Before you make your choice for president in March 4 2013 take a look ate their profiles...

I n 1979, kalonzo attended the Mediterranean Insti-tute of Management in Cyprus where he earned a post graduate Diploma in Business. Recently, in 2008, he was awarded a Honorary Doctorate in Divinity among other 17 beneficiaries at the Charter hall in Nairobi, Kenya.
This was one the "honorary pro-fessorships and doctorate de-grees" that were issued by Prof. Clyde Rivers who is the Interna-tional Commissioner of the Latin University of Theology which is based in Inglewood, California.
In December 19th, 2008, Ka-lonzo Musyoka was honored with a Doctorate in Humane Letters (honoris causa) in recognition of his achievements in peace mak-ing, conflict resolution efforts, sustainable community develop-ment and humanistic ideals by Kenyatta University during its 25th graduation.
He was defeated in the 1983 general elections
Musyoka vied for the Kitui North Constituency parliamentary seat in 1983, but was defeated. At the time, Kenya was one-party state and the only party fielding candidates was Kenya African National Union (KANU).
However, only two years later, in 1985 the Kitui North seat was vacated and Musyoka won sub-sequent by-elections, thus be-coming an MP at the age of 32. In 1986 he was appointed Assis-tant Minister for Works, Housing and Physical planning and he served until 1988. He was re-elected at the 1988 parliamen-
tary elections and he was appointed as the deputy Speaker to the national assembly in 1988 and served until 1992.He was KANU's National Organizing Secretary from 1988 to 2002.
Mwingi
North Constituency
Kenya's first multiparty elections were held in 1992. Musyoka stayed in KANU, renewed his par-liamentary position and was ap-pointed Minister for Foreign Af-fairs and International Coopera-tion. He was again elected to the parliament at the 1997 elections, but now from Mwingi North Con-stituency, since his former con-stituency Kitui North was split into new constituencies.
He also held couple of other min-isterial positions while part of the KANU government. In June 1993, he addressed the World Confer-ence on Human Rights in Austria which was the first human rights conference held since the end of the Cold War.
He termed the illicit mineral trade which fuels and finances what he called 'the cause of incessant con-flicts, environmental degradation but ultimately and sadly too, pov-erty. The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action was the ma-jor result from this meeting after
the participants reached a con-sensus.
Kalonzo is currently serving as Vice President of Kenya. Musyoka served in the government under President Daniel arap Moi and was Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1993 until 1998; subsequently, under President Mwai Kibaki, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs again from 2003 to 2004, then Minister of the Environment from 2004 to 2005. He was an unsuc-cessful candidate in the 2007 presidential election, after which he was appointed as Vice-President by Kibaki in January 2008. Musyoka is the party leader of the Wiper Democratic Move-ment (formerly Orange Democ-ratic Movement-Kenya). He also serves as Chief Commissioner for The Kenya Scouts Association.
In the months leading up to the 2002 general election, under the leadership of then KANU secretary general, Raila Odinga, he de-camped from KANU to join the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) as a founding member under the banner of the National Rainbow Coalition, which went on to win the general elections.
M usyoka became Minis-ter for Foreign Affairs for a second time un-der President Mwai Kibaki, but in a cabinet reshuffle on June 30, 2004 he was moved to the post of Minister for the Environment. In late August 2004, he was addi-tionally removed from his position as chairman of the Sudanese and Somali peace talks and was re-placed by John Koech.
Musyoka was reportedly unhappy with President Kibaki's refusal to honour a pre-election Memoran-dum of understanding (MOU) which they had signed with the president's party NAK. He was one of the leaders of the success-ful "No"-campaign in the November 2005 referendum on the pro-posed new constitution. Following the referendum, he was dismissed from the Cabinet, subsequently Kalonzo Musyoka decamped Lib-eral Democratic Party (LDP) into the little known Labor Party of Kenya.
was the
subject of much speculation
His rating for December 2007 election steadily dropped, and po-litical analysts wondered whether he would make a significant im-pact. His relationship with fellow ODM-Kenya leader Raila Odinga, who was also after the ODM-Kenya presidential ticket, was the subject of much speculation.
Many observers questioned whether the presidential hopefuls of ODM-Kenya, particularly Raila and Musyoka, could unite to sup-port one common candidate for the general election. The ODM-Kenya split into two factions, one gathered around Musyoka and the other around Odinga, in August 2007. Musyoka was elected by his faction as its presidential candi-date on August 31, 2007, receiv-ing 2,835 votes in a secret ballot
against Julia Ojiambo, who re-ceived 791 votes. Musyoka has been quoted as saying "... the war against poverty could not be won unless environmental issues were addressed."
The
"kupitia katikati" thing
Musyoka launched his presidential campaign at Uhuru Park in Nairobi on October 14, 2007. This move was criticized by those who saw him as a traitor to the ODM party of Raila Odinga. Kalonzo however said that "atapitia kati kati‖ (passing between two peo-ple). On December 1st, 2003, as the Minister for home affairs and international cooperation for Kenya. He welcomed the people to this meeting, whose theme was Strengthening the role of IGAD in regional peace initiatives and post conflict reconstruction on behalf of the republic of Kenya and thanked the Danish government, IGAD Se-cretariat and the ISS on behalf of the [10] IGAD Member States for their preparations and funding of the meeting. Kalonzo Musyoka was involved in the Sudan peace proc-ess between 1993 - 1997 and he was part of the team that reconsti-tuted the draft establishing IGAD in 1995.
According to official results, Musyoka placed a distant third be-hind Kibaki and Odinga with 9% of the vote. Amid a violent crisis over the results, with supporters of Kibaki and Odinga disputing the out-come, Kibaki appointed Musyoka as Vice-President and Minister of Home Affairs on January 8, 2008.
Musyoka expressed gratitude to Kibaki and, referring to the ongoing dispute and violence, said that he was "intensely aware that the appointment has come at a diffi-cult time when our nation is going through a painful moment". He took office as Vice-President on January 9. The political crisis eventually led to the signing of a power-sharing agreement between Kibaki and Odinga.
Vice President’s Profile continues in the Trans Nzoia Magazine

We demand...

Ambrose TNM Reporter

I t is my belief that each and every one of us has been created with a purpose, divinely intended to furnish Gods perfect plan for mankind and perpetually amounts to good. God in the heavens does not expect perfection from his creation but obedience that comes with the knowledge of what is expected out of us.
Kitale is a good town. May be I should say it was. Since am speaking for the bush I will try to be as direct as possi-ble so that no one will misunderstand me, even those with intentions to.

When the government started devolving funds to the grass roots for development, LATTIF included. Kitale municipality was among the local authori-ties that mismanaged the funds leading to disqualification for one round. The quality of service by the Municipal council of Kitale to its people is wholesomely depended on the employee’s intention, whether to just put salaries in their pockets or offer service to the people who are paying taxes in order for them to earn.
The revenue collected by the council and funds from central government are intended to make the lives of urban dwellers bearable by providing related services. council has been fooling the public
The streets of Kitale were fairly maintained until the season on negligence set in. The council has been fooling the public by filling the pot holes with sub standard material only to come back and do the same pretty soon after. When the pot holes started opening up as they usually do, I expected the council to perform its drama of lying to the public however I was wrong! This time it was plain negligence, and now the pot holes are too many.

In fact driving in the streets of Kitale is like driving in some remote area God knows where! The council tax collectors in their yellow uniforms collect the taxes like never before from parking fees to the mama mboga. The woes of the council don’t end there, the heaps of gar-bage and dirt thrown all over is not to the eye.
We pay taxes for Christ sake!

As we move towards crowning of Kitale as the county headquarters we need the town cleaner than before. I wonder what the priorities of the council are…..! To clean the town Mr. Mayor and Mr. Town Clerk is not a favor. If I was the one taking you through your performance appraisals. I wouldn’t resist the temptation to have you sacked. Get the hell out of your offices and let’s get some fresh air around here! We pay our taxes for Christ sake....

Miguna Miguna Madness…..

My Opinion: By opany opany
He wrote a book entitled Peel-ing back the Musk..purportedly to incrimi-nate Raila and began breath-ing fire. Before the dust could even settle, Miguna Miguna, he of Come baby Come fiasco suddenly flew away, resulting to run baby run clarion. His exit elicited mixed reac-tions in unbalanced proportion within the political divide given that his proponents’ hope of elongating the whole madness through the PM’s comments never material-ized.
In deed the PM has since stayed clear of the madness and has since forgotten it like a bad dream. Trans Nzoia magazine sought to find some answers to the most profound ques-tions, Who is Miguna, Whom was he working for, who are the forces behind his cheap work of art?
His choice for words displayed high level of mastery in writen and spoken queens’ s lan-guage yet when he spoke one could easily depict anger, frustration and deep fear of something unknown. Read the following excerpt and judge for yourself if you think Miguna was a serious Kenyan. This is my account of the man.
Reading excerpts of Miguna Miguna’s alleged humiliation of Raila Odinga by President Mwai Kibaki behind curtains, I read on fast believing that an incident I have heard of would also be included. It is alleged that a youthful ODM MP held Raila by the collar and tie in Serena Hotel as he repeatedly told him not to accept a ceasefire during the ne-gotiations for a peaceful settlement. Raila is reported to have calmly looked on without shaking off the antagonistic grip of this bel-ligerent ODM MP.
Who indeed, was the hero of the power sharing negotiations? Was it those who got the bigger chunk of the loaf or those who ceded ground to stop post-election violence? Is it not intransigence and selfishness that created the Somalia we have today? Miguna says, in apparent comparison to himself, that Raila wept in the heat of our national catas-trophe. I would rather we have a Raila who weeps with those who suffer pain and cedes ground to satisfy those greedy for power than a snobbish traitor who is not only cal-lous to the suffering of the people but is also inconsiderate in the pursuit of self-interest.
Miguna who had never worked with Raila during the worst times, having been in exile, was justified to be taken aback by the emo-
tional breakdown of Raila in 2008. Erroneously he considered Raila to be tough, selfish and apparently even callous. Miguna would have applied his literary prowess in capturing Raila in a similar emotional state during a visit to the home of the late student leader, Titus Adun-gosi in 1997. When Adungosi’s mother spotted Raila who was accompanied by former de-tainee Ken Matiba, she approached him and knelt down asking: “I have been told you were with my son in prison. Tell me, who killed my son?” Raila went blank. He had no handker-chief and used his bare hands to wipe his tears as he joined his former comrade's mother in mourning his death. Raila shed more tears when he stood at the unmarked bushy grave where Adungosi was buried. On the return journey to Kisumu, John Kiema who rode with him in the same car says Raila was silent throughout the journey.
Dedan Kimathi's daughter summed it up when she told me: “You know what? Raila is the last born of our caring fathers.” The statement, "I value solid popularitythe esteem of good men for good action. I despise the bubble popularity that is won without merit and lost without crime," by US senator, Thomas Hart Benton is apt in reference to the Miguna book.
Its popularity and that of the author will quickly die and be forgotten within a short time unlike the achievements by historical personalities which do not lie in the hype of the moment but it’s a sum of activities, decisions, policies and positions taken over time. When a nation is in crisis, those who make sacrifices to save it pass the test of greatness and their actions are associated with selflessness, courage and heroism. John F. Kennedy put it succinctly in “Profiles in Courage” which is an analytical presentation of figures in American history who opted to eat humble pie (read half a loaf) but were vindicated by history. “Great crises produce great men and great acts of courage.”

When the V.P came calling…. Just how much ground in Trans Nzoia is wiper, And What is his profile….?

TNM GROUP
Hon Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka is aseasoned politician. He has been an MP much longer than most politicians that you may know. Yet he has chosen to be more reasonable and not confronta-tional in his approach in tackling social-economic vices that bedevil this country.
He now says he is ready and qualified to be president. I intend to give you a detailed account of his biography before which I will give a brief of his recent visit in Trans Nzoia County and how it was like to have him around. Thereafter his profile.
Almost a week ago, the county of Trans Nzoia had the privilege of hosting the VP and a host of other political bigwigs and top contend-ers for the position of president. Kenyans are of course upbeat and expectant of the much awaited and seemingly elusive general elections.
“a small Kenya”
The fact that Trans Nzoia county is a small Kenya‖ is no longer news, what seems to be news is the skepticism that has been considerably displayed when politicians come calling.
This trend of political maneuver-ings, gimmicks and illicit political alignments played center stage during the VP‘s visit. But the vice president was not only in Trans Nzoia to make political state-ments he was also around to see for himself how far the Mabanga peace process was being implemented.
Elders from the communities of Sabout, Bukusu and Teso assured the visiting VP, their resolve to work together for the sake of peace and development of our
county.
They also informed the vice president that they will support him wholesomely during the next bal-lot, owing to his outstanding re-cord of peace building not only in Kenya but neighboring countries.
The VP reiterated his resolve to ensure that the next general elec-tions were free, fair and democ-ratic. While addressing a fairly at-tended gathering in Kenyatta Sta-dium the VP was quoted as saying ―...the race to statehouse this time around is going to be more fierce and hotly contested than any time before….this is before the contest is between trouble-makers and peacemaker.The VP declared
himself the champion
He was apparently referring to his counterparts in ODM. He wet fur-ther to say that the contest isn't about reforms but an individual who could be relied upon as re-form champion. The VP declared himself the champion that Kenya direly requires.
Previously the URP leader and Eldoret North MP, Hon William Ruto had also visited Trans Nzoia but did not bag as much support as
had been widely publicized.
The Eldoret North MP, had to make brief his visit after realizing that the ground was not as receptive as he had envisioned. Trans Nzoia county therefore remain a fertile ground just like the rest of Kenya and is up for grabs electorally speaking for any smart political figures out for vote hunting.
The man who was born and brought up in Tseikuru
S tephen Kalonzo Musyoka was born in Tseikuru, a remote part of Mwingi District (then part of Kitui District) in Kenya's Eastern Province on December 24, 1953.Between 1960 and 1967 he studied at Tseikuru Full Pri-mary School to attain basic edu-cation.
He then went to Kitui High School in Kitui for the ordibary level and eventually to Meru School in Meru from where he graduated in the advanced level in 1973. Kalonzo Musyoka graduated with a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Nairobi in 1977.
He continued further studies at the Kenya School of Law in 1978 where he was awarded a Post graduate diploma in Law.

HON. WETANGULA NOW SAYS HE IS READY FOR ELECTIONS MORE THAN EVER.

Ford Kenya party leader has assured Kenyans that the life of the current parliament will not be extended as planned by some of his fellow parliamentarians. Trade minister Moses Wetangula said election date has already been announced by independent electoral and Boundary commission and those skimming to push it are day dreamers.  

Speaking at Kitale hotel during a meeting with Trans-Nzoia County Councilors and candidates aspiring for Turkana County, Trade minister vowed to block any attempt by parliament and IEBC to extend dated of election from March, 14, 2013.

“Kenyans should be ready to cast their votes in March 14, 2013 because the current parliament term ends by January 14”said Wetangula. The Sirisia MP who had been accompanied by a cabinet colleague in-charge of the ministry of Labour and Ford Kenya party chairman Hon John Munyes appealed to Kenyans to register as voters to avoid rush hour culture.

The Party leader asked other presidential hopefuls to stop issuing inflammatory statements that could renew ethnic clashes in the country. He said instead they should engage in peaceful campaigns that will unite Kenyans a head of general elections.

At the same time Wetangula asked parliamentarians to stop politicizing the IEBC tendering matter saying it could spark animosity among Kenyans.  The Trade minister further challenged IEBC commission to be above reproach or suspicion to enable Kenyans build confidence in electoral process.

“Personally and my party have no doubt over the newly constituted electoral and Boundary commission  to handle forth coming general elections since they have demonstrated in recent by-elections a cross the country” said Mr Wetangula.

On proposal of sharing seats on tribal line in Bungomas and Trans-nzoia county the minister supported the move but urged leaders to handle it with care saying it will undermine democracy and deny Kenyans right to elect leaders of their choice.

Speaking during party leaders meeting at Trans-Nzioa County, Ford Kenya party leader said although the constitution recognizes the special group it is important to recognize party’s role and embrace competition.

“Ford Kenya recognizes the special groups but it will be against the constitution and wishes of Kenyans for selfish people to sit in hotel and share seats on tribal basis “said Wetangula.

He appealed to Minorities to go for the seats and stop lamenting attracting fevers and sympathy.

Trade minister asked communities and candidates in Bungoma and Trans-Nzoia County to prepare for competition in various seats. On recent announcement of two rivals working together,  Wetangula emphasized that they have agreed to work together with Wamalwa for the sake of peace and Unity of the Luhya the community

He revealed that Ford Kenya and New Ford Kenya have not formed coalition but consultation were going on soon will make official announcement.

“It is too early to form coalition since our party members have not been consulted on the same, but we have begun the journey and soon will make official position of the two parties “said Wetangula.

He denied claims that their move was aimed at blocking Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi on the race to state house. “We need all leaders from the Luhya community to come together and have one voice to be able to sent one among them to state house “said Ford Kenya Party leader.

But Justice Minister cautioned the big tribes against sweeping all seats saying this would cause conflict in the region. He advised that the elders from various tribes should be involved to oversee the sharing of various posts created by new constitution.

Wamalwa who was addressing civic leaders and church ministers at his residence in Milimani Kitale, asked leaders to find local solution to the long standing conflict in the counties.

“I  am  optimistic that by sharing seats would bring peace, development  and embrace diversity in Bungoma and Trans-nzoia Counties that have witnessed tribal clashes every election year” said Wamalwa.  

GOVERNMENT WARNED AGAINST YIELDING TO ATTEMPTS BY MPS TO EXTEND THEIR TERM

A former Mayor of Kitale and current councilor at the Kitale Municipal council has warned that playing games with the dates of the upcoming elections was a recipe for violence, across the country. Councillor, Joshua Werunga was speaking during this year’s full council meeting where the agenda of the day was elections of various committee chairpersons. He said that the country was ripe for elections and was not willing to be tossed over and over by the MPs, whom he termed as fearful of the electorate. 

The elections were basically meant to reaffirm the current office holders given that by the end of business all the sitting chairmen/persons of various committees were unanimously retained. The spirit of the new constitution was also not left unattended in the elections. Two women councilors namely Cllr. Janet Nangabo and Cllr. Violet Chemosit were voted in unopposed to occupy the positions of Town planning and Audit Committees respectively. Others elected include, Cllr. Peter Waswa, of Finance and General purpose committee, Cllr. John Tenge for Education, Cllr. Herbart Wambaya for social Services and Housing and lastly Cllr. Were Obingo for Public Health and Environment.

This year’s elections were devoid of the fanfare and usual jostling sometimes becoming chaotic as has been the norm in many council elections across the country. Security was tight, with visible and plain cloth police officers standing hawk eyed at every exit. The clerk of the Municipal council Mr. Rashid Rashid Mwakiwiwi together with his worship the Mayor of the council, Cllr. Charles Bonyo was jointly the presiding officers. 

The mayor, while making his closing remarks reminded the elected civic leaders that there were no winners or losers, only leaders bequeathed bigger responsibilities to show forth their worth.  His sentiments were echoed by the clerk who intimated to all the leaders and chief officers that the work lying ahead was not only enormous but urgent. He narrated to them that even though some of the roads maintenance activities in town were taken over by the government, the Kitale CBD roads were in deplorable conditions and needed immediate recourse. 

These are the last of such elections under the current constitution. After the next general elections, the position of Municipal councils will be scrapped and replaced with a much bigger entity known as the county governments..    

ROAD MAP TO PROSPERITY DEAL SIGNED IN KITALE

Forestry and wildlife Minister, Hon. Dr. Noah Wekesa through an initiative by China’s Jiangxi province has established bilateral ties that will see Kitale town and by extension the county of Trans Nzoia faster than was earlier envisioned.

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding was proceeded by series of meetings, deliberations and exchange visits by the Chinese friends in Kenya and the minister in the republic of china respectively.  

The deal has renewed efforts to uplift the living standards of it Trans Nzoia residents and will also open up investment opportunities between the two devolved systems of governance.

The deal between the two to shall pave way for the relationship targeted at mutually benefiting the two parties.

 The memorandum involves fields of urbanization that will relate Kitale town and Jingdezhen city, forestry, environment protection, light industry and tourism.

The vice chairman of Jiangxi province Mr. Chen Anzhong said: “We are very privileged to establish these ties which we believe will greatly open up entrepreneurial opportunities between us”

Dr. Wekesa said he took the imitative of establishing the co-operation between the two devolved systems of governance owing to the development track witnessed in China.

“We have a lot to learn from China for instance the country has a 60% forest cover while we are at 6%,” said the Kwanza MP.

He added: “It is after visiting China last year that I harbored this idea and established linkages with local leaders part of whom are here today”

The chairman of Nzoia County Council Mr. Fred Kwanusu said the partnership will help the county to know how to run its affairs owing to the fact that China has an already established devolved system
of governance.

"As we approach the county governments, our friends will help us learn a lot about how to manage devolved systems governance," said Mr. Kwanusu

 The china delegations toured economic ventures in the region including Kenya seed, National Cereals and Produce board, Masinde Muliro Primary School and the Kitale airstrip.

In a recent visit to china, the Chinese government promised Prime Minister Raila Odinga of an improved business working relation between the state and Kenya.