The News Brief: Uhuru, Raila ignored audit report on lawmakers

President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga have ignored an audit report in their spirited quest to amend the Constitution; which if it sails through, will see Kenyans overburdened.

A special audit report on the socio-economic impact of the 2010 Constitution that was tabled in Parliament in October 2016, revealed that Kenyans are over-represented by exorbitantly paid lawmakers in the two tiers of government.

Kenya has 416 lawmakers - 67 senators and 349 members of the National Assembly as well as 2,526 MCAs in the 47 counties.

The report prepared by a Working Group chaired by former Auditor General Edward Ouko recommended that the number of elected leaders be slashed and their huge allowances that overburden the taxpayer be reduced.

The election of Everlyne Olwande to represent magistrates in the Judicial Service Commission has scuttled a plan by some insiders to micromanage the succession of Chief Justice David Maraga.

Olwande beat Stella Atambo, Florence Macharia, Dolphina Alego and Teresia Nyangena to represent the Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association in the JSC. 

Sources within the Judiciary said vested interests were at play during the elections to replace chief magistrate Emily Ominde whose term has expired.

The control of JSC is crucial to naming Maraga's successor and other judges hence need to have “friendly members there”, a source said.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has slowed down on his Big Four legacy plan saying it “was a process and not a project”.

The President, apparently aware he is running out of time, now says the Big Four Agenda is merely a framework to deliver government services.

His argument is that venture, which started on an ambitious note, is to improve on what previous presidents did.

“It singles out the intents that run through our history and are relevant today.  It focuses on four intents of our liberation struggle and the aspirations of our founding fathers,” he said on Saturday.

President Kenyatta unveiled the Big Four Agenda during the 2017 Jamhuri Day celebrations.

Dozens of Somalia’s Al-Shabaab militants have crossed to Kenya with a possible intention of causing havoc in parts of Amuma and Hemey regions, Garissa County.

This has caused panic and heightened alertness in the area especially among government officials who may be targets.

According to security officials in the area, they had received credible intelligence indicating the terror group leader identified as Maulid Abdi Hussein, 30 from Sedahgoseh in Somalia had preached at a local mosque in Degathe and vowed to cross to Kenya to coordinate planned attacks on Kenyans.

He is said to have preached on Saturday. It was then that about 40 militants armed with AK-47s, three PKM machine guns and seven Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG) launchers fired several rounds in the air before crossing over in three separate groups.

According to police reports, one group used Hamey route, another one in Amuma and the third one in Homojo.

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has kicked off aggressive countrywide public engagements in what appears to be a tactical move to counter Deputy President William Ruto’s wave ahead of 2022.

Raila’s tours which started weeks ago comes almost one month after Ruto scaled down his public engagement due to the recent surge in Covid-19 cases.

The opposition chief in a span of four weeks has visited seven counties, holding strategic meetings with local leadership as he drums up support for the Building Bridges Initiative.

The engagements are also laced with 2022 politics. In the last one month, the ODM boss has been to West Pokot, Kitui, Murang’a, Kakamega, Lamu, Kwale and recently Ol Kalou in Nyandarua County. Jubilee Vice Chairman David Murathe, nominated MP Maina Kamanda and former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth have been spearheading Raila’s visits in Mt. Kenya.