KENYADeja Vu All Over Again
Kenya’s presidential election continues to drag on, with the country’s Supreme Court now set to decide whether or not to validate the results of the repeat poll held Oct. 26.
As in the first election held Aug. 8, incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta won reelection for another five-year term last month after the court granted opposition leader Raila Odinga’s request for fresh polls. But a new petition from a former member of parliament calling for this result to be discarded as well will delay Kenyatta’s swearing-in for at least 14 days, Kenya’s Standard newspaper reported.
If the judges again nullify the vote, it will be January before another one can be held.
Former MP Harun Mwau claimed the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission failed to follow the correct procedure in conducting the fresh presidential election, adding that the outcome was unconstitutional.
The prolonged standoff has undermined Kenya’s reputation as one of Africa’s top investment destinations contributed to election-related violence that human rights groups say has killed as many as 80 people, Bloomberg noted.
DISCOVERIESWork Hard
Smokers in Japan now have more incentive to call it quits – an extra week of vacation.
Piala, a marketing firm based in Tokyo, is extending the deal – a week of extra vacation for non-smokers – to its employees in order to promote a healthier lifestyle and increase productivity, CNN Money reported.
The decision came on the heels of non-smoking employees complaining that their smoking colleagues were working less due to their occasional cigarette breaks. Hirotaka Matsushima, the firm’s spokesman, claimed that his average employee spends almost 40 minutes away from his or her desk during the work day just blowing smoke.
That’s why the cessation tactic is a “win-win,” he said: Workers become more productive, while getting a bit more down time in return.
So far, only four of 42 smokers have kicked the habit, but putting out that cigarette butt once and for all is catching on in Japan. With the 2020 Tokyo Olympics approaching, the government is taking initiatives to curb public smoking.
With 20 percent of the population of Japan hooked on cigarettes, that’s a daunting task, which is why innovative cessation techniques are grabbing attention.
“We don’t give punishment for smoking,” said Matsushima. “Instead, we offer a benefit for not smoking.”
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