Wajir Community Radio raided by County Officials

The offices of Wajir Community Radio  were raided last night  by police officers and county officials led by the County Director of Press Yahya Dahiye. The radio station was taken off the air for hours, and the radio’s press and equipment damaged and its staff harassed. The county government is characterizing the incident as an evidence-gathering step since it claims “that the 9pm Governance programme was critical of Jiir government’’ the radio management has said.

 Standard newspaper reporter Boniface Ongeri, on his Facebook page says “ according to Yaha Dahiye, the Press Director, they did not switch off neither harass anyone.Yahya says the Radio community management is fabricating issues to attract public outrage. He said he was no accompanied by any police officers. He said the management must have switched off the radio for their own interest. Yahya said they only went their to request the recorded voices to launch a protest letter over unethical practices of the station”

The residents have expressed dismay at the county government's actions, pointing out that there are standard legal recourses to such media actions that should be used, rather than a police attack. Some of the residents are demanding for the resignation of the county press Director, Yahya Mohamed.
The radio has been increasingly critical of the governor, who is seen by many as losing touch with the county.

The following are some of the residents reaction on social media.       

Seri Abdow Dahiye Descendant... U were like the duale of the county gov't and now u are turning out to be a michuki

Mmari Yussuf hooligans on leadership
Abdimalik Hajir Oooh!! freedom of press on trial
Hemedi Tottenham Younizka We are doomed. Thats extreme

El-Hadji Abdinur Governer-Mkuu Failed county goverment.i must admit freedom of Media is on trial in wajir county.

Senetor Maalim Sadik the shackle of doom

Prince Afif Lucy Kibaki style?? did they slap any1?

Abdirahman Noor the evil that men do sometimes surprises the devil, so we have a Mugabe or museveni jnr in Wajir, can't they go to the courts to demand for those voice recordings rather than going there casually??

WHY THE GRAND MULLAH DIDN’T MAKE IT.

This is a postmortem of the cascade of events that led to the unbelievable outcome in the constituency of learned friends. Tom Ojienda is the JSC representative for LSK while the colorless Mutua retains his seat. 

Now let us not dwell too much on Mutua’s reelection where there was no much heat generated. I think Mutua rode on a collective amnesia by the lawyers about the chairmanship and concentrated on the JSC representative. We cannot say Ojienda won because of track record. The man participated a TJRC report that some of his colleagues declined to sign after last minute adulterations were made in favour of some powers that be. So the reasons why Ojienda won are in fact intrinsic to the Grand Mullah himself more than they are to Ojienda apart from the fact that the learned friends have come out to be a mirror image of the common man and that ethnicity and tribalism are alive in the legal fraternity. 

Our brothers from the lake who might have their second name as ‘emotions’ might have been gnawing their teeth since Baba lost the petition. The Grand Mullah tore into the petition by Cord with so much zeal that he coined new terms for Wikipedia. That might have bitten him back and obviously Ojienda will gain these votes by default. Similarly the Grand Mullah tore into URP and the ‘pastrolists brethren' after the aborted tribunal that was just constituted to fry him on his own fat. He does not have so much fat in his body which makes it more painful and fulfilling for his enemies. His constant referral to Kanu lawyers might have been taken literally by all including Nick Salat and added to the backlash from the Rift. 

Definitely the Grand Mullah was the right man for the job. Even those who voted against him know that back in their conscious. Some might have been brushed in the wrong by the abrasive nature of the senior counsel but that should be strength rather than a weakness! 

Finally the Grand Mullah has become a victim of the famous ‘use-and-dump’ politics of the people from central Kenya. The president not only appointed a tribunal but also hand-picked individuals who were tailored to skin the Grand Mullah. There were also some reports of the Government fronting a candidate in the LSK elections. The journey of the executive to reclaim control of the judiciary has just begun. The CJ is next. The spineless Kalpana rawal will be our next CJ.

Mandera Governor awards 400 million shilling contract to brother in-law

A section of Mandera County  businessmen have boycotted the tendering process for the construction of the Governor’s residence after it emerged that the  project was given to the Governor’s brother in law, a businessman based in Mombasa without following the due process.

The businessmen allege that the brother-in-law did the feasibility study, designed the house, determined the cost and later given the tender, hence the possibility of inflating the costs. The county government has advertised the construction of the governor’s residence three days ago and the tenders are yet to be submitted.

In a 3-page advert appearing on the Daily Nation of 3^rd Feb 2014, the county government has tendered for various projects including the governor’s residency. There is a growing fear that well-connected public officers and the GCOE will use their positions to award contracts to their relatives and close associates, or those with the financial muscle to grease palms.

Mid last year, the county government has tendered for the construction of an international airport, a white elephant project that was suspended after it emerged that it was to be a cash cow of the GCOE and the governor.

Wajir Court sentences three to over 100 years

Via the Daily Nation

By Shekhey Ahmed Shekheyahmed@gmail.com

A man was Tuesday jailed for a record 100 years for defiling a 10-year-old girl.

Abdub Kalicha defiled the minor on a farm in Wajir West District.

Two other men, Mahat M. Olow and Omar Abdi, will serve 50 years and 20 years respectively for rape.

Testifying in court, the victim’s mother narrated how Kalicha, afarmhand, threatened to kill her daughter if she reported the matter.

“I noticed a sudden change in my daughter’s behaviour, the witness said. “She was withdrawn, moody and appeared depressed. I felt there was something wrong with her.”

She told the court that that it was only after she caned the girl several times that she agreed to reveal the ordeal that the farmhand had subjected her to.

The court also heard that Olow, 38, defiled a 15-year-old girl in Lagboqol Division, Wajir South District, on July 21 last year. The minor was in the company of her younger sister looking after their animals when she was attacked.

The same court was told that 42-year-old Abdi from Jogoo village in Wajir West District attempted to defile his 15-year-old step-daughter, subjecting her to indecent acts.

The incident led to his separation with his wife.

Wajir magistrate Linus Kasan said the sentences would serve as a deterrent to those who may contemplate defiling helpless minors.

According to Mr Kasan, 34 cases of rape and defilement had been brought to his attention but the court handed down sentences in only four.

The other 30 cases, he said, had witness problems and were facing interference by elders who wanted to resolve the cases through the traditional system.

Nominated county representative Fatuma Yussuf welcomed the court’s verdict. She said this would go a long way in reducing cases of rape and defilement in Wajir. “There are crimes that can be solved through the traditional Maslah system but rape is not one of them,” she said.

Billow Kerrow: Senate will nullify all County Finance bills

The Chairman of the Senate’s Finance, Commerce and Economic Affairs Committee, Billow Kerrow lashed out at the Commission for Revenue Allocatio (CRA) for defending counties for approving unconstitutional laws.

While addressing journalists, the Mandera County Senator trashed CRA’s explanation as ‘’wholly unfounded and baseless’’. The Senator confirmed that counties had 33 billion shillings in their accounts at Central Bank of Kenya. ‘’At no time did Treasury or Controller of Budgets delay transfer to counties’’ said Kerrow.

The Chairman maintained that the taxation laws passed by the counties are ‘’unconstitutional’’ since they did not comply with the provision of article 209 of the constitution. The senate has adopted Kerrow’s led committee report which proposes the outlawing of finance bills adopted by the 47 county assemblies, blamed for the new taxes that have sparked protests in various part of the country.

Billow kerrow promised to formally nullify all County Finance bills when the senate resumes.