Update 1: ODM National Elections Board Invalidates Nomination Certificates for Nyanza and Western Regions

The Orange Democratic Movement, ODM would like to clarify that the party through the National Elections Board has not cancelled nominations in Nyanza. What the commission has done is to cancel all fake certificates issued by Commissioner Ogundo who has since been suspended alongside others. Aspirants are urged to ensure that only hand signed certain are the right ones. Any certificate bearing a scanned signature in FAKE!

INVALIDATION OF NOMINATION CERTIFICATES.

In view of irregularities in issuance and distribution of nomination certificates for our candidates, particularly the county representatives from Nyanza region, I have disallowed Mr. James Ogundo from further handling of nomination certificates from that region on behalf of the National Elections Board.

I have also removed from office some members of staff suspected to have been involved in the irregularities. This will also affect Western Province. I have invalidated therefore, those certificates previously issued and will personally issue fresh ones to replace those.

I want to underscore that all certificates from ODM are free of charge and have authentic and original signatures.

The Board assures the aspirants and the general public of its commitment to ensuring that the right things are done for the right people and that ODM would not condone practices that can be seen as theft or otherwise.

Hon. Franklin Bett, EGH.
NEB Chairman.
23/01/2013.

ODM National Elections Board Warns on Fake Nomination Certificates

The National Elections Board of the ODM is cautioning party aspirants and members of the public against falling prey to 'conmen' whom it says have been duplicating/scanning signatures of the Board Chairman Mr. Franklin Bett, Secretary to the Board Mrs. Judith Pareno and the ODM Executive Director Ms. Janet Ong'era who are the official signatories to the nomination certificates.

The Board Chairman Mr. Bett says the persons involved in he syndicate have been printing and issuing the certificates to people whose names may not be on the list presented to IEBC at a fee.

"I wish to make it clear that the ODM certificate shall only be issued to winners and at no cost at all" said the Chairman.

Mr. Bett urged the aspirants not to be overly anxious as the board was working on mechanisms to produce authentic documents to the aspirants which cannot be duplicated by anyone.

"I urge our beloved aspirants to to be patient. We shall work round the clock to ensure that the winners are issued with their certificates on time before the IEBC deadline of the 29th of January 2013" added Mr. Bett.

He said certificates issued should bear his original signature and those of the two other signatories and that no one should accept a certificate bearing a signature which is scanned or duplicated.

Mr. Bett said he has given the names of the persons suspected to be behind the syndicate to the police for investigations and possible arrests.

He urged party supporters to remain calm and maintain the discipline that ODM is known for as the matter if sorted out.

Mr. Bett also announced that the list of all the aspirants will be made public before day break.

PM Raila Odinga Statement on the Concluded ODM Nominations

"We have come to the end of very complex and fiercely competitive election primaries.

On behalf of the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy, I wish to congratulate all those who sought our ticket, those who won and those who were not successful.

The huge interest in the party’s ticket was clearly a manifestation of the strong desire for change and the belief that CORD is the force for change in the country.

I look forward to working very closely with all the winners to ensure we secure a decisive victory on March 4th.

We also have a role for all those who have not been able to secure victory in the primaries.

My word to all of them is that we need everybody on board. Let all of us join hands now, the winners and those they beat, to campaign for our victory on March 4th.

My congratulations go also to those who secured tickets on other parties; Jubilee, Amani, Narc-Kenya, and all the others. They all have contributed to the democratization of our country and they will have a role in shaping our nation going forward.

To all the people of Kenya, I urge calm and reconciliation now that the primaries are over.

I wish to see an end to all hostilities that may have arisen out of the strong demand for the various tickets.

Elections and nominations must never divide us or make us go to war. They should strengthen our march towards democracy and national unity.

I appeal to our worthy competitors to embrace peace as we enter the final stretch of this campaign.

Let us focus on issues, not personalities. Let us focus on what is good for our country, not what would work for tribes and regions.

Let us mobilise votes on a national and not a tribal agenda.

Let us secure votes through policies and not bribery or intimidation. I appeal to our citizens to reject leaders who want to buy leadership using money and other aspects of bribery.

Kenya’s future must not be compromised with money.

I want to make a special appeal to our citizens to create an enabling environment for our female candidates in this campaign.

Nobody should use violence, blackmail, intimidation or any other crude means against female candidates.

A number of young men and women have also won tickets to run for various positions.

We must equally accord them support and create and sound environment for them to compete fairly and freely.

Finally, I ask all Kenyans to maintain the peace during this campaign and after. Let all of us come out and vote in the historic exercise on March 4th.

Thank you all."

PM Raila Odinga Leaves for World Economic Forum Meeting in Davos, Switzerland

Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete take part in in discussions on “Africa-from Transition to Transformation” held at the Davos Congress centre in the on-going World Economic Forum at the Swiss mountainous resort of Davos.Others from left are President Alpha Conde of Guinea, Prime Minister of Ethiopia Mr Meles Zenawi, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa and the moderator former British Prime Minister Mr Gordon Brown.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 23 – Prime Minister Raila Odinga has left the country to attend the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.

The PM is also scheduled to meet business and political leaders during his visit.

Odinga will be back on Friday and plans to travel to the north rift where he will address a public rally in Eldoret town on Saturday.

Odinga will join some 45 world leaders and around 2,500 lobbyists, journalists, captains of industry and economists in the picture-postcard Swiss ski resort for the five-day annual WEF meeting.

The 2012 meeting was dominated by the euro crisis and fears Greece could be forced out of the eurozone, but this year’s gathering is marked by a feeling of cautious optimism the worst may be over.

Opening the meeting, WEF founder and host Klaus Schwab, 74, called on delegates to turn the corner on the eurozone debt woes that have tipped the region into a recession.

“My hope is that you come out of the meeting with a vision which goes beyond just crisis management as we have seen, a vision that is much more dynamic, not just crisis fighting,” Schwab said in his opening speech.

In a major survey released by financial services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers Tuesday on the eve of the meeting’s official opening, chief executives said they were marginally more optimistic on the global economy.

Only 28 percent of CEOs said they expected the world economy to decline further in 2013, against 48 percent last year, while 52 percent expected it to remain stable.

But only 36 percent said they were “very confident” in their companies’ growth prospects in the next 12 months, down from 40 percent last year and 48 percent in 2011.

Among the leaders set to address the forum are German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti and Britain’s David Cameron.

Other top speakers centre-stage in the eurozone crisis are European Central Bank President Mario Draghi, who will speak on “challenges for the years to come”, and the head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde.

However, every year events conspire to hijack the agenda and this year is no different, with the conflict in Mali and the crisis in Syria poised to exercise the minds of the global elite.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II was due to make a special address and the premiers of Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Tunisia and the Palestinian Territories were scheduled to attend, as well as Israeli President Shimon Peres.

There is also a heavy African presence, with the leaders of South Africa and Nigeria attending a session on “de-risking” the continent on Wednesday.

Beside the leaders, more than 900 top business executives will attend, with this year’s forum co-chaired by the CEOs of Coca-Cola, Embraer, UBS, Dow Chemical and the head of anti-graft watchdog Transparency International.

Organisers have chosen the theme “resilient dynamism”, reflecting the need for an improvement in the structure of the global economy to resist sudden emergencies like the eurozone debt crisis.

Despite the presence of so many world leaders, no formal decisions are taken at Davos, although corporate deals are often sewn up on the sidelines and presidents and prime ministers huddle in small gatherings to thrash out pressing issues.

But it is not all top-level politics and head-spinning economics. Delegates are invited to early morning meditation sessions and there are lighter topics from the world of art, music and culture.

Among the 260 sessions spread over dozens of venues are also presentations on religion, science, media and health, including a dinner exploring possible cures for cancer and a session on “the past and future of the universe” by the head of top particle physics laboratory CERN.

The invitation-only meeting is also known for its informal luncheons and lavish cocktail parties, often hosted by corporate sponsors and with exclusive guest lists, where political and business leaders can rub shoulders and mingle.

Adding some Hollywood sparkle to the meeting before it officially got under way was actress Charlize Theron, who called on world leaders to do more to combat HIV/AIDS.

And pressure group Oxfam appealed for greater income equality, saying that the incomes of the top 100 billionaires last year alone would be enough to end world poverty four times over. (Agence France Presse contributed to this report)

Elections 2013: Oburu and Ruth Odinga Step Down

 By Salim Lone

Addressing the media last night as he stepped out from the Siaya governor’s race, Dr. Oburu Oginga recounted last night how he had won his Bondo Parliamentary seat four times in a row. Seated next to ODM National Election Board chairman Franklin Bett, he said “none of those times was I related to a powerful government figure, nor was there any violence in those elections. Now all these accusations are flying around that Raila the Prime Minister rigged me in, and I used violence. Raila’s opponents within government organised the disruption and violence to undermine his standing, and mine. It seems it was a crime to be born Raila’s older brother now.” He was not challenging the ODM decision.

 

A few earlier, his sister Ruth Adhiambo Odinga had spoken to the media in a very moving statement, delivered in the most heart-felt and simple way, with tears brimming in her eyes. She said she had received no help whatsoever from her brother Raila in the campaign, and was stepping down from the Kisumu Governor’s race for the sake of peace in the country and Kisumu.

Yesterday the Odinga family was once again once showing how willing it is to keep the country’s interests centre-stage in their political struggle for change, a trait that dates to Jaramogi’s campaign to put Jomo Kenyatta first. A big chunk of the credit for Oburu’s and Ruth’s decisions of course goes to Raila, for whom this was an intensely personal and familial challenge. It’s not for the first time he’s made or influenced decisions like this.

In 2002 with Kibaki Tosha, Raila unified the country against dictatorship and energized the democratic movement’s first sweep to power after 40 years of struggle. He similarly unified Kenyans in 2005 (the first constitutional referendum), in 2008 by giving up his claim to the Presidency and accepted the junior role in the Coalition, and then of course in 2010, as the true author of our new constitution.

Such sacrifice and attributes – including the capacity to balance personal ambition and national interest - are the stuff of which great leaders are made.

Why Dr. Evans Kidero is Overwhelming Favourite Governor for Majority Nairobians

Working towards a better life for #NairobiCounty residents and investors, @kideroevans, the leading ODM gubernatorial nominee, identifies with majority of residents as the most likely to be elected governor for various reasons.
As a resident of Nairobi I @KumekuchaPhil have no hesitation in sharing out my personal preference for ideal governor for Nairobi. Here we go: 

ONE a middle-aged person aged between 30 to 50 years, with a proven respect for family values and one who meets all the preconditions set by the constitution especially the integrity and leadership chapter of the Constitution. 

TWO the candidate ought to be preferabbly a person of mixed/multiple degree or equivalent qualification say a BCom graduate with additional legal or accountancy or IT training. Additional postgraduate qualifications, eg. MBA are definitely an added bonus.

THREE the candidate ought to be a well travelled person - at least to 5 international cities for professional purposes - especially to destinations that are much more developed than Nairobi County. 

FOUR the candidate should have been CEO of a commercial enterprise for a period of no less than 5 years, during which time he/she must exhibit evidence of generating profits/revenue/growth, whilst successfully managing staff of at least 50 people. 

FIVE In addition, the ideal candidate must have proven skill in leadership, communication and negotiation, presentation, management and operations. 

SIX the candidate should not have a political or civil society activists or armed forces or religious background, unless that background was followed up by a 5 year stint working in commerce and industry, heading a corporation with similar traits as those shown above. 


These requirements are by no means limited, but obviously they eliminate a host of aspiring candidates including a well known #KOT favourite.
Moving forward, here now is today's fact-laden governance lesson from Mr. Evans Kidero :

a) Business people in Nairobi ranked insecurity at 69.6% as undermining business.70% investors in Kenya indicate crime, theft and disorder as major concerns compared to 25% in Tanzania and 25% in Uganda. Attacks on business and individuals affect business viability, economic stability and social prosperity hence an impediment to development. 

b) Insecurity discourages local as well as foreign investors from initiating, sustaining or enhancing business enterprises. In Nairobi the cost of insecurity on business is phenomenal considering the loss of revenue involved and the extra investment on security measures put in place. 

c) 33% of Nairobi firms identified insecurity as a major problem which accounts to losses of about 4% equivalent in annual sales, and up to 3% operating costs go towards security enhancement, private security services and other security upgrades. This implies the cost of doing business in Nairobi is high. Hence Nairobians have a paralyzing fear and siege mentality created out of insecurity. This is my prescription towards minimizing this problem;


Solution 1: Create a Monitoring Unit within the City Council of Nairobi, Ministry of Local Government and Provincial Administration to check the alarming rate of slum expansion. 

Solution 2: Generally, increase police visibility in the Nairobi County. Police visibility is an acknowledged strategy to deter criminal behavior. 

Solution 3: Create employment programmes and/or labor intensive technologies to absorb the youth and address unemployment. 

Solution 4: Enhance the capacity of the City Inspectorate to play the role of a Metropolitan Police with powers to enforce law and order. 

Solution 5: Ensure collaboration between the City Council of Nairobi, Ministry of Local Government and Nairobi Metropolitan Ministry to upscale street and neighborhood lighting. 

Solution 6: Make it a requirement for developers to include security lighting in their premises.



#NairobiCounty #NairobiCounty #NairobiCounty

ODM NEB Statement on Kisumu County Nominations

The National Elections Board (NEB) of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) wishes to dispel claims that it has declared Ms. Ruth Odinga as the nominee for the Kisumu Governor’s seat in the March 4, General Election.

The Board categorically states that it has not issued any information regarding the Kisumu gubernatorial contest and urges the residents of Kisumu to remain calm and maintain peace.

The NEB says that reports in the mainstream media and information that is trending on the social media should be treated as rumours and therefore urges the public to ignore them.

The Board Chairman and his entire team will issue a comprehensive statement later in the day which will also include news on the Kisumu County nominations exercise.

Hon. Franklin Bett, EGH.

Chairman – NEB.

20/01/2013