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William Ruto

Muturi, Shollei & Veronica Maina Nominated In The Assumption Of Office Committee

by Ndungu Brian August 19, 2022

written by Ndungu Brian

President-elect William Ruto has nominated outgoing National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, Uasin Gishu Woman Representative Gladys Shollei and UDA Secretary General Veronica Maina as his representatives in the Assumption of the office of President Committee.

The trio will work alongside Head of Public service Joseph Kinyua who chairs the committee and a host of Cabinet Secretaries.

The committee is tasked with facilitating the process of handing over by the outgoing President to the President-elect, organize for the security of the President-elect, organize for the necessary facilities and personnel for the President elect, co-ordinate the briefings of the President-elect by relevant public officers, facilitate communication between the outgoing President and the President-elect, prepare the program and organize for the swearing in ceremony and carry out any other activity necessary for the performance of its functions.

The committee is chaired by the Secretary to the Cabinet whose alternate in the 2022 context is Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua, and includes Attorney-General Kihara Kariuki, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, Interior PS Karanja Kibicho, Treasury PS Julius Muia, Foreign Affairs PS Amb. Macharia Kamau, Information PS Esther Koimett, Devolution PS Micah Powon and PS Jospheta Mukobe of Heritage and Culture.

The President-elect is already receiving security briefings while his security detail and that of his deputy were enhanced immediately after their declaration.

The committee will be convening in the coming days to prepare for a smooth and well programmed transition even as Azimio la Umoja moots on its move to the Supreme court to challenge the legitimacy of the results as announced by IEBC chair Wafula Chebukati.

August 19, 2022 0 comment

The EU has called for an amicable solution to the dispute and urged all political leaders to avoid violence but instead advocate for peace.

European Union Calls For Peaceful Resolution Of Election Disputes

by Ndungu Brian August 17, 2022

written by Ndungu Brian

The European Union (EU) has called for a peaceful and legal solution of Azimio La Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga’s rejection of the General Election results.

The EU has called for an amicable solution to the dispute and urged all political leaders to avoid violence but instead advocate for peace.

“The EU takes note of the results by the IEBC declaring Mr William Ruto winner of the election and the decision to appeal by Mr Raila Odinga. Ongoing dispute and any remaining concerns about this election must be resolved peacefully through existing legal mechanisms,” EU’s High Representative Josep Borrell said in a statement.

“All political and societal leaders must avoid any violence and call for calm. It is time for political leadership and responsibility from all those linked to the electoral process,” he added.

Borell however commended Kenyans for maintaining peace in the electioneering period and expressed optimism in fostering stronger relations between the incoming Kenyan government and the EU.

“The EU commends Kenyans for the calm and peaceful election day on 9th August, when they expressed their choice across six elections, including for the Presidency,” said Borell.

“We look forward to working together and developing further, together with the future Kenyan leadership, the mutually beneficial EU-Kenya Strategic Dialogue begun in June 2021.”

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on August 15 announced Dr. William Ruto as the president elect after garnering 7,176,141 votes, representing 50.49 percent while Mr. Odinga lost narrowly after getting 6,942,930 votes, representing 48 percent of the total votes cast.

Mr. Odinga announced he would be heading to court to challenge the results which he termed null and void, accusing IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati of violating the Constitution and electoral laws.

Odinga has meanwhile called on his supporters to remain calm, as his team explores legal avenues to have the announcement by Chebukati nullified in court.

A petition challenging the presidential election results should be filed within seven days from the declaration of the results by IEBC.

According to the Supreme Court, the petition will then be determined 14 days from the day it was filed.

August 17, 2022 0 comment

News Special reports

Raila Odinga Leads In Media Coverage ; Report By The Media Council Shows

by Ndungu Brian June 24, 2022

written by Ndungu Brian

Azimio La Umoja One-Kenya Presidential candidate Raila Odinga has led in media space consumption followed by Kenya Kwanza coalition flagbearer William Ruto according to a report by the Media Council of Kenya.

The report indicates that Raila Odinga enjoyed a 61.2 percent media coverage while his competitor, Kenya Kwanza flag bearer William Ruto got 38 percent.

The report covered events from April to early June 2022 and shows a drastic decrease in breaches of the Code of Conduct for the Practice of Journalism in Kenya. On the flip side, however, the reporting by both the mainstream and community radio stations on both national and county and regional politics was skewed in favor of regional politics.

The media coverage of Kenya’s 2022 General Election campaign has shown improvement compared to the coverage in the run-up to the 2017 polls.

The report has also shown improvement in adherence to journalistic ethics by Kenyan media houses despite the interference of media ownership in the framing and coverage of political stories.

The MCK report focused on how the mainstream media reported on the 17 candidates, who had expressed strong interest in the presidency, and showed up for clearance and registration by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Radio remains the biggest dispenser of political news with a 62% coverage which is attributed to the existence of several national and community radio stations compared to TV and print.

Television comes second at 27%, a situation attributed to wide penetration and frequency distribution. Print is rated third at 11%. The report also indicates that social media platforms are mostly used to spread disinformation and misinformation.

Online platforms were mostly characterized by political headlines focusing on the presidential candidates, their running mates and party primaries. Most importantly their stories resonated around the two major political parties, Azimio La Umoja One-Kenya and Kenya Kwanza coalitions.

The report notes an increased coverage of the Kenya Kwanza coalition, following earlier concerns by the side of unfair coverage, in some cases overtaking the Azimio La Umoja One-Kenya, particularly on the radio platform.

“The run uprun-up to the 2022 polls is already radiating a lot of heat, particularly on the presidential seat. With parties and coalitions having been cemented, the top seat remains the most hotly contested, with the stiffest competition ever witnessed in Kenya’s history”, says Media Council of Kenya Chief Executive Officer Mr. David Omwoyo.

He added that the Council had noticed interest in issue-based reporting but called for more efforts by the media and political players.

“I also throw a challenge to the candidates to package their issues competitively as opposed to the noise being experienced in rallies. It is critical that balance be achieved on all news content and journalism must embrace fact-checking as a primary value”, says Mr. Omwoyo.

He revealed that the Council will continue training journalists, media practitioners and creatives on various aspects of election reporting to boost professionalism, adding that the Council has so far trained over 2,000 media workers across the country in preparation for the transitional polls.

June 24, 2022 0 comment