Kenya's mobile phone users last week breathed a sigh of relief following a ceiling put on interconnection charges between the duopolistic mobile operators, Safaricom and Celtel. The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK),the country's communication industry regulator, capped the charges at Kshs 30 (43 US Cents) per minute.

The United Nations says crime is hampering the growth of east Africa's largest economy by forcing businesses to spend heavily on private security services in the absence of effective policing, according to a report by Reuters.

Kenya's cotton industry, once one of the country's main foreign exchange earners, declined substantially following liberalization of the sector in 1991. However, efforts are now being made to address problems bedeviling the cotton sector, including a government-led campaign under the auspices of 'Kenya Vision 2030'.

The Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) has given a gloomy prognosis of how efforts to recover billions of tax payers’ money, looted by the elite of the former regime and currently stashed in foreign and offshore accounts, have been hampered by strident bureaucracies involved in transcontinental investigations.

A UN agency on environment has recommended phasing out of high sulphur diesel in Kenya to reduce air pollution. The United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV) says use of high sulphur diesel is contributing to environmental degradation.

Kenya has been opening its school doors to more women and creating strategies to spur their interest in math and science. As numbers change slowly, advocates are realizing they face a stubborn foe.

The Government has expelled more than 1, 000 Ethiopian refugees from Moyale District.They had crossed into Kenya following clan fights in their country. The refugees, mostly children and women, were ordered to leave the country by Wednesday noon. Eastern Provincial Police Officer Mr Jonathan Koskei and the area acting DC, Mr Omar Deja, gave the ultimatum when they addressed the refugees with Ethiopian Government officials on Tuesday.

Kakuma camp in Kenya is one of the oldest and largest refugee camps in the world. The inhabitants of the camp suffer from poor relations with the local population - (the Turkanas), a near total lack of economic opportunity, frequent instances of gender-based violence, crime, and recurrent food shortages.

Increasing computer literacy in Kenya's secondary schools is a prerequisite for improving ITs in the education system, education minister Prof. George Saitoti has said. And if Kenya wants to attain the Millennium Development Goals of reducing literacy levels, the government education policies must embrace the spirit of "technology" by introducing an ICT syllabus in all secondary schools.

Kibera is the de rigeur stop off for caring foreign dignitaries. It reached a worldwide audience as a backdrop to the British blockbuster "The Constant Gardener". Andrew Cawthorne reports for Reuters that any journalist wanting a quick Africa poverty story can find it there in half an hour. And now at least one travel agency offers tours round Kenya's Kibera slum, one of Africa's largest.

At least 30,000 people have been displaced and 60 killed in continuing clashes over land in the western Mt Elgon District of Kenya, the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) said on Wednesday.

The Daily Nation reports that at least 10 election petition cases remain unresolved with less than 11 months to the General Election. And as the country moves closer to elections, there are fears that some of the incumbent MPs could take advantage of loopholes in the existing petition laws as a tactic to delay the cases until Parliament is dissolved, thereby allowing them to serve the full five-year term.

The High Court yesterday rejected a requirement by the Government that broadcasting houses seek State approval before airing some of their programmes. The landmark verdict was delivered in a case filed six years ago in the Constitutional Court by Nation Media Group, challenging the directive issued by the minister for Information, Transport and Communication at the time.

DevInfo Kenya has launched a new web-based information portal designed for development organisations, academia and individuals interested in social development issues in Kenya. This portal provides the opportunity to both access and share information about social development initiatives in Kenya.

It is abundantly clear that this is an election year. L. Muythoni Wanyeki reports that the media are consumed with stories of how the Orange Democratic Movement intends to select its presidential candidate. Even further in the shadows, however, are the disturbing and profound issues of what would make the upcoming elections truly free and fair.

Kenyans are preparing to go to the polls at the end of the year and, as in past years, there is much horse-trading and jockeying among the key players. President Kibaki came to power on a massive wave of change that swept aside the Kenya African National Union (KANU) and former president Moi's strangle-hold on power. The National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) that brought Kibaki to power was a tenuous but resolute grouping of seasoned political players who had fallen out of favor and been sidelined by the former regime.

It was not long before the inevitable cracks began to show in the coalition, and in the space of one year, the alliance had fallen apart. Key players in the ruling coalition like political stalwart Raila Odinga, (of the newly –formed Orange Democratic Movement) felt that the president had reneged on pre-election promises in terms of allocation of key posts. Furthermore, Kibaki pledged to serve only one term in office, but it became evident very early on that this was not to be the case. Subsequently, further divisions have occurred to the point where the current field of political parties bears little resemblance to those that went by the same name four years ago.

What remains the same are the names and faces. The hallmark of Kenyan politics is the ubiquity of the same handful of individuals who have been in the limelight for the last two decades. In the running for the top seat are scions of prominent political dynasties like Uhuru Kenyatta, Raila Odinga and Musalia Mudavadi, as well as others who have served in previous regimes such as former Moi-era vice-president George Saitoti and Kalonzo Musyoka. Others like Musikari Kombo, Mukhisa Kituyi and William Ruto are rising contenders.

Kenyan politics remains largely ethnicity-based and politicians have always relied on voting blocks from their own and allied ethnic groups. This has largely obscured developmental issues that should take center-stage. Growth of the economy has remained modest at around 5% as has been development in major sectors of the economy such as agriculture and tourism. Corruption and crime continue to have a major impact on investment and national well-being.

It is likely that poverty will continue to have a major influence on the outcome of the elections. In the past, elections were decided based on who was able to buy the electorate with food hand-outs and promises of service delivery that are in reality the right of every citizen. With a little over nine months to go, the only thing that remains certain is that there will be more shape-shifting among the parties and players, empty promises to the electorate, and excitement in a population that is nevertheless proud to exercise their democratic right.

Further Reading:

http://www.eastandard.net
http://www.nationmedia.com
http://www.kenyanewsnetwork.com/

President Mwai Kibaki has dismissed speculations of an early election, saying the current Parliament will run its full term. The President said reports of an early election were misleading and that he had no plans to call a snap election until the end of the term of the current Parliament in December.

Human rights campaigners have appealed to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to suspend Kenya's membership for continuing to resist efforts to reform its archaic labour laws. The laws fail to address issues of employment, occupational health and safety or work injuries among others -- seriously undermining the constitutional rights of Kenyans.

After a lengthy review process starting in April 2006, the renewal of the Kenya chapter of Transparency International (TI) culminated January 25 at a meeting of the Board of Directors of TI Kenya involving the stakeholders of TI Kenya, their international development partners and TI’s International Secretariat. That process of institutional review – conducted variously by independent auditors, a special review team with a mandate from the TI International Board and by the TI Kenya chapter – also has clarified outstanding issues in the chapter’s governance and management.

Environmentalists meeting in Nairobi say the trade in biofuels should be governed by environmental standards, and warn that planting crops solely for biofuels may cause catastrophic damage to the planet. Speaking at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Governing Council meeting held in Nairobi yesterday (5 February), Danish environment minister Connie Hedegaard said that environmental standards were vital if the international trade in biofuels was to be allowed to begin on a massive scale.