Author: Champe

By Sumaya Hussein

(husseinsumaya1@gmail.com)

Kenya ranked 102 out of 180 countries on the Reporters without Borders (RSF) 2021, World Press Freedom Index report that was released last week. The report, published every year since 2002, evaluated the state of journalism in 180 countries and territories.

Countries ranked in the index are assigned a score calculated from data on abuses and violence against journalists during the period being evaluated. Also used were questionnaire answers completed from journalists, media lawyers, researchers and media specialists.

Norway ranked first in the index for the fifth year, running as the country with the freest press. Eritrea on the other hand was ranked the worst country in upholding press freedom. Namibia remains the top country in press freedom in Africa.

Kenya rose from position 103 in 2020 to 102 this year, though the situation in the country is still classified as “problematic”

According to RSF, “Kenya has seen a slow erosion of media freedom in recent years. The political situation and security concerns have been used since 2016 as grounds for restricting the freedom to inform.”

Today marked World Press Freedom Day 2021 and Kenya joined the world in celebrating the day whose theme is “Information as a Public Good”. The theme is a call to affirm the importance of cherishing information and exploring ways of advancing transparency and journalist empowerment.

The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) and the Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) held a series of events since last week to mark the day. This comes in the wake of muzzling, not just by state operatives and politicians, but also within media houses, with some resorting to self-censorship amid intimidation by the powerful.

This year, two ranking measures – the World Press Freedom Index 2021 and African Media Barometer publications – indicate that journalists globally continued to face multiple challenges. These include intimidation, physical or online harassment, surveillance, disappearance, threats, arbitrary arrests, assaults and lack of access to public facilities, authorities or data.

Reporters Without Borders reported that 50 journalists from around the world died in their course of duty. Their deaths were linked to investigative stories about corruption, misuse of public funds, organized crime and coverage of protests.

Nevertheless, several leaders have come out to support media freedom, and promote protection of journalists in their line of duty.

Speaking at one of the MCK events in Nairobi, National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi said, “Media owner should pay reporters and correspondents very well then demand integrity, otherwise we risk making them captives of government and news sources.”

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the day is marked at a time many journalists and media workers are facing many challenges.

“In too many countries, journalists and media workers face censorship, abuse harassment, detention and even death, simply for doing their jobs. On #WorldPressFreeedomDay, I urge all governments to do everything their power to support a free, independent and diverse media,” he said in a video posted on his Twitter.

He went on to add that free and independent journalism is “our greatest ally in combating misinformation and disinformation,” he said.

by Sumaya Hussein

(husseinsumaya1@gmail.com)

Daystar Company Limited, the trustee body that sponsors Daystar University, on April 20, 2021, appointed Dr. Florence Muindi as the fourth Chancellor of the university. Dr. Muindi will be taking over from Prof. Mary Murimi, whose term is set to end on June, 21, 2021.

According to a memo sent to the university from the VC Prof. Laban Ayiro, the company board is preparing to induct Dr. Muindi ahead of installation to office.

According to the Daystar Company by-laws, the induction should be conducted within 30 days from the date of appointment. It includes a structured introduction to the University’s strategic plan, a guided tour of the university and familiarization with the Memorandum and Articles of Association of Daystar Company, the University Charter, and the main university operating policies, plans and organizational structure. Moreover, the new Chancellor will be presented to the requirements and expectations of the office.

The quest for the fourth Chancellor began in December 2019, when the company constituted a Search Committee, to lead the process and present a short-list of three possible candidates.

The Search Committee was led by Rev. Prof. Zablon Nthamburi, a Daystar Company Limited Trustee.

Dr. Muindi was identified from among nine possible candidates in a rigorous process that lasted almost a year.

After reaching out to all University Stakeholders and para-church organizations, the committee handed over the names of four candidates to the Company board in November 2020.

Dr. Florence Muindi is the Founder and CEO of Life in Abundance (LIA) International, a non-profit and faith-based organization that partners with local churches around the world to transform lives.

She is also a medical doctor specialized in Public Health and graduated from the University of Nairobi with a Bachelor’s degree in Medicine and Surgery in 1988, and a Master’s in Public Health in 1993.

The mother of two grown sons is also a published author, ordained minister of the gospel, and a global itinerant in conferences, churches and institutions of higher learning on wholistic community development and empowerment of poor and vulnerable communities.

Dean of Students Rev. Mutinda Musyimi congratulated Dr. Muindi on her new appointment shortly after the memo was sent.

“My congratulations to Dr. Florence Muindi, the 4^th Chancellor, Daystar University. May God guide her steps,” said Rev Musyimi.

by: Sumaya Hussein

(husseinsumaya1@gmail.com)

Let’s rewind the clock back to 2019, before coronavirus. When there was no curfew, no ban on public gatherings, no wearing of masks and social distancing, and most importantly, no online learning.

It is in the evening and the day for Daystarians in Athi River is just beginning. Classes ended few hours ago and students are roaming around all over the campus.

Music can be heard coming from the PAC and the amphitheater. The last group of lecturers and day staff are just leaving.

Students are gathered in groups and others are stretched out in the pathways leading to off campus. Two DELL buses from Nairobi arrive, full of students. They are greeted by a band playing music at the PAC.

Up the Agape Library, there’s a bit of warmth and murmuring as students clock in and out of the building. The reading rooms downstairs are filled cheerful laughter from students engaging in group discussions.

At the amphitheater, the worship team is holding chapel rehearsals. The drums can be heard all the way from the Rugby pitch where teams are in practice.

The blocks in the BCC and SBE buildings are brightly lit, every classroom having few students. The ICT area is buzzing with activity. Some students are having their dinner at the restaurant while others are lined up outside the theatre to see a play that was to start an hour ago.

Down at the TV room, screams of excitement and others of disappointment burst through the windows. Students are enjoying one of those few soccer matches that end before the school gates are closed.

Offices at Hope Centre are still up and running with students coming in and out of the building. Behind it, the busiest of places in the campus at that moment; the cafeteria area. The smell of a variety of food is carried by cold winds all over the place.

In the dining hall, students are seated in groups eating and sharing memorable moments of their days. The restaurant beside it is also busy, with each table having at least two diners, tapping away on their phones.

Something is going down at the basketball pitch. It’s a dance off to break the ice before two teams face each other in a night match.

The hostels are vibrant, with light coming from every window of each building. Students are idling outside the entrances in crocks and sweatpants, listening to their favorite tunes.

On the other side of the Daystar gate, there are vehicles constantly passing on the newly built tarmac, competing with bikers and skaters for space. Student-owned vehicles are parked beside the street, each having at least 3 passengers inside.

The small hotels off campus are flooded with customers as the owners struggle to keep up with the busiest hours of the day. There’s a long line at Ideal Shop, where everyone is waiting for their turn to get a chapo smokie.

Loud music is booming from the Play Station Shops, slightly overpowering the FIFA commentary, and Mortal Kombat sound effects.

At the hostels off-campus, tenants are pitched on the balconies of Heri Homes, Wakes, Monique and Kryptons, taking in the night’s cool breeze, enjoying each other’s company.

Then came COVID-19, that stripped us of the joy of campus life, the joy of togetherness and the joy of living a normal life. Some will graduate before tasting pre-Covid life in campus again, and some will join without ever having the idea of what it was like before.

The good times however, remain in our memories, awaiting the day there will be a happy reunion and return to normalcy.

By Fatiha Shabir

(fatihashabz@gmail.com)

President Uhuru Kenyatta has today lifted the cessation of movement in and out of the five counties of Nairobi, Machakos, Nakuru, Kiambu and Kajiado, effective midnight.

Speaking during his speech on Labor Day celebrations at State House, President Kenyatta announced that the curfew within the mentioned areas will revert to 10pm to 4am instead of 8pm to 4am.

This follows a 74% decrease in the number of infections in Nairobi during the month of April and a 72% decrease in the caseload in the zoned areas. 

Educational institutions are set reopen this month as planned, according to the Ministry of Education calendar.

Bars all over the country will be allowed to operate until 7pm while restaurants and eateries in the zoned areas to resume, however, Covid-19 guidelines should be strictly adhered.

In person and congregational worship shall resume and attending congregation is capped to 1/3rd of the capacity of the place of worship.

All sporting activities, as well as recreational facilities, are allowed to resume.

However, the ban against political gathering will remain extended until further directives.

“The containment measures we have instituted today and all the interventions that the Government has made over the last 14 months have geared towards responding to the unprecedented health threat that has gripped the world,” said President Kenyatta.

Hospitals have been directed to limit the number of visitors for hospitalized patients to one visitor per patient per day.

The President also urged employers to allow staff workers, with exception of critical workers, to work from home.

President Kenyatta however warned that restrictions could be re-escalated if Kenyans do not cooperate by following the safety protocols.

“If we will fail to play our individual role, like it or hate it, it is my responsibility to protect life, I will do what I can to prevent what is happening in other countries,” he said.

The lifting of the restrictions comes as businesses and Kenyans at large raised concerns about the state of the economy following restrictions.

By Fatiha Shabir

(fatihashabz@gmail.com)

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i plans to ban those serving in the National Police Service from dating and marrying each other. According to him, this will reduce the number of cases of sexual harassment and gender-based violence within the police service.

Speaking on Friday at the Kenya Police Training College in Kiganjo, Nyeri, CS Matiang’i urged the ministry to implement rules banning police officers from having intimate relations with colleagues.

“We will adopt a system similar to that of the Kenya Defense Forces which bars the soldiers from getting into intimate relationships with their colleagues,” said CS Matiang’i.

The new regulations are set to be introduced in July this year after the proposal has been submitted to the National Security Council for approval.

Following the implementation of this system, it will be illegal for a police officer to date or get married to another officer and if found one has to leave the Service.

The CS also warned high-ranking police officers against sexually harassing their juniors, lest they be stripped of titles and sacked.

“We won’t talk much moving forward, we will act,” he emphasized.

The CS however said that officers who are already married to their colleagues won’t be affected by the new directive.

Kenyans are left questioning whether the soon to be ban is lawful and how it will prevent two adults from falling in love.

Matiang’i’s remarks come almost three weeks after a bodyguard attached to his office and his wife who was a traffic officer, died in a murder suicide.

General Service Unit officer Hudson Wakise shot and killed his wife Pauline Wakasa before turning the gun to himself.

Wakasa was given a full ceremonial send-off, but Wakise was buried without police presence.

Last week, ODM leader Raila Odinga expressed sorrow over the increasing cases of spouses killing one another in domestic fights.

Raila, who called for an urgent national discussion on gender-based violence, said the “abnormality of the murders cannot become the normal.”

 by Daniel Nyaga

(danielnyaga.dn@gmail.com)

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has unanimously nominated Justice Martha Koome for the position of Chief Justice. Koome’s name was forwarded to President Uhuru Kenyatta for appointment.

In a statement released today, the JSC said that the decision came after “lengthy deliberations” and “careful consideration” of the performance of various candidates.

“…the JSC has unanimously recommended the appointment of Hon Koome Martha Karabu as the Chief Justice of the Republic of Kenya and has submitted her name to the President for appointment.” 

Justice Koome appeared before a ten-member panel consisting of Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu, Justice Mohamed Warsame, Justice David Majanja, and others.

She cited her wealth of experience locally, regionally, and internationally to solve Kenyan courts’ problems and boasts 33 years of an illustrious career in private and public service. 

In pursuit of this position, Justice Martha faced competition from Said Juma Chitembwe, Prof. Patricia Mbote, Philip Murgor, Lawyer Fredrick Ngatia, Justice Marete Njagi, Justice Matthews Nduma Nderi, Justice William Ouko, Prof. Moni Wekesa and Ms. Alice Yano.

If appointed, Justice Koome will be Kenya’s first female Chief Justice.

by Fatiha Shabir

(fatihashabz@gmail.com)

Kisumu Governor, Peter Anyang’  Nyong’o, has been summoned to appear before the Senate Health Committee, on April 30^th via Zoom, on claims of misappropriation of Covid-19 funds.  

He was summoned to respond to queries on the utilisation of funds by his county administration in a special audit report. His administration is accused of misusing 209M out of the 238M that was given to his county to aid in the fight against the effects the pandemic had on the county’s economy.

His administration was also accused of failing to utilise funds on frontline health workers and health facilities in the county as well as spending the money without approved Covid-19 training plans.

The Senate committee has warned that failure to appear for the summons will incur a Ksh.500, 000 fine or a warrant of arrest. The governor had previously been summoned by the committee on Tuesday April 20, but he did not show up, despite it being advertised in the Standard and Daily Nation. According to the committee his behaviour was considered an offence according to the law.

“The governor has taken this committee very casually. What we are dealing with is a pandemic, a serious pandemic. We invited him so that we can put our heads together and also know how the money we are sending to counties is being spent,” said Chairman Michael Mbito.

The committee has lined up a series of meetings with all the 47 governors as they investigate how the counties spent the Covid-19 cash. This follows an explosive audit report that exposed massive irregularities in the use of the funds.

By Nicholas Kweyu

(nicholaskweyu99@gmail.com)

Derek Chauvin was on Tuesday, found guilty in the George Floyd murder case. The charges are second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. After three weeks of trial, the verdict was reached in less than a day by the 12-member jury on the case.

Following this, Chauvin was placed in an isolated housing unit in the Minnesota Correctional Facility. According to the Department of Corrections Spokesperson Sarah Fitzgerald, Chauvin is “on ‘administrative segregation’ status for his own safety”.

“Administrative segregation is when someone’s presence in the general population is a safety concern,” said Fitzgerald.

Chauvin is to remain there until his sentencing which, according to Judge Peter Cahill, is meant to happen in about eight weeks. Chauvin had been out on bail since October but this was revoked by Judge Cahill following the verdict.

Factors the judge will consider

According to Minnesota law, Derek Chauvin could potentially face up to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder, 25 years for third-degree murder and 10 years for second degree murder. However, given that he had no previous criminal record, state guidelines state that both second and third-degree murder should carry about 12 and a half years each and 4 years for second-degree manslaughter.

Prosecutors are requesting for a tougher sentence than those recommended based on aggravating factors. These include: the fact that the crime was committed in the presence of children, that the victim was treated with particular cruelty and that the victim was particularly vulnerable. Chauvin is expected to appeal the verdict.

Reactions to the verdict

Cheers by several hundred people could be heard outside the court as the verdict was announced.

Ben Crump, the Floyd Family lawyer said that the verdict marked a “turning point in history” and tweeted that “Painfully earned justice has finally arrived.”

President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris called the Floyd Family following the verdict. In a video of the phone call shared by Crump, Biden can be heard saying, “Nothing is gonna make it all better but at least God, now there’s some justice.”

Former President and First Lady Barrack and Michelle Obama tweeted that the jury “did the right thing”. They noted however, that more can be done.

“We know that true justice is about much more than a single verdict in a single trial,” they said in a joint statement.

The other officers charged

The three other officers facing charges in Floyd’s death- Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J.Alexander Kueng – are awaiting a joint trial that is expected to start in August. They are being charged with aiding and abetting in second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.