Kenya's Ruto Teams Up with Odinga to Consolidate Grip on Power
Kenyan President William Ruto signed a power-sharing agreement with opposition leader Raila Odinga on Friday, months after deadly anti-government protests shook the nation.
The political pact will see the president and his former rival — who lost the 2022 elections — work together 'to ease the prevailing tensions in the country, reconcile the population,' Odinga said at the event in Nairobi.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
$8.5m Kenya education scam: Top govt official linked to failed Canada, Finland program
The Uasin Gishu overseas education program, once hailed as a pathway for Kenyan students to study in Canada and Finland, has imploded into a courtroom scandal involving alleged misappropriation of over KSh 1.1 billion ($8.5 million USD) with potentially hundreds of millions more in unaccounted funds. The Uasin Gishu overseas education program in Kenya is under investigation for alleged misappropriation of over KSh 1.1 billion intended for scholarships. Governor Jonathan Bii has been implicated in court, accused of supporting the program, requesting additional payments, and later distancing himself. Families paid significant sums, hoping for their children's scholarships, yet no students were sent to Canada or Finland as promised. In a Nakuru court, testimonies have directly implicated Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii in the $8.5 million overseas education program, once praised for offering Kenyan students opportunities in Canada and Finland and now being exposed as a suspected scam. Multiple witnesses claim that he supported the program after taking office, requested additional payments from parents, and later distanced himself from the scheme. Investigations and court proceedings have revealed that parents paid a staggering KSh 1.1 billion, covering tuition, visa and insurance costs, and accommodation deposits, in a bid to secure a better future for their children. Individual payments ranged from KSh 650,000 to over KSh 1.2 million ($5,000-$9,230), with some families paying as much as KSh 3 million ($23,100). Key witnesses present evidences Daily Nation reported that one of the key witnesses, Mitchelle Jeptanui, told Senior Principal Magistrate Peter Ndege that in June 2023, Governor Bii convened a meeting with parents and assured them that the trip will be approved soon. " Parents were anxious because their children had received admission letters to universities in Finland and Canada but had yet to travel," Jeptanui said. She claimed that the Governor asked parents to make an additional KSh200,000 to KSh300,000 ($1,540 to $2,310), for accommodation fees, yet no students were sent abroad. Two months after the meeting, parents demanded answers, but the Governor allegedly redirected responsibility to his predecessor, now Senator Jackson Mandago. ' Governor Bii called another meeting and invited Senator Mandago. He told us he didn't fully understand the programme and asked the Senator to explain what had happened to our money,' Jeptanui added. Jeptanui's testimony detailed her own payments, which included KSh 10,000 ($77) for registration, KSh 650,000 ($5,000) for tuition, KSh 122,000 ($940) for visa and medicals, and KSh 300,000 ($2,310) for accommodation, all made between July 2022 and 2023. She added that Senator Mandago's promise of refund remains unfulfilled to date. Her account was followed by other witnesses, including Irene Chepchirchir and Joseph Kiplimo, who both testified that they had paid over KSh3 million ($23,100). Kiplimo said he paid an extra fee of KSh20,000 ($150), hoping to fast-track his son's admission to Laurea University in Finland. Benjamin Kibet, another parent, testified that he borrowed KSh650,000 ($5,000) to send his son to Stenberg College in Canada after learning about the programme from Senator Mandago and Governor Bii. ' My son never travelled. I am still hoping either for a refund or support for him to go,' he said. Senator Mandago, alongside former county officials Meshack Rono and Joshua Lelei, will face criminal charges for allegedly misappropriating over KSh 1.1 billion intended for the scholarship initiative. To date, 90 out of 202 prosecution witnesses have testified in the ongoing trial. Another witness, Asenath Okello said she paid KSh650,000 in November 2022 and KSh122,000 in January 2023 after receiving an admission offer. In light of the widespread disappointment, she added that Mandago and Bii met with affected families, during which Mandago promised to sell his personal land to secure refunds. " The Senator told us he would sell his land if necessary," she said. Despite mounting evidence that payments were made during his tenure, Governor Bii maintained his denial of any involvement, even after 7 of 8 witnesses testified otherwise. He claimed, however, that the program had been conceived and implemented solely by the previous administration. As public pressure continues to mount for accountability and justice for the families whose dreams have been shattered, the court proceedings will continue next week.
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business Insider
Kenya may miss out on Sh96.9bn World Bank loan over key anti-corruption law
Kenya risks losing access to a Sh96.9 billion loan from the World Bank after President William Ruto declined to assent to a key anti-corruption law, citing concerns over its dilution by Parliament. Kenya risks losing a Sh96.9 billion World Bank loan due to presidential refusal of the anti-corruption law. The Conflict of Interest Bill, 2023 aimed to strengthen ethical measures in public service. Delays surrounding the bill postponed funding, creating a significant budget gap. Kenya's delay in passing the Conflict of Interest Bill, 2023 has not only postponed the release of the World Bank loan but also created a significant funding gap for the National Treasury, just weeks before the end of the financial year. According to Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, if Parliament succeeds in revising and passing the bill in a form acceptable to both the government and the lender, the earliest the funds could be released would be July. 'The WB funding seems to be going to July because some of the legislations (Conflict of Interest Bill) that were precedent to the release of these funds were delayed,' 'The Conflict of Interest Bill was a key Bill for the WB to give us the funding, and when it was unlocked, there was no time to take it to the WB board for approval. We are going to June 30 with a Sh97 billion hole that, as the CS, I did not prepare for. ' Mbadi said. As of today, Kenya faces a Sh97 billion shortfall in its 2024/25 budget, a gap the World Bank loan was intended to help close. Kenya's conflict of interest bill The Conflict of Interest Bill, 2023 aims to strengthen ethical conduct in Kenya's public service by curbing self-dealing, contract manipulation, and unregulated business interests among officials. President William Ruto declined to sign the bill after MPs weakened 12 critical clauses, arguing that the amendments undermined its ability to combat corruption. While the bill addressed conflict of interest, Ruto called for stronger provisions on transparency and enforcement to align with constitutional values. 'It is unacceptable for the Houses of Parliament to deny the country a much-needed instrument in the war on corruption by continuing to sabotage the passage of the Conflict-of-Interest Bill... unless, my friends, there is a conflict of interest in the passing of the conflict-of-interest legislation, ' he said in a State of the Nation address last year. Supporters see his move as a stand for reform, but critics warn the delay could worsen fiscal challenges. As of June 5, the National Assembly passed amendments addressing Ruto's concerns, clearing the way for the bill to move to the Senate.
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
U.N. food agency appeals for $46 million to help 2 million Haitians facing severe hunger
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. food agency is appealing for $46 million for the next six months to help about 2 million Haitians in dire need of food, including 8,500 at the worst catastrophic level of hunger. The appeal was issued by Lola Castro, the World Food Program's regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, who recently returned from Haiti, where escalating gang violence has displaced well over 1 million people and left half the population — 5.7 million people — in urgent need of food. Two million of them are in the two worst categories in the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the leading international authority on hunger crises, and 8,500 are in the worst Phase 5 category, she said. That means at least one in five people or households severely lack food and face starvation and destitution. Haiti is one of only five countries in the world that have people in the Phase 5 category of catastrophic hunger, Castro said, 'and it is really dramatic to have this in the Western Hemisphere.' Gangs have grown in power since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021 and are now estimated to control 85% of the capital and are moving into surrounding areas. Haiti has not had a president since the assassination, and the top U.N. official in the country said in April the country could face 'total chaos' without funding to confront the gangs.. A U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police arrived in Haiti last year to help quell gang violence, but the mission remains understaffed and underfunded, with only about 40% of the 2,500 personnel originally envisioned. The WFP, the world's largest humanitarian organization, is among the U.N. agencies facing funding cuts, mainly from the United States, which provided nearly half of its funding in 2024. Castro said WFP reached over 1.3 million people this year until March using carryover funds from last year. But the agency is facing a dramatic situation now with food stocks only until July to assist with emergencies, new displacements or hurricanes, she said. In the past four years, Castro said WFP always had stocks to help between 250,000 and 500,000 people with any emergency. 'This year, we start the hurricane season with an empty warehouse where we have no stocks for assisting any emergency, or we have no cash neither to go and buy (food) locally if it was possible in some areas, or to do a rapid humanitarian response,' Castro said. 'We are very concerned that a single storm can put hundreds of thousands of people in Haiti again into humanitarian catastrophe and hunger.' WFP normally provides a meal every day for around 500,000 school children, but that number will be cut in half without additional resources, she told a video press conference on Tuesday. With $46 million, she said, WFP will be able to help the 2 million Haitians in most need of food, keep providing school meals for half a million children, and provide social protection for very vulnerable people in camps for the displaced. Haiti must not be forgotten as the world deals with other crises, Castro said, urging donors to be generous. 'We really need to stop this and to hold the line on hunger,' she said. 'We continue calling the humanitarian community to provide support.' With $46 million, she said, WFP will be able to help the 2 million Haitians in the two worst IPC categories, keep providing school meals for half a million children, and provide social protection for very vulnerable people in camps for the displaced. Lederer writes for the Associated Press.
