President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House, signing a bill into law – PSCU
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday, signed into law the Employment (Amendment) Bill of 2019, which will allow parents who apply for adoption of children to be granted one-month pre-adoptive leave with full pay.
The signing happened at State House, Nairobi and was attended by National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, majority Leader Amos Kimunya and Head of Public Service Dr Joseph Kinyua.
The new Bill amends the Employment Act of 2007 and states that an employee who is an adoptive parent of a child below the age of two, is entitled to an adoption leave of one month inclusive of full pay.
The Bill also includes paternity leave where a male employee, immediately after the delivery of his child, shall have the right to a paternity leave for a period of 14 days with full pay.
The President also signed into law the Business Laws (Amendment) Bill of 2021 which amends several statutes to facilitate the ease of doing business in Kenya.
Thierry Henry gives a press conference at the Ricardo Saprissa Stadium in San Jose. Ezequiel Becerra. PHOTO| AFP
Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry announced that he shall be quitting all social media until there is more done to tackle racism and harassment online.
In a statement shared with his combined 14.8 million followers on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, the French striker said he would quit the platforms until a solution is found to the on-going harassment.
“Hi Guys, from Saturday morning I will be removing myself from social media until the people in power are able to regulate their platforms with the same vigour and ferocity that they currently do when you infringe copyright.” read his message.
According to the former world cup winner, the sheer volume of racism, bullying and resulting mental torture is too toxic to ignore. He further called for greater “accountability” online.
“It is far too easy to create an account, use it to bully and harass without consequence and still remain anonymous,” he added. “Until this changes, I will be disabling my accounts across all social platforms. I’m hoping this happens soon.”
Recently, Twitter has been under increasing pressure for allowance of abusive language and harassment on its platform. Users have been victims of bullying and harassment on the platform mostly from anonymous accounts.
Henry, France’s all time top goal scorer has been vocal on racism in football as well as citing his struggles against racism as a high profile black footballer. Thierry Henry is the latest celebrity to quit social media citing abuse as the reason.
Twitter released a statement last week highlighting, “there is no room for racist abuse” on its platform and that it was working to ensure that users who are guilty of the above should face dire consequences.
Campus Governor aspirants. From Left- Michael Odula and Walter Nalwa.
DUSA council aspirant Walter Nalwa has advised congress members and students to remain woke and vote in leaders who not only listen to them, but also understand their grievances.
The campus secretary (Governor) candidate urged congress aspirants and other students to consider who they put in power, during a meeting between members from his camp and the students today at the Athi River campus.
“We need to think whether we need services or we need someone who doesn’t understand our problems,” said Walter, stating that some positions such as Secretary General are key and require a leader from the main campus.
The candidate further stated that actualization of requests by leaders based in the main campus happens promptly.
His remarks were echoed by council vice chair candidate Monicah Gitau, who advised the students to choose leaders they can relate with.
“We need people who value you students…There are some people who are only waiting to convince you through a meeting or a debate,” said Monica, taking a dig at candidates who have never been to the campus for campaigns.
Presidential candidate Ian Agina however believes that intellect is key in choosing leaders, but shares Walter’s sentiments that indeed the Sec Gen office requires operation from Athi.
“…Sec general is an important position that not only requires its headquarters in Athi but a very intellectual mind,” said Ian.
Interim sports secretary Barrack Khaseke was also present during Walter’s address, and has insisted that congress aspirants need to be very independent. He further stated that it’s not about power, but provision of resources to students, hence the importance of giving the congress a chance to make their own decision.
Aspirants for the upcoming elections pose for a photo with the ECD
Presidential candidates Marco Laboso and Ian Agina have confirmed their camps’ preparedness following the announcement of the election date by the Vice Chancellor earlier today.
The elections shall be conducted on April 1 through e-suffrage, according to a communiqué from Prof. Ayiro.
“As team forward we are quite confident that we will emerge victorious. We have put in all the effort we can, and have been putting God first in all our actions,” said Marco, who also indicated his camp’s satisfaction in the electoral commission’s work.
His counterpart Ian Agina thanked the VC for clarifying the election date. He further stated that they “hope for a friend fair election process for a better student leadership that is focused on serving people.”
On ECD’s preparedness, Agina, popularly known as D’voice, refrained from commenting, but hopes that they are.
The mentioned date leaves the electoral commission with less than a week to complete the required procedures for conducting the elections. According to ECD CEO Michael Mwanza, the commission is still working on ways of having the debate. He however was not clear on the reasons as to why the debate had been cancelled. The commission is also liaising with an independent contractor to ready the voting system.
“I’m still working with the person contracted on getting the system ready…concerning the debate, we haven’t decided whether to have it or not, but it is a matter under discussion,” said Mr. Mwanzia.
The commission’s chair- John Wills Njoroge has assured students that the elections will indeed take place on the mentioned date.
“The ECD is committed to see that students’ representatives are elected according to the constitution of DUSA. As stipulated, the congress will be elected and thereafter the council within the calendar,” stated the chair.
From left- Presidential candidates Ian Agina and Marco Laboso
DUSA presidential candidate Ian Agina has decried the lack of communication from the Electoral Commission that left him and two other candidates stranded at the Valley Road campus.
“My Vice chairperson, Spencer Okombo, Secretary General, Desmond Mwyne and I camped in valley road campus waiting for the Debate today since morning only for there to be no debate,” reads a statement from the candidate.
The three were part of the team supposed to participate in the cancelled DUSA elections debate that had been scheduled to take place from 2PM at the campus.
The debate’s main aim was to offer a platform for the aspirants to air out their manifesto to the rest of the student body. The three, just like the rest of the candidates were “very eager to share our vision with fellow students of what leadership would look like if we are elected in a free and fair process.”
The reason behind the cancellation of the debate is yet to be officially communicated to students, except for a poster doing rounds on social media. This then raises questions over the preparedness of ECD to conduct the elections. In his statement, Ian further criticised the commission’s failure to issue specific dates for the election process.
“…Another is lack of official communication on the dates of elections leaving both students and candidates for these posts with more questions than answers.”
Involvement Newspaper understands that some officials from the current DUSA council were not pleased with the organisers’ decision not to involve them in the planning. The mentioned officials were against the panel of moderators selected to run the event. This, according to a reliable source is the main reason why the debate had to be ‘postponed’.
Involvement Newspaper has further reached out to ECD, who have yet to respond to our queries.
The recently conducted vetting process for the DUSA Council and Congress aspirants has sparked debates over the inclusion of the outgoing council members. Article 8 of the student constitution gives a clear indication that the Electoral Commission shall conduct all activities related or incidental to an election.
The participation of the incumbent council led by Aloys Otieno raises fundamental constitutional questions, placing ECD’s eligibility and competence under scrutiny. Aloys was accompanied by two of his colleagues- Arnold Bazenge and Jonah Karanja in what presidential candidate Ian Agina termed as unfair during an interview with Involvement Newspaper.
Provisions in the constitution allow a sitting council to only participate in appointing members of the ECD, after which it resumes its official duties for the remainder of its term. Having been dormant in student affairs for over a year, the council’s sudden interest in the elections raises eyebrows.
Having chosen an electoral commission to conduct the process, it is time for the council to sit back and let it perform its duties. Let the events that led to the cancellation of the 2019 election not be repeated. Students trust the people you put in place to lead them to a new dawn- prove to them that you made the right choice.
These being the first elections since the incorporation of the new constitution, they act as a litmus test for the commission, with fair representation and equality of vote highly expected. Students expect nothing short of this- neither do we.
The commission should uphold its mandate as stipulated in the constitution, and ensure that the forthcoming elections are conducted without interference from anyone not part of it- be it students, faculty or administration.
Daystar community angered by reckless driving of lorries – Scott Muriuki
The local community around Daystar University including students rallied together on Friday night outside the school gate and set up roadblocks to prevent lorries from passing.
This action was taken after a section of residents who were walking along the road almost got hit by one of the lorries.
This also comes after the residents recently protested to have the lorries stopped from using the road, citing over speeding, overloading and reckless driving.
Local police arrived at the scene to disband the crowd as well as to remove the roadblocks that they said were illegally set up.
Officer Commanding Police Post, John Mutua, assured the protestors that their issues had been raised to the Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) and that they would be addressed soon.
Daniel Mutisya Nzioki, who was the community’s representative, said that they had become “tired of the reckless driving done by the lorry drivers” who were endangering the lives of the locals.
Apart from damaging vehicles, motorists complained that the sand being poured on the tarmac road makes it difficult to drive.
The residents and students from Daystar demanded that the lorries be stopped from using the road especially since they are not allowed to.
They also complained that the road limits were not adhered to since the lorries go against the speed and weight limit of the road.
Motorists and boda boda operators alike complained about the speed the lorries drove at especially at corners and on the rough roads.
After about two hours of confrontation, the lorry drivers were finally able to resume their operations.
Roadblocks set up few metres from Daystar main gate to stop construction lorries from passing – Scott Muriuki
DUSA council and congress aspirants pose for a picture with the Electoral Board
The Electoral Commission of Daystar (ECD) today held a meeting with DUSA council and congress aspirants at the Athi River campus to address election guidelines.
Among the issues addressed in the meeting chaired by ECD CEO Michael Mwanza were voter bribery, character defamation during the campaign period, the calendar of events and voter education on the upcoming elections.
The commission promised to send out communication on how the whole voting process shall be conducted. This is necessitated by the ‘silence of the constitution’ in critical aspects such as how the congress votes for the Governor’s seat aspirants.
“We will liaise with the current DUSA officials on the constitution amendments then send out information to students explaining how voting will be done,” said Michael Mwanza.
The commission has also released a calendar of events for the voting process. According to it, the campaign period that was scheduled to begin yesterday will take seven days after which congress elections immediately begin.
However, the commission has revised the calendar, making changes to the campaign period, which is now scheduled to begin on March 19.
The commission will also spearhead a debate session next week where the aspirants will air out their manifesto and address questions from students.
ECD Board members. From Left- Commissioner Peter Sidika, Vice chair Elizabeth Waudo and CEO Michael Mwanza
The commissioner’s vice-chair- Elizabeth Waudo, who was also in attendance, commended the team for the smooth two-day vetting process that took place at the Athi- River campus.
“The vetting was competitive and aspirants were up to per. For some, it was the GPA that disqualified them while others had not completed the mandated hours,” said Elizabeth.
The vice chair further promised students a free and fair election process which shall involve all the required parties.
“As the committee, we believe in accountability and fairness, and that is how we shall conduct the process,” continued Elizabeth.
However, the commission’s handling of the elections and vetting process was questioned during the meeting. Among the issues raised by the aspirants include disqualification of aspirants who had all the necessary requirements, DUSA’s direct involvement in the electoral process and the lack of clarity in constitution matters.
“I don’t understand why a sitting government should be part of an electoral process. For a free and fair process, we should disassociate DUSA from elections completely,” said Ian Agina, an aspirant vying for the council chair seat.
DUSA Council Chair aspirants. From left- Ian Agisa and Marco Laboso
Falcons side celebrate scoring a goal in league match.
A goal in each half earned Daystar falcons a coveted win against arch rivals Daystar City in a friendly derby played yesterday at the Bethel grounds in Athi River.
The rejuvenated falcons’ side recorded back to back wins for the first time since the start of the new season, following their FKF triumph over UNOA Sports on Sunday.
The game that ended 2-1 saw captain Barrack Khaseke continue with his excellent form, netting a second half goal after coming in as a substitute in the first half. The goal is his third in a span of 5 days, having netted a brace during the win against UNOA sports.
Team manager Walter Nalwa has assured Falcon’s fans of a win come Saturday, when the team plays its second FKF match.
“The Athi River team has numbers, and the players have the necessary skills. If we could have more playing time, we’d have scored more goals but we won, and are expecting to win a league match tomorrow,” stated Walter.
He further urged fans to show up in large numbers for the FKF match to be played at 3pm at the Bethel grounds on Saturday.
“…everyone who is on campus kindly avail yourselves and cheer your team. We win, Daystar wins,” continued the manager.
The team will be hoping for the return of forward Gian Gaile, who was sidelined with a groin injury picked up in Sunday’s league game.
Daystar City’s consolation goal was scored in the second half by former Falcon’s full-back Phegan Indeche, netting a superb goal following a defensive error. Sitting bottom of the KUSA rankings, the team’s poor run of form progresses, as they continue the search for their first victory of the season.
A brace from captain Barrack Khaseke handed the soccer team a 2-0 win in their opening FKF Division 2 fixture today against UNOA Sports, in a match played at the Bethel grounds in Athi River.
The first goal was scored in the dying minutes of the first half, after a superb through pass from John Jusu found Barrack’s feet, who eased his way to opening the scores. His second goal came 10 minutes to the end of the match, after an unforced error from the goalkeeper handed him a golden opportunity.
“I’m happy for the two goals which came as a result of good connection from the team. We promised the fans a win and have delivered,” said Barrack.
The captain had a chance to extend the score line and bag a hat trick late in the game but his well taken shot from outside the box was deflected out for a corner.
Head coach Boniface Mutuku commended the team’s performance, which was solidified by the return of center back Collins Chimoi and midfielder Jusu- who created the first goal. He further stated that despite the team’s lack of consistency, today’s match announces their arrival in the league, given their late start to the season.
“We had a full house in terms of players today. The defense and midfield were solid…The main challenge usually is consistency. Sometimes players are not available due to attachments or other commitments such as classes,” commented the coach.
The match attracted a huge fan base, with daystarians turning up in huge numbers in support of the team. Esther Mumo, a fan at the grounds congratulated the team for the excellent game and result, but was quick to point out that the team could perform better than they did.
“The game was okay but the team did not perform as best as they could in the game. There was room for a better performance,” stated Esther.
The team plays Al Ahly of Kajiado on March 11 in their next fixture, and are hoping to replicate today’s performance come Saturday.
