IEBC ready for Monday by-elections, says official

Written by Rosemary Wachiye, Frankline Bwire and Leonard Wamalwa. 2011-11-27 16:24:00 Read 156 Times

As the clock ticks towards the eagerly awaited Webuye West civic by-election tomorrow, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has said it is ready for the exercise. Regional IEBC officer John Matekwa has promised the residents from the ward that the exercise will be free and fair and that the exercise will kick off as scheduled without fail. All the required materials for the election, both strategic and non strategic have been acquired for a smooth running of the exercise. “We have received all the needed materials for the elections and we are ready, all that is remaining is to transport them to the polling centres as we await election to start on Monday morning,” said Matekwa. He has also assured the Webuye West ward residents that the election will be conducted in a free and fair manner based on the comprehensive training bestowed upon the polling officials from the returning officers down to the polling clerks. “The people presiding over the exercise have been trained on their responsibilities and we believe they will carry out the elections fairly as per the requirement in any election,” he said. This being the first election to be done under the IEBC Matekwa noted that it will be very effective and that the Webuye West ward residents should expect the outcome results of the elections to be announced by 7 pm in the evening of the same day. He also thanked the candidates and the residents for carrying out their campaigns which officially ended on Saturday mid night, in a peaceful way and called upon them to do the same on the day of election. Matekwa (right) warned those who will be caught carrying out campaigns in the region after the set deadline for campaign that stern action will be taken against them. “The campaigns officially end on 26th November at mid night; I want to urge all the Webuye West residents to end the campaigns as stated otherwise for those who will go against the law, a heavy penalty will be imposed upon them even if it means disqualification we are ready to do so,” warned Matekwa.  According to him the number of registered voters for the Webuye West ward are 3,011 while the polling centres expected to be used are four that is Matulo Roman Catholic (R.C), Matulo market, Matulo FYM and Khamoto Primary while Matulo Friends Secondary School would be the tallying centre. Elsewhere, as the by election of Matayos South and Odiado civic wards in Nambale and Funyula constituency respectively nears, candidates have been cautioned against involving themselves in acts of violence and bribery. The Nambale constituency election coordinator Enock Otara said that they are monitoring closely the campaign process, affirming that candidates who will be found engaging in acts that are against the election conduct will be disqualified. “We are watching keenly and so far no cases of violence have been registered. The code of conduct should be adhered to in a bid to ensure no candidate is disqualified,” said the coordinator asserting that the security team has informed all the candidates on the consequences of violence. Speaking to West FM at Matayos in Busia district earlier in the ending week, Otara said that security personnel have been deployed in the area to ensure the six registered candidates from different political parties undertake their campaigns under a condusive environment. The coordinator further revealed that 23 Presiding Officers, 21 Deputy Presiding Officers and 95 clerks have been recruited for the exercise which is scheduled to kick off from 6 am to 5 pm during the Election Day.   He disclosed that among the 16 polling stations in Matayos South ward, the area has a total of 9,185 registered voters expected to participate in the exercise set for tomorrow where the tallying centre will be at Lwanya secondary school where the victor will be announced. Among the candidates eyeing the Matayos South civic ward seat which remained vacant after the demise of Henry Manyasa a UDM candidate include Rosemary Obuyu (ODM Kenya), Lucas Wakuloba (ODM), Francis Okuku Juma (NARC Kenya), James Opaka (Labour Party of Kenya), David Wanjala (New Ford Kenya) and Joseph Odak Barasa (Ford Kenya). The electoral body has also said it is ready for the Sigoi ward by-election in Kapenguria.

Pan Paper woes - no ready market for its products

Written by Rosemary Wachiye 2011-11-22 18:41:00 Read 223 Times

Dr. muliaro Wafula besides a working machine during its re-opening [Photo/Rosemary Wachiye]   A month after the revival and the start of paper production in Pan Paper Factory in Webuye town, the factory now faces lacks  market for its products.   According to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Industrialization Dr. Kibichu Karanja, the factory has been in operation since its opening a month ago and there is a lot of paper that has been produced, but there are not able to market them. [Read: Webuye Pan Paper re-opened  http://www.westfm.co.ke/mobile/index.php?page=news&id=3670   Dr.Karanja states that the factory is still under receivership of the short term lenders who are now in possession of the factory’s accounts and if they sell the paper the profits will go to the short term lenders.   “Pan Paper revival has been initiated by the government and therefore its just fair that the government should get its share of the profits made out of the sell of paper but since the Pan paper is still under receivership of the short term lenders and we fear that the money may be taken,” said Dr.Karanja.   The short term lenders were owed Sh6 Billion by the closure of Pan Paper whose security was floating assets of the factory which is yet to be settled and hence pauses as a challenge in the sell of paper produced by the factory under the new management.   Dr.Karanja has stated that over 3,000 Metric Tonnes of paper are in the factory stores waiting to be bought but they can’t seem to get market that would buy all the paper that is produced since most of the factory’s major customers were the paper convertors who found other alternative market during the period of the factory’s closure.   “The paper convertors who are the main customers to Panpaper found market elsewhere when the mill had closed down and it has been difficult to get them back,” said Dr.Karanja.   However, Dr.Karanja affirms that Panpaper is the only factory in the region that produces industrial paper and therefore, he foresees no competition from other firms. [ Read:Webuye Pan Paper eight month sustainabilty strategic plan  http://westfm.co.ke/index-page-news-bid-3711.htm]   Dr.Karanja also adds that the Ministry of Industrialization has had talks with the paper convertors and they agreed to offer them their current purchase schedule so that the factory can get to supply to them the paper as it was before.   “We have had a talk with the former customers of the factory and very soon after getting their schedule of supplies so that we can start supplying to them as it was before,” said Dr.Karanja.   Dr.Karanja has also added that they are working to see to it that soon they exit the government funds from Pan paper so that operation becomes mainly from the factory’s funds and not government. He also stated that they have plans in place to see to it that the factory continues running without fail and that it will not close down again.

Western Kenya leaders urged to work together in reviving Webuye Paper Mill

Written by Rosemary Wachiye 2011-06-02 18:05:00 Read 511 Times

Mr. Adan Gedow the new District Commissioner of Bungoma East.  Western leaders have been urged to work in harmony to ensure the Webuye Paper mills  is back to normal activities after the government released Sh 1billion for its revival. Mr. Adan Gedow the new District Commissioner of Bungoma East, revealed that after the task force and parliamentary implementation committee towards the restarting of the factory had completed its work. “The Government has already done its part; it has released Sh1 Billion towards the restarting of the PanPaper Company. The money is there and therefore the remaining task is upon us the leaders to work together to see that the factory starts working as soon as possible,” said Mr. Gedow. Speaking at the function, one of the former workers of the Panpaper Factory, Mr.Joseck Wafula complained on behalf of his fellow workers who since the company’s closure, have been left with no income generating program leading to their suffering in hunger. He also added that the lack of employment in the region was the major cause of insecurity in Webuye town as people who don’t have any means to earn a living are forced to find easier ways like stealing. “I am speaking on behalf of my fellow former Pan Paper workers, who are back in their homes with no means of earning a living, we are suffering and we urge the government to come to our rescue,” said Mr. Wafula. “We have heard there are people working in the factory, and yet us the valid workers of the factory are in our homes with no jobs, we want the government to tell us who they are and why it’s not taking us back,” Mr. Wafula. Speaking in the function, the chairman of Nzoia Out growers Company (NOCO), Mr.Joash Wamang’oli, challenged the DC to work towards re-opening of the Panpaper Factory since it was a government parastatal and had the government as a major stakeholder. “I urge the DC to consult with the government and tell us openly if the Company is open or when it will be re-opened,” Mr. Wamang’oli. He also noted that during the leadership of the former Company’s, Director, Mr. Alexanda Katimbu, the factory produced papers, unlike now during the new leadership of Eng.John Munguti. “At some point during the leadership of Mr. Katimbu we  thought the factory had been opened since it used to produce papers as opposed to now as it seemingly is dead and its not producing any,” Mr. Wamang’oli. The leaders spoke during the marking of the 48th Madaraka day celebrations where they cited that the shortage of food due to the increase in food prices that was complained about by most speakers among them the Webuye Municipal Deputy Mayor, Mr. Timothy Karandin. He complained of the rise in food prices, stating that during Hon. Ruto’s reign as the Minister for Agriculture there were no cases of hunger in the country urging the current minister to copy the same. “Lack of food is an alarming issue in the country, residents of this area are suffering a lot over the issue and the government should help the people by reducing the prices of food,” said Mr. Karandin. The Webuye Municipal Mayor, Mr.John Ngome echoed the words of his junior in blaming the Webuye Cereals Board for not supplying the farmers in the region with seeds and fertilizer as expected. This he said made most farmers to either plant their maize which is the staple grain in the region, late or to plant without fertilizer that will lead to low production.   “Any time our farmers go to the board seeking for planting materials they are denied saying that there are no seeds the same case to fertilizer and yet when you go to the Indian shops in town you find the seeds and fertilizer there being sold. Therefore it has come to my office’s notice as to where the materials meant for farmers go to?” said Mr. Ngome. Responding to the hunger complains the District Commissioner, Mr. Gedow was quick to exonerate the Government from the blame of food crisis, pointing out that the same people complaining of the rise in food prices are the ones who sell their maize produce at a cheap price during harvesting season and never save any grains fro future use. “You are the ones complaining of the increase in food prices and yet you never store any of your harvest for future use, its high time we stopped blaming the government for our own mistakes and be ready fro the consequences when such shortages arise,” said Mr. Gedow.

Panpaper Mills to take off under a new name

Written by Amugasha Kalengeka and Rosemary Wachiye 2011-08-01 15:27:00 Read 540 Times

A series of meetings has been held to chat on modalities to resuscitate the ailing Pan African Paper Mills in Webuye according to areaMp Alfred Sambu. Sambu disclosed that, he has been liaising with the Prime Minister and other stakeholders to ensure that Africa’s largest paper mill gets to its feet once again. Speaking at St.Mathews’ ACK Secondary School in Webuye during the school’s annual general meeting, Sambu said that the defunct factory will resume operations under a new banner: The Webuye Paper Mills. Sambu emphasized the need for a three tier approach to education management with teachers, parents and students working hand in hand to ensure the overall success. The MP challenged schools in Bungoma County to bring out the best candidates in the republic while reiterating the importance of youth empowerment through education. On the same note, the MP said that residents should take part in budget creation. He noted that Webuye constituency has pegged most of its CDF money on education with 51per cent of the total allocation channeled towards education bursaries and educational infrastructural development. The legislature said he is to facilitate a water project to serve at least 1.2 million people and push for the revival of the chemical factory in the constituency.  Speaking at the same venue, livestock permanent secretary Ken Lusaka recapped the need for leaders in the region to tackle issues affecting their subjects in stead of traversing the country campaigning for political posts. The permanent secretary asked residents to take advantage of the tannery that is set to be erected in Bungoma on December this year.

Webuye District Hospital decry shortage of staff

Written by Rosemary Wachiye 2011-08-19 17:12:00 Read 450 Times

Webuye District Hospital is appealing to the government to increase the number of medical personnel and stock enough drugs in public health centers in the area. According to the hospital’s Medical Superintendent Dr. Bitta Ceaser, the quality of care is affected by a work force shortage that is overwhelmed in handling the huge capacity of patients.  “Most of the doctors have to work extra hours to at least reach out to most of the patient on time,” said Dr. Bitta. Adding that they are doing their best but the hospital has about 140per cent to 150per cent of patients requiring medical attention which is 50per cent higher above what they can manage. “We would like to call upon the government to employ more nurses and medical officers to enable us serve the people well,” said Dr. Bitta Amid complaints from the area residents that the patient wards are always congested, Dr.Bitta stated that they have a plan to construct a bigger ward that will be able to carry the large capacity of patients hence help to solve the problem. He also said that he envisaged a better environment for patients and better facilities if only the government would come forth through the ministry of Health and Sanitation to fund the expansion of the hospital wards and purchase of more equipments. “We are limited on the services we offer because of the lack of enough facilities in the hospital hence we can’t help in all medical emergencies and can only offer basic x-rays and basic ultrasound,” said He said he would like the government to intervene because the funding from the Community Development Fund of Sh 200,000 is not enough to cater for the construction of the new ward and above all as a district hospital it deserves to get more than the other sub-district hospital because of the many patients they serve. Dr.Bitta highlighted on the new method of preserving dead bodies that they will adapt soon which is known as embalmment that is affordable and preserves for a longer period and above all leaves the bodies with no bad stench. “We will start up the embalmment process of preserving bodies and I believe its time we moved away from freezers that preserve for a short time and produces bad stench ,” said Dr.Bitta The embalmment cost only Sh1000 which is quite affordable to most citizens and the body can stay as long as two years without decay. Webuye District Hospital is the only hospital in the region that produces its own oxygen inside the hospital parameters to be used on patients, it also offers bio-chemist tests and soon will be among the first to offer the embalmment services. He dismissed the claims that Webuye Medical Training Institute students are the ones who attend to patients in the hospitals and vowed that at no particular incidence are the students left alone to attend to patient without supervision by a medical officer. “We may be lacking enough staff but the MTC students are strictly here for learning purposes and they are always under supervision in order to be allowed to attend to a patient,” said Dr.Bitta.

Webuye MP applauds the progress of the revived Pan Paper Mills

Written by Rosemary Wachiye 2011-11-04 17:56:00 Read 257 Times

Member of Parliament for webuye Mr.Afred Sambu and production manager of Panpaper Mills Mr.Lawrence Situma checking out the produced paper.[Photo/ Rosemary Wachiye] Just a week after the revival of the Pan Paper factory, the Member of Parliament for Webuye Mr. Alfred Sambu has paid a courtesy call to the factory to ascertain its current working state. The Pan Paper factory started production on Saturday October 22nd 2011 after a closure of more than 2 years after its first re-opening in 2010 on July 28 by President Kibaki that was not sustained and grounded to a halt after two weeks when three of the mills closed down. The closure of Pan Paper left more than 400 employees jobless, employees who now can manage a smile after being recalled back to the mill and the start of paper production. The current Pan Paper revival task force led by Team leader Dr.Wafula Muliaro, have in a period of 2 months managed to restart the mill. Mr.Sambu in his tour around the mill commended the efforts put in place by the task force and pledged to cooperate with them to ensure the continuous running of the mill. “Since the factory has started working again which has been a result a long struggle, I wish to thank all those behind its revival and want to state that the factory should not close down again, we will do everything in our capacity to ensure that the running is continuous,” said Mr.Sambu.  He called upon the management of the factory to recall back all the former workers of the mill and even employ more to create jobs for a big percentage of the jobless youths in Webuye. “All the former workers of this factory should be recalled back to work, unless for those who in its closure got work elsewhere or died otherwise for those still in need of work, they should be given first priority when employing staffs,” said Mr.Sambu. While addressing the Pan Paper workers, Mr.Sambu promised to look into the issue of procurement of raw materials for the factory which he says has been a big letdown in revival of the mill. “I will ensure that the procurement of the needed raw materials for the mill is done in an orderly manner, in right quantity and at the right time,” said Mr.Sambu.  “The closure of Pan Paper can also in a way be seen as a good opportunity for the Africans who used to work in the mill under the Indians and never got recognized for their work to now prove that they can run the mill without the help of the Asians,” said  Dr. Muliaro.  “I urge those leaders who like commenting negatively on the factory, to please shun from doing so and instead join hands with us through factual comments as mere negative political comments would take us steps back in the revival of this factory,” added Dr. Muliaro. Speaking at the same forum, one of the workers of the mill who have been recalled back to work, Mr.Situma, has called upon the government to ensure that all the required materials for paper production reach the factory on time and in enough quantity to sustain the running of the mill. “We are happy to have been recalled back to work after a long wait but we don’t anticipate that the factory will close at any time, but for this not to happen the government must ensure that all the procurement processes are done on time and all the required raw materials available to sustain continuous running of the mill,” said Mr.Situma. Earlier in the October during the prayer day for the revival of the mill, Mr.Sambu blamed the Industrialization Permanent Secretary Mr.Kibichu Karanja for being the reason for the stall of the mill. He was also quoted blaming the industrialization PS for not taking stern action against the previous task force headed by Mr. John Munguti after stealing Sh.56 Million meant for revival of the factory, but what a turn of events, in his tour in the factory, Mr.Sambu was heard appraising Mr.Kibichu’s choice of team leader. Mr.Sambu also added that the government should set up an independent audit team to check in to the accounts of the task force alleged to have stolen money from the factory to ascertain the real truth.

Webuye municipal recession survival strategies

Written by Rosemary Wachiye 2011-10-06 16:59:00 Read 175 Times

The Webuye municipal council mayor has stated that despite the municipal council not qualifying to get the LATF funds from the Ministry of Local Government, the municipal has managed to sustain itself through its revenue collection from factories around the region.   Mr. Ali Machani Mtoka the mayor of the council says he picked up the Council when it was in a bad state, it had low income, the workers were not being paid and the council had large debts that were being deducted from the workers salary to clear.    “In three years now, the Municipal has not been receiving Local Authority Trust Funds since it had debts and didn’t qualify for the funds, but that has not stopped us from working we have set in place strategies to ensure that the council is running,” says Mr.Machani.   He also mentioned that in conjunction with other councilors of the Municipal they have been in talks with the  Minister in the Ministry of Local Government to see to it that the council receives the funds.   “In the mean time as we wait for word from the Ministry we are utilizing every opportunity we have to get income through revenue in to the council,” said Mr.Machani.   He mentioned that the Butali Sugar Millers since April this year have not been paying CESS money which is paid to the local Authority to maintain road network, same to West Kenya Millers also since their started operation Nzoia Sugar Company which used to pay them had stopped at some point because of some misunderstandings about the zone it lies in but they have had consultations with the Managing Director and have resolved.   He stated that the cash from those institutions helps to solve the main problem of paying the staffs of the council.   The Municipal Council is also getting cash from the town plot owners who pay rent to the council and through the council licenses to business men. “There are business people who have not been paying the Municipal Council the license levy and we have tried our best to convince them to make them understand the importance of paying the linceses and most of them are now obliging,” says Mr.Machani.   He added that there are some organizations and institutions that owed the council lots of money which if they paid will be able to sustain the Municipal council for some time.   Mr.Machani stated the example of the Kenya Railway also owed the council Sh. 5 Million and the Masinde Muliro University which owes it an arrears of Sh.1 Million.   “With that money repaid we will be able to pay the debts so that we can qualify to get LATF funds and pay workers well hence motivate them to work,” says Mr.Machani.   He also complained of Pan Paper Mills’s closure for having contributed a big deal to the cash problem in the council since the council used to depend a lot on the revenue from Pan paper. The Paper Mill used to contribute about Sh3 Million to the council and its closure has had a negative impact on the council and set backs.   “We believe that if Pan Paper will be re-opened soon then the council is bound to benefit a big deal since it was the main contributor to the council’s income,” says Mr.Machani.

Webuye municipal council’s financial crisis worsening

Written by Rosemary Wachiye 2011-11-09 19:14:00 Read 309 Times

Webuye Municipal Council Mayor Mr. Ali Machani. [Photo|Rosemary Wachiye|West Fm] The Webuye Municipal council is still in a financial crisis as it has not received allocation of the Local Authority Trust Fund (LATF) three times that is meant to fund the council’s projects. According to the Webuye municipal council mayor Ali Machani, more than 36 projects have stalled following the councils’ failure to qualify to get the LATF fund as it owed the government approximately Sh.50 Million that was statutory deductions for the workers’ welfare. “In each financial year, each of the twelve wards in the council has funds set aside to fund three projects in its region which accumulates to 36 projects that have been pending since we missed to get the LATF fund,” said Machani. Machani has stated that for a long time the council among other councils failed to remit the funds to the government even after deducting from the worker’s pay for that purpose, something that led to the Ministry of Local Authority passing a law that every Council was to clear the debt arrears before receiving the LATF funds. “The council owes the government Sh.50Million and that is why since the year 2009, the Municipal Council of Webuye has not received LATF funds in three disbursements and this has led to the standstill of some of the council’s set projects,” noted Machani. The mayor has also stated that at the moment the situation has led to the workers and councilors of the Municipal council working without pay for 6 Months and 4 Months respectively as the revenue collected from the council assets is not enough to settle all their dues. [Read: Webuye municipal council workers strike over 5 months salary http://westfm.co.ke/index-page-news-bid-2706.htm] “The council workers have not been paid arrears of their wages for the last 6 months similar to the councilors who have not been paid their allowance for the last 4 months as we don’t have enough revenue collection to facilitate their payment,” he said. He blamed the previous management for negligence which has contributed a lot to the financial problems facing the council leading to the council to miss out on Sh.29 Million of LATF in 2010 and another Sh.41 Million this year.  He also stated that Webuye Municipal council is among seven other councils in the country that had not qualified for the funding due to debts although it is the only council in Western province. He revealed that the other councils in the country had assets and managed to sell to pay off their debts something which could not be done in Webuye as the leaders in office then, did not do so on time. Machani also noted that the Webuye Municipal Council came in to being because of the existence of Pan Paper factory which he said after its collapse, the council plunged into financial challenges.  He also argued that the closure Pan Paper factory as being a major contributing factor to the low revenue collection in the council as Pan Paper used to annually contribute more than Sh. 2 Million to the council in form of revenue. “Since the closure of Pan Paper we have missed to receive revenue from the factory for close to three years now, the business in Webuye also went down hence a negative effect on the council’s revenue collections,” noted Machani. Machani has however, stated that as much as the Pan Paper factory has recently been reopened its not automatically that the financial problem  in the council will be resolved as the factory might take sometime before it gets back to its feet. He called upon the government through the Ministry of Local Authorities and the Ministry of Finance to come in handy and assist the Webuye Municipal Council to get the LATF funds and prevent it from collapsing. “I would like to call upon the Ministry of Local Authority to re-consider Webuye Municipal since we can not do without the LATF funds and still cannot be able to raise enough revenue to pay off our debts and pay the workers’ wages and the councilors’ allowances,” he appealed. Machani also called upon all well wishers and other developmental partners and companies to come in and help the council to settle the debts owed to the government in terms of statutory deductions and salvage the council from collapsing. “The council is in a mess, the workers who are innocent citizens are really suffering and paying for some other people’s mistake who were unproductive in office leading to the situation at hand, please assist us pay this debt facing us so that we can get the funding that will sustain the council and assist it carry out the set plans,” he appealed.

10 aspirants scramble for the vacant Matulo ward seat in Webuye

Written by Rosemary Wachiye 2011-10-12 19:02:00 Read 363 Times

Matulo ward aspirants from extreme left Robinson Kisunia, Jethro Munialo, Wafula Nambafu, Isaack, Michael Muindi and Simiyu Barasa. [Photo/Rosemary Wachiye/WestFm] As the Matulo ward by-election is expected to take place on November 28, there are more than 10 contestants who have shown interest in running for the vacant seat after the death of the then Webuye Deputy Mayor Timothy Karandini. Most of them have been seen using public forums and funerals to express their political ambitions and affiliations. This comes two months after the murder of Mr. Timothy Karandini Wekesa who was the councilor of the ward and also the Deputy Mayor at the Webuye Municipal Council. As per now those who have stated their interest to vie for the seat include Mr. Grime Wangachi, Mr. Wafula Nambafu, Mr. Jethro Shiundu, Mr. Ronald Mukanda, Mr. Simiyu Barasa, Mr. Michael Muhindi and Mr. Jackson Wanjala all of New Ford Kenya Party. Mr. Michael Nalika, Mr. Robinson Kisunia and Mr. Welamba in Ford Kenya while Mrs. Catherine Nyongesa in the Orange Democratic Movement. All of them have showed optimism of emerging victor in the by-election that is also set to test the might of the three major parties; New Ford Kenya, ODM and Ford Kenya.

The IIEC is ready to conduct the Matulo by-election

Written by Rosemary Wachiye 2011-11-04 17:37:00 Read 291 Times

As the Matulo Ward by-elections is expected to take place on November 28 this year, most of the political parties held nominations in the previous weeks and despite having more than 10 contestants who had earlier shown interest for the seat, only 4 aspirants have been left standing. The four nominees out of the many that had shown interest to run for the vacant seat after the death of the then Webuye Municipal Deputy Mayor Timothy Karandini have today presented their papers to the Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC) offices at Webuye for verification and clearance. In his address to the aspirants, the IIEC Returning Officer for Webuye Constituency Mr. John Matekwa urged them to follow the rules and regulations set by the law during an election period. “I would like to call upon all the candidates for the election to adhere to all the set rules for an election period, which if they don’t follow will call for stern action to be taken against them,” said Mr.Matekwa.  Mr.Matekwa has announced that the official campaign will start on November 6th up to November 26th from 6 am to 6 pm and wanted all the aspirants to take note since his office doesn’t expect any of them to start early campaigns or exceed the set time. He also warned the aspirants against holding any public rally without consent of the law enforcers failure to which will be considered an illegal political rally. Mr.Matekwa called upon the candidates to carry out the campaign in a fair, truthful and transparent manner to avoid any violence. “We are treating this by-election seriously in preparation for next year’s general elections, since in case of any mistakes they may spill over to the forthcoming general elections and that may cause post election violence as the one experienced in the past election,” said Mr.Matekwa. He also called upon the Matulo residents to accord each candidate the opportunity to sell out their political manifestos without favoritism and intimidation. The remaining candidates who are in the race for the seat are, Mr. Isaac Wangila Welemba for Ford Kenya, Mr. George Kukali Simiyu for National Vision Party, Mr. Grime Abram Juma for New Ford Kenya and Mr. Ronald Mukanda Makhanu for Orange Democratic Movement(ODM). He also added that by COB on 4th November he will be handing over the names of the cleared candidates to the national IIEC chairman in preparation for the forthcoming elections and warned the candidates against breaching any of the set rules to avoid disqualification.

Matulo FYM school loses class roof during storm

Written by Rosemary Wachiye 2011-10-27 10:42:00 Read 507 Times

Part of the roof that was blown off during the Wednesday afternoon heavy down pour in Matulo primary school in Webuye. [Photos/ RoseMary Wachiye]   Staff and members of Matulo FYM school in webuye were left in shock Wednesday afternoon after the  roof of four classes were blown off.   The roof of a block of four classes that include classes 5, 6 and 8, was easily blown off by the storm since it’s an old building in the school that had not been renovated for some time now.   The head master of the school, Mr. Fredrick Masinde Simiyu said that it was by chance that none of the pupils who were in the classes got hurt but there was still damage of property.    “None of the pupils was injured in the incidence, though they were rained on and their books destroyed by the rain water, “said Simiyu.   Explaining how  it occurred he says, it was unexpected.    “It has caught us by surprise since w did not expect this, though the building is among the oldest buildings in the school,” said Simiyu.  Pupils going home  after the rains, below, the Head master of the school  Mr. Fredrick Masinde Simiyu. The chairman of the Board governing the school Mr. Alfred Masinde, expressed his griefstating that it’s a big blow since the pupils will lack where to learn from, and called upon all well wishers to assist put up other class rooms and renovate the already existing classes to prevent such occurrence in the near future.   “We call upon all governmental and nongovernmental organizations to come in and assist the school to put up other classes and also help repair the already existing classes that are old so that we don’t experience the same,” said Mr.Masinde.   The pupils were forced to go back home early after the occurrence since they had no place to carry out the learning.   Less than two months ago, the Member of Parliament for Webuye, Mr. Alfred Sambu donated Sh. 600, 000 to the building of a classroom block at the Mihu Primary school in Webuye and another Sh.400, 000 to completion of a classroom at Muji Primary in the same region, yet there is a school like Matulo FYM in his region that is all surrounded by old classes that were inherited from the Matulo Girls High school after it constructed other classrooms and shifted.   The Constituency Development fund is also funding the construction of storey buildings at the Lugulu Boarding Primary schools to serve as classrooms and dormitory, the same effort should be shift5ed to such local schools like the one in question to enable the pupils to have a better chance to compete with those in developed schools.   The pupils in this school will be faced with a hard time in all weather conditions be it rainy or sunny since their classrooms will lack the cover.   There should also be a set standard as to which kind of projects the CDF fund should facilitate and the conditions of the school to evenly distribute the fund in schools.   Matulo area at the moment lacks a councilor following the death of the area councilor Mr. Timothy Karandini, hence a big challenge to the one who will take office after the forthcoming bi-elections on October 28th to look into such matters.

Wamalwa, Khalwale want PM to step aside over KKV funds

Written by Rosemary Wachiye 2011-11-13 14:24:00 Read 315 Times

Ikolomani MP Dr. Bonny Khalwale shares a word with Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa during a campaign rally in Matulo ward as seat aspirant Grime Juma Wangachi looks on. [Photo|Rosemary Wachiye|West Fm]

New Ford Kenya leaders held a high profiled campaign for its Matulo ward candidate Grime Juma Wangachi in preparation for the November 28 by-election but attacks against the Prime Minister Raila Odinga tool centre stage as the leaders implored him to step aside over Kazi kwa Vijana lost funds.

The NFK brigade pulled large crowds at Khamoto village as it drummed up support for Wangachi where the leaders seized the chance to spill their venom against the premier.

The brigade led by Housing Minister and Malava MP Soita Shitanda, presidential hopeful Eugene Wamalwa, Ikolomani Mp Bonny Khalwale, nominated MP Musikari Kombo and former Budalangi Mp Raphael Wanjala said their candidate was best suited to take over the vacant seat.

Dr. Bonny Khalwale has called upon Matulo residents to come out in large numbers on the Election Day to vote in their Wanngachi for the remaining time before the next general election.

Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa on his part applauded President Kibaki for appointing Isaac Hassan to head the Interim Electoral and Boundary Commission (IEBC).

“The move by the president to appoint the former head of IIEC to head the Interim Electoral and Boundary Commission (IEBC) is welcomed as it is a fair ruling that gives every Kenyan hope on how the next election is going to be fair to all basing on the way he has headed the elections under IIEC,” said Wamalwa.

At the same time, he insisted the Kazi Kwa Vijana funds that were meant to assist the youths who are unemployed ended up in the pockets of some wealthy officials in the Prime Minister’s office and called upon the Prime Minister to take political responsibility for it.

Wamalwa suggested that the structure set for kazi Kwa vijana should be changed and re-designed for the youths to benefit from the program stating that the current system is outdated.

Dr. Khalwale still holds that funds set for Kazi Kwa Vijana initiative were misappropriated and called upon the Prime Minister Raila Odinga to step aside for investigation to be done into the matter.

“I raised this issue in Parliament and I still insist that the funds for Kazi Kwa Vijana need to be accounted for, when I said that Sh.300 Million were misappropriated the Prime Minister in his defense stated that only Sh.108 Million were missing which then his office should account for,” said Khalwale. [Read: Raila dispels allegations KKV money was lost as politics takes center stage in parliament  http://westfm.co.ke/mobile/index.php?page=news&id=3779

He said that some of the youths might have been paid but not the amount that was set by World Bank while others were not paid at all hence the initiative was a big failure.

Khalwale also claims that the report released by the Controler and Auditor General states that the money for the state land in Tokyo was missing and called upon the associated parties in the fraud to take responsibility so that justice prevails.

The Minister for Housing Soita Shitanda raised concern over some MPs whom he claim are after convincing the President and the Prime Minister into appointing people from specific parts of the country for jobs  in the set commissions  leaving out other parts of the country.

“It is very unfair that some leaders always want their people to rule and forget about other parts of the country who also need to be represented, I call upon the president and the Prime Minister not to fall prey of tribalism,” said the minister.

He also has suggested that before one is interrogated over taking a certain post the two principals and the board in charge of the appointment should consider which part of the country the person comes from so that appointments to public office are not tribal.

There are four candidates vying for the Matulo Ward seat on different political parties including Grime Juma for New Ford Kenya, Isaac Welemba of Ford Kenya, Ronald Mukanda of ODM and Kukali Simiyu of National Vision Party (NVP) and therefore the challenge is left for the Matulo ward residents to decide who fits to lead them for the remaining time before the next General Elections in 2012.

New Ford Kenya leaders criticize use of negative politics to woo voters

Written by Rosemary Wachiye 2011-11-20 16:07:00 Read 125 Times

The New Ford Kenya leaders, Malava MP Soita Shitanda and the Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa at the Matulo RC primary in Webuye where they led a campaign rally for their member ahead of the forth coming civic by-election.[PhotoI Rosemary wachiye]

The Webuye West residents have been called upon to seize from dirty politics of distributing leaflets with information against candidates vying for the vacant seat of the ward’s councilor and instead to focus on development.

Saturday, the New Ford Kenya Party organized the second major Campaign rally in Matulo R.C primary school a week prior to the by-election for the Webuye West Ward on 28th November.

Speaking at a political campaign rally in Matulo R.C primary school prior to the by-election for the Webuye West Ward on 28h November, the aspiring presidential candidate who is also the mp for Saboti Eugine Wamalwa, called upon the residents to decease from painting others negatively as a way of making them lose votes from the people.

 “Those who are participating in the leaflet distribution and dirty politics as a way of spoiling for others are only showing their fear to lose, they should come out and be ready for a challenge and face it instead of insulting others,” said Mr.Wamalwa.

Minister for housing Mr. Soita Shitanda who is also the New Ford Kenya party chairman also criticized the behavior by some of the Matulo ward residents who have been reported to be moving around making phone calls across the ward threatening people against voting for some candidates.

Mr. Shitanda stated that bad politics of threatening opponents and their supporters is a thing of the past that should not be condoned; he wanted the people participating in such acts to stop and instead use the energy to prepare for the forthcoming by-elections.

“I have heard that there are those who are calling and threatening people on phones and I want them to realize that such a behavior in politics is a thing of the past that they should seize before the law catches up with them,” said Mr. Shitanda.

 Former Industrialization Minister Mukhisa Kituyi also called upon the Matulo residents to come out in large numbers during the voting day to be able to vote for their favorite candidate who will represent them.

Speaking at the same function at Matulo Ward, former MP for Budalangi Raphael Wanjala called upon the luhya people to vote as a block for their presidential candidate comes next year so that they strengthen his chances of winning the seat.

“As the people from Western province we should all support our presidential candidate the same way people from other places support their own and by doing so he will definitely emerge victorious,” said Mr.Wanjala.

Politics of development took centre stage at New Ford Kenya rally in Matulo Ward as various candidates for 2012 elections came out expressing their aspiration and their plans if voted in to the different positions.

Ladies, would you rather be a mistress or a wife?

Written by Rosemary Wachiye 2011-11-16 12:06:00 Read 461 Times

Would you rather be a man’s mistress or the wife? Most ladies in the current generation will rather be mistresses with so many reasons they say.

Most married men in this era have enough time to interact with their mistress, have money set to treat them well, pay their rent, buy them basic needs and ensure they are comfortable.

 

On the other hand such men spent less time with their immediate families, they go back home late in the night when the children are a sleep and they get to spend fewer hours with their wives which basically calculate to sleeping on the same bed and nothing more.

 

The men come back home late and tired from a busy day at work and thereafter a visit at the mistresses house where they relax, take a bath, have a meal, have sex and then later go home. The duties that were at some point meant for the wife are no longer done by the wife but instead the mistresses have taken over.

 

The wives on the other hand are expected to be conservative, submissive, to keep quiet and never to confront the husband over any mischievous behavior because if they do so, they are battered.

 

A wife in some cases is expected to struggle to feed the family, to provide the family’s needs single handedly, to appear to be a home maker, to be able to undergo all the problems that come with marriage and persevere to the end.

 

The mistress has all the freedom she needs to interact with other people other than family since there are no ties binding her to commitment in marriage.

 

The wife needs to uphold self respect, present herself in a wifely manner, not to raise her voice out in public, always to consult from the husband before making any decision and to sit back to be represented by the husband.

 

The wife’s task to ensure the husband appears presentable, cleans for him, washes his clothes, brush his shoes, ties his tie, but after that the man will appear with his mistress for the major functions, was it to make him look better for someone else?

 

Mistress has details of his bank accounts, his new assets, his businesses and plots, something which the wife will only get to hear of when the final will is drafted and they have been divided among the children, his wife and of course the mistress.

 

Someone may say that this is a thing of the past, but no, it’s so current with us. Take a look at most families around you, the father is extremely presentable while the wife is left looking like the house girl except for working class wives who can groom themselves well, the children have no shoes and even clothes, they only bear his last name for identity.

 

Some husbands have made it a routine to visit their families in the rural once per year and whenever they appear it’s in the festive season, they carry with them basic needs for the family and after one week of visiting they leave the wife pregnant only to reappear a year later. Some don’t even know each of their children’s names and age.

 

Some men still believe in wives and children being left at the village, they end up living good life with their mistresses in the towns and father more children that only appear in their funerals claiming to be lawful wives and children while expecting a share of his wealth.

 

A mistress is loved for her outspoken and outgoing character, she is taken out for drinks, meets the business partners of the man, she is out to parties with him and even carried along on job conferences. But the wife is always left at home; she is not mention anything about going out, the only time she is out with him is when they are escorting the children to boarding school which mostly is the wife’s task.

 

Being a wife to some extend means sitting on the periphery as you watch your man look good around other women; who could be his secretary, his lawyer, his business partner, his colleagues at work and many more who double up as his mistress.

 

Being a wife is just but a title for publicity, to be recognized by the family and friends of the husband but those who live up to the title are the mistress.

 

A wife should be ready to be given second priority; her needs come after the mistresses’, which depends with existence of children in the marriage who come second then she follows. 

 

A mistress on the other hand appears with him in every important meeting, she has details of all his endeavors and can represent him in his absence something which is never bestowed to the wife, she only is told of the occurrences in the office and their family assets most of which she has never seen.

 

The wife is the mother to the man’s children, she is the official beneficiary of his wealth in his death, she is called by his name and she is respected by family and friends for her struggle to strengthen the marriage and family ties.

 

So would you rather be a wife or a mistress?

Webuye Pan Paper re-opened

Written by Rosemary Wachiye 2011-10-23 22:25:00 Read 87 Times The long awaited revival of the Webuye Pan Paper factory has come, the factory is now officially running since Saturday night with two of its three machines running and smoke billowing into the air as the paper factory roared to life again. The factory's former workers were recalled in early last week but were surprised and left wondering if the revival of the paper factory was a mirage as the highly publisized re-opening that had been planned for October 17, failed to take place. Under the management of Dr. Wafula Muliaro,the factory started crushing logs on Saturday as he assured residents that the revival was for real and not political games. "I would like to tell all those who didn't believe it when I said it will start again, that I meant it and as you can now see it is working," said Dr. Muliaro.  In a spun of less than 12 hours since its restarting, the factory has managed to produce 40 tonnes of paper through the paper production machine number 3 which is half its average production per day that is normally 80 tonnes. "The factory is officially opened now we have managed to restart two of its major production machines and we believe that before the end of the month machine two will also be working," said Muliaro. He also stated that by November 10, 2011, all the three paper production machines in the factory will be restarted and fully running. "There is too much demand for paper now in the country and it will be good if we start producing, though I know the demand may be too high that we may not be able to satisfy fully but at least we will have reduced it," he said. Muliaro has re-assured that the factory has enough of the key raw materials in paper production which are trees and waste paper. He said they have acquired enough wood from the government owned forests and for now they have stored about 20,000 m3 of wood in the factory and have a contract of receiving another 300,000 m3 as they continue with operations. “The factory crushes only 750 m3 per day, and so far we have a stock of 20,000 m3 and another 300,000 m3 in the forest which will be able to sustain the mill, the wood we have is more than sufficient to ensure the factory runs for a whole year,” said Muliaro According to Muliaro Pan Paper has been on contract with government owned forests like Timboroa forest, Kiptagat and Mt.Elgon where it provides seedlings to them and facilitates the planting of the trees which after maturing are sold back to the factory at a subsidized price. He also stated that the transportation of logs from the forests to the factory will start immediately as they had already cleared with the transporters and that soon there will be a continuous flow of wood to the factory ensuring that the factory runs smoothly. Muliaro explained the reason why the factory had not restarted as planned on that day being the delay of the 480 tonnes soda ash that is needed for the paper production, which was delivered early on Saturday the October  22 after which they were able to restart the first machine. “ We have received 18 wagons of the soda ash and we are expecting 4 more wagons to arrive, since that was the only material we were expecting before we start and it has finally arrived, we started the first machine on Saturday night,” said Muliaro. The factory had been closed for three years and its re-opening has come as a blessing and relief to the workers to be recalled back to work. One of the recalled workers who is also the production manager a one Mr. Sifuna expressed his appreciation to the government for making it possible for the mill to run stating that as part of the management, they have put enough measures in place to ensure that all the needed equipment are in good shape for the running and materials are available to sustain its continuous running. He called upon all stakeholders to support its revival and through the good spirit he believes that the mill will never close down again. In 2010 on July 28, President Kibaki reopened the paper mill after two and a half years of closure, the plant, however, grounded to a halt after two weeks when three of the mills closed down, sending more than 400 employees who had just been recalled, back home As much as the factory has been restarted and the machines are up and running with paper being produced, what still holds back the big hope that finally this marks the end of unemployment to the former workers of the mill and that it will bring liveliness to the Webuye town, is that the factory has once been restarted before, and workers reassured of getting back to work permanently but it still closed down. The Prime Minister once stated during the burial of the deputy mayor of webuye Municipal council Mr.Timothy Karandini that the government had released Sh1 billion for the revival of Pan Paper in Webuye but a few issues including the change of name, technology and the supply of wood was still holding back operations. Have all this been taken care of? The Member of Parliament for Webuye Mr. Alfred Sambu recently stated at a prayer function that main reason of Pan Paper’s closure was corruption by the former management who have since flown out of the country. “This Paper mill closed down because of theft and mismanagement of funds by the former management who stole from panpaper and left the country,” he said. He said the main reason for forming the task force  to revive the factory was to ensure the factory is revived to be able to pay the debts owed to the short and long term lenders but complained that all the previous taskforce that were brought to revive it had failed and some of them like the most recent one headed by Mr.John Munguti even stole money from the factory amounting to Sh.56 Milion that they left before accounting for it. He blamed the Permanent Secretary of Industrialization Mr. Karanja Kibichu, for not taking action against them and instead of making them account for the funds he transferred them back to the ministry. “Munguti’s team left without accounting for the Sh.56 million that got lost during their reign, I pass the blame to the Permanent Secretary of Industrialization for not doing his job to ensure that they account for the money before the factory resumes under new management,” said Mr. Alfred Sambu. What remains unanswered is whether the claimed mismanaged funds which is the tax payer’s money will ever be accounted for? There have been two task forces before, one headed by Gatimbu followed by another one headed by Mr. John Munguti, but the mill’s main problem which is the huge debt owed to the long term and short term lenders was the main hinder towards the factory’s running, so has all this been cleared out too? The Permanent Secretary of Industrialization Mr. Karanja Kibichu affirming the premier’s word stated that the government had released Sh.600 Million, 200 Million meant for operation and the remaining Sh.400 for paying the Short term lenders. The Pan Paper Mills is still under receivership, and the government through the ministry of Industrialization has been holding talks with the short term lenders and the long term lenders and the Permanent Secretary in the Minisrty has assured that the government has set to pay to the Short term lenders and had an agreement with the long term lenders to restart the factory to be able to pay back the debt owed to them by the former owners of the factory.