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William Ruto with Uhuru Kenyatta in the past By Oduor Ong'wen The Year 2019 is behind us. And the year was marked by plenty of tragi-comic shows. Forget about Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko clowning as traffic Marshall at a train station in Paris. That one is now the new normal for the Governor and would not make a headline even of a student-training publication in some makeshift media school in the neighbourhood of Mua Hills. I know many are occupied with wonder of  how we let a thug and clown like this to run and ruin the most important county in the nation with more than 4 million people. Indeed East Africa’s second largest economy after Kenya. But the  arch-clown of 2019 remains one William Kipchirchir Samoei arap Ruto, who tragically also doubles as the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya. Unlike veteran scribe Philip Ochieng’, I do not wish to accuse the press. However, I know that in Kenya the profession is now heavily infested with lazy, rent-seeking quarks m

Deputy President William Ruto. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE Deputy President William Ruto allied Member of parliament has hit back at pro-handshake lawmakers, barely hours after their presser. The President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga allied lawmakers drawn from both the National Assembly and the senate on Wednesday accused Ruto of misconduct, calling for his resignation. The MPs led by nominated MP Maina Kamanda and Kieni MP Kanini Kega argued that the DP must loyally assist President kenyatta in promoting the unity of the nation, failure to which he should resign. But in a hard hitting response, Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa says President Kenyatta does not take charge, Kenya will be going up to flames basing on the remarks issued by the pro-handshake legislators. Barasa, in a social media post, has urged President Kenyatta to lead from the front, arguing that the insults and abuses against his deputy are too much. “We must be worried about what is happening in this cou

BBI Kinoru Caravan Meru County  Kenyans have learned, practiced and perfected the art of flying like chicken. Like most birds, chicken can also fly. But unlike other birds, they cannot soar high and only fly short distances. This is what Kenyans have done at every stage in our struggles for nationhood. We have gallantly fought to assert and defend our independence and forge a nation out of our many nationalities. But we have also undone these efforts with alacrity. The latest episode in this one step forward two steps back journey is being replayed in the Building Bridges Initiative conversation. While it was gratifying to see everyone troop to Mombasa last weekend to declare their support for the BBI, it is not lost on keen observers that many of the politicians were and still are talking with both sides of their mouth. The Naivasha retreat by a section of Jubilee politicians underscores how skin deep our nationhood quest is. Every time we thought we had got it right, we h

Local medical workers hold a strike near Queen Mary Hospital as they demand the city close its border with China to reduce the coronavirus spreading, in Hong Kong on February 3, 2020. AFP PHOTO The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday declared the novel Coronavirus (christened COVID-19) a pandemic. WHO said the decision was occasioned by how fast the virus is spreading with more than 118,000 cases of the coronavirus ailment being reported in more than 110 countries globally and a risk it will spread further globally. Related Stories China deploys ‘duck troops’ to counter locust invasion Kenya’s Ambassador to China asks for prayers for Kenyans in Wuhan city Kenya establishes two coronavirus testing centres, calls for vigilance Kenyans stuck in Wuhan, China are safe – GoK “This is not just a public health crisis, it is a crisis that will touch every sector. So every sector and every individual must be involved in the fights,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-