Central Province leaders are cleverly scheming to use the Mungiki menace enable Raila make his own political noose. Unless the Prime Minister knows something that ordinary Kenyans are not privy too, Njenja Karume and co are cleverly hiding under Raila’s pragmatic and proactive suggestion to engage the Mungiki militia in dialogue to cleanse their bloodied trails.
PNU is rediscovering its DECEPTIVE traits by pretending to hail the gesture to talk to Mungiki knowing very well they are the PRINCIPAL financiers and beneficiaries of the murderous edifice. True to their characteristic these chaps are more than willing to export their local problems to the rest of Kenya when it suits them most. Their script is so predictable so much so that you need not think very hard to see them eventually turning around demonizing their subject of collective hate when crunch time beckons.
Mungiki has equally perfected DECEPTION and taken it to new level in pulling wool on our eyes when they shamelessly claim to have supported and voted for ODM. And the lies don’t stop there. Maina Njenja takes it a notch higher by rubbing it in that by extension Mungiki considers itself as part of the coalition government. So we must assume that those foul-mouthed gangs led by Ndura Waruinge in the streets of Nairobi in support of Kibaki during the post elections violence were aliens from Mars.
Clever political extermination
Politics of DECEPTION as personified by Kibaki has been exposed for what it is and only his cronies continue flying the kite. Reminds you of the script to make Kenyans believe the mirage of 6% that never was or singing themselves hoarse being proud Kenyans. Raila must be very careful in his attempts to cultivate a national and reconciliatory personality given the people he is dealing with. Raila is one person the Kikuyu political elite will not forgive in a hurry and any they will manipulate any opportunity to EXTERMINATE HIM POLITICALLY.
Raila must be EXTREMELY CAREFUL in dealing with Mungiki. This is one multi-headed hydra which will promptly mutate to consume him. Mungiki's oath lies elsewhere and their objective of TRIBAL SUPREMACY and PURITY have no place for other Kenyans outside Central province and Kikuyu Diaspora. It defeats the tenets of basic political logic why Raila would want to prove to be a hero while REAL Mungiki principals and beneficiaries Uhuru and Kibaki are selfishly guarding their counsel.
Raila and ODM by extension stand to lose badly. At best many ODM supporters will be left confused at the thought of embracing this Kenyan mafia. ODM stands the risk of losing the heart and minds of civilized Kenyans who will readily distance themselves from anybody or organization seen to be pandering to BEASTS who specialize in skinning heads of toddlers in the 21st Century.
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Mungiki Going For Raila Head
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Moody Awori Snubs Kalonzo Committee
» You Missed This Samuel Kivuitu continues to provoke Kenyans says ECK is ready to run byelections
Former Vice President Moody Awori knows a lot about the prisons department, after all it was his pet project during his tenure as the second highest authority in the land.
In declining his appointment today by new VP Kalonzo Musyoka to chair a committee to look into the Prisons crisis, the former VP made it very clear that there was no need for such a committee. He pointed out that a detailed strategic report was already available that addressed virtually all the grievances of the prison wardens and all that is required urgently is implementation.
This is the second person in as many days to decline to take their seats in Kalonzo Musyoka's committee. Just yesterday former Prisons boss Abraham Kamakil also politely refused to take up his appointment to the Kalonzo probe team.
It is amazing how a presidential candidate of the recently concluded general election who had promised the people change and new leadership is falling back on old and tired ways of dealing with problems which will surely not work this time. (See my raw notes this week to discover some shocking facts from Kalonzo Musyoka's past and present).
The whole strategy behind these committees and commissions of enquiries has been to reward a politician's croonies with plum jobs at the expense of the tax payer. So despite the fact that Moody Awori produced a strategic plan, it seems that Kalonzo's committee will repeat the task and his predecessor too, while no action at all is taken.
However if this is what Kalonzo has in mind, he had better think again, because the wardens are serious and their plight needs to be addressed and addressed immediately, forming committees to tell the minister the obvious is just a waste of public funds.
As this blogger has said here before, this is clearly a problem that the VP is not capable of handling and this is becoming clearer by the day. The sad thing now is that the country may end up being thrown into yet another serious crisis by the time Kalonzo's blundering hand is through with this.
Angry husband allows wife to keep boyfriend -
Kivuitu’s ECK All Set to Conduct By-Elections
» You Missed This The ECK has finally announced that by-elections will be conducted in five constituencies and 55 wards civic wards on June 11th 2008. The constituencies are: Ainamoi, Emuhaya, Embakasi, Wajir East and Kilgoris.
No, no, you’re not imagining things. Oh yes, the one and only Samuel Kivuitu, Kihara Muttu, Muturi Kigano and the rest of the crowd, are all set to supervise elections in June, just six months after bungling the general elections!
With the country deeply divided, upwards of 1500 Kenyans dead; more than half a million others living as refugees in their own country and the constitution having had to be amended so as to accommodate a power sharing deal, one would imagine that the individuals responsible for this unfortunate turn of events would be sitting at a remand jail awaiting to be taken to court to face criminal negligence charges. And how WRONG one would be.
Sure, there are some positive things that have arisen out of Kivuitu’s massive cock-up, but the negative aspects far outweigh them. The 2007 election failure impacted on many lives, affected businesses, disrupted education and agriculture plus much more, not just in Kenya, but throughout the Eastern African region. Yet, the clumsy and inept ECK commissioners who are 100% responsible for this tragedy still sit pretty in their red carpet aircon offices enjoying hefty emoluments on tax payer account. All this while thousands of Kenyans mourn their dead relatives and many others sleep in rain soaked tents. What an insult!
Out of step with the real world
Admittedly, there is urgent need for constituencies without MPs to get representation in parliament. But should current ECK commissioners, now hiding behind constitutional security of tenure, be allowed to oversee by-elections, let alone hold public offices? Personally, recalling events at KICC in December 2007 and Kivuitu’s arrogant attitude ever since, I wouldn’t trust any of those ECK commissioners to serve as members of a village borehole committee.
Flashback: Towards the doomsday
It would seem that Kivuitu’s fate and that of his fellow commissioners lie in the hands of Mwai Kibaki as president. The ECK is governed by Chapter 41 of the Constitution of Kenya which inter-alia says: “....... 5) A member of the Commission may be removed from office only for inability to exercise the functions of his office (whether arising from infirmity of body or mind or from any other cause) or for misbehavior, and shall not be so removed except in accordance with this section.
(6) A member of the Commission shall be removed from office by the President if the question of his removal from office has been referred to a tribunal appointed under subsection (7) and the tribunal has recommended to the President that he ought to be removed from office for inability as aforesaid or for misbehavior.
(7) If the President considers that the question of removing a member of the Commission under this section ought to be investigated, then—
(a) the President shall appoint a tribunal, which shall consist of a chairman and four other members selected by the President........” The big question is whether the president will listen to the voices of reason and appoint the tribunal. Highly unlikely!
The Independent Review Commission headed by Justice Johann Kriegler set up to investigate general elections fiasco will hold countrywide meetings to gather evidence and has given interest groups up to 16th May to submit their written memoranda.
The influential Kenya National Commission on Human Rights Chairman, Mr Maina Kiai, has called for the Kenya Government to seek assistance from the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division (UNEAD) to oversee the by-elections. Maina reckons that the fact that there is an official inquiry into the conduct of the ECK is enough reason to ask for international assistance. He adds that the ECK lost credibility and integrity to conduct other elections after they messed up last year's polls.
On their part, the Secretary General of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya Sheikh Mohammed Dor has said that the Government ought to abolish the ECK and create a new representative commission so as to ensure free and fair elections.
Safina Party Leader and former Kikuyu MP Mr Paul Muite has also called for the reconstitution of the ECK before the June by-elections. Muite said it would be unacceptable for the ECK as currently constituted to run the repeat polls. "A majority of the commissioners are partisan, having being handpicked by one side of the political divide. Elections are like justice - they must not only be free and fair, but they must also be perceived to have been free and fair," said Muite. Instead, he urged for "an urgent constitutional amendment" to be fast-tracked in Parliament to put in place a professional ECK to conduct all future elections. Muite is foreseeing violent protests ahead citing Embakasi constituency which has the potential to easily become a flashpoint constituency to trigger off fresh violence if the outcome of the repeat polls was disputed.
It might be recalled that the European Union (EU), the Commonwealth and the African Union election observers all condemned the ECK saying that it failed to meet "international standards of transparency in key areas of its mandate".
All the international observer reports recommended that ECK be completely overhauled to build confidence in its independence and professionalism and also to ensure that it is credible, transparent and impartial.
I can only see more trouble for this country if the ECK, as currently constituted, goes ahead to oversee the by-elections in June.
Mombasa businessman faces the wrath of a stripper -
So The Kenya Police Has An Execution Squad...
» You Missed This "...And most Kenyans don't think it is a big deal. Hehehehe ...but not for long, mark my words... not for long"When Kumekucha last week exclusively revealed how the wife of jailed Mungiki leader was raped and executed and those behind it, some readers who commented on the story reacted in the characteristic Kenyan style of dismissing things at the face value without weighing the underlying facts.
Just before the dust settled on the grisly killing of Virginia Nyakio, the wife of the outlawed sect’s jailed spiritual leader Maina Njenga, and her driver, Mr George Njoroge, Maj Gen Mohamed Hussein Ali’s killing machine struck again just yesterday (Monday) afternoon.
The latest victims, Mr Charles Ndungu Wagaca, the chairman of the Kenya National Youth Alliance (KNYA), and his driver, Mr Naftali Irungu, died in a hail of police bullets on the Nairobi-Naivasha highway near Uplands.
Mr Wagaca was a brother of Nyakio, the wife of the outlawed sect’s jailed spiritual leader Maina Njenga, whose execution, plotted by Maj Gen Ali’s newly-formed Eagle Squad, early this month sparked riots by Mungiki adherents in Nairobi, Central and Rift Valley provinces.
You can read the Kumekucha exclusive on how Nyakio was executed HERE
Kumekucha wishes to reiterate here that it does not condone or support in any way the activities of the dreaded Mungiki sect or its political wing, the Kenya National Youth Alliance (KNYA), or any other person bent in breaking the laws of our beloved country – be it criminals, the political establishment, security agencies or any other individual. The Law of the Land makes all of us equal and those who bend it should be severely punished as per that law.
Our concern, hinged on sanctity of human life regardless on who is involved, is the primitive way the Kenyan police, under the stewardship of Maj Gen Mohamed Hussein Ali, have chosen to transact official business in the recent years under the guise of fighting run-away crime.
The Kenya Police is part of the disciplined forces and its officers, right from their commissioner down to the constable, are supposed to uphold the rule of law and not to resort to the rule of the jungle. Under Maj Gen Ali, the Kenya Police has killed more Kenyans – whether criminals or innocent – than the combined tenures of post-independent police commissioners.
The way the Kenya Police has been conducting its business since Maj Gen Ali was appointed commissioner begs serious fundamental human rights questions - What is the difference between the police now and the criminal gangs they are mandated by law to apprehend?
For readers who might not be in the picture, the only way Maj Gen Ali seems to have perfected under the guise of fighting crime is rounding up suspects – both real and imaginary – and executing them in gangland-style. The police are only one wing of the criminal justice system. What’s the use of having courts, the AG’s office, prisons, lawyers, the prosecution etc if Maj Gen Ali’s kind of policing was to be tolerated in our civilised society? It means the police can declare you a criminal and execute you with impunity!
The police declined to take responsibility after Monday’s killing of Mr Wagaca and his driver. If Maj Gen Ali thinks that his actions and those of his officers are within the law, why doesn’t he take responsibility to such executions? Why wouldn’t he take responsibility for the killing of more than 4,000 youths who were rounded up from their homes by his officers and executed without a trace of their bodies last year? Why can’t he take responsibility for the primitive killing of Nyakio and her driver if he believes he was operating within the law? Aren’t these acts of extreme cowardice from a man entrusted in the security of 33 million Kenyans?
Kumekucha has established beyond any reasonable doubt that Monday’s executions in full public view were carried out by the Eagle Squad, an elite unit that was recently formed by Maj Gen Ali to replace the Kwekwe Squad. In keeping with their tradition of covering up the evils and acts of gross abuse human rights by Maj Gen Ali, the mainstream media – TV stations, radio stations and newspapers – opted not to directly tell their views, listeners and readers that the executions were carried out by the police. Why? Because Maj Gen Ali is in bed with a cross-section of top media managers – which was facilitated by his girlfriend and proprietor of Kameme FM, Ms Rose Kimotho.
A man who witnessed the executions could not describe it better: He told journalists the killers identified themselves as police and that ‘‘they looked like thugs.’’ Why should a disciplined security agency want to disguise itself like criminal gangs?
There is no doubt that Maj Gen Ali has a firm grip on the media in Kenya and he has a free hand to dictate the crime and security news, most of which are distorted, Kenyans and the world get from the Kenyan press.
On the executions, crime journalists have happily reported the lies from Police Headquarters suggesting that the killings were carried out by rival Mungiki gangs as a result of a leadership split in the sect. What nonsense is that!
Responsible journalists all over the world owe their loyalty to their readers, listeners and viewers and not to the news-makers and interested groups. Responsible journalists don’t just publish or air any lies just because it has been said by a news-maker. They owe their readers and listeners the truth and not cheap lies aimed at diverting public attention.
Before Monday’s killings, people close to the slain victims told journalists that they were being trailed by police vehicles. So, why have journalists let the police off the hook?
A farmer who witnessed the killings from his farm said he approached the crime scene and the killers identified themselves as the police. When a journalist asked him how they looked like, he said: “They looked like ordinary thugs but were confident ... they seemed very happy after accomplishing the mission.”
Why should a disciplined force stoop so low and behave like highway robbers? Kumekucha has previously reported how members of the Eagle Squad camouflage themselves like Mungiki. They kill Mungiki-style and they use car hire vehicles instead of police cars.
The earlier it dawns on Kibaki’s Administration that Maj Gen Ali was a liability to his Government the better. Security agencies worldwide invest heavily in intelligence gathering to pre-empt crimes before they are committed. But Maj Gen Ali’s poor leadership has killed vital agencies like the CID, which was once rated second in Africa, and the police have been left to do the chasing after criminals have done their act and taken off.
In a desperate move to appease his political godfathers and to be seen to be working very hard, Maj Gen Ali has perfected what he knows best – the power of the gun. Thanks to Maj Gen Ali, morgues and the entire funeral industry across Nairobi, Central and Rift Valley provinces have been doing a booming business while wild animals in Ngong Forest and Tana River crocodiles have never had a shortage of nyama za binadamu!
Guns alone will never end crimes from our streets, highways and homes. The police in Kenya have been killing robbery suspects for more than a decade and this has not driven criminals off the streets or deterred new ones. In the same argument, if last year’s executions of more than 4,000 youths was effective to wipe out Mungiki, we would not have seen any of their members blockading roads the other day.
The elimination of mungiki and other organised criminal gangs from Kenya requires a more intelligent approach rather than the chest-thumping tactics employed by the military-minded Maj Gen Ali.
Instead of perfecting the art of gangland executions and killing the institutions he found in the Kenya Police in a desperate attempt to undermine his would-be successors, Maj Gen Ali should use the top brains in the force to come up with a long-term strategy to gather intelligence and pre-empt crimes.
Where else in the world would the police be caught napping like what happened early this month when Mungiki criminal gangs staged a massive protest in Nairobi, Central and Rift Valley province paralysing road transport and other businesses for a whole week? Had that happened in countries with visionary political leadership, Maj Gen Ali, NSIS Director General Brig Michael Gichangi, AP Commandant Kinuthia Mbugua and other heads of key security agencies would have been sent packing that very morning.
As long as we have a visionless president and who is in office on the account of stolen presidency, Maj Gen can sit pretty tight in his posh office and carry on with his evil acts of painting Kenya red with human blood of real and imaginary enemies. Maj Gen Ali can take solace in the face that we have a president who runs the country on an auto-cue leadership similar to the art pilots use to fly planes. Kibaki hears and sees no evils. He just wanted to be president of the Republic of Kenya and he achieved his life-time political dreams.
Maj Gen Ali should lead a civilised police force not a band of serial killers under the guise of fighting crime. It’s time human rights groups applied pressure on the international community to have Maj Gen Ali charged at the International Court with Crimes Against Humanity.
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Dark Past Of The Man Expected To Handle Prison Warden’s Crisis
» You Missed This Can Kalonzo Handle Catastropic Prison Warden’s Strike As Gunshots Are Heard Inside Kamiti Maximum Security Prison?
It is very normal in Kenya for people not to ask too many questions about a politicians’ past. As long as they are bwana kubwa nothing else seems to matter. For instance while covering a confidential report for my subscribers on the subject; The Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka that Kenyans don’t know in this week’s raw notes, this blogger was reminded of the bizarre circumstances under which Kalonzo first entered parliament.
The facts are that the immediate former MP for Mwingi North was killed under very mysterious circumstances that have never been explained to this day.
It happened in the 1980s when the then area MP Peter Manandu was shot dead in a bar by a rogue administration policeman under some very strange and yet to be explained circumstances.
The now deceased, Mulu Mutisya is said to have traveled all the way to Mwingi and met Musyoka, then a young lawyer who was trying into make inroads into politics. Mutisya was impressed by the young man's demeanor and his patience even for someone illiterate as Mutisya who never saw the inside of a classroom.
It is said that prior to the by elections that followed, Mutisya informed Musyoka that one had to seek supernatural protection from witchdoctors so as to avoid being bewitched by rivals during political campaigns. Musyoka understood this only too well partly because of his father’s occupation (more details available in my raw notes this week).
This is now the same man who has to deal with perhaps the biggest crisis to hit Kenyan armed security personnel in the history of these shores. Kalonzo as Vice President has the home affairs docket which covers the prisons department. This is certainly not going to be as easy as jostling to be seen as the second most powerful man in the land.
Already a committee he appointed headed by former Vice President Moody Awori to probe into the warden’s complaints has been rejected by the striking wardens. The wardens are threatening to free criminals on Wednesday if their grievances will not have been addressed by then.
As you read this, the latest reports indicate that gun shot fire has been heard outside Kamiti Maximum Security prison earlier today and GSU personnel have been dispatched and took their positions surrounding the prison.
There are a number of factors that make this crisis extraordinarily dangerous and a threat to the very internal security of the nation.
Firstly armed security forces never go on strike. Just like you can never say that the Kenyan military has gone on strike. The correct word to be used here is “mutiny.” Fellow Kenyans what we have in our hands now is a mutiny within a section of our armed security personnel.
Secondly thanks mainly to modern technology and things like the cell phone the wardens have managed to organize a countrywide mutiny, meaning that virtually every prison in the land has been affected. The seriousness of this rebellion amongst our armed prison forces is not something that can be overstated.
News just in as I was completing this post is that the government has bowed to the demands of the wardens. In a statement issued by Musyoka himself from his Jogoo house office moments ago, the VP accepted virtually all the demands of the wardens. This includes a kshs 10,000 payment for their work during the elections, a kshs 5,000 risk allowance as well as a Kshs 5,000 medical allowance.
It will be interesting to see how this story develops because some senior prison wardens were arrested yesterday after being tricked into attending a crisis meeting in Nairobi, instead CID officers pounced and arrested them at venue of the meeting. In fact already 9 of the officers have appeared in court this morning and the rest are still being held at Muthaiga Police station. It is likely that the 9 officers will be charged with mutiny which is punishable by a jail term not exceeding 10 years.
It is widely expected that all the other prison wardens in solidarity with their arrested colleagues may not go back to work until their leaders are released and the charges dropped.
All in all this is a deadly situation that could easily plunge the entire country, still bleeding from a stolen election, into total chaos. Not to mention the fact that the government is a little cash-strapped just now.
I will keep you updated about developments as they unfold.
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NEXT !!
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PNU Mandarins ‘STUNNED’ by US Support to PM's Office
» You Missed This 
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STUNNED, STUNNING, STUNS.
1. To daze or render senseless, by or as if by a blow.
2. To overwhelm or daze with a loud noise.
3. To stupefy, as with the emotional impact of an experience; astound.
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PNU mandarins are reportedly ‘STUNNED’ by the announcement that the US government has pledged US$500,000 (Sh30.5 million) direct funding to sustain the development and smooth running of the newly created Prime Minister’s office. What is raising eyebrows is that the funds will be channeled directly to the PM's office and not via Treasury (Ministry of Finance).
One such mandarin is Kalonzo Musyoka’s sidekick and newly appointed Assistant Minister of Defence, Hon David Musila. He is quoted by the VOA accusing the government of US of behaving as if there are two governments in Kenya. You can read/listen to his remarks here.
While making the announcement, US ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger was not sitting at Foreign Affairs Minister Wetangula’s office. He was infact making the politically unpalatable remarks in an interview with a local newspaper which quotes him saying that his country is putting "a lot of hope" in the PM’s office because of the role the Constitution has assigned it to co-ordinate and supervise government ministries.
"In a government this large, the role of the Prime Minister is going to be critical. We will work very closely with the Prime Minister in co-ordinating and supervising the Government," the ambassador said.
He added: "We recognise that critical role, and that is why we are ready to give money to strengthen the office."
To add insult to injury, the Ambassador also announced that the US had invited Prime Minister Raila Odinga to Washington "at a mutually convenient date" to be hosted by the State Department and meet with Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice. He was cagey whether the visit would include a meeting at White House with President George Bush. Raila, Ranneberger added, was being invited to the US because of the importance Washington attaches to his role as the one "constitutionally required to supervise and co-ordinate the activities of government". Pressed to explain why the invitation was not extended to Mwai Kibaki as Head of State, the ambassador said he remained in close touch with Kibaki, adding that the President had been on a state visit to the US before.
"We are inviting the PM so that we can review assistance here and show that we can co-ordinate closely. The US has such a large partnership with Kenya and we want to ensure it is properly co-ordinated," he elaborated.
Following the desputed elections in December, President Kibaki sent a number of envoys to foreign countries in an attempt to gain legitimacy. President Kibaki appointed Uhuru Kenyatta, Raphael Tuju, George Saitoti and Moses Wetangula as special envoys to brief world leaders on the political crisis in the country caused by his disputed election as president. Government spokesman Alfred Mutua said yesterday the envoys would visit several African states and brief their heads of state about “the genuine situation in the country,” instead of relying on the international media. Uhuru Kenyatta was reportedly kept waiting and never given audience by Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, who went on to support Anan’s efforts in creating a power sharing deal. It is unclear whether the other envoys made any headway because only one or two world leaders congratulated Kibaki on his "re-election". Bloggers here will also remember that Kalonzo Musyoka, as newly appointed VP, made whistle-stop tours in UK and USA in a FUTILE effort to market the Kenya Government. This was long before the National Accord had been signed.
Surprisingly, there has not been any official statement by Hon. Wetangula or Dr. Mutua on this new development regarding accredited envoys directly funding the PM. -
Playing Cheap Political Games With IDPs
» You Missed This The horrid conditions of the IDPs has mutated to a new crisis. Meanwhile the curse of Ps has seen PORTFOLIO give birth to PROTOCOL crisis. Are we jinxed as a nation to be eternally diving into one political crisis after another? Well, we asked for all that befalls as dutifully shepherded by our DULY ELECTED leaders.
The IDP problem must be put into its right context. The truth be told, Kibaki is under immense pressure from his tribesmen to use his presidential powers to resettle them. The Kikuyu Diaspora is alive to the fact that the present political and power dispensation won’t last long. Kibaki is very keen to camouflage the TRIBAL push pretending to be oblivious of the fact that he is the SINGULAR CAUSE of the IDPs.
The protocol crisis is Kibaki succession brought forward albeit in disguise. The objective is to undercut the very force whose hand you are seeking to help you navigate choppy political waters. Don’t fool yourself for a second that Kibaki is above the political fray. The script playing itself is well rehearsed with his knowledge. While he wants to make Kalonzo feel appreciated as a saviour during tumultuous times, the GEMA power brokers will stop at nothing to undermine Raila politically.
Where do these serial goofs and cheap power plays leave the IDPs? These UNFORTUNATE Kenyans remain pawns in the selfish pre and post election game of TRIBAL SUPREMACY. An honest evaluation of the whole charade will reveal that Kibaki needed Raila as a cover to visit the IDPs. Since his BEDROOM swearing in, the THIEF-IN-CHIEF only made a technical appearance in Eldoret before and he knew what a waited him were he to ignore the ODM team.
Cultivate peace not legislate
Kibaki the marionette is captive to ETHNIC supremacists who cannot allow him the luxury of thinking outside the box. True leadership demands leading from the front and by example. Kibaki’s conceived his model of leadership from Kenyatta and weaned it under Moi. Expediency is his FORTE. He prefers quick fixes as the problem smoulders underneath to explode another day. To make resettling the IDPs an event and not a process is akin to placing the cart before the horse, but who cares?
The present IDP problem is symptomatic of our DECEPTIVE leadership. Kenya has been home to more than a million IDPs since 2005. But then these are LESSER Kenyans from the wrong geographical regions who are mere statistics. They cannot be any priority to the DULY ELECTED. Either Kibaki considers Kenyans as dunderheads who can be collectively duped or he can willfully serve them full course of his usual utter CONTEMPT when he preaches peace and reconciliation while remotely entertaining power wars on the same platform.
Peace is CULTIVATED and never LEGISLATED. You cannot afford a policeman for each displaced Kenyan. The IDPs are not naive and will not move back into their previous homes without guaranteed security from both their neighbours and government. Selective quoting of the constitution that you can own property anywhere won’t wash. It only leaves you wondering why that piece of legislation selectively and EXCLUSIVELY applies to only one part of Kenya. -
Breaking News: Raila Heads To Germany for Laser Eye Surgery
» You Missed This 
Prime Minister Raila Odinga left the country earlier today (Sunday) to undergo laser eye surgery in Germany.
ODM Spokesman Salim Lone is quoted as saying: "Prime Minister Raila Odinga was traveling with his wife and will be back in Nairobi on Friday." Lone explained that the procedure was "minor laser eye surgery."
Odinga and President Mwai Kibaki recently struck a power-sharing agreement after both men claimed to have won the Dec. 27 presidential election in a dispute that unleashed weeks of ethnically tinged violence. More than 1,200 people died and 300,000 were displaced.
On Saturday, Odinga and Kibaki finished a three-day "peace tour" of areas hardest-hit by the postelection violence.
Raila has been seen on many occasions dabbing his eye with a handkerchief. He attributes the "tears" to bad lighting in jail cells during his long nine-year stint in detention-without-trial, five years of which was in solitary confinement and incommunicado at the Kamiti Maximum Security Prison in Nairobi. His only reading material during the detention was the Bible and Quran.
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Protocol Fiasco: VP Should Stay Away
» You Missed This 
President Mwai Kibaki , left, and Prime Minister Raila Odinga , right, wave at a crowd of Internally Displaced persons(IDPs) in the Kenyan town of Naivasha Saturday, April 26 2008 as they toured the area to preach peace and reconciliation Most of the 157,000 IDPs living in camps still cannot go home more than four months after a disputed presidential election unleashed weeks of ethnically tinged bloodshed.
For far too long now, this country has been treated to the tired old line. Constitution says this, constitution says that, blah blah blah. It is so ironic because the same constitution, everyone agrees, is responsible for a myriad of problems facing the country and is actually overdue for a major overhaul.Because of the same constitution, the electoral process has always been tipped to favour the incumbent and in 2007, ECK's Kivuitu took full advantage of a constitutional vacuum to declare Mwai Kibaki as president.
It is my considered opinion that Raila Odinga and ODM are not in anyway obligated to participate in peace rallies organized by President Kibaki. But by graciously accepting to do so, some PNU politicians are already mistaken in assuming that ODM must see to it that IDPs are re-settled. To make matters worse, the minor protocol incident between the Prime Minister and the Vice President has already resulted in the IDPs saying that they will not return home. In these peace missions, it is now apparent that the VP is a heavy liability rather than an unifying asset and his attempts at gaining relevance is producing reverse consequences.
Perhaps we ought to listen to Rift Valley MPs who are opposed to this hurried resettlement missions. The fact is that IDPs were present in Kenya even before the post elections violence broke-out; but it never received presidential attention. That’s right folks. The period between the 2005 referendum and the 2007 general elections saw Kenya become home to an unprecedented one million IDPs spread all over the country. This is the highest number of internal refugees anywhere in the world for a country not at war. I did not for once hear the Kiunjuris of this world insist on immediate resettlement of these hapless Kenyans. As presidential candidates, Kalonzo or Kibaki never bothered to highlight the plight of these forgotten citizens the current ODM MP for Mt. Elgon was nominated to run for the seat while in police custody on trumped-up charges. As head of state, and commander in chief, the president himself has never concerned himself with the state-sponsored insecurity that existed in some of the violence hotspots like Mt. Elgon, Kuresoi and Molo. It has not escaped anyone’s attention that because the majority of these so called IDPs in Rift Valley are from a certain ancestry, it has suddenly caught the attention of the powers that be we actually have Kenyans who are living like refugees in their own country. As we speak, the government is at war with its own citizens in Mt. Elgon through a massive military operation. Do you see where Hon Kapondi, Hon Ruto and Hon Bett are coming from?
Back to the current peace mission in Rift Valley, it is an open secret that DULY ERECTED Kibaki would never have attempted to embark on a peace tour without the POLITICAL SHIELD that is Raila Odinga. After being forced to a agree to share power with ODM, the PNU coalition partner is using the discredited constitution to once again politically undermine the ODM by purporting to rank the Prime Minister as a junior to the Vice President. As the PM rightly told the President, these sort of juvenile games are what is creating problems kule mashinani (at the grass roots). The people know that the VP happens to be a miserable presidential candidate who was resoundingly rejected at the polls. The two leading contenders amassed votes that were more than TEN TIMES what the VP got. Now, now, the constitution says that this is the individual who will automatically take over power should our current president become incapacitated. God forbid!
Regardless of what the constitution says, the facts arising out of the unique circumstances of early this year are;- The 2007 presidential vote was heavily discredited and even the ECK cannot ascertain who the winner was. (One political party known as ODM-K, unashamedly supported the release of disputed presidential results).
- Two political parties (ODM/PNU) signed a peace accord to create a grand coalition as equal partners in order to make this country governable.
- The VP and PNU ’half loaf’ cabinet remain answerable to the President and serve at his pleasure, while ODM ‘half loaf’ cabinet serve at the pleasure of the PM who is only answerable to parliament. How then Raila as PM be subordinate to Kibaki's 'servant' so to speak? My understanding is that Raila’s ODM and Kibaki’s PNU are EQUAL partners.
- The accord says that the PM shall be the leader of the party with a majority of MPs in parliament. Unfortunately, some civil servants who should have retired when Moi and KANU were ousted from power, want us to believe that the VP is above the PM. The VP himself can hardly say he commands loyalty from his 15 ODM-K MPs.
- The recently released CAPF report on political parties election funding indicates that although the VP’s party was the lowest in terms of expenditure….its sources of cash were from former president Moi, Uhuru Kenyatta and George Saitoti amongst other 'ghost donors' – all of whom endorsed and strongly supported the candidature of PNU’s Mwai Kibaki. The ODM-K and its candidate never had any intentions of being elected to rule this country but rather to withhold votes that would have naturally ended up in favour PNU’s opponents. A further proof of this was the party’s disgusting behavior in the election despute and its hastiness in jumping into bed with PNU for purposes of blackmailing the president to part with the vice presidency and cabinet positions in order to obtain legitimacy. Puuuulease!
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Changing Hearts Winning Minds
» You Missed This 
There is a saying that goes “the winner takes all, loser gets nothing” This saying is usually true, but as with all ordinary laws of logic, it fails to apply in our local politics. Watching all 3 political contenders of last years elections tour the vast rift valley landscape this week as part of their peace rally agenda leaves one wondering what the fuss in 2007 was all about?
Just who exactly were the real losers if all three are now in Government? The answer of course is you and I the electorate; however, if a tiny 14 seater Nissan can comfortably accommodate 30-40 crammed commuters, why can’t the government of Kenyan play host to all 3 plus 40 others in cabinet?
Well, the former leader of official opposition and current deputy prime minister and minister for trade set the pace last year for what was to come in 2008 when he absconded his constitutional role as head of opposition, vowing that his party must be in the next (current) government and jumping ship accordingly into the party of national unity yatch.
The loser yet again was Kenyans yearning for an opposition that gave an alternative to the Government of the day. The more things change the more they remain the same
PROTOCOL IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
Ordinarily, protocol wars such as those witnessed this week can be fought and easily won or lost on the basis of following simple chain of command structure, but as Taabu said earlier this week its easier to legislate bureaucratic structure than it is to legislate the will of the people.In the hearts and minds of the vast majority of Kenyans (both IDPs and non-IDPs), protocol is in the eye of the beholder, and based on who they voted for respect will be given not taken by force. Unfortunately in life we don’t always have it the way we want, so all 3 party bigwigs made it to government and are represented in the makeup of the current coalition so we are spoilt for choice over whom to pay homage to
Under current circumstances, it’s easier to retell the past than it is to predict the outcome of our future. What is certain is that the current politics of the day shaping up and taking centre stage is neither about development nor negative ethnic bashing but it seems the era of winning over the hearts and minds of millions of Kenyans is here.
This is being done by convincing them to play along with the current uncomfortable yet too familiar script in which yesterday’s sworn enemies are today’s best friends-for the sake of national unity of course-keep your friends close but your enemies closer.
Vice President Musyoka is engaged in a battle royale to convince the masses not to brand him a political turncoat. In his own aloof way President Kibaki’s daunting task is to somehow convince all Kenyans to forget the past and act as if nothing happened. Meanwhile the Prime Minister is left with the onerous task of convincing the government he is not a third step in the ladder.
Of course Kenyans are not buying any of it, but nevertheless the job at hand is to win over our hearts and change our minds so that we can play along to the tune of a new Kenya that is before us.
PRAY FOR KENYA
Folks, its a fragile unity we share today. Stormy waters unchartered that currently lie ahead include the making of a new constitution and rehabilitating the economy. Now would be a good time to believe in God and his power to deliver miracles ala Joseph the prince of Egypt or Moses and the red sea. Spare a minute or two and pray for Kenya
The 4 most popular stories in Kumekucha right now
1. Kalonzo or Raila who is boss
2. Sam okello on the traitor
3. IDPs are pawns in political game
4. Backstabbing ODM mois secret hand
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Kalonzo Or Raila: Who Is The Boss?
» You Missed This Question remains even as protocol issue is resolved
The protocol mess has been resolved today and the procedure now is that Raila invites the VP to speak first. The VP sits down when he is done and then Raila invites the president to speak. Hii Kenya yetu kweli!
But yesterday is a day that remains etched on the minds of many Kenyans. As one commentator pointed out here it was a scene straight out of a comedy. Even Walter Mongare and his Redykulass comedy trio would not have done it better (with KJ as Kalonzo, Njuguna as Kibaki and Mongare as Raila).
Three of the most powerful men in Kenya hurdled together and getting in each others way as they walked and as the cameras rolled and flashed.
Methinks Kalonzo was trying to strike a pose with his lifted hand. What did he keep on pointing at all the time with his right hand? I also think that Kalonzo rushed to be at Kibaki’s right hand side to give Kenyans that all important symbolic message.
The actions of a man always betrays his thinking. And this man called Kalonzo has blood on his hands no matter what angle you look at things from. The money he received from London included handing over votes to Kibaki in the concluded flawed elections. Has anybody attempted to explain President Kibaki’s sudden popularity in Ukambani when the community had their own candidate?
Politics aside, if Kalonzo had a heart, over 4,000 of our innocent dear brothers and sisters, now departed would have been with us today and that is a fact. Without Kalonzo, it would not have been possible for PNU to rig the presidential elections, the gap would have been just too wide.
And again for those still blind with ethnicity, Kalonzo displayed his true character yesterday. Kindly note that the three leaders were not going for a homecoming party. Nay, they were going to visit some displaced Kenyans who have gone through the kind of suffering you and I cannot even begin to imagine. A couple of these guys have committed suicide and yesterday one of them in the Naivasha camp killed his wife and left his mother-in-law for dead before fleeing. He is still at large. Fellow Kenyans try and understand that this IDP thing is not the joke Kalnzo Musyoka and others thinks it is.
So who is whose boss? The constitution says that Kalonzo is. The peace accord which was entrenched into the same constitution says that Raila and Kibaki are equal partners.
But frankly who cares as long as Kalonzo Musyoka stops his hypocritical ways. Interestingly in this week’s raw notes I present some interesting facts that proves exactly what kind of witchdoctor-visiting character the hypocritical VP is. Surely what did Kenyans do to deserve Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka?
Introducing Africa's most loved Agony Aunt: Aunty Joan answers a question about a woman's love
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Sam Okello On The Traitor
» You Missed This By Sam Okello
Fellow Kenyans, Each generation of Kenyans has had to put up with a traitor. Ours is Kalonzo Musyoka. But unlike the traitors of the past, men who wielded enormous power and wore mean faces and behaved as if their shit smelled more perfumy than ours because they shopped at exclusive chains, this Musyoka guy wears a sweet face, drops the name of God at every chance and points an accusing finger at people who dare take on a sweet guy like him. Why can't Kenyans see a savior in me, he wonders. What Kalonzo does not realize is that Kenyans don't wear blinders. People see him a lot differently than his wife tells him he looks. When we look at the man who shamelessly took the VP seat while Kenya was literally burning, what people see is Judas incarnate. What we see is a man who has never bothered to explain why he met President Moi at Kabarak just months before the election. Was it just about strategy? Some money that was collected in London tell a different story. But that's a matter for another time. Indeed, what Kenyans see in Kalonzo is a man who has no principles whatsoever. When he said, months before the vote, that it was his party's policy to be in the government...then he went ahead to cast his lot with the PNU, did he have premonition that the PNU would form the government? How could he have been so categorical about an ify situation? Seems to me he was part of the scheme that was going to deny the Hon Odinga the presidency at any cost. But what Kalonzo may have not counted on was that by shortchanging Raila, he was actually shortchanging Kenyans and the move was going to backfire spectacularly. Because what he was essentially doing was helping Kibaki and Moi tell Kenyans that their votes amounted to mavi ya kuku. Then yesterday you saw him trying very hard to upstage the Prime Minister at the Northern Rift function. In his flawed calculations, this tragic figure sees himself as a more important man than Raila. For a man like him, the fact that he came a distant third to Kibaki and Raila means nothing. For him all that matters is where he is going. If he has to trample on our core decency and climb on our backs to get to the top, so be it. But now the time has come to tell this man in his face that he is the reason Kenya is where she is. The elections were stolen with his knowledge. He blessed the scheme to deny Raila the presidency so that he'd be awarded the vice presidency. He urged the electoral commission to read deeply flawed results because they were in keeping with the agreement he'd entered into with Kibaki and Moi and all the forces bent on denying Kenyans their democratic rights. He was the man with thirty pieces of silver in his hand. When history is written, Kalonzo must take his place alongside the sons and daughters of Kenya our nation would have been better off if they'd not been born. -
Raila, Kalonzo Rivalry Emerges at Peace Rally in North Rift
» You Missed This What ails the NSIS?
Kibaki and Raila start Peace Mission in Rift Valley
Those following Citizen TV's live transmission pictures of today's peace rallies in North Rift at Eldoret's Keino Stadium must have been amused to see Raila officially invite the president to address the gathering only for VP Kalonzo to rush to the microphones, briefly addressed the gathering before inviting the president.
Not only does this minor incident show a disorganised presidential programme but also gives IDPs little encouragement to reconcile with their own former neighbours. It is also a prelude of an interesting Kibaki succession battle.
Matters were not made better when the mammoth crowd spent the better part of time cheering ODM ministers. At one point, the crowd shouted to Agriculture Minister William Ruto to allow Lands Minister James Orengo to address the gathering, only for him to be denied the chance at the behest of presidential protocol officials. Indeed, land is the major sticking point of all Kenya's problems and Orengo is going to be a man with a lot of work in his hands in the future.
Earlier, the president, PM Raila and their ministers had toured the Eldoret IDP camp and said: "We do not want you people to continue living here and suffering, we will solve this problem very soon. We are here as leaders. ... We can solve all the problems in order for peace to exist."
As at the time of posting this, the presidential entourage were addressing a peace rally in Cherangani and Raila, speaking after Kalonzo, has officially welcomed the president to address the rally. Kibaki has now taken upon himself to invite James Orengo to say jambo to the public amidst thunderous applause from Cherangani residents. -
What Ails The NSIS?
» You Missed This Last Sunday, the Sunday Nation carried a fascinating article based on an interview with a retired NSIS operative.
The questions posed by that article remain mostly unanswered. The main one is how could the country slip into such serious tribal clashes with no advance warning from the country’s intelligence services? And even more recently, how could the Mungiki move in and take over the entire country for almost a week, virtually bringing business to a standstill in some areas.
Surely, is it not true that our intelligence services (reputed to be the best in the region) were sleeping on the job? Why else have we gotten ourselves into such a mess since last December with no advance warning of any sort as events after event continue to unfold? The implication here would be that the country’s national security could be at risk if our intelligence services are so sloppy and incompetent.
Actually the answer to that question is a little more complex than it may appear at first sight.
The most important point to take careful note of is the fact that there is a huge difference between gathering intelligence information and processing it. Incidentally processing information is given a lot of emphasis by British security and this is one of the reasons why that country’s intelligence services are considered to be among the best in the world.
Indeed as information technology has taken over our lives, what many who gather information have quickly found out is that it is easy to be overwhelmed with too much information or information overflow which makes processing even more challenging and a nightmare in many cases.
There are those who strongly believe that the biggest weakness we seem to have with our local intelligence community at the moment has a lot more to do with the processing of the information rather than the gathering. Competent processing is usually linked much more to experience rather than just training and also deep knowledge of the country. However many times it boils down to gut feeling which again is developed over time. It is common knowledge that the NSIS is still a very new outfit with very well educated but inexperienced hands running the show.
However my personal view is that the problem is not so much with the country’s intelligence units as it is with those who need to make decisions. While information can be gathered and submitted and maybe even correctly processed, decisions as to what needs to be done is mostly left to politicians and bureaucrats with political interests to look after.
For example NSIS information in the run up to the general elections last year, predicted a near-landslide victory for the Orange Democratic party. This information was known within the agency and caused it split the intelligence community right down the middle when the controversial results were released by the ECK amid allegations that some personnel in the organization were used to help skew the results in favor of a certain candidate.
But maybe the biggest judgment call last December emerged from the fact the person heading the intelligence unit had their better judgment clouded because of their tribe. Michael Gichangi hails from the house of Mumbi and it is abundantly clear that he completely underestimated the possible reaction of the vast majority of Kenyans to a stolen election like many of his kinsmen did. If truth be told many Kikuyus still do nt understand what the problem is and lean heavily on the assumption that the whole violence was heavily financed by somebody. Because of that misjudgment there are over 4,000 Kenyans who are no longer with us today and have gone to meet their maker. In my raw notes this week I discuss what Gichangi is said to have advised the president to do to ward off a possible court injunction over the stolen elections from ODM.
Even more recently police commissioner Maj Gen Hussein Ali received intelligence reports indicating that Mungiki were planning to go on the rampage. Ali totally rubbished that report based on the vicious bloodletting that went on last year to purge the proscribed group. He was wrong of course and that is why the police were taken completely by surprise.
Passionately in love with her best friend's husband
The 5 most popular stories in Kumekucha over the last 24 hours1. How Maina Njenga's wife was raped and murdered
2. IDP's are pawns in political game
3. Sexual secrets of the Maasai tribe
4. Bizarre condition has kept beautiful woman from sex5. Jeff Koinange's K24 and what most Kenyans think
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IDPs: Pawns in Political Game
» You Missed This True to tradition of avoiding making tough decision, Kibaki is having three days of rallies to the internally displaced Kenyans. The truth is Kibaki’s determination to create impression of acting is premised on sustainable plan. This unique problem CANNOT be solved nor addressed using the hackneyed old school leadership.
The IDPs are symptomatic of Kibaki’s betrayal of Kenyan dream. He started it immediately after the 2002 election. You could smell embarrassment on his face when his own PNU MP for Naivasha told him to his face the genesis of political tension in the Rift Valley. On entering office he chose to reincarnate his nostalgia of Jomo’s rulership and utter contempt of his voters. He capped it all with STEALING the election which makes it VERY difficult to spare Kibaki in the whole mess because he was the principal cause of the mayhem that let to violence in the first place.
True leadership is premised on making TOUGH sound decision in the face of crisis. But you cannot claim that virtue when you make CRISES your middle name. That we have been experiencing perennial election violence after every five years is cheap to trivialize and/or overlook the underlying root cause. Even Koffi Annan who saved us from self-destruction and was here for less than 40 days ended up understanding our problems better than the pretenders masquerading as the most experienced practising politician in Kenya today. Well Kibaki’s experience must be a catalogue of indecision and fence sitting that is often mistaken for principle to be hands off.
Cart before horse
That MPs are playing political games with people lives is not only inhuman but an extension of institutionalized IMPUNITY albeit in disguise. Moral authority like virginity is irrecoverable once lost to the winds of deception and fraud. Instead of formulating sustainable structures that will see Kenyans banish localized hostilities to the grave, Kibaki is comfortable by ridding the cart ahead of the horse.
Kibaki's penchant to opt for easy fixes in the face of grand problems amounts to cheap leadership oiled by short term measures. Such plots only succeed in incubating national problems making them potent to explode at the slightest political spark in future. IDPs need a permanent solution that will see them restart their lives in confidence of never having to look over their shoulders in case their neighbours revert to their old devious ways. -
Deception Galore and Cheap Political Fixes
» You Missed This Depending on which political horse you are ridding Kibaki’s RENAMING of permanent secretaries was either height of political insensitivity or continuation of his fraudulent mandate. Well, to set the stuck record straight he only STOLE the mandate and was reprimanded to cave in to accommodate others. You may take offense with that fact which will unfortunately disappoint you by refusing to mutate into anything else.
In his latest list of permanent secretaries, Kibaki did what he knows best by contemptuously swinging musical chairs on Kenyans’ faces. In the process he created the impression of motion that in reality is bereft of any trace of movement. In Kibaki's warped mind ODM was a politically irritating rat that now is securely trapped following last week's swearing ceremony. That is why he went to KICC to have Rift Valley MPs rubber stamp his official itinerary to visit the IDP camps. In Kibaki’s books the political dogs have bones on their mouths and they have no reason to bark at him.
We live in interesting and challenging times and no straitjacket ideas can move us an inch. Retaining the same old faces betrays Kibaki’s resolve to give Kenyans a new slate to rebuild their lives. In the books of these old blokes reforms remains just a buzzword to be bandied around for political expediency. With no meaningful efforts to restart Kenya, the engine and her passengers will remain at the starting line for ages.
Return to indivisible tribes
Politics of reconciliation and healing lies more in PERCEPTION than bravado and brinkmanship. You may quote all the statutes and laws on this planet but until and unless the ruled feel a sense of belonging and appreciation, you only end up imposing yourself on them. Localized hostility cannot be legislated and only neighbours can wipe it out. Kibaki is not doing the displaced and dead Kenyans any favour by being indignant and insensitive to their plight.
Yes Kenya is a conglomeration of 42 plus tribes, but the present political practice has made the country so fractious so much so that every minister’s face has a tribal tag. With Moi still calling the shorts from without and exploiting the present leadership vacuum, Kenya is in for a very long stretch of nasty political ride. ODM is squarely trapped inside the box as the marionette has all his limbs firmly at the mercy of his cronies. Kibaki can continue driving Kenya to the next available cliff with ODM top leadership as his distraught passengers. It is foolhardy to overlook structures and fast strack resettlement of IDP using force to intimidate. That same force cannot be extended into homes where IDPs will go to. -
Backstabbing ODM: Moi’s Secret Hand
» You Missed This 
Read Kumekucha's red hot exclusive on how Maina Njenga's wife died
ODM Rift Valley MPs Running Errands for Retired President
Writing recently in the Sunday Standard, Jason Kap Kirwok presented startling figures that actually show that the current grand coalition cabinet is the most ethnically balanced ever. Said he:
“.....Our source of statistics for Kenya’s ethnic composition is the March 2008 edition of the CIA’s World Fact Book. If we map ethnic composition against the distribution of full Cabinet positions, we get the following statistics. The Kikuyu, our most populous ethnic group, compromises 22 per cent of the population. Their share of positions in the Coalition Cabinet is 19 per cent. The Luhya, at 14 per cent of the population is the second most populous ethnic group. Their share in the current Cabinet is 19 per cent. The Luo come next at 13 per cent of the population; they occupy 12 per cent of the slots in the Cabinet. The Kalenjins represent 12 per cent of the population and their share of Cabinet positions is also 12 per cent, while the Kamba are 11 per cent of the population with a share of seven per cent of Cabinet positions. The Kisii represent six per cent of the population and have six per cent of the Cabinet positions, while the Meru are six per cent of the population with a two per cent share of the Cabinet. The rest of the other 35 African ethnic communities comprise 15 per cent of the total population. Their share of the Cabinet is a surprising 21 per cent. Finally, the non-African "tribes" — Europeans, Asians and Arabs — comprise one per cent of the Kenyan population with a share of the Cabinet of two per cent. The picture changes only slightly when we include the Assistant ministers. We may quibble about a percentage higher here and a percentage lower there, but a it is reasonably balanced. ....”
How come then Rift Valley Members of Parliament, particularly from the larger Kericho area, be so adamant that their community has been left out of cabinet? Why would educated and presumably civilized politicians suddenly rise up with unreasonable demands on their party leader? Is someone controlling their utterances by remote control……to sabotage ODM unity?.......or perhaps to ensure IDPs are not resettled..?….or maybe to undo the grand coalition…..?...reinvigorate KANU….? YES to all the above!
Looking at the history of the Orange Democratic Movement, it can be vividly recalled that during the period after the 2005 referendum when ODM-K was formed, it was none other than former President Moi who took it upon himself to politically undermine ODM-K and his efforts in infiltrating the party led to its eventual disintegration. First it was Uhuru Kenyatta who made history in the world as the first official opposition leader to abandon his post and support the incumbent. Uhuru, however, did not abandon the salary and other benefits that come with that office. Closely following him, Kalonzo Musyoka also purportedly ‘defected’ from LDP to LPK, while his puppets Chairman Maanzo and Secretary Chepkonga refused to hand over ODM-K to legitimate party secretariat officials. Shortly after this, the same Rift Valley politicians were on the frontline calling some ODM presidential candidates ‘unelectable’.
Fast forward to the highly publicized ODM Kasarani nominations where Raila Odinga reigned supreme and was elected party torch-bearer, the former President then opted to make it his personal business to campaign against ODM at every given opportunity in Rift Valley and elsewhere. It was telling that everywhere he went Moi was not campaigning for the PNU candidate that he had endorsed but rather campaigning against ODM and its candidate. Some of his utterances were picked up by PNU adherents and this led to a marked rise in hate speech against the ODM candidate all over including those notorious vernacular FM stations.
Prior to Kivuitu’s astonishing announcement, the very day almost everyone expected Raila Odinga to be declared president (and Kibaki was said to be willing to concede defeat because Raila was ahead by an unassailable 1.2 million votes during which time more than 90% of votes had been counted), it is rumoured Moi made a night visit to State House via helicopter. What happened to this country after that visit scarred Kenya forever.
In the period after Kibaki’s swearing-in (bedroom Chris?), Moi’s respected peers from other African countries were in town in an effort to reconcile the ODM and PNU factions. Whereas it would have been natural for Moi to lead his peers in these efforts in his own country, his choice to engage in murky partisan politics could not allow him to do so. Even with Kenya at the brink of disaster and Koffi Anan shuttling between the Serena Hotel, State House and Pentagon House, ‘statesman’ Moi was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the same political forces unsuccessfully tried to intimidate Annan using crude methods and eventually leading to Annan resolving to deal directly with principals. At about the same time, senior figures in ODM were approached with cabinet appointments if only to sabotage the grand coalition plans that Annan was insistent on.
After Anan’s effort bore some fruit and the grand cabinet was about to be announced, Rift Valley MP’s were at it again, demanding that one of their own be appointed Deputy PM. To end Moi’s political maneuvers, it took Raila Odinga’s personal intervention to compelling William Ruto to publicly support and show respect to Musalia Mudavadi. At Pentagon House, behind-the-scenes maneuvers were that Raila had to prevail in ODM cabinet appointments because some elements from Rift Valley did not want to see Joe Nyagah appointed to cabinet, something Raila did not take very kindly. Incidentally, save for Arap Moi, the Rift Valley MPs were conspicuously absent at Nyagah’s funeral last week. Nyagah himself was present at the funeral of Ruto’s father just three weeks ago.
As if to show a deeply divided country who is in-charge, ‘statesman’ Moi was sitting at the presidential dais to witness the swearing-in of the grand-coalition cabinet. His presence at the swearing-in of a grand coalition cabinet and that of former Malawian President Bakili Muluzi, was in bad taste and it clearly shows, people still imagine the retired president has a role to play in the destiny of this country, his own disastrous reign and that of Muluzi notwithstanding. The whole inauguration ceremony was organized by the State House protocol officials. (Muluzi served a 10 year constitutional term from 1994 to 2000 in office as president of Malawi, but is now planning a comeback for the presidency in Malawi’s general elections due in 2009. Muluzi’s corruption CV is very similar to that of Moi. Both men have mega-fraud and embezzlement allegations following them like shadows).
Today, Raila and Kibaki are due to meet with Rift Valley MPs because it has emerged it will take much more than Annan’s efforts to resettled individuals who had been displaced from that province. Rather than fight ODM, the advise to Moi’s (and his Moi Africa Foundation) to re-direct their efforts in re-settling IDPs in Rift Valley and elsewhere. Or better still, to please retire honourably at his farm in Kabarak. -
Kumekucha Red Hot Exclusive: How Maina Njenga's Wife Died
» You Missed This EXCLUSIVE: Maj Gen Ali’s Link to Execution of Mungiki Leader’s wife
Fresh details emerged today how the wife of jailed Mungiki leader Maina Njenga was brutally murdered and the involvement of a new elite squad directly answerable to police commissioner Mohamed Hussein Ali.
It emerged that Ms Virginia Nyakio’s execution was plotted by an elite squad codenamed The Eagle, which was recently formed by Maj Gen Ali to replace the disbanded Kwekwe Squad. Just like Kwekwe, the Eagle Squad is directly answerable to Maj Gen Ali and it was formed to exclusively hunt down members of the dreaded Mungiki sect.
Police officers who spoke on condition they would not be named for security reasons said Nyakio was seized by members of the Eagle Squad in Nairobi on suspicion she had taken over the leadership of Mungiki on behalf of her husband, who is serving his jail term at the Naivasha Maximum Security Prison after he was convicted for being in possession of an unlawful gun and bhang.
They said the Eagle Squad interrogated the woman on the activities of the outlawed sect and how much money she had in her bank account. The police claim they had received information that Mungiki members were still channelling part of the cash they extorted from public service vehicles and businesses, mostly in Nairobi Central and Rift Valley provinces, to Mr Njenga’s wife.
Afterwards, the officers said, Ms Nyakio was tricked to call her driver, Mr George Njoroge, to meet pick her in a certain location in Nairobi. The officers from the elite unit ordered her not to betray she was under arrest when making the call and they promised to release her if she cooperated.
She believed the officers and obeyed their instructions. The officers then accompanied Ms Nyakio to the meeting place and seized Mr Njoroge. They then proceeded to the bank and ordered Ms Nyakio to withdraw all the cash she had in her account. The account was reportedly holding more than Sh5million. It’s unclear what became of the seized cash since it has triggered bad blood in the squad, with junior officers accusing their head of pocketing all of it.
The officers who spoke to us said Ms Nyakio and Mr Njoroge were later taken to a forest in Kajiado District where the driver was told how the woman had betrayed him. The police tricked him they would release him if he carried out their orders which required him to...
Story Updated at 5:32 PM Kenyan time
I have seen some of the comments and I have raised the questions with my sources. Here is what they had to say; It's not illegal to withdraw Sh5million, all you have to do is make the arrangements to do so. The undercover cops attached to the elite squads use all sorts of tactics to achieve what they want, "we cannot say more," they said. They then posed, if 5,000 youths vanished just like that last year after being arrested by cops in the full presence of their wives and family members, what is the big deal with a signatory to an account being forced to withdraw Sh5 million under duress? The reason those elite squads operate discreetly is for them to achieve the results their bosses want.
Read on
Wayward Nairobi husband taught a lesson by neighbor's wife whom he desired -
Recent Nairobi Star Article That Mentioned Kumekucha
» You Missed This Kenyan bloggers: Digital activists or deadly propagandists?
By Grace Kerongo
Kenya’s Hitler! Exclusive: Secret plot for a coup! Military take over! No peace, no justice! Kill all the election thieves! Calling for a civil war! These were some of the many headlines on Kenyan blogs right after the elections last year. The period saw blogs segmenting into three major groups, the ODMer’s (die hard ODM supporters), the PNU bloggers and the impartial/ neutral bloggers – who were very rare.
I got in touch with the cream of the Kenyan bloggers and this is what they had to say.
You Missed This: kumekucha.blogspot.com
Of all the controversial blogs, Kumekucha takes the trophy. The blogger behind it couldn’t reveal his name or where he is based for security reasons, but only said, “I earn a living writing for other websites all over the world.”
He went ahead to explain what his blog is about.
“Since inception Kumekucha's main subject has been politics with a bias towards a reform agenda.”
He added, “We have been very fortunate to break numerous stories on Kumekucha. I say "we" because these days it is a team effort. I do it together with a team of dedicated writers spread all over the world on more than three continents.”
Some of their ‘scoops’ include the rape saga involving a famous Kenyan journalist.“We were also the first to tell the world that Kalonzo Musyoka would be appointed Vice President. We also warned the world about the secret "bedroom swearing in" that was going to happen last year about six hours before it happened.”
He was quick to defend the blog against propaganda claims.
“I must admit that our big problem has been the comments (posted on the blog) from readers … some hate comments published in Kumekucha came from people who were upset, especially after the elections. But don't forget that with such a huge readership Kumekucha tends to mirror exactly what is going on the ground including what people are saying and feeling.”
He clarified that the team of writers (who post articles on the blog) comes from both sides of the political divide as well as very neutral persons who call themselves "horseless".”
At a time when blogs were segmented into two, pro-government and pro-opposition, Kumekucha was seen as staunchly ODM, a claim that was hotly denied.
“We are a pro-reform blog. We usually look like we are leaning towards the political party we think is most likely to deliver change. The truth is, we hold nobody's brief except that of the ordinary folk of Kenya, the voiceless masses if you like.”
The ride for the Kumekucha blogger has not being smooth. “I receive threats all the time. That is why I take my personal security very seriously.”
On being regulated he said, “Governments are eager to regulate blogs and web sites. In a few years I am sure there will be all sorts of laws. It is never safe to blog from within the borders of one's own country.”
Kenyan Diaspora Pro-democracy Movement: geraldbaraza.blogspot.com
Gerald Baraza is a student and Officer in charge of Special Projects at the Grand Valley State University in Michigan. He runs the blog geraldbaraza.blogspot.com.
His was the first to post: “Kenya has a new President: Hon.Raila Amolo Odinga!”
He also claims that he predicted Kalonzo Musyoka’s move to join the government as VP days before Kalonzo accepted the appointment.
Baraza accepted that some bloggers spewed vitriol during the post election period.
“It is very true! Blogs were used to spread propaganda. Some of it is very cheap and misleading.”
As a staunch ODM supporter, Baraza was accused by his blog readers of “spreading hatred”. To this he said, “I stand for justice. I stand for democracy and I stand for the truth. Like any other peace-loving and law-abiding Kenyan, I only spoke out against the election malpractices and those who were behind them. I have a right as a Kenyan to express my opinion and that is what I did.”
Due to his straight shooting and liberal writing, Baraza received threats via email.
“My relatives and friends from Kenya and Europe called me and advised me to stop blogging because according to them, I was putting my life and the lives of my relatives at risk. My answer to them was that everything has a cost. If my life or that of a dear one was going to be taken because of me standing up for justice and democracy in Kenya, so be it.”
Several of his American friends also advised him to stop using his real name.
Unlike most bloggers, Baraza chose to reveal his identity on the blog because, “I have not committed any crime. I have nothing to hide. If anything, I am aspiring to contest in Nambale in 2012 so I can’t be hiding when I am a potential Member of Parliament.”
Other bloggers’ take on politics and censorship
Kenyan Entrepreneur.
The kenyanentrepreneur.com focuses on small internet businesses, and frequently writes about business and economics in Africa and Kenya in particular.
“I was accused of being a counter-propagandist site for the Kibaki government, but I didn't view it that way. I think people on both sides of this crisis were very passionate about the issues and the blogs gave them the space to express those passions in a very real and honest way. This is not propaganda. I was one of the few blogs that took a pro-Kibaki stance early on and I think people who were not used to hearing that side of the story may have taken offense at some of my viewpoints. However, those who were pro-Kibaki appreciated the balance that my blog provided and they gravitated towards it.”
What an African woman thinks
Whatanafricanwomanthinks.blogspot.com was seen by many as a neutral entity, far removed from the sectarian madness that griped the blogosphere. “Political temperatures ran extremely high and there were definitely those who crossed the line,” she says. “I tried to position myself as pro-Kenya, which wasn't easy, I admit.”Girl in the meadow: sylkwan.blogspot.com
A Nairobi lawyer simply known as Shiroh owned the blog. She was a staunch Government supporter during the post election crisis. As a practicing lawyer Shiroh says it would be impossible for a politician to sue for defamation. “I guess they can, if they can get the identity of the blogger. The thing is, how you would they establish who publishes the blog? This is something one can delete anytime.”
The Displaced Kenyan
Mwangi runs displacedkenyan.com, he is based in Melbourne, Australia. His blog was created during the post election violence but he steered clear of politics.
“The blogsphere definitely spread some hate, the place where hate was simply unavoidable was Mashada and Kumekucha. I fully understand why Kobia (Mashada owner) had to shut the place down for a while, it all got a bit too much.”
“There was a beautiful outpouring of love and support from sites such as Ushahidi.com, Mama Mikes, Operation Save Brian, IHaveNoTribe.com amongst others all came out of this tragedy. In addition to that, a lot of bloggers were willing to step up and talk about things like tribalism, class, wealth disparity and other issues that are really at the core of the crisis.”
The rancorous chatter is still going in most blogs, which is made possible by the illusion of an impenetrable alias. One question though: if blogging reveals a blogger’s honest opinion, what does that say about the quality of citizenry in Kenya and the Diaspora?
Straying husband taught a lesson by his wife and another woman
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Was Otieno Kajwang Just Too Delighted To Be A Cabinet Minister?
» You Missed This Anybody who listened to ODM MP for Mbita Otieno Kajwang telling the press about events surrounding his recent appointment as immigration minister in the overcrowded grand coalition cabinet, would have been left deeply disgusted, whatever side of the political divide they belong.
The man is a major embarrassment to his party and party leader, let alone the good long suffering constituents of Mbita who were very determined to get rid of the man this time. But somehow he was bailed out by Prime Minister Raila Odinga. The value of people like James Orengo I would understand. But what exactly is the value of Otieno Kajwang to ODM and Raila, apart from being able to sing Bado Mapambano quite well? Many have forgotten that this man stole client’s money and was struck off the lawyer’s roll meaning that he can no longer practice law in Kenya. Is that the kind of character you would feel comfortable with in such a powerful public position? In fact my latest raw notes reveals what his aides were up to even before his appointment.
Watching Kajwang’s recent antics in full view of the press also proves to anybody who previously doubted that a cabinet appointment does not help the ordinary folk of Kenya, rather it is more of a valued personal reward to any politician.
Hon Kajwang could not hide his joy and was bursting out in loud laughter every few seconds even as the cameras rolled.
The monologue with the press went something like this;
“When we received the news I was with my wife. We were in the bedroom (loud laughter from the shocked press and himself).
We did not know whether I would be appointed or not and we were lying low just in case, watching.
We did a jig [with his wife in the bedroom]
The new minister for immigration then went to the phone and called some junior officer in full view of the press.
“Hello this is honorable Kajwang….
This is Honorable Otieno Kajwang your new minister here. I just wanted to confirm that you are on duty working.”
He again laughed loudly and in glee before settling on his swivel chair and swinging from side to side like a kid that has just been given a new toy.
Honestly I almost threw up.
Adulterous boss taught a lesson -
By-Elections: Why is the ECK Silent?
» You Missed This Revealed: Esther Passaris to Vie in Embakasi
It is emerging that scores of politicians are chasing the ODM party ticket for the forthcoming by elections, with some constituencies like Emuhaya, Embakasi, Ainamoi, Kamukunji attracting up to 50 aspirants. Other constituencies due for by-elections are Wajir North and Kilgoris. All signs are that the ODM hierarchy is taking the forthcoming by elections very seriously, an indication that the party has its eyes set on controlling the legislative agenda as well as positioning itself for the next general elections which could come earlier than the year 2012.
Curiously though, despite the National Assembly Speaker having issued gazette notices earlier this month declaring Emuhaya, Embakasi and Ainanoi seats vacant, the disgraced Electoral Commission of Kenya has not announced the time-table for the by-elections, something it is mandated to do within fourteen days of such gazettements. Similarly, the country remains in the dark about the other three constituencies which never got MPs following the disputed general elections in December. This is a great injustice to those citizens who lack representation in parliament.
Even as we wait for ECK to announce the by-elections timetable, for the next six months, the ECK itself will be placed under the microscope when the Independent Review Commission probing the 2007 elections will get down to investigating the disputed December 2007 election results including the role played by the ECK, political parties, the media, faith based organizations and the civil society. The ECK has already contracted a lawyer as it is due to appear as a witness(es) at the commission. But does this mean that unrepresented constituencies have to wait until the ECK is sorted out?
Currently only existing on paper, Kibaki’s PNU and Kalonzo’s ODM-K which were leading political parties only a few months ago have turned out were only created to be used as miserable campaign vehicles with no intentions of ever fulfilling their glossy party manifestos. On the other hand, the ODM has kept its secretariat active with permanent staff and the party Secretary General, Ayang Nyongo busy networking in local and overseas travels. In contrast, its rivals are now a pale shadow of ‘vibrant’ parties they once professed to be having witnessed bitter fall-outs and complete shut-down of their own campaign secretariats. Whatever happened to the once all powerful Maanzos, Ojiambos, Kituyis and Tujus?
In Embakasi constituency, long wrongly assumed to be hostile grounds to ODM candidates, this blogger can authoritatively reveal, the ODM front runner for the Embakasi seat is none other than Esther Muthoni Passaris - the founder of Adopt-A-Light. With her pentagon friends behind her, it looks likely that she will bag the ODM ticket.
After she was deliberately omitted under dubious grounds as an ODM nominated councilor by the then Local Government Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, Passaris is now set to make a debut in parliamentary politics and not civic politics that she was unfairly denied in the first place. Uhuru Kenyatta and his well known godfathers will have to go back to the drawing board. Observers doubt if the PNU/ODM-K coalition can come up with a more acceptable candidate to face and beat Passaris in an isolated by-election with the ODM brigade behind her. Not only has Passaris been a frequent visitor at the Pentagon House, she hardly misses at any social function organized by ODM Captain Raila Odinga. Last Thursday, the flamboyant Passaris was present at the Prime Minister’s dinner at hotel Inter-Continental Nairobi in a function attended by who-is-who in Kenya’s political and business circles.
Last year ODM collected billions of shillings in nomination fees, donations and sponsorship. The party was charging Kshs. 100,000/- for its parliamentary ticket, plus 20,000/- in party membership cards. It was reported that Passaris was among donors who made hefty donations into the ODM campaign kitty and provided millions of shillings worth of advertising space to the party. Not bad for someone who was originally a Kibaki supporter. It looks like the ODM strategy in Embakasi is to divide the massive GEMA vote while consolidating the youth and women’s vote in this large constituency. -
Casualties of Monster Grand Coalition
» You Missed This As the political grand coalition settles down to work, it is interesting to reflect on the principal causalities of the monster. Two people immediately spring to mind. The PNU iron lady of Kenyan politics is suffering a cute bout of PGCSD- post grand coalition stress disorder. Meanwhile Dr. Frank Njenga is currently heading the team attending to Ms Martha.
Martha is a victim of her own efforts and 'success'. Her loyalty and oily mouth to defend PNU during the first 100 days of 2008 were unquestionable. She exhausted her intellectual reservoir as the public face of fraudulent MV PNU. Where wits and calculative blackmail failed, her crude tantrums came in handy. That she got an unrestrained political kick in the teeth is painful to say the least.
The maverick ex-magistrate must be remonstrating and cursing under her breath what generous kicks for a donkey politicians get as rewards for all their efforts. Martha's LOUD silence in the last one week speaks volumes. Next time she twists her lips on the screen, they will either spew characteristic brimstone or churn out measured retrospection mellowed by political reality. She is one person whose actions will definitely give a clue on the directions of political dynamics in tandem with Kibaki succession.
Mad Martha, livid Lucy
That Kenyans have not missed Lucy during her sojourn at Nairobi’s mental facility is no coincidence. Lucy’s absence from the public eye has saved many male cheeks from stopping her flying palms. But at least she can sit pretty in the knowledge that her wish to have State House as home is partially adhered to. She made sure that all coalition transactions were conducted at Harambee House far away from her madness. You can only guess what the outcome and state of Kenya would be otherwise.
Lucy may be down but not out. Having personally made sure that the kihii does not bring himself anywhere near State House, she cannot sit pretty as the same person strides the political landscape unperturbed. Lucy will never forgive Koffi Annan for spoiling the party in which she staked her all - stature and persona. You don’t commiserate with the devil in an ELECTION THEFT only to see it melt right before your eyes. Well, one thing is for sure: we haven’t seen the last of these two TOUGHIES who dare not spare any man left standing in Kenya. -
Vision Microscope Exam
» You Missed This ONLY BRAND NEW LEADERSHIP AND BRAND NEW IDEAS CAN SAVE KENYA
Teaching 41 Old "Somethings" New Tricks
Its vision time and its raining visions in Kenya. no need for an umbrella though; cheaper words that won't come to pass have never been spoken especially from the mouth of ruling elite-sample this for starters;"build democratic institutions"
"government will draw inter-ethnic policy"
"make nairobi 24 hours city"To the naked untrained eye we're back in campaign season again and no promise is good enough to make for the ears of gullible Kenyans. At the end of it all smile please,we'll be in the year 2030
THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING
According to PNUs vision 2030, over the next 22 years (presumably under the current incumbent President and Premier upto...?) starting 2008, nationwide development will be doled out in spoonfuls of 5 year periods,culminating in the year 2030 when our country will be a newly industrialized "middle income nation providing high quality life for all its citizens"
No need to be reminded we were once at par with Malaysia and Singapore "Asian Tigers"-that tired old record is scratched toa hio-however the similarity ends there in nostalgia. 45 years of going in all directions butthe right one means we're mark timing lost time since yesterday. Today will do just fine, though not if the current G.C.government like previous successive regimes will lack integrity and real hands on leadership.
No need for history lessons here but mention the name Singapore and think of Kuan Yew in duo, the name Malaysia think of Mahatir; mention Kenya and think of...well,will the vision 2030 duo of PM Odinga and President Kibaki do the trick? our history is still being written and time will tell
BIG SHOES TO FILL
If its hard to beat a winning act following in the shoes of your predecessor, it must equally be hard to break new ground and build a brighter future where no precedence has been set before. Kenya has never had a sitting prime-minister and President at the same time in our history-recipie for success or disaster?
As far as visions are concerned,dreams and ideas are good and come flying a million a second but lethargy and lack of political will are bound to kill any dream no matter how much colour it has.Nonetheless even the almighty God's wisdom cannot deter our politicians who from both sides of the divide will continue to seek prayers for divine intervention, asking God that we wake up in Utopia when its not yet even Uhuru.
Now that the race for State House and the battle for Cabinet Porto-folios is over, the war against poverty, chronic unemployment, institutionalised corruption,unequitable resource distribution has been raging on all the while unabated. Its only when we stop in-fighting(read negative ethnicity) we see the forest from the trees and few are the plates of ugali set to increase on our tables this year if any at all-22 years is not far, wait your turn pumbavu weweThe rescue operation has started and the heat is on- the common man's voice via sauti ya Kumekucha is the unofficial "opposition" and public watchdog
sasa tuendelee na style nzuri please
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PM Raila Hits the Road Running
» You Missed This 
It was an eventful day for PM Raila on his first day in office after being sworn in. Mungiki’s call for ceasefire dwarfs all pronouncements and actions. But with that relief comes the million dollar question: is Mungiki playing smart to make hay when the sun is still up by striking the iron rod when still red hot?
Mungiki leadership went over their heads in claiming Raila as their leader whom they voted for. The first part of that declaration may be true as at now were it not for the white lie in the second part. Well, as the adage goes politics makes of strange bed fellows. While Raila’s detractors will promptly see an opportunist hellbent on outshining the THIEF-IN-CHIEF, Railamaniacs can only see a leader with the courage to confront a problem head on.
Whatever the case you cannot fail to see through the cleverly crafted scheme to be in good books and promptly cut a deal when an opportunity presents itself. Call is having the nose to smell a business aroma or being savvy or simply being calculative and sly. That leaves you asking, who is fooling who given Mungiki’s reverence to cultural purity which is at variance with Raila’s cultural roots, if you know what I mean.
Hostage to serial goofs
Depending on the shade of your political lens, Raila’s first day in office and the attendant actions can be seen as either TRIUMPH or TRAP. Yes triumph for breathing fresh air of leadership on a hitherto rudderless Kenya. And trap for falling for calculative deception clothed as loyalty. How sustainable either hypothesis materializes only time will tell and it will come pretty soon.
Pragmatism demands that we overdose the grand coalition with benefit of doubt before we start breathing fire on their necks. We have a unique opportunity to collectively retrace our steps as a nation. But then we have to tread into this venture guardedly given that our past is littered with serial episodes of dishonesty.
A brutal and honest examination of ourselves will reveal that the present political is what Kenyan voters had in mind during the 2002 elections. But then that is plenty of water under the bridge. True leadership is evident in what a leader does with what is available to rescue his subjects from a hole and not how comfortable he makes the conditions inside the hole. -
Prime Minister 24
» You Missed This Raila’s first 24 hours in office give a taste of things to come
I am a great fan of the action TV series 24.
To me it is more than a great storyline and edge of seat suspense. It is an inspiration that helps me remember that in our modern world of today technology makes it possible to get so many things done within a brief 24 hour period.
Before I say what I want to say today let me make it clear that I am NOT an ODM activist or anything like that. In fact I have some interesting information on a corrupt ODM minister within the grand coalition government about to start doing their thing.
But whatever anybody may want to call me, I like to praise good things that I see and even in real life my friends will tell you that I am blunt and I do not hesitate to say things as they are and I will not shy from discussing any topic.
Raila’s first 24 hours in office as Prime Minister have been nothing short of admirable. After the swearing-in ceremony yesterday, Raila held a special thanksgiving party to celebrate his appointment at the Intercontinental hotel. Many people from government were present. But the most notable was Amos “the stock exchange is not a fish market” Kimunya and Vice president Kalonzo Musyoka. Also in attendance was former UN secretary general Koffi Anan.
On the same evening that the celebration was being held, a chap called Njuguna Gitau Njunguna announced to everybody’s relief that the Mungiki reign of terror had come to an end. As you read this all attacks have ceased and peace has returned to the country. Businesses that have been shut for several days all over Central province are now open and happily transaction biashara. The Nuguna chap credited their decision to adabdoning the terror campaign to the Prime Minister. In fact several days ago a source deep within ODM had told me that the PM intended to negotiate with Mungiki and address their grivienaces. Naturally there are those who would not agree with the idea of negotiating with terrorists (because that is what the Mungiki chaps are) but certainly you can not argue with the fact that we have a prime minister who gets results.
To cap off the Prime Minister’s first 24 hours in office, members of the opposition MDC party in Zimbabwe came calling to see Raila Odinga. They are keen for Kenya to intervene in the political deadlock in that country. Speaking to the press they said they were sure that Kenyans knew exactly what they felt having gone through a very similar situation recently. The prime minister on his part promised to do everything in his power to help Zimbabwe out of its current political problems. Raila also urged President Robert Mugabe to follow the example of President Kibaki.
And all that in the first 24 hours in office.
Need I say more? It seems that we were all wrong and the political direction that the country will take from now on is going to be very different indeed from what even Kumekucha expected.
Part 2 of the true story of a woman who found romance and happiness at 42
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Mungiki’s Violent Message to Government
» You Missed This So Mungiki has 'officially' called off visiting terror on Kenyans secure in the belief that they have cut a niche in marking their territory as a political force. That leaves one asking why didn't they announce the start in the first place. That the spokesman calls media houses without any fear of being apprehended exposes loads of complicity and incompetence.
It is time we put the twisted philosophy and identity of this murderous lot into its true perspective. For starters nobody with a heart can show his post molars in glee at the pain of others. With that declaration cleared we dive gloveless into the thinly clothed TRIBAL SUPERIORITY COMPLEX Mungiki is fashioning as cultural purity.
Mungiki’s orgies of violence are just the primitive version of wider GEMA ethnic thinking. They are simply attempting to violently institutionalize utter contempt for other Kenyans. You don’t need to think very hard to see the pseudo intellectuals contrasting Mungiki’s present bloodletting to JUSTIFIABLE protest against election theft. When other Kenyans demand their birth right they are branded lazy but that vice acquires an objective sheen when these crude extortionists suck other Kenyans blood.
Mungiki is reminding all and sundry by sending a political message that whatever and whoever is in the new coalition we are not going anywhere. With patrons in the right offices, the sect is simply pinning their mark on the political sand. Mungiki’s antics amount to nothing but unsophisticated peddling of superiority complex that has been plaguing since independence. When Jaramogi wrote NOT YET UHURU the same calculative lot demonized but on hindsight he saw ahead of time Kenya replacing the white colonialist with a native one.
Complicity and incompetence
There is industry and deception. Only in Kenya do we have the two meaning the same thing. According to these local masters the word HEAD START (unfairly dished of course) is being savvy and knowing when to make a kill by having the right nose to smell opportunities miles ahead of the rest.
Mungiki must be seen for what it is as the unpleasant face of a section of Kenya who believes the rest owe them gratitude for populating this geographical location. Kibaki’s election theft dovetails in that realm of thinking and saying otherwise to live in self denial. Kenya is at war with this calculative group who only makes you feel relevant when they want to ride on your back by globalizing a local problem. The plastic clarion call najivunia kuwa Mkenya was cleverly coined to make us bend our backs for the masters. Patriotism is never taught.
Even the conventional church has not been spared the expanding sphere and smell of deception and selective amnesia. This vice must be genetic. Just look at the present church and the hitherto vocal clerics and compare that with the late Muge and his steadfastness during Moi’s regime. Kenyans are only fighting back to reclaim their country from THIEVES and SCOUNDRELS in various shades masquerading as champions of cultural purity. -
Breaking News: Mungiki Call Off Terror Attacks
» You Missed This Njuguna Gitau Njuguna Says That They Are Answering Calls For Peace From The Prime Minister
News That I have just received indicates that the Kenya National Youth Alliance has this evening announced an end to their national terror campaign called to protest the killing of the wife of their jailed leader Maina Njenga.
The really shocking part of the statement called in to the media by the groups' infamous spokesman Njuguna Gitau Njuguna was that the group has made the decision to call off their protests in honor of Prime Minister Raila Odinga's appeal for peace. Sources indicate that Raila Odinga who was sworn in as prime minister earlier today has entered into dialogue with the group.
Njuguna appealed to matatu owners to return their vehicles to the road tomorrow morning (Kenyan time) without fear assuring them that there will now be peace.
Earlier today two more public transport vehicles were burnt in Nairobi's Dagoretti area. Meanwhile a serious fuel shortage loomed when Mungiki adherents distributed leaflets daring lorry drivers to try and deliver fuel to a major fuel depot in Nairobi's Industrial area. The leaflets warned that any lorry seen carrying fuel in the area would be torched.
Yesterday as a result of Mungiki terror a curfew was imposed in Othaya and Nyeri.
However it is now expected that after the strange statement this evening, all will be well and Nairobians who have had to contend with the virtual crippling of the public transport system can now go back to some sense of normalcy.
Love blossoms into the most unlikely couple -
As Kenyans Continue With Their Petty Tribal Squabbles…
» You Missed This Wanjiku Tells Us Why the Kikuyu Are Deeply Ashamed Of Mungiki
I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. Ecc 9:11
Why Tom Mboya’s shadow still looms larger than ever across the country and in the US
History is clearly about to made in the United States as Kumekucha predicts that against all odds, Senator Barack Obama will win the democratic party nomination for president and go on to win the presidential race in November.
The amazing thing is that it would never have happened without the help of the two gentlemen seen in the photograph above who eventually ended up being both victims of an assassin’s bullet. It was the famous airlifts of the 60s initiated by Tom Mboya with the help of the then president John F. Kennedy that landed senator Barack Obama’s late father in the United States as a student. The rest as they say is history.
If TJ were to come back today and be told the amazing story leading up to the White House that started right at his door step, the most likely reaction would be for him to chuckle in that affectionate sincere way those close to him knew. But there is no doubt that he would have been utterly amazed at what his humble airlifts had done for the entire continent.
The really bizarre thing about all these developments concerning senator Obama is the fact that while the rest of Africa celebrates the fact that a man fathered by an indigenous African born in humble surroundings at the heart of Africa, is about to ascend to the most powerful office in the whole world, in Kenya support for the senator is split along tribal lines. For example while Kenyans living in Kisumu cannot get enough of Obama whom they consider to be one of them, many in Central province in the very same country would prefer a Hillary Clinton win for the democratic party and the presidency of the United States, not because they like wazungus but simply because of the part of the country where Senator Obama’s father came from. In other words there are too many Kenyans who do not look at the Senator as of Kenyan descent but instead as a man whose father was a Mujaruo.
That is how far down Kenyans have sunk, folks.
And yet if Obama were to be elected president the entire continent would benefit greatly. Not because President Obama would concentrate on Africa. Far from it, he will be kept busy serving the good people of America who will have elected him. But Africa will benefit because for the first time in history the occupant of that high office will be somebody who understands Africa extremely well.
Or let me put it in another way. He will surely be the only president of the United States ever who slept on a couch in a low class Nairobi estate at his step sister’s place in an effort to fully understand his roots. Many in the Kenyan cabinet have not had any such experience.
Let’s get our senses back, dear Kenyans before it is too late.
Oh, and about the scripture from the Bible that I quote above, it is the verse yours truly used in sending an appeal to the senator through his site to stand for the Presidency of the United States at a time when he looked like he had little chance of going anywhere with such a campaign.
P.S. The Grand coalition cabinet was sworn in today at State House Nairobi after which they were all invited for lunch by the president. In public they are all talking about service delivery and addressing the problems of unemployment, but in private the usual things are happening. Last week a bizarre incident happened where an aide to one of the cabinet ministers affiliated to the ODM side of the grand colaition was going around soliciting for information on how to supply some particular highly technical products and services to a certain minister. Almost four days later on Sunday, my source could not believe their ears when the very individual was named to that very ministry his aides were seeking supply information on. What does that tell you? Simply that the same old supply games are being played in the government ministries, only this time the problem has been multiplied by a staggering 41 cabinet portfolios.
Love blossoms into the most unlikely couple -
Mungiki An Embarrassment To The Kikuyus
» You Missed This Somebody accused the house of Mumbi of being too silent on the Mungiki menace. Maybe it’s true but that’s not necessarily out of sympathy for the sect. I’d say it’s more out of embarrassment. As much as I’m not making a statement for the Kikuyu community, I believe I speak for the majority when I say that nobody wants to have a brother who beheads and skins people and then comes home for dinner. And nobody, regardless of tribe, wants to be beheaded or skinned. Majority of Kikuyu families are Christians and do not believe in or follow the Mungiki doctrines.
Blanket condemnation of the whole tribe as pro-mungiki and therefore deserving of the violence visited upon them by their sons is plain unfair. There are thousands of disappointed parents, brothers and sisters all over Central Kenya and beyond. Given a choice every parent would want their children to grow and make a meaningful life for themselves. Instead they have become the community’s worst curse. The whole meaningful life thing is increasingly becoming a mirage in this country due to poor levels of education, land grabbing, corruption and high levels of poverty among other things.
It’s not fun being a Kikuyu right now. Central Province is gripped by fear. In some areas it is safer not to even speak about Mungiki because you never know who is a sympathizer. Other than the obvious threats that have been spread through leaflets there are also the rumours doing the rounds that Mungiki will from now on start indiscriminately seizing young girls and circumcising them. There are massive losses especially for milk farmers and matatu operators. In my home village, the old faithful lorry that collects milk at 4.00 every morning has not shown up for some days now. Who will go out at that hour?
The thing is the average Kikuyu is as much a victim as anyone else. Many Kikuyus who were happy that Mungiki revenged for the killings in Eldoret are singing a different song now. Emotions were high then and they have since taken time to reflect on the heinousness of the crimes that their sons committed.
Finally it was an insult for Kiraithe (he of the Rambo Movie fame) to come on TV and tell Kenyans that they have allowed themselves to play into the hands of the Mungiki by keeping their shops closed and their matatus off the road. What in the name of the good Lord did the police spokesman expect the shop owners to do? Open the shops anyway? Bring the matatus into town and risk having them razed? It is bad enough for the police to be seemingly doing nothing about the menace but to then try to shift the blame to mwananchi? The same policemen who were running away from the Mungiki in Thika the other day?
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Daring Mungiki Now Knock Kibaki’s Door
» You Missed This Secure in the knowledge that Kibaki is neck-deep in the murk, daring Mungiki is confidently knocking at his door complete with threats to boot. Mungiki is not only threatening brimstone and economic shutdown of Nyeri on Sunday but also has the audacity to demand the release of their convicted leader Maina Njenga. And the murderous sect is reading from the same script with Njenga issuing threats to police from inside prison.
You don’t have to live in a banana plantation to create a banana republic. Mungiki is simply hitting hard Kibaki's soft underbelly. They know almost the whole lot of Central Kenya leaders are complicit in using them in the post election violence. Naming the cabinet has closed violent and tribal rent-seeking avenues. The industrious sect knows when to demand their pound of flesh cleverly clothed as ransom.
One thing is clear from the present Mungiki dare devil antics. Kenya’s intelligence system has been proved wanting once again. Make no mistake about the competence of NSIS staff. They remain one of the most qualified south of Sahara and north of Limpopo. The problem is sabotage from within. Kibaki packed NSIS’s top echelon with his tribesmen but disenfranchised real intelligence foot soldiers owe their loyalties elsewhere. Gichangi has serially bungled it since his appointment.
Bandit president
Having supped with Mungiki and clandestinely recruited them in the police force, Kibaki finds himself at the mercy of the monster he helped nurture. Mungiki knows all this and with police insider members you cannot fail to see why PS Gituai admitted that they were found napping. Saitoti’s predictable denial is too little too late that only succeeds in soothing his old-schooled ego.
Mungiki’s patronage runs to the apex of Kenya’s government. With an able accomplice in the deputy prime minister they won’t ask for more. We have seen the last of Mungiki yet. The splitter group that was roped in by the police to butcher Virginia Nyakio have bigger scores to settle with both rivals and government. In all this drama almost all Kikuyu MPs will have their mouths zipped lest they are exposed in their previous murderous dalliance with the sect against other Kenyans.
Kibaki set the impunity ball rolling and Mungiki is eating from the very plate. The ripple effect of election theft is one baggage Kenya will carry for quite a long long time. Yes, the truth has the unpleasantly trait of sounding like a stuck record but no matter what it fortunately never mutates. We are in this hole because of the Mungiki president and the militia is having a field days skinning Kenyans’ heads as Kibaki the perpetrator of this heinous crime sits pretty scheming on our to defraud and rape us some more.
Kenyans must be red alert about the devilish plots lurking behind these instigated violence. Assassinations are often excused as collateral for such buildup. The bottom line remain Kibaki's template for ruling Kenya is outdated. The more he tries to lord it over us the more he dives into more goofs. All these bad schemes won't last forever and Kenyans are slowly but surely reclaiming their country back from the bloody hands of the bandit president and his cronies. It is only a matter of time. -
The Forgotten Frontier That Is Northern Kenya
» You Missed This In a country where subsequent governments alienate whole provinces for over 4 decades and still get away with it, it’s good that someone came up with the idea of a Ministry for Northern Kenya and other Arid Areas. These are arguably the most neglected in the country and the creation of a ministry for them at least shows that the leadership appreciates the need for some speedy reversal of this unfortunate situation.
But I don’t believe a government ministry is what the doctor ordered for Northern Kenya and other arid areas. If we look at it in terms of ministries then they should all go and camp there. For one a lot of Education is required to empower the locals to actively participate in the development of their own. There’s need for water technology and water harvesting for domestic and irrigation purposes, livestock management through building of abattoirs, introduction of farming of fruits, vegetables, medicinal and horticultural crops – there’s just too much. Maybe Najib Balala’s next challenge should be to have more tourists there in future if at all there are any now. And who knows the areas could produce some athletes and soccer stars if someone looked hard enough?
In short arid areas, as do many others in the country, have great potential and need special attention from nearly all the current ministries except the likes of Nairobi Metropolitan Development and East African Community among others. In any case, the current ministries are just a political arrangement that will mostly operate on a national level.
In my view a development body would fit the bill better. Like the Lake Basin Development Authority or Coast Development Authority. The authority can be funded by development partners without being bogged down by backward government bureaucracy and long procurement procedures. Of course the state also has a major role to play in additional funding and generally enabling the smooth running of the authority by ensuring security and providing incentives such as tax exemption on equipment. The authority should have a clear mandate and be able to approach and receive special attention from all ministers in government including the Prime Minister who promised a Livestock Insurance Policy during his campaigns.
This is not a call for Majimbo but these areas have a lot of sharp minds and by all means they should be left to manage such a body should it be formed. They’re very familiar with their problems and they know their terrain well. And since they grew up there, they’ll spend more time working other than whining about the tough climatic conditions.
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Mungiki Cripple City Transport System
» You Missed This Nairobians worry how they will get home this evening after work
Last night I reported that sources close to the police had informed me that the Mungiki problem was getting worse.
News trickling in this morning has shown exactly what was meant. In the most daring attack yet, Mungiki youths pounced on the Nairobi CBD firing in the air and causing fear and panic amongst commuters waiting for public transport back home.
The attack met its' objectives as matatus vanished leaving tens of thousands stranded in the city centre. The few matatus that were brave enough to stay on started charging fares as high as Kshs 150 to Kshs 300 for trips to various city estates.
Mercifully the crack GSU unit moved in quickly and restored security as the Mungiki youths melted into the night. As you read this there is a very serious commuter transport problem in Nairobi which has been made worse by the fact that Commuter train services were suspended on Tuesday after two trains were derailed by Mungiki youths on Monday.
Police moved in and helped ferry most stranded commuters home in an exercise where they were assisted by a few army lorries.
It is now clear that the well co-ordinated Mungiki attacks are set to continue for sometime in the country as a spokesman of the Kenya Youth Alliance said in an interview with the K24 TV station on Monday.
Interestingly in a function this morning involving the two deputy premiers, Uhuru Kenyatta refused to make any comments about the Mungiki terror currently being unleashed countrywide. Uhuru was handing over the Local government docket to ODM's Musalia Mudavadi who is deputy premier and also the new local government ministry. Interestingly this was a ministry where his late father Moses Sabstone Mudamba Mudavadi served in for many years under several Moi administrations.
Who is behind this fresh Mungiki attacks and what is the real motive? But even as long suffering Nairobians and indeed Kenyans puzzle over that question, it is clear that the new guerrilla tacticsnow being employed by the group have been well thought out and will continue to cause lots of chaos in the country for weeks and maybe even months to come.
I am following some useful leads and will bring you more background posts on this worrying trends as soon as I have some solid information in my hands.
P.S. Former powerful Coast PC in the Kenyatta era and the man who was crucial in preventing the country from ending up in the hands of powerful Kenyattta kitchen cabinet members and their Ngoroko militia, Eliud Mahihu died quietly yesterday Morning at Nairobi hospital. Mahihu's action enabled the then Vice President Daniel arap Moi to peacefully take over the reigns of power after Kenyatta's death. By some divine intervention, the night Kenyatta died was the only night in over 10 years that Mbiyu Koinange was not at Kenyatta's side. Koinange was linked to the Ngoroko plot meant to grab power and stop Moi from ascending to power.
P.S. 2 A group of 60 back bencher MPs are seeking to push through a proposal to have a grand opposition created in the 10th parliament to counter the huge grand coalition government. Very clever way of postioning oneself for victory and bigger things in the next elections which most Kenyans believe will happen within the next 2 years at the very latest.
Childless Riruta housewife welcomes man into her house who claimed that he "would open the way." -
Mungiki Terror Spreads To The Second Day
» You Missed This My apologies to Kumekucha readers who have been waiting all day for this post. I have been chasing all day, concrete information on this worrying Mungiki violence that entered its’ second day in many parts of Kenya today.
The Rift Valley Railways has earlier today suspended commuter train services after two of their trains were derailed yesterday. All in all 3 people were killed on this second day of violence. One was a watchman in Ngara who tried to run away when the Mungiki struck a car garage and burnt several cars.
In Nairobi’s Ngummo estate (not far from the Kibera slums) a commuter bus belonging to KBS was burnt this morning. Muranga town remain a ghost town with most businesses refusing to open citing threats from Mungiki adherents to remain closed or else…
The police are being very secretive, but insider sources have just told Kumekucha that “things have gotten worse tonight” no further details could be given.
There is something here very strange unfolding in Kenyan politics before our very eyes.
The first and extremely worrying thing about both yesterday’s and today’s Mungiki attacks countrywide is simply this. It did not take 24 hours for the whole sick operation to be planned. The truth is that it must have taken days and most likely weeks to plan it. This leads us to the second important clue, the timing which is very important in unraveling the whole mystery. The attacks started the day after the grand coalition cabinet was announced. Meaning that the whole thing was planned and organized and then the whole countrywide Mungiki organization waited for the order to move. It seems they got it on Sunday night.
This in itself is extremely scary. More so because it is rather obvious that the estimated 1.5 million youths countrywide are taking instructions from somebody with vested interests in Kenyan politics as sensitive and deadly as it is at the moment. (You can find out more about the identity of that person and their motives from my raw notes this week.)
In an exclusive interview on Jeff Koinange’s K24 TV station yesterday a spokesperson for Mungiki interviewed deep in a secret location that seems to be a hideout of sorts said that the group intends “to keep the fire burning” until justice is done. He also said that the group has 1.5 million registered members countrywide. That is without cpounting the sympathizers.
The spokesman who was not wearing a mask and identified himself as Njunguna Gitau Njunguna also said that Maina Njenga’s wife would not be buried until the husband is released to attend the funeral “even if it takes 5 years” for this to happen.
Njuguna denied that the group he was representing, the Kenya National Youth Alliance had anything to do with the proscribed Mungiki. That is because this Njuguna fellow is no fool—the Mungiki group is proscribed which means it is illegal even to associate with it. However it is quite clear that Mungiki has now mutated into the Kenya National Youth Alliance. Njunguna said that the organization he represented was a registered political party and that Mungiki was finished by extra-judicial killings ordered by former internal security minister John Michuki.
Folks, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it seems the much talked about second wave of violence has started, albeit in a very different manner from what most people expected. This time what is being used are clever guerilla tactics where the Mungiki emerge (usually in the early hours of the morning) cause chaos and then vanish into thin air, leaving police to harass and arrest mostly the victims rather than the perpetrators.
The bottom line is that violence seems to have taken over as the most powerful political tool in the country and it would seem that this Mungiki uprising is aimed at reversing all the gains that may have been made by ODM after the widespread violence of early this year mainly in vast, mostly fertile Rift Valley.
The Mungiki attacks are not up hazard, but well planned, intricately executed and carefully targeted. The truth is that the public transport system in Nairobi is now virtually at a stand still and many workers are finding it increasingly difficult to get to work.
How a woman desperate to conceive braved a deadly snake that helped her get pregnant -
Mungiki the Curse of Fraudulent Leadership
» You Missed This The Mungiki menace couldn't have come at worse time for Kibaki. The only thing going for Mwai Kibaki since he became Kenya’s president in 2002 is serial jumps from one crisis to another. You don’t have to be superstitious to see the jinx starting from being sworn in at Uhuru Park on a wheel chair to the tumultuous 2003/4 following his trashing of the MOU. The referendum in 2005 was the icing of the crisis cake. Kibaki’s deceptive ways have made him a magnet of bad lack.
Nature truly pays handsomely and promptly in kind. You don’t sup with the devil only to turn around and disown the master of hell. The present Mungiki outrage is chicken coming home to roast. The murder of Mrs Njenga was the much-needed spark to vent anger on a deal gone sour. The poor folks cannot allow themselves to be flashed down the toilet loyally playing MACHETE men in the post election violence.
Fraud props jinxes
Nobody can trust the Kenyan police force anymore given their selective pumping of live bullets in particular sections of the country. Their penchant to execute is well documented. But your guess is as good as mine who between the police and Mungiki would rape and behead a woman. Mrs Njenga’ slaying bears all the hallmark of Mungiki’s grotesque and nefarious murderous orgies.
Calamities, jinxes and bad omen often have higher affinity to visit willing souls weaned on deception and indecision. Mungiki is no ragtag militia as Kibaki would want us to believe. The recent clandestine move by the government to recruit them into the police force is akin to sharpening the very knife whose blades will soon severe the veins of your throat. But this is Kenya where Maina Kiai can only be a hero if he keeps quiet at the sight of electoral theft.
Leaders worth their name lead from the front anf by example. Following institutionalized impunity by none other than the president himself who outrightly raped Kenyans via ELECTORAL THEFT, you cannot expect any justice from any law enforcement arm. The policemen would resort to illegal shortcuts to save themselves time and resources. One thing if for sure: the kidnapping of Mrs Njenga was too complex for ordinary thugs.
Mungiki couldn't have asked for a weighty, dependable and moneyed patronage than a whole deputy prime minister. We haven’t seen the last fangs and bloodletting from Mungiki. The monster is already mutating to maul her own. They can cool their heels through extortion when prudent and calm but remain on the ready to be called to political duty when necessary. It is called scratch my back and I scratch yours. Today’s extra-judicial killing must be the collateral damage in this evil scheme of Kenyan politics.
PS: We blaze trail, others follow, BUT DO WE SAY?(http://www.eastandard.net/news/?id=1143984861&cid=159) -
Political Games Being Played In New Cabinet
» You Missed This Also Published by Kumekucha Today
Latest Updates on the ongoing Mungiki violence countrywide
Sam Okello on the new grand coalition government
On Raila and circumcision
Kenyans finally have a cabinet in place. However nobody has popped the champagne yet. In fact what is rapidly emerging amongst most Kenyans all over the world is deep exhaustion when it comes to Kenyan politics these days. Very telling was the fact that the wild celebrations that one would have expected from Kisumu did NOT happen.Just thinking about the twists and turns in Kenyan politics since last December makes many Kenyans feel very tired. But as our very own mwalimu likes to say; na bado.
One of two things will happen next. Either Ali Baba and his 41 thieves will eat in bliss and you will not hear a sound because when thieves know too much about each other, they fear each other. Or alternatively we are about to be treated to endless squabbling, turf wars and all sorts of clownish activity. Most analysts agree that there is no option “C”
Sigh. Just thinking about it makes even me feel very tired.
There are a few things that have clearly emerged from the coalition cabinet named yesterday. For instance, the dominance of Kenyan politics by one tribe continues. There is no doubt that the Prime Minister’s office will wield immense powers despite what skeptics say. That means that the deputy Prime Ministers will be fairly powerful people and will no doubt overshadow even the vice presidency which has just become an even weaker office that it was previously. It beats logic how the president of Kenya can hail from the Kikuyu tribe and then have one of the deputy prime ministers hail from the same tribe. That does not augur well for the country, period. It is instructive that all the front runners for deputy premiership from PNU were from that single tribe. In fact this is the big weakness with PNU that many people have not seen. The memories of Kenyans are indeed very short. Everybody seems to have forgotten that...
Read moreHow snake was used in attempt to make barren woman give birth
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Sam Okello On The New Grand Coalition Cabinet
» You Missed This Latest on ongoing Mungiki violence
Fellow Kenyans,Yesterday marked an important milestone in the nation's history. It marked the end of the 2007 elections. We finally have a government that President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga have weaved together to help heal the deep wounds a sham electoral process opened up in our country. As this new government gets down to business, there will be people who gloat about PNU retaining the plum ministries. There will be those who complain about the ODM having absorbed a further body blow after being robbed of victory at the polls. Such gloating by the PNU supporters and complaints by the ODM supporters are understandable.
But they are also childish and misplaced.
The point here is that Kenya must move forward. The Prime Minister has accepted a government that by any measure is grossly bloated, and one he would never have constituted, so that the nation is freed from the intransigence of the men and women who have allowed themselves to think Kenya can't do without them. By accepting this government, the Prime Minister has passed through a very dark tunnel with us and brought us to the other side safely. That's what statesmanship is all about.
But the work is just beginning. At this point there are three crucial issues that need urgent attention:
1. Our brothers and sisters in the camps (IDPs) need to be settled urgently. It shames us when our fellow countrymen sleep in tents and beg for food within our borders. As a matter of urgency, let's move swiftly to settle our people and close the camps.
2. We must act with speed to disband the Electoral Commission of Kenya and replace it with one that brings together men and women of character. It would indeed be immoral for the current discredited body to be allowed to conduct another election. Mr. Kivuitu and his team represent men and women who have disgraced themselves and betrayed the Kenyan people. They deserve no part in shaping the future of our nation.
3. Finally, there's the matter of the constitution. And though I mention this third, it is critical to understand that this is the most important assignment the new government is going to confront. Changing the constitution, and making it reflect the hopes and dreams of the Kenyan people, will require wisdom, patience and tolerance of the kind usually displayed by statesmen. Those who will cling to a tribal agenda, who will champion the narrow interests of certain communities, will be doing a grave diservice to the nation. Because at the end of the day, the three issues will form the basis for how we judge the conduct of the government and those we elected to represent us in Parliament.
It is my hope that should the PNU, ODM and ODM-Kenya officials work hard to deal with the three issues mentioned above, we will move foward in harmony and face future elections without fear. If we don't start the work right away, we will be stunned by how fast time rolls by. Then we'll have created room for those who scheme evil to come in and derail our democracy further.
That would be sad.
For Love of Country,
Sam Okello -
Breaking News: Violence Erupts In Mungiki Strongholds
» You Missed This As you read this, police are battling Mungiki rioters in parts of Nairobi as tensions rise in Naivasha where roads have been blocked.
It is reported that 4 cars have been torched in Pipeline estate as bon fires have been lit in Dandora, Kayole, Zimmerman and Naivasha Road. All those are areas where the influence of the outlawed Mungiki sect is very high.
My sources on the ground in Naivasha tell me that tensions are very high in the town and the road to Nairobi was still blocked as I spoke to my informant a few minutes ago.
It is believed that the violence has to do with protests against the death of jailed Mungiki leader Maina Njenga's wife last week. Her body and that of the driver were found damped after they were reported to have been carjacked. Relatives say that they were tortured badly, but do not give details of what signs on the body led them to this conclusion.
Clearly that was no ordinary car jacking and killing. I am now following a few leads to determine what may have happened. Could somebody have been trying to provoke the Mungiki to violence for political reasons?
On Saturday the Mbagathi area (adjacent to the Kibera slums) was brought to a standstill as wailing women protested the killing of Mrs Njenga.
I will update this post the minute I get any further information.
Update at 11:18 Kenyan Time
Reports are trickling in of skirmishes in Nakuru and Nyahururu. I have no further information at this time because we got cut off with my informant just as we were starting our conversation. I will update you as soon as I am able to re-establish contact. However, again these are areas with strong Mungiki following.
It is also becoming abundantly clear that the Mungiki trouble was deliberately triggered off by somebody for political reasons. Get details in my raw notes this week (scroll to the bottom of the linked page to see how you can get my raw notes today)
Update at 2:10PM Kenyan Time
9 people have been killed so far countrywide as a result of what appears to have been very well co-ordinated Mungiki attacks targeting many major towns across the country. Attacks have so far been reported in Eldoret, Naivasha, Nakuru, Nyahururu, Othaya and Gatundu amongst other places. In Nairobi most major estates have been affected and transport affected for many Nairobians trying to get to work.
In Gatundu 3 people were brutally and mercilessly killed. A demonstration by a youth group in the town earlier today demanded the immediate release of Njenga so that he can bury his wife. As police dispersed the rowdy mob 3 people were shot and are believed to be seriously injured but in hospital.
Police spokesman Eric "Rambo Movie" Kiraithe called a press conference earlier today to ask Kenyans to remain calm because the situation was under control and the police had made numerous arrests.
P.S. In unrelated news, The Nairobi Star has today published a major feature on blogs where Kumekucha has prominently been mention.
How snake was used in an attempt to make barren woman give birth
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Lean Cabinet and Kibaki Succession Countdown
» You Missed This Arguments on losers and winners following formation of the cabinet can only succeed in inflaming political emotions. The true winners in the whole charade are Kenyans in general and the press in particular. Both PNU and ODM have knowingly installed official opposition from within government. Checkmating in each ministry is the light at the end of the tunnel which can as well be that of an oncoming train.
The cabinet composition has formally launched Kibaki succession and the fight for next elections. Uhuru may have the sweetest laugh but not necessarily the longest. He may have his coat tail gracing Kibaki’s chair but his bum is not guaranteed the seat. Discounting Karua’s tantrums will be the height of political naivety. The holding thread is as thick as the current presidency. It will emerge very soon whether this marks the beginning of bitter succession wars or sounding Kanu’s death knell.
The formed cabinet have the unique opportunity to do Kenya two favours: comprehensive constitutional and land reforms. Failure to do these amounts to postponing the final national meltdown. They either chose to free Kenya from the shackles of INSTITUTIONALIZED MISGOVERNANCE or collective wash their hands with our blood. This is one fact that will either make or break one James Orengo. The guys must measure to all his reputation and name. No two ways about it.
Katiba + land or nothing
This cabinet bequeathed on Kenya by one Michael Rannenberger must serve as a transition to next elections. Given the pressure locally but particularly pointed push from without ODM had no choice but to loosen up and give in some more. While juvenile bravado will definitely smell gloating and chest thumbing, the deal is only a start and the celebration will produce a very disappointing end.
The indivisible dismembering of portfolios has give Kenya her leanest cabinet of 20 in modern history. Well, it is only lean until Kenyan version of deception hits you hard that it is 20 from each side. If maids get baptized as domestic stewards then minister for toilets can do with a rebranding in the name of sanitation. The brutal and harsh hand of politics has waved at Mungatana and his ilk. Poor Dunstan Buya couldn’t have his mouth's loyalty rewarded commensurately.
The inbuilt opposition promises a very vibrant press. Checkmating ministers and their assistants will definitely minimize if not eradicate grand corruption. On the flip side, the ultimate price will be muscle flexing and no meaningful work but official circus with competing loyalties. We haven’t seen the last card by the scoundrels yet, or have we? -
Breaking News: Kibaki Names Grand Coalition Cabinet
» You Missed This I am still working on the list nobody else has divided PNU and ODM Ministers but I am trying to and here is what I have so far -Kumekucha
President Kibaki has just named the grand coalition cabinet which consists of a 41 members excluding the President and the AG.
Prime Minister
Raila Amolo Odinga
Vice President and Minister for Home affairs
Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka
PNU
1. Deputy Prime Minister and minister for Trade
Uhuru Kenyatta
2. Minister Of State Office of the President Incharge of provincial administration and Internal security
George Saitoti
3. Minister Of State Office of the President Incharge of Defence
Yusuf Haji
4. Minister of Finance
Amos Kimunya
5. Minister of foreign affairs
Moses Wetangula
6. Minister of Justice, national cohesion and constitutional affairs
Martha Karua
7. Minister of forestry and wildlife
Noah Wekesa
8. Minister of Transport
Chirau Ali Makwere
9. Minister of Information and communication
Samuel Poghiso
10. Minister of Energy
Kiraitu Murungi
11. Minister of environment and mineral resources
John Michuki
12. Minister Of special programmes
Dr. Naomi Namsi Shabani
13. Minister of Housing
Peter Soita Shitanda
14. Minister for Nairobi metropolitan development
Mutula Kilonzo
15. Minister of Education
Prof Sam Ongeri
16. Minister of Gender and Children Affairs
Esther Murugi Mathenge.
17. Minister of East African Community
Amarson Kingi Jeffah
18. Minister of Public Health and Sanitation
Beth Mugo
19. Minister of Labour
John Kiyonga Munyes
ODM
1. Deputy Prime Minister and minister of Local government
Musalia Mudavadi
2. Minister Of State Office of the President Incharge of Immigration
Otieno Kajwang
3. Minister Of State Office of the President Incharge of National heritage and culture
William Ole Ntimama
4. Minister Of State Office of the President Incharge of Public Service
Dalmas Otieno
5. Minister of Roads
Kipkalya Kones
6. Minister of Agriculture
William Ruto
7. Minister of Co-operative development
Joseph Nyagah
8. Minister of Industrialization
Henry Kosgey
9. Minister of Tourism
Najib Balala
10. Minister of Lands
James Orengo
11. Minister of Regional development authorities
Fred Gumo
12. Minister of Water and Irrigation
Charity Ngilu
13. Minister of Public Works
Chris Obure
14. Minister of Higher Education science and technology
Sally Kosgei
15. Minister of Medical Services
Peter Anyang Nyong'o
16. Minister of Northern Kenya and other arid lands
Ibrahim Mohamed
17. Minister of Livestock Development
Mohamed Abdi Kuti
18. Minister of Fisheries
Paul Nyongesa Otuoma
19. Ministry of Youth and Sports
Dr. Helen Jepkemoi Sambili
20. Minister Of State Office of the President Incharge Planning, national development and vision 2030
Wycliffe Ambetsa Oparanya -
Lean, Clean Cabinet or Mirage?
» You Missed This So it had to take both US and UK to impress upon Kibaki and Raila to retreat one-to-one to agree on forming a cabinet? Well, these are the same powers bloggers here and politicians selective accuse of neo-colonialism too. We have the initiative of one Michael Rannenberger (late 'saviour' Smith Hempstone reincarnated?) to thank if Kibaki allows the present deal to hold.
The icing on the rumour cake is the clincher that the agreed cabinet will be as lean as 20. Well, the time-tested adage and truism WHEN THE DEAL IS TOO GOOD already comes ringing a loud. Whatever the shape of that cabinet one thing remains irrefutable. Given the amount of mistrust displayed so far would, one would be incurably optimistic and overtly generous to bet a tissue paper on a cordial and mutual working relationship between the two parties.
Well, the day is almost over and tomorrow is soon here knocking. The battered benefit of doubt is often squeezed in desperate time and Kenyans need it in abundance for the next few hours. No matter the outcome, Kenyans are in for a very ROUGH political ride. The premise is so weak to serve as a foundation of any meaningful and substantial progress. But then half a loaf is always better than none provided it is not poisonous.
The hitherto political pong Kenyan has thoroughly neutered our sense of pride jubilation. News that Kibaki and Raila have at long last agreed to constitute the overdue cabinet has left Kenyan in their traditional wait-and-see posture. The last 40 days has seen any trace of hope of Kenyans butchered at infancy. Only Kibaki’s rare commitment will determine whether today’s so-called deal will stand the test of the day (no need of more time).
Lustful game of the rich in Spring Valley that ended in tragedy -
Vision 2012: We Don’t Care Who Leads As Long As Our Nation Is Corrupt Free
» You Missed This ONLY BRAND NEW LEADERSHIP AND BRAND NEW IDEAS CAN SAVE KENYAThe clarion call of vision 2012 is not as far-fetched or falsely premised on procrastination as some have suggested-after all, aren't we all in agreement that Kenyans deserve new and better leadership-we're worth it are we not?
Someone tell me - was it wrong for Chris in his Thursday post entitled "Most Kenyans Want Fresh Elections" to suggest that we should get rid of all leaders that have a fanatical following on both sides of the political divide-including President Kibaki and Prime Designate Minister Odinga? These two principals now have shadows looming larger than life, and their stature towers over the political landscape, fighting for a place with the very air in our breathing space. For those of us mere mortals who are dwarfs lower down in the food chain, we eagerly await scraps of meals falling down from the table to come our way-apparently this years left-over’s are going to be 3%-3.5% GDP. The president and prime minister have become the new Lex Luthor and Superman of our time (read into that whatever you want-I didn't support either from the start),and their kryptonite which is also ours is N-e-g-a-t-i-v-e e-t-h-n-i-c-i-t-y
The problem now is these two archenemies appear locked in a bitter age old rivalry which far supercedes everything else including the welfare of our country-is that right?When these two elephants fight the sun is blocked from view and all the fish in the fish market die
BELLING THE CAT
So what are the ingredients for vision 2012? The recipe entails one big corruption free national cake, 210 fresh idea-totting- imperfect MPs, one unbreakable law in the name of constitution, punishments for breaking the law without fear or favour, and independent, effective public institutions. The missing ingredient? one word....Unity.
In 2012 the prize of a nation’s heart will belong to a new breed of leadership that succeeds in achieving everything that current old leadership has failed to do in 2008, namely to unite people in this country. Is it any wonder our standards are falling from KNEC to ECK because we’re divided? Conversely united we’ll stand
Real leadership will stand the severe strains of uniting 40 million people from 42 different tribes without breaking at the test of portfolio balance in public appointments, equal and transparent resource distribution, and of course integrity
OUT WITH THE OLD IN WITH THE NEW
The choice in this matter lies squarely in the hands of ordinary people such as you and me. 5 years is not a long time, but if wishes were horses’ beggars would live in Grand Regency. We must break our dependency on the safety of the known and familiar and instead embrace what is new- not necessarily what is tried and untested-in the hope of saving this country further from going in the direction its currently headed in Vision 2012 states that a united people of Kenya will not care who is leading this great country as long as Kenya remains corruption free and our businesses, laws, public offices and institutions are incorruptible and cannot be used to corrupt-sadly, we currently we have no one single individual who can fill that position On thursday i had a nice interesting chat with BPONE right here inour very own DOMO chat room- BPONE finally managed to get an idea of who will bell the cat-and a great idea i think it is too. (by the way if you've never taken advantage of it its lots of fun chatting with other Kumekucha readers from all over the world.The fastest way to get to the Kumekucha chat room is to use the link on your right or at the bottom of this page. Just sign in with any username and start chattingAlready thereis a special alert for Ivy, mpesa and kimi raikkonnen)
News Update
President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Designate are reported to have been holed up at the Sagana State Lodge today for over 6 hours in an effort to break the impasse over the grand coalition cabinet.
The two principals were flown there by Air Force Helicopters and not even their closest handlers were allowed anywhere near the Sagana State Lodge.
It is said that the two principals have vowed to have a cabinet in place by the time parliament reopens on Tuesday.
Landlord evicts woman for “too much noise from the bedroom” -
Ringera’s Delicious Menu of Tokenism
» You Missed This Aaron Ringera must be livid with rage after Kenyans refused to celebrate his latest CATCH in fight against corruption. That repossession of the glamorous Grand Regency didn’t make the headlines shows Kenyans’ utter contempt dish served to Ringera very cold. Cheeky Ringera is simply reading tokenism from Kibaki's patented script.
The present leadership starting from Kibaki are far behind the ordinary Kenyan. All their goofs are traceable to their outdated 1960s template of effective leadership. According to these grey-haired dinosaurs rulers do the thinking and citizens the listening. How wrong given the present day informed Kenyans?
Kibaki tried it with his 6% economic growth decoy and Kenyan threw it back crashing on his face during last polls which he ended up shamelessly STEALING anyway. Now Ringera is shamelessly re-inventing the wheel of deception and decoy to make the impression of catching grand fraud schemers. Well, Kenyans are smart enough to smell acts that are singularly designed for political expediency. The law being the ASS it is can be flogged by the right handle to create fake ripples that are mere motions bereft of any movement.
Gema tower of babel
Selective amnesia and application of the law is Kibaki’s forte. Even before Kenyans said Kamlesh Pattni Ringera had KACC’s guns pointing at Mudavadi’s head. That would have been a very bold move towards combating corruption were it not for the obvious mistiming. Any pedestrian political observer won’t fail to see the soft political underbelly PNU is busy looking for in ODM. They are simply furthering their propaganda of painting formidable opponents in Raila and Ruto as more polarizing so why not corner a gullible big catch to be paraded as level-headed and acceptable to both sides?
Well, politics is all about wits and intellectual coups. PNU’s perennial reactions to salvos doesn't do them any good besides proving the fact that the party is a headless chicken and Kibaki has never pretended to give it one. The truth remains that ODM is the singular threat that galvanizes PNU into all its shades of unity. Very soon Grand Regency will be in the hands and pockets of few.
The hitherto Chania River divide will soon be compounded by Embu/Meru revolt. As it was during Moi’s time so shall it be after Kibaki's presidency. There is no gainsaying the predictable fallout from within GEMA as PNU's bedrock of support once the presidency leaves the vicinity of Mt. Kenya. The tower of Babel prophecy is simply a matter of when and not if. Maybe things can only remain the same within the circumference of the heads of Kibaki’s foot soldiers.
Landlord evicts woman for “too much noise from the bedroom” -
PNU Makes Its First Move In Grand Anti-ODM Dirty Tricks
» You Missed This KACC Asks Mudavadi To Explain Kshs 10 Million Woodley HouseThe move that PNU masde this morning has been expected for months now. Those who have been regular readers of this blog will know that in the run up to the failed elections of last year and with dwindling support from Western province, this blogger was reliably informed that Musalia Mudavadi’s file was being looked at with blackmail being high on the minds of PNU operatives then.
One thing Kenyans should not forget about the duly elected president is that he has never made a decisive decision in his life. He always moves and hesitates a million times before finally making his move very late when the very effectiveness it may have had has been completely diluted. The Mudvadi issue is no exception because this writer is very much aware that it has been in the works now for a long time. Just the way William Ruto’s is still in the works.
Now after weeks of intimidating Musalia Mudavadi, the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission which is best known for prosecuting traffic policemen for taking Kshs 50 from matatu touts, has this morning moved to the high court to compel Mudavadi to appear before it to disclose how he acquired a Woodley house valued at Kshs 10 million which is in his name.
With that single move PNU have hit right at the heart of ODM in a strategy that is meant to create cracks of disunity within the ODM pentagon top brass of the party. It is yet another classic example of how justice in Kenya is so selective. The game is really very simple. Any ODM Pentagon member who dares to lift a finger will be told; “File yako pia tunangali.” (We are also looking into your file).
Interestingly in all the suspect deals that Mudavadi may have been involved in the past, those involving retired President Moi have been very conveniently ignored and the one chosen is a mere Kshs 10 million house in Woodley. Indeed it is the same reason that has helped William Ruto avoid harassment from KACC because most of his deals during the Kanu days involved Mama na Baba President Moi (now retired). President Moi, a close advisor of the duly elected president is obviously being protected and the idea is to keep his name out of the limelight as much as possible as his assets around the world are moved.
Also ignored by KACC are numerous personalities at the heart of PNU starting with a well known cowboy...
Read moreWhy Kenyan women can never compete with hip swinging Tanzanian beauties
Could somebody be listening in to your cell phone conversations?
STATEMENT ON CURRENT IMPASSE BY SALIM LONE, ODM DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS -
Paying the Costly Price of Deception
» You Missed This Proactive leadership amounts to suggesting options out of a deadlock but not in Kibaki’s books. He has out rightly rejected responding to ODM’s letter demanding structured negotiation without asking himself what prompted drafting the letter in the fast place to replace the hitherto face to face talks with Raila.
Trust and goodwill are like virginity, you lose it once and they are gone never to be recovered. John Githongo must have learnt the deceptive ways of our leaders damn fast. No wonder his tapes proved so handy and needed to do very little to authenticate his case. Raila must be wishing he taped his talks with the THIEF-IN-CHIEF. Kibaki’s rants through poodle Mutua is devoid of any moral fabric. He brought the indignity of receiving communications through letter on himself. But expect the scoundrel to shift ground and be reactive at his best when caught deceiving.
Marrionate president
Serial deception is like political opium. It blinds you to reality and only makes you believe in your fraudulent ways oblivious of their unsustainability. Behind the demand for structural negotiation lies the fear and shameless trashing of any agreement reached with Kibaki. Nobody trusts the marionette for you never know what his subordinates will direct him to effect contrary to what he committed himself to. Patience is one virtue that can only be stretched so thin but not when dealing with a certified THIEF with no regard to the people he wants to lord over no matter the cost.
The price of Kibaki’s determination to show political muscle is enormous. The mediation talks at Serena lie in limbo and the message to AU as the sponsoring body is a very depressing one indeed. Even the commission meant to investigate the STOLEN elections cannot take off in the din of the present political heat. But they are not fooling anybody.
Mutula Kilonzo inadvertently let the cat out of the bag when he linked Kibaki’s succession to the present self-induced political stalemate. In Kibaki’s scheme of things the whole Kenya is collaterally just a pawn in the war at his backyard. But not for long, Kenyans will eventually and VERY SOON reclaim their country back from the bloodied claws of the JANJAWEED president ridding on the back of his apologists. -
Coming Soon: The Grand Regency Hotel IPO.
» You Missed This 
As far as I'm concerned, yesterdays' newspapers should have carried headlines proclaiming Kenya's' victory against corruption. Yes folks, headlines such as; HAIL RINGERA, THE CORRUPTION KILLER!! or KACC BITES PASTOR PAUL. Fellas, the government of the duly elected president Mwai Kibaki has confiscated the luxurious, albeit unkempt, Grand Regency Hotel.
So why is nobody praising Ringera with shouts of jubilation as he basks in the glory of impounding the corruptly acquired Grand Regency? I can think of three reasons; (1) Kenya is currently too polarized to recognize any good from this chap. We would have probably seen grand headlines were his name Ali or Abdullah. (2) Kenyans are genetically preprogrammed to be conspiracy theorists. We all know that Ringera's effort, including the decade long court battle, is part of a vicious secret plan that comes full circle when TranCentury buys the over 2.1 billion shilling hotel from the government for about 200 million shillings. Oh yes, the plan was conceived even before Goldenberg happened. (3) Too little, too late.
Questions: Are we so determined to suppress anything marginally successful related to Kibaki and his PNU folk? -
Most Kenyans Want Fresh Elections
» You Missed This Poll shows that 94% want fresh presidential polls
A reader here made a suggestion recently that amazed me. Before I tell you why it shocked me let me tell you what the suggestion was.
That retired President Daniel arap Moi be brought back to run an interim government to prepare the country for fresh general elections.
WOW!
Okay the fact that fresh elections is the only way to solve Kenya's problems right now is no longer in doubt. Even a vast number of Kenyans are beginning to see that. The KTN news at 9 pm carried out a live SMS poll last night asking Kenyans if they favored a repeat of the presidential elections. An amazing 94% of the respondents said YES and only a paltry 6% said NO. I can authoritatively tell you that on the ground Kenyans are more than a little fed up at the circus that has been going on since the beginning of the year and want fresh presidential elections to sort out this crisis once and for all.
Having said that, everybody knows that President Kibaki and PNU do NOT want a repeat of the presidential poll for obvious reasons. But it really is only a matter of time before Kenyans go to the polls. The reason is simple. Two provinces cannot hold out against the remaining SIX provinces for too long. Mark my words.
Currently PNU strategists may look very clever but when history is written they will be viewed as fools for the simple reason that had they agreed to share power equally with ODM the President would have in all likelihood completed his 5 year term (which he is very determined to do even if it is at great cost to human life). However since that did not happen, they will lose even that 50% of the power and most analysts agree that there is no way the current government can survive beyond the next 12 months. Military and security might or no military and security might.
Back to the Moi suggestion. The reason it amazed me so, is that it is now settled in the hearts of a vast majority of Kenyans that President Moi was a much better leader than President Kibaki. In other words the bitter truth (for some) but nevertheless the truth is that for the last 5 years or so, we have had NO leadership in the country. Mwai Kibaki is NOT a leader and time and again he has failed to show any leadership. All his rabid supporters have no genuine solid arguments to prove his leadership qualities except the fact that he comes from the same tribe as they do.
I find the Moi suggestion absolutely fascinating for several reasons. To start with Mwai Kibaki's chief adviser at the moment is none other than retired President Moi. Secondly Moi has to go down in history as one of the most corrupt African leaders ever. I mean the guy used to accept cash taken to him in brief cases. The testimony of Paul Kamlesh Pattni and that of Ketan Somaia has proved this beyond any reasonable doubt. Amongst the many evils Moi did, one of the worst was to literally destroy the Coffee industry with the sole motive of neutralizing the economic might of the Kikuyu tribe whom he was always terrified of. So the entire country suffered massive losses of income and jobs so that Moi could deal with the Kikuyus. For the record it didn't quite work the way Moi wanted it to. Instead of rushing to kneel before Moi (Baba na Mama) the industrious house of Mumbi quickly shifted to the horticultural industry and ended up making even more cash directly exporting their products all over Europe and beyond.
But despite all that, a sizable number of Kenyans obviously miss Moi badly at the moment. Politics is just amazing folks, is it not?
Still in my view the reader who made the comment was thinking in the right direction. What Kenyans need to urgently do at the moment, as painful as it will be, is to get rid of all leaders that have a fanatical following on either side of the political divide. That means President Kibaki, who is fanatically supported by the Kikuyu and a few of their Mount Kenya cousins and sadly the winner of last year's presidential elections, Hon Raila Odinga. The you have to add William Ruto to that list. Most faithful readers of this blog are fanatical Raila and Ruto supporters. And I agree it will be a great injustice to deny Raila a chance to get back the residency he genuinely won last December. However my plea to them is that Kenya is bigger than all of us, including those politicians we love so much.
I am well aware that fanatical supporters of these individuals I have just mentioned are already seeing red and will probably not get to read this paragraph which explains the solid reasons for my suggestion. The truth is that it would be suicidal to go back to the polls with both Kibaki and Raila running for president. It will NOT heal the country. Instead it will just open up old wounds. What we need are candidates who are able to garner support across the current political divide.
But even before that there is the tricky question of an interim government to run things and prepare the country for elections. That government needs to be very neutral and acceptable to both sides. Actually there is no alternative but to seek help from outside. I want to suggest what may sound ridiculous and is certainly not in the beloved constitution, but is the quickest way that the country can prepare for fresh elections.
A way must be found to constitute an interim government made up of eminent persons from Africa whose main task will be to police a free and fair election. This group should get the blessings of the African Union. Interestingly the AU at the moment is split right down the middle with some countries like Uganda fanatically supporting Kibaki, while others like Tanzania and Rwanda are with Raila Odinga and ODM.
Thank you for reading my pipe dreams. But I hasten to add that plenty of pipe dreams I have written about in this blog have become reality. I have a funny feeling that this one too will join the list.
News Just In: Transition
Jeremiah Nyagah, father of ODM pentagon member and nominated MP Joseph Nyagah, is dead. He died this morning at Aga Khan Hospital. He was also the father of the immediate former Kamukunji MP Norman Nyagah.
Jeremiah Nyagah was in the original Legco 8 of 1958 (actually the first Kenyan Africans to be elected to the National assembly). He will be remembered as a man whose main fault was that he was too decent for Kenya's dirty, selfish and cut-throat politics.
Great mystery: Why did Kenyan husband disappear in Tanzania?
Which line is more secure against eavesdroppers? Safaricom or Celtel?
The cheapest 5 star beach hotel off the Indian Ocean -
Kibaki the Marionette
» You Missed This 
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Once Again, US Government Rescues Weary Kenyans
» You Missed This 
Yet again, for the second time this year, strong and uncompromising ‘diplomatic’ pressure from the American government is coming to the relief of frustrated Kenyans regarding their choice of government.
After being defrauded of their democratic choice and enduring unending deprivation four months down the road, Kenyans are still having to put up with electoral rejects masquerading as government. These are the so-called leaders who have audacity to say they are ready for a parliamentary dissolution and fresh general elections while just less than eight weeks ago, they told a group of retired and respected African Heads of State, President Kufuor of Ghana, Nobel Peace Price Laureate Desmond Tutu and Kofi Annan that 'a duly elected president had already been sworn in (sic) and the Kenyan government was fully discharging its mandate!' Worst of all, many innocent Kenyan children are now surviving on meagre rations and missing school while they are forced to sleep in rain soaked tents just because someone somewhere MUST rule this country (read milk the country dry).
One does not need to be a NASA scientist to discern that Secretary Rice is today openly threatening the Kibaki-led government, just as she did when the PNU Leader refused to sign the 28th February 2008 peace accord. Undoubtedly, heavenly powers are using the Americans to liberate Kenyans.
Earlier today, Seccretary Rice warned the US would form its own opinion on the failure of forming the coalition government and would ‘act accordingly’.
As if by magic, speaking to journalist this afternoon, a confident US Ambassador to Kenya said , after separately meeting both Kibaki and Raila, that a grand coalition cabinet which is acceptable to all parties would be in place shortly. "We expect that in a matter of days, or a week or so, there will be a coalition government. They are very close."
Therefore Kumekuchans…….relax. You will sooner and not so later read an Alfie Mutua or Isa Kabira press release inviting ODM captain to Harambee House. A truly representative grand coalition government (repeat government and NOT cabinet) is on the way. -
We Are Ready For Fresh Elections, PNU Now Says
» You Missed This And Why Kibaki Must Go NOWThe question on the minds of worried Kenyans now is whether the violence that has broken out in the country is spreading or it is just pockets of resistance that will easily be contained?
Reports reaching this blogger indicate that protests and skirmishes have so far been reported in Nairobi’s Kibera slums, Kipkelion (near Kericho) and in Kisumu. However all have been contained quickly and successful only that in Kibera the railway line that cuts through East And Central Africa’s largest slum was once again destroyed by rioting mobs. Still, at the time of writing this post, tensions remained high in most of Rift Valley.
Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki, blundering, lame duck "duly elected" president of Kenya still living in the 60s. Under him Kenya has limped from one crisis to another since 2003.
But the biggest surprise came out of the tough talking PNU and affiliate parties parliamentary group meeting yesterday. The MPs emerged from their meeting vowing to fully support the president even if the worst came to the worst and he dissolved parliament and called for fresh elections.
Of course PNU were bluffing and the truth is that a fresh general election is the last thing President Kibaki wants. But Kenyans will also remember that not too long ago, the last thing President Kibaki wanted were the Anan-brokered peace talks. But they still happened did they not? And shortly after he had sent his ministers to say that those coming to broker peace were coming all that way for a cup of tea. My take is that I will be surprised if Kenyans do not go back to the polls within the next 12 months. But more on that later.
Obviously the game being played by PNU is one of bravado because the call for fresh elections from ODM is hitting where it hurts most.
The biggest problem president Kibaki would face (if he was even eligible to run again) would be from his own Kikuyu community. The truth is that these dear fellow Kenyans, our brothers and sisters have suffered greatly in IDP camps. But to add insult to injury politicians have taken to mentioning IDPs in recent times with only political mileage being the motive. There is nothing that can be more cruel and insensitive.
Nobody has lifted a finger to help alleviate their pain and suffering. In fact the IDPs problem has exposed our political class for who they really are and most of that blame must lie squarely on the door step of one Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki. Indeed it should be very clear now that what is ailing Kenya most terribly now is a disease, nay a fatal disease called Mwai Kibaki. Any Kenyan who is honest with themselves irrespective of what tribe they come from will quickly admit that if Mwai Kibaki were to leave office today the country would quickly get out of every crisis facing her today.
Let us completely forget our tribal affiliations for one minute and analyse the Kibaki presidency soberly and how the country has limped from one crisis to another...
Read more
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