Author: NLM writer

  JUDICIAL VETTING   JUSTICE ON SALE The litany of bribes, lapse in integrity, and alcoholism that nearly drove Judiciary to the hole By NATE INGABO Upon arriving at his new workstation in central Kenya, a Magistrate saw the prospect of owning land in the area. But he was penniless – or didn’t have enough cash. A broker offered to pay on condition the judicial officer would refund soon. It didn’t happen. An opportunity offered itself that made it possible for the magistrate not to honour the debt. The broker got himself in trouble. He was hauled to court.

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REFORMING CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM Recent proposals by members of the National Assembly to amend the 2010 Constitution in fundamental ways raise issues that are deeply troubling. The proposals, as I understand them, would reduce the size of the Assembly from 290 seats to 140, eliminate the special seats reserved women representatives of each county, reduce devolved units of government from 47 counties to ten and eliminate nominated seats.

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Your April Issue carried a brief titled ‘3 rhinos killed monthly’. Under the headline was an uncaptioned picture of a slain rhino, with an attendant in military regalia, probably, a Kenya Wildlife Service ranger – a quite disturbing scene, more so if you think in terms of an average of 36 rhinos a year.

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TWENTY YEARS LATER France and Rwanda’s genocide: a long wait Last month, Rwanda observed 20 years since the slaughter of about one million citizens. The trial of a uspected genocidaire in Paris highlights the complex political bond between Rwanda and France. By ANDREW WALLIS

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Will polls offer real choices for SA? By Steven Friedman On one level, the question seems ridiculous. All elections offer choices and all of us are allowed to vote. So many parties are likely to appear on the ballot paper that the Independent Electoral Commission might face a serious printing challenge. Isn’t the fact that we can all choose who will govern us from a wide array of parties one of the great achievements of the fight against apartheid?

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Zenab Bagha 19 April In late February, as representatives of 15employers’ organisations from across Africa gathered at a beach hotel in Mombasa to discuss the continent’s response to its unemployment problems, a court some 10kilometers away was making its ruling on the fate of 70youth arrested for attending a meeting allegedly organized to propagate violence.

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