2007年VOA标准英语-Kenyan Health Minister Denies Wrongdoing

By Nick Wadhams
Nairobi
03 August 2007

Kenya's health minister was detained on Thursday for allegedly helping¹ a protester escape from a Nairobi jail. As Nick Wadhams reports from our East Africa bureau, even though the minister has been released, her allies suspect it is the latest twist in political maneuvers² ahead of presidential elections later this year.

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Charity Ngilu, surrounded by plain clothes officers, shows her anger as she is detained at the Kenyan Criminal Investigations Department Headquarters in Nairobi, 3 Aug 2007

The health minister, Charity Ngilu, was taken into custody⁴ late Thursday and released from custody on Friday. She claims she was trying to help a jailed woman seek medical care after she was beaten by police.

Observers say the detention⁵ casts the government of President Mwai Kibaki in an unflattering light because the woman that Ngilu was helping was among a group of people arrested earlier this week during a demonstration⁶.

The group was protesting a proposal in parliament to give each lawmaker a bonus of more than $85,000 before the current term expires. Kenya's parliamentarians have already been criticized for giving themselves some of the highest salaries of lawmakers anywhere in the world.

The lawmakers earn more than $150,000 a year compared to the average Kenyan income of $550 a year.

Kenya's police commissioner⁷, Mohammed Hussein Ali, denies Ngilu was arrested and says she was only been brought in for questioning. A judge released the protesters on Thursday because they were not charged within 24 hours as the law requires.

"What we have here is a situation where we have called her in for interrogation yesterday and today to record statements and to answer a few questions with a view to compiling a case file that will inform whether or not we go to court," he said. "That in itself does not constitute arrest or decision on arraignment⁸, or for that matter, it should not be used politically for this or that reason."

This is the first time during President Kibaki's four years in office that Kenyan police have detained a Cabinet minister. Observers say this case is odd because Ngilu was allowed to leave the police station with the woman and to return afterwards.

Ngilu's detention is drawing accusations⁹ that President Kibaki is playing politics as he prepares to seek a second term in office. Some observers have speculated that Mr. Kibaki wants Ngilu removed as chairwoman of the President's NARC political party. Then, the president could install someone who would strengthen his bid for another term.

"Ngilu is being persecuted¹⁰ because she has refused to hand over NARC to Honorable Kibaki to run for a second term as she is supposed to relinquish¹¹ the chairmanship of the party to an appointed agent of the president so that the president can feel comfortable enough to run on NARC ticket for a second term," said lawmaker Otieno Kajwang, who is an ally of the health minister.

Last week, Mr. Kibaki appointed his predecessor¹², Daniel Arap Moi, as envoy¹³ to Sudan in a move that was widely seen as an effort to bolster¹⁴ the president's political base. Recently, the president reinstated several high-ranking government officials who had been previously¹⁵ accused of corruption¹⁶ in what was seen as a bid to win their constituents¹⁷' favor ahead of the election.

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 maneuvers   

n.策略，谋略，花招( maneuver的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He suspected at once that she had been spying upon his maneuvers. 他立刻猜想到，她已经侦察到他的行动。 来自辞典例句
• Maneuvers in Guizhou occupied the Reds for four months. 贵州境内的作战占了红军四个月的时间。 来自辞典例句

3 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

4 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

5 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

6 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

7 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

8 arraignment   

n.提问，传讯，责难

参考例句：

• She was remanded to juvenile detention at her arraignment yesterday. 她昨天被送回了对少年拘留在她的传讯。 来自互联网
• Wyatt asks the desk clerk which courthouse he is being transferred to for arraignment. 他向接待警员询问了马宏将在哪个法庭接受传讯。 来自互联网

9 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

10 persecuted   

（尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人

参考例句：

• Throughout history, people have been persecuted for their religious beliefs. 人们因宗教信仰而受迫害的情况贯穿了整个历史。
• Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。

11 relinquish   

v.放弃，撤回，让与，放手

参考例句：

• He was forced to relinquish control of the company.他被迫放弃公司的掌控权。
• They will never voluntarily relinquish their independence.他们绝对不会自动放弃独立。

12 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

13 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

14 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

15 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

16 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

17 constituents   

n.选民( constituent的名词复数 )；成分；构成部分；要素

参考例句：

• She has the full support of her constituents. 她得到本区选民的全力支持。
• Hydrogen and oxygen are the constituents of water. 氢和氧是水的主要成分。 来自《简明英汉词典》