Kenyan MPs Harass Journalists Following Corruption Allegations-CPJ

Nairobi, August 3, 2018--Parliamentarians in Kenya should stop harassing journalists and allow them to report on the legislature without fear of reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Dinah Ondari and Anthony Mwangi, journalists with Kenya's People Daily newspaper, were this week criticized during a parliamentary session, threatened with being barred from covering parliament, and summoned by a legislative committee, according to the July 31 Hansard, a verbatim report of proceedings in parliament, and Ken Bosire, the newspaper's managing editor.

These events followed the publication in People Daily on July 30 and July 31 of articles alleging that members of parliament were taking and soliciting bribes from organizations and individuals they were supposed to be investigating. The People Daily newspaper is privately owned, but associated with the family of President Uhuru Kenyatta.

"If members of the Kenyan parliament are serious about fighting corruption, then attempts to intimidate journalists into silence must be abandoned immediately," said CPJ sub-Saharan Africa Representative Muthoki Mumo. "We urge the parliamentarians to stop trying to intimidate Dinah Ondari, Anthony Mwangi, and their colleagues with threats and investigations and instead allow them to freely do their work of covering the legislature."

On July 31 in the National Assembly, one of the two houses of parliament, MP Robert Pukose, a member of the ruling Jubilee Party, accused the People Daily of committing an "affront" to the assembly and said its reporting was a blanket condemnation of MPs, according to the Hansard proceedings report.

According to the Hansard report, Pukose asked the National Assembly speaker, Justin Muturi, to "take action" against the People Daily and have the newspaper investigated by a parliamentary committee in relation to its reporting. Pukose's calls were backed by other MPs including Majority Leader Aden Duale and Minority Leader John Mbadi, according to the Hansard.

In response, Muturi directed the house's Powers and Privileges Committee to investigate these claims, according to the Hansard. Muturi said that no decision would be made to ban the journalists or the media house "until such time as the Committee will make a recommendation one way or other," according to the Hansard.

Ondari told her employer that two legislators on August 1 in separate incidents threatened to bar her and Mwangi from parliament unless they apologized for their reporting, according to Bosire and a report from the People Daily. Speaking to CPJ, Bosire declined to name the two MPs, but said he gave their names to Muturi, who asked Bosire to file a formal complaint.

In a letter seen by CPJ, the National Assembly clerk on August 1 invited Peter Opondo, the editor-in-chief of Mediamax, the People Daily's parent company, to appear the next day to "assist" with "investigations" into allegations of misconduct in the house.

Bosire told CPJ that this letter was sent after People Daily complained during a call on August 1 with Muturi.

A team of five Mediamax employees, including Bosire and Mwangi, appeared in front of the committee yesterday as directed, according to Bosire. The editor told CPJ that they requested--and were granted -- 10 days to prepare a submission for the Powers and Privileges Committee.

In exchanges with CPJ over text message on July 31 and August 1, Muturi said that reports the journalists had been summoned were false and said they had been invited to "shed light on the matter which relates to ethics" of MPs and that he considered them "whistle-blowers." Muturi said that the journalists would not be required to reveal their sources during the hearings.

During a media gala today in Nairobi, Muturi said that People Daily journalists, Ondari and Mwangi, should be praised for exposing corruption in the National Assembly, according to a report by the Daily Nation.

CPJ's repeated attempts to reach Pukose, Duale and Mbadi over their mobile phones on August 1 and August 3 were unsuccessful.

 


When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Dembele Heading for Arsenal

 

Ousmane Dembele’s representatives are encouraging Arsenal to intensify their efforts to sign the Barcelona star, reports claim.

 The Gunners have frequently been linked with the French international, who is reported to be unsettled by Malcom’s Nou Camp arrival.

 And Arsenal could pick up the pieces. Spanish radio station Cadena SER are claiming that Dembele’s agents have been in touch.

 They report that Dembele, 21, is happy to stick with Barcelona but would happily listen to any offers that arrive before the transfer window closes next week.

 In addition to Cadena SER’s claims, Football London say Arsenal transfer chief Sven Mislintat has been in touch.

 The 45-year-old knows all about the France international having brokered his move to Borussia Dortmund from Rennes in 2016.

 Whether it is enough for lure him to Arsenal, though, remains to be seen.

Lucas Torreira debut

Lucas Torreira will make his debut on Saturday against Lazio, Gunners boss Unai Emery has revealed. Torreira joined the north London outfit from Sampdoria last month for a fee believed to be in the region of £26million.

 "At the moment I am very happy with the players who are with here with us,” Emery said last night when asked if there could be any more new arrivals.

 "There are more coming; Nacho Monreal, Lucas [Torreira] and [Granit] Xhaka will start to play some minutes on Saturday."

Aubameyang vs Lacazette

 Alexandre Lacazette insists there is no rivalry between him and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as they aim to be Arsenal’s lead striker.

 Last night, Aubameyang started up front against Chelsea and was replaced by Lacazette in the second half with the Gunners trailing 1-0.

 But with virtually the last kick of the game, Lacazette equalised to take the game into a penalty shoot-out.

 With Arsenal’s first Premier League game against Manchester City 10 days away, Emery will need to decide which system will get the best from Lacazette and Aubameyang.

 But Lacazette says there is no problem between him and Aubameyang and talked up their friendship.

 "We know that if we are together, we can stronger and we just have the same target together, which is to win something for the club," Lacazette told Arsenal Player.

"So of course we don't have any problem with each other.”

Source: Express UK

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Courtois Quits Chelsea

 Real Madrid target Thibaut Courtois will “definitely” be heading out of Chelsea before the summer transfer window closes, says Belgium coach Graeme Jones.

The 26-year-old goalkeeper has been linked with a move to Santiago Bernabeu for some time after making no secret of his desire to be reunited with his young family in Spain.

 It is expected that the Blancos will step up that chase over the coming weeks, with Goal having revealed that the La Liga giants are merely waiting on Chelsea to find a suitable replacement.

 Once that search is finalised, Jones believes that Courtois will be making his way through the Stamford Bridge exits.

 A man who worked with the highly-rated keeper as part of Roberto Martinez’s backroom team at World Cup 2018 told talkSPORT when asked if he expects a move to be made: “I think definitely in Thibaut’s case.

“He’s got under a year left [on his contract] now, and I can only see him moving if I’m being honest.

“He’s obviously won the Golden Glove at the World Cup, and he had a fantastic tournament.

“I think he’ll move on.”

 Courtois is not the only Belgian star to have seen his future called into question over recent weeks, with several countrymen also being linked with moves before the next deadline.

 Club colleague Eden Hazard is another to have sparked talk of interest from Madrid, while Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld is said to figure on Manchester United’s radar.

 Jones added on the potential of either of those star turns taking in a change of scenery: “With Eden I don’t know.

“Contractually he’s a Chelsea player, but he’s another who had a fantastic World Cup and could play for any team in the world.

“Again, Alderweireld’s contract is running down. Toby is a great boy and an excellent footballer, and I think he’s one of those boys that whoever he plays for, he will be focused and will give everything he’s got.

“So we’ll have to wait and see.”

 


When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

'Zimbabwe Presidential Election: Fake' Results Gave Mnangagwa Win - Chimasa

Nelson Chamisa

Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa, who received more than 44 percent of the vote, said on Twitter that “unverified fake results” had been announced by the electoral commission.

 The commission “must release proper and verified results endorsed by parties,” Chamisa tweeted.

 “The level of opaqueness, truth deficiency, moral decay and values deficit is baffling.”

 Meanwhile the Zimbabwe’s Electoral body has declared President Emmerson Mnangagwa as the winner of the tight election

 In a brief moment of drama shortly before the commission announced the winner in Friday’s early hours, two agents for Chamisa’s Movement for Democratic Change party took the stage and told waiting journalists that they “totally reject” the results.

 The further said  that they had not signed the election results as required, in protest. Police escorted them from the room.

 The week’s events left many Zimbabweans with a sense of unease and questions about how different Mnangagwa is from his predecessor and former mentor, longtime leader Robert Mugabe, who stepped down in November under military pressure amid a ruling party feud after 37 years in power.

 The 75-year-old Mnangagwa has tried to recast himself as a voice of change, declaring that the once-prosperous Zimbabwe is “open for business” and inviting the Western election observers who for years had been banned by Mugabe.

 If this election is judged credible, it will be a big step toward the lifting of international sanctions on this southern African nation whose economy has long collapsed and whose reputation has suffered after years of repression of the opposition and allegedly rigged votes.

 So far international observers have issued mixed reviews, calling Monday’s election peaceful and a break from the past but expressing grave concern about the military’s “excessive” use of force.

 They criticised the delay in releasing the results of the presidential vote, saying it raised concerns about possible manipulation.

 Anxious Zimbabweans waited to see what would happen next.

 In Kuwadzana, a poor suburb outside the capital where groups of youths overnight sang and chanted MDC slogans before results were announced, it was silent.

 One street vendor in the capital on Friday morning, Roy Mukwena, said Mnangagwa “won by force. No, I’m not happy, just because these elections were not free and fair.”

 Some, however, were content to move on and deal with the new leader.

“Yeah, I think he’s the right man. Because he has been there for quite some time and he knows where the weaknesses are,” said a 29-year-old clerk who gave his name only as Eddy.

 “He has the experience from … previous government. So he knows how to maneuver all the problems we have. I just hope he will do well.”

-FoxNews

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Former Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien Retires

Former Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien has announced his retirement from international football, after over 12 years of active service with Ghana.

 The 35-year-old, who is currently without a club after parting ways with Indonesian outfit Persib Bandung, last featured for the Black Stars in 2014 at the Fifa World Cup in Brazil.

 He was one of the three players, alongside Sulley Muntari and Kevin-Prince Boateng, accused of masterminding agitations for players appearance fees during the tournament. He maintains doing nothing wrong. “If I am called to play for the Black Stars again I won't honour it. No, it's not possible,” Essien told GHOne TV.

“This is because I've retired from international duty. I even retired before we went to the World Cup in Brazil but I was called back [by coach Kwesi Appiah] to come and help.

 “And then in Brazil they treated me like [something] so I'm not playing for the country again. It's time for the new generation,” he added.

 Essien made his Ghana debut in 2002 and boasts of 58 caps as well as nine goals. He was a key member of the country's golden generation that played their first-ever Fifa World Cup in 2006.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)