Politicians need to put the country’s interests first to avoid any form of disunity among Kenyans. Speaking during a council meeting at Catholic university in Eldoret, Catholic Archbishop Cardinal John Njue said the current bickering among politicians especially on the International Criminal Court and the judicial nominations have only served to bring divisions.
 Cardinal Njue asked Kenyans not to be swayed by the political wave in the air.  Njue said political leaders should be instrumental in bringing people together for the good of the nation.  He again asked the two principles to work together and come up with decisions that will ensure harmony in the country.
 On the already formed institutions to implement the new constitution, Njue said those institutions must have the right people who can deliver.  The recent judicial nominations by President Mwai Kibaki have generated a heated debate with many questions arising on the process used.

Vice President Kalonzo has once again challenged the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to warn leaders against the use of the term 'KKK' saying it amounts to hate speech. Mr Musyoka particularly took issue with Prime Minister Raila Odinga for his continued use of the term KKK during his political rallies.

Addressing a leaders meeting at the Isiolo District Commissioner's office, Mr Musyoka said he had recently written to the NCIC seeking to outlaw the use of the KKK word, saying the continued use of the KKK tag is against national unity, cohesion and integration. He said leaders should be at the forefront in preaching peace and reconciliation instead of engaging in activities which can create tension and hatred among Kenyans.

The Vice President reiterated leaders' commitment to get a lasting solution to raging political storm over the controversial nominations to four constitutional office holders. He said nobody has any problem with the Speaker of the National Assembly but added that Parliament should not be gagged.

Much attention has been paid in the war against HIV/AIDS in the country with benefits realized in terms of reducing the prevalence rate in some instances. However these efforts have not been registered in the bid to address the drug problem in Kenya today. Speaking in Eldoret, the executive director of West End Counseling and Training Centre Susan Adina termed drug abuse as a major problem facing the youth.
She cites alcohol, tobacco and miraa and cocaine as commonly consumed drugs in the Rift valley and Kenya at large.
Insert… Susan Adina director west end counseling centre on importance of fight against drug abuse to vision 2030 Adina urged the government to finance the fight against drug abuse and save the youths who are the future of the country.
END……OLUKUTUKEI MOSES

The constitutional court this morning ruled that the case challenging the legality of nominees to the judiciary will be heard on the second of March. The three-judge bench said the matter would be heard daily.The Attorney General who is representing the government in the case filed by civil society organisations says the Judicial Service Commission should have been involved in the nomination of the next Chief Justice, and that gender balance ought to have been considered.

The government's chief legal advisor indicated to the court this morning that his position was unlikely to change during the course of hearing. Earlier, the Attorney General had asked the court to expedite the case because the tenure of the current CJ was coming to an end in seven days.
Already, the court has allowed 20 more interested parties to join the high-profile case.

President Mwai Kibaki today reaffirmed Kenya's full support of the international environmental governance process and the significant role played by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Addressing the 26th session of the UNEP Governing Council and Global Ministerial Forum at Gigiri UN Complex offices, President Kibaki noted that the world continues to face numerous catastrophes linked to environmental degradation.

Civil groups now want President Mwai Kibaki to respect the ruling made by House Speaker Kenneth Marende terming the nominations to four constitutional offices were unlawful. With reference to the two principals who earlier committed to respecting the decision of parliament the activists accused the President of now giving a different stand on the matter.
A joint statement read today by Kenya Human Rights Commission Executive Director Muthoni Wanyeki said the Executive should respect the verdict of Parliament under the principle of separation of powers.

Ms Wanyeki said "the shifting of goal posts was not in the interest of the people of Kenya." 
The President on Friday dismissed Speaker Kenneth Marende's ruling that his recent nominations to the offices of Chief Justice, Attorney General, Director of Public Prosecutions and Controller of Budget were illegal, and declared that only the court could interpret the Constitution.

Climate change adaptation is key to ensuring that the African continent saves itself from the serious effects arising from the distortion in climatic patterns. Prof Charles Basalirwa of Makerere Universities department of Geography however says, the current flurry of organizations that have sprung up to try and address the dangers of climate change are causing more confusion than helping the situation. Basalirwa who spoke at media meeting on Climate Change in Kampala accused media organizations and media colleges of jumping onto the bandwagon without first of all understanding the delicate issues on the subject. Climate change is a change in the elements of climate over a period of time, this could be over 30 years.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir will not stand in the next presidential election due in four years, a ruling party official has said.The move is part of a package of reforms aimed at democratizing the country, Rabie Abdelati said. Bashir, aged 67, has been in power since a coup in 1989.
Bashir has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and genocide in the Darfur region but he denies the charges.

Col Muammar Gaddafi's regime is under pressure amid unprecedented protests in the Libyan capital and defections by senior diplomats.Protesters out on the streets of Tripoli late on Sunday were met by security forces using live ammunition and tear gas.
Benghazi, the country's second city, now appears to be largely under the control of protesters.
But Col Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam, has warned that civil war could ignite.
In a lengthy TV address, he offered significant political reforms but also vowed that the regime would "fight to the last bullet" against "seditious elements".

The National Aids Control Council is totally committed on the war against the spread of HIV/Aids by distributing funds to help those affected through government institutions. Speaking in his office in Eldoret, North Rift region National Aids Control Council officer Gevonce Oyi said the ministry has implemented policies and management systems aimed at reaching to all the infected persons.
Oyi urged the community at the grassroots to ensure they access the funds through their offices at the district and constituency levels. At the same time he appealed to the media to create awareness of the disease and how to prevent it.

A military court in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo investigating a case of mass rape has sentenced Lt Col Kibibi Mutware to 20 years in jail. He was found guilty of crimes against humanity for sending his troops to rape, beat up and loot from the population of Fizi on New Year's Day. Many women came to testify in the court in the lakeside village of Baraka. Correspondents say it is the first conviction of a commanding officer for rape in eastern DR Congo. The judges also sentenced three other officers to 20 years and five soldiers to between 10 and 15 years.

Kenya on Friday officially launched its transition to low-sulphur diesel in a move that is set to improve air quality and reduce vehicle emissions across East Africa. Containing only 5% of the amount of sulphur present in Kenya's previous diesel supply, the cleaner fuel is already available in selected stations and will soon be present in pumps across the country.This new milestone for cleaner fuel in East Africa is the result of the work of the Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV) - the leading global initiative to promote cleaner and more efficient fuels and vehicles in developing countries.

 The chairman Kenya Christians on Constitution Forum –KCCF Eldoret chapter, Charles Jakait has asked the government to fund the campaigns of both the opponents’ and proponents’ of the proposed draft constitution. Jakait said that Kenya should exercise its democracy and facilitate both sides since they are all taxpayers. The group has recruited 5 civic educators in each district with a regional coordinator responsible for educating the citizens in their respective districts.
The group will be heading to Kabarnet this Sunday for civic education exercise  and Jakait has urged the public to avail themselves on that day.

Excavations are beginning at a former medical school in Tokyo which may reveal grisly secrets from World War II.
The site is linked to Unit 731 of the Japanese Imperial Army, which carried out experiments in germ warfare on prisoners. Japan's government has never formally acknowledged the atrocities took place.
It ordered the excavation after a former nurse came forward to break 60 years of silence.
The woman, now 88, said she and colleagues were ordered to bury hundreds of bodies after Japan's surrender at the end of World War II. The job had to be finished before American troops arrived in the capital. The site from which an apartment block has been cleared for the digging was the Tokyo headquarters of Unit 731 of the Imperial Japanese Army.
Historians and witnesses say it subjected many thousands of prisoners in occupied northern China to barbaric experiments, searching for advances in biological warfare.

Nigerian football fans have questioned the president's move to suspend the national team from competitive matches for two years following its failure at the World Cup. Nigeria Football Supporters Club (NFSC) chairman Otunba Yisa Olatunde Basorun said the decision had been taken "in haste" and would not help the team.
But the former head of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said that it was a "welcome development". Nigeria now risks being banned by Fifa from all international football.
The world governing body's statutes strictly forbid any political interface in the national administration of the sport. On Wednesday, the NFF apologised to "all football-loving Nigerians" for the country's early exit from South Africa, where they failed to win a game.

The Singapore stock exchange (SGX) has unveiled a multi-billion dollar bid for the company that owns the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) in Sydney. If approved, the $8.2bn takeover would mark the first stock exchange merger in the Asia Pacific region. The deal would enhance Singapore as a major financial hub in the region and benefit Australian investors by giving them greater access to Asian markets.

A merged exchange would hope to compete more effectively with Hong Kong. The Singapore bid values ASX at A$48 ($47.50) per share, nearly 40% higher its more recent traded price. The offer is made up of A$22 plus 3.473 SGX shares for each ASX share.

The junior men's 8km race has for a long time been dubbed "the race of the unpredictable". The competitors are young, on the cusp of joining the senior ranks, and have nothing to lose. They will be keen to do well and increase their bargaining power as they are about to pen new contracts as seniors. The 8km junior men's race will be the second of the day come Saturday during the National Cross Country trials at Uhuru Gardens. It will be a race that will have six World Junior and Youth champions, their understudies, as well as hitherto unknown entities keen to sneak into to the global limelight.

THE start-of-season DSTV/SuperSport Super Cup was launched on Thursday by the Kenyan Premier League and their broadcast rights holders SuperSport International. The 2010 Premiership champions Ulinzi Stars and FKL [Football Kenya Limited] Cup holders Sofapaka clash at the National Stadium, Nairobi on Sunday, kick-off 4pm. The league itself starts on February 26 but there will be a lot of interest in the form of the Super Cup contestants as they are regarded as main contenders for the League title this season. The two teams have their preparations for the new season up and running, already having been involved in continental football

The National Legal Aid and Awareness Programe -NALEP in conjunction with the Law Society of Kenya Thursday conducted a civic education exercise in Eldoret town, aimed at sensitizing the locals on the contents of the proposed constitution. According to Duncan Mutai who is the coordinator NALEP North Rift region, the exercise is targeting individuals who have problems in understanding certain clauses in the proposed constitution.
The exercise that was conducted at the Eldoret municipal hall grounds provided a one on one interactive session between the lawyers and the public. The civic education exercise that is conducted in partnership between the National Legal Aid and Awareness Programe -NALEP and the Law Society of Kenya has been conducted in several towns across the country and ends Friday in Eldoret town.

END……………JAMES GITAKA

Guaranteed security, transparency, the rule of law and accountability are the things that will attract foreign investment in Kenya. These are the utterances of the United States of America vice president Joe Biden who was making a key note address today at the KICC Nairobi, under the theme working together to meet regional challenges. Biden stated that the US wants to do business with Kenya, only if the country provides the right environment.

The US second in command highlighted peaceful change of power, bringing to account corrupt officials, addressing tribalism, unemployment as some of the issues that will see this country on the path towards economic prosperity. He added that Kenya has great potential in the region that needs to be tapped and nurtured to realize sustainable economic growth. Biden also thanked the country for hosting refugees from the neighbouring countries and pledged that the US government will work in partnership with Kenya to address such challenges.

At least one person has been killed in protests across Libya on Thursday in what anti-government activists described as a "Day of Rage".  Amnesty International says a man was shot dead when security forces opened fire in the city of al-Bayda. Police and protesters also clashed in Zentan and Benghazi, where one witness told the BBC at least 16 people are believed to have been killed.
This week's protests are the first in Libya, where dissent is rarely allowed. Pro-government activists were also out on the streets in the capital, Tripoli. They shouted slogans in support of Libya's leader, Muammar Gaddafi.

Two coca cola companies in Kisumu are back in operation following their closure by government last week over hygiene concerns. The Equator Bottlers Ltd reopened after health inspectors toured the facilities to investigate claims that soda bottles had been contaminated. The district public health office had notified the firm last week to shut operations until hygienic conditions were met.
In a statement to the media, the company said it had complied with the inspection procedures.
The company will, however, work closely with health authorities to investigate the integrity of the complaints received. It reiterated that the ingredients and manufacturing processes used in the production of its beverages are rigorously regulated by the government and health authorities in Kenya and all the countries in which it operates.

The youth in rift valley province say they will go to court to petition the government to get its priorities right. Rift Valley Youth for Peace and development chairman Amos Olempaka says the government has been busy politicizing almost every agenda in government at the expense of Kenyans. Olempaka says that if the government fails to respond to the issues affecting Kenyan youth then they will be forced to move to court as provided for in the new constitution.
Olempaka further says the youth in rift valley are keen to see the full implementation of the constitution and will not relent to urge for it.

Sofapaka FC are the 2011 DSTV Super Cup champions after edging Premier league champions Ulinzi stars 1-0 in a tight contest at the Nyayo national stadium.The former Kenya premier league champions are now unbeaten in 2011 following their historical entry into the second round of the CAF Confederations Cup while military side Ulinzi are yet to rediscover their 2010 form.