The meteorological department is raising the red flag to farmers and pastoralists regarding the forth-coming short rains season. The weather department warns that many regions across the country will experience below average rainfall during this period. The department is now advising farmers to liaise with the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure that they maximize their food production with the little rain that will be available.

Over the last decade the country has experienced relatively poor food  production, due to changes in weather patterns and low rainfall. Now the meteorological department is warning farmers that the expected short rains, which normally begin in October, will again fall below the average level.

The low rainfall is attributed to La Nina in the equatorial pacific, which occurs at irregular intervals, and is associated with widespread changes in weather patterns complementary to those of El Nino, but results in less extensive damage.

Meteorological department director, Joseph Mukabana says the outlook of the short rains this season indicates that most parts of the country are likely to experience depressed rainfall, that will additionally be poorly distributed.

The department warns that several sectors will be affected, and proper measures need to be put in place now, to reduce the impact.

Some of the areas to be affected are the agriculture and energy sectors, which mainly depend on the rains. Farmers have been advised to work closely with the Ministry of Agriculture to maximize their food production,while the pastoralists have been advised to put measures in place to avert the loss of animals.

Mr Mukabana further adds that this forecast should be used as a guideline for planning, since the worst could happen, and this trend might extend into the long rains season next years. Western parts of the country, some parts of the Rift Valley and Central  Province regions will receive near to normal rainfall, but other parts of the country, particularly eastern, north-eastern and coastal regions will receive below normal rainfall.

The rains are expected to begin between the first week of October, and the first week of November, and to end between the first and fourth week of December respectively in various parts of the country.

The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) appeared before the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on health, to table information on the procurements of hospitals participating in the outpatient scheme, actuarial study reports and minutes of previous board deliberations on the roll out outpatient cover. The PSC was however dissatisfied with the information brought forth by the NHIF, and asked them to return in seven days with the appropriate documents, showing the day to day costs of piloting a project that was carried out in a period of 6 months, in Nairobi and Mumias which involved a total of 250,000 and 50,000 people respectively.

The hospital procurers include Thika Road Hospital, Clinix Hospital, Meridian, and Nairobi West Hospital. The health packages offered include health and wellness education, specialised counseling, and family planning, to ensure quality services and sustainability of the scheme.

Led by the NHIF CEO Richard Kerichi, the fund presented before the committee actuarial reports and minutes of previous board deliberations used during the 6 month pilot project, that involved 250,000 participants from Nairobi, and 50,000 from Mumias.

There was heated debate, however, on the PSC side, as they insisted on being shown in detail how some of the transactions pertaining to cash accounts were paid to the said health providers.

The PSC was represented by Ikolomai Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Bonny Khalwale, Nyando MP Fred Outa, and Laisamis MP Joseph Lekuton, among others, who asked the NHIF to present proper recommendations, explaining the role an employer will play in the scheme, and how much a person's employer is to pay in the outpatient scheme.

The NHIF will reappear before the PSC in seven days to provide them with clear, proper and detailed documents and minutes, on how the day to day of the pilot program was carried out.

The parliamentary caucus on reforms has faulted the government's approach to the reform process. The MPs have told President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga to ensure that all ministers still holding political party positions to relinquish them..as they are holding them in violation of the new Constitution. The MPs have further vowed to paralyse government business until the ministers conform.

The parliamentary caucus on reforms has hit out at the government over its style of implementing the new Constitution. The group of MPs has called on the government to effect administrative reforms, as the nation waits for Parliament to deal with the legislative reforms. The MPs now want the two Premiers to ensure that cabinet ministers still holding political party positions relinquish them, and  conform to the new Constitution.

The ministers should have given up their party positions immediately after they were sworn in, when the Constitution was promulgated. Some of the ministers still holding political party positions are Industrialization Minister Henry Kosgei, who is the ODM chairman, the party's secretary general, Medical Services Minister Professor Anyang' Nyong'o, and Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, who is chairman of the KANU party.

On the PNU side, Internal Security Minister Professor George Saitoti is the party chairman, while his energy counterpart, Mr Kiraitu Murungi is the secretary general. Others are ODM-Kenya chairman Samuel Poghisio and secretary general Mutula Kilonzo, who are the Information and Justice Ministers respectively.

The legislators have given the government until the 28th of this month, when Parliament reopens, to effect the directive, on failure of which they have vowed to paralyse government business until the government conforms.

The high court on Tuesday ordered the Police Commmissioner and the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit Commandant to appear in court on Thursday over the arrest and detention one Habib Suleiman Njoroge and his brother Yahya Suleiman Mbuthia. The two were arrested and held in connection with the Kampala bombings.

The arrest of a Kenyan radio journalist on Sunday, on suspicion that he facilitated and masterminded the plan of the twin Kampala bombings further saw his wife arrested on Monday. In the latest news, his sister, one Aisha Suleiman, has moved to court to challenge the detention of her brothers. Ms Suleiman is calling their detention illegal, as no charges have been mentioned to them as yet.

The Anti-Terrorism Police Unit is said to have arrested one Mr Suleiman Mbuthia, along Mombasa road, near City Cabannas, and from inside a bus en route to Mombasa, on the 25th August this year. They subsequently arrested one Mr Suleiman Njoroge, a radio presenter with Radio Salaam in Mombasa on the 4th of September.

The two, who were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the Kampala twin bombings in July, are said to be detained without their family or legal counsel's knowledge of their whereabouts.

Family lawyer Mbugua Mureithi, on behalf of their sister Ms Suleiman, is now seeking the protection of the court, claiming that the two are Kenyan citizens by birth, and entitled to all a Kenyan's rights under the constitution. They further hold that the two were arrested and detained without trial, and that extrajudicial detention of the two amounts to torture, cruel and inhumane punishment.

The court has ordered the  Police Commissioner and the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit Commandant to appear in court on Thursday.