This was said in an interview with Richard Quest of CNN on Friday last week, a video that was later released on Monday.

“I’m not interested in a third term,” Mr Kenyatta replied while asked if he has a plan of changing the constitution.

Kenyatta also revealed that his handshake with the now African Union Representative for Infrastructure Development in Africa Raila Odinga was meant to bring about development to Kenya.

“We’ve said, ‘Look, we don’t have to always agree on everything. But we can agree on things Kenya, and we can agree that this issue of cyclical elections has to come to an end,'” the President said.​

CNN’s Richard Quest interviews President Uhuru Kenyatta last week on Friday

Among other questions, Kenyatta was also questioned of whether he is bothered by the country’s debt to the Chinese.

Kenyatta revealed why people are only focusing on China as the only lender to Kenya and not other multilateral lenders like World Bank and African Development Bank.

“Why are we focusing ourselves only on one lender?” Mr Kenyatta asked.

“As far as I am concerned, we have a very healthy mix of debt from the multilateral lenders — who are basically the World Bank and the African Development Bank — to bilateral lenders like Japan, China, France, all who are participating and working with us to help us achieve our objectives,”  Kenyatta added.

Kenyatta was also quizzed on China’s intentions of giving loans to African Countries.

“We have an infrastructure gap that we need to fill and we are going to work with our partners across the globe who are willing to partner and to work with us.”

“What would worry me is if the debt that we have incurred has gone into recurrent expenditure, has gone into paying salaries or electricity bills and so on and so forth. But what we have utilised our debt for is to close the infrastructure gap,” he said.

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Moussa Faki Mahamat who is the Commission chairperson said the decision was taken mainly to pattern with Africa through infrastructure.

“His mandate includes mobilizing further political support from Member States and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and facilitating greater ownership by all concerned stakeholders,” he said.

Raila Odinga will now work with the intention of strengthening the AU’s departments and those of the Planning and Coordinating Agency of New Partnership for Africa’s Development.

“Raila will pay particular attention to the missing links along the transnational highway corridors identified as part of the Trans-African Highways Network, with a view to facilitating their development and modernization,” He added.

The African Union is pleased to have Raila Odinga who brings in his rich political experience and strong commitment to the ideals of Pan-Africanism and African integration.

Raila worked as Energy, Roads, Public Works, and Housing minister between 2001 and 2005 in Kenya. Raila accepted the call by the African Union Commission and promised to serve.

Raila’s office will be in Addis though his role will be comprised of several travels across the world.He will also have an office in Nairobi Kenya with staff and advisers to  work out development strategies with Uhuru.

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Barrack Obama with Leader of Oposition Raila Odinga (right) and half sisiter, Auma Obama(left) PHOTO FROM VOA NEWS

On arrival for his first post-presidential visit into the homeland, the ex-president was welcomed by head of opposition in Kenya, Raila Odinga and other top officials at the airport.

He has also received a warm welcome from the Kenyans especially residents from his hometown, Kogelo, who decorated the entire streets with paintings of him. Some bars also publicized the “Obama brew” drink as harshtags of ‘Obamareturns’ flooded social media platforms.

Obama is expected to attend, his step-sister, Auma Obama, co-founded sports and vocational center inauguration ceremony from which he will head to South Africa for late Nelson Mandela’s birthday celebrations.

Auma Obama’s center, which shares the same mission as Obama foundation, is set to provide educational and economic opportunities to youth so as to build a talented and financially stable young generation.

Obama will stay in South Africa up to Thursday and he is expected to meet up with 200 new leaders for the Obama foundation as well as participate in a birthday tribute to former south African president, the late Nelson Mandela.

Unlike the previous visit, Obama has maintained a low key profile on this visit. He has used an ordinary plane and also left his favorite car known as “Beastie”.

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Kenya’s supreme court judges.

Kenya’s Supreme Court has upheld the victory of President Uhuru Kenyatta in last month’s controversial presidential elections re-run, clearing the way for the 55-year-old leader to be sworn in for a second and final term next week.

Chief Justice Davi Maraga threw out the cases by three petitioners that sought to invalidate the results of the Oct. 26 election rerun, saying they were without merit.

The ruling could bring an end to months of instability after the August 8 presidential election was invalidated, but opposition protests immediately broke out in the deeply divided country.

The court shocked Kenya and much of the continent on Sept. 1 when it invalidated Kenyatta’s win on the grounds of irregularities, forcing the election to be re-held.

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NASA Opposition leaders Raila Odinga immediately rejected the decision, while government supporters celebrated outside the court in central Nairobi, and Kenyatta’s says government is illegitimate.

“It was a decision taken under duress. We do not condemn the court, we sympathize with it,” Odinga said.

A last-minute supreme court hearing on the eve of the re-run poll, of petitions challenging the legality of the second election, was scrapped when only two judges turned up, raising fears the bench may have been compromised. The bodyguard of the deputy chief justice was shot by unknown gunmen the night before.

Odinga, then withdrew from the second poll saying he believed it would be marred by the same flaws as the August vote.

Kenyatta won the second poll with 98% of the vote on a turnout of only 39%

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Traders Worries are more focused on the flow of goods which may face disruption if the election is not concluded peacefully. However legislators sitting on the parliamentary committee of trade have also warned of serious consequences.

Bulamogi  MP Kenneth Lubogo says the fact that Uganda  use the same route in trade since the new route between Ugandan and Dar-es-salaam  is not complete a lot of business are going to be affected. Including Uganda’s tax base.

 Kilak county MP Gilbert Olanya warns of serious implication which include increasing influx of refugees in the country

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President Yoweri Museveni asked opposition leader in Kenya,  Raila  Odinga, not to waste time on blocking Uganda sugar on Kenyan market since Kenyan products are  continuing to be on the Ugandan market. Museveni said that he  was surprised that Raila was directing Ugandan sugar away from Kenyan market saying that he will  call  him and tell him off not to waste his time on this.

President Museveni was addressing the First Meeting of the Forth Session of the Third Assembly. He added that there is no need for talks over on this matter and said that he had talks with the Kenyan president  Uhuru Kinyatta over Uganda sugar export  to Kenya with the view  that  will enable East African industry to grow.

The president called for the  regional political integration which focuses on prosperity for families and security in East Africa and  stated that the integration will provide market for our goods and services. He noted that East Africans have a problem of where to sale their products if the East Africans wakeup and produce much products.

Museveni said that EALA should negotiate for markets outside the region on behalf of the people and ensuring that there is Security against those who want to dominate the regional security. He urged East African leaders to prevail over removing non tariff barriers for economic integration.

The speaker of the East African legislative Assembly Kedega Dan Kidega called  for speeding  up of the monetary union and regional integration to work on common problems. He reported that East Africa Legislative Assembly faces serious challenges for the presidents to ascent to bills especially moving it from partner states to another causing the delay to assent to the passed bills by member states.

He asked East African states to ensure that Stability in South Sudan and Somalia remain a key focus in having stability in the region.

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In the conference, Roba had no better words for the Kenya security operatives whom he accused of neglecting the fragile Somali boarder region under his government. Governor Roba by March 16 had survived six assassination attempts on his life reportedly by Al Shabaab.

Mandera is neighbor to Garissa county, the home county of Garissa University College, in the former Northeastern province, where a heartless slaughter of over 150 people took place on Thursday in broad day reportedly by the Somali based Islamist hardline militants Al Shabaab at a barrel of a gun.

Mr. Roba reignited the public opinion that; if state had no capacity to protect their own, there was then no reason to continue with an operation in the war torn horn of Africa state, a reason the Al Shabaab group has based on to attack Kenya and threatened the rest of the regional states especially Uganda.

“The government has a responsibility to protect the whole country, and there is no need for it to keep soldiers (in Somalia) to protect Somalis instead of protecting Kenyans,” he added. This debate never started with Governor Roba. Some schools of thought assert that the idea of deploying of the men and women in uniform by Uganda, Burundi and Kenya among other continental powers to help pacify the war torn Somalia had a big bare in it.

This monster, it is said has since given the region sleepless nights. Kenya Deputy President William Samoei Ruto in an earlier statement defended the state position. The Somali mission he said was a noble role for nations of good will especially in the region and Africa as a whole.

“As African leaders, we should be in the frontline helping our brothers and sisters in Somalia…We can be limited in capacity but not in the willingness to assist,” Ruto noted.

To authenticate his word, Mr. Ruto promised to establish an embassy in Somalia as a way of sealing the philanthropy.

“We are willing to share our expertise in infrastructure development, in education and in training the police in our efforts in stabilizing Somalia,” Mr Ruto was speaking after a talk with President of the South Western state of Somalia Shar, Hassan Sheikh Adan, who visited him at his official residence in Karen.

But DP Ruto as fondly known by his acolytes and supporters knew well the effort could come with a price namely a chunk of resources to part with as a way of giving capacity to a state to handle the consequences especially in security terms. Analysts assert that the placement of a Ksh 20 million, about bounty on suspected Garissa University siege mastermind Mohammed Kuno is a clear indication that state had known of their assailants and failed to act on the information obtained from their own reconnaissance.

Police say Kuno commands the militia along the border and is responsible for cross-border incursions in the country. In the recent past, he has intensified attacks in Northern Kenya and the Coast region, particularly Garissa, Mandera and Lamu, according to a statement that followed the bounty

Kuno is believed to be very religious and has been a madarasa teacher for several years. He worked for Al-Haramain Foundation between 1993 and 1995 before the institution was closed. At the time, he was known as Sheikh Mahamad. .He thereafter joined Al-Shabaab after being motivated by the ideology of the Islamic Courts Union to establish an Islamic statehood in Somalia.

Police adds that he holds three aliases: Sheikh Mahamad, Dulyadin and Gamadhere. The document notes most of “Sheik Mahamad’s” recruits are family members and former students of Madarasa Najah. He is also known to have an extensive terrorist network within Kenya, particularly at the Dadaab refugee camp.

“How then can a hardliner trailed to that level remain elusive to state security? These people should take full responsibility” Jared Odero, a student of literature and philosophy at Egerton University wonders.

According to Kenya president Uhuru Kenyatta, the attack is a result of lack of security personnel to pacify the nation. He has since called on the police, to turn down a court order that had barred the institution from recruiting 10,000 men force to control the situation with immediate effect

“We have suffered unnecessarily due to shortage of security personnel. Kenya badly needs additional officers, and I will not keep the nation waiting,” Uhuru noted in an address yesterday as the nation grieved the attack.

“I further direct the Inspector-General of Police to take urgent steps and ensure that the 10,000 recruits, whose enrollment is pending, promptly report for training at the Kenya Police College, Kiganjo.”

To the young men and women who according to Kenyan Ex-premier and Leader of Opposition Cord Coalition Raila Odinga were “beaming with hope for themselves and their country, which they certainly hoped to help change and develop”, May their souls rest in peace!

By Amos Desmond Wambi

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On Tuesday January 24^th 2012MakerereUniversity concluded its 62nd Graduation Ceremony with the award of an Honorary Doctorate of Laws to Kibaki. Although many freedom fighters and advocates in African consider Kibaki as a benevolent dictator,MakerereUniversity awarded him a doctorate of laws in recognition of his distinguished and outstanding contribution to public service at the national, regional and international levels – especially in the areas of Academic Excellence, Political, Social and Economic reforms.

 The ceremony where Kibaki received the award was attended by President Yoweri Museveni ofUganda, whom also some human rights activists call a dictator.

 The university leadership applauded Kibaki for what it called his exemplary leadership inKenya. Before Kibaki became president, he worked as a bus conductor for the defunct Othaya Bus Service Company in Kenya and he later joined the Makerere College (now Makerere University) – where he got a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics, History and Political Science.

 Kibaki got a first class Bachelor of Arts degree ofMakerereUniversityin 1955. He was elected the Vice Chairman of the Makerere Students Guild (1954-1955). FromMakerereUniversityhe enrolled at the London School of Economics for a Bachelor of Science in Public Finance, and graduated with distinction in 1958.

 The president ofKenyaalso sometimes back served as an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Economics atMakerereUniversityfrom 1958 to 1960. By Walakira Nyanzi

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The delegation of Uganda ’s young politicians held their meeting at Raila’s apartment in Nairobi , according to sources in Kenya .

It should be remembered that when Odinga was contesting for president not so long ago, the UYD activists led by the organisation’s secretary General Sam Muyizzi went and campaigned for him.

Indeed a source in UYD has told this writer that Raila and UYD are friends. A source said that the UYD activists went to Odinga to request him to sponsor their forthcoming delegates’ conference.

Odinga whose presidential election victory is believed to have been robbed or his office has not yet issued press statement explaining what the meeting was all about.

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