PRESIDENT TO VISIT KERICHO AND BOMET TO SALVAGE 2017 VOTES

PRESIDENT TO VISIT KERICHO AND BOMET TO SALVAGE 2017 VOTES

BY JEFFERSON KIPKEMOI.

President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto are due to visit Kericho and Bomet counties this April the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Dr. Joyce Laboso has revealed.

Dr. Laboso while speaking on Easter Sunday at Umoja Childrens Home in Singorwet Ward of Bomet Central Sub County in Bomet County said the Kipsigis community in the South rift region was still in full support of the Jubilee coalition.

“It is not true that development in the region has been skewed in favour of the North Rift region as claimed by a section of the Jubilee leaders are no longer in sync with the coalition leadership.” she said.

Dr. Laboso dismissed claims by the critics of the Jubilee government who pointed an accusing finger at the president and his deputy that they had marginalized the region. KANU leaders and a number of Jubilee rebels made the claims during the recent by elections in Bomet and Kericho.

The impending visit by the president is meant to appease Jubilee supporters who in the recent few months have been bombarded by anti coalition ideologies that were triggered by the February and March mini polls in various parts of the country including Kericho, Malindi and Bomet.

During the tour of duty in the two counties, the president is expected to commission several development projects as promised during the run off to 2013 general.

Dr. Laboso said the visit by the president and his deputy was a sure indicator that the Jubilee government was ready to deliver its pre-election promises to all Kenyans.

“It is not true that the government has sidelined the South Rift region as alleged by Bomet governor Isaac Ruto and KANU chairman Gideon Moi during their campaign trails in support of the KANU candidate Mr. Paul Sang’ during the recent Kericho County Senatorial by- election.” She said.

She said the “wild” claims by a section of Kalenjin leaders about the Jubilee government was efforts meant to split the community but noted that such moves were futile.

She noted that during the visit, the president was expected to lay a foundation stone of the construction of the Sh. 500 million constituent college of Moi University in Bomet town.

The president will also commission tarmacking of various roads among them Daraja Sita-Chebole-Dikirr Road and Silibwet- Olenguruone Road which connect Nakuru to Bomet and Narok counties.

As much as the visit is touted to be an official state visit by the president to the region, political observers are in agreement that the president is desperate to consolidate votes from the South Rift region and especially Bomet and Kericho counties that were affected widely through the recent by-elections and the ever increasing rebellion by Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto who has been fighting Jubilee coalition from within having won the 2013 gubernatorial seat for Bomet through United Republican Party(URP) a Jubilee coalition partner party led by the deputy president.

Altercations between the fiery governor and the deputy president have not made access to projects by the region any better with residents having mixed feelings about him.

Recently, a social media post showed the governor opening a cattle dip in the region while Machakos governor Alfred Mutua was commissioning a vehicle assembly plant a stark difference of priorities by the two leaders based on the fact that majority of people are used to spraying the cattle at home rather than taking their cattle to dips as a way of pest control.

The Machakos event is seen as a landmark activity both as a status icon and economically in that it will lead to creation of jobs both to locals and foreigners of the county.

The month of march also witnessed another attempt by Bomet County Assembly to Impeach the governor for what Kembu MCA ward Mr. Julius Korir who sponsored the latest motion said was financial impropriety, skewed employment and incompetence has not made the governor’s position any better.

However, national government critics in the region have said the national government was no better in implementing projects under its dockets meant for the region but if the president’s visit will achieve that then jubilee could emerge a winner in the region come 2017 general elections.

BOMET COUNTY GET MEDICAL SUPPLY FROM US

BOMET COUNTY GET MEDICAL SUPPLY FROM US

BY JEFFERSON KIPKEMOI.

The Chief Officer of Health in Charge of Medical services in Bomet county government Dr. Bernard Sowek has said that the US government has donated medical equipment worth Sh. 100 million to the county.

“The donation of the equipment comes courtesy of the recent visit by Bomet governor Isaac Ruto to Georgia State in the US,” he revealed.

Dr. Sowek said the equipment which consists mainly of maternity health services facilities are expected in the country in mid of April this year.

He noted that the county government had plans to expand maternity wings in the existing health facilities due to the need of such services by expectant mothers.

While calling on expectant women to reduce their dependence on traditional birth attendants, the doctor said they should seek maternity services from health facilities that were well equipped and well staffed to avoid fatalities during child birth.

 “The county government plans to open 23 new maternity wings in health institutions spread across the county’s five constituencies.” He said.

He pointed that the equipment from the US will go a long way in achieving that target.

NAKURU SPEAKER TELLS YOUTH TO REGISTER AS VOTERS AS SHE EYES SENATORIAL SEAT

NAKURU SPEAKER TELLS YOUTH TO REGISTER AS VOTERS AS SHE EYES SENATORIAL SEAT

BY JEFFERSON KIPKEMOI.

Nakuru county Assembly speaker Susan Kihika has called on youth from the county to register as voters in the ongoing voter registration exercise that started on 15^th February and ends 15^th March this year.

Ms. Kihika reiterated her position that she will be vying for the position of Nakuru county senator in the next general election.

Her bid has received a massive boost following an earlier decision by the current Senator James Mungai declaring that he will be going for the governor’s seat in the next poll.  

The Speaker who is seen as a youthful face in the region’s senatorial seat will face off with Mr. Madaraka Mwithaga, son of Mark Mwithaga a former Nakuru Town MP.

She dismissed reports that she has bowed out of the senatorial seat race and was planning to vie for the woman representative’s seat.

“I will be in the Senatorial race and there is no turning back because my name be at the ballot paper on August 8, 2017 elections.” she said.

She added, “Those peddling lies and propaganda that I have opted to go for the woman representative’s seat are known perennial political losers should be prepared for a big battle in the senate race.

Ms. Kihika the daughter of former Nakuru North MP Dixon Kihika Kimani, is expected to face stiff competition from Mr. Madaraka Mwithaga the son of former Nakuru Town MP Mark Mwithaga.

She declared that some of the allegations leveled towards her were done by male ‘cowards’ and political losers who have never won any political contests and were out to confuse her voters but that will not stop her vying for the senatorial seat.

DOPING; THE BANE ON KENYAN ATHLETICS

DOPING; THE BANE ON KENYAN ATHLETICS

BY JEFFERSON KIPKEMOI.

When Hans-Joachim “Hajo” Seppelt a freelance journalist for ARD, a nationwide German TV and radio broadcasting network located in Berlin first broke a story on alleged doping claims on Kenyan athletes in late 2012 he was dismissed as an international journalist out to ruin the reputation of Kenyan world beaters.

The report by Mr. Seppelt who spent time undercover in Kenya posing as a sports agent was broadcast on German television and radio and created much controversy and frantic actions at the Athletics Kenya. The then World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President John Fahey visited Kenya and asked the sports officials to investigate the matter.

Following the incriminating broadcast the then, Athletics Kenya’s Chairman Isaiah Kiplagat announced an ultimatum on October 17^th, 2012 that all foreign coaches working in Kenya without permits must leave the country in one week’s time. This was just one week after the report aired.

During the period Mathew Kisorio one of the athletes implicated, also received a two-year suspension from participating in athletics activities. But all these happened with a pinch of salt as still no one was willing to accept that doping among Kenyan athletes was rife.

However, three years down the line 40 Kenyan athletes have been suspended from active participation in competitive athletics by the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) the world athletics governing body for doping related irregularities for the past three years.

Top Kenyan athletics officials have not been spared in the crackdown on performance enhancement drugs.
Mr. David Okeyo, Athletics Kenya Secretary-General and member of International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) governing council, former Athletics Kenya president Mr. Isaiah Kiplang’at, AK CEO Mr. Isaac Mwangi and former treasurer Mr. Joseph Kinywa were suspended after the athletes had been suspended.

Mr. Mwangi was allegedly suspended on doping related corruption cases after two female athletes claimed that he had approached them for a bribe to help them reduce the suspension period after they were found positive for banned substances last year.

In February 2016, the World Anti Doping Agency (wada) reported Kenya to IAAF as one of the countries that were non-compliant over doping. Kenya failed to beat the February 14^th, 2016 deadline to comply by formalizing Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (Adak) activities.

The situation revolving around the allegations and suspension of athletes and officials related to doping as suddenly placed Kenya a world renowned athletics nation on the brink of being banned from the next Olympics.

The country however, got a reprieve after wada president Mr. Graig Reedie instructed AK to conform to doping guidelines before April 5^th this year or face ban from 2016 Olympics to be held in Rio, Brazil in August.

Following the development Adak Chairman Mr. James Waweru said the body is working with the Ministry of Sports along with Africa zone V Regional anti doping organization to ensure that Kenya is fully compliant with wada regulations.

“The government has complied with wada regulations including funding for operations, staffing and setting salaries for Adak and developing programs for testing, education, and awareness campaign for athletes.” Mr. Waweru said.

He revealed that the process of making Adak independent from the Ministry of Sports through the allocation of offices were at an advanced stage.

In January this year the current Athletics Kenya president Lt. Gen. (Rtd) Jackson Tuwei urged athletics coaches and managers to ensure that their charges were in the right age bracket for the junior categories noting that doping issues was still dogging the athletics sector in the country and age cheating would further complicate the achievement and commitment by the body towards solving the doping scandal.

“We are committed to dealing with the doping scandal and I urge all coaches and managers to ensure that age cheating does not occur in the junior categories.” He said.

To further add credence and worry to doping concern Moses Kiptanui a three-times world 3,000 meters steeplechase champion between 1991 and 1995 said in a 2013 interview to Reuters that doping was taking place in Kenyan running camps.

"If you talk to athletes candidly, you get the feeling that doping is going on in these camps," he told Reuters.

Mr. Kiptanui, who was the first high profile former Kenyan athlete to allege the African nation's runners are using performance-enhancing drugs claimed that the fluctuating performances of some Kenyan athletes was a point of concern to raise those doping suspicions.

He pointed out that it was not normal for an athlete to run well at one moment and the following moment they could not make it noting that an athlete show consistency at their peak unless they have an injury.

Allegations that Kenyan athletes were using drugs surfaced ahead of the 2012 London Olympic Games when German television broadcaster ARD reported systematic doping by Kenya's elite athletes who train in running camps in the Rift Valley region.

Athletics Kenya rejected the accusation and accused the broadcaster for wanting to distract athletes before the big event. 

Athletics Kenya then secretary-general David Okeyo rejected the claims by Kiptanui and challenged him to provide evidence and defended AK that the body has suspended known cheats overtime and was committed to tackle the menace contrary to claims that AK was dormant and did not take action.