Anne Soy
@annesoy
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BBC Deputy Africa Editor & Senior Correspondent | Board member @IPAEastAfrica | Journalism Trainer
Nairobi
Joined May 2009
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The
#Talai
clan of the Kalenjin (Nandi, Kipsigis, Tugen and poss. Marakwet) have long been feared by the rest of the community. People don’t often talk about them. Members of the clan also don’t often reveal that detail. I recently discovered that this started with
#colonialism
.
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Now at Westlands Primary School. This lovely couple met in Poland as student doctors over 50 years ago. Dr. Barua tells me he first voted just after independence and has never skipped a vote. Took him about 5min today.
#KenyaDecides2022
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Kenya’s president has deleted a tweet in which he’d announced that the country is rescinding its recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Republic - a far-reaching decision without a cabinet in place.
It followed a meeting with a Moroccan official delivering the king’s message to Ruto.
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Individuals and some organizations have been doing their own tallying of votes from forms uploaded on the electoral commission’s portal. They’ve been publicly accessible since polls closed last Tuesday.
#KenyaDecides2022
Here are some of those I’ve been following:
Finally our public tally MATCHED results by IEBC to 1 decimal point. We appreciate the opportunity to deliver a CREDIBLE public tally. Thanks everyone
Team:
@DanielKalya
@briankith
@realdataandme
@Richyngash
@tumaiyoh
Results (with volunteer names added)
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The video was recorded and shared by a nominated senator in Kenya. She was being driven to parliament. A police officer looks on but does nothing. I was holding my breath while watching it. Driving dangerously, recording and posting it on public platforms. Brazen impunity.
Nominated Senator
@karennyamunbo
instructs her driver to “steal with confidence!” We give legislators a Sh5 million car grant, fuel that car for 5 years, pay their driver and bodyguard(s). Then they terrorize us on our roads by driving on the wrong side of the road. Disrespect!
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Currently under arrest at the KICC POLICE STATION with my kids. Had attended the Homes Expo and asked why security officers were checking bags as we exited. Was told they check if we’ve stolen laptops.
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They’ve done it again! The DRC has overcome Ebola. The outbreak in Mbandaka is over. Earlier this year they had 3 concurrent serious outbreaks of disease - Ebola, measles and Covid 19. The first two are now over. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
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@OMatacho
Not a good look for the president. Day 2 in office without a cabinet is not the best time to be making foreign policy decisions. There’s a reason why most countries often stay vague and non-committal until they have compelling reasons to take a position. Delicate balance.
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Here are two versions of the story we did:
Online:
TV: (a slightly longer version hopefully coming soon. I’ll also post the radio piece once I have the link).
It was part of a global series titled
#EchoesOfEmpire
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Uganda is showing the region how disease surveillance is done. They’ve identified truck drivers as a high risk group and test every one of them on arrival at the border. Yesterday, 651 were tested and 1 asymptomatic case confirmed. He’s Kenyan.
#Covid19
🔺1 new case confirmed today
🔺The new case is: a 32 year old Kenyan truck driver who arrived from Kenya at Malaba border
🔹Total Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Uganda is now 61.
🔸1,019 samples tested today
Details👇🏽
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Very long post - but it’s important to know and understand our history. Most Kenyans don’t know the story of the
#Talai
. Many Kalenjins fear them but they don’t know the origin of such attitudes. I didn’t know much about their history before I started researching for a story.
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@ahmednasirlaw
Senegal was among the first countries to announce its working on a test that can deliver results in 40 minutes. It’s the same lab that solely manufactured yellow fever vaccines a few years ago. SA and Zimbabwe have repurposed GeneXpert - used to test for TB - for Covid 19.
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The fighters discovered the metal used to build the railway could be smelted and used to make arrow heads. They also uprooted the telegraph copper wires and used them to make ornaments. This is according to historian David Ng’asura Tuei.
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Did the aide de camp switch from Uhuru Kenyatta to the new president William Ruto? Wow! It’s at that moment that it hit me that the power has shifted.
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Politicians from both coalitions -
@RailaOdinga
Azimio and
@WilliamsRuto
Kenya Kwanza are already at the Bomas of Kenya.
#KenyanElection2022
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@DavidNdii
@BBCAfrica
I deleted it because on further reflection, I thought one word may be too strong.
Just the other day your principal told us (Media) about his favourite Muite quote. Is this any different?
I stand by the thought I’d shared. I’d only edit one word.
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@Stevesang44
It’s called journalism. The position is impartial. This is a matter of great public interest that affects communities and nations. And by the way, he’s fine with journalists scrutinizing his decisions and work.
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My colleague
@cjkaroney
spoke to Kenyan marathoner
@EliudKipchoge
about the online abuse he was subjected to after compatriot
#Kiptum
died.
As a Kalenjin myself, I understand the unspoken root of this abuse. Check my pinned tweet.
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@ahmednasirlaw
But where’s the applicable law, SC? Government officers don’t even use official e-mail accounts. They give us gmail accounts with weird names. It’s embarrassing and speaks to a lack of seriousness with official communication.
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@mnaitawang
@WilliamsRuto
That’s what I’ve been thinking. Here’s one area he may need to slow down. What you see is not often what you get. Too many complex layers.
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Many thanks to historian
#Ng
’asuraTuei, the Talai elders in Kapsisiywa who welcomes us warmly and spoke eloquently about their plight; my uncle
@HonFranklinBett
who really educated me about our history and the A-team I’m lucky to work with
@BBCJoeInwood
and
#PhilDavies
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The
#Talai
were the 19th century rulers of the group that was later called Kalenjin. We were taught in primary school history lessons about Kimnyolei and how he foretold the arrival of the railway ‘a long snake that puffs in its head that would cut through the land.’
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In the same polling station, this 22-year-old is voting for the first time. Tells me she’s tired after queuing for hours, but was nearly there when I spoke to her. “I’ve been waiting eagerly for this moment,” she told me.
#KenyaDecides2022
#ElectionsKE
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So the converts were taught that the Talai were evil. The religion they (and all Kalenjin) practiced was termed as witchcraft. That was a century ago. But even today, that’s what most Kalenjins believe. That’s why the Talai - even those who converted to Christianity - are feared.
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Some good news from Mauritius - authorities say they’ve not recorded any new
#Covid
-19 case in almost three weeks. 50,000 tests conducted in the past 2 weeks. The island nation initially surged ahead of other countries in the region. 332 total confirmed cases & 10 fatalities.
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Eventually, Koitalel arap Samoei was invited for peace talks by the colonial administration. But there was a different motive. Colonel Meneirtzhagen shot and killed him and his entire cabinet. I recently met Koitalel’s great grandson, David Sulo.
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This is the official account of Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations. The reporting of cases is often distasteful, deeply disturbing and I’m not sure it aligns with the law. Suspects have rights before the law. Law enforcement cannot pass judgement.
Masten Milimo Wanjala, the bloodthirsty vampire arrested earlier today is responsible for at least ten cold-blooded murders of innocent children, as our detectives have finally established. Wanjala single handedly
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Just taught my daughter a Kalenjin folk song for her
#CBC
assessment. She wanted to be unique because most of her classmates will be presenting Kikuyu songs.
Fun for me but she’s struggling to memorize all the new words.
Any indigenous language schools in Nairobi?
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He warned the Nandi (sub-tribe of the Kalenjin) about it. When British settlers arrived, Kimnyolei had been killed (by the Nandi) and his last son Koitalel arap Samoei was the new leader. He led the Nandi Resistance to colonial rule. It lasted more than a decade.
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David said his great grandfather was holding a type of grass called kipkanduliet, which was a sign of peace when he was killed. At the Koitalel museum I learnt that Col. Maneirtzhagen later returned to apologize. His son (98-years-old now) handed back Koitalel’s leadership staff.
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#EchoesOfEmpire
is the brainchild of
@fergalkeane47
- who continues to graciously mentor me. Special thanks also to
@dhdfisher
for your guidance and support.
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The colonial administration also came up with the ‘Laibon Removal Ordinance,’ a law that was passed by the colonial parliament in Nairobi and assented to in London. It allowed them to evict and detain the
#Talai
. The Nandi Talai were moved to Kapsisiywa, where they live to date.
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The Kipsigis
#Talai
(families of Koitalel’s older brothers) were moved with their livestock to Lambwe Valley in Gwassi near lake Victoria. It was infested with tse-tse flies and the Luo had moved away because of repeated outbreaks of Trypanosomiasis. The great trek was in 1934.
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Even those who were taken to Burma and elsewhere to fight the World Wars, were taken back to the detention centers on return to Kenya, according to Mr. Tuei. Survivors of the Gwassi detention finally moved back to Kericho at independence. But they became squatters.
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But after Koitalel was killed, the Kalenjin still consulted the Talai and the colonial administration got wind of it. The missionaries, says Mr. Tuei, helped send some of the early concerts to Christianity to spy on the
#Talai
elders. They were believed to have supernatural power
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Their population was decimated by disease. The colonial administration carried out an annual census to monitor the numbers. Their livestock died too. Their young men and women couldn’t marry easily because they were detained.
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Congratulations mama Hon. Justice Alice Bett Soi on being sworn in this morning. Proud of you!
Swearing-in of Judges of the High Court of Kenya and Conferment of the Rank of Senior Counsel to Advocates, State House, Nairobi.
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I said I’d paid to get in and hadn’t stolen anything and it’s escalated quickly. Still trying to understand why I’m under arrest with my kids.
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Today, Mr. Pompeo gave Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Ethiopia as examples of ‘socialist schemes that haven’t economically liberated the continent’s poorest.’ Worth noting here that America is capitalist and the Trump administration particularly frowns upon anything close to socialism.
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Interesting that such a far-reaching policy decision is made this quickly with no cabinet in place. Granted, the president has executive powers, but what was Kenya’s policy on Western Sahara before the inauguration? This is one discussion I’d have loved to be a fly on the wall…
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Thrilled to have 2 documentaries shortlisted 4 the British Journalism Awards 2017 - via:
@pressgazette
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Before leaving Kenya,
@SecBlinken
spoke to the BBC about the situation in the Horn of Africa. He condemned the violence against pro-democracy protesters in Sudan and reiterated calls to reinstate the ousted
@SudanPMHamdok
"The PM is a symbol of legitimacy," he told me.
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A quick update to say we’re all out now and are on our way home. We’ll debrief the kids before posting further details. Big thank you to
@NanaGecaga
for intervening and resolving the matter swiftly. Thanks for all your messages. We’ll respond to them whenever we can.
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Farmers have maize. They’re not hoarding. NCPB - a key customer - is not buying the maize, leaving them at the mercy of exploitative brokers.
The government also appears to have discontinued fertilizer subsidies. Farmers are now forced to buy it at nearly double the price.
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As a Kenyan, I believe it is not right to be presumed to be a criminal unless one proves otherwise. I know that’s what happens all the time. But we must change it. Many of you have asked why I didn’t just comply and get over with it, but change cannot come if we don’t seek it.
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This 19-year-old was found inside a cupboard at
#GarissaUni
this morning. She's not injured.
http://t.co/B7eLO7E3kV
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@ahmednasirlaw
@kipmurkomen
What’s been observed during this outbreak is that children are less likely to get infected, less likely to transmit it to adults and if they do get infected, it’s often not severe. According to experts I’ve listened to, there’s no recorded death among under 10s. No explanations.
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How lovely to interview talented Kenyan actress
@Lupita_Nyongo
#OscarAwardWinner
#HollywoodStar
@BBCAfrica
http://t.co/xGOSE0n6tH
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Africa has eradicated naturally-occurring polio! This is a great moment. It has taken the relentless efforts of health workers, volunteers & survivors who gave their all to beat polio. They went to some of the most dangerous places to vaccinate children. Some were killed.
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It appears the publishing of cumulative numbers of votes in the presidential
#ElectionKE
has stalled across the Kenyan Media. Global media were also doing it albeit slowly. Here are options you can use to get results as collation continues:
BBC:
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Weakening the other side is recipe for more unchecked spending and corruption. Democracy thrives on having strong and free institutions that can speak truth to power and critique its policies.
#PostElectionDefections
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Earthquake a short while ago. The building I’m in somewhere in northern Kenya shook. M 4.9 - 60km ESE of Lodwar, Kenya
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Many thanks to
@DrAhmedKalebi
for consistently collating tallies from different individuals and companies. Check out his handle for more.
#KenyaDecides2022
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@FerdyOmondi
Kwa wale hawajawahi kununua gari, msijali. Tuko wengi. 37 and still abstaining. 😁 Ya mzee inatosha. Kama haipo, footstubishi ama Ma3. Bora tufike tuendako.
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Drove to
#Kibra
at around 9pm tonight - from Ngong Road upto Karanja. A few shops open. Streets mostly deserted. Saw a small group of young men by the roadside.
Went to the Kangemi flyover too. Largely deserted now. Have a restful night everyone.
#KenyaDecides2022
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Ethiopia says it’ll open a humanitarian access route into Tigray. Aid agencies have been calling for this for weeks. Refugees and displaced people in the region have been running low on basic supplies. Important to note it will be ‘managed’ by government.
"This humanitarian assistance will now be further reinforced with the opening of a humanitarian access route to be managed under the auspices of the Ministry of Peace."
#EthiopiaPrevails
#EndTPLFImpunity
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Wakenya, sanitizer sio mafuta. Nimeona watu wakishanawa wanajipaka sanitizer. Nimeenda dukani nikakuta askari anahakikisha umenawa kabla kuingia 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾. Kisha anakuambia utumie sanitizer. Nilimwambia maji na sabuni ndio bora. Hiyo nyingine utumie iwapo huna maji.
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South Africa puts on hold the AstraZeneca vaccine roll out. It’s efficacy against mild and moderate forms of illness caused by the variant circulating in the country was found to be just 22%. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine candidates showed better results...
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May I also make it clear that this is me, a Kenyan citizen like any other. I never use my position of influence for personal gain. I use a matatu just like millions of Kenyans. There’s nothing special about me. I am happy to be known as a simple woman from a little village.
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Concerning developments on the democracy front. Should
#WilliamRuto
‘s win be upheld, a vibrant and serious opposition would be needed to keep his government in check. The biggest weakness of the Kenyan constitution is the lack of the office of official opposition leader.
We salute the United Democratic Movement (UDM) leadership for abandoning Azimio La Umoja and joining Kenya Kwanza.
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There are 18 confirmed cases of
#Covid19
#Coronavirus
in Sub Saharan Africa and 101 across the continent as of Tuesday morning.
Status update – number of
#COVID19
/
#coronavirus
cases in
@WHO
#Africa
Region:
🇩🇿Algeria 20
🇸🇳Senegal 4
🇹🇬Togo 1
🇳🇬Nigeria 2
🇨🇲Cameroon 2
🇿🇦South Africa 7
🇧🇫Burkina Faso 2
Other cases on the African continent:
🇪🇬Egypt: 59
🇹🇳Tunisia: 2
🇲🇦Morocco: 2
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@barnorichard
The leadership of the main Orkoiyot was three-pronged - religious, political and security. They had an organized, devolved leadership structure. The Orkoiyot had a cabinet (advisors) called Maootik. Then under them were Alamalaik (sp.) and Mestoowek in every region (bororiosiek).
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Not the headline one would have expected to read in relation to a US election ever! A very different election this is!
Will Trump be arrested as Biden is sworn in as president?
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@lindahoguttu
Ukijaza insurance form reception jaza mbili - moja ya daktari na ingine ya pharmacy huko nje. Daktari asign zote. Ukimaliziwa ma daktari utafute pharmacy kwingine.
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Just a word to Kenyan leaders and Media, ‘the Venezuelans’ is a rather troubling way to refer to suspects in electoral fraud. It bears xenophobic undertones. Call them by their names. There are many law-abiding Venezuelans living and working in Kenya who risk being targeted...
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Two new cases of
#Covid19
#coronavirus
confirmed in Africa - in Senegal and Tunisia. The case in Tunisia arrived by boat from Italy and has been cooperating with the authorities. The Senegal case traveled from France.
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@Chiyego
This is what I found out - ‘Orkoik’ literally means the ones who see far. Or = road/path, koi = long. It’s the connotation that was changed in the 1st half of 20th century. It was a useful political tool for the colonial administration. But it’s had a lasting impact on your clan.
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The UK International Dev. Sec. flew economy during his trip to Kenya in Jan. A week later, I covered the UK-Africa Summit. I couldn’t help but wonder how many African government reps. had flown economy. I bet none. Yet they’d be seeking aid from the man who did.
Spending a day with Hon. Dr Mwaura today in Nairobi, I realized that I am an MP for a wrong country. 😜 MPs here have a driver, a body guard, a PA, a researcher, a communications officer & an admin assistant.
@BantuHolomisa
. In SA, we fend for ourselves. We don’t even have PAs.
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But he also praised President Abiy Ahmed’s reforms eg. privatization of state-own businesses. Ethiopia under Abiy is liberalizing telecoms and the finance sector. Both sectors have traditionally been tightly controlled by government.
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Any surprises? This is what we’ve been fearing would happen. When quarantine is turned into a prison for offenders, rather than somewhere to escape to when one has been exposed to infection, this follows. It happened during the Ebola outbreaks. We should have learned by now.
Unknown people caught on video scaling the wall of the Kenya Medical Training College quarantine center on Mbagathi Road, Nairobi
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Fishermen are advised to avoid the waters off the coast of Somalia for the next 24 hours. Inland, Puntland authorities have been advising pastoralists to avoid low lying areas. The weather pattern is attributed to a phenomenon called the Indian Ocean dipole.
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We’re all fine now and thankful for all your support. First, I must point out that it has never been my intention to resolve issues publicly. But it worked in this instance. Secondly, as a Kenyan citizen I understand my place - rights and responsibilities - and abide by them.
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18 heads of state/ government & 3 deputies are in Nairobi for the inauguration of the new president
#WilliamRuto
All of Kenya’s neighbours are represented: Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia, Ethiopia (current & former PMs), South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Djibouti,
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I was supporting
@RailaOdinga
and Azimio team but I took initiative to count votes myself. Initially I started with IEBC verified results, but extended to include figures I received from agents, and figures I obtained from Form 34A. I finished and called it for Ruto.
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Finally, I wish there had been another way to do this. But I’m glad that change will come out of it. Whilst it’s understandable to get searched to ensure no one is carrying explosives or guns, I think there are better ways to prevent theft or catch thieves.
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The day is here! Kenya’s Supreme Court will deliver its judgement on the presidential election petition. Former PM
@RailaOdinga
challenged the outcome of the Aug. 9th poll. Deputy President
@WilliamsRuto
was declared winner by the
@IEBCKenya
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@barnorichard
The Orkoiyot was not consulted directly by the people. There was a structure in place. And there were athletes too who were messengers. Looks like the Kalenjin didn’t start running recently! 🙂
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