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Many are people are waiting for the campaign silence The ‘traditional’ campaign normally ends at a given time before the election and ‘campaign silence’ in Kenya is two days before election day. lt is  common in order to allow voters time to reflect. The campaign silence is seen to be an important and much needed ”cooling off” period after a heated campaign to reduce tensions and potential for conflict on election day. Campaign silence includes a prohibition on media announcement/advertisement, no public rallies and the prohibition of publishing last minute public opinion polls. Also, campaigning or party identification close to polling stations is also considered to be an essential element of campaign silence. Care must also be taken that campaign silence does not prevent nonpartisan civic and voter education. The campaign period has been specified by law. Therefore there should be no campaigning on election day. Let parties finish their campaign and in those days which were spe

The nod given to chiefs to have a say on traditional marriage is outdated The new rule gazetted on June 9th that area chiefs will from Tuesday have a say in the registration of traditional marriages which will cost 3,900/- involving people living within their jurisdiction is outdated and is not in line with the present time or century. The problems which may occur among others,include that the chiefs may not be impartial. What if the chief has a problem with both of the people who want to get married? Chiefs are only found in their offices on particular days,won't  they interfere with couples who want to get married?Some chiefs are always linked to corrupt practices, now the government has give them food on a silver platter. Also chiefs can interfere with potential marriages by objecting and misadvising the couples. These traditional marriages will be expensive and difficult to implement putting in mind that there was a marriage in Kenya which costed 100/- A chief may have a

Authorities should not let their guard  down  To leave your guard down is to relax your  defensive posture, which would leave you vulnerable to attack. There was a story in the newspapers that services is slow nowadays in government offices. This could be as a result of campaign season, as many officers are engaged. Also some officers are not discharging their duties or cannot be found in their offices. That notwithstanding, let other government agencies like KRA, KPA,Security, customs etc be alert always during this campaign time as some evil elements may take advantage of the laxity and harm the country or citizens. A friend was coming back from likoni and was crossing the ferry to town,when she saw some washing detergents being sold cheaply but with a foreign name. She decided to grab one. She came to work the next day with blisters on her fingers. The detergent has corrosive ingredients which caused red blisters in her fingers and skin. The washing detergent is still being sol

Let us kit our ladies decently Kenya was privileged to host the world under-18 Championship at Kasarani sports complex. There were over 25 nations competing in this world event. Kenya managed 4 gold 3 silver and 1 bronze bringing a total of 11 medals. Congratulations to Kenya Team of under-18. There was a record crowd of  up to  37,000 people on Friday,on Saturday  50,300 people and the climax on Sunday 55,000 people attended. It was a privilege for IAAF for giving Kenya an opportunity to host the world under-18 youth event. But what spoilt the broth was the kit the women wore during the championship. It exposed their nakedness and in Africa traditional culture,elders are not supposed to see the nakedness of a young lady. The organizers would have taken the opportunity to show case Kenya's wildlife, beaches and  tourists spots through the sports uniforms on behalf of Nike or Adidas. But in exposing the young girls nakedness that was wrong. Let Kenyan designers come up with Afr

Banks should scrap nuisance fees There was a capping of interest rates where Parliament passed the law. But banks are pushing the central bank to raise customers charges and the bank has had 16 requests so far to the central bank. How on earth do banks charge someone who deposits money in their banks? These charges have pushed Kenyans to use safaricom services and other unorthodox services as they are first, quick and cheap. Monetary policy committee of central Bank want lenders to focus on having  happy clients instead of money alone. Banks have been on the spot over allegations of imposing illegal levies on their customers since last year following the coming into force of the new law capping interest rates. It is a relief that the central governor insisted that banks need to review and scrap all "nuisance fees" imposed on customers. Banks should focus on on solving customers need which can attract sustainable revenues  instead of looking for shortcuts. At the moment the ec

Let TSC and Knut re-examine AON contract to save teachers lives Aon TSC Outpatient Medical Cover allows for benefit portability countrywide and within East Africa. Members are allowed to access any service provider of their choice countrywide and within East Africa within the panel of providers. The outpatient cover caters for all routine outpatient services which include but not limited to:Routine outpatient consultations,diagnostic Laboratory and Radiology services including - X-Ray, Ultrasound, MRI, and CT Scans,Prescribed physiotherapy,prescribed drugs and dressing,prescribed routine laboratory tests,HIV/AIDS related conditions and prescribed ARV's to the full cover limit per family per annum,routine Immunizations,KEPI Vaccinations Pap smear for ladies and PSA for men (for principal members only),routine Antenatal check-ups,postnatal care up to six (6) weeks,newly diagnosed chronic conditions,pre-existing and chronic conditions (including Cancer),Ambulance. Chronic Diseases cov

Kenya has lost two leaders but their deeds and virtues outdo them Kenya is mourning two leaders who passed away within weeks of one another. Their careers span over 40 years. Their services and contributions will be greatly missed. What is conspicuous about these leaders is that they were inspiration to others,selfless,approachable and generous. We now don't have such leaders. People depended on their advice and mentorship and they were down to earth who related well with individuals of all classes of the society and you could meet them in spite of their positions. They offered people employment and educated people they were not related to. The leaders we have now do not do such things. They also interacted with people of all ages and they loved their jobs, were hardworking which made them leave a mark in the country. Now the ball is in the court of those who have been left behind as some are aspiring to be politician and some are,will they emulate these great leaders who ha

What political benefit is this six-piece suit in voting The six-piece suit originally consist  of a suit, half coat,shirt,vest and tie worn by fashionable men preferably British. The term has been adopted to  voting for the same coalition parties on all the six ballots namely member of parliament, senator, women's representative, county governor and county assembly representative in Kenya. Kenya's entire political structure could be in for a major overhaul. It is a strategy presidential candidates in this election are encouraging at the campaign’s onset for obvious reasons. The more coalition members in power, the easier governing will be. The early calls for a straight party-line vote have been met with charges of cynicism. This is like voting for candidates irrespective of the qualities and qualifications of the other candidates. Most of the leading candidates have backed away from the request, at least in public addresses. Not voting for a six piece derails the political pla

Political parties should explain the criteria used in nominations The list of those nominated by parties as  M P's,Senators, youth,MCA's etc is out and it is not a story to go home with. The people nominated are friends and relatives of party leaders and elected official of the parties. I have scrutinized the names and l see no professor,architect,engineer,scientists,musician or footballers who have made Kenya proud. Neither have l seen artists,doctors, planners,members of the business community etc l also would have expected people like the makonde,a European or Asian community to be nominated as they also fought for our independence. What criteria was used in these nominations? How was the nomination process done? Those nominated, what do they have what Kenyans don't have? Was there an interview conducted ? These and many questions linger in the minds of Kenyans considering that some leaders nominated their children and brothers. lf 800 or more people applied,was i

USE RESOURCES TO PREACH PEACE AND SAVE KENYA Debate media Limited,one of the presidential debate organizers stand to loose Ksh 200 million, and some 100 million cash and in advertisement should the courts halt the presidential debate. Meanwhile tension is building up in Kenya's largest slums and some counties have already been identified as possible  violence hotspots.  NCIC,E U, and KNCHR sounded a warning and echoed  that poll violence is likely in a month. What are we waiting for? Jameni !!! Let companies such as debate media and other organizations come together to use  millions  they are using for the debate to educate Kenyans the importance of peace. Politician will go but Kenya will remain. Let such organizations use such forums to preach peace and make banners,leaflets send people around to preach peace. Peace should also be preached in the media,schools,universities and work places. Before a campaign starts,let NCIC decree that a speaker must be appointed to preach pe

General elections has created jobs and freebies The general election on 8th August has created jobs. These jobs include the hiring of personal security for the contestant who have been engaged to protect them and also these  politician hired  vehicles for campaign. Not to be left behind are the border border riders who have been hired to escorts contestants on campaign trial. Those who print T-shirts are also reaping from this campaign. Printers have benefitted in the campaign as politicians are printing posters,banners and hiring youth to stick the posters and banners for them. Entertainers of music and traditional dancers are also being hired to spice up campaigns and are also being paid. Politicians are also hiring people to appear in their meetings who end up with a few coins. Some elders from different communities have been either blessing, endorsing or making different aspirants elders and have also benefited in this campaign.  Bloggers  have also been paid to either paint a