MPs perks plan meant to hurt Govt, says Mwakwere

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By Abdallah Seif

THE Minister of Transport, Chirau Ali Mwakwere yesterday claimed that the proposal to increase legislators’ perks was a ploy by the opposition MPs to tarnish Government’s image.

His sentiments came just a day after acrimonious condemnations by various leaders including evangelical preacher and presidential aspirant, Pius Muiru, who said the salary increments were meant to woo MPs to vote for the Government-backed proposal for new constituencies and publicise President Mwai Kibaki’s bid for a second-term in office ahead of the general election.

But Mwakwere who was speaking in his Matuga Constituency condemned critics of the wage increment plan and blamed the opposition MPs for attempting to scandalise the Government.

Kenya Times,
July, 30, 2007

Shirikisho Party to name its Presidential candidate by August 15Written

Shirikisho party of Kenya will name its presidential flagbearer before august 15.
Party leader Ali Chirau Mwakwere says the party's nominee will be known during a national executive committee (NEC) meeting that will be attended by elders from all parts of the region.
Mwakwere said elders have an important role to play in the governance of this country, and the agenda of the meeting will be among others to discuss the direction of Kenyan politics and which way for the Shirikisho party.

He also disclosed that the party will hold a series of campaign meetings in Nakuru, Kisumu, Nyeri and Nairobi to popularize the party which he said will field civic, parliamentary candidates in all constituencies during the forthcoming general election.

Mwakwere who is also the minister for transport was speaking in Mombasa after officiating at the launch of a transport and logistics centre at the Mombasa polytechnic.
Commenting on the recent appointment of Likoni member of parliament Suleiman Shakombo as Narc Kenya vice chairman, Mr. Mwakwere said positions meant nothing, and local leaders should not agree to be used as rubber stamps for others to gain politically.

Mwakwere said Shirikisho party is the only political base that Coast people can use to improve their social, economic and political well being, and called on leaders to support the party so that the region shall have a bargaining power in national politics.

He also ruled out any coalition between Shirikisho and other political parties at the moment, saying the only priority currently was to strengthen the party in readiness for the forthcoming general election.

By:Kenya News Agency,
Posted: Sat, Jul 28, 2007

Shirikisho party may not back Kibaki in the coming polls

Coast-based Shirikisho party will field its presidential candidate in the forthcoming general election to advance its quest for a federal system of governance.
Speaking at the first public rally since 6 Coast MPs led by transport minister Chirau Mwakwere decamped from Narc-K, the leaders said they would field one of their own if the party fails to get a suitable party to form a coalition with.
Contrary to earlier indications that the party would rally behind president Kibaki in the December polls, the coastal leaders say they are contemplating fielding their presidential candidate in the polls.
The party advocates for a majimbo system of governance, and hence feels their needs may not be accommodated if they don't field their own in the race for the country's top job.
Indeed, the leaders argue that only Shirikisho could effectively champion the coastal people's rights but insist they would explore the possibility of forming coalitions with other like-minded political parties.
Though the party is largely seen a coast region party, the MPs said they were embarking on a countrywide campaign to popularize it.
The leaders say the move to join Shirikisho should not be misconstrued as an attempt by the leaders to alienate the region from mainstream national politics.
Transport minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere told detractors of the party to stop reading mischief in the new political alignment saying Shirikisho Party was designed to agitate for a bigger stake in national politics and resources.
Mwakwere who was leading fellow colleagues including Tourism counterpart Morris Dzoro, assistant ministers Joseph Kingi and Anania Mwaboza and a host of MPs at Tononoka grounds in Mombasa, said the party would field candidates against Mps who refused to join the coastal political bandwagon.
On his part, Dzoro said Shirikisho party was not a tribal outfit as it was claimed by those opposed to their decision to revamp it arguing that the party serves the people just like any other political parties.

Rail system turnaround yet to gather steam

26-July-2007:

Written by Zeddy Sambu

Private operators of the Kenya-Uganda railway have admitted that their eight month management of East Africa’s oldest railway line has realised only limited improvement in operations.Mr Roy Puffet, the managing director of Rift Valley Railways, however told a transport forum in Nairobi that the company had recorded significant gains on a number of fronts, including revenue growth and its injection of $10 million in the business. “The expectations are too high and Kenyans are notoriously impatient,” he told participants at an open forum on rail transport in Nairobi.

Mr Puffet said earnings from the core freight business hit Sh408 million on a cargo volume of 170,000 tonnes having risen from an average of 120,000 tonnes in October last year. He said the first tranche of new engines and wagons will arrive in August next year ahead of the performance improvement target that was fixed for year two of the 25-year contract.

The announcement came only a few weeks after the Government set up a joint commission to ensure that the Sheltam-led consortium honours terms and conditions in the contract. The commission comprises Transport ministry officials from Kenya and Uganda.Last month, Kenya Railways announced that it had received nearly $275 million in concession fees from the concessionaire covering the period upto March this year.

Mr Puffet said his company is facing a Herculean task as it has to transport piles of cargo from the port of Mombasa using 80 locomotives and about 3,800 wagons. “We need about 600 more wagons to accomplish this task. So far, we have managed to repair just 41 per cent (about 200) of existing wagons,” said Mr Puffet.

The firm operates a single-track, metre-gauge system of around 2,100 km, with 156 crossing stations. It inherited a fleet of 156 locomotives, 114 of which are considered serviceable. In the financial year 1990/91, the railway moved over 4 million tonnes a year compared to less than 1.5 million tonnes in 2005/06.Under the concession terms, RVR is required to pay 11.1 per cent of its gross revenue to both governments. An additional $250 000 of the total passenger revenue is to be paid to Kenya where the investor runs the services.

Transport minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere has warned failure by the operator to remit the 11.1 concession revenue may lead a repossession of the assets.

Africa urged to improve air safety, security

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A five-day conference on aviation safety and security opened in Nairobi Monday with experts calling on the African governments to made improvements in this field.
The 19th African Civil Aviation Commission, a specialized body of the African Union charged with the responsibility of handling civil aviation matters in the continent, is discussing challenges which hinder the development and operations of the continent's aviation industry.
There was a growing concern internationally about the safety of civil aviation in Africa, said International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Secretary General Taleb Cherif in his opening remarks, urging the authorities to make their skies safer.
Cherif urged stakeholders in the aviation industry in Africa to collaborate and utilize their skills and knowledge in safety oversight, noting that a safe African airspace would naturally accelerate growth within the industry and lead to a reduction in the cost of doing business on the continent.
"Over the past few years, there have been numerous acknowledgements within the African aviation community on the need to improve safety and bring the accident rate in line with the world average," said Cherif.
"A safe and secure air transport system can be a catalyst for the economic growth of nations and regions. Conversely, an air transport system that is not perceived to be safe and secure by other countries can effectively bar entry into lucrative global markets and stunt economic growth," he said.

EU'S BLACKLIST

The ICAO chief said safety concerns prompted the European Union to place a number of African carriers on a blacklist from its airspace last year.
The ban, the EU's first ever such blacklist, works on the principle that an airline banned in one of the bloc's 25 member states will be outlawed by all of them.
Figures compiled by the 53-member African Union show that while Africa handles just 4 to 5 percent of the world's air traffic, its airlines are responsible for a third of all fatal air crashes.
Kenya's Transport Minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere said there was need for Africa to ensure provision of a safe and secure aviation environment in order to enhance the continent's capability to compete in the global air transport industry.
Mwakwere said, however, that despite several constraints, air transport has steadily grown, linking most African countries to the rest of the world thus contributing to intra-African trade.
"Air transport in our continent is key to the economic growth since it is crucial to regional integrations in particular and development of Africa in general," said the minister.
He cited financial constraints, high cost of air tickets and air connectivity as some of the challenges facing aviation industry in Africa.
"The costs of air tickets within Africa remain high thereby discouraging the promotion of tourism and trade in the continent. Some of the air services on offer are also unreliable, and the safety of our skies has remained in question," said Mwakwere.
"All these challenges point to an urgent need for Africa to strengthen the technical and human capacities in the aviation industry."

(Xinhua)Updated:

2007-07-17 03:37

Join us or you face the wrath of electorate, Coast MPs tell Shokombo

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Coast MPs who recently ditched Narc - Kenya and joined the Shirikisho party have expressing shock at Heritage minister Suleiman Shakombo's move to denounce the party.
Led by transport minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere, the leaders said Shakombo was among the ten MPs who had joined the party.
They accused Shakombo of insincerity saying he was advancing personal interests at the expense of the coastal people.
The leaders vowed to sponsor a candidate on a Shirikisho Party ticket at Shakombo's backyard in the coming General election.
Mwakwere said the party leaders are now strategizing on how to market the party and use it as a bargaining tool in the national politics.

©2007 Kenya Broadcasting Corporation.

All Rights Reserved.

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Thanks in part to stringent reforms, Kenya’s GDP grew from 2.8% in 2003 to 4.3% in 2004, and this economic progress is revising investor interest in the country’s high-potential industrial sector.

According to Chirau Ali Mwakwere, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kenya offers strong investment prospects in a number of fields, particularly agriculture, food processing, manufacturing, motor vehicles production, construction, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, metal products and engineering. In the agriculture sector, former Minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere cites the production of flowers, beans, pineapples, macadamia nuts, melons, and passion fruit, as well as the production of sugar, tea, meat and dairy products. “The main investment opportunities in the agriculture sector concern adding value to agricultural products which are currently exported in raw form,” he explains. The dairy industry has also seen strong growth, with forward-thinking investment in processed milk products that can be more easily used and stored in rural areas, as well as exported. Kenya remains the world's third-largest exporter of tea.Kenya’s major export commodities include cut flowers, fluorspar, gemstones, gold, petroleum, pyrethrum, salt, soda ash, sodium carbonate, sugar, tea and coffee, while top imports are automobiles, beverages, capital goods, consumer goods, crude oil, and equipment, petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, professional and scientific instruments and resins. Kenya’s export processing zones (in Mombasa, Athi, Nairobi, Della Rue and Nakuru) offer up-to-date services for manufacturing.
Among Kenya’s advantages for investors are its strategic location in East Africa, Nairobi’s recognized role as a commercial and trading hub for the region, and Kenya’s membership in a number of trading organizations, including the East African Cooperation formed by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda with the goals of harmonizing tariffs and customs regimes, supporting the free movement of people, and improving regional infrastructures.Kenya’s successful microenterprises also represent investment opportunities that can benefit local communities as well as profiting investors. Recognizing that promoting foreign direct investment in Kenya is a top priority if the country is to get its economy back on track, the government is continuing to develop incentives. As for the future, former Minister Mwakwere says, “I expect Kenya to realize meaningful growth within the next five years.”

Mwakwere leads 160 players in KPA annual championship

By Maarufu Mohamed

Transport Minister Ali Chirau Mwakwere will lead 160 players during the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) golf tournament at Nyali Golf and Country Club on Saturday.
The Windsor Golf Club member and his wife, Rose, will tee off at 9am along with last weekend’s Kenya Association of Hotel Keeper and Caterers tournament winner, Wanyonyi Chebukati,
The minister will grace the event for the second year running since KPA is in his ministry.
But to open up the course at 8am from the same tee will be a team of veteran Coast golfers Musa Odada and the club’s professional, Jimmy King’ori, along side Korean C K Yuu and Eric Nyongesa.
Nagin Shah and Diana Munyao, who are the men and lady, title holders, are expected to defend their titles in the one day, 18holes stableford tournament.
Shah is in the afternoon draw from the 10th tee while Munyao will be playing in the morning draw, also teeing off from the tenth tee.
Club captain, Dominic Makau, who was the runners-up last year, former greens keeper, George Nesbit, Ijaz Sheihk, Gabriel Gakuo, and Davies Mulli are among players expected to battle it out for top honours.
However, Irfan Elias, Ushwin Khana, Rohit Devani, I Kudrati, and the club chairmn, Tonny Mbote, should not be ignored.
Last year’s lady runner-up, Kellen Weku, Kiran Patel, Jane Gichere, Saida Samji and the club’s lady captain, Cristine Ockotch, are some of the title contenders.
Jane Mburu, Margaret Wahome, Florence Karimi and Ann Wohome are also experienced lady golfers expected to make some impression tomorrow.
The event’s junior defending championship, schoolboy, Jonathan Chebukati, will have to battle it out with experienced rivals S Hamada and Kush Malde.
Speaking on behalf of the sponsors, the organising committee chairman, Charles Odoo, said hat the tournament, which is one of the corporate’s major competition on the calendar of events, has attracted manyof their clients and stakeholders from around the country.
The fourth edition of the annual championship is being held on the par 71 course at the club.

THIS PROJECT IS IN LINE WITH 'KENYA AIRWAYS'CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PROGRAMME

The minister Ambassador, Hon. Ali Chirau Makwere is seen [from left] together with the School's Board chairman Hassan Kombo Gure, Kenya Airways CEO/ MD Titus Naikuni and Kenya Airways Chairman Evanson Mwaniki with pupils from Kwale Primary School during the handing over of the school.

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Coastweek - - Kenya Airways has handed over Kwale Primary School to the Student and local community at the School following the completion of the refurbishment of the school.
The ceremony held in Kwale District was attended by the KQ Chairman Evanson Mwaniki , Group CEO and MD, Titus Naikuni, the Flight Operations Director Captain James Ouma, the Minister for transport Hon. Ali Chirau Makwere, the Deputy PC Coast Joseph Keter, the Provincial Director of Education - Coast, Mrs. Connie Mogaka, other Government Officials and also senior Kwale Primary School officials.

Also in attendance were KQ Supporters both Corporate and Travel Trade.
There was a big number of the Kenya Airways Mombasa Team both form the Sales and the Airport Offices led by Ms. Maureen Onyango - Sales Manager - Coastal Region and Ms. Caroline Mbotela, the Station Manager - Moi Airport.

Kwale Primary School which was started in 1925 is one of the oldest schools in Kenya..
Presently the school has a population of 820 pupils with 412 of them being girls.
The school was position 174 in the district in last year's KCPE results.
The school now boasts a most impressive array of old boys who include area MP, Hon. Ali Chirau Mwakwere, the late Captain Gakweli, former Principal of Alliance High School Samuel Maneno and former Chairman of Kenya Ports Authority the late Mr. Mwakio.

Kenya Airways also donated 220 desks and two water tanks (each tank can store 8,000 litres of water) to the school.
The school's head teacher Hamisi Kulola thanked the airline for their generosity and promised that the school will perform better in this next coming KCPE examinations.
The Project is in line with Kenya Airways's Corporate Social Responsibilty [CSR] Programme.
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