centre is a Christian based organisation that provides support to drug dependent persons through psycho-social therapy and addiction treatment.

Since they acknowledge the value of life, they seek to give quality care to the addicts. They are committed to offer rehabilitative, social, psychological and spiritual care to ensure that the former addicts enjoy a holistic life once again. They also have interactive Counselling sessions aimed at helping the victims to open up and share their life stories so that they can be given the necessary assistance and forge a new way of living a drug free life.

HOPE FOR DRUG DEPENDANTS IN TAITA-TAVETA COUNTY!

overnor John Mruttu, Gfound himself blowing both hot and cold in his

Taveta home-land recently when the public made him take a radical stand on matters relating to the controversial ownership of land in Taveta. His populist position roused eyebrows among small and large scale land owners in Ta i t a -Tave t a Coun ty, and elsewhere.

A well established corporate professional, Engineer Mruttu has been quoted severally to have Stated that, "the land had reverted back to the Government, and by that, Criticos' family and their partners status' had changed, and was squatting on Government land and therefore, he had no authority to harass or exclude other members of public who were also entitled and desirous of

carrying out farming on the said farmland". This move caused Basil Criticos to run to the high court in Nairobi and accused Mruttu of inciting members of the public who instantly invaded his 3,000 acre farm. In his case, Criticos charged that, members of public invaded and destroyed property in his Machungwani farm after Mruttu had finished addressing a public rally where he allegedly told the public that, the 99 years' lease given to the Criticos family, had expired and that they had not applied for renewal.

This move caused Basil Criticos to run to the high court in Nairobi and accused Mruttu of inciting members of the public who instantly invaded his 3,000 acre farm. In his case, Criticos charged that, members of public

invaded and destroyed property in his Machungwani farm after Mruttu had finished addressing a public rally where he allegedly told the public that, the 99 years' lease to the Criticos family, had expired and that they had not applied for renewal. He has appointed a committee to look into all matters touching on ownership disputes with a view of exposing all anomalies in Acquisition, Ownership and Usage of land. He has on many pointed physical deprivation has haunted his voters for many decades.

Within this understanding he was quick to state recently that "Owners whose land leases have expired had become squatters of the Government themselves, therefore had no r ight of harassing fellow squatters."

LAND DOCKET IN TRUSTED HANDS

W h e n h e a p p o i n t e d m e m b e r s o f h i s C o u n t y government a few weeks ago, Governor Mruttu, named his trusted deputy, Ms Mary Ndigha the minister of Lands. Some people may not have understood why. But for those who are acquainted to the art of populist

politics and understand the powers vested in the office of the C o un t y Gove r n o r by t h e incumbent constitution.

There are those who thought, the governor was over-loading his deputy, and those who simply thought, he was creating some more work for her and to the naïve ones it was perhaps a way of enhancing his deputy's earnings. (Squatters hut-pix)

A major land issue arose in Taveta, where the public was fighting to have a stake in agricultural land then they heard and saw the Governor dash to Taveta wielding a large stick that any other minister including the deputy would not have dared to l i f t i n d e a l i n g w i t h t h e Machungwani land issue. Before the dust settles, some questions still beg for answers, did Mruttu place himself in the shoes of the War-time Colonial Governor Sir Henry Belfield, who approved the Taveta Lease for Grogan in 1914. According to the Lease document, "On Expiry of the lease, the land would revert to the Governor, and the Lease holder would hand it over with all the improvements there on." Was Mruttu dancing the music of his local voters who, insist and believe that, "at the time the Lease was drawn by Grogan, the number of local people was small a n d t h e i r c o n s e n t w a s inconsequential and was not sought, today the position had changed, the numbers have increased. The clamor for parcels of the fertile farmland gave rise to yet another dimension, when Wa-Tuweta turned aga inst Akamba tribesmen who also

claimed the right to land were being confronted by a disturbing question, when they were asked, have you ever seen one Mtaveta or Mtaita claiming right to settle or even farm in Ukambani? When such questions began to obtain, Mruttu, stepped back into his office in Wundanyi and on a second thought, returned to Taveta and this time ordered expulsion of all those who had invaded "Machungwani", and capped up by realizing that, the hunger for land among the local people led to lawlessness.

NAOMI SHAABAN

All this time Ms Naomi N a m s i , t h e m e m b e r o f par l i ament for Tave ta , an influential player in the domestic politics has been watching from, not a very far distance perhaps to let the boys play their game as she waited for a court verdict of an election petition filed against her election by Criticos has sought the High court to remove her from the Taveta parliamentary seat.

Escapades of Governor, In Domestic Politics

he Member of Parliament Tfor Voi, Mr Jones Mlolwa has expressed shock at the

state of a number of CDF projects, most of them are dilapidated and incomplete and completion of some of them will require substantial amounts of money to get them to usable standards. 'Am shocked by the state of some projects and the a m o u n t o f p u b l i c f u n d s supposedly spent' he said, adding that, this time before the Voi CDF makes dec i s ions for additional financing to any of the ongoing or incomplete project, he would want them assessed and audited. An auditor himself,

Mlolwa vowed to personally undertake to audit some projects that were started during the last parliamentary term, I need thorough audit of the moneys allocated and spent up to the stages the present stage. This will include Ghazi water project, Mbololo High School, the School of excellence at Saghala, Road repairs and Ikanga and Voi water projects and tank installations, and some he said were 'invisible CDF projects'. This is to say that all former officials charged with duties to related to incomplete public projects at one time or the other, be ready to cooperate regardless, otherwise large

amounts of public funds may never be accounted for.

The reason for carrying out audit is to make sure that we do not keep on putting public funds in projects on top of other,that cannot be accounted for, while there are many others that require funding. That way we will be able to stand in public and inform the public, to what percent had each project had been put up and what percentage we need to put in for completion. There are cases where some projects were deliberately sabotaged and the public never came to know the truth. Each contractor will be called to necessarily, answer any

matters that may arise. The MP cautioned that the perennial spell of poor performance in primary and secondary Schools, poor health services has been as a result of poor management brought about by non commitment by leaders.

The Mlolwa said that he would begin by summoning the contractors of the Voi CDF b u i l d i n g t h a t h o u s e s t h e Constituency offices, and warned legal action will be taken against contractors who have been awarded tenders just to mess-up with public funds and do shoddy jobs.

MP's SHOCKED BY THE STATE OF CDF PROJECTS;

Jones Mlolwa, MP Voi


TIMES OF TAITA-TAVETA | 7SEPTEMBER 15TH TO OCTOBER 15TH 2013

he tree planting season in TTaita -Taveta County reached its climax, within

individual farms and institutions since the onset of the long rains. The tree planting launch is an annual event where farmers, corporate and individuals are sensitized on tree planting in the devolved units such as sub-counties, wards and villages. This year's launch is unique since it is being done under the 2010 Constitutional dispensation hence we have the county launching. I also take this day to s h ow t h e i m p o r t a n c e my government places on tree planting and forests, and the environmental protection as a whole. I appeal to all to continue with the tree planting activities to maximize on the rains currently pounding our region. I am delighted that our partners have come on board to join in this noble course of supporting activities towards the realization of the event. Special mention includes Kenya Forestry Service (KFS), Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Wundanyi branch and Zomeni Lion Hill Camp in Voi amongst others. We also want thank those of us who have supported us morally and those who have volunteered to provide free labor and planted as many trees as possible. This planting exercise shall continue all over the county by churches, schools, and other public institutions and our urban centers.As you all know, in many areas in our County, the environment is at a breaking point due to overg raz ing , charcoal burning and exploitation of food products to meet other human needs. In this and the next generation, I do not see a replacement for wood products .Consequently we will continue to rely on wood products to support our lives. We must therefore a make deliberate effort to grow trees and restock our forests with indigenous and exotic trees to satisfy our needs and reverse this

trend towards self destruction. The additional benefit of a forest cover is that i t w i l l c o n t r o l surface water run-off and hence make our seasonal rivers r u n f o r l o n g e r

per iods. A g ood forest cover will also

reduce soil erosion. In view of the foregoing, I have therefore decided that we should take advantage of this rainy season and to start planting trees. Tree planting will be an annual public event which would enable us to plant at least 1.5 million trees in the next 5 years. We all know that t r e e p l an t i ng i s no t on l y important to Taita Taveta County but to Kenya, Africa and the whole world. This year's tree planting theme is "Towards 10% F o r e s t C o v e r , WajibuWaKilaMkenya". It is the responsibility for all to plant and care for trees to enable the Country and our County to reach a minimum 10% forest by the year 2013.The conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and the eradication of extreme poverty are two of the main global challenges of our time. It has been recognized by the international community that t h e s e t wo ch a l l e n g e s a r e intimately connected, and require a coordinated response. The protection of biodiversity is essential in the fight to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development.Seventy per-cent of the world's poor live in rural areas a n d d e p e n d d i r e c t l y o n biodiversity for their survival and wel l-being. The impact of environmental degradation is most severe for people living in poverty, because they have few livelihood options on which to f a l l b ack .T he Mi l l enn ium Development Goals (MDGs) were established by the United Nations in 2000 to combat poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, g e n d e r i n e q u a l i t y a n d environmental degradation.They integrate the 2010 Biodiversity Target set in 2002 by the Convent ion on B io log ica l Diversity to achieve, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss. Biodiversity is the key to theachievement of a l lMDG goals, and to the fulfillment of this international commitment by 2015. Building bridges between biodiversity, p o v e r t y r e d u c t i o n a n d

development is a crucial task. It involves strengthening the rights of the poor over resources, and developing financial incentive measures through which the poor who are living in biodiversity-rich regions receive payment from those who benefit from those s e r v i c e s. I t a l so i nc ludes strengthening partnerships and c o l l a b o r a t i o n b e t w e e n biodiversity and development sectors. We call upon our partners to join hands with the country government to enable us increase our forest cover in Taita Taveta County. The sustainable usage of our natural resources is what will ensure that our children and grand children will inherit a County they can be proud of. We have to restock our forests with both indigenous and exotic species - so that we can hold back surface water run-off and allow our rivers to be clean and run for longer periods. In very many a rea s o f our County, the environment is at breaking point due to overgrazing, charcoal burning and generally over exploitation of forests. This is not sustainable and we must reverse the trend towards self-destruction.We should learn that forests are important to human kind in so many ways because they form the backbone of a g r i cu l t u r e by p ro t e c t i ng moisture and soil, ameliorating

the micro-climate, acting as a carbon sink by trapping the atmospheric carbon, thereby reducing carbon circulation and controlling the greenhouse effect. They also help purify water and control water-flow thereby being the vital source to our rivers.Forests are habitat and food for animals. Trees are also grown for production purposes that is: production of charcoal, poles, fuel wood, medicine, fruits and timber. The sector also provides direct and indirect employment for many people. The main challenges experienced in forest management in Taita Taveta are constant drought, unreliable rains, and forest fires. Shortage of working equipments and illegal charcoal production and trade are other challenges. W h i l e d r o u g h t a n d r a i n unreliability cannot be addressed a d e q u a t e l y b y m a n , m y government will work together with KFS to speed up approval o n s u s t a i n a b l e c h a r c o a l production through Charcoal Producer Associations (CPAs) in order to lega l ize charcoal production and trade which will provide income for many people. As we strive to protect our forests for environmental sustainability, w e s h o u l d a l s o p u t i n t o consideration the purpose for planting. We should always seek the technical input and guidance

on planting and harvesting from the forest Extension officers for it has been discovered that lack of this knowledge on sustainable forest management has led to so many controversies in tree harvesting in Taita Taveta. My government will work together with Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and all forest stakeholders in the County to come up with the Forest Management Plan for all the County forests since it is the basis of forest sustainability. Having in mind that Taita Taveta is one of the regions with the lowest forest cover in Kenya, we need to do much by planting more trees and protecting them, Planting is one activity and protection is another that is more important. These two activities (planting and protection) should start within our own farms. We should also help in protecting the government forests by giving information on illegal activities in the forest to relevant government agencies and Kenya Forest Service (KFS). "let us all plant t r e e s a n d p r o t e c t t h e environment.

The Author is the First Elected Gover nor of Taita-Taveta County.

Biodiversity:

Winners Guest House-Voi Town CentreEmail:[email protected] | P. O. Box 258-80300, Voi

Tel: 0720 145 048 / 0724 388 848

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eases held by private companies including state, and Lcommunity organizations and individuals will have to undergo scrutiny by the County leadership to

avoid misplacement of potential resources within the County. According to the Governor John Mruttu, the incidence of thousands of acres in Taita -Taveta County that have expired the County intends to put its activities above board. The County is geared to raising sufficient revenue to run its affairs, and above all secure self sustenance and therefore renewal of all lands will be considered on merit and above all the recommendations of the NLC.

Mruttu, disclosed that the 99-year lease held by the Criticos family had expired and will not be renewed in the form it was, for the reason that most of it has been lying idle for many years, and as a result the area has lost- out in development, even from government projects because most of the land that should have been developed was regarded private land.

The Governor stated that his office or the County had not received the application from the Criticos family for the extension of 99 year old lease and the family was now also a squatter in the farm,"

About 5,000 squatters have lived on this property as illegal settlers, according to reports. Late last week, the National Land Commission (NLC) Chairman Dr. Mohammed Swazuri said consideration for renewal will be based on what the land owner has done with it for the past 99 years adding that title holders may apply to the commission for renewal of leases.

The commission also asked foreign landowners to submit their land documents for inspection. These decrees have sparked a debate in parts of Coast Province regarding who is a foreigner when the constitution allows dual citizenship, and what constitutes idle land.

The lease for 2,790 acres of land at Machungwani farm expired in January this year and the land is now state property.

According to the Governor," Criticos cannot justify renewal of the land lease because the land has been lying idle for years. Renewal of land leases will depend on what the landowner has doesn't with the land. The NLC has warned that idle land will not be renewed,"

While supporting NLC's move to suspend eviction of illegal occupiers of land in the country yesterday, the Governor asked over 5,000 squatters occupying Machungwani farm to be patient as effort is being made to settle them on the disputed land.

In a notice issued recently, NLC notified landowners, whether genuine or otherwise, to suspend the on-going and planned evictions of squatters and/or occupiers until the proposed legislation on "Evictions and settlement" is enacted.

Addressing thousands of squatters at Machungwani Farm in the company of local leaders, the Governor pointed that the land in dispute ownership has reverted to the government and the former owner has no authority to harass the local squatters in anyway and it is the Government that can legally charge persons of trespass.

The Governor was accompanied by among others Taveta acting OCPD Eshiphan Gichohi, two wards representative Chrispus Tondoo of (Bomani) and Johnes Maskuji of (Mboghoni) and a local youth leader Mike Bantone.

COUNTY LEADERSHIP WILL DISCUSS THE ISSUES OF EXPIRED LAND LEASES!


s the elected leadership in Athe county, we will put our foot down over the

various issues that affect our county. As Senator, I want to put Taita-Taveta County on the march again, this time to make sure, maximum pr ior i ty i s a c c o r d e d t o i n d i g e n o u s communities before it extends to other entitled parties in the c o u n t y. O u r i n d i g e n o u s communities are among the most impover ished and unequal societies in the country.

Today, most of the young people aged between 15 and 29 years are in low quality, vulnerable jobs that pay almost nothing. A huge percentage has no jobs at all while the rest gave up searching. The youth in this County are dynamic, talented, and full of entrepreneurship but a vast majority of them are denied a chance to put their most active and productive years to the full service of our county and to fulfill their dreams. I want to make sure that every young person in Taita-Taveta has a chance to enjoy decent life. We create jobs annually so that we can employ our youth who are continually joining the labor market. I would want to make sure that al l children have

Senator Calls for Unity of County Leaders; adequate nutrition in their early childhood, enjoy good health, and receive quality education. With this, we will build human capital, which will make them attractive to al l prospects, including the prospects of becoming employers themselves. Our Constitution demands health, education and access to jobs as basic rights. It also contains far-reaching reforms that will address the political and governance obstacles that hinder our economic growth. Taita-Taveta County can count on our e lected leaders and me to implement the Constitution. We embrace the Kenya Vision 2030; I am committed to making sure that Taita-Taveta County runs in line with Kenya's vision to become a middle-income county by 2030. I strongly believe in empowering every part of our county to be able stand on its own. In the five years I was a member of parliament, we laid the ground for the creation of expanded Educat ional and Technical skill facilities, to cater for the evident growth that I foresee in the County as a hub of Coast Region, where we will need to have ample skilled labor. With iron ore available, there is no reason for us not to embark on manufacturing steel. The key to unleashing our potential is energy which we must make cheaper, cleaner and reliable. In my discussions with investors locally and elsewhere, I have single-mindedly focused on expansion o f o u r e n e r g y b a s e a n d development of renewable energy sources of, solar and wind a n d o t h e r , a s S e n a t o r t o encourage the Governor and the county Assembly to propose motions aimed at ensuring industrial take-off in Taita-Taveta County. We have high hopes that the land title deed issued recently will assist the rejuvenation of

'indigenous communities, so that they can be at par with others who have come to our county to look for "greener pastures."

I w a s e l e c t e d overwhelmingly among all the Senatorial candidates, because the voters believed and still do that I possess the capacity to stand shoulder to shoulder with top national and global leaders, sit with them one on one, and reach agreement on strategic political and economic issues that stand to benefit of Taita-Taveta County. I appeal to our leaders to facilitate to equip youth and women with business skills then provide them with start-up grants, followed by loans at favorable rates.

The private sector as the driver of our County economy.

According to the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), it now takes 33 days to start a business compared with 60 days in previous years. The cost of starting a business fell from 52 of per-capita income to 38 per cent, and the time needed to export goods reduced from 45 days in 2006 to 26 days currently, these gains in the rest of the Country must be extended to benefit our county. I welcome the proposed investment and development in infrastructure on roads, rail, energ y and ICT, proposa l expansion of investment in food secur i ty through i r r ig a ted agriculture, subsidies for farmers and research. I want to expand poverty reduction measures and make our health care work for the poor and the rich alike. Taita-Taveta County has potential to generate enough money to cater for all this. I appeal to the governor's office to ensure our k i t ty i s wel l managed and encourage much more efficient use of available funds. Taita-Taveta County can count on the current County Government for sound leadership.

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Governor John Mruttu with Bishop Dr. Samson Mwaluda of A.C.K. Taita Taveta Diocese

THDIOCESE OF TAITA TAVETA CELEBRATING 20 ANNIVERSARY


aita -Taveta was started in T1993 under the leadership of Bishop Dr. Samson

Mwaluda, who was posted from the Anglican Church diocese of Mombasa.The diocese had nothing at all, even a Bishop's office at that particular time but through prayers of Taita- Taveta people we have made steps forward, by working together. We built sub- branches which now make the number o f p ro cathedral under the diocese, increased to 90 beginning this year.

Moving Forward

In terms of education up to this time the diocese has already tried

so much to educate workers who are working with the diocese. The diocese runs a secondary school in Voi. Ven. Ronald Mwachofi of Wusi sub-diocese has appealed to all residents of the county to unite and work as a team in order to glorify the name of God. In the diocese we had nothing but, it's encouraging to see new cathedral Voi which is being built through the effort of the people in diocese of Taita Taveta up to this time. When the diocese was started there were no vehicles and a number of other things, but we thank God for the progress we have made so far and hope that we shall overcome the various challenges ahead of us said Ven L. Mwangombe of Werugha.

ince the begging of this Syear there has been tension in the area brought about by

Somali herders who move their herds from Northern Eastern Province for fattening and the local herders of Wundanyi resident have complained that their animals have no land to graze at all. Two months ago the central government launched crackdown on illegal herders in the Tsavo national parks who were believed to have been poaching and involved in other crimes in the region. The suit resulted in violence which between the two groups earlier this year and has escalated to claims that the herders have been grazing their animals into the National Park.

Earlier, Joyce lay, the county women's representative and the W u n d a n y i M P T h o m a s

Indigenous people, Should be main Beneficiaries of Land,

Mwadeghu, criticized local Ranch managers for irregularly signing, land-leases with herders from outside the county, instead of allowing locals to graze their animals, and said indigenous people need to benefit from all what land provides including small scale cattle keepers. She claimed that some of the Ranches are involved in unscrupulous deals where people with large herds of cattle just herd -up animals and mix them and subsequently drive them away with larger herds, and that is non other than cattle theft. Ms. Joyce required the county government to manage the issue and approval of all land leases in the region and disband the ranch management's organization so as to make the ranchers accessible to local and reduce insecurity in the Taita Taveta County.

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Pupils of Hightake Nursery School singing a song.

WHAT WE ARE DOING IN TAITA TAVETA COUNTY,Message from His Excellency the Governor,

Our county has the largest wildlife conservation are in Kenya and water resources from Mzima springs, Lake

Challa and Jipe that will be tapped for irrigation purposes. It is endowed with numerous natural resources like mineral deposits and rangelands suitable for both beef and dairy keeping These resources shall be used well for the betterment of the livelihoods of our people by reducing poverty and empowering households to increase their purchasing power and have adequate access to basic necessities. The County still faces the challenges of slowing up growth, caused by high levels of unemployment, and absolute poverty among our people. We as a county are also required to an equitable share of the national revenues (15% of the national collection) grants, equalization fund transfers, our own revenues composing of poverty and entertainment taxes, user charges levied on services we render, borrowing with guarantee from the national government and any other monies as directed by parliamentary legislation.

This will only succeed when we create a culture that supports free enterprise, industrialization, training and research, engaging new marketing strategies for our goods and services, encouraging innovation and creating new jobs in the service industry, e-

business through ICT, creat ing and e xpand i ng m idd l e - l e v e l

colleges and

institutions to train our school leavers. The purpose is to equip our youth with skills and knowledge to enable them complete effectively in our knowledge based economy. On the issue of publ ic participation in the management of their affairs the county intends to use existing forums like public barazas, professional group meetings, focus group discussions and citizens monitoring groups as a basis for engagements. We also intend to commission customer satisfaction surveys on service delivery to improve on service delivery. Provision of efficient, professional and timely services shall inform my administration over the next five years.

We shall put in place structures for disseminating information to citizens at all levels of governance including the sub-countries, wards and village levels. This information should include the rights and responsibilities of citizens, the economic opportunities that can be exploited, youth empowerment, fight against drugs and substance abuse and sports development to meaningfully keep the youth engaged and to tap on their talents, amongst others.

Other forums to be given priority include the county budget and economic forums (CBEF) County Economic and Social Council (CESC), paying special attention to marginalized groups, establishing a county civil education programme and formalizing mechanisms and platforms for citizen engagement. We intend to engage diaspora community through regular meetings and make sure our legislative priorities shall form our agenda going forward. The purpose is to have a legal framework to enable all of us drive our development agenda. The County still faces the challenges of slowing up growth, caused by unacceptable high levels of unemployment, and absolute poverty among our people. We as a county are also required to an equitable share of the national revenues (15% of the national collection) grants, equalization fund transfers, our own revenues composing of poverty and entertainment taxes, user charges levied on services we render, borrowing with guarantee from the national government and any other monies as directed by parliamentary legislation. This shall be done after extensive public participation through civic education and all public engagement forums.

The agenda shall include; building of staff houses and hostels using private-public partnership

principle; Encouragement of

private sector participation in the expansion of tertiary institutions; The county government shall offer internships to our students in colleges and universities; planting of trees and control of harvesting of trees, regulation of movement of livestock in and out of the county, restructuring of the mining sector and the regulation of granting of new land leases or extending existing ones.

Others shall include: Protection of river sources and springs; construction of a weighbridge to determine the exact quantity or iron-ore being extracted from Kishushe; Public-private participation for the construction of a smelting factory; creating a legal framework to allow the county government to support mining and ranching sector; public-private partnerships for the resumption of the rail service between Voi and Taveta; Collection of cess fees from producers and exporters of gemstones and other precious minerals among others. I am happy to inform that we are finalizing on the results of the expressions of interests that we put out in the local dailies.

The constitution assigns the responsibility for urban service delivery to county governments. The Urban Areas and Cities Act 2012 provide that the creation and management of urban areas are vested in their county government.My government promises boards for Voi and Taveta towns shall reflect professionalism, gender parity, slots for physically challenged, the youth and shall also take due cognizance of our diversity. This diversity shall be the hall mark of the composition of other employment opportunities in the county for the next five years.

It is also my intention to revamp the tourism sector by engaging other stakeholders in the tourism industry to make our County the destination of choice for tourists. This we shall do by partnering with our ranches to start community conservancies modeled on the Northern Rangelands Trust of Laikipia and Samburu, to stock wildlife, set up luxurious tourism hotels and tented camps. This will effectively deal with the negative effects of human - wildlife conflict to enable our people co-exist wildlife for economic gains. Our youth shall also benefit from this arrangement when they get employment as game rangers. We are also negotiating with the Kenya Wildlife Service and lobbying the Senate and National Assembly to enact legislation on the sharing of resources from


Governor John Mruttu

proceeds from the Tsavo East and West National Parks. When this deal is through we will be able to occupy our respectable place as one of the few counties that will have carried out bold initiatives to harness its resources for the betterment of its people.

In a bid to engage in sustainable development for our county, my government shall adopt myriad strategies such as stakeholder mobilization for environmental management; awareness creation; use of environmental management tools amongst others.

The Kenya Forest Management Act has come up with measures to streamline the exploitation of wood fuel for charcoal and regulated the business to ensure sustainability of the trade and creation of wealth and employment for our people. This is a move in the right direction which all of us should support. It has also been my own personal initiative to improve on our tree cover by launching of the annual tree planting exercise in all churches, schools, villages and all other institutions. It is my desire that we plant more than 500,000 seedlings every year and I encourage the youth to start groups for the seedlings planting. The County government shall fully support this endeavor. We shall also explore the possibility of hiring more doctors, nurses and support staff to ensure the ratios between the staff and patients is bridged to internationally accepted standards. We shall also aim at improving the curative and preventive capacity of our health institutions. The Medical Training School-MTC- will soon open a campus at Taveta, to train nurses and other para-medical staff.

Infrastructure Development

Several roads are under construction or have been completed. These include the Voi-Mwatate-Wundanyi road, Maungu -Kasighau-Mwatate; Bungule-Mwakashinyi-Kiteghe; Taveta -Tungutinyi; Kighombo-Mwambirwa and Paranga -Nyache-Mghambonyi roads.

The African Development Bank is funding the complete construction of the Mwatate-Taveta -Arusha road. This shall open up the area for trade and tourism development.

As a County we take cognizance of the greater good of being united that shares a common vision. We shall therefore strive to pull in the same direction in order to make our county move forward and achieve on the promises we made to our people. Team work will reduce bureaucracy and hasten decision making process for quick implementation of our policies and programmes. In equal measure I have selected a team that I hope will assist us fulfill this promise and they are the best candidates who exhibit high integrity and moral standards and whom the people can put their faith and trusting to safe-guard resources and achieve our agenda of development and prosperity. In the last three (3) months, I have become even more aware of the challenges facing us. I have also become more aware that, there is more that utilizes us than divides

and I urge all of us to focus on this.

Message From Her Excellency The Deputy Governor

Mary Ndigha Kibuka, the County Deputy Governor and County Executive Committee Member in charge of surveying and mapping, is a holder of B.Ed. and Home Economics (Science) from the University of Nairobi and an M.S c. in Management and Implementation of Development Projects from the University of Manchester, U.K.The challenge of this office is huge because the County Women, Men, Youth and children have very high expectations of the devolved County Government.

My vision is not different, it is to assist the County Governor H.E, Eng. John Mtuta Mruttu fulfill his campaign pledges of improving the County's education, health, environment, infrastructure, water supply, natural resources, economy and generation of revenue to improve the lifestyle of all residents.

My hope is for all the County of Taita Taveta, residents join hands together to evaluate the current status.

Message from the County Secretary

I welcome everyone to the Taita Taveta County so that we join hands together to implement the manifesto an agenda of his Excellency the Governor, Eng., John Mtuta Mruttu. We as workers do count ourselves lucky to serve under his tempered leadership, astute management credentials and enviable experience in public service.

As the first Head of the County Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet, my duty of arranging and taking minutes of the County Executive Committee Business, conveying of decisions to the County Assembly and the implementation of programmes and policies as directed by the Committee shall be given due priority. I, together with my colleagues from the Transition Authority have the onus and privilege of setting up of structures of governance in the County from scratch to put the County on its feet and get it running. I am proud of the team of public servants who have worked tirelessly and put in their all efforts to ensure we prove equal to the task. This achievement is informed on the premise of our vision of enhancing the quality of lives for the people of Taita Taveta by transforming the public service in the area. It has not been an easy exploit as we are grappling with change, by manage it and deal effectively with resistance to the new order among public servants who were used to the old ways of doing things.

We have embraced strategy, built capacity, offered leadership and inspiration, provided the resources and given the staff an action plan to effectively bring about and manage change and put systems running.

The staff inherited from the defunct local authorities was appraised on awareness creation on need for change according to the new constitutional dispensation. The desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement attributes have all been used to manage the change process.

I am again proud of our staff for embracing the process by being flexible enough to learn and today every officer carries his or her responsibilities with minimum supervision and time management has improved tremendously.

The purpose of having a professional, motivated and healthy work force shall result in the creation of opportunities for current and future generations; increase the productivity of the people of Taita Taveta by transforming education and health services; Implementation of infrastructure projects that create an enabling environment for development; creating competition by attracting domestic and foreign-direct investment to the County to spur economic growth and transforming livelihoods by growing the County economy.

The devolution of government is a major transformation and offers a chance to get the going right from the beginning. We must move away from the old, dysfunctional practices and address practical, innovative solutions. My role is to ensure every sector and e v e r y


Deputy Governor Mary Kibuka

individual of the County Government is assigned clear responsibilities and holders of these offices are made accountable frothier actions and results which must be measurable and the time bound. We have strived to engage all stakeholders in the transformation process for the public service.

Rolling out of devolution structures to the sub-counties, wards and villages.

It is envisaged that services shall also devolve, bringing them closer to the people.

We also know that the constitution of Kenya 2010 articles 6(3); 35; 43 and 232 (b) gives cognizance of the citizen as the centre of service delivery. We shall strive to implement this to the letter.

The actualization of reform sin the public sector was bench marked on performance improvement through signing of contracts between employees w i t h i n a cad r e and t h e i r s upe r v i s o r s , institutionalization of results government surrender 20 per cent of the total collection from Tsavo East and West National Parks, to the county. based management (RBM) and focus on customer satisfaction. These are being cascaded into the county Government structures.

My appeal to all staff of Taita Taveta County; let us join hands together with discipline, passion, dedication, sacrifice and patriotism to build this beautiful County which is full of so much promise. Revenue Collection

All stakeholders in the County are thrilled by the County government's move to collect revenue from the National Parks and Miners and other sectors.

The idea of the county government to collect 20 per cent of the total revenue collected from the resources have been welcomed by many on account of the potential to improve living standards of the local residents.

More than 67 per cent of the county is covered by Tsavo East and West National Parks while 11 per -cent of it is occupied by various mineral rich and arable grassland.

The county is well endowed with vast mineral resources and centers but locals are yet to realize any benefits from the abundant resources in their midst.

Largest per cent of the county is covered by Tsavo east and west that have vast resources that be tapped into great income.

County Senator Dan Mwazo prefers that a law be drafted to make the central Government allow the County to keep 20 per-cent of the income accrued from National parks. The same is required of all the mining and other activities in the region. The County is home to over 40 high value gemstones mines. Some of the gemstones found in the area include Tsavorite, red and green garnets, ruby,

change color, blue sapphire, pink s a p p h i r e , g r e e n

tourma

lines, yellow tourmalines, rhodolites and kyanites.

According to geological experts, Tsavorite and Ruby are highly sought after globally, with Taita Taveta being the main source of the minerals worldwide and these have the potential to completely transform the National economy for the better.

Earlier, then, minister for environment Mr Chirau Ali Mwakwere during a visit to the area announced that Wanjala Mining Company which mined iron-ore at Kishushe area in Wundanyi County had discovered traces of Gold in the Area.

Geological surveys indicate that substantial quantities of mineral deposits are yet to be fully exploited in the region due to financial and technical constrains. However the County will benefit a lot from the Sh. 16 billion three-year mineral survey being conducted across the county.

Taita Taveta county plans to build a weighbridge near the mines to establish the volume of minerals extracted and all miners have been asked to apply for licenses a fresh. The governor's office has already floated tender and allocated funds to put up a weighing scale at Kishushe where tones of mineral ores are mined daily.

The facility will help determine the quantity of minerals mined as plans to build a mineral processing factory is set to be constructed at Voi and Mwatate to produce finished products.

Kenya Agricultural Productivity And Agribusiness Project (KAPPA)

Agriculture, being the back bone of the economy of the County; Taita Taveta has enormous potential of food production to sustain its small population and other neighboring countries. There however has been over reliance of the field rain farming.

It is until two years ago when Kenya Agricultural Productivity and doing Agribusiness project was initiated to implement the ministry of Agriculture project on agricultural production value chain to enhance.

This is an initiative to aim at increasing productivity and doing farming as a business devoid of the traditional methods that perceived farming as a

hobby.

KAPAP-Project is covering 24 Locations in 9 divisions of the county distributed within the four parliamentary constituencies.

The Project was launched in December 2010 and through CDD approach which the community agreed on the following 5 value chains which include goat keeping dairy, fruits, vegetables and natural resource management.

To address the value chains 5 consortia were selected to provide agricultural advisory services to members of the value chains.

This value chain is in 9 locations with a membership of 693. The consortium addressing this value chain is Maziwa Taita CBO who is based in Wundanyi. The project has already advanced the consortium with amount of Kshs. 1,168,000 to cater for service provision to the diary value chain.

Through the consortium beneficiaries have been linked to rookside Dairies Ltd, that established five 5 milk collection centres in Kidai , Mghambonyi, Werugah, Mwanda and Mgange and has developed a 5 year strategic plan.

For banana consortium, it is operating in 10 locations with a membership of 1,105. The consortium addressing the value chain is Vacid Africa based in Nairobi with grassroots partners in the County. The project has advanced Kshs. 1,760,000 for service provision. Through the consortium the beneficiaries have established a tissue culture nursery for the production of qualifies suckers. Members have already planted 20 hectares of tissue culture bananas the Middle East export market that is linked with IDIO farmer's co-operative society in Taveta for capacity building to meet export market standards. Those dealing with natural resource management have specialized in Aloe farming and are operating in 8 locations with of 828 members.

The consortium addressing the value chain is Abizaid ltd based in Mombasa.They have been advanced kshs. 862,000 for service delivery working with Marungu Aloe Vera C.I.G that has acquired bar codes and KEBs certification to enable their products access a larger market through Voi supermarkets. They have also linked to RIJOY processing group in Voi opened a shop at Marungu town. The value chain in collaboration with ACT Kenya /USAID is rehabilitating MWAKIBU processing plant in Bura to handle aloe raw materials. The USAID has provided a grant of Kshs 4.8 m to support the rehabilitation and the products are already in the local markets.

Lumo sanctuary, which is dealing with tourism and hotels, has expected to take their products.

The goat meat value chain is operating in 16 locations in the county with a membership of 2,844. The consortium addressing this value chain is Taita Agriculture and livestock enterprises base in Voi. They were advanced Kshs. 1,802,400 for service delivery in the county. The consortium has formed 16 C.I.Gs and has established market links with Kenya Meat Comm


ission (KMC) who have promised a price of Kshs. 290 per kg of cold dressed weight CDW.Tomato value chain is operating in sixteen (16) locations. The work by SMAED SP Consortium started I October last year. This delay was due to the defaulting by the initial contracted company which was the farm to fork.

The value chain officials have so far submitted for two quarters October 2012 to March 2013.The total produce which reached the market during this period was 1,578,199 kg which earned the county kshs. 11,952,849.00

Dairy Farming in the Region

Dairy farming is becoming one of the main income earners in Taita Taveta County after farmers joined hands to form a united marketing front for their produce.

With the entry of the Kenya Agricultural Productivity and Agribusiness Project (KAPAP) to support the sector, farmers have moved a level higher where they have formed a dairy a marketing co-operative society in preparation to establish a milk processing plant.

The recently registered dairy co-operative society has renewed hope for the farmers who have in the past three years been operating under a community Based organization known as Maziwa Taita Trust to link then up with the market. Maziwa Taita Taveta (MTT) works in 2 districts within Taita Taveta and Mwatate.

Before the coming in of MTT in 2009, dairy farmers in Taita were selling their milk through the informal markets, which is known for many challenges such as, unreliable markets, lack of access to inputs and credit, lack of technical advisory services among others.

Through Maziwa Taita Trust Brookside dairy Ltd (BDL) was approached to explore possibilities of expansion to include Taita Taveta County in their milk supplying circuit.

Farmers can now sell milk to Brookside Dairy Company after mutual agreement between the farmers and the milk processing company Brookside Ltd collection of milk commenced in

December 2009 following the installation of a 10,000 liters chilling tank. Mr.

Njoroge says that

with the formation of Maziwa Taita Dairy Co-operative they target to recruit 2000 farmers and in so doing raise Ksh. 400,000 thousands on membership and also raise 10 million from the purchase of shares from members. In the months of March through May, the dairy co-operative had already raised Ksh. 400,000 thousands from membership and used it for purchase of shares and paid for salaries of 2 staff members who have been on Maziwa Taita trust payroll from the inception of the project. Micro Enterprises support Trust (MESPT) has been instrumental in supporting MTT lay the foundation of commercializing the dairy project by providing funding besides technical support for the last 3 years.

COUNTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Name Position

1 Elipida Mwakamba Secretary

2 Margaret Mwachanya Member

3 Evelyne S. Mngoda Member

4 Rhoda M. Mwashighadi Member

5 Isaac S. Makange Member


Name Position

1 John M. Mruttu Governor

2 Mary N. Kibuka Deputy Governor

3 Linet M. Mavu Administration And Devolution

4 Gifton M. Mkaya Health Services

5 Dr. Vincent M. Masawi Livestock & Fisheries

6 Eng. Elijah Mwandoe Environment And Natural Resources

7 Stephen Masamo Community Affairs, Trade & Industry

8 Eng. Joseph M. Mbogho Water And Irrigation

9 Alexander K. Mwangeka Public Works & Infrastructure

10 Flora M. Maghanga Finance & Planning

11 Jemima K. Tuja Education

12 Harrison B. Mgana Agriculture

SECRETARY AND MEMBERS OF THE COUNTY PUBLIC SERVICE BOARD

In order to run smooth, effective and meaningful service delivery, the office of the Governor oversees the running of a number of offices through members of the County Service Board and the County Executive Committee members. Members of the public are therefore expected to know and understand that, for whatever service they need, there are relevant persons and officers assigned to assist them in dealing with the respective tasks.

h r o u g h o u t h i s t o r y, Tgeography has played a tremendously influential

role in global development, a f f e c t i n g t h e l a n g u a g e , philosophy, culture, religion and economics of communities. Notions of sovereignty are tightly interwoven with ter r i toria l delineations of the face of the earth. Geopolitics and geo-strategy are directly linked with g e o g r a p h y. I t i s n o t a n exaggeration to state geography drives wealth and poverty, war and peace, plight and prospects of nations. Never has this been more significant than it is now. Geography presents daunting cha l l eng es and inc red ib l e opportunities. In 50 years of Kenyan independence, our location in the greater East African region- on the shores of the Indian Ocean- has subjected us to the turbulent energy of the cold war as well as the hot conf l icts that fol lowed i ts

thawing.The cold war drove global

superpowers to sponsor satellite and proxy states to bolster their hand in a competitive geopolitical power struggle. The result was lavish material support for authoritarian governments who, in turn consolidated tyranny and neglected service to their people. In the midst of post cold war u p h e a v a l , t h e w i n d s o f democratic change and economic renewal began to sweep across our region. East Africa and the greater horn of Africa have for long been the arena of violence and instability. Fortunately, this chapter has largely drawn to a close. Of course, peace remains fragile in some parts but there is a growing determination by the people of Africa to build peace and prevent relapses into conflict and state collapse. The current chapter of our history unfolds in the context of the first sustained economic growth. Asia, is the

e p i cen te r o f th i s s e i smic economic phenomenon. It is one of those boons of geography that Kenya straddles this rapidly emerging the system of trade, investment and security. There are two cardinal pillars to this system, one of which is the f o r e m o s t p r i o r i t y o f m y government: being a leading participant in an integrating Africa, shaping out as a globally indispensible source of raw materials for industries and consumers in Asia. This is in addit ion to the tradit ional markets of Europe and North America. The East African Community integration has been accelerated and the COMESA is on its way to become a free trade area. These regional blocs will be the key drivers of Kenya's prosperity.

The other pillar is a rising Asia that rekindles memories of the ancient world economic system. This system revolved around the

Indian Ocean as its hub and then, the East African coast was an integral part. Kenya is central in the waters that host major sea routes connecting Africa, the middle East and East Asia with the Americas and Europe. A secure Indian ocean is key to global trade. Tankers plying its waters dominate the global trade in oil. For this reason, a secure Indian ocean is critical to Asian economic development. One third of the world's populations live near the Indian Ocean coastline. They inhabit countries which comprise the world's fastest growing economies and megacities. Their growth is driving the rapid expansion of investment in Kenya, East Africa and the rest. Trade will remain a defining feature of the Indian Ocean rim dynamics for a long time. Measures taken to secure the Gulf of Aden and the wrest the horn of Africa coastline out of the grip of the terror groups

must be seen in this context. We a r e i n v e s t i n g h e a v i l y i n infrastructure to support our new role as a regional economic hub. This way, Kenya will act as an e f f e c t i v e b r i d g e t o t h e opportunities in Africa and the I n d i a n O c e a n r i m . T h i s commitment will see Kenya become a partner, guarantor and beneficiary of peace and stability to ensure our sustained prosperity and that of our neighbors. This commitment goes beyond China, where I visited and held talks during my first state visit. China is important to our trade and investment agenda, to our infrastructural development. So too are India and Singapore, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus and the others in the RIM and BRICS- such as Brazil and South Africa.

(The author is the President of the Republic of Kenya.)

Opinion:

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Give the Governor time to work! Says Mrs. Joan Mjomba.

Joan Nyasi mjomba was the first woman to be elected to the position of Mayor in coast province in 1990. In everything that you are doing she says, one has to be humble and patient, and it pays a lot in life but if you put God first in everything you do, am so proud when I visit several places and my friends call me 'the queen' and people respect my opinion as a leader whenever I go.

I take every opportunity to advise the residents of the County, to support the efforts of the county government at the leadership of the Governor John Mruttu, and his deputy Mary Ndigha. Am confident with the leadership and pray for the firm commitment shown by the county authority.

The same year first her chairman ship was nullified by the high court inn Mombasa as the chairman person, but he thanks Mr. Gideon muhindi for supporting her at the time. Mrs. Joan expects to celebrate 100 years with the [NCCK] as a member of the board of trustees in the diocese of Taita Taveta. At the age of 80years, She wishes to leave a legacy in education and other sectors, where she has participated at all times since she was a teacher 1953-1959 in Kaloleni, in Kilifi district under the missionary school management. She stressed the importance of Unity among local leaders in all areas to work together with the county government.

People

he state must listen to the TCoastal leadership or it will be embarking on a

futile and potentially counter-p r o d u c t i ve e xe r c i s e . T h e governors of Taita Taveta, Kilifi and Kwale and Mombasa have said, there is a risk at the process, if not preceded by a rigorous audit, could touch off a new wave of land grabbing. Eng John Mr uttu ,Sa l im Mvuria and Amason Kingi and Joho argued that to avoid that risk, the distribution of titles must be suspended until the beneficiaries are audited and investigations carried out to ensure fictitious persons are not issued with them. The point must be made that in order to ensure the process is not bungled, inflamed by politics or sabotaged; the state must work with grassroots leaders and listen to the communities affected. That is the only way the process would proceed and be accepted by the indigenous and legitimate locals, as fair and inclusive.

It is also important for the state to listen to the governors' plea to the lands cabinet secretary that " the planned exercise should

exclude settlement schemes and other adjudicated areas in order to ascertain true beneficiaries". They pointed out that the most affected are the adjudicated land and settlement schemes where the allotted on papers do not reflect those on the ground. They also argue that the title deeds the pres ident was planning to distribute were generated from government settlement schemes, which have some disputes. The land problem at the coast remains a ticking time bomb. There have been perennial clashes, mainly targeting the influx of people from upcountry and investments held by foreigners. It is also incontestable that most of the beneficiaries of coastal land belt allocations, particularly at the pr ime beaches, a re e i ther foreigners or Kenyans from outside the coastal region. They are curiously the ones with title deeds for their parcels and most o f t h e c o a s t a l r e s i d e n t s themselves have no title deeds for their parcels.

Indeed, the anchor and pillar of the renegade Mombasa Republican council lies in this

problem, which is added fuel by the startling number of squatters in their own ancestral lands. There is also another dimension to the presidential decree. True, some of the titles dating back to the 1980s and 1990s have been lying uncollected. Others are for parcels under ownership dispute, and over which caveats have been placed. But issuance of titles before audit of land ownership can be a powder keg for the region, just like the rest of Kenya. The assurance by the national land commission, which is vested with the powers of resolving Kenyan historical land injustices that it was involved in the president's and cabinet decision is welcome. According to its chairman Mohamed Swazuri, the commission offered technical advice to the lands ministry before the announcement was made.

The reason this title deed issuance programme should be handled professionally and delicately can be seen in the argument by the opposition that the jubilee government is keener on pol i t ica l ga in , through

hoodwink ing coa s t a l i n to believing it has the region interests at heart. It should be remembered that because of land issues, most of the residents in th i s r eg ion vo t ed ag a in s t President Uhuru's candidature. It is therefore predictable that these sentiments could derail or muddy he process that has just started off. The presidents and cabinet decree for issuance of 60,000 title deeds to coast residents within a month is bittersweet news to the region that has suffered from land alienation problem for long. It is good news that it seeks to formalize land ownership in the region on unprecedented scale. The seriousness of jubilee government to resolve the squatters issue was headlined by deputy president William Ruto that he declared: " We have instructed the ministry of lands to issue title deeds to those whose land ownership is uncontested and we plan on issuing 1000 this year alone so that you can get down to business".

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"We are victims of unfair distribution of resources and as a result of the subsequent impoverishment, had negative affect on the growth of among other things, the population and prosperity of our people. I would advise our youth to have more children from within their matrimonial homes…." (Caption of Mwadeghu's pix.) "Go ye into your matrimonial homes and multiply" Thomas Mwadeghu.

Quotes"Ooh! Women, allow your men to marry four wives each so that you can increase the population of our people, to vote for me in the race for Presidency” Danson Mwazo(God placed every indigenous community, in their own Garden of Eden. Let each stick to their county in our wonderful country of Kenya.)

“Tyranny of numbers" is a political concept that is used to define a situation) where a decision on any issue involving public vote, would only be in favor of populous communities. Not because they produce the best of competitors, but because they have the bigger numbers at any given time. With time it is being used by politicians and other leaders of small tribes as a means to sensitize the public and eventually used to influence the change of the constitution of Kenya in regard to the election of the President. Analysts are of the opinion that, eventually it would be used as a means of assuring

‘NUMBERS.' Is a common trend in Kenya's domestic politics?

equ i t a b l e d i s t r i b u t i o n o f resources and at the same time, rationalize other opportunities, including ascending to national presidency.

Hence leaders from the CORD Alliance, in their recent weeks have provoked emotional reaction from a cross section of leaders in the senate house, county assemblies, parliament and County governors and other. Senator, Danson Mwazo, of Ta i t a - Ta ve t a t h e M P f o r Wundanyi Thomas Mwadeghu a n d t h e c o u n t y Wo m e n representative Ms Joyce Lay, c a m e u p w i th a l o p s i d ed suggestion that they thought

would cure the "tyranny of number s " . T hey cons ide r numbers, among the main aspect that has sustained political power to 'unity of communities with big numbers.'

This rouse mixed feelings equally from politicians and a section of the mainstream media. To some it sounded unfeasible and ridiculous, while some quarters, simply dismissed it as selfish and therefore petty politics by an ambitious man. But for those who gave it some thought, it was a powerful polit ical statement, particularly coming at a t i m e w h e n m i n o r i t y communities are being marshaled

and sensitized on the dynamics of the country's national politics.

The leaders basically meant to address some pertinent, political matters that affect the f u t u r e o f t h e i r C o u n t y. According to the incumbent constitution, in the near future, counties that will have certain numbers in population will be scrapped or merged. We may end up losing out in the number of constituencies, if the move to merge tem comes. As a result we as a county stands to lose development funds. The other is that, large chunks of land in the county that are seen to lie idle has b e e n a t t r a c t i n g o t h e r

communities from other parts of the country and in recent times, the pastoralists from the North Eastern province to the county a trend that is disturb the County leaders.

Senator Mwazo in his speech or rather the message was not well presented to the public, otherwise it is noble to sensitize the residents of the challenges they face as a County. To avoid being misunderstood, County leaders would be advised to carry-out a civic education program to educate the county residents of the constitutional requirement and the challenges that come with it.

he background of the so Tcalled 'big tribe syndrome' in Kenya 's domest ic

politics has always been identified with the independence time political elite, that brought together the big three, the Kikuyu , Luo and Akamba together, in the defunct Kenya African National Union (KANU) in December 1963.

T h o u g h t h e p o l i t i c a l marriage of the big three, survived for hardly more than six months, it did lay ground for politics that later came to be known as winner take all.

In June 1964 the office of the President was created and the Prime ministers' office was abolished and its constitutional powers usurped and vested in the person of the President then. The senate House was eventually abolished and a number of heads were in the event to roll in the

following years. In 1969, Tom Mboya and

fist secretary general of the ruling par ty one of the KANU luminaries was assassinated in Nairobi streets. Argwins Kodhek, the partys lawyer did in a suspect car accident in 1974 Mr. Josiah Mwangi Kariuki,an radical MP was grisly murdered and in 1972 Ronald Ngala of KADU died in freak accident. This rouse a wave of suspicion among the three the Kikuyu, the Luo and the Akamba, and since then it has continued to grow, and with subsequent p o l i t i c a l d y n a m i c s h a v e continued to haunt Kenya's domestic politics. The smaller tribes have all these years been seeking to achieve an equitable chance to have one of their own a s c e n d t o t h e N a t i o n a l Presidency in turns. But this had b e e n c o m p l i c a t e d by t h e circumvention created through

the use of instruments of state power.

The President was then taken absolute control of all instruments of state having dismantled a regional system of government that was in power, changed the titles of Regional Commissioners to Provincial Commissioners, and District Commissioners, in a department of Provincial Administration that took over the administration of the eight original Provinces and subsequently Districts.

The unitary system took root in the country and drove the ruling communities to begin unchecked mis-use of the instruments of state to hang on to power, fully taking advantage of their numbers.

The three most populous communities then began internal p o l i t i c a l f e u d i n g a m o n g themselves, as they disagreed on

The Big Tribe Syndrome in the History of Independent Kenya

OUR GARDEN OF EDEN

mainly equitable distribution of the National cake. The Kikuyu had the Pres idency, Jomo Kenyatta, the Luo were given the Vice -Pres idency, ( Ja ramogi Oginga) while the Akamba were given the Army Commander, (Maj, Gen Ndolo).

Meanwhile KADU had been compelled through the efforts of then KANU Secretary general another powerful Luo, (Tom Mboya) to cross the floor in p a r l i a m e n t a n d j o i n t h e Government in 1964,. However, shortly thereafter, Vice President resigned and formed Kenya Peoples Union (KPU) in 1966, (Jomo) called a mini-general election where he effectively used sate instruments and defeated KPU and( detained Oginga).

All this time the big tribes have been f ight ing within Government, Ronald Ngala had began to emerge having been

appointed to the cabinet, and signs of regionalist politics had began to flourish within the government ranks Ngala died in a freak motor accident in Dec 1972. Earlier in 1971, Maj. Gen Joseph Ndolo, was removed from the Army after he was mentioned in a military plot, and Chief Justice Kitili Mwendwa was to be forced to resign while Gideon Mutiso, a Member of Parliament all from among the Akamba was jailed.

This and other political events that followed particularly after the demise of Kenyatta and the injustices that took place and prevailed during subsequent elections and the attempted coup by the Air force in 1982 marked the complete and almost end of the 1963 political marriage and bore and introduced the thought of the 'Tyranny of Numbers".

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ounty set out to get its own CCoat of Arms, County Seal and County flag. This was

done through a design competion with the County putting out Ksh. 210,000 as prize money. This was advertised in a National Newspaper and saw over 50 entries coming in from all over the country. The 6 best designs were selected by the County Executive Committee and the designers were called to the Awards C e r e m o n y a t T h e C o u n t y Headquarters in Wundanyi on 26th of July 2013. Winners in each of the 3 categories bagged Ksh. 50,000 each while runners up pocketed Ksh. 20,000 each.Chrispus Peter won the Coat of arms and Flag categories bagging Ksh. 100,000 for himself while the rest took the single categories and runners up. The final designs will be officially launched at a later date after minor adjustments are done. The Governor promised to work with the designers, who are all youth, to promote their businesses. Out of the four, three are residents of Taita Taveta County proving that the youth in Taita Taveta have what it takes to compete with the rest of Kenya.Congratulations to you all

1.) The Designers(From Left): Chrispus Peter, Erasto Otieno, Phillip Msagha, Edward Mbogo2.) The CEC during the presentations and award ceremony.3.) Edward Mbogo giving his presentation. Observing is Governor Mruttu and County Secretary Mr. Fred Ouma.

t was not for nothing that Ifootball Kenya federation chairman; Sam Nyamweya

was last year honored with the state commendation of Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear (MBS) by former president Mwai Kibaki. The government said he was honored for his contribution to the growth of football in the country.

T h e h o n o r m a d e Nyamweya one of the few f o o t b a l l o f f i c i a l s t o b e

Times-SPORTS PROFILE SAM. K. NYAMWEYA

appreciated with a state of commendation and it follows his m a n y y e a r s a n d p o s i t i v e contribution to the growth and development of football in the country from grassroots to national level, which has once again rise as football giants within the region.

At the time he managed to bring unrivalled success and during his tenure major corporate sponsors fell over themselves to support the sport. In 1996 when

he was CEO of the federation the East Africa Breweries Limited unveiled a lucrative sh150million five year sponsorship for the national team, Harambee Stars.

It was that support which greatly leads to the improvement of the team's performance and for the first time, Kenya held Africa's footballing power house Nigeria to a 1-1 tie during a world cup qualifier. The team also missed qualifying for the 98 Africa cup of nations finals, this remains one of the team's best performance. At the time BAT and GSK, also gave out millions the national league and that was a time of great success for Kenyan football that has not been repeated since.

N y a m w e y a , w h o h a s evolved into a suave sports diplomat, has managed to forge strong links with the world football body, FIFA which has seen the FIFA president, Sepp Blatter visit Kenya on two occasions a move that has helped the country's relationship to blossom and helped jumpstart the game.

The relationship between Kenya and FIFA as well as CAF and CECAFA has continued to blossom during Nyamweyas second tenure.

Immediately after being elected, Nyamweya and his officials were invited to FIFA headquarters in Zurich and during their meeting with Blatter they managed to lobby for the refurbishment of the Kisumu Municipal Stadium, under FIFA Goal project. The refurbishment is currently on the way and will cost about sh100million. It is the s e c o n d p r o j e c t a f t e r refurbishment of Nairobi City S t a d i u m . F I FA h a s a l s o unde r t aken s eve r a l o the r projects. His cordial relationship with FIFA has culminated his appointment as FKF boss as a member of FIFAs under-17 World Cup Committee Member.

This is one of the highest appointments of a Kenyan in the FIFA committees and shows how far the world body is willing to go in order to promote the growth of football in Kenya.

Another milestone made is the revival of women football which was largely ignored. He entered the national womens team under-20in the world cup qualifiers. There was also a formation of a women's national league and was sponsored by UNICEF and run in conjunction with the Ministry of Sports.

Revival of branch activities is another achievement by Nyamweyas office. The new administration has provided a conducive environment and most teams are now playing football. The branches are very active with leagues running consistently all over the country.

Football Kenya federation is e x c i t e d b y t h e e n t r y o f SuperSport as the official sponsor of the league and as a result players of the national league have showcase their talents attracting attention of big clubs and national team.

The enactment of the new constitution in line with FIFA has also been another posit ive m i l e s t o n e b y t h e n e w administration.

Harambee Stars beat Namibia to finish third in Group F World Cup qualifier

airobi,Kenya: Kenya Nended their 2014 World Cup qualifier campaign

by beating Namibia 1-0 in Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani .

The win landed Harambee Stars on the third spot of Group F World Cup qualifier with six points. Nigeria leads with 12 points, Malawi seven points while Namibia is at the bottom of the group with five points.

On 13th minute, Louis Jerome came close to levelling the score but Dancun Ochieng pulled off a save to deny him after Aboud Omar’s marking on the left gifted Willy Stephanus space to swing in a cross.

Namibia continued in their onslaught forward but they were never successful in getting the equaliser. Dennis Oliech on the opposite end wasted chances to increase the score line for the home side with one clear chance from his head going begging.

Ten minutes after kick off, Harambee Stars led the Brave Warriors by a solitary goal from David Owino in the 6th minute.

Harambee Stars pose for a photograph before a past match


clubs Ins Outs

Manchester United David Moyes (everton) Sir Alex Ferguson(retired) Guillermo Varela (Atletico Penarol) Manchester city Manue Fernandinho (Shakhtar Roberto Mancini, Kolo Toure Donetsk) Undisclosed (Liverpool) Free Jesus Navas (Sevilla) Undisclosed Wayne Bridge (Reading) Free Alvaro Negredo (Sevilla) Undisclosed Roque Santa Cruz Released Stevan Jovetic (Fiorentina) Undisclosed Carlos Tevez (Juventus) Undisclosed Pellegrini, Karim Rekik (PSV Eindhoven) Loan Jeremy Helan (Sheffield Wednesday) Undisclosed Maicon (AS Roma) Undisclosed

Chelsea Jose Mourinho Rafael Benitez, Yossi Benayoun Andre Schurrle (Bayer Leverkusen) Released Undisclosed Florent Malouda (Trabzonspor) Free Mario van Ginkel (Vitesse Arnhem) Paulo Ferreira Released Undisclosed Ross Turnbull (Doncaster Rovers) Free Mark Schwarzer (Fulham) Free Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid) Loan Marko Marin (Sevilla) Loan Oriol Romeu (Valencia) Loan

Arsenal Yaya Sanogo (Auxerre) Free Andrey Arshavin (Zenit St Petersberg) Free Francis Coquelin (Freiburg) Loan Denilson (Sao Paulo) Free Johan Djourou (Hamburg) Loan Craig Eastmond (Colchester United) Free Kyle Ebecilio (Twente) Free Vito Mannone (Sunderland) Undisclosed Sebastien Squillaci Released Sanchez Watt (Colchester United) Free Jordan Wynter (Bristol City) Free Jernade Meade (Swansea City) Free Andre Santos (Flamengo) Undisclosed Gervinho (Roma) Undisclosed

WENGER:‘WE ARE THE NEXT EPL CHAMPIONS DESPITE GIANT OUT MOVES IN ARSENAL’

By: Solomon Muingi

u r o p e a n s u m m e r Etransfer window coming to its closure it has

emerged that several clubs might engulf their best giants in the next season's squads.

Several clubs are ready to break major transfer records. Real Madrid is just a few miles from securing a long waited transfer sign from Tottenham and wells international forward Gareth Bale at £85.7million exclusive of other transfer terms that might raise it £103.4 million. This is almost £24 million higher than the £80 million transfer record

held by real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo who secured place in S a n t i a g o b e r n a b e u f r o m Manchester united in 2009.

Arsenal are in big astound of their leaving veterans and are about to break their transfer record if they shall get Liverpool superstar Luis suarez at £51 million. Arsenal have made signing suarez their main priority this summer after losing out on a bid to sign Madrid's Gozalo higuain who joined Napoli last month. The Emirates based club has already parted with Ivory coast veteran Gervinho, Andrey

Arshav in Deni l son , Johan Djourou ,Vito Mannone and Sebastien Squillaci .

E l s e w h e r e C h e l s e a manager Jose Mourinho's pursuit for Manchester United's forward Wayne Rooney shows no sign of abating with the devils insisting that the England international is not on sale. United have however failed in pursuing their ambition to sign former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona with the star insisting that he won't leave Barca.

Confirmed transfers as in 11th august 2013 for the top 4 finishers in English premier league 2013.

English premier league season starts this weekend running from 17/8/2013 via 11 may 2014.The opening games are as follows;

Saturday 17th August14:45 Liverpool v Stoke City17:00 Arsenal v Aston Villa17:00 Norwich City v Everton17:00 Sunderland v Fulham17:00 West Bromwich Albion v.Southampton17:00 West Ham United v Cardiff City19:30 Swansea City v Manchester United

Sunday 18 August15:30 Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur18:00 Chelsea v Hull City

Monday 19 August 22:00 Manchester City v Newcastle United

Here are some of the seasons tough derbies and tough games;

August 24: Man United v ChelseaOctober 26: Chelsea v Man City

MANCHESTER derby;September 21: Man City v Man UnitedMarch 1: Man United v Man City

Tough game;August 31: Liverpool v Man UnitedMarch15: Man United v LiverpoolNovember 9: Man United v ArsenalFebruary 11: Arsenal v Man United

North London derby;August 31: Arsenal v TottenhamApril 26: Liverpool v Chelsea

LIVERPOOL derby;November 23: Everton v LiverpoolJanuary 28: Liverpool v Everton

LONDON derbySeptember 28: Tottenham v ChelseaDecember 21: Arsenal v ChelseaMarch 8: Chelsea v TottenhamMarch 22: Chelsea v Arsenal.

EPL 2013/14 DRAW



SPORTS

Mr. Terry has been in a series of wrangles with his coast counterparts Mr. Mwayoyo who heads

south coast branch and north coast branch secretary Raphael Mwalungo.

TERRY BANNED AS COAST NEC MEMBERBy: Solomon Muingi,

arely one month after Bsouth coast FKF women rep Asha Pili Ramadhan

was lifted her suspension by the Football Kenya Federation, she has publicly declared that she's no longer a women rep but a men rep.

Speaking at FKF Mombasa offices, madam Asha said she would like to be referred by the new title since the title women rep promotes stereotype against women, boasting that some women have she own to be better leaders than some men

"I am no longer women rep but men rep.My record speaks for itself. I lead men."Asha said.

Asha whose suspension was lifted on June 28 2013 alongside south coast branch chair Mr. Hamisi Mwayoyo and branch secretary Evan Mwachia during the FKF AGM, expressed her

commitment in raising the standards of coast football despite the wrangle challenges that have been there in have past.

Sou th coa s t p rov ince b r a n c h c h a i r H a m i s i Mwayoyo(right)and FKF south coast women rep Asha pili during an AGM meeting in Nairobi.

T h e ve t e r a n f o o t b a l l practitioner had been suspended since 12th November 2012 following allegations from coast N E C m e m b e r H u s s e i n Te r r y ( n ow s u s p e n d e d ) o f soliciting sponsors using branch letter heads without the authority of branch officials with Hamisi Mwayoyo who was accused of inter alia,organising tournaments centrally to the NEC resolutions that tournaments be held at the end of all leagues as well as allegedly inciting other branch officials not to attend meetings

convene by Hussein Terry.H o w e v e r A s h a h o l d s

unquestionable records that places her in high profile in coast footbal.She was elected in 2011 into the south coast women rep docket in a election conducted by Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission(IEBC) and overseen by Federation of I n t e r n a t i o n a l F o o t b a l l Association(FIFA).

Asha is also the chairperson of FKF south brach leagues and competition, alongside Elizabeth Shako who vied for the the position of FKF CEO in the last election;Asha is credited with for mat ion of the defunct N a t i o n a l L a d i e s S o c c e r Institute(NSIL) which holds a record of organizing first ever ladies premier league in 2010.

ASHA PILI NO LONGER A WOMEN REP;SHE'S NOW MEN REP.By: Solomon Muingi.

suspended FKF NEC member Hussein Terry.

FKF was also copied to the coast provincial police officer Agrey Adoli, all clubs in coast province, all sub branches, coast referees and coast coaches association.

It also notifies the coast PPO that Terry Hussein is not therefore allowed to carry out football activities in the coast region.

Meanwhile south coast chair Mr. Hamisi Mwayoyo shall act as coast representative as per the AGM resolution.

Mr. Terry has been in a series of wrangles with his coast counterparts Mr. Mwayoyo who heads south coast branch and

north coast branch secretary Raphael Mwalungo.

Through a section of media early this month, Mwayoyo and R a p h a e l w e r e q u o t e d disassociating themselves with Terry who has being alleging that they are mismanaging football finance in the coast region.

The claims were however dismissed by FKF national chair Sam Nyamweya terming them as malicious.

The misapprehension has triggered attentions from other branch member heads who have now out bus ted on Ter r y misconduct.

An earlier statement signed by Peter Omwando (Nyanza South), Mureithi Nabea (Upper Eastern), Joseph Kaptash (North Rift), Michael Ouma (Nairobi), Martin Kiarie (Mt Kenya), Mwayoyo Hamisi (South coast), Sylvester Juma (North West Rift), Chief Nyaga (Lower Eastern), Anthony Makau (Southern and Dav id Bune i (South Ri f t ) demanded that Terry resigns as a Nec Member.

Another statement from the head office signed by FKF CEO Sam Nyamweya,secretary general Michael Esakwa and vice chair Robbert Asembo, Doris

petra, Angelline Elijah, Elly Mukolwe and George Waianaina stated that "Terry should resign instead of giving us a 90 day ultimatum. Terry had threatened to bring problems if left out of the Harambee Stars trip to Cosafa tournament in Zambia.”

In recent weeks, Coast National Executive Committee (NEC) member has been at the fore front to spear head a look i n t o t h e Fo o t b a l l K e n y a Federation (FKF) for what he has termed and misappropriation held on 28 June 2013.

he highly besieged coast TF K F N E C m e m b e r Hussein Terry Swalleh

h a s b e e n b a n n e d f r o m conducting any football activities i n t h e c o a s t r e g i o n w i t h immediate effect. Through a letter signed by FKF CEO Sam Nyamweya dated august 7th 2013 reads in part "This is to inform you that the above m e n t i o n e d N E C member(Hussein Terry) has been restricted from any football activities until he clears with the federation the issues he has peddled against the federation.”

The shocker letter from

South coast province branch chair Hamisi Mwayoyo(right)and FKF south coast women rep Asha pili during an AGM meeting in Nairobi.

Times of Taita Taveta is Published by: Taita Taveta Media Agencies | P. O. Box 329 - 00502, Nairobi, Kenya | Cell: 0773 326 202 / 0720 706 649

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