The government yesterday launched a crackdown on opposition leaders involved in the swearing-in of Nasa leader Raila Odinga on Tuesday.

Last evening police were camping outside Nation Centre claiming they had a court order to arrest NTV’s general manager Linus Kaikai.

The reasons for the impending arrest were unclear, but sources said it was because of a statement he made on Monday on behalf of the Editors’ Guild,where he is chairman.

Read : TJ Kajwang arrested for administering Raila's oath

In the statement, the editors told off State House in its bid to stop the live coverage the swearing-in.

The police pounced on Ruaraka MP TJ Kajwang’ outside the High Court and took him to Nairobi Area police station for questioning.

He is expected to be charged today with offences emanating from his role at the oath-taking ceremony.

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On Tuesday night, police looked for Siaya Senator James Orengo and lawyer Miguna Miguna who played a prominent role in the ceremony at Uhuru Park. As Kajwang’ was being interrogated, police teargassed Nasa MPs outside Nairobi Area police headquaters.

Kajwang’ said, “I have just been arrested by eight Flying Squad policemen led by a police commissioner identified only as Cheruiyot.”

Kajwang’ and Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma were before Justice George Odunga as lawyers for the Public Service Commission in a case involving the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.

The contingent waylaid Kajwang’ as he left the courts building.

“If my arrest and prosecution will be the ultimate price I must pay for my role in the swearing-in of the People’s President, so be it,” the Ruaraka MP said. He added that it would be a small price to pay compared to what Raila had done for the country.

Interior CS Fred Matiang’i yesterday said the government closed major TV stations to avert a ‘looming massacre’ that could have been triggered by the live coverage of Raila’s oath-taking. Media stations, apart from KBC and K24, were shut down by the Communications Authority on Tuesday morning as they started airing the ceremony.

Also read : Duly elected my foot, Raila says of Uhuru's presidency

SECURITY BREACH

Citizen, NTV, KTN and Inooro TV will remain shut until investigations are completed, Matiang’i said. The government also cited a serious security breach.

In a press briefing outside his Harambee House office, Matiang’i said mainstream media disregarded the state’s advice in covering Raila’s ceremony, which he said would have led to the death of thousands of Kenyans.

Media owners and other actors, he said, had been given a full security situation brief well ahead of the “illegal activities of NASA”.

“Unfortunately some media houses chose to disregard this advice, their Code of Ethics, self-regulation and the moral responsibility of every Kenyan to safeguard the security of their fellow citizens,” Matiang’i said.

The CS said media houses’ decision to air the ceremony left the state with no choice but to shut them down.

Citizen TV was the first to be switched off on Tuesday at 10am, followed by NTV. At the time, KTN was still streaming live from Uhuru Park. It did not take long before their airwaves were disconnected.

The Communication Authority cut off the signals in Limuru which affected radio stations.

The shutdown did not deter Kenyans from following the swearing-in as the majority accessed other airwaves and live feeds on the internet.

ATTEMPT TO OVERTHROW GOVERNMENT?

Matiang’i said the government has started investigations around the swearing-in. Co-conspirators and facilitators will also be investigated and legal action taken. The government will prefer appropriate administrative measures on a need by need basis.

“What was witnessed at Uhuru Park was a well-choreographed attempt to subvert or overthrow the legally constituted Government of Kenya,” the CS said.

Police will continue to perform their duties in protecting lives and properties of all Kenyans, regardless of their political affiliation.

“I want to thank Kenyans, especially the residents of Nairobi, for their resilience and peaceful conduct, despite the spirited efforts by NASA and specifically the prescribed armed militia operating under the banner of NRM, to incite them into tribal divisions, violence and possible massacre,” the CS said.

The media shutdown has attracted criticism from civil rights groups. The International Centre for Policy and Conflict has termed as dictatorial the government’s move to shut down the independent houses.

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Treasury bosses are expected to explain to a Senate committee why they failed to allocate Sh200 million for special audit of Sh99.2 billion outstanding bills in 47 counties.

The Senate Public Accounts Committee chaired by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’ yesterday was asked to summon Treasury CS Henry Rotich to explain why the funds were not given for a thorough audit to establish validity of the bills.

He said Treasury should explain why it is difficult to release the money to help the Auditor General carry out the audits on pending bills. “We also want Kenyans who are suffering after supplying to counties helped,” Kajwang’ said.

Read : Senate approves Bill allowing Treasury to release counties' cash

Auditor General Edward Ouko and Controller of Budget Agnes Odhiambo told the committee a special audit is needed. Ouko said he had agreed with Treasury bosses to conduct the audit, but Rotich failed to give the Sh200 million needed. “We had a meeting with the Controller of Budget and the Treasury raising concern on the huge pending bills, especially in Nairobi county and we agreed on a special audit,” he said.

Odhiambo raised concern over growth of pending bills in five years. She said the figure shot to Sh99.2 billion in the 2017-18 first quarter from Sh96.5 billion on June 30 last year.

Recurrent expenditure bills stand at Sh54 billion, while Sh45 billion is for development. Nairobi leads in outstanding bills estimated at Sh60 billion.

Odhiambo said unpaid bills always increase because governors have been violating procurement laws. “The problem of huge pending bills is caused by counties overstating local revenues, yet none have attained their revenue collection targets,” she said.

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The majority of NASA governors and MPs gave Raila Odinga’s oath a wide berth, exposing what could be a sharp division in the alliance.

About 90 close Raila allies kept off Tuesday’s Uhuru Park function, according to an official list of attendance titled “roll call of life and death” generated by the alliance.

A paltry 57 MPs joined Raila in Uhuru Park, Nairobi, for the swearing-in, with 77 legislators keeping off the much-publicised event, which was also snubbed by NASA co-principals Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetang’ula.

Most MPs from Wiper, Ford Kenya and ANC dominated the list of 77 MPs who gave the function a wide berth.

Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala (ANC) told the Star none of the NASA parties instructed its members to skip the event and that the 77 MPs who skipped made a personal decision.

“I’m an ANC senator and I attended. It was not a party position, but an individual decision,” he said on the phone.

The Star also established that there are plans to have Raila make countrywide tours to directly tell the people the way forward after being sworn-in.

Raila’s first stop will be Western Kenya, where he will be introduced to the people, amid growing sentiments in the region against no-show Wetang’ula and Mudavadi. Vihiga Senator George Khaniri and Malala are said to be the planners of the tour. Malala said Wetang’ula and Mudavadi will be part of the tour.

Interestingly, 127 MPs last week signed up the affidavit that supported the oath. Of NASA’s 17 elected governors, only two attended the event that was meant to be a national gathering of supporters and all its leaders.

Only Siaya Governor Cornel Rasanga and Mombasa’s Hassan Joho were present as Raila took the oath as the “People’s President of the Republic of Kenya”. Kisumu Deputy Governor Ochieng’ Owili represented Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o, who is recuperating abroad after successful hip surgery.

Raila’s deputy in ODM Wycliffe Oparanya (Kakamega), ODM’s national vice chairman Josphat Nanok (Turkana) and the party’s national treasurer James Ongwae (Kisii) topped the list of those who boycotted the event.

Sospeter Ojaamong (Busia), Okoth Obado (Migori), Cyprian Awiti (Homa Bay), Amason Kingi (Kilifi), Kivutha Kibwana (Makueni), Wilber Ottichilo (Vihiga), Charity Ngilu (Kitui), Granton Samboja (Taita Taveta), John Nyagarama (Nyamira), Patrick Khaemba (Trans Nzoia) and Wycliffe Wangamati (Bungoma) are the other county chiefs who did not turn up.

Vocal former senators Johnson Muthama (Machakos) and Boni Khalwale (Kakamega) were also conspicuously absent.

The two had been in the forefront pushing for a parallel presidential oath, claiming the IEBC and Jubilee colluded to deny Raila his August 8 presidential victory.

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Kenya is among 23 countries in Africa that launched the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), a move expected to lower air transport costs in the continent by 25 per cent.

 The open skies treaty which was signed on Monday at the just concluded African Union Summit on governance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is set to make it easier for Africans to visit African countries without the hassle of long paperwork-laden visa applications or expensive, long-winding air travel and will inadvertently boost the continent’s economy.

According to the International Air Transport Association, an open air policy in Africa will add $1.3 billion (Sh136 billion) to the continent’s gross domestic product every year and create 150,000 additional jobs.

In Kenya, the opening up of African air routes will add $76.9 million (Sh8.14 billion) to the country’s GDP every year while giving the national carrier, Kenya Airways unfettered access and multiple destinations to any city in the countries under the arrangement, as part of African Union’s move to improve connectivity and integrate countries

Currently most countries in Africa are applying protectionism policy to safeguard their domestic carriers from competition, denying regional flights fifth freedom right. KQ for instance cannot stop in Kigali Rwanda to pick customers

Other regional airlines that are set to benefit from the treaty includes: Ethiopian Airlines, RwandaAir and South African Airways, this even as statistics show that 80 per cent of air travel from Africa to the world is controlled by non-African Airlines.

“We have seen 23 member states have pledged their solemn commitment to the Single Air Market, the implementation of which will increase the number of routes, reduce the cost of air travel and contribute to the expansion of intra-African trade and tourism,” said AU chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat

Signing of SAATM now provides regulatory text to the implementation of previous open skies pledges, the 1988 Yamoussoukro Declaration and 1999 Yamoussoukro Decision but will require more countries to come on board.

“We commend the 23 states that have signed up to SAATM. It is an important step forward. But the benefits of a connected continent will only be realized through effective implementation of SAATM—firstly by the countries already committed and also by the remaining 32 AU member nations still to come on board,” said Raphael Kuuchi, IATA’s vice president for Africa.

The single market will evolve into a common aviation area, calling for the abolition of bilateral air service agreement between member states for intra-Africa traffic with airlines able to fly any intra-African routes based on economic and financial considerations of the market.

It is expected to facilitate trade in services and free movement of goods, enhanced cross-border investment in the industry, recognition of community airlines owned by African nationals with efficient and effective regional safety oversight agencies.

Others includes the application of high safety, security and technical standards, harmonised competition regulation and the revision of visa requirements to enable the free movement of Africans in the continent.

It will also guarantees the basic rights of the consumer with a dispute settlement mechanism through negotiation and arbitration, with a Board of Appeal and an Arbitration Tribunal to be established.

The concept of liberalisation of air transport in Africa is coming almost 30 years since the adoption of the Yamoussoukro Declaration, followed 10 years later by the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD) of 1999.

It came into force in August 2002, after the expiry of the transitional period of two years.

Other eastern Africa countries that signed the treaty includes Rwanda and Ethiopia. Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi declined.

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Kwale leaders yesterday accused Taita Taveta Governor Granton Samboja of derailing efforts to amicably solve a long-standing boundary dispute between the two counties.

The two neighbouring counties are fighting over the Miasenyi boundary. According to colonial and post-Independence maps, the boundary between the two is at Miasenyi.

But the Taita Taveta administration says the boundary should pass in the middle of Mackinnon Road trading centre, at Mbele Primary School, near the Mackinnon Road Kenya Wildlife Camp.

Mvurya, Senator Issa Juma Boy and Kinango MP Benjamin Tayari said they are committed to finding a lasting solution to avoid inciting and dividing border communities further.

The leaders spoke at a joint press briefing at Mvurya's office.

They said they were deeply concerned by media reports that officials from Taita Taveta on Monday mobilised residents to attend a public participation meeting on Tuesday. It was to take place at Mbele Primary School, Kwale.

Mvurya accused Samboja of taking legal matters in his own hands instead of waiting for the guidance of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

In 2015, Mvurya and former Taita Taveta Governor John Mruttu formed a committee to tackle the issue but until to date, no amicable solution has been found.

Mvurya faulted Samboja for saying he will not allow an inch of Taita Taveta land to be taken away by Kwale. Samboja allegedly made the statement during Mashujaa Day celebrations last December 12.

Mvurya said such statements are uncalled for and threaten the peace and security of border communities.

"Boundaries have existed over the years and border communities have lived peacefully with their neighbours so let's not incite our people to violence. Remember we are leaders," he said.

Senator Boy said the dispute should not come between the two counties."People from the Coast have for many years lived peacefully. Let's maintain the same spirit," he said.

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ODM hijacked NASA's swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, Kivutha Kibwana has claimed, and demanded respect from the party.

Raila Odinga, who was inaugurated as the people's president, is the leader of the orange party. He was not with his co-principals during the ceremony and there are now claims of a rift but the leaders say they are united.

Details: Raila 'sworn-in' as people's president, Kalonzo absent

Speaking on Musyi FM on Thursday, Kibwana gave his own version of events, saying the four principals agreed to meet that morning before proceeding to the Nairobi park.

The others are Wiper's Kalonzo Musyoka who was to be swrong-in as the people's DP, Musalia Mudavadi (Amani National Congress) and Bungoma senator Moses Wetang'ula (Ford Kenya).

Kibwana, who is Makueni governor and Wiper chairman, said they did not meet because Raila decided to proceed to the venue alone.

"Kalonzo and Raila were to meet that morning. But when Kalonzo got to the venue, only Wetang'ula and Mudavadi were there."

The county boss said they contacted Raila but were told that the Opposition leader had already left for the swearing-in.

"When they contacted Raila, he said he would not make it and would instead proceed to Uhuru Park for the swearing-in," he said.

Kibwana further claimed members of the inauguration's organising committee were not briefed on the happenings.

"ODM has not been fair. Even our representatives in the plans were kept in the dark most of the time," he said. "We are part of the NASA coalition but most of the time we were not briefed on meetings and progress."

The chairman noted ODM should respect other parties but added the co-principals were willing to talk to Raila about their differences.

"Yes, there are issues that need to be looked into but I want to assume that the Kamba nation and NASA are intact. All we ask for is respect from our other partner (ODM)," he said.

"There was a time we asked for a NASA retreat because there were many who were unsettled ... there are wrinkles in NASA that need to be ironed out first, especially distribution of leadership posts in Parliament and NASA's technical team. We need respect."

Kalonzo blamed his absence on the pulling out of his security team. In an interview on Mbaitu FM, a local Kamba station, he said he had been ready for the event until the government abruptly withdrew his security detail.

The 2017 deputy president candidate asked his supporters not to lose faith in him after he skipped the much-publicised ceremony.

On Wednesday, he reported an attack at his home but police said it may have been fabricated.

Of security concerns, Kibwana said: "NASA leaders were still deliberating on the oath's wording and how it would be administered but they were unable to meet to resolve the issue for fear of being nabbed."

Read: I have not betrayed you, Kalonzo assures supporters, says he will take oath soon

Also read: Is Kalonzo home raid a crutch for absence at Raila swearing-in?

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NASA supporters were on Thursday directed to remove all of president Uhuru Kenyatta's portraits from their business premises.

"We are ordering NRM soldiers to take down Uhuru portraits from all homes, businesses and every premise they occupy," Miguna Miguna said.

During a press conference at the Opposition's Okoa Kenya offices, Miguna said the coalition will produce legitimate portraits of 'President Raila Odinga'.

"... and we will distribute the portraits ourselves. We are going to do it in an organised and fashioned way," he said.

Read: Raila 'sworn-in' as people's president, Kalonzo absent

On January 30, the government declared NASA's National Resistance Movement as an organised criminal group. 

The group was formed on October 25, 2017, a day before the repeat presidential elections which followed the nullification of President Uhuru Kenyatta's election in August. 

But Miguna, who helped administer Raila's oath on January 30, said they "will ensure that the coalition reclaims what was stolen from them".

"The people of Kenya decided to reclaim their power. We will ensure that the illegitimate despots return back to the people what they rigged," he said.

Interior CS Fred Matiang'i, in a statement on Tuesday, invoked Section 22 of the Prevention Organised Crimes Act, 2010 to declare the opposition movement as "an organised criminal group".

More on this: State declares National Resistance Movement criminal group

Also read: 'Liberation struggle on': Raila forms People's Assembly

DARES STATE ARREST

Miguna further dared Matiang'i to arrest him for administering the oath to the Opposition leader.

"Matiang'i if you are looking for me, I am ready and I have been ready since I was a teenager," he said.

It was reported that Flying Squad officers were looking for Miguna hours after arresting Ruaraka MP TJ Kajwang'. The latter attended the swearing in fete at Uhuru Park.

"...we fought retired President Daniel Moi and defeated him. You [Matiang'i] are nothing," Miguna said.

Kajwang was arrested at the Milimani law court before being taken to the Nairobi PCIO on Wednesday.

In a statement, Kajwang said he is ready to pay the ultimate price for his role in 'swearing in' Raila.

More on this: TJ Kajwang arrested for administering Raila's oath

Related: Duly elected my foot, Raila says of Uhuru's presidency

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The NASA coalition yesterday rallied together to dispel speculation that they were falling apart, even as details filtered in about the force behind Raila Odinga's Tuesday oathing.

Eccentric businessman Jimmy Wanjigi is said to be the man calling the shots behind the scenes, despite a chill in the relations with the other three co-principals.

The NASA co-principals yesterday put on a show of unity, saying it was their strategy to stagger the oaths and that their supporters should not panic. They addressed a press conference at the Okoa Kenya offices.

Read : Raila 'sworn-in' as people's president, Kalonzo absent

“Part of our strategy was to swear in Raila Odinga alone. Even if we made our way to Uhuru Park on Tuesday, only Raila would have been ‘sworn-in’. My ‘oath’ would come at a later date,” Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka said. He Raila's running mate in the August General Election.

Kalonzo said they are still observing the situation and are working on a detailed program for his own swearing-in, which will be made public soon.

Making his first public appearance with the three co-principals since his swearing in, Raila dismissed claims of a split in NASA. "We are going to be strong as NASA. The so-called division is an invention of the media,” Raila said.

“We are moving forward as one. We shall not be intimidated, divided or defeated. Victory is in sight and we are headed there,” Moses Wetang'ula, the Ford Kenya boss, said.

But as the four insisted all was well, Musalia Mudavadi's divided ANC seemed to be imploding.

Nominated MP Godfrey Osotsi accused some party officials, who he termed a cartel, of misleading Mudavadi to skip the swearing-in event.

“The absence of our leader during the swearing-in was not the position of ANC as a party because we had agreed that he will attend.”

Osotsi named ANC Secretary General Barack Muluka and Mudavadi's aides Kabisu Kabatesi and Dan Ameyo as part of the 'cartel' ruining Mudavadi's political career.

“This cartel is powerful and does not listen to anyone,” he said.

Kalonzo explained that they had an earlier agreement with Raila to stagger their oaths as a strategy after receiving intelligence, which he did not disclose.

That is a departure from their explanations on Tuesday, when Kalonzo and his two colleagues claimed they were blocked on their way to Uhuru Park and did not attend after their security had been withdrawn.

During the media briefing in Lavington, the Kalonzo fought back tears as the NASA principals explained why Raila Odinga took a solo oath on Tuesday.

"I say pole (sorry) to my brother Kalonzo after the attack on his home. He has a sick wife ... imagine the kind of shock they got," said Raila.

At that point, Kalonzo reached out for his handkerchief to wipe tears rolling down his cheeks.

Kalonzo's wife Pauline has been ill and was hospitalised in Germany for over two months last year.

Details have also emerged of the behind-the-scenes push-and-pull that culminated in the oathing ceremony.

Meanwhile, sources close to Raila have revealed how Jimi Wanjigi almost single-handedly pushed the NASA chief to withdraw from the presidential rerun on October 26, after rallying the support of Raila's allies including James Orengo.

Immediately after the polls, which Raila boycotted, Wanjigi spearheaded an aggressive push for Raila to be sworn in as the People’s President, relying on results of the August 8 election annulled by the Supreme Court.

He enlisted Raila's children, Junior and his sister Winnie, to push their dad to be sworn in, despite reservations from his co-principals.

Wanjigi, who spent most of Monday plotting the swearing-in, convinced Raila that the people would assemble in Nairobi and occupy the city for days until Uhuru resigns.

The government would predictably crack down on the NASA supporters and a stand-off would ensue that would force Uhuru to the negotiation table, it was argued.

Also read : State withdraws Joho's security after Raila swearing-in

That's not exactly how things turned out, as the government withdrew the police at the last minute and allowed the rally to proceed peacefully.

Raila did not give NASA supporters a way forward after his Tuesday oathing, but yesterday announced that the technical team will issue a comprehensive statement today detailing the way ahead.

He also did not explain what his role will be henceforth.

Despite the strategy flops, Wanjigi remains deep inside Raila's circle. NASA co-principals, particularly Kalonzo and Musalia, reportedly have no time for him but he retains his position near Raila.

Some see him as a man using Raila to settle scores with Jubilee after he lost favour with the President and his deputy.

Others are wary that Wanjigi's strategies may lead to nowhere.

Raila's allies like Junet Mohamed have reportedly distanced themselves after disagreeing with Wanjigi's strategies.

Yesterday Mohamed declined to comment on the matter. Sometime after November election, he followed Raila to Zanzibar where Raila had retreated and proposed Raila conduct his own fresh elections a day before Uhuru’s swearing in, declare results the same day and be sworn in the same day with Uhuru. Raila did not buy the plan.

Yesterday Raila's spokesman Dennis Onyango declined to comment.

Raila maintained he won the August 8 presidential election, stating he is ready to swear that last week's results released by the opposition were the actual figures in the IEBC servers.

He challenged the electoral body to make public the server logs for the annulled August 8 results and compare then with NASA's figures.

Related : NASA planned 'massacre' at Uhuru Park, media involved - Matiang'i

On Thursday, last week, NASA released what they termed 'authentic' August 8 server results, showing that its leader had 8.1 million votes against President Uhuru Kenyatta's 7.9 million. IEBC disowned the NASA figures.

Yesterday, Raila affirmed, "I can swear by the Bible that the results we released last week were genuine. We won the elections while Jubilee lost. That is why I was able to hold the Bible. I did not hold it because I am mad or a megalomaniac."

The ODM boss also asked the government to stop intimidating those who participated in his swearing-in.

Ruaraka MP Tom Kajwang' who stood by as he took the oath was arrested on Wednesday. Yesterday he was charged with being "present and consenting to the administering of an oath to Raila Odinga purporting to bind the said Raila Amollo Odinga to commit a capital offence of treason."

Kajwang' wore an official wig and was robed. Others present included Siaya Senator James Orengo and lawyer Miguna Miguna.

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Lawyer Miguna Miguna has reported that an "assassination squad" is looking for him at his Runda home in Nairobi.

Miguna, who vied for Nairobi governor in August 2017, was one of those who helped administer NASA leader Raila Odinga's oath on January 30.

Text messages believed to be from him state: "They have arrested me. They have bombed my house and broken everything. They are still here.

"They are searching all rooms. It’s an assassination squad. I can’t speak. They are still here ... looking for me."

Miguna, who declared himself leader of the outlawed National Resistance Movement said youths are needed in large numbers.

"My house is number 486 Runda Meadows. It’s urgent and dire," he added in the messages seen by The Star on Friday.

After the Uhuru Park event, the lawyer congratulated Raila via Twitter describing the controversial oath-taking as successful.

He said 'Uhuru must go' and that "all our members are ordered to remain focused, disciplined and courageous [as victory is certain]".

Miguna also "graciously accepted" the mandate that he noted was bestowed on them by Kenyans.

The government announced investigations against all the people who took part in NASA's swearing-in. Others who participated are lawyers TJ Kajwang (Ruaraka MP) and James Orengo (Siaya senator).

Kajwang’ spent the better part of Thursday in different cells as his lawyers literally engaged police in a cat-and-mouse chase ahead of his imminent arraignment.

The vocal lawyer, who was arrested on Wednesday evening in the ongoing police crackdown on individuals linked to Raila's oath, was mysteriously sneaked out of the Milimani basement cells, as his lawyers put up a spirited fight to have him produced in court.

He was taken to the Kilimani police station, where he was held briefly, then driven to the Pangani police station and later presented before the Ngong resident magistrate

More on this: Kajwang’ moved from cells in cat and mouse game with lawyers

Meanwhile, the United States is displeased with the self-inauguration and has advised a national conversation on the way forward for Kenya.

But Raila, Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper), Musalia Mudavadi (ANC) and Bungoma senator Moses Wetang'ula (Ford Kenya) revealed on Thursday that NASA's delayed oath-taking was strategic and reiterated that they remain united.

They say nothing will derail their quest for electoral justice in the country.

Read: Trump 'gravely concerned' by Raila swearing-in, media attacks

Also read: How Wanjigi pushed Raila to be sworn-in

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Lawyer Miguna Miguna was arrested in a dramatic fashion at his Runda home in Nairobi on Friday.

Police used force to break into his house before arresting him after a brief standoff.

Miguna was arrested days after he and Ruaraka MP TJ Kajwang administered an oath to opposition leader Raila Odinga at Uhuru Park.

He was the one who stamped the document and the self-declared 'general' of the outlawed National Resistance Movement.

/Courtesy

/Courtesy

Earlier, Miguna reported that an "assassination squad" was looking for him at his home.

Text messages believed to be from him stated: "They have arrested me. They have bombed my house and broken everything. They are still here.

"They are searching all rooms. It’s an assassination squad. I can’t speak. They are still here ... looking for me."

More on this: Miguna claims arrest amid Raila oath crackdown

/Courtesy

/Courtesy

Kajwang was arrested on Wednesday and on Thursday, Miguna dared Interior cabinet secretary Fred Matiang'i to arrest him for his role in the swearing-in.

It was reported that Flying Squad officers looked for the lawyer hours after apprehending Kajwang'. 

"Matiang'i, if you are looking for me, I am ready and I have been ready since I was a teenager," Miguna said.

"...we fought retired president Daniel Moi and defeated him. You [Matiang'i] are nothing."

More on this: Miguna asks NASA supporters to remove Uhuru portraits, dares Matiang'i

Related: Accept Uhuru re-election and lift media ban, EU tells Kenya

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The NASA coalition has been accused of manipulating data to show opposition leader Raila Odinga won the August 8 presidential election.

In a five-part series on his website, political historian Charles Hornsby illustrates how the data presented by NASA was manipulated to show Raila won.

Hornsby offers the disclaimer that he does not work for any Kenyan and is not insinuating that the IEBC results were the correct ones.

In his analysis, he uses the data that was released by NASA on January 26 to show inconsistencies and what did not make sense.

"The IEBC may not be telling the truth but NASA is definitely lying. Whether there is any genuine evidence that NASA won the election in existence somewhere is a question I can’t answer, but millions of Kenyans who honestly believed NASA’s claims have been done a deep disservice by this mendacious falsehood," he says.

Hornsby is one of the foremost western scholars on Kenya and African polical history and the author of Kenya: A History Since Independence.

On January 26, the opposition presented a report on the results of the August 8 election, on which Raila Odinga's January 30 swearing-in was based.

"This is it. This is the document that contains results of the election in 2017, in which more than 80 per cent of Kenyans participated," Siaya senator and lawyer James Orengo said during the unveiling of their report.

Details: NASA releases elections dossier that 'validates' Raila swearing-in

The IEBC declared President Uhuru Kenyatta winner with 8,203,290 votes against Raila's 6,762,224 but the ODM leader said he won by 1.4 million votes.

On January 26, Orengo said Raila got 8.1 million votes compared to Uhuru's 7.9 million.

The August 8 elections were nullified by the Supreme Court which said that the election was marred by illegalities and irregularities.

The ordered another election to be held. This was done on October 26 but NASA boyvotted the elections which Uhuru won and the win upheld by the Supreme Court.

'No authentic August election results'

In his analysis, Hornsby concludes that he is now confident that NASA’s document does not contain the true and authentic August 2017 Presidential election results.

"Whether the IEBC’s presidential results were accurate is a different question, which I cannot answer here. The Supreme Court has already concluded that there were material procedural issues which left the results in question (though no-one demonstrated them to be systematically rigged), but I now know that NASA’s claimed results must be false."

He gives an example of Narok where the NASA summary matches the detail file, but his analysis shows the file is certainly fake.

"...and therefore so is the summary. Beginning with the overall results which NASA claim are authentic, a county-wide turnout of 96.8 per cent is ridiculous," Hornsby says.

He adds that in the detailed file, the coalition claimed turnouts were extraordinary everywhere and exceeded 99 per cent in 94 polling stations.

"In two polling stations, they reported an achievement Stalin would admire, a 101 per cent turnout with 620/616 votes voting in one station in Narok South and 442/438 in a station in Narok East," Hornsby details in his analysis.

He noted these turnouts are impossible in an ideal scenario.

"The IEBC turnout for the same election was a (still high) 83 per cent. But while Uhuru’s number in NASA's file is very similar to the IEBCs report, 52,000 more votes have appeared in Raila’s total at polling station level, spread across the polling stations."

More on poll outcome: Accept Uhuru re-election and lift media ban, EU tells Kenya

Also see: [VIDEO] Ruto says NASA 'sideshows' won't distract Jubilee's agenda

'Extraordinarily high, semi-random numbers'

There are polling stations in the same county, as pointed out in his analysis, where candidates other than the top two all got zero votes.

"Again, we appear to have a 'he said, she said' problem of two competing realities, one of which is false. But which? However, a line-by-line perusal of the Narok results yielded new evidence sufficient to convince me that NASA's results are the fake," Hornsby says.

"Deep in the Narok file (on page 251 and for several pages after) there is an unmistakable smoking gun. Someone in NASA’s technical team forgot to randomise part of their file for the smaller candidates. On page 251, in Narok West, we see zero entries for all the minor candidates for more than 50 polling stations in row."

He adds that NASA's Narok results are a construct, not the organic result of an electoral process but created at least in part in a spreadsheet tool.

"I suspect we would find something similar in a number of other counties if we looked, knowing what to look for, but this is enough for me," Hornsby says.

In Turkana, Hornsby illustrates that the NASA data shows the opposition added 7,000 votes to their own total in the summary. These numbers aren’t in the detail file containing the polling station data.

"For their data to be genuine, 16,000 Turkana people would have had to queue and vote for Raila, but refuse to vote for governor or for their MP, and another 20,000 would have had to vote for Jubilee in governor and MP but Raila in the presidency."

 Hornsby saysthe only scenario he can come up with to explain this combination of extraordinarily high, semi-random numbers for Uhuru and Raila and (mostly) zeros for everyone else is that NASA used a blank extract or a real copy of IEBC data and then modified/filled in the data in some counties to make it appear that they won.

Hornsby ends his analysis by inviting people to factually challenge his opinion.

"...as I believe that argument and counterargument always takes us closer towards the truth. I have no brief from anyone and have been paid by no-one to do this, I just wanted to make sure that the truth was told, no matter what it turned out to be."

Click here for the latest political news

President Uhuru Kenyatta shocked journalists on Friday when he ordered them out of his function soon after delivering his speech.

The reporters went to Lower Kabete in Nairobi to cover his opening of the Annual IG's Conference at Kenya School of Government.

Uhuru had just finished speaking when he asked the journalists to pack up and leave immediately, seemingly not wanting to take questions.

"Si nyinyi sasa mfunge hizo vitu zenyu na muende? Si sasa kazi imeisha?" he said.

This loosely translates to: "Why not pack your things and leave now? Isn't your work over?"

His media team, however, defended him saying he wanted to have a closed session with the security team.

"[The media] included PSCU - the officers were getting into a closed-door meeting. Nothing wrong at all," senior director of digital communication Dennis Itumbi tweeted.

This came hours after another group of journalists was chased from the Communication Authority while trying to find out if the order suspending the TV stations shutdown had been implemented.

The government shut down NTV, Citizen and KTN hours before NASA leader Raila Odinga's defiant swearing-in at Uhuru Park in Nairobi.

Interior CS Fred Matiang'i later claimed the coalition had planned a massacre and that some media houses were aware.

The authority placed plain clothes officers outside the premises and ordered them to block reporters and anyone intending to sever the order.

Earlier today, the CA blocked activist Okiya Omtatah from serving them with court orders lifting the shutdown on media houses.

Omtatah said he would not give up amid concern by the United States and the European Union. He pinned the orders outside 

More on this: CA blocks Omtatah from serving order against media shutdown

Also read: Accept Uhuru re-election and lift media ban, EU tells Kenya

Click here for the latest political news

The whereabouts of NASA 'General' Miguna Miguna remained unknown on Friday evening after he was dramatically arrested in the morning in the state crackdown on participants in the Tuesday's swearing-in of Raila Odinga as the People's President.

His arrest coincided with carbon-copy statements from the African Union, European Union and USA on Friday, cautioning the government against breaching the law when dealing with the Opposition.

They also criticised Raila's oathing and called for respect for the Constitution and the rule of law.

State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said, "Any arrests and prosecutions must be made in full accordance with the rule of law and demonstrate transparent due process."

Read: Finally in Canaan? Dance and song as NASA leader takes oath

Some sources within government speaking confidentially said the arrest and prosecution of Opposition MPs will "possibly culminate in the arrest of Raila".

The sources say the targets include senior counsel and Siaya Senator James Orengo, NASA CEO Norman Magaya, Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho and businessman Jimi Wanjigi.

While Orengo was unreachable, Wanjigi said he had not been contacted by police.

"My conscience is clear and I am very comfortable," he said.

Magaya too said he was not aware of any plan to arrest him despite widespread speculation about the next target.

"I am not aware of any impending arrest," he told the Star.

Joho, whose police guard was withdrawn alongside those of other NASA leaders, said he will not complain about the government crackdown.

"I will not calla press conference to complain about these issues," he said. 

"We all know that life is God-given, wealth is God-given and leadership is also God-given. No one can take these from you," the ODM deputy party leader said.

Joho said he will not be deterred from criticising the national government.

Read: Politics of Betrayal: Why Raila was sold out by his friends

More: I wasn't mad to swear by Bible, delayed oath a strategy - Raila

On Friday morning, police broke into the Runda house of the self-proclaimed National Resistance Movement 'General' and arrested him over his role inTuesday’s oathing.

The arrest prompted protests in parts of Nairobi, including Kibera. Hours after his dramatic arrest, the High Court ordered his release on a cash bail of Sh50,000 after his lawyers filed an urgent application to compel police to produce him.

 Justice James Wakiaga ruled that although the case was urgent, it was not possible for the court to order him to be produced by the end of the day. Instead Miguna was ordered to appear in court personally on Monday, if by then he will not have been charged.

“There is no possibility of him being brought to court today, but considering the circumstances that he is said to have been arrested, I am satisfied a case has been made,” the judge ruled.

 His lawyers, John Khaminwa, Peter Kaluma and Michael Osundwa, were authorised to serve Police IG Joseph Boinett with the order for his immediate release on Friday. By evening, they traced him to Githunguri police station but a scene ensued when locals who learnt he was held there tried to block him from leaving.

 The lawyers argued the police were abusing their powers of arrest to harass, intimidate and oppress NASA leaders.

The State had warned against the oath and vowed to charge anyone involved with high treason, an offence punishable by death.

Related: [VIDEO] Miguna arrested for swearing-in Raila

A day after the proscribed oath, Interior CS Fred Matiang'i announced the state was investigating andwill deal with those "involved and the conspirators" in accordance with the law.

He said investigations would extend to individuals and television stations suspected of collusion in a "well-choreographed attempt to subvert or overthrow the legally constituted government of Kenya".

That followed Matiang'i's gazettement of the National Resistance Movement as a criminal organisation under the Section 22 of the Prevention of Organised Crimes Act.

Yesterday, Raila's communications aide Salim Lone said Matiang’i’s claim that “a massacre of catastrophic proportions was going to take place” was meant to prepare Kenyans for more arrests and turbulence.

Movie

At Miguna’s house in Meadows, Runda estate, police in two vehicles kicked and forced their way in, ransacking and overturning furniture movie-style.

After almost an hour, the outspoken ‘general’ was whisked away  to an unknown destination.

Miguna had on Thursday dared Matiang'i to arrest him for administering the oath to Raila, saying NRM would defeat the state.

“If you are looking for me, I’m ready and I’ve been ready since I was a teenager,” he said. “We fought retired President Daniel Moi and defeated him. You [Matiang’i] are nothing," he said at a press conference at Okoa Kenya offices in Lavington, Nairobi. 

He added that there is nothing unlawful he had done since he is a qualified commissioner of oaths. Miguna witnessed the oath that Raila swore.

The self-styled general was alone when police came calling. His personal assistant and househelp reported to work in the morning but were denied entry by armed police s who had taken over the compound.

“Nobody will be allowed inside the compound until he (Miguna) is back. Go to County commander for further briefs,” Gigiri OCPD Vitalis Otieno told Miguna’s lawyer Willis Ochieng’.

Police left a trail of destruction with broken shutters, overturned furniture and papers strewn all over.

His arrest followed that of Ruaraka legislator TJ Kajwang' on Wednesday evening in what looked liked a systematic crackdown on NASA's luminaries over the Uhuru Park ceremony.

The second-term MP who was accused "jointly with others of being present and consenting to administer an oath to Raila".

His presence amounted to binding the NASA leader to commit a capital offence of treason.

He also faced a second count of taking part in an unlawful assembly, and organising a public meeting in the park without notifying the Nairobi Central police station boss.

He was released on sh 50,000 cash bail on Wednesday.

Apart from the state arresting the opposition leaders,it has also been withdrawing their bodyguards and guns assigned to them.

Already the Firearms Licensing Board has revoked the gun licences of Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi and Dagoretti North MP Simba Arati. The latter obtained a court order to restore his firearm.

The board had asked them  to surrender their pistols and shotguns by close of business Thursday.

ODM chairman and Suba South MP John Mbadi urged the state to act within the law.

"One of them told me they are also coming for me. We are waiting. I have heard they are saying what we did on Tuesday is like a joke and a movie. If at all it was, why are they panicking? I am very happy when I see them reacting like this because then I know we are achieving our goal," he said.

Mbadi said, "I don't think we are worried. I am just concerned how they go about their business. There is nothing wrong if you are arrested in a procedural manner and charged."

Kibwezi MP Jessica Mbalu (Wiper) said the arrests were wrong "because everybody should be accommodated".

"A politician is a representative of the people and Kenya is made up of people with divergent views. The government should stop going for small fish. We need to look for long-term solutions to problems facing the country," she said.

"These arrests are causing unnecessary tension. How long are we going to to see this?

Any leadership should be ready to accept divergent views," she said.

Wiper Organising Secretary Robert Mbui (Kathiani) said the government was scaring others but their main target is Raila. "This is a joke and I don't think they are achieving anything much from cracking down on NASA," he said.

"People are going to get more and more aggressive every day. When our security is taken away, our people will start to protect us and this may lead to militias. This crackdown is unifying us and the cracks that were in NASA are going to be sealed," he said.

Also read: Accept Uhuru re-election and lift media ban, EU tells Kenya

Click here for the latest political news

Jubilee Party is ready for dialogue but not on anything to do with Kenya's rulers.

Deputy president William Ruto said this on Saturday noting he and president Uhuru Kenyatta were duly elected by the people.

Uhuru's key rival Raila Odinga of NASA insists the August 8, 2017 election was a sham. His petition resulted in a re-run on October 26 but he did not participate, claiming a predetermined outcome.

Opposition leaders want talks so there was hope for a few seconds when Ruto said: "We are ready for dialogue."

The DP said it is "pure madness" for the opposition to keep making "baseless" demands.

He said its leaders should have heeded his warning as Jubilee Party stepped up so there was no way they could have been defeated.

While laughing, he said: "Sasa mambo yamekwisha, mnataka kutuletea kisirani ... si tungoje 2022 (The elections season is over yet you want to cause problems. Why not wait for 2022)?"

He said there will be no other election in Kenya before that year and told the opposition that "mkikaakaa vile mnakaakaa, mambo yataharibika tena ... haya mambo mengine ya catwalk ni kelele tu (If you continue sitting around like you are doing, things will go wrong for you again ... all these other issues of catwalks only amount to noise)".

Related: Nasa chiefs are noisemakers, Ruto says as leaders push for legal action

NASA principal Moses Wetang'ula, who is Bungoma senator and Ford Kenya leader, attended the service.

Ruto said: "Wetangula is my friend and I warned them before the general election but he did not heed to my advice. Their brigade took a lot of time before deciding who their leader would be," he said.

"They wasted time in retreats and seminars and forgot Jubilee leaders had already made up their minds. They realised the election was around the corner ... Time caught up with them."

The DP noted it is high time Nasa leaders behaved like gentlemen and accepted the people's decision following the re-run.

The others are Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Musalia Mudavadi of Amani National Congress.

Ruto said Raila and his team should be reminded that Kenya belongs to all its citizens so they should respectfully accept Uhuru's leadership.

"We must refuse and resist any intolerance. Politics of ethnicity and division have caused us more problems. Let us unite as a people, adhere to the rule of law and submit to the dictates of the constitution," he added. "No one is above the law in Kenya. Irrespective of who we are we must submit to the dictates of the constitution."

Click here for the latest political news

Political battles took centre stage during Yvonne Wamalawa's burial on Saturday, Moses Wetang'ula accusing Jubilee politicians of betraying Luhyas.

The Nasa principal told them they were pursuing selfish interests by seeking favours while forgetting their people.

Wetang'ula is part of the opposition's national resistance movement which does not recognise president Uhuru Kenyatta's leadership.

He serves as Bungoma senator and Ford Kenya party boss and is also senate minority leader.

His sentiments were echoed by Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa who accused the Jubilee administration of forgetting Yvonne despite contributions by her late husband former VP Kijana Wamalwa.

But when Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa rose to speak, he refuted all these claims and asked Chris to sit with the family and get educated.

"Check for the correct information with the family. She always served and died as an ambassador. The information you have given is wrong and I must correct that perception.

"I, Eugene Wamalwa, am the only family spokesman and no one can speak on our behalf."

The minister asked politicians from the Western region to change their scope and work towards uniting the Luhya community.

He noted "great need" for all leaders to work together and stop name-calling.

"If we are really hoping to be respected as a community, we must change. We must stop divisive and abusive politics, manifested by intolerance and stone-throwing, no matter our political parties.

Wamalwa said he had forgiven ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi for the incident in Vihiga when protests forced him to leave the Maragoli cultural festival.

"My brother Wetang'ula, go and tell Mudavadi that I have forgiven him and that he is welcome to sell his policies to our people. We are peace-loving so that which happened is all gone."

More on this: [VIDEO] Mudavadi saves CS Wamalwa after Vihiga youths threaten chaos

He further termed Raila Odinga (ODM) a family friend with whom he has never had an exchange of world. 

"This must apply to all of us," he said. "Masinde Muliro supported Raila when Mudavadi and Wetang'ula supported [former president Daniel] Moi and at that time there was no name-calling. No one was called a traitor."

But Wamalwa chided Wetang'ula and Mudavadi for attacking Jubilee-affiliated politicians.

"I have been appointed and this is a national duty. I am not a tumbocrat as these leaders say. We made a decision to support the Jubilee government and they must respect our position."

Deputy president William Ruto earlier noted Jubile Party is keen on development as its leaders have moved from last year's elections season.

Details: God's case no appeal': Jubilee only ready for development talks - Ruto

Senate speaker Ken Lusaka earlier reached out to the Luhya community, urging unity for the sake of development.

He asked the people to take advantage of opportunities presented through Uhuru's cabinet and speak in one voice for effective service delivery.

Eugene was Water CS in the first five year's of Jubilee's rule while Amina Mohamed was moved from the Foreign Affairs ministry to Education.

Wanyama Musiambu was appointed the chief of staff and head of the presidential delivery unit and Rashid Mohammed the Sports cabinet secretary.

"With all these positions, our region can never be same again if he unite," Wamalwa said, adding all his brother wanted was unity. "The political class must respect his legacy."

Political talks filled the service despite the family's request for this not to be the case. Trans Nzoia governor Patrick Khaemba said the family had requested mourners not to delve into politics.

Read: No politics at Yvonne's burial, says committee

Also Read: Yvonne’s burial sets stage for more Mulembe power struggles

Click here for the latest political news

A week has passed since the Government switched off Kenya’s biggest television stations Royal Media Services’ Citizen

TV, the Nation Media Group’s NTV and the Standard Media Group’s KTN.

The High Court ordered the Government to lift the ban on Friday, but nothing has happened.

Equally disturbing is the silence of industry lobby groups and associations like the Kenya Private Sector Alliance, Federation of Kenya Employers, Kenya Association

of Manufacturers and the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce.

It is astonishing that neither the Media Owners’ Association nor the above groups have issued a protest in the face of the State’s roguish behaviour and disobedience of court orders.

The battles seems to have been left to the Editors’ Guild and civil society groups.

This deafening silence must not continue. 

Media organisations are employers and taxpayers and the Government has no business endangering livelihoods. 

The State says a massacre was planned in Nairobi on January 30 and some media houses and journalists were in on the plot.

Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu says his county should not elect “foreigners”. In the last election, a Luo and an Asian were elected to the county assembly.

In December, Kiambu county passed a motion requiring all employers to hire 70 per cent of their workers from the dominant community, the Kikuyu. Everyone knows the notorious insults and nativist jingoism of people like Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria and political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi. Let’s face it: Kikuyu ethnic chauvinism hinders national cohesion. It permeates the community’s collective imagination. That is why the Kurias, Waititus and Ngunyis are popular.

Here are 10 points to ponder:

President Jomo Kenyatta consolidated Kikuyu Power in his “fervent vision of the Gikuyu future”, according to the historian ES Atieno-Odhiambo. He writes:

“In the heyday of the Kenyatta regime, it was assumed that the people within the corridors of his power would speak Gikuyu. Shadrack Ojudo Kwassa, a Luo former Chief of Protocol, recalled the surprise of First Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta at his inability to speak Gikuyu at an official encounter over tea one afternoon in Gatundu, President Kenyatta’s country fiefdom. He was out of the protocol office the following day, his job assigned to a more appropriate Mugikuyu, Daniel Gachukia.”

2. From 1968 there was massive oathing of Kikuyus to bind them to protect Uthamaki (the presidency). Atieno-Odhiambo reports: “truckloads of Agikuyu went voluntarily, or were coerced into going, to Gatundu, Kenyatta’s country seat, to take oaths to guarantee that the Kenya flag would never leave the House of Mumbi. Often the participants took the oath on a flag of Kenya spread on the ground.”

That oath has never been revoked, so it can be assumed to be still binding among the community.

3. In the 1970s, there was the ‘change the constitution’ movement spearheaded by Kikuyu supremacists such as Kihika Kimani and the ‘Kiambu Mafia’. They wanted to block Vice President Daniel Moi from automatically succeeding Kenyatta.

4. Kenya has had only four presidents since independence. Three of them are Kikuyu; two a father and his son. The current plan is to hand the presidency back to the Kalenjin in 2022 and then later back to the Kikuyu.

5. Some Kikuyus claim the community was isolated during Moi’s rule – the only non-Kikuyu president. But this is not true. Why then did Moi want to handover power back to the Kikuyu in 2002 by picking Uhuru Kenyatta as his successor? Moreover, Moi’s first three (out of a total of five) vice presidents were Kikuyu: Mwai Kibaki, Josephat Karanja and George Saitoti, the Maasai impostor. Some of the most powerful men of Moi’s regime were Kikuyu.

6. The Kikuyu chattering classes were very vocal against Moi. Suddenly, many of them went mum from the time Kibaki took power. Some have since boarded the ethnic gravy train or support it quietly. Former dissidents like Gibson Kamau Kuria, Paul Muite and Martha Karua come to mind.

7. Among the Kikuyu there has always been a progressive elite: the Bildad Kaggias, Timothy Njoyas, John Githongos, Maina Kiais, David Ndiis. These individuals have ended up being cursed and ostracized for resisting Uthamakism.

8. Kikuyu-owned or –controlled media outlets such as Kameme FM, The People, Nation, Citizen, etcetera unabashedly or subtly trumpet Kikuyu Power everyday.

9. There is the common retort that Uthamakism is an elite affair; that the majority of Kikuyus suffer like other Kenyans. Well, since the re-introduction of multiparty politics in Kenya in 1991, the Kikuyu have consistently voted for their own.

10.Jaramogi Oginga Odinga refused a British offer to take over Kenya’s leadership, insisting on the release of Kenyatta from prison. And Oginga’s son Raila in 2002 shelved his presidential ambition and declared support for Mwai Kibaki (Kibaki tosha!). The Kikuyu have never supported a presidential candidate from outside their community.

From Jomo, to Kibaki and now Uhuru, Kikuyus have held some of the most powerful positions in government. Kenya’s first broad-based government collapsed because Kikuyu oligarchs captured Kibaki, re-ethnicised state power and sidelined all the others in NARC coalition.

In his autobiography, Kibaki’s Vice President Moody Awori writes: “On days when we held the weekly Cabinet meetings at State House, I always went ahead of the rest of the Ministers to discuss with the President in his office matters that did not need to be brought to the Cabinet. On a number of occasions two powerful Ministers from Central Province would just barge into the President’s office while I was still there, greet the President and continue a conversation with him in Kikuyu. Kibaki would feel embarrassed and respond in English or sometimes in Kiswahili, but it did not deter the two Ministers. They would continue talking to him in Kikuyu”.

Kenyans need to discuss the issue of Kikuyu Power.

Henry Makori is a journalist in Nairobi.

“Do you want to kill your son with pain?” This is what David’s father asked Maureen Atieno, 19, when she suggested they get their 14-day-old son circumcised.

She had learned about the circumcision of babies on Radio Nam Lolwe the previous night. “The radio (presenter) said babies can be circumcised right after birth just like men. He encouraged mothers to do that because there are health benefits,” says the first-time mother.

Compared to adult circumcision, early infant medical male circumcision (EIMC) is cheaper, heals faster and, unlike the case with adults, there is no chance that children would engage in any riskier sexual behaviour after circumcision because they feel more protected.

But the idea of circumcising a days-old child scared men like David’s father, who declined to be named in this story.

He squirmed in remembered pain as he recalled his own circumcision five years ago. He did not think a two-week old baby could bear that level of pain. “They also have very small organs. What if something goes wrong and the doctor ends up cutting more than the foreskin?” he asked.

However, Atieno was determined to find out if EIMC would be a good thing for her baby. But having dropped out of school in standard six, she did not have the medical knowledge herself, and so she started asking men she knew. Only if necessary would she seek more information from the local health centre.

Her baby’s father was against the circumcision, and so was a shopkeeper at the nearby Marindi shopping centre in Homa Bay county. Mark Owino, 28, questioned why anyone would “subject babies to so much pain”.

“What if in future your son demands: mother, why was I circumcised? Is it not better for him to make that decision when he is grown?” he asked.

Only one man, her cousin Robert Ndolo, outright supported circumcision of the baby. His own son had recently been circumcised, when he was two months old. Robert had been against it, but the baby’s mother insisted

NOT SO PAINFUL

Having got a father’s perspective, Atieno wondered what nurses would say. Early last month, she visited the Marindi Health Centre, which is about 2.5km away from Marindi shopping centre.

She met Tindlis Onyango, 32, a registered nursing officer. He is about five feet tall with a disarmingly soft handshake. Onyango works with the Impact Research and Development Organisation (IRDO), a local NGO best known in Kenya for spearheading medical male circumcision in Nyanza, a traditionally non-circumcising region in Western Kenya.

Onyango patiently explained the basics: that circumcision is a surgical procedure that removes the foreskin covering the glans (rounded tip) of the male organ. He told Atieno that circumcision is not as painful for the baby as she imagined. Prior to the mid-1980s, babies were not given anaesthesia because the medical community did not acknowledge infant pain, but that has changed.

He added that certain conditions must be met before the procedure is done. “Babies must be less than 60 days old. Pre-terms cannot be circumcised until they meet the criteria to be discharged from the hospital, which includes weighing more than 2.5kg,” he said.

Babies from families with a history of bleeding will not be circumcised until tests are done to make sure the child does not have that problem.

“Finally we must get the consent of the parents and then the operation can be done,” he added.

Apprehensive, Atieno also spoke to Evelyne Ndiege, 23, an insurance agent who lives in a rented house in Homa Bay Town. She had no regrets for having her child circumcised by Onyango in May.

“My fiancé was very fearful and wanted our son to make that decision when he is mature,” she said.

Evelyne decided to research more on the Internet. She bumped into claims that circumcision is painful for babies several times more than for adult circumcision.

“My neighbour is a clinical officer and confirmed that they hardly feel any pain because they are anaesthetised and the blood vessels and nerve endings of babies less than two months old are not well formed,” she explained.

Her six-week-old son, Kennaz Adon, was circumcised on May 30, this year. He only cried when being injected with the anaesthesia, she said. He continued suckling normally. After three days, the scar had healed. “Within five days, I could bathe him normally, because before that, I was only wiping him,” she explained.

DECISION TIME

“Atieno, what have you decided?” Onyango now turned and asked. Atieno scanned around the health centre. The walls were painted a deep beige. Next to them was the delivery room. Only one female nurse was working because the rest had joined a national strike, demanding higher salaries. Outside was a string of weary mothers, waiting to be attended by the female nurse.

Atieno, like many mothers in rural areas, had given birth at home and missed such advice on EIMC, normally imparted by nurses just after delivery.

Sometimes the indecision of some parents is torturing. Onyango was often forced to patiently explain the same things again three or four times. But he could not nudge parents into a certain decision.

Atieno then announced: “My baby will be circumcised.” Onyango explained that the operation could be done immediately, as it would take only about 15 minutes.

He ticked through some forms, and asked her many questions. Baby David Otieno turned one month old in November and was eligible. She appended her signature.

Onyango then prepared the bed and placed David on his back, and used Velcro bands to keep his arms and legs still.

He cleaned the baby’s genitals with antiseptic, and then covered David’s tiny body and its surrounding areas with a sterile drape.

He then injected an aesthetic to the base of the male organ to ease the pain. David let out a cry. Onyango cuddled him

It was now time to use the mogen clamp circumcision device. He slid the clamp over the foreskin and locked it after confirming that the tip of the glans was free of the blades.

From here, he used a scalpel to cut the skin from the upper side of the clamp. No sutures are required for infants.

He then removed the drape and generously applied Vaseline petroleum jelly all over the wound, and covered it with gauze.

He had to demonstrate this to Atieno, because she would do the same, at least for the next three days. He also demonstrated how to hold the baby and dress him.

Only a few drops of blood were lost in the entire exercise, which took 10 minutes, including preparation

“I’m glad I’ve done it,” Atieno said as she picked up David, and asked more questions. She then smiled and walked back home.

Circumcision is a surgical procedure that removes the foreskin covering the glans (rounded tip) of the male organ. Circumcision of babies, medically known as early infant medical male circumcision (EIMC), is not traditionally practised in Kenya.

However, the government prioritises it in the Second National Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision Strategy 2014-19. It aims “to circumcise at least 40 percent of male infants who come into contact with EIMC-providing facilities within 60 days after birth by 2019.” A major health benefit is that it reduces the risk of contracting HIV by 60 per cent later in life.

The Impact Research and Development Organisation has taken it upon itself to promote the male cut in Kenya. It is a local NGO best known for spearheading medical male circumcision in Nyanza, a traditionally non-circumcising region. The organisation is currently piloting infant circumcision in Kisumu and Homa Bay counties, offering the service for free.

IRDO has conducted about 2,000 operations on pilot basis in the two counties since 2016. But uptake is a tall order. In 2016, “The Mtoto Msafi Mbili (Clean Child II) Study”, canvassing 16 health facilities in Homa Bay, found that fewer than one in three parents were likely to have their baby boys circumcised at that age.

The study was funded by the University of Illinois at Chicago, and most researchers were affiliated to the Nyanza Reproductive Health Society, a non-governmental health research organisation based in Kisumu.

“It is likely to take several years and allocation of substantial resources before rates of EIMC uptake may achieve targets of 40 per cent or higher,” said the researchers. The results were published in Plos One journal last September.

“Pain and protection from HIV were the most frequently cited barrier and facilitator to EIMC,” said Prof Jaoko Godfrey, a university of Nairobi physician who took part in the study.

CONDITIONS FOR CUT

IRDO nursing officer Tindlis Onyango assures that the procedure is safe, if done under the right conditions. Onyango has performed about 30 procedures since IRDO arrived in Homa Bay in February last year. He regularly visits health facilities to recruit young mothers, but says it is not easy to convince them.

“Babies must be less than 60 days old. Pre-terms cannot be circumcised until they meet the criteria to be discharged from the hospital, which includes weighing more than 2.5kg,” he says.

Babies from families with a history of bleeding will not be circumcised until tests are done to make sure the child does not have that problem.

“Finally we must get the consent of the parents and then the operation can be done,” he adds.

Most studies show the benefits of the procedure outweigh the risks. “Some of the immediate benefits are that circumcised children cannot develop phimosis, a condition where the foreskin is too tight and affects the stream of urine,” Onyango said. This can result in infection.

“The procedure is simpler because at that age, the foreskin is thinner and less vascular, so they heal faster and complication rates are lower,” he added.

INCLUSION IN POLICY

The National Aids and STIs Control Programme (Nascop) directs all HIV prevention services in Kenya. Nascop boss Dr Bartilol Kigen says they now encourage EIMC to sustain the current male circumcision momentum.

“Kenya is the leading country in Africa in voluntary medical male circumcision. In VMMC (voluntary medical male circumcision), we targeted people 15 years and above, but now we are going to infants, to sustain the numbers and increase coverage,” he says. “The same health benefits afforded circumcised men later in life accrue to those circumcised in infancy.”

Dr Kigen says the trial exercise in Homa Bay and Kisumu will help the government develop a policy to guide infant circumcision in public health facilities. The government will then integrate infant circumcision into the existing maternal neonatal child health programmes.

“Parents will access this as one of the child health services offered in clinics. But we need to develop policy first and then health facilities can offer it as a regular service,” he says.

Directors of Kings Medical College in Nyeri have accused the government of harassing investors.

Owner Moses Njue, a former chief government pathologist, said closure of the institution last week is malicious and in bad taste.

The Kenya Medical Laboratory Technicians and Technologists Board officers stormed the institution on Monday and issued a notice to close the college.

Speaking to journalists at the institution on Friday, Njue said the board had inspected the college and they acted on the recommendations.

“Since year 2016, the board refused to renewal our licence, despite presenting a cheque of Sh 86,000. Why the malice? Instead of solving the matter in a humane way, they harassed students and lecturers and arrested,” Njue said.

Millions invested

The board ordered the closure of the institution that has been operating for over seven years after allegedly failing to meet basic standards for offering the programme.

Njue who has moved to court clarified that only 92 students of Medical Laboratory who have been affected and not 200 students as reported by the media. Other students in the faculties of nursing and clinical medicine are continuing with their studies.

“There seems to be a rift between KMLTTB and Knec. As the two bulls fight, students suffer. They should have given notice and time to for students to finish their studies. It is painful to close down an institution yet millions of shillings was invested in,” he said.

KMLTTB chief executive officer Patrick Kisabey maintained the college was closed in 2016 after an inspection.

“We inspected the institution in 2016, in November last year and today. The administration has not complied with the requirements,” he said.

Kisabey said the college is not registered, and students are not indexed by the board as required in law.