Wathika’s poll case to be decided

The fate of Mr Dick Wathika as Makadara MP will be known on Friday.

In a judgment to be delivered on Friday morning by Lady Justice Kalpana Rawal, Mr Wathika will know whether he will continue to represent the residents of Makadara in the 10th Parliament.

Mr Wathika's election was challenged by former MP Reuben Ndolo, who cited numerous irregularities in the 2007 polls.

Mr Ndolo had asked the judge to nullify the election, claiming that officials of the defunct Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) colluded to rig the polls by orchestrating his arrest on December 28, 2007.

However,

KQ should heed Douala report note on pairing

Concerns over the young age and apparent inexperience of the first officer on KQ Flight 507 has always been part of the discussion of the 2007 crash in Douala, Cameroon. But if the report released on Wednesday is anything to go on, we must add to that his pairing with a pilot who allegedly had "performance deficiencies" going back five years before the crash. The interaction between the two seems to have played as important a role as their training and experience.

The report says the pilot and his first officer both made critical errors.

The former did not

Nakuru’s Afraha Stadium left in tatters

By Ben Ahenda

Nakuru's Afraha Stadium, a multi-purpose facility, is mostly used for football matches. It is the home of Ulinzi Stars and Red Berets in the Kenyan Premier League.

The stadium is an 8,200-seater and was opened in 1948. It is two kilometres from the famous Lake Nakuru National Park.

Even though it is a football stadium, it became famous for hosting many political meetings including the Gema-fronted change the constitution campaigns in 1970s.

Steeplechase zone

The former ruling party Kanu also held many prominent meetings here during the Moi era.

The state of the stadium, formerly known as African Sports Stadium in pre-colonial Kenya, is now deplorable and pathetic, to say the least.

The stadium has survived many previous attempts by politicians

Bring extra-judicial police action to an end

Human rights activists, police critics and others continue to face illegal detention and torture at the hands of security forces. Just five days ago, a prominent member of Release Political Prisoners was arrested by plain-clothes officers in Nairobi and held in custody on no charge to be tortured for reasons that remain unknown. It was only an outcry from fellow activists that led to the man's release.

This is the sort of activity decried in the report by United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings and Summary Executions, Philip Alston.

Whenever these incidents are reported, denials and assurances of

New KCC flouts procedures in recruitment of new boss

BY JOHN NJIRAINI AND LUKE ANAMI

Troubled milk processor New KCC is yet again on the spot after the board flouted procedures in the recruitment of a new boss.

According to confidential letters in our possession, the New KCC board contracted consulting firm Deloitte to carry out an independent hiring of the new managing director, but went ahead to influence the process. The board is said to have changed the terms of reference midway by asking Deloitte to interview and present to it six successful candidates for the final interview.

The letter, dated March 5 and signed by New KCC

Equity pre-tax profit rises

By James Anyanzwa

The Equity Bank Group has announced a 43 per cent growth in pre-tax profits for the first quarter of this year.

The bank's profit before tax rose to Sh1.7 billion from Sh1.2 billion in a similar period last year.

James Mwangi, the bank's chief executive, attributed the impressive performance to prudent risk management practices, improving macroeconomic environment and improved management efficiencies

"The bank makes its money from household incomes, this means growth or optimism in the economy is important to our customers," Dr Mwangi told an investor briefing at the bank's headquarters in Nairobi on Friday.

"Equally,

Eveready profits rise as counterfeits lower revenue

By Karanja Njoroge

Eveready Batteries registered a 58 per cent increase in profit after tax compared to a corresponding period last year.

The firm's Managing Director Steven Smith, however, said there was a decline in the firm's revenue by seven per cent in response to the difficult trading environment.

Addressing shareholders during the company's Annual General Meeting in Nakuru, Mr Smith said the success was due to progress in controlling the cost of operations.

"Gross margin improved by three per cent compared to the last year as the benefits of the company realignment programme have started to bear result,"

Elders need to champion new values

Wars and elections are both too big and too small to matter in the long run, says American novelist Barbara Kingsolver. It is the daily work that goes on and adds up. A good deal of soul-searching and recrimination has gone on in the last two years over the 2007 General Election and the orgy of violence that followed it.

While these events rightly focus our attention on changes we need, Kenyans should not forget that these will not come in an event or two, but through a daily push for many small changes.

Milestones such as the passing of a new constitution, the delivery of justice for victims of past injustices or electoral violence or peaceful transitions of power will stand out along this journey. But, for the most part, we should seek smaller,

Elders need to champion new values

Wars and elections are both too big and too small to matter in the long run, says American novelist Barbara Kingsolver. It is the daily work that goes on and adds up. A good deal of soul-searching and recrimination has gone on in the last two years over the 2007 General Election and the orgy of violence that followed it.

While these events rightly focus our attention on changes we need, Kenyans should not forget that these will not come in an event or two, but through a daily push for many small changes.

Milestones such as the passing of a new constitution, the delivery of justice for victims of past injustices or electoral violence or peaceful transitions of power will stand out along this journey. But, for the most part, we should seek smaller,

War on drugs cannot be an empty charade

Prosecutions for offences involving drugs leave a lot to be desired. Two street-boys found on Kirinyaga Road, Nairobi, rolling up bhang joints and carrying less than one kilo of weed face charges of trafficking. Couriers caught at airport security with several kilos of heroin or other 'Class A' narcotics, as clear a case of trafficking as you can get, end up in court charged with a lesser crime: Possession.

The boys are promptly slapped with a fine of more than a hundred times the value of the drugs (sentencing guidelines call for a fine of three-times the value). On

Kirui and Chepkwony stun athletes in Kericho

By Peter Mutai

Sammy Kirui beat a field of more than 500 athletes to win the 21km race in the Tea Run Cross Country at the weekend in Kericho Town.

Kirui won the race after clocking 1:05:15 to pocket a top prize of Sh250,000. The event, which was sponsored by the Tea Board of Kenya, aimed at promoting tea consumption locally.

Kirui was closely followed by Shadrack Kemboi in a time of 1:09:25 seconds, while the third position went to Kirui Chesan who completed the hotly contest race in 1:12:43.

Kemboi carried home Sh100,000, while Chesan got Sh50,000. The race

Kenya rated highly in marine hygiene

By peter orengo

Kenya has recorded significant drop in the level of marine pollution according to the latest Marine Debris Index by Ocean Conservancy.

Kenya, one of the seven African countries covered in the report with more than 3,600 items collected at its coastline, had improved significantly since 2008, when 91,000 pieces of debris were collected. This represents a 2,400 per cent reduction.

South Africa recorded the highest number of debris, followed by Egypt. Other African countries investigated include Tanzania, Ghana, Togo, and Namibia.

Syringes, condoms, food wrappers, clothing, shoes, plastic and glass bottles are just some

Could these be the best and worst Cabinet performers?

By Oscar Obonyo

Indefatigable Environment and Mineral Resources Minister John Michuki leads the pack of the best performing ministers over the last two years.

While ranking of performance of the Grand Coalition Government's bloated Cabinet of 41 remains arguable, there is no denying the Septuagenarian is a proven hard worker.

The Kangema MP, who has led Cabinet colleagues in performance index in at least two national surveys, received an award from United Nations Environmental Programme (Unep) for his contributions to cleaning the Nairobi River basin last year.

To many, Michuki seems to have the proverbial Midas touch. As Transport Minister in

State seeks space at new business park

By Fredrick Obura

The Government plans to lease the newly constructed multi-billion Sameer Industrial Park along Mombasa Road for the growth of ICT.

It is expected that Business Processing and Outsourcing companies will also seek to be housed in the same facility.

Speaking during the firm's 41st annual general meeting on Friday Naushad Merali, the Sameer Africa chairman said the company would consider the Government's offer first against other bidders.

He said the management's decision was informed by the role the BPO sector would play in boosting Kenya's economy.

"We are discussing modalities with the Government and once the facility

World Bank tells State to speed up road project

By John Oyuke

World Bank has asked the Government to speed up remaining contracts on the Northern Corridor transport system through prompt counterpart funding.

The contracts include Sultan Hamud-Machakos Turnoff, Njoro Turnoff-Timboroa, Mau Summit-Kericho and Kericho-Nyamasaria road sections.

Acting Head of Kenya Office, Ragini Dalal disclosed that since June 2004, the Bank has invested Sh35.42 billion or half of the estimated $920 million for the Northern Corridor Transport Improvement Project. This project involves rehabilitation of the Northern Corridor transport system from Mombasa through Nairobi and Nakuru to Kisumu and the Kenya-Uganda border.

It also includes contracts for expansion of

Credit reference bureaus to help cut interest rates

By Morris Aron

Interest rates are expected to fall and loan terms become more flexible to individuals with a good credit history come July when the first credit reference bureau becomes operational.

Economists and credit experts say that a reduction for those with a favorable credit history should be the natural result of having a consumer credit sharing database, that enables financial institutions assess client creditworthiness.

The prediction follows the recent licensing of the first credit reference bureau in Kenya — Credit Reference Bureau-Africa (CRB-A) — by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) with two other credit reference bureaus, South