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By:
HARRISON MAINA | |||||||||
| Posted:
Mar,19-2018 21:49:11
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Lauded everywhere in Africa and across the globe for a supreme court ruling that nullified the first 2017 Kenyan Presidential elections August 8th for irregularities committed by IEBC, Kenya's electoral body, Chief Justice and president of the Supreme Court of Kenya David Maraga will be arriving in Boston this week to deliver the opening keynote speech at the 9th Annual African Development Conference organized by Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Maraga will be accompanied by Justice Professor Joel Ngugi, the Presiding judge at the High court in Kiambu whorecently nullified the electionof one of the first ever women Members of Parliament in Gatundu North, Wanjiku wa Kibe following a petition by former MP, Clement Waibara. Maraga will deliver the keynote on Friday at 3pm, while professor Ngugi, an award winning professor at the University Of Washington School Of Law who later relocated back to Kenya to lead the Judiciary Training Institute that serves to reinvent the delivery of justice in Kenya and now serves as the Presiding Judge in the Kiambu High court, will lead a workshop panel on Saturday at 11.am in an event that is open to the public. Professor Ngugi is also alumni of the Harvard University School of Law and practiced law in Massachusetts before relocating back to his motherland.
Maraga's keynote will take place at the Ames Conference hall after which a memorial and cocktail mixer will be held in honor of the late renowned Kenyan professor, Calestous Juma who taught at the Harvard Kennedy School for many years before his death from Cancer in December 2017. According to official information from the Harvard Kennedy School, the late Juma was a Professor of the Practice of International Development and Director of the Science, Techonology and GlobalizationProjectat the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Faculty Chair of theMason Fellows Program. He also directed the Center'sAgricultural Innovation Policy in Africa Projectand Health Innovation Policy in Africa projects funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The late Kenyan served as Faculty Chair of the Edward S. Mason Fellows Program as well as Faculty Chair of the"Innovation for Economic Development"and "Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Africa" executive programs. During the annual conference that attracts top leaders from around the world to debate on various issues affecting the African continent, Somalia's former president, Hassan Sheik Mohammed will deliver a second Keynote speech on Saturday at 2.45pm, with Amina Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations delivering the closing keynote at 5.15pm. Themed : "Our Time Our Vision: Wielding Africa's potential for Sustainable Growth"the 2018 conference, aims to bring to light modern approaches to internally grown development strategies across Africa that emphasize unity and a common vision in the attainment of sustainable growth.
Keynote speeches and plenary hall panel discussions will revolve around strategies derived from three major pillars of sustainable growth: Democracy and Good Governance; Technology and Development, and Economic Partnerships. Maraga's ruling was hailed by many as heroic as election irregularities and voter manipulation have caused havoc in presidential elections in Africa, especially with many African rulers defying any court rulings that don't go in their favor. However, shockingly, Kenya's president, Uhuru Kenyatta decided to comply with Maraga's ruling and subjected himself to a repeat election that he ended up winning by a landslide after opposition leader; Raila Odinga abstained, citing failure by the IEBC to institute electoral reforms the opposition was advancing. Together with other principals of the NASA coalition, Raila rejected to recognize Kenyatta as the legitimately elected president of Kenya despite a Supreme Court ruling delivered by Maraga upholding the repeat elections held Octorber 26 as a free and fair process.
Raila's then moved to lead his Nasa coalition supporters in civil disobedience activities that culminated in his self appointment as the "people's president" at an event held at the Uhuru park in Nairobi. The move plunged Kenya into an unprecedented political crisis as countrymen became even more polarized along tribal lines, dealing a further blow to economic growth that had slumped during the electioneering period as investors held tight to their wallets as they adopted a wait and see position. Nasa's other principals, including deputy Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wentang'ula failed to attend the swearing-in ceremony without logical explanations, a move that was seen as having let Raila and ODM party down. Kenyatta's government also moved hard to crack on Nasa coalition agents who administered the "illegal oath" to Raila that culminated in the arrest of Ruaraka MP, Tom Kajwang and fiery lawyer, Miguna Miguna, both of whom administered the oath. Miguna was later bundled into a plane and deported back to Canada where he held a dual citizenship, although the high court in Kenya eventually ruled the move as illegal and ordered Miguna be issued with a Kenyan passport to travel back whenever he wished. However, in a shocking development, Raila and Uhuru, both sons of Kenya's founding fathers, came together to announce the end of hostilities between the ruling Jubilee coalition and NASA opposition two weeks ago and came up with a common development strategy aimed at uplifting the economic lives of all Kenyan citizens regardless of their party affiliation. As the chief Justice, Maraga is still overseeing the resolution of many election petitions in Kenya that have seen about 20 MPS, Governors and Senators lose their victories and now awaiting heated by- elections. "We welcome the Kenyan community in Boston to join these and other events they may be interested in that will take place at the 2018 ADC conference. We may also be able to organize a meeting between the Kenyan community ad Justice Maraga if time and schedule allows," said Jacqulene Mwangi, one of the organizers of this year's conference. Speaking to Ajabu Africa News, Mwangi said that organizers have agreed to offer a 50% discount off the event ticket prices to the Kenyan and African Diaspora community members who would with to attend. As a result, regular tickets to attend the two day event will now go for $48.60 to attend the conference only, and $59.10 to attend both the conference and networking cocktail party, down from $95.87 and $116.88 respectively. Tickets costs cover both dinner and drinks. To purchase tickets, click on the link below: https://ticketbud.com/events/47adf15e-01cf-11e8-b901-4fcec0fbc8a7?pc=KenyaMA | |||||||||
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Source:
AJABU AFRICA NEWS
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