NASA coalition and family members of self-styled NRM general Miguna Miguna have accused the police of barring them from seeing him.

He is reported to have been locked in various police stations. Miguna was arrested on Friday at his Runda home in Nairobi after playing a key role in the swearing-in of NASA leader Raila Odinga as the People’s President on January 30.

On Saturday, family members went to Lari police station and demanded to see him.

They alleged Miguna was transferred from Githunguri police station on Friday night to Lari after being arrested and taken to Kiambu police station headquarters.

However, OCPD Isaiah Odhiambo denied Miguna was in Lari police station cells. He said the family had been misinformed.

Even though family members declined to speak to the Star at Lari police station on Saturday, NASA politician and lawyer Edwin Sifuna wrote on his Twitter handle, “They are aware that Miguna was being held at the station, but they were not allowed to see him.”

“We do not need the press for now. Please give us time. We are in darkness” a family member told this journalist before boarding their vehicles.

“Miguna is at Lari Police Station. The OCS and the OCPD have denied lawyers and his family access to him. We do not know his state,” Sifuna’s tweet read.

The Ministry of Health has urged Mombasa residents with chikungunya to stop overeating paw paw leaves in the belief it will cure the disease. In fact, it could be harmful to the kidneys.

Instead, residents have been told to seek medical attention. Thirty-two cases of chikungunya have been confirmed in the county. Four hundred and thirty five cases are yet to be confirmed.

No deaths have been reported. The disease has affected all the six subcounties in Mombasa with Mvita having the highest number of cases reported at 140. The other subcounties include Changamwe, 65, Jomvu, 43, Likoni, 104, Kisauni, 63 and Nyali 20.

Rarely fatal

During a health symposium on Friday, Prof Rodney Adam, a disease specialist at the Department of Pathology at the Aga Khan University, said the disease rarely causes death but has negative effects.

“The main problem is that the illness lasts for days or even weeks, and some people have joint swelling for months or even more than a year,” he said.

The county government said it will meet regularly to review the situation. Fogging and indoor residual spraying is being conducted to contain the disease.

What is chikungunya?

According to WHO, chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease first described during an outbreak in southern Tanzania in 1952.

It is a virus that belongs to the alphavirus genus. The name chikungunya derives from a word in the kimakonde language, meaning “to become contorted”, and describes the stooped appearance of sufferers with joint pain.

Chikungunya is characterized by an abrupt onset of fever frequently accompanied by joint pain. Other common signs and symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash. The joint pain is often debilitating, but usually lasts a few days or may be prolonged to weeks. The virus can cause acute.

The management of Temple Point Resort in Watamu has protested against a move by the police to forcibly escort an investor into the disputed Sh1 billion hotel using “unclear court orders”.

Armed security personnel stormed into the resort at 5am on Saturday demanding to be allowed into the hotel. Workers said two police Land Cruisers arrived at the resort at 5am and said they were waiting for their senior to arrive.

However, the hotel security became suspicious and alerted their seniors and locked the police out. It emerged the police had come to implement ‘unclear court orders’ which did not state whether Kenyan investor Isaac Rodrot and his Italian partner Stefano Uccelli should take over the resort.

Mumba Ngundi, the manager, said Rodrot and Malindi OCPD Matawa Muchangi later came in another two police vehicles but were still blocked from accessing the resort. He accused the police of being used to frustrate German investor Hans Langer, who was not at the hotel.

“What happened today is strange. If police officers could be used that way, we wonder where we are going. Police raided the hotel while people were asleep and staff were not at the hotel,” Ngundi said. He said there is a court case which will be heard on March 1 and there are no other orders concerning the takeover of the hotel.

“We asked them to produce a court order and they did not have any. We could not allow them in,” Ngundi said. Muchangi said the police went to the hotel to implement orders issued by the Court of Appeal. He dismissed claims the police are being used to frustrate Langer.

President Uhuru Kenyatta is staring at a court battle with lobby groups challenging the “unconstitutional” composition of his new Cabinet.

At least three lobby groups have rejected Uhuru’s proposed Cabinet by filing petitions in court to bar Parliament from vetting the nominees on Thursday and Friday.

The public has until Wednesday to submit memoranda to Parliament on suitability of the Cabinet Secretary, Principal Secretary and ambassadorial nominees before the vetting.

Read : Cabinet: Gaps and questions

The Kenya Human Rights Commission, the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness, and the Federation of Women Lawyers argue Uhuru did not consider the constitutional threshold on gender representation, people living with disability and regional balance.

US-based law dean Prof Makau Mutua chairs KHRC, Josephine Mong’are chairs Fida, while Leah Wangechi is the executive director for the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness.

Cotu is also among organisations that are dissatisfied with the composition of Uhuru’s cabinet. Secretary general Francis Atwoli yesterday told the Star Uhuru should address unconstitutional issues lobby groups and other stakeholders are raising.

“The Cabinet should be all-inclusive. Uhuru should get a way of including more women, youths and persons with disabilities,” Atwoli said. He, however, affirmed Cotu members are committed to support the President and nominees who will make it to the Cabinet after the vetting and approval by Parliament this month.

Uhuru nominated six women of 20 CSs, a number the lobby groups argue does not meet two-thirds gender threshold provided in the Constitution for public appointments.

Also read : Women protest demanding slots in Uhuru's 'men only' Cabinet

The six women CSs include Raychelle Omamo (Defence), Monica Juma (Foreign Affairs), Sicily Kariuki (Health), Amina Mohamed (Education), Margret Kobia (Public Service) and Farida Karoney (Lands).

The lobby groups argue six slots given to women translate to 21 per cent of the 23-member Cabinet, the President, his deputy and Attorney General included. “The percentage of women in Cabinet remains grossly below the constitutionally stipulated percentage. Worst still, it has retrogressed,” KHRC has said.

NASA leader Raila Odinga is reportedly operating from a city hotel, crafting his Cabinet amidst pressure from his lieutenants to drop his co-principals Moses Wetang’ula, Kalonzo Musyoka and Musalia Mudavadi.

He has also avoided his Capital Hill office in Upper Hill since his swearing-in as the “People's President” at Uhuru Park last Tuesday.

Apart from a press conference he addressed on Thursday with his co-principals before attending the funeral service of the Yvonne Wamalwa at Consolata Church in Westlands, Raila has maintained an unusually low profile.

Family sources say only businessman Jimmy Wanjigi and his daughter Winnie have unfettered access to him most of the time.

Must read: How Wanjigi pushed Raila to be sworn in

It is unclear whether the decision to operate from the upmarket hotel is to avoid possible arrest, for security reasons or a strategic retreat meant to allow him to work out his next political move.

He had promised to make a comprehensive statement on Friday stating the way forward, but his communications team sent out a statement postponing this to a later date.

So far lawyers Miguna Miguna and TJ Kajwang’, who is also the Ruaraka MP, have been arrested for their roles in the swearing-in.

On Saturday police also arrested Makadara MP George Aladwa, but he was released on free bond. Investigators said he was questioned in relation to the attack on Kalonzo’s home on Tuesday night.

Likely names of Raila’s Cabinet and their roles remain unclear. His coalition partners are not fully involved in the exercise.

His close allies, mainly from his ODM party, want the Opposition to drop the three, arguing they add no value to the coalition.

The three skipped the swearing-in ceremony, but have since come out defending themselves, saying the move was tactical and that Kalonzo would be sworn in at a later date.

However, none of Raila's die-hard supporters want to hear this and instead are pushing the former Prime Minister to start grooming Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho for the top job in 2022. Joho introduced Raila to the crowd before he took the oath.

Nyando MP Jared Okelo told the Star yesterday that the trio had roles to play during the ceremony, adding that Raila should scout for new trustworthy friends.

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

“The country was expectant, but they still chickened out. No event in the history of the NASA coalition has attracted local and international attention of that magnitude. What other events could they still be waiting for? With that I still maintain that the Right Honourable Raila Odinga should cast his political net wider to catch new allies,” Okelo said.

He added: “Abandoning our People's President at such a crucial moment of his enthronement was the epitome of betrayal and cowardice. The other three principals were all in the country and none was indisposed. They all knew about the swearing-in ceremony”.

Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo has also asked Raila to re-consider his position on the three leaders.

Yesterday ODM Uriri MP MP Mark Nyamita and his Mathare counterpart Anthony Oluoch said Kalonzo, Wetang’ula and Mudavadi should not be allowed near Raila, unless Kalonzo takes the oath.

“Baba [Raila] has been sworn in, Kalonzo, Mudavadi and Wetang’ula should not talk to us before Kalonzo takes the oath," Nyamita said at a NASA rally in Baba Dogo, Nairobi.

Oluoch said: “Let them cleanse themselves first before we allow them near Raila”.

However, Makadara MP George Aladwa, who hails from Western, appealed to ODM not to “sacrifice the Luhya nation,” saying they firmly support Raila.

"Do not sacrifice us on behalf of Wetang’ula and Mudavadi. We Luhyas are firmly in NASA," he said at the rally.

Even as Raila plots his next move, a major falling out looms over the composition and operations of a key committee of the coalition that organised the swearing-in.

The Strategy and Technical committee, led by David Ndii, has come under criticism from Wiper, Ford-Kenya and ANC.

The cracks were brought to the fore by Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana, who complained that Wiper had been kept in the dark regarding the preparations.

“ODM has not been fair. Even our representatives in the plans were kept in the dark most of the time. We are part of the NASA coalition, but most of the time we were not briefed on meetings and progress,” the Governor complained, speaking on Musyi FM on Thursday.

Tomorrow Wiper Party will hold a leadership meeting to discuss the way forward and their role in the NASA outfit.

Sources say complaints by the other political parties about the composition of this committee began late last year, when Raila’s co-principals Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetang’ula took issue with the manner in which Ndii was carrying out the committee's affairs.

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

The co-principals complained that they were never consulted on crucial issues but were instead often presented with decisions reached without their input.

Wetang’ula even offered to personally attend the committee meetings when critical issue were to be discussed, but it is said that he has never been invited to any meeting, even after the offer.

Regarding the decision to swear in Raila and Kalonzo, Wiper, ANC and Ford Kenya all complained that their reservations about the propriety of the move were not taken into consideration and that the Ndii-led committee was only concerned about the views of ODM when reaching decisions.

“All the political strategies suggested by this committee border on the radical. It’s a very ODM approach in everything. Some of us would prefer a more pragmatic approach to politics, but when we suggest so we are branded cowards”, said a senior Wiper official.

Mudavadi, the ANC party leader, is also said to have preferred a less radical response to Jubilee’s controversial victory at the polls.

His closest advisers Kibisu Kabetesi, Dan Ameyo and Barrack Muluka are said to have already laid out strategies for engagement with Jubilee.

However, the ANC Secretary-General, Godfrey Osotsi, has come out fighting against the team, branding them Jubilee puppets. He claimed they have formed a cartel to push the party leader into a working relationship with the government.

The Ndii committee is being accused of being ODM heavy, with a majority of the members being associated with Raila.

Wiper is said to have only one representative by the name of Koitamet ole Kina.

Ford Kenya also has only one member, Bram Simiyu, while ANC has no representative. The rest of the members, who at times reach a total of 15, are all allied to Raila.

“The truth is you cannot plan for Kalonzo, Mudavadi or Wetang’ula the way you plan for Raila. With Raila you can plan anything, however dangerous. He will be there. But not everyone is like that. The coalition partners want the committee membership to be balanced so that the alternative voices to ODM can be heard,” another source told the Star.

 Click here for the latest political stories

Esmond Bradley Martin, one of the world's leading ivory trade investigators living in Kenya, was on Sunday found stabbed to death in his Nairobi house.

The 75-year-old, who was alone in the Nairobi house, had a stab wound in the neck. 

Esmond has authored several ground-breaking investigative reports on rhino and ivory smuggling in Kenya and the trade in China, Vietnam, and Laos.

He was said to have been working on a new expose on trafficking in ivory and rhino horns. 

Nairobi DCI boss Ireri Kamwende said they are yet to identify Esmond's attackers.

His wife, who reported the death, said she found her husband's lifeless body after coming from a nature walk at around 4pm.

"We have already questioned a gardener and a cook who are employed at the home," Kamwende said. 

Read: Inside China where smuggled ivory meets second death

Esmond, an American geographer, had been travelling all over the world with his wife, Chryssee Martin, and colleagues Lucy Vigne and Dan Stiles.

They were on a mission to identify ivory and rhino markets, the traffickers and the modern-day uses.

He was a one time UN special envoy for rhino conservation.

Among his achievements was helping persuade China to shut down its legal rhino horn trade in 1993 and ivory trade last year. 

His last report, Decline in the Legal Ivory Trade in China in Anticipation of a Ban, was published by conservation group Save The Elephants last year. 

The 88-page report was co-authored by consultant Lucy Vigne. 

It revealed that the 130 licensed outlets in China have been gradually reducing the quantity of ivory items on display for sale, and recently have been cutting prices to improve sales. 

"With the end of the legal ivory trade in China, the survival chances for elephants have distinctly improved. We must give credit to China for doing the right thing by closing the ivory trade," Esmond told the Star last year. 

He first came to East Africa in the 1970s when there had been a huge slaughter of elephants in the region, followed in the 1980s by rhinos. 

"In Kenya, there were around 20,000 rhinos in 1970, but by the 1990s, most of the rhinos had been eliminated. The puzzle was: why were all these rhinos being killed, and where was the horn going?" Esmond told the Nomad Magazine last year.  

Also read: Laos a thriving market for Kenyan trophies

Click here for the latest political news 

Investigations into the attack of Kalonzo Musyoka’s home last Tuesday have hit a snag.

Investigators have complained they are not able to proceed with the investigations as Kalonzo has declined to hand over a bullet and grenade pin found at the compound.

Read:Kalonzo home attackers used a stun grenade - Charles Owino

Police want the AK-47 bullet and the pin for analysis, but Kalonzo declined to hand them over last Thursday night.

Detectives from the Karen DCI and Scenes of Crime, who visited the home, failed to convince Kalonzo to hand over the exhibits.

The officers left after photographing the exhibits.

Yesterday, a spokesman of Kalonzo, who requested anonymity, said, ”We are not surprised that police have decided to play such games."

 “We knew from the word go that police would offer excuses for their failure," the official said.

Nairobi DCI chief Ireri Kamwende simply said investigations are continuing, but declined to comment on the challenges faced by his officers.

Kalonzo has told police how he heard a loud bang at his Karen home and when he went out to check, he found a live bullet and the safety pin of a grenade.

Nobody was injured in the 2am incident.

Kalonzo said he had collected the two items as evidence of the planned attack that came hours after he failed to attend the NASA swearing-in ceremony in Uhuru Park.

Kalonzo, ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi and Ford Kenya's Moses Wetang'ula did not attend the swearing-in ceremony.

Failure to hand over the exhibits to police has been interpreted as a sign of bad faith.

So far police have questioned security guards who were on duty at Kalonzo's home that night.

A senior police officer said the guards told police they heard a loud bang, but did not think it is the premises they were guarding that was under attack.

The senior officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the incident happened on the night after the swearing-in ceremony.

At the same time, his security guards have been withdrawn by the government.

"We will investigate to clear any doubts that the events could have been stage-managed to push the government to reinstate the security team," the officer said.

Bomb squad officers are examining pieces of metal picked up from the compound suspected to be grenade.

Read:Kalonzo refuses to comment on 'fabricated' home attack

Click here for the latest political stories

The public has until tomorrow to submit memoranda on the nine Cabinet Secretaries, seven Principal Secretaries and seven ambassadors nominated by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Kenyans were given a week to submit the memoranda to National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, through House Clerk Michael Sialai.

Only Jubilee MPs will vet the nominees on Thursday and Friday. This is because NASA, led by Majority leader John Mbadi, said they will not participate. They say Uhuru’s administration is illegitimate.

“Jubilee members are much capable to scrutinise the suitability of the nine nominated individuals to hold their respective offices,” Muturi, who chairs the parliamentary Committee on Appointments, said.

Muturi said the committee has received communication from Mbadi, clarifying NASA MPs will not be part of the vetting.

NASA has declined to pick its members for the Appointments Committee.

I have received fresh communication from Mbadi reinstating their position not to submit names of members who will sit in the committee and I respect the decision,” Muturi said.

Mbadi and his deputy Robert Mbui are automatic members of the committee.

Jubilee members include Muturi, Deputy Speaker Moses Cheboi, Majority leader Aden Duale, Deputy Majority leader Jimmy Angwenyi, Chief Whip Benjamin Washiali and Deputy Chief Whip Cecily Mbarire.

The others are MPs Kimani Ichung’wa (Kikuyu), Joyce Emanikor (Turkana), Sabina Chege (Murang’a), David ole Sankok (nominated), Rachael Nyamai (Kitui South) and Sarah Korere (Laikipia North),

Lydia Mizighi (Taita Taveta), Khatib Mwashetani (Lunga Lunga), David Pkosing (Pokot South), Lilian Cheptoo (West Pokot), David Gikaria (Nakuru Town East), William Chepkut (Ainabkoi) and Yusuf Hassan (Kamukunji) are in the team.

The CS nominees include Margaret Kobia (Public Service), Keriako Tobiko (Environment), Rashid Achesa (Sports), John Munyes (Petroleum and Mining), Peter Munya (East African Community), Simon Chelugui (Water), Farida Keroney (Lands), Monica Juma (Foreign Affairs) and Ukur Yattani (Labour).

Karoney, Munya, Kobia, Munyes and Juma will appear before the pannel on Thursday. Yattani, Tobiko, Achesa and Chelugui will be vetted on Friday.

Read: Jubilee only affair as MPs vet Uhuru's Cabinet

Click here for the latest political news

The Capital Markets Authority has issued fresh notices to former Uchumi Supermarkets directors recently cleared of fraud charges by the High Court over their role in the flawed Sh895 million rights issue in 2014.

In the new notices to show cause to James Murigu, Bartholomew Ragalo and and Joyce Ogundo, the capital markets regulator has amended the wrong phraseology of the statutory breaches detailing allegations against them, which the court used to clear the three.

While clearing them during the January 16 ruling, Justice George Odunga said the CMA used non-existent offences to charge the three, negating the whole process. “It’s therefore clear that whereas the actions of the applicants may well have constituted an offence under other statutes or provisions of the law, they were certainly not candidates for a charge pursuant to which they were required to show cause,” Odunga said. In the fresh notices seen by the Star, the CMA wants former directors to come clean about misinformation around the rights issue undertaken by Uchumi Supermarkets Limited in 2014. Letters show the Information Memorandum approved by the authority was materially altered prior to being published.

Whereas the IM approved by the authority indicated the purpose Rights Issue was expansion, growth and opening of 11 branches and refurbishment of five others by end of 2014/15 financial year, IM published indicated that the proceeds were to provide a working capital for the retailer.

The CMA has accused the three directors and others not mentioned for failing to exercise appropriate oversight of the Rights Issue expenditures contrary to set rules. Furthermore, the three ex-directors have been asked to explain in detail why financial statement for the period ending June 30, 2014 were cooked to enhance the retailer’s financial position. The regulator has accused former directors of breaching their fiduciary of care contrary to CMA guidance on corporate governance practices when they approved the opening of several branches as part of the retailers expansion plan without making due diligence.

The trio have also been asked to answer questions on conflict of interests by allowing companies with similar directorship and shareholding to supply to Uchumi Supermarket. A case in point is that of Elihon and Glad Mark Limited owned by Jane Waithera Ciano, wife to the then Uchumi Supermarket managing director was allowed to supply to the retailer. They are also supposed to explain why they approved asset sale transactions involving agreement for Sh500 million and Sh1.1 billion to Cooperative Bank and KCB without public disclosure.

We welcome the points by King’ori Choto, a lawyer and a public affairs expert, but wish to debunk some mistruths and assumptions in the article.

His article, headlined “Involve consumers in ICT reforms”, appeared on Page 17 of the Daily Nation on Thursday February 1. Though well timed, it has some fatal conceptual flows. Wallet-to-wallet interoperability growth has been phenomenal. Various operators have attached importance to it based on their corporate strategies. Some invested more to develop a solid, even globally innovative, network, while others adopted a wait-and-see attitude.

The local mobile payments ecosystem is quite diverse. It has players and solution providers across the board. It’s wider than MNOs as it also features solution providers, such as Interswitch, Cellulant, Integrated Payments Solutions Limited, and others. Indeed innovation is the only differentiator.

Like any other sector, including banking, interoperability always needs a mediator or clearinghouse. That aspect will need to be technically dealt with to avoid a single operator carrying this risk.

Policy reforms must also be crosscutting and focused on posterity. Policy reforms should not be used as the last-resort competition tool. You cannot apply policy reforms to penalize market leaders and reward poor performers.

In alluding to decision-making relating to the dominance question, the regulator has been clear that a stakeholders’ workshop is set for February 20th. The workshop shall then inform the final release of the report by ensuring that stakeholder concerns are addressed.

The idea that wallet-to-wallet interoperability will foster competition is also unfounded. Such interoperability in the banking sector has really not been the defining factor for competition. It is more about exceptional customer experience, depth of value added services, and, above all, trust. “Structural barriers to entry in the telecoms industry” is hollow statement, loud and vacant. The Kenyan telecoms market is perhaps one of the most advanced, with an effective and independent regulator in the Communications Authority. The argument here can be turned upside down, given that a key victim on this front would be is players that have over the years invested in building their capacity. And at high prices, literally, to secure licenses. On the flipside, several other players have joined the market on heavily discounted license rates. That is information in the public domain and the players are known. The polysyllabic 16-letter word “interoperability” is ugly and not an easy headline word in media. Something else should be used, even “compatibility” is better, or “cross-platform” cash transfers. To have the social license to operate and build a client base, nurture trustworthiness is an attribute that takes years of excellence, service and innovation. Global management consulting and professional services company Accenture PLC, a Fortune 500 company, says in its DIGITAL TRUST: ERASE THE TRUST PARADOX IN BANKING report, subtitled “Learn how banks can use data and digital technologies to enhance transactional banking and grow relationship trust”: “Eighty-four percent of bank executives agree that trust is the cornerstone of the digital economy.”

Penalising market leaders that are indubitably head and shoulders above all other would-be competitors, to reward perennial underperformers would be a gigantic injustice. It should be avoided at all costs for it would endanger the quality and assurance of world-class services and a track record that will take generations to match, much less surpass.

Being the best is something that everyone should acknowledge and live with, without losing your own ambitions to be better all the time. It is to be hoped that one thing the stakeholders will takeaway from the February 20th event is being an outstanding market leader is like being at the top – lonely. The air is rarefied at the top of the summit.

We should avoid accusations of surpassing excellence and market leadership as dominance. Competition does not mean that all contenders start at the same place.

From a customer point of view, cross-platform cash transfers are definitely the near future and the sooner it happens the better. Market leadership is not at all a bad thing. One of the most concise definitions of a market leader comes from the Economic Times of India:“A market leader could be a product, brand, company, organization, group name which has the highest percentage of total sales revenue of a particular market. Market leader dominates the market by influencing the customer loyalty towards it, distribution, pricing, etc.” Let us develop Kenya’s market leaders in all sectors as the 21st Century really gets going.

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.

Is there an active file open on any such thing?

Today is the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM and Kenya has made considerable progress — yet the barbaric practice is creeping back. It has gone underground and is carried out without celebration, often at night and even in clinics with complicit medical personnel.

Children as young as four years old have been mutilated. Some unmutilated girls and their families are stigmatised. This pressure forces girls to seek the cut rather than be ostracised. Some married women beg to be mutilated because ignorant husbands reject them. Craven politicians are silent because they fear they will lose the FGM vote.

FGM is a violation of human rights, it carries great health risks and has no moral benefit.

About 78 percent of Maasai women and 86 percent of Samburu women between 15 and 49 years have been mutilated. In Kenya 21 per cent of women have been violated.

The situation is intolerable and must end. Pressure must be maintained. More resources and personnel must be availed. Any medical practitioner or midwife who mutilates a girl must be jailed. Parents who torture their children belong in jail.

Quote of the Day:

“None but ourselves can free our minds.” — Bob Marley, Jamaican reggae musician and singer-songwriter, was born on February 6, 1945.

Do you love fashion and travel? Well, Susan Kaittany has got you covered. The classy Posh Palace owner is about to launch the first-ever international travel show in Kenya. Susan has worked in the travel business for over 15 years, in her family business ATS Travel, and has travelled to over 70 countries over the years in the business. She has always loved her work in the travel industry, and she is now ready to share it with the public.

Speaking to Word Is, she explained what the show will be about and the different segments she'll be showcasing.

"It's a lifestyle show. It's combining my travel, where I'm going to all these exotic destinations and while going there, I'm basically looking for the perfect location to shoot. So I'll be doing all this adventure kinda related activities on the ground. On my last episode, I went kayaking, wind surfing and diving, and at the end of every episode, I'll be doing a photoshoot. So it's more like fashion meets travel.

"This fashion part of the show comes from the fact that I have been a beauty queen and a model, and so my two worlds meet here. Some of my fashion shoot pictures will be featured in the True Love magazine for the February edition. It's like a really cool travel show that shows the lifestyle part as well. I'm travelling across the world and this week, I'm going to South Africa and after that, I'll be going to Dubai then Europe. I'm basically shooting all across the globe."

When asked when it will air, she said, "I want to shoot the episodes first so as to have enough content, because I don't want to have pressure with the content. I'm currently on episode four."

Susan is a lawyer and businesswoman who runs Posh Palace hair studio and spa. Some of the biggest celebrities have graced her salon and spa. She is looking forward to expanding her business and open branches across the country in 2018. You can check out her website at susankaittany.com

If you dont have a friend like Shaffie Weru, then you need to think about your life.

The radio presenter just gifted Adelle Onyango two pairs of designer shoes, Dolce and Gabbana and Balenciaga Race Runners, worth Sh140,000.

Dolce & Gabbana and Balenciaga have the best shoes in the market, and their prices are not so cheap.

Adelle's reaction was priceless. She couldn't believe the kind gesture she was offered by her co-presenter.

She just turned 29 yesterday, and she was more than happy to share what her plans are.

"It’s my BIRTHDAY today and 29 looks hella good on me! I’m celebrating how SELF AWARE I’ve become over the years - that has been my saving grace. This next year will be spent continuing to gracefully be human in its totality, in its grime and its shine!"

With friends such as Shaffie Weru, life is bound to be quite interesting.

No one ever chooses where they want to be born. If we all had a choice, we could choose to be born in royal families.

However, not everyone born in communities that practice harmful cultural rights run away from it. This is the story of 35-year-old Nasieku*, who as her husband says is to blame for him losing a seat at the political table.

Read: Marakwet elders back doctor over legalising FGM

From a distance, she looks at ease but deep down she is troubled because her marriage is in shambles. This has not stopped her. You see, after undergoing the cut, which at first she thought has benefits after being convinced by her elders, Nasieku is known as the village ‘snitch’ who not only rescues but reports parents who force their children to undergo the cut to the authorities.  

“I may carry the blame on the political seat lost but Kenyans need to know the truth about the politics of FGM. Even learned people who want to be politically relevant take their girls to ‘kiasi kidogo tu ya shule’, where the circumciser nick’s the clitoris. Some take their girls in order to fit in the political table. The community knows this they just hide it from the government and anti-FGM activists.” Nasieku said.

As if that is not enough, her family does not recognize her. Since she has no money to put a rescue centre in Narok County, her home is the only place young girls run to when they are on the waiting list to be cut.

“The reception from my community about my work has been hostile. Six years ago, girls escaping from FGM started coming to my house. My husband even requested that I slow down my work because of the effect if had on his career in politics and the reception from the community.” Nasieku added.

But why can’t FGM be politicized?

Despite there being significant progress in the fight against female circumcision, non-governmental organisations now want politicians to take up the mantle and walk with them in this fight.

Equality now's end harmful practice program manager Flavia Mwangovya says that this is key in protecting women and girls. 

“FGM is deeply entrenched in some communities to the extent that it defining the politics of the day is not surprising. This is actually the case in several countries across the continent where FGM is practised. It is, however, encouraging noting that since the enforcement of the Prohibition of FGM Act enforcement agencies including the Police and the ODPP continue despite this resistance at the community level.” Mwangovya said.

But even with the law in place, communities practising female circumcision have come up with better ways in to outsmart law enforcers.

Medicalisation of FGM tops the list of these new trends mostly carried out by the Kisii and Somali communities.

The other four trends include infant cutting, where communities cut the girls at a younger age when they cannot report the matter or ask for help.

They also include vacation cutting, where communities living abroad travel with their children back to Kenya during the holidays and are forcibly cut.

Camouflaging has also been listed as a new trend. During male circumcision, the communities also circumcise the girls. In the cross-border FGM method, young girls, especially those living on the Kenya–Tanzania border, are taken to Tanzania for the cut. After they heal they come back home to Kenya.

According to the 2014 Kenya Demographic Health Survey, one in every five girls and women aged between 15-49 years have undergone FGM, but the rate is much higher in communities that view it as a rite of passage.

Chairperson of the anti-FGM board Bernadette Loloju says that despite Kenya having a law in a place if politicised, the number of girls being cut would drastically reduce. 

"The community looks up to their leaders. So if they came out strongly against this like they do when asking for votes, FGM would become history."

And as the world marks the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM today, it is the hope that many girls living in communities that still practice this harmful practice don't subject them to the cut as they are entitled to have a say to their bodies. 

Read: 'It's our right': Marakwet professionals support case to legalise FGM

Related: FGM still rife in Marakwet despite ban and drives against cruel crime

*not her real name

Hawa Ali was only five when she and three other girls were circumcised.  “We were woken up very early by a group of women. My mother was there, too. They were very rough with us. One of the women performed firauni,” the 45-year-old mother of five says, recalling the day she was circumcised. 

Unlike in other communities, where the cut is considered a rite of passage from girlhood to womanhood, and therefore a cause for celebration, Hawa’s cutting went unnoticed by all except for the women in the household and the neighbourhood.

Read: Breaking the silence on the cruel cut

The Somali practise different types of Firauni infibulation. According to Somali oral history, this type of cutting originated from Egypt and spread into Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and other countries, where this type of cutting is common.

Young girls in Mt Elgon undergo an FGM ceremony /FILE

These are Faadumo — the partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, sometimes done with or without the excision of the labia majora. (The labia are the lips that surround the vagina).

Hostaguden  is another form of excision, where the vagina opening is narrowed through the use of a covering seal by cutting and repositioning the inner labia with or without cutting the clitoris. The labia majora stays normal.

Kurs is the most common and extreme form of infibulation, where the clitoris is removed and both the inner and outer labia are stitched together, leaving a small opening for menstrual/urine flow.

In many instances, thorns or stitches are used to hold together the two sides of the labia, and the legs are bound to prevent movement for up to 40 days.

Only a small opening is left to allow urine and menstrual fluids to exit, and often this is created after the fact, with a small twig or straw causes  vaginal obstruction that can result in accumulation of menstrual flow in the vagina and uterus. Sexual intercourse is excruciatingly painful and in most cases, childbirth can be fatal. 

The sunna (clitoridectomy) involves removal of the prepuce (the fold of skin surrounding the clitoris) with or without partial or total excision of the clitoris (a small, sensitive and erectile part of the female genitals). 

NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE

Young girls in Mt Elgon undergo an FGM ceremony /FILE

Hawa nearly died due to excessive bleeding. She is unwilling to talk about the trauma she went through on her wedding night, which was done in accordance with the Somali customs and traditions.

On the eve of her wedding, she was physically examined to ensure that the vagina was still stitched, as this is proof that she was a virgin. After the wedding night, the bedclothes were checked for blood to confirm the breaking of the seal. Only then was her mother presented with gifts and accolades for raising her daughter well.

Since her marriage, Hawa has borne five children, two of them through excruciatingly painful vaginal births while the other three were through Ceaserean Section.  To date, she still suffers medical problems, which she attributes to the firauni  cut she underwent, as well as the multiple C-Sections she has had.

When asked why she underwent the cut, Hawa says its a cultural belief handed down over the generations. She said a Somali woman is considered clean and beautiful only after the removal of body parts that are considered unclean. It’s also believed that the cut ensures premarital virginity and marital fidelity, as it reduces a woman’s libido and helps her resist extramarital sex.

The Somali society also believes that when the girl is circumcised, she will not bring any shame to the family by having babies out of wedlock.

 Sheikh Abdikadir Ali Mumin, 45, an imam at the mosque in Eastliegh, says the tradition has no roots in any religion, not even in Islam. He said that he has been preaching against the practice for the last three years now, hoping to educate the 500 members who attend the mosque every day to understand that circumcising women is not a religious tenet. “All scholars of Islam agree that FGM is prohibited,” he said. “That’s why I’m proud as a father that I have never practised this FGM. It is harmful. In Islam, there is a principle that says whatever is harmful, is prohibited,” says Sheikh Mumin.

Mohamed Moulid, a community elder in Eastleigh, is full of remorse every time he has to watch his daughter suffer through painful cramps during her menstrual period.  “Her menstrual cramps last longer and she experience more pain and can’t even afford to do her daily work,” he says.  

He told me he had no say when several of his female relatives and his wife went ahead to have his daughter undergo the operation. He is now working hard to ensure that no any other girl endures the same pain as his daughter by talking to parents to stop the practice. 

SURVIVOR’S VOW

Habiba Hussein, 25, a mother of one son, says she is even scared to ever give birth again because of the pain she underwent during delivery. 

“I was sewed, and even right now I’m feeling uncomfortable about it. I had difficulties because it was a long and difficult labour because of the cut. I wish l knew,” she says, adding, “I will not let this happen to my daughter.”

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SportPesa's has announced the winner of its mega jackpot of Sh230,742,881, the biggest ever in Kenya.

Gordon Ogada correctly predicted the outcome of 17 football matches to win last week’s jackpot.

The victory followed a live broadcast on Tuesday after game number 11 - Troyes vs Dijon - was postponed.

"In accordance to terms and conditions, the company conducted a public draw to determine the outcome of this game and fully result the mega jackpot."

Ogada predicted the outcome as was published from the public draw.

"The amount has now been reset to Sh100,000,000," the firm said in a statement on Tuesday.

The betting firm will hold a press conference on Wednesday, with Ogada, directors and past winner Samuel Abisai in attendance.

Abisai, who won the Sh221 million SportPesa jackpot in May last year, was treated to a Limousine ride from his home along Thika Road and a red carpet ceremony at Carnivore Restaurant.

The company usually provides financial advisers should winners agree to it.

More on this: [VIDEO] Limo and red carpets: Meet Sh221m SportPesa jackpot winner Samuel Abisai

Also read: Kakamega set for grand fete for Sh221m SportPesa jackpot winner Samuel Abisai

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Kisii Senator Sam Ongeri yesterday said he will embark on discharging his mandate after the court dismissed an election petition challenging his win.

Ongeri said the petition, which was dismissed by the High Court on Monday, has been giving him sleepless nights.

Voters Charles Orito and George Ogake filed the petition against Ongeri on grounds the election was not free, fair and transparent.

Speaking to the press after Justice Winfridah Okwany dismissed the petition, Ongeri assured residents he will represent them well in the Senate, especially in raising issues that affect them.

He said the judgment shows the Judiciary is not biased.

The senator said he will work closely with Governor James Ongwae’s administration to improve residents’ lives.

Ongeri said time for politics is long-gone and those interested in running for political offices should wait for 2022.

The senator was announced winner in the August election after garnering 183,375 votes. His closest rival, former South Mugirango MP Omingo Magara, got 118,688 votes.

Governor Ongwae and Deputy Governor Joash Maangi said they were happy with Justice Okwany’s ruling.

Ongeri expressed optimism that a similar petition challenging the victory of Ongwae will be dismissed.

Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka yesterday said he was ready to be sworn in as the ‘People’s Deputy President’.

Kalonzo denied he skipped Raila Odinga’s swearing-in last week because he was a coward. He said it was NASA’s strategy for Raila to take oath alone to allow the other co-principals ‘fight for them’ in case of police crackdown.

Security officers were withdrawn from Uhuru Park to avert a possible clash with NASA supporters.

Speaking after chairing the party’s National Executive Council meeting, Kalonzo said there are outstanding issues which must be addressed before he is sworn in.

Read:I haven't betrayed you, will take oath soon, Kalonzo tells supporters

The former Vice President admitted there were deep-rooted wars within NASA occasioned by his decision to skip the oath event.

A number of Opposition MPs, especially from the ODM party, have openly criticised Kalonzo and NASA co-principals Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetangula for snubbing the swearing-in fete.

They have urged Raila to ditched his co-principals and court new political friends outside the alliance.

“We need to put our house in order before I take the oath,” Kalonzo said.

He denied media reports suggesting a division in the Opposition.

“We are in NASA to stay and not as reported in the media,” Kalonzo said.

Kalonzo said NASA will on Friday hold a crucial meeting of all its elected leaders to address some of the thorny issues that have rocked the alliance.

Affiliate parties are expected to meet separately today and tomorrow ahead of the joint Friday meeting.

“How I wish I was able to do it (take oath) right now. Taking oath is not an issue. We are not cowards,” Kalonzo said. He said the NASA Summit was handling his oath taking plans and will soon announce when he will be sworn in.”We will have a meeting as NASA family to discuss some of the small things that spilled out during the moment of anger,” Wiper chairman Kivutha Kibwana said.

The Makueni governor said NASA affiliate parties owe Kalonzo support in 2022 according to the agreement signed prior to last year’s General Election. Kalonzo cautioned against 2022 talk, saying focus should instead be on sorting out the 2017 political mess.

“If we don’t sort out the current case then the 2022 election will be useless because it will still be stolen,” Kalonzo said.

Read:I'm not a coward, Nasa to solve issues before swearing-in, says Kalonzo

Also Read:ODM hijacked Raila and Kalonzo swearing-in plans, Wiper says

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NASA lawmakers want Cabinet Secretaries Fred Matiang’i (Interior), Joe Mucheru (ICT) and Communications Authority boss Francis Wangusi summoned to Parliament over the shutdown of TV stations.

Seven members of the parliamentary committee on Communication and Information yesterday wrote to House Clerk Michael Sialai, petitioning him to convene a meeting on Friday to discuss the matter.

“Pursuant to Standing Orders, members of the departmental committee on Communications hereby petition your office to issue appropriate notice for an urgent committee meeting on February 9 at Parliament Buildings,” the petition reads.

Speaking to reporters in Parliament yesterday, MPs Mark Nyamita (Uriri) and Godfrey Osotsi (nominated) said they want the three top officials grilled for muzzling media freedom through the shutdown.

They claimed that the government had not given a concrete reason for move. They urged committee members to support the initiative, saying Kenyans have constitutional rights to access to information.

“Jubilee MPs are unable to convene a meeting since they receive orders from State House. We have been frustrated because the government controls the parliamentary committees,” Osotsi said. Nyamita said committee chairman William Kisang (Marakwet West) had promised to convened the meeting next week.

Read:Nasa MPs want Matiang'i, Mucheru and CA grilled over TVs shutdown

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