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)

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)

Kenyatta’s Corruption Drive goes after low-level civil servants, but will not touch high ranking officials!

Today the Press Statement released by Government Spokesperson Mwenda Njoka ‘Presidential Proclamation On Fresh Vetting of Public Interest’. This is in regard to the Heads of the Procurement and Accounting Unites within the Ministries, Agencies and State Corporations. Therefore, it is the lower level heads and accountants that is battle against the corruption now. Instead of questioning the Cabinet Secretaries, the Deputies and the boards, the close stakeholders of the State Corporations. They are all scotch free from these.

This is the reality of the Kenyan affairs, they are cleaning house sort off. When I say sort of, it is that they are going after lower levels. They are taking the bottom-feeders and not the high-level people who are really involved. Possibly they would find someone who has cheated on tenders and skimmed minor funds within their budget. That is bad as well, but they are not the reason for the scandals of day. They are not the reason behind the Maize, KHIF, NYS, Afay House and so on. There are so many government scandals and so much grand corruption. That this is the CS, Deputy President and the President whose major reason for the scandals. They have accept it and surely topped off on it.

It is hard to believe that all these major funds, all these state corporations and the ministries are losing money, have so much unaccounted funds, paying services to ghost companies and ghost tenders. So the list goes on. The open heist of funds that was supposed to go to the citizens and their needs. Are instead pocketed by the leaders on top and the ones running the state corporations. That is how they have gone from mediocre businessmen to wealthy owners of conglomerates.

This is just what they do, they skim of the funds on top and play around with the accounting. That is all really evident on the matter of the grand corruption scandals that has hit the Jubilee Administration. They are just continuing their thieving. The latest is just another show to prove that they fight it, but as long as the big-fish. As long as the Cabinet Secretaries, the CEOs, the Directors and the Chairmen are not taken. Not litigated, not detained, then they are not serious in the battle.

However, that will not happen as long as the President and Deputy President are eating themselves. They have gotten quickly vast wealth since getting into office. That is not just a coincidence. This is calculated by the Jubilee. Something this move is as well since they are going for the lower levels. It is a nice signal. But have little faith that it will go really further. Since then they are going into the pockets on the top of the food-chain.

Would they arrest and detain the Deputy President and even the President? Would they arrest and get rid of corrupt Cabinet Secretaries? Would they?

If they did, then their might be change, but as long as the people who are on top get away. Then there is less incentive to really stop it. Really make a difference. Then your just working to get to the top. Because, then you can eat yourself without fear of prosecution. Peace.