Piracy has cost Kenya a lucrative live animals export market.
South Africa and Australia snapped up the Mauritius market after shipping companies withdrew from the Kenyan waters due to threats of piracy.

Livestock traders, who raked in millions of shillings from the exports, are now stranded with their animals. Kenya Livestock Traders Company director Mohammad Mursal said the decision by the shipping lines has dealt a big blow to the industry that was picking up only three years after the European Union lifted the ban on the export of animals and meat products from Kenya. The EU had imposed the ban after an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the country.

In the agreement with Mauritius – the only country that was buying live animals from Kenya – the traders were to export about 5,000 animals every year.

Mr Mursal said the owners of the ship that used to carry a consignment of about 1,000 animals withdrew, citing increase operational costs because they had to hire more security during the voyage in the Indian Ocean. He added that due to piracy, buyers switched to other countries for animals.

Either he said, the are timing ships in transit that are willing to ferry the animals as they seek markets in other regions, especially Arab nations like Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Islamic Republic of Iran.

Kenya is keenly watching the nuclear crisis in Japan for useful lessons, the committee spearheading the country’s nuclear programme said, as nations across the world began rethinking their nuclear plans. Nuclear Electricity Development Project Committee executive chairman Ochilo Ayacko, said Kenya hopes to stay on course but the ongoing international debate and discourse (on the Japan crisis) will inform our decisions on issues like selection of location as well as safety and security requirements.

The committee members were reacting to public concerns over the government’s nuclear plans after the 8.9 magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami that hit the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, 140 miles north of Tokyo, sparking fears of radioactive contamination.

Other countries like the US, France, Britain and Australia are preparing to evacuate or have advised their citizens to move to the south of the Japanese capital. Mr Ayacko assured Kenyans that they will not compromise on the standards and will ensure Kenya have the best systems for safeguards, security, liability and production.

According to the committee, the country expects to have its first 1,000MW nuclear plant between 2020-2022 subject to approvals by among others, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the global nuclear technology watchdog.

Noting that demand for power could hit the 15,000MW by 2030, Mr. Ayacko said the country has to go nuclear because, unlike countries like Germany, it does not have many options if it hopes to meet its development objectives under Vision 2030.

Kenya best bets are geothermal, whose maximum potential is 5,000MW, and coal, which is not an option in the present global warming sensitive era.

Kenya government failed to stand by its ally Libya whose support the government sought in the bid to defer ICC cases. The country joined the rest of the world to vote for Tripoli’s suspension from the United Nations Human Rights Council.

But the government’s voting at the UN General Assembly was defended by the Foreign Affairs ministry in Nairobi. Acting Foreign Affairs permanent secretary said Kenya’s action should not be viewed as hostile. He said the matter even the African Union has spoke out against because the response against Libya people was well beyond what was expected adding that almost every other country has expressed dismay.

The suspension was due to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s lethal crackdown on protests as the Security Council warned of new action against his regime. 192-member assembly passed a suspension resolution without a vote, after UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged the body o “act decisively.”

No country spoke up for the Libyan regime at the brief debate. Col Gaddafi was one of the African leaders Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka met as he lobbied to continent’s leaders to support Kenya’s request to have the ICC cases deferred.

The VP’s meeting with Col Gaddafi, who unsurprisingly gave his blessings to Kenya’s request, has come under criticism from several quarters. Past weeks Deputy PM Musalia Mudavadi told reporters in Kakamega that the VP owed the country an apology for seeking support of e embattled Libyan leader in the bid to have the cases deferred. He commented what kind of people the VP is associating Kenyans with.

20110325
Reuters

MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - Police in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa said they seized 196 kg (432 lb) of heroin valued at about $5 million and arrested six people in the latest step by authorities to end drug trafficking in the country.

20110318
reuters

NAIROBI, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Kenya has temporarily closed its embassy in Japan following high levels of nuclear radiation which is as a result of last week's earthquake and Tsunami.

20110316
Daily Nation

The United Nations Security Council will on Wednesday decide whether to give serious consideration to a request by Kenya to delay the Hague trials.

20110312
REUTERS

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council will meet next week to discuss Kenya's request to postpone International Criminal Court cases related to Kenyan post-election violence, China's U.N. envoy said on Friday.

20100308
reuters

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - The International Criminal Court said on Tuesday it was issuing a summons to six suspects in Kenya's post-election violence, a move that could destabilise the country's coalition cabinet which is divided over the issue.

20110301
reuters

Nairobi — The government will cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in prosecuting post-election violence suspects.

20110228
reuters

ISIOLO, Kenya (Reuters) - Kenyan and Ethiopian troops could attack Somali rebel group al Shabaab inside the Horn of Africa nation following the rebel's latest threat to strike at Kenya, security sources said on Monday.

20110228
Daily Nation

The UN Security Council’s failure to discuss Kenya’s request for deferral of ICC cases now paves the way for chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo to proceed with The Hague process.

20110225
africanews

Learned friends believe that education is the key to success. Indeed, many people have made their 'dreams come true' through success and hard work in education. However, this precious fruit of knowledge will never be achieved in learning atmosphere where pupils quench their thirst for education under big trees.

20110224
Xinhua
NAIROBI, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- France on Wednesday supported Kenya's effort for the retention and upgrading of the Nairobi- based UN Environmental Program (UNEP) headquarters into a fully- fledged UN organization.

20110222
RFI

Nairobi — President Kibaki has withdrawn his nominations to four constitutional offices.

20110218
Xinhua
NAIROBI, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan National Assembly Speaker Kenneth Marende on Thursday declared the nominations of the country's judicial officers unconstitutional and ordered a fresh start. In his ruling which was delivered in Parliament, Marende said the nominations of four key legal and finance office holders by President Mwai Kibaki are unconstitutional and women were also discriminated against.

20110218
Xinhua
NAIROBI, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan government on Thursday approved the sending of 80 civil servants to southern Sudan in a bid to help if an independent country is established following last month referendum.

20110214
reuters

NAIROBI (Reuters) - A new vaccine to protect against pneumonia, the world's leading killer of children under five, was launched in Kenya on Monday, one of 19 developing countries which will introduce the vaccine this year.

20110128
reuters

NAIROBI (Reuters) - A senior official of The Hague court said on Friday that Kenya had sullied its image by seeking to suspend trials of post-election violence suspects, but was hopeful Nairobi would ask the court to try them locally.

20110126
xinhua

NAIROBI, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank is to help Kenya increase its investments, innovation and identify new opportunities in information technology and tourism sectors that the bank said the country enjoys a competitive edge in the African continent, the bank announced on Tuesday.

20110121
PlusNews

Nairobi — Following the Pope's comments in a 2010 book to the effect that condom use may be permissible by HIV-positive sex workers to prevent HIV infection, many Roman Catholic Kenyans have found themselves at odds with their church leaders, who have retained their firm stance against condom use.