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Self-declared Hustler Nation spokesperson Dennis Itumbi has given the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) a 24-hour ultimatum to make public a comprehensive list of those who reportedly benefitted from the Kemsa scandal.

A damning investigative story by NTV last year had exposed how a few individuals siphoned billions of shillings from the medical supplies agency through fraudulent tenders.

This forced President Uhuru Kenyatta to order investigation into the matter and submit a comprehensive report to him within 21 days.

Through a social media post on Tuesday afternoon, Itumbi has threatened to make public a list of the beneficiaries of the scandal, after the expiry of the 2-hour ultimatum at 1400 hrs on Wednesday.

The former State House employee claims that his team of investigators from the Hustler Nation Intelligent Bureau (HNIB) have gathered the evidence.

He noted that HNIB which works for Deputy President William Ruto’s UDA party will make public the companies and the real beneficiaries of the scandal.

“It shall be done via a live Social Media Address right on this space. HNIB promised months ago, we would investigate and AFTER 8 months we have completed our investigations,” reads part of Itumbi’s post.

For security reasons, Itumbi noted that the information is secured with fifteen other people.

Below is Itumbi’s Facebook post.

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Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei has called for President Uhuru Kenyatta to fire Interior Cabinet secretary Fred Matiang’i, his devolution counterpart Eugine Wamalwa and ICT’s Joe Mucheru.

Speaking in a press conference on Monday November 1, 2021, Cherargei claimed that the three cabinet secretaries are aiding the rigging of the 2022 general elections in favor of ODM leader Raila.

Cherargei who is Deputy President William Ruto’s staunch supporter said the cabinet secretaries who hold delicate positions in the government have publicly declared their support for the former Prime Minister.

According to the lawmaker, retaining of positions by the three ministers is the first path to unfair election results. 

According to Cherargei, firing them will help maintain peace and integrity as the country heads to the next general elections.

“I want to request President Kenyatta that in the interest of the peace and integrity of elections in this country, they must be fired or given lighter duties. There is no way we can have the Minister of Interior, Defence and Information and Communications Technology support one candidate as we approach the General Election,” Cherargei stated.

He further noted that is unfair for the Ruto-led United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party, and if the three retain their positions, there will not be integrity in the elections. 

He also advised the ODM party leader to take the three ministers and make them his campaign managers, since they have openly declared their support for him.

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The legal battle between former Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko and Deputy Governor Ann Kananu could deny Nairobi County a substantive governor until after the 2022 elections.

Another whose fate is on the balance is the Nairobi Metropolitan Service because a deed of transfer of functions to the National Government is expected to expire in March next year. This can only be extended by a substantive office holder with the backing of the County Assembly.

While the elections are 10 months away, Sonko’s move to the Supreme Court to stop the swearing in of Ms. Kananu as governor has lifted the lid on a ploy to delay her ascension to power through legal hurdles.

On Monday, the Supreme Court stopped Kananu’s ascension to the seat after Sonko challenged a Court of Appeal decision on Friday that dismissed his case against her assumption of office.

The Court of Appeal declared that the ex-governor has been out of office for more than 10 months hence he is no longer the county boss.

Legal experts have argued that these supremacy battles could lead to the governor’s office remaining vacant until August 9, 2022.

Constitutional lawyer Bobby Mkangi has argued that that Sonko’s appeals have led to litigation suits that continue to delay the selection of a substantive governor.

He noted that Kananu has no option but to wait until the legal suits are done away with and the courts decide the way forward for Nairobi.

Also, there is another pending case at the Appelate court that seeks to establish whether Sonko was illegally impeached. The case is coming up for consideration and determination next month.

Mkangi argued that Sonko’s move to the Supreme Court will buy him time. He added that Nairobi County could go for a by-election if the court finds out Kananu’s appointment was unlawful.

If the court finds she’s in office illegally, then this will give IEBC a chance to plan for a by-election within 90 days even as the Speaker occupies the seat in acting capacity.

Kananu who is acting governor is currently barred from conducting some Executive roles as stipulated in Section 30 of the County Government Act and the Constitution.

Sonko is still hopeful of reclaiming his seat. He told his followers in a video clip shared on his Facebook page to be patient and wait for November when the petition challenging the removal will be heard.

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According to Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), a total of 224 polling stations might bring headache since they have no network coverage, a move that might disadvantage transmission of results.

CA Director General Ezra Chiloba yesterday told the senate ICT Committee that if no action is taken between now and August, then the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission will be compelled to use satellite mobile phones to transmit from the areas.

Ezra Chiloba said that CA is making all efforts to ensure that most polling stations and centers are covered with either 3G or 4G network.

Submission of electoral results to IEBC headquarters is by law supposed to be done electronically from the polling stations, and was the min sticking point in the 2017 elections, as this was not proved to have been done in many cases due to lack of reliable internet connectivity.

The Supreme Court in the 2017 that nullified the presidential elections narrowed down on 11,000 polling stations, some of them in Kiambu, Murang’a, Kisumu, and other places that generally should have good internet network, and with the IEBC said could not transmit their results forms because of lack of connectivity.

Mr. Chiloba has said 481 polling centers that have 2G network coverage will be upgraded to 3G and/ or 4G network before the polls.

Mot of these 224 polling stations are in marginalized areas. Chiloba said that CA is facing challenges such as insecurity and resistance from the communities in the region in ensuring they are covered.

“You got to Turkana for example to ensure that they have network but the locals will tell you they need water and not network,” Mr. Chiloba told the committee chaired by Baringo Senator Gideon.

He said that due to accessibility challenges, the electoral commission is yet to submit GPS coordinates of 140 polling centers so that they can be covered.

However, Kitui SEnator Enock Wambua asked why the network coverage issue was being addressed late.

“An election cycle is five years in Kenya, why wait until few months before elections to release that some areas don’t have network. Why do I have the feeling that CA is just concerned with the 2022 elections and connecting various parts of the country to network coverage?” he asked.

Nominated Senator Abshiro Halake told Chiloba to ensure that technology will be an equiliser for all the regions ahead of the 2022 elections.

She also expressed concerns why some regions have no network totally yet some regions are set for an upgrade of 3G to 4G.

In as situational brief on September this year, IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati told CA to solve the issue of of 3G internet network, which the commission says only covers 83.6 percent of the country.

However, Mr. Chiloba on Monday told the senators that 3G network coverage now stands at 97 percent of the country.

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President Uhuru Kenyatta has moved to the court of appeal to file a notice of appeal against the High Court’s order that requires him to appoint six judges he had rejected over alleged integrity issues, within 14 days.

The President had refused to appoint the six judges citing intelligence briefs from the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

However, the Judicial Service Commission, which did the vetting of 41 judges to be appointed argued that the brief did not provide evidence.

The President has said he is not happy with the ruling rendered a week ago by Justices George Dulu, William Musyoka and James Wakiaga. Through lawyer Wawru Gatonye, he intends to appeal against the entire 69-page judgement.

The appeal comes two days after Attorney General Paul Kihara Kariuki also filed a similar notice, signaling that the impasse may continue.

The attorney general lodged his notice through deputy Chief State Counsel Emmanuel Bitta.

The President and the AG are aggrieved by the court’s ruling that the Head of State can be sidestepped in the appointment of judges.

Both want to challenge a finding by the court that should the President fail to make the appointments and facilitate an oath-taking ceremony within 14 days, he will lose control of the process and the judges will be deemed dully appointed.

The judges at the center of the legal dispute are George dunga, Aggrey Muchelule, Joel Ngugi and Weldon Korir, together with Mombasa Chief Magistrate Evans Makori and High Court Judith Omange.

When the 14 days given to the president lapse, it will be presumed his power or authority on the issue will be deemed duly appointed to their respective offices, said the High Court.

Subsequently, Chief Justice Martha Koome and JSC will be at liberty to take all necessary steps in having the nominees sworn in and assigned duties.

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As the countdown to 2022 general elections continues, there are 15 vote-rich counties that are possibly the determinants of the winner in the presidential contest between Deputy President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga.

In an analysis done by Nation.Africa, the two most recent presidential elections shows the 15 counties made all the difference between Jubilee Party’s double wins and the opposition’s losses.

It indicates their huge bearing on the August polls if past voting patterns are repeated.

In 2013, Uhuru Kenyatta beat his opponent Mr. Odinga by a thin margin of 800,000 votes, and only 8000 ballots separated them from going into a run-off based on the electoral rules that require a winning presidential candidate to secure above 50 percent of total votes cast.

While in 2017, President Kenyatta garnered more votes and the margin between him and Raila Odinga widened by 1.5 million votes. This change was immensely contributed by the 15 counties which all gave Jubilee Party 1.1 million votes.

In seven of these counties; Murang’a, Nyandarua, Marsabit, Kisii, Nyeri, Kirinyaga and Nyamira- Raila’s votes reduced by over 80,000 in 2017 compared to 2013. While Mr. Kenyatta’s votes gained almost 500,000 extra votes in the seven counties in 2017.

This has made Mr. Odinga to work hard in campaigning in these counties to woo Jubilee voters.

The other counties that assisted Uhuru Kenyatta to lead were Kiambu, Nakuru, Tharaka Nithi, Meru, Embu Turkana, Uasin Gishu and Laikipia.

The current political rivals, Raila Odinga and DP Ruto have camped in these counties lately as campaigns gather momentum, showing an analytical approach to the rivals’ vote-hunting strategies.

Although the Supreme Court nullified 2017 results, the figures are the only reliable numbers to compare voting patterns with 2013.

Importantly, these 15 counties account for a third of the recently projected new voters that IEBC targets to register by next year’s General Election.

The counties are home to approximately 2.8 million of the potential 9.2 million new voters that the electoral body aims to register.

What this means is that the presidential aspirants must work hard to get the high voter turn out in these regions.

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Deputy President William Ruto on Friday 22nd October, 2021 revealed that he has a water-tight plan to protect his votes from being manipulated by the deep state.

While addressing a crowd in Kakamega, he stated that he will ensure that the group does not stop him from ascending to power should he win the elections.

The second in command exuded confidence that he will win the presidency in next year’s polls should his supporters come out in large numbers to vote.

He also told of the Mt. Kenya Foundation that as been holding series of meetings with his competitors.

He claimed that they are wasting their time thinking they have the wherewithal to decide for Kenyans who their next president is.

“Hotel and boardroom meetings shall not bear fruit in the next presidential race. The decision on the leadership of Kenya shall be made by millions of Kenyans comprising the youth who are faced with unemployment menace and poor women who struggle to put food on the tables,” he said.

He emphasized the shift of economic model from the trickle-down model to his preferred bottom-up economic model.

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The High Court has ordered President Uhuru Kenyatta to appoint the six judges he left out in June last year within 14 days.

According to Justices William Musyoka, James Wakiaga and George Dulu, the president does not have power to change the list of judges recommended by the Judicial Service Commission.

The judges also have ordered the president to pay the cost of the suit saying he went against the constitution and the Judicial Service Commission Act when he rejected the judges.

“The constitution commands the president t appoint the Judges upon receiving their name and has repeatedly said their is no discretion on his part to select a partial list of names,” ruled the judges.

The judges ruled that failure to appoint the six judges, they will be deemed to be duly appointed and the Chief Justice in conjunction with the Judicial Service Commission will be free to take all the necessary steps to swear them in

The three bench judges noted that there was a constitutional duty cast on the president to appoint the judges once their names are forwarded to him by JSC and that duty was owed to Kenyans in general as the appointments are meant to benefit all.

The petition had been filed by Katiba Institute challenging the partial appointment of the partial list of the 41 judges by the president.

The institute argued that the selective appointment by Uhuru would undermine the functions and powers of the Judicial Service Commission and the functioning of the judiciary.

The president had refused to gazette or appoint the recommended judges until June 3 when he appointed 34 judges out of the recommended 41 nominees.

Those that were left out were: Justices George Vincent Odunga, Joel Mwaura Ngugi, Weldon Kipyegon Korir, Aggrey Muchelule Otsyula, and Magistrates Evans Makori Kiago and Judith Elizabeth Omange Cheruiyot.

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Yusuf Abubakar is not a new name in the Coast region as he is known by many for defending those accused of terrorism.

Having practiced his profession for 23 years, he didn’t know the career he chose would make or destroy him. In a candid interview with Nation, he reveals how he has become an enemy to many.

The lawyer says that he has received threats many times because of defending the most-wanted terrorists in court.

He defended the late Sheikh Aboud Rogo and Salim Mohammed who is currently being sought by security agents. He takes pride that all those he defends have never been convicted.

His problems started when the police accused him of meddling in their affairs. Also, he has been perceived as an enemy by the community.

“But I will never regret the path I chose, because not only has it given me experience but it has also taught me lessons,” said Abubakar.

He further said his challenge is when he is defending a murder or terror suspect, because he is going against the State to prove that the accused is innocent.

He said since he defended Aboud Rogo and his wife, it has never been an easy journey for him.

People lashed out at him saying he is defending terrorists and criminals, adding that he is proud those he defended have never been convicted.

Abubakar said he has no security even when his life comes to danger, “My security is God only.”

He has received blames from the affected families, blaming him for defending suspects.

He also revealed that he also deals with murder cases. He said Omar Lali’s murder case where he was accused of killing Keroche heiress Tecra Muigai was a unique one.

He said although Omar Lali was a poor man fighting against a rich family, he is proud for succeeding in proving his innocence in Lamu before the case was transferred to a court in Garsen, Tana River County where he also succeeded in proving his innocence.

“When defending murder and terror you have to be keen, careful and gather enough evidence,” said Abubakar.

He added that Hemed Salim’s case is still fresh in his mind. This is after Salim was abducted in 2014 outside Masjid Musa in Mombasa and they are still following up on his whereabouts seven years later.

Despite being a tough lawyer, he also experiences hard times. He recalled some of his toughest cases being those of by-election petitions in Shela and Ganda wards.

“It is difficult for a petitioner to succeed in such cases but we won the Shela one in 2013 and Ganda in 2017,” he said.

He recalls his childhood days and what made him choose to be a lawyer. He said back then, they lived as squatters in their land with no place to call home.

His father didn’t own a title deed and this prevented him from getting a loan to send Abubakar to a good school.

Witnessing his father receiving threats daily rekindled his passion to go for law as a career.

Having been born and raised in Gazi, Kwale County, he went to Makongeni Primary School before proceeding to Barani School in Kanamai Kilifi County.

He later transferred to Serani Primary School in Mombasa County where he completed Standard Eight in 1986.

He later joined Shimo La Tewa High School where he sat for his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exams in 1990.

Abubakar then joined University of Nairobi for law between 1992 and 1996. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in 1998.

Since then, he has been practicing law and he said at 52 years, he is proud to have touched all fields of law.

Abubakar has tackled criminal, constitutional, land, Kadhi, terror and murder cases.

He declared that his interest is in politics currently. “In 2004, I contested the Kisauni MP’s seat under Shirikisho Party where I was Secretary General, But I lost and emerged number three.”

He said he believes he can balance politics and law and that is why he is going to try it in 2022 by contesting for a seat in Lamu County.

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The ongoing nationwide curfew will be lifted soon, President Uhuru Kenyatta has said.

The head of state who on Monday October 18, 2021 met a section of Kirinyaga County leaders urged Kenyans to however, continue observing Covid-19 protocols.

The meeting happened at the Sagana State Lodge in Nyeri county for what State House has described as a series of official engagements with leaders.

President Kenyatta hinted at ending the curfew amid protests from Kenyans, following the rise in political rallies across the country.

Earlier on, there were speculations that the nationwide curfew which has been in force since March 2020 when Kenya reported its first cases of Covid-19 will be ended during this year’s Mashujaa Day celebrations.

Among the leaders who met the president are those from Kirinyaga county who are expected to discuss preparations for Wednesday’s Mashujaa Day.

Interior PS Karanja Kibicho and Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru are among the leaders meeting the president.

This year’s Mashujaa Day will be held at Wang’uru Stadium in Mwea.

Uhuru urged Kirinyaga leaders to unite and work together as a team to achieve faster development and prosperity for their County.

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ODM leader Raila Odinga was on Saturday October 16, 2021 forced to cut short his speech while on his tour of Isiolo County.

Raila was in the North Eastern region to sell his Azimio la Umoja agenda, which is aimed at uniting the country ahead of the 2022 General elections.

Suna East MP Junet Mohammed was forced to intervene after residents of Isiolo continuously heckled when the former Prime Minister was addressing them.

The residents were demanding to be addressed by their former governor Godana Doyo.

They were not happy with their current governor Mohammed Kuti and demanded to be addressed by their former governor who was also present among other leaders.

“Kuti must go! Kuti must go! and “Doyo Doyo Doyo!” rented the air.

Raila is in one of his campaign trail in the parts of Isiolo to campaign for his 2022 presidential bid.

On Friday, Raila stormed Deputy President William Ruto’s home turf, bringing Eldoret town to a Standstill.

He was welcomed by a momoth crowd, unlike the expectations of many people.

DP Ruto on the other hand has pitched camp in the coastal region, trying to woo voters ahead of the next year’s succession politics.

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Deputy President William Ruto has on Saturday 16, 2021 continued to invite his political rival, ODM leader Raila Odinga, to the hustler narrative faction.

While addressing residents at a rally in Kongowea market in Mombasa County, Ruto said that there have been a paradigm shift in the political discourse in the country.

Ruto boasted that his ultimate aim of bettering the lives of the downtrodden in the society has shifted Raila’s focus in politics.

“When we told our competitors that political debate in Kenya will take a paradigm shift, they did not believe us. Today they have all accepted that we must focus as a country in empowering hustlers and improving the economy,” he said.

According to Ruto, Raila is now popularizing policies akin to those he champions for through his bottom-up economic model, an economic model he says is aimed at supporting SMEs.

The DP however criticized the ODM leader accusing him of pushing a short-term solutions to the problems facing the small business sector.

He stated that Rail’s Sh. 6,000 offer as monthly stipend to the youth is not only unsustainable but also re-introduction of trickle down economic approach.

He continued to take a swipe at Raila that the ODM supremo has continued with the culture of handouts that has left a section of Kenyans self-insufficient and over dependent on political class.

Ruto said Raila has succumbed to pressure and is now speaking about growing the economy. ” welcome him to hustler narrative bandwagon but he should avoid propagating the hand out culture. Hustlers need money to support their businesses and to improve their lives, not hand outs,” he said.

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ODM leader Raila Odinga on Friday October 15, 2021 brought Eldoret town to a standstill as a mammoth crowd came to welcome him.

The former premier is currently on a tour of the Rift Valley region that has been perceived to be Deputy President William Ruto’s backyard.

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Raila started his tour with an engagement with leaders drawn from counties of the North and South Rift.

Hosted by Elgeyo Marakwet Alex Tolgos and other notable leaders, the 2022 presidential candidate sought to woo residents and leaders of the region that massively voted for him in 2007.

Raila sought to distance himself from the accusations that he abandoned the region after he entered the grand coalition government with the retired president Mwai Kibaki.

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In his 2022 promises to the region, the ODM leader promised to revive defunct industries and factories that used the economy of the greater Rift Valley region.

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High Court sitting on Tuesday morning rejected the decision by the state to roll out Huduma number cards ruling out that it was illegal.

Justice Jairus Ngaah during his ruling faulted the government for not conducting a data protection impact assessment before rolling out Huduma Number cards last year.

The High Court Has also ordered the government to carry out an impact assessment before rolling out the Huduma cards.

“Order of mandamus is hereby issued compelling the government to conduct a data protection impact assessment in accordance with Section 31 of the data protection act before processing of data and rolling out the Huduma cards,” ordered the judge.

This decision comes after Katiba Institute and law scholar Yash Pal Ghai challenged the roll out of the cards over lack of guarantees of theft of misuse of Kenyans’ personal information.

The lobby group and Yash Pal Ghai argued that the state failed to subject the fresh registration of Kenyans to data protection impact assessment (DPIA) which is a requirement under the law.

The assessment’s objectives is to flag risks that could reveal breaches of privacy, loss of data and unlawful use of information like names, date of birth, post codes and residences.

Currently, majority of Kenyans have received Huduma Namba cards after its roll out. The current national identity cards will be invalidated on December this year.

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When Florence Akinyi Omollo gave birth to her daughter in 2019, she was elated. Little did she know this joy wouldn’t last long as her baby began developing persistent chest problems.

She resorted to getting the best medication for her daughter Everlyne Tiffany Owino by going to India on October 3.

The girl was to undergo an open-heart-surgery at New Delhi’s Fortis Escort Heart Institute (FEHI).

Since their stay was to last for three months in India, and the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) having committed to pay Ksh 500,000 as part of the bill, she decided to travel while her husband, a mechanic in Umoja Inner core, mobilized funds through friends and relatives.

She found out she was wrong after realizing that the surgery would cost Ksh 1 million. A double price from the 500,000 NHIF had committed to pay.

Since October 33, the little girl has not been admitted due to lack of hospital fees. On October 6, FEHI wrote to confirm that they had received the NHIF’s Guarantee of Payment (GOP) but noted the estimated cost was higher than ‘GOP.’

The mother is now forced to stay with her daughter in an affordable hotel in India, the girl survives only on suckling or blended fruits.

Akinyi has maintained that nothing can stop her from finding the straight and hopes.

Her decision to move to India was as a result of the doctor’s warning that time was running out and that the surgery would have to be done before the end of October.

With the decision she made with her husband, she traveled to India with the baby while the husband remained in Nairobi to organize a fund drive. Her return ticket cost sh 94,000.

“Due to the complexity of the case and severe PAH (Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension), the baby has been referred abroad where the pulmonary measures can be managed,” wrote Kenyatta National Hospital’s Naomi Gachara, the KNH’s Pediatric Cardiologist.

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Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga might have suffered a blow after One Kenya Alliance Principals made a new move to bar him from re-uniting with them.

The team has revealed that they will sign a coalition agreement that prevents them from joining any political coalition.

Sources have revealed that OKA technical committee are working tirelessly to have a coalition agreement signed by the principals as soon as possible.

The agreement will bring together six senior political bigwigs in the country, that is, ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi, Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka, KANU’s Gideon Moi, Ford Kenya’s Moses Wetangula and Cyrus Jirongo who recently joined the alliance.

Kimilili MP Chris Wamalwa has said that the technical committee has finalized the coalition’s instrument which seeks to bring the principals together.

The news about this coalition agreement comes a day after Kalonzo Musyoka vowed never to back Raila in his presidential bid. He said it is time for the ODM chief to support him having done the same for him in the last two elections.

Kalonzo also urged Raila to retire from politics noting that he is old enough to go home. Kalonzo expressed confidence that OKA is becoming a serious political challenger in 2022 contest and urged other political parties to join them.

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