Tag: POLITICS

Kalonzo poised for National Assembly Speaker position as the battle between Azimio and Kenya Kwanza shifts to control of top seats in Parliament.

Following the announcement of the presidential results, the battle now shifts to the National Assembly and Senate, where the competition for the Speakership and other senior positions has already heated up.

The highly sought-after positions of Speaker of both Houses, Majority and Minority Leaders, and a number of parliamentary committee chairs are up for election.

As reported by the Standard nation, Wiper Party leader Kalonzo is poised for National Assembly Speaker position if Azimio MPs have their way in voting. 

It is said during a meeting of Azimio elected MPs at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Kalonzo’s name featured prominently for the position. 

Kalonzo Musyoka had been promised the position of Chief Cabinet Secretary in what would have been the Azimio government. 

In the National Assembly, the Azimio coalition holds a slight majority with 162 seats while Kenya Kwanza has 159 seats. 

In the Senate, Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza coalition got 24 seats while Azimio got 23.

However, of the 12 seats already occupied by the independent MPs, 10 of the MPs have already thrown their weight behind Ruto’s coalition Kenya Kwanza.

The National Assembly has a total membership of 349, out of which 12 are slots for nominated MPs based on respective party strengths in the House.

Azimio had proposed that Marende, who dropped out of the Vihiga Senate seat race, would take over as Senate Speaker but the coalition party had left open the National Assembly Speaker slot.

Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi said that no name had been proposed for National Assembly Speaker during the pre-election agreement, but Kalonzo had featured prominently in the last few days.

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US delegation scheduled to hold talks with President Uhuru Kenyatta, President-Elect William Ruto, and Azimio leader Raila Odinga.

In anticipation for a high-level meeting with exiting president Uhuru Kenyatta, president-elect William Ruto, and Azimio leader Raila Odinga, a delegation from the United States landed in Kenya on Thursday morning, August 18.

The delegation is headed by US Senator from Delaware, Chris Coons, according to a statement by Meg Whitman, the US ambassador to Kenya.

The delegation will also meet with powerful NGOs’ leaders, medical professionals, and environmentalists.

“The Senator Chris Coons-led delegation will meet with conservationists, health providers, and organizations working to empower girls.

The US delegation is also scheduled to hold talks with President Kenyatta, William Ruto, and Raila Odinga to discuss shared goals- health, security, and economic prosperity,” Whitman stated. 

The US ambassador affirmed that the delegation is on a five-country Africa visit after tours in South Africa, DR Congo, and South Africa. 

The arrival of the US politicians comes as Whitman lauded the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for conducting a peaceful election. 

In a statement, she noted that IEBC’s declaration of president-elect William Ruto was an important milestone in the electoral process.

“We applaud the efforts of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, security forces, and all electoral institutions to organize peaceful and orderly voting and counting process.”

“Under the leadership of Chair Wafula Chebukati, IEBC declared William Ruto the winner of the presidential election. This is an important milestone in the electoral process,” the statement read in part.

The envoy pleaded with both leaders to find a peaceful way out of the impasse that has seen the Raila-led coalition contest the outcome of the presidential election.

“Going forward, we urge all parties to work together to peacefully resolve any remaining concerns about this election through existing dispute resolution mechanisms. 

“We ask all political party leaders to continue to urge their supporters to remain peaceful and refrain from violence during the electoral process,” Whitman stated. 

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Raila chaired Azimio meeting on Wednesday with the coalition members approving the decision by its leadership to challenge presidential results at the Supreme Court

Journalists were asked to leave the Kenyatta International Convention Center (KICC) where the Azimio coalition was hosting a gathering of all elected leaders.

All recording devices, including phones, were prohibited from the auditorium during the meeting, which was presided over by Raila Odinga.

“Thank you the members of the fourth estate. Now you are ordered to leave the room,” announced the event coordinator.

During the Azimio Coalition members approved the decision by its leadership to challenge presidential results at the Supreme Court.

And addressing the media after the meeting, Raila Odinga on Wednesday said the leaders had been briefed on the matter and subsequently approved the move.

“Today we held a familiarisation meeting with our elected leaders drawn from across the country and talked about the way forward.

“We’ve given them a brief as regards the presidential election and they have approved [it],” Raila said.

On his part, Kalonzo Musyoka, the designated Chief Minister in the would-be Azimio administration said their resolve to attain the country’s leadership remained unwavering.

“Unfortunately this has happened because of what happened at Bomas of Kenya. The legal process continues, the political process also continues,” he said.

Raila’s running mate Martha Karua said their victory at the August 9 polls was just deferred but was still on course.

“Ours is victory deferred but it’s coming home and that’s the message to everyone as we explore legal and constitutional avenues,” Karua said.

The meeting comes after on Tuesday, August 16, Raila Odinga rejected the results of the presidential election terming them as erroneous, adding that they ought to be nullified.

He added that Azimio will explore all the legal options to annul president-elect William Ruto’s win.

“Our view in Azimio is clear, the figures by Wafula Chebukati are null and void and must be quashed by a court of law. In our view, there is neither a legally and validly declared winner nor a president-elect.

Also read,

EU backs Raila’s plan on presidential results verdict

Ruto to amend parliament standing orders as ANC nominates Mudavadi for the top job

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Ruto to amend parliament standing orders for the Cabinet Secretaries to be answerable to the National Assembly.

Deputy President William Ruto has revealed that his administration is going to amend parliament Standing Orders for the Cabinet Secretaries to be accountable.

Speaking on Wednesday, August 17, at his Karen home in a meeting of leaders under the Kenya Kwanza coalition Ruto said the move will enable Cabinet Secretaries to answer questions in the National Assembly in order for them to be accountable.

“We are going to amend Standing Orders to make it possible for Cabinet Secretaries to answer questions on the floor of Parliament. It is not enough for them to go to parliamentary committees,” president-elect Ruto stated.

He also emphasized that civil servants will not be used or partake in conducting business for politicians and cautioned that the public servants have a lot to deliver.

“Political business will be carried out by political actors. Political parties must organize themselves, members of the provincial administration and public servants will not be available to carry out political work for any political party.”

“This is the only way to govern. We want them to remain independent and work for all Kenyans in spite of their affiliations. They should serve Kenyans equally.”

He challenged elected leaders under the Kenya Kwanza alliance to get down to business and deliver on the manifestos they had promised Kenyans during the campaign period.

“As we celebrate this moment, we must also ensure we deliver on our promises and commitments. The expectations of people are huge and we don’t have time to waste. We need all hands on deck. After going through all the processes, we will soon settle on working,” he stated.

ANC Nominates Mudavadi 

Meanwhile, the Amani National Congress (ANC) party has nominated its leader, Musalia Mudavadi, for the position of Prime Cabinet Secretary in Ruto’s government.

According to a statement dated Wednesday, August 17, the party stated that the decision was reached unanimously during a council meeting that was called by ANC’s Secretary General, Simon Gikuru.

“The Amani National Congress has nominated its party leader, Hon Musalia Mudavadi, for the appointment as the Prime Cabinet Secretary.

“In a special meeting by the party’s Council Bureau held Wednesday, the council unanimously nominated Hon Musalia Mudavadi for the position.”

The Kenya Kwanza faction under Ruto stated that it would create a Prime Cabinet Secretary position through an Executive Order.

This is in line with the agreement signed between Ruto, Ford Kenya’s Moses Masika Wetangula, and Mudavadi.

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President-elect William Ruto promises freedom of expression on social media saying there will be no more tapping or spying.

William Ruto, the incoming president of Kenya, has guaranteed the public that security agents won’t be deployed to monitor people’s communications or access their social media accounts.

On Wednesday, August 17, Ruto said in a speech at his Karen home that his administration will neither coerce or blackmail Kenyans based on their political allegiance.

He added advised Kenyans to feel free to communicate openly and freely with one another without worrying about being silenced or victimized because of their beliefs or ideology.

“Every Kenyan can go back to their phones and use their normal phones because blackmail, intimidation, and threats have come to a stop. Everyone can speak to anyone and nobody is going to victimize them. We live in a democratic country and that is how it should be,” Ruto stated.

“I want to promise that our administration will have nothing to do with the blackmail we have to see and the fear that has been sold around the country that you can’t talk to this or that person because of your political affiliations.”

President-elect William Ruto was speaking to the first caucus of leaders elected to serve at the Senate, the National Assembly, and all elected Governors under the Kenya Kwanza Alliance in the just concluded General Election.

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Heads of missions and Ambassadors in Kenya issue joint statement on presidential results announced by the IEBC.

Heads of missions in Kenya have issued a joint statement following the announcement of the results of the Presidential election that declared William Ruto as the president-elect of Kenya.

The joint statement issued by the embassies and high commissions of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and The UK, thanked Kenyans for maintaining peace during the election period.

‘We commend the people of Kenya for the peace and calm displayed on Election Day, the IEBC’s organization of the elections, and the positive roles played by civil society, religious and business leaders, and the security sector. Kenya has set an example to the region and continent as a whole. We call upon all actors to uphold the spirit of peace in the coming weeks.” 

Heads of missions and Ambassadors also urged all the aggrieved parties disputing the results to follow legal channels for dispute resolution.

“We encourage all political parties and leaders to follow all existing mechanisms for dispute resolution, as laid out by the Constitution of Kenya.”

On August 15, the Chair of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) announced the results of Kenya’s Presidential election.

In the results, Chebukati declared Kenya Kwanza Alliance’s William Ruto as the president-elect after garnering 7,176,141 votes representing 50.49% of the tallied votes. 

Raila came in second with 6,942,930 votes representing 48% of the total votes tallied. 

However, on Tuesday, August 16, Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party presidential candidate Raila Odinga disputed the presidential election results announced by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chair Wafula Chebukati. 

Raila said the results released by the IEBC chairman were illegitimate and unenforceable, highlighting the fact that Wafula Chebukati’s declaration of Ruto as the victor was unlawful because 4 of the 7 commissioners did not concur with the results.

“Our view in Azimio is clear, the figures by Wafula Chebukati are null and void and must be quashed by a court of law. In our view, there is neither a legally and validly declared winner nor a president-elect,” Raila lamented.

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Control of National Assembly is taking shape with 10 independent MPs-elects said to now joined Ruto’s coalition, Kenya Kwanza.

The battle for the control of the national assembly is taking course with Raila Odinga’s Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition leading in the National Assembly and Deputy President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza Alliance ahead in the Senate.

In the National Assembly, the Azimio coalition holds a slight majority with 162 seats while Kenya Kwanza has 159 seats. 

In the Senate, Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza coalition got 24 seats while Azimio got 23.

However, with the 12 seats already occupied by the independent MPs, the control of the national assembly may tilt in whichever coalition the MPs throw their weight.

The MPs elected as independents are Rahim Dawood (Imenti North), Ronald Karauri (Kasarani), Elijah Njoroge (Gatundu North), Shakeel Shabbir (Kisumu East), Timothy Toroitich (Marakwet West), Joshua Mwalyo (Masinga), Nebert Muriuki (Mbeere South), Geoffrey Mulanya (Nambale) and Kitilai Ntutu (Narok South). 

On the Woman Rep front, those elected as independents are Migori’s Fatuma Mohamed, Caroline Ngelechei (Elgeyo-Marakwet), and Monica Muthoni (Lamu).

Karauri and Ms. Mohamed had affiliated with Azimio before the polls, while Mr. Toroitich, Mr. Ntutu, and Ms. Ngelechei had backed Kenya Kwanza. 

And now, ten independent MPs-elects have joined the Kenya Kwanza alliance after meeting with president-elect William Samoei Ruto.

Njoroge Kururia of Gatundu North, Ekesa Mulanya of Nambale, and Nebart Muriuki of Mbere South joined Kenya Kwanza in a move that was seen as the coalition’s plan to consolidate more numbers in the National Assembly.

Gatundu’s Njoroge Kururia met Ruto and deputy president-elect, Rigathi Gachagua, on Tuesday, August 16.

The president-elect also met the Mbeere South MP-elect, Nebart Muriuki, who confirmed via social media that he had joined Kenya Kwanza.

UDA Secretary General, Veronica Maina, in a notice, stated that the inaugural caucus scheduled to start at 9 am would include elected governors, senators, MPs, and Women representatives elected under Kenya Kwanza. 

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Do four IEBC commissioners disowning Presidential results affect Ruto’s win

Four IEBC commissioners disown presidential results

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IEBC returning officer Daniel Musyoka for Embakasi East constituency was murdered for refusing a bribe, his family has said.

The family of murdered IEBC returning officer Daniel Musyoka has now claimed that their kin could have been killed for refusing to take a bribe.

Musyoka’s sister Ann Mbolu and brother-in-law Jackson Muimi told a local daily that their relative was a God-fearing guy who might have refused a bribe from his assailants.

“We know who Daniel (Musyoka) is, he cannot be compromised by anyone. I suspect that someone must have attempted to bribe him to change the numbers in the just-concluded election, and he refused,” said Muimi.

According to the two, the slain Embakasi East constituency returning officer was a good man who had no enemies.

Despite Musyoka being younger than her, Mbolu claimed that he was also the family’s head and provider.

“He is the most honest person we have in the family. I am married in Machakos and Musyoka was also able to provide for my husband and me whenever we were in need… He had no enemies, everywhere,” she said.

“We are just praying to God to guide the family he has left behind. He was the only breadwinner in the entire family.”

Musyoka went missing on August 11 from the East African School of Aviation tallying centre. He is believed to have disappeared at 9: 45 am.

He was later found dead on Monday in Kajiado after his body was found dumped about 2km outside Loitoktok town.

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EU backs Raila’s plan to challenge presidential results announced by the IEBC at the Supreme Court to make a determination.

The European Union (EU) has commented on Raila Odinga’s choice to contest the results of the voting on Tuesday, August 9.

The EU maintains that the disagreement over the presidential election should be resolved peacefully and lawfully by following the proper procedures. 

The union added that all disagreements or issues relating to elections must be handled in accordance with the law.

“The EU takes note of the results by the IEBC declaring William Ruto winner of the election and the decision to appeal by Raila Odinga,” read the EU statement in part.

The union did, however, applaud Kenyans for maintaining their calm and peace during the campaign. 

Political leaders were asked to steer the nation to maintain peace throughout the transition.

“All political and societal leaders must avoid any violence and call for calm. It is time for political leadership and responsibility from all those linked to the electoral process,” added the statement.

After William Ruto was declared the winner of the election for president on Monday, August 15, the Azimio La Umoja flagbearer declared on Tuesday, August 16, at KICC, that he will file a lawsuit.

Raila went on to say that the results released by the IEBC chairman were illegitimate and unenforceable, highlighting the fact that Wafula Chebukati’s declaration of Ruto as the victor was unlawful because 4 of the 7 commissioners did not concur with the results.

“Our view in Azimio is clear, the figures by Wafula Chebukati are null and void and must be quashed by a court of law. In our view, there is neither a legally and validly declared winner nor a president-elect,” Raila lamented.

Also read,

There’s no president-elect, Raila says as rejects August presidential results

IEBC Vice Chair Juliana Cherera reveals why they disowned presidential results

Do four IEBC commissioners disowning Presidential results affect Ruto’s win

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Atwoli denies resignation claims after Deputy President William Ruto was declared the president-elect of Kenya.

Following allegations that surfaced on Tuesday, August 16, the Secretary General of the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU), Francis Atwoli, denied that he was resigning.

In a statement on Wednesday, August 17, Atwoli criticized Dennis Itumbi, a digital strategist and supporter of president-elect William Ruto, for falsely saying that he was about to resign.

Itumbi had claimed that Atwoli had decided to resign from the trade union following Ruto’s win in the just concluded August 9 polls.

“Hustler Nation Intelligence Bureau (HNIB) agents are reporting that COTU Secretary General, Francis Atwoli, has finally decided to take a backseat. However, he is trying to force a successor.

“The labour movement is, however, resisting his decision. Atwoli has called an emergency meeting of the labour movement tomorrow,” Itumbi claimed.

However, Francis Atwoli denied resignations clarifying that the meeting he had convened today (August, 17) was to prepare for the burial of one of COTU members and not to prepare for his exit.

“This is a sad moment for us following the death of Bro. Isiah Kubai who was the GS of BIFU. We have called for a meeting to conduct a fundraiser in preparation for the burial on Friday in Meru. Because you (Itumbi) come from those sides you should join us instead of peddling lies.

Atwoli however revealed that he was serving his last term.

“Further, matters COTU (K) leadership is a COTU (K) constitutional issue and not an Atwoli issue. As of now, I am in office serving my last term,” Atwoli stated.

Atwoli has been a vocal critic of Ruto and had claimed that the DP would not become president in 2022.

His support for Azimio also saw him come after sharp criticism as the Kenya Kwanza teams alleged that he was unlawfully using his position to influence voters to support Raila.

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