'Kisite Mpunguti is public land'

Monday, May 13, 2013 - 00:00 -- BY CHARLES MGHENYI
PERSONS claiming to own the controversial Kisite Mpunguti Island should appear before the National Land Commission to ascertain the claims.
 NLC chairperson Mohamed Swazuri said the land is a gazetted national park. He said some people might have been duped into buying the land.
 “The notice will be served to all people through the media so that any person with complaints can come to us,” Swazuri said. He said Kenya Wildlife Services has established through a gazette notice of 1973 that the island is still public land.
 “A piece of land which has been initially gazetted can only be sold if the government de-gazettes it,” Swazuri said. He said the commission is committed to protecting public land.
 A Swiss investor, Alessandro Torrian, sparked off public uproar when he advertised the land for sale in March. Torriani had offered the 39 square kilometres park for Sh1.4 billion.
He claimed he owns the land under a 99-year leasehold title which had been converted from freehold status. NLC toured the Island on April 27 and establish it was public land.
http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-120119/kisite-mpunguti-public-land

Lobby groups back Serem

Thursday, May 9, 2013 - 00:00 -- BY CHARLES MGHENYI
LOBBY groups from Coast under the Pwani Coalition Forum for Good Governance have faulted threats by MPs to disband the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.
The MPs have been in a row with the salary commission over their monthly pay of Sh532,000 from the initial Sh851,000 the tenth parliament members used to pocket.
Speaking to the press in Mombasa, Yusuf Lule the executive director of Human Rights Agenda said the MPs should work according to the guidelines set by the new constitution.
“We condemn the apparent bullying and threats to the SRC which is constitutionally mandated to set and regulate salaries and benefits for state and public officers,” he said.
Lule said the ongoing negotiation between SRC and the Parliamentary Service Commission might compromise the mandate of the commission.
http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-119715/lobby-groups-back-serem

Fear of disease outbreak after heavy rains at the coast

 Thursday, May 9, 2013 - 00:00 -- CHARLES MGHENYI
THERE is an eminent fear of an outbreak of waterborne diseases at the Coast following the floods experienced in the past three days.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that a family of four – a mother and three children – in Moroto slums might be sufferings from cholera due to the rains and poor drainage in the slum.
Speaking to the Star yesterday, Mombasa district disease surveillance coordinator Hussein Bilali said plans are underway to ensure that disease outbreaks are curbed.
Bilali said they have teams in affected areas teaching the community on health education and monitoring the cases of diarrhea.
“Our teams are spraying the stagnant water which might be the breeding grounds for mosquito and sewage with waterborne diseases,” he said.
He said they have received some few cases of diarrhea and the teams are monitoring them.
Meanwhile, the Coast provincial director of public health and sanitation Anisa Omar said they are still surveying the Tana Delta to come up with solution for disease outbreaks.
She said the government has initiated a mechanism that will ensure no residents suffer form waterborne diseases.
http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-119707/fear-disease-outbreak-after-heavy-rains-coast 

Homes Expo for May 31

Mombasa Governor Ali Joho with Myspace CEO third left during the last Mombasa Home expo. Photo/ Charles Mghenyi

Wednesday, May 8, 2013 - 00:00 -- CHARLES MGHENYI

THE ninth and biggest Mombasa Homes Expo is expected to kick off from May 31 to June 2.
MySpace property CEO Mwenda Thuranira said they expect this year's exhibition to be more successful than last year's which had 70 exhibitors.
Speaking to the Star yesterday, Thuranira said preparations for the exhibition are scheduled to take place at the Sarova Whitesands for three days are complete.
“We have 100 participants this year and we are calling upon all residents to come and witness what the real estate industry has to offer,” he said.
The CEO said the sector has started to pick up after the peaceful March 4 general election which had made some of the investors to shy away.
Thuranira said the participants from the real estate business, developers and professionals will assist locals in making beneficial decisions before getting into real estate.
http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-119568/homes-expo-may-31

Mob storms housing agent

Tuesday, May 7, 2013 - 00:00 -- BY CHARLES MGHENYI
RESIDENTS from the Teleposta Retirement Housing Scheme in Bombolulu yesterday stormed the Lloyd Masika agent offices demanding the restoration of water services.
Speaking at the agent's offices, the residents demanded to see the agreement that binds them to pay the company for service charge. “What services do you offers to us, we pay our own electricity bills, security and the water pumps maintenance,” they shouted.
Lloyd Masika, a housing agent has been given the responsibility by Kenya Posta to collect rents and maintain all the houses under its retirement scheme on its behalf in Mombasa.
The residents’ treasurer Isabel Waweru, said the company took away the estate water pump which they purchased from their own contribution.
“We cannot be exploited by these rogue agents. They demand Sh1,500 from all houses and there is no service we receive from them,” she said.
The residents said the company’s manager is frustrating them to pay for ‘ghost’ services and sent hooligans to destroy the water pump and block roads used by Mkokoteni water vendors.
They also complained that house rents hiked from Sh4,500 in 2010 to Sh12,500. Peter Kibera, the Lloyd Masika manager, said they will resume the water services when the residents have fully paid the service charge bills of Sh1,500 per month.
http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-119401/mob-storms-housing-agent

Sh28 billion facelift for Mombasa port

Friday, May 3, 2013 - 00:00 -- BY CHARLES MGHENYI
The construction of the second container terminal at the Kenya Ports Authority is 34 percent complete, the port management has said.
KPA head of corporate affairs Bernard Osero yesterday said they are focused on making the port services efficient and of international standards.
“Its main objective is to expand container handling capacity of the port of Mombasa in order to match future trends,” he said. Phase one of the project which was initiated last year is expected to be ready by 2015.
 The new Sh28 billion terminal will handle 1.2 million twenty feet equivalent units which will increase the overall port capacity by 15 million tonnes.
Osero said they want to be competitive in cargo handling and facilitate economic development in the Eastern and Central Africa region. The new container terminal, west of the current container terminal, is being constructed on 100 hectares of reclaimed land and will have three berths that measure 230, 320 and 350 meters.
KPA anticipates growth especially now that elections are over. “It is projected that close to a million TEUs will be handled at the end of 2013 and a total throughput of about 22 million tonnes,” he said. The authority said it will handle approximately 27 million tonnes total throughput and 1.3 million TEUs by 2016.
http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-119035/sh28-billion-facelift-mombasa-port

Mombasa leaders skip Labour Day ceremonies

Small crowd at the venue. Photo/Elkana Jacob

Jomvu Mp Badi Twalib speaking to the press on the event. Photo/Elkana Jacob.

Thursday, May 2, 2013 - 00:00 -- CHARLES MGHENYI
Mombasa governor Hassan Joho and other key political leaders skipped their first Labour day celebration. Joho was expected to be the guest-of-honour during the celebration at the Tononoka grounds but he sent Jomvu MP Badi Twalib to represent him.
In a speech read on his behalf by Twalib, Joho said his government will initiate a 24-hour working economy in the region. He said that the lack of employment in the region would be partly solved if the county operates round the clock like other major towns in the world.
The governor promised to visit the export processing zone companies in Mombasa saying he has reports that some of these firms are exploiting their  workers.
“We will advocate for change in these companies and institute stringent measures if nothing is done,” he said. Joho also spoke about the rising cases of insecurity in the town saying they need to be looked into and all perpetrators apprehended.
“We condemn what happened a few days ago in Frere Town and call for immediate action to be taken by relevant authorities,” he said. The governor said that the police and the community should work together to address these insecurity issues.
Other key political leaders who were expected at the event but chose to give it a wide berth include Area MP Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir, Mombasa senator Hassan Omar and nominated senator Emma Mbura, who sent her husband Raymond Mbura to represent her.
Residents who spoke to the Star after the celebrations said they were dismayed by the "disinterest in worker's needs" shown by these leaders.
http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-118905/mombasa-leaders-skip-labour-day-ceremonies