Kenya: United Nations experts urge government and business to uphold human rights (11.07.2018)

During the visit, the experts met representatives of Government, business, and civil society to discuss opportunities and Challenges.

GENEVA, Switzerland, July 11, 2018 – The United Nations Working Group on business and human rights is urging the authorities in Kenya to turn ideals set out in the 2010 national constitution into action that ensures businesses respect human rights.

“Kenya has the advantage of a solid legal framework for action, and the Government must first of all step up efforts to ‘walk the talk’ to translate existing legislation into practice,” said Anita Ramasastry, chairperson of the Working Group.

During the visit, the experts met representatives of Government, business, and civil society to discuss opportunities and challenges presented by the State’s commitment to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

“We have been appalled to hear about the harsh working conditions of plantation workers, often paid below the minimum wage, and to witness the hardship and devastation caused by a preventable dam breach in Solai, Nakuru. We have also been very concerned by lead contamination in the Owino Uhuro settlement in Mombasa,” said Michael K. Addo, the other member of the visiting expert group.

“In all of these instances, it is the poorest and most vulnerable members of society who are most exposed and affected,” he added.

In a statement at the end of their 10-day visit, the experts noted that the challenges ahead would require concrete action by both national and county governments, including steps to ensure meaningful consultation and transparency in the assessment of environmental and social impacts of business projects.

The experts also encouraged the government to move forward with regulations relating to registration of community land and other efforts to provide clarity on land rights and certainty for communities and the private sector.

“We welcome the commitment of the Government to develop a National Action Plan (NAP) on Business and Human Rights to address gaps and shortcomings in current practice, and we hope that our preliminary observations will help this process,” Ms Ramasastry concluded.

The Working Group’s final report, including findings and key recommendations, will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2019

Kenya: Press Statement – Madaraka Express Negative Media Coverage (11.07.2018)

DP Ruto is a lot of smoke, but no fire!

DP Ruto: “The president and I have said that we will do our part in the fight on corruption. We have allocated resources to the agencies and added more people to these agencies” #DPRutoOnNTV” (NTV Kenya, 08.07.2018).

This here will be a short one. The Jubilee Government is all PR and no flair, they continue to borrow, become more and more colonized by the Chinese because of that. The Jubilee continues to steal land, state businesses and misuse funds, but nothing happens of significant change. The growth in Corruption is so steady, that its just tragic. That all the growing loans are killing the state, little by little.

Therefore, the speeches and ceremonies, the opening of commissions is more a flash in darkness, than significant change, as the state and the high-ranking officials walks away with wealth. They do so because of their allegiance to the state party. Even Orange Democratic Movement isn’t real opposition, as they are compromised by the agreement made by Raila Odinga, who is now a Senior Official representing Kenya, even in India.

That is why the words of William Ruto is pointless, the sugar-scandals, the biggest elephant of all – the Standard Gauge Railway project, the NYS Scandals and so many others, it isn’t funny. Their trickling down tear-drops, that turns into the ocean of despair. It is tragic how the funds are misused, how the state lack of governance and the oversight are taking for ride, while the elites, the ones connected to the party are all finding ways to eat on the government pay. They are just toying around with people’s future and day-to-day. They are mocking the state, taking land, taking tenders and misusing the trust of the people.

The circle of theft is happening again, and again, as the world keeps turning. That DP Ruto are saying these nice words on TV. Like he really fight it, the man, the hustle, the one who owns media houses, a village and different houses on various plots, different companies and even helicopters, the man on a decent paycheck, but not in the league of this. The man that donates nearly every weekend millions to good projects as he talks beautifully in churches. Clearly, the man has vast wealth created by meager millions, where he owns billions upon billions.

That is why he is all talk and no action. Which is understandable, as he will himself need to show his sudden progression and richness that he made out of nothing.

DP Ruto, do yourself and show the reality, not the fantasy, you might be saying the right words in some sense. But we know what is behind the facade. Peace.

Jubilee: Press Release – “No Party Parliamentary Group Meeting tomorrow” (02.07.2018)

Kenya Regulatory Commission: Addendum to the Maximum Retail Petroleum Pump Prices Released on 30th June 2018 (30.06.2018)

Kenya Press Statement on the Ongoing Crackdown on Contraband Goods (22.06.2018)

A spiteful chant: Where did humanity go?

Where did humanity go in our time? When did we cease to care about other people’s struggle and their causes? When did that cease to matter? Because in our time, the rich and wealthy are securing more and more resources, while the poor is having no ways to get out of it. The states are closing their borders, stricter rules for refugees and asylum-seekers. While in dictatorships, the harassments and the internally displaced numbers are rising. The rich countries are investing in warfare, but not taking charge for the fleeing refugees from the crisis. They are trying to pay the states in regions and close the borders in migration routes. There is no heart, just cash-money. The heart has left, and the ignorance is rising.

The deaths of civil wars, the displacements of draconian laws and of dictators doesn’t matter. The lack of dialogue and of political freedoms, that doesn’t matter either. The lack of compassion and of political will change is also okay. As long as the troubles from afar doesn’t touch us. However, we will seal of the borders and make sure the innocent victims of internal disputes and skirmishes hopefully can cross the border to the closest country and not seek refugees in Europe or in the United States. Because, we cannot mange to show some humanity and heart.

The blood in your veins should boil, but for most. We don’t give a damn, they don’t give a fig. If their villages are burned to the ground by the military. If the Police is detaining people without any justification. If the state is securing the demise and death on fake imports. All of that doesn’t matter, as long as it doesn’t happen where we are.

This is the despicable. This is the reality. Our time, our reality, what our representatives put forward and make sure to build big invisible walls and mechanisms to close borders. To make it less achievable and costly to cross. Even more dangerous, as the perils of death and destruction at home isn’t better. But to leave can also cost your life, either by crook or by the book. Secondly, there will be nobody to even care to look.

This should be disgusting. Knowing that people are dying fleeing civil-wars and dictatorship, than when they are entering our safe havens; there is no one caring for their ills and troubles. They will just shrug it off like dirt on their shoulders and move on. There is lack of solidarity and heart. I hope in my time, that the Republic’s and Nation’s that close their borders never start warfare with themselves. As the ones who saw what we did. Might also give us no helping hand. They might say, we saw what your parents did to us. Why should we save the kids to such despicable people? Why do you deserve safe haven, when you couldn’t help our kind in need?

That is what I worry about, because we never know when the tide change, when society start to deteriorate or self-destruct. That is within us and we never know. We could be next, right now it is our brothers from afar, next time it could our closest neighbor or even ourselves. Than, they will remember our cold hearts and lack of compassion in the times of need. Peace.

Kenya Police Service: Security Situation in Boni Enclave Area (11.06.2018)

Under the Jubilee: The Corruption has grown with 240%!

If you ever wondered why I am never shocked by bribes, graft or grand corruption scandals in Kenya. That is because that is Modus Operandi of the Jubilee government. It is their bread and butter, it is the beer for the alcoholics. Nothing of that is shocking, it is expected. That the State Enterprises, the National Budgets and the other parts of government is used by the civil servants, the appointed leadership and the cabinet itself to enrich themselves. That is done instead of delivering services and government policies to the public. This is thieving and stealing from the public and what they are supposed to get from the government.

Here is the key part of the article in quote, where the stat comes from:

Interior PS Karanja Kibicho has admitted in a sworn affidavit that corruption in Kenya has grown by a massive 240 per cent over the past five years. In the affidavit dated June 8, the PS listed a number of corruption cases that cost tax payers billions of shillings as a result of flawed procurement processes alone since the Jubilee administration took office in 2013.The affidavit is in response to a decision by the Employment and Labour Relations court to set aside government’s decision to suspend all heads of procurement and accounting units in ministries, departments, agencies and state corporations” (Wanjala, 2018).

The number Kibicho is witnessing to the Court is worrying that means that it has more than doubled, it is nearly 2,5 times higher than in 2013. If that isn’t a horrific escalation of misuse, maladministration and of corrupt behavior. Then nothing is and this is really, really making things worse. It is systemic and epidemic. The Jubilee is misusing their power to enrich themselves. Kenyatta and Ruto knows this, the whole State House and everyone in Parliament is in on it. They are scheming differently to ensure their ill-gained goods and services, instead of serving the public. All of them are a part of it and making sure it continues. This isn’t just NYS Scandal 1.0 and 2.0, but it is all the rest. This is every single part of government and every State Enterprise. Every single one of them are doing it and partly part of the growing corruption scandals. The root is rotten and the state is filled with people taking advantage of the situation.

The way to redeem it is to rebuild and make sure there is a legitimate government, a government representing the people, as they wished, not a computer generated President and his cabinet. This is a government created with forgery and faking PR Stunts, which borrows, steals and are indifferent to the public needs. The next generation will pay the cost for this thieving of public resources. This is sad and terrifying.

That Kenyatta and Ruto doesn’t care is evident as they are busy eating. Eating today and tomorrow. There is no return. No return from this, unless people actually acts towards their government and asks them for redemption. They are taken for granted and are misused on a daily basis. That is what the State House and government does to them. Get wealth on being in public office and spending time getting rich. Not building state institutions or better delivery of state services to the public. Peace.

Reference:

Wanjala, Emmanuel – ‘Corruption has grown 240% over 5 years – PS Kibicho’ (09.06.2018) link: https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2018/06/09/corruption-has-grown-240-over-5-years-ps-kibicho_c1770543

Kenya National Police Service Press Release on the Al Shabab (07.06.2018)