Judge Kriegler has given his verdict: last years elections were not stolen, period. The good retired South African Judge couldn’t wait to have his report. He has tagged the stolen elections claim as a mischievous creation of the civil society. Those hailing Kriegler even add the fact that he is WHITE for good measure of assurance while those vilifying him have fallen to the time-tested Kenyan political parlance of money has been poured for a predicted report.
And with that singular sharp verdict from Kriegler, Kenyans have been found guilty of living a collective political lie in the last eight months. By extension Judge Kriegler is calling Koffi Annan who gave him the job bluff. Poor Annan is therefore guilty as charged for presiding over a dispute that never was. Know what? Kriegler has earned his money and must move on to other more important phases of his twilight life.
While Kriegler and his team traces the genesis of the flawed polls to INCOMPETENT ECK spiced with an uneven political playing field, the honourable Judge conveniently fails to see the CAUSE-EFFECT phenomenon staring him in the face begging to be busted. But again you need to be a lawyer schooled in clever antic of subjectivity and obtuse magnification of smokescreens at the expense of the wider picture to decipher the ‘seasoned’ legal mind of one ex-appellate Judge Kriegler.
In one sweeping conclusion, Kriegler blames partisanship orchestrated by incumbency and its surrogates and with the same wave of the hand he closes his eyes at the correlation. Well, association may not necessarily be causation, but once you remove the bias and confounders then all you have relating the response with the underlying factors is CAUSE unless you are playing statistics with chance. Poor witness testing before Kriegler become cannon fodder for vilification and not even polite, respectful reminders from
Effect no cause
The law must surely be an ass. Consequently practitioners of the legal profession must be ass riders. While governance by law is what distinguishes human beings from beasts of the wild, ones ears are often assaulted by lawyers presentations that is mostly trivia clothed as technicalities. Most cases are dismissed off hand on the same technicalities oblivious of their weights, beneficial or catastrophic. No wonder the legal cartel fashions itself as the exclusive club of LEARNED FRIENDS.
Please don’t bore me with the pedagogical origins which only succeeds in inflating personal egos. The woods are too thick and finding our way out won’t be an easy task. We are back at the beginning where we started it all. Can some smart Kenyan please propose the next catchy/appropriate commission before Cockar returns the known verdict ACTED WITHIN HIS POWERS?. No probe fatigue please!
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The Stolen Elections That Never Was
» You Missed This -
Does Barack Obama’s Skin Colour Matter, Really?
» You Missed This My answer to the above question is that it really does. Well, this is so if the reactions and comments of an American citizen on BBC, sometime this week, are anything to go by.
He said that Americans are not foolish and are, therefore, not going to elect a black man as their president. “Etiquette alone dictates that we don’t allow a black man to move into a house which is itself called the White House,” He said, quite forcefully.
He distastefully went on to say: “If Barack Obama had a White wife, Americans would have tolerated him. But there is no way Americans will have a black woman masquerading in their White House!”
If this one American (white American, I presume) voices the prejudices of millions others out there, then Barack should brace himself for “an extremely tight and asphyxiating” fight for the White House.
But Barack sounded his answer to anyone who might try to use such tactics (such as using his “skin colour” to sway the voters) when he made his exemplary speech during the Democratic National Convention.
He said:
“If you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare the voters. If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from.”
My two cents: Please guys, look not at the colour of the skin but at the content of character (among so many other things – competence, effective promise-delivering strategies etc).
Check out some Snapshots of Michelle Obama’s Speech this Week. -
Something is Bugging Me Big Time
» You Missed This There is something that is really bugging me and I am afraid I cannot keep quiet any more. I just have to speak it out. Dear friends and countrymen kindly bear with me because I will explode if I don’t speak out my heart now.
In the last general elections I had the privilege of casting my vote and I am proud to say that I did not make any of my mistakes of the past of voting along tribal lines. We had “one of our own” (Kalonzo Musyoka) standing and I simply ignored him and voted for the candidate that I thought was best suited for the job at the time. And he was certainly NOT from my tribe. I proudly voted Raila Odinga for president. When it came to MP I had no problem either. I will admit here and now that I am gender biased, given the choice of a man or woman, I tend always to lean on the side of the woman. And with good reason from my own life experiences. When it comes to entrusting responsibility on somebody whom I need to trust, I have hardly ever been let down by women. In my humble view women are the real unsung heroines of the resilient Kenyan economy. So for MP I proudly voted a woman called Wavinya Ndeti and everybody I met I convinced to vote in the same way. Well she won and I know our constituency shall never be the same again.
Now that was 2007. We all know that every election is different. From my many years analyzing politics one thing I can tell you with certainty is that the elections in 2012 will be very different with very different faces.
But “my beef” is with my good friends in ODM. It is widely believed that ODM is the most democratic party in the country. Really? I am sorry but I am really beginning to doubt that.
If ODMers were truly democratic, then why is it that my good friends who support the party get very annoyed, nay extremely upset every time somebody dares to float another name as a possible presidential candidate other than the name of the son of Jaramogi Odinga?
In my humble view where the country has reached now, we need a clean fresh start from a new generation of Kenyan leaders preferably somebody who is NOT in the political class this minute.
Don’t get me wrong. I am convinced beyond any doubt that Raila Odinga won the last presidential elections but to be honest despite the good work he has done thus far, I would advice him not to present himself as a candidate for the presidency in 2012. There are many reasons for this but top on the list is for the sake of national healing and reconciliation. Secondly a man who appoints the likes of William Ole Ntimama into his cabinet is surely a presidential candidate whose time is now past.
But of course I realize it is the captain’s democratic right to decide if he is going to stand or not. But surely can his supporters please give us a break while we discuss the future of the country? Can they bear to think of a future that does not have Raila Odinga in State House? Or is the new slogan now: No Raila, no discussion of any other presidential candidate?
Let the barbs come flying now but remember that I too have a democratic right to my own personal view and opinion. -
Beware Of The Clear Thinking Kenyan Voter
» You Missed This Ouma (real name with-held) would never have imagined in his worst nightmare what was about to happen as he happily collected his Kikuyu wife from maternity and took her and their bouncing new baby boy home to Kibera. This was at about the time that post-election troubles broke out for the first time.
On their way home, Ouma and his wife met a rowdy group of Luos who proceeded to cut his wife and baby into pieces in front of his very eyes. The response came hours later from the Akorino in the area who cut down dozens of Luos in search of Ouma whom they wanted so as to settle scores. Ironically the man who hid Ouma and thus saved his life was a Kikuyu man. He risked his own life terribly to save the life of Ouma.
The informant who passed on this heart-rending tale to me says they have not been sleeping too well since they learnt about it.
Sadly there are many stories from the worst chapter of Kenya’s history that will probably never be told. The wounds inflicted are much deeper than many people think. However what is surprising is the resilience of the Kenyan people and their eargerness to put the past behind them as they keep their eyes focused on the desired goals. What has become clear to this blogger is the sharp contrast between the ordinary folk of Kenya, down there struggling to survive and the rest of Kenyans sitting in comfortable air-conditioned rooms making hate comments in a blog like this one.
That is the good news.
Reading this blog, one would be forgiven for thinking that the country is about to break into a vicious civil war. Fortunately there is much less tribalism down there in the grassroots than most people will ever realize. Ordinary folk don’t really care about tribalism. Indeed important lessons have been learnt from the troubles of this last January that will help fight the cancer of tribalism pretty effectively in the years to come.
But what has amazed me most of all from my latest of the frequent research I do, to keep my feet on the ground, is how clear in their thinking the masses in Kenya are right now. This is in sharp contrast to all the confusion and uncertainty we see in the media these days concerning our politics. Basically the people want nothing to do with corruption and they want a new beginning, and they want it yesterday. Real change for a better tomorrow. Amazingly many care less what tribe that “Moses” who will lead Kenyans to a new promised land happens to come from. As long as they can be trusted.
Methinks the people who are in for a serious shock are the political class. Despite what people think, the next presidential race will have some very strange names running right at the forefront. And that is coming from a man who told you here that Senator Obama would be the next president of the United States when most people were still asking; Barack who?
P.S. History continues to be made in the American presidential race as McCain picks little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his vice presidential running mate. This means whoever wins history will be made because even if we do not have a black man in the White House, we will have a woman Vice President for the first time ever. -
Why Githongo Does Not Matter Anymore
» You Missed This Kibaki was right to snub John Githongo.I'll be the first to categorically say that John was a patriot when he took on the Kibaki administration for its corrupt ways. Indeed, we must all hope that there will be many more Kenyans who are not afraid to blow the whistle on the corrupt tendencies they see in their offices. That said, I have to question why John felt the need to go to London to tell us about the rot in our own backyard. And after he did it, why did he come back home and frantically try to have an audience with President Kibaki? I don't like the way President Kibaki has run Kenya, but I agree with him that for the sake of our nation's integrity and his office, he couldn't agree to meet a man who soiled the image of Kenya abroad.
After three years of trying to save Kenya by telling the Brits and the rest of the West about our sleazy leaders, what can he tell us is the practical impact of his actions? Can he look Kenyans in the eye and point to what has changed because of his sit-down with the BBC and all the other Western networks that gave him audience?
Folks, here is where I come down on such matters. We can't allow ourselves to run with our problems to the West every time we have them. The announcement we make by doing things like that is this: We can't handle our affairs. Please, help us.
I'm aware John left because he had reason to worry about his security. I don't begrudge him that. But I detest whenever any patriotic Kenyan, and any self-respecting African, goes out there and slams the motherland. We all know how highly esteemed we are before the world community. Why continue to feed the negative stereotypes by running out there and screaming to the world to see just how incapable we are...many years after independence?
To the extent that John successfully brought this matter to the attention of Kenyans, his work is done. If he can come back to help sort out the mess, kudos to him. If he wants to keep yapping about how ugly the motherland is, I must say that he has ceased to be helpful or relevant. We have mechanisms in Kenya to deal with corrupt entities...and if those who are tasked to deal with corruption can't handle it, then there are mechanisms in place to deal with that too. That's how it's supposed to work. We can handle it. We must handle it. And we must demonstrate our maturity and the strength of our institutions by taking this matter on.
Let's not continue to be the white man's burden.
It shames us!
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Kalonzo Moment, Welcome a Board MV Miracle
» You Missed This Kenya’s present Vice President Kalonzo Musykoa is one politician that is often underrated owing to his unique way of conducting himself. The humble man of God from Tseikuru has been called many names but he continues with the resolve only known for those with unadulterated ambition couched with a vision. Political pundits have even gone as low as associating Dr. Steve with voodoo.
In his characteristic style, the Miracle man continues to attract allies with eyes singularly trained for the ultimate price come 2012. Kalonzo’s smart moves have ruffled very powerful feathers the wrong way and now they have reverted to DIRTY political tricks of yore. The second longest serving MP in 10th parliament is the man to watch as Kenya’s fourth president. And what a gift from God it would be for Kenya to have a saved leader leading from the front and by example.
The good old adage wouldn't have been more apt. Well, good and well-nurtured people like Kalonzo are magnets to evil designs selfishly crafted to pull them down - pepo mbaya ishindwe. After shaming the devils in last year’s general election, the schemes to derail Kalonzo’s oiled political juggernaut is working overdrive.
When ex-cop and PICK boss Mwau is not stealthily plotting to undermine the VP in his own backyard by renting ODM-K councilors, Water minister Ngilu is busy planting spies fully armed with the longest pins ready inside Steve’s inflated balloon. Speak of a prophet being handed a noose by his own people who unwittingly remain oblivious of the messiah they just about to murder.
Political noose
All the nasty schemes won’t see the light of the day and the miracle will soon acquire an unstoppable wave that will only recede when HE Steve has safely and soundly landed at the coast of State House. Make no mistake in numbers. The massive GEMA votes are secure in Steve’s bag since has shown the capacity to PLAY ball. Add that to the Kamba Block and with pockets of token votes from here and there thanks to Steve’s national political network, all visionary politicians roads will soon lead to Tseikuru.
Woe unto the poor Kiemas and Kilonzos of this world who have allowed themselves to be FOOLISHLY roped into devilish schemes to politically butcher one of their own. The political noose is tightening around their necks as we draw towards 2012. Meanwhile Kenya is head to the stars aboard the MIRACLE train. Forget pies in the illusive sky about corruption czars, better the angel we know who is tried and tested. Welcome aboard MV MIRACLE. -
John Githongo: "We Have No Time To Lose"
» You Missed This Press statement for immediate release - 27 August 2008John Githongo has arrived back in Europe after returning to Kenya for the first time in over three years. He has returned to Europe as planned to undertake activities relating to his current commitments outside the country. He is due back in Kenya in September.
Over the course of his week-long trip, John Githongo met the Prime Minister, Vice President and senior political figures, and held meetings with a wide range of business and civil society representatives.
Speaking immediately on return to Europe, John Githongo says:
"This has been an important and formative week for me personally. I have had the opportunity to meet and talk with those who some people call 'ordinary Kenyans', but who are in fact the real heroes of the last few months.
"I have been struck particularly by the impact of external factors such as food and fuel costs on the day-to-day life of Kenyans. The impact on the poor – those that make up over half Kenya's population – is profound. These pressures drive home the need to support national efforts to address these challenges.
"Radical changes need to take place in Kenya, and I believe passionately that the resilience, the drive and the skills of Kenyans will ensure that our country emerges stronger from this process. Most critically of all: we have no time to lose.
"I have put myself at the disposal of the people; I will promote Kenya, and I will continue to champion the beliefs and principles that I and all Kenyans share."
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Can We Have A National Day Of Forgiveness?
» You Missed This - I want to invite each of you to take a harrowing walk with me.
- But that's not gonna be the focus of our conversation as we walk.
- As we follow these warriors, we see them approach a church where we know that women and children have sought shelter. You and I hold our breath, wondering what's gonna happen. We freeze when we see one of the warriors hurl a can of paraffin at the church. We didn't even know they had paraffin. Now we do. Then we watch in horror as another warrior tosses a red-hot object at the church and it explodes in gigantic flames.
- And within minutes, there is quiet. The church crumbles. And we stand there wondering whether this is a dream or reality. But we don't have to wonder long because the warriors start to move on, sounding off war cries. They are ready to drive out all the Kikuyu!
- We go back.
- A week later we are strong enough to ask what happened in Eldoret and Naivasha. We are told that in Eldoret and in Naivashsa people died cursing those who killed them. We don't hear a single story of anybody who died with these words on their lips: I forgive you!
- Wretched things have happened in Kenya. There have been assassinations. Deceit. Corruption. Name it. But I also know that we all retain the capacity to look deep inside ourselves and make amends where we went wrong. It's in this vein that I call for a national day of forgiveness. Kenya desperately needs to start afresh. We all need to hear the agonizing cry of those kids in that Eldoret church and seek each other's hand in forgiveness and a pledge to never let anything so despicable happen in Kenya again.
- I'm waiting for the day when President Mwai Kibaki, Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka will invite Kenyans to Uhuru Park and lead the nation to a place of heartfelt healing on that national day of forgiveness.
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Perils of Living Expensive, Painful Political Lie
» You Missed This The burden of living an electoral lie continues to pile on our back. The shouts to move on may casually appears objective but the startling revelations and confessions from last year’s poll officials is like a screw riveting into a healing wound. So are we living a political lie in the hope that time as the good old adage puts it is a healer?
Judge Kriegler's electoral postmortem probe team is resuscitating the dead and the pain is unbearable. The Changamwe Constituency’s returning officer must have considered it extremely humorous admitting that he erroneously gave Kibaki 9,366 votes while Emilio actually garnered 15,151 votes. To rub it on the RO shamelessly concedes that he mistakenly recorded 17,706 votes for Raila’s instead of the correct tally of 29,648. Leaves you wondering which base he was using in his arithmetic.
It would have be forgivable if the electoral FRAUD was limited to isolated cases and committed by junior staff. Well, hold your breathe for the bombshell revelation that the ECK boss Samuel Kivuitu himself announced the presidential results before results from 31 constituencies were officially verified. That is almost 15% of Kenyan’s 210 electoral constituencies locked out or discarded while declaring Kenya’s president for the next 60 months.
Numbers don't lie
In Changamwe return officer’s mind it must have been an act of unrivalled honesty to simply explain his criminal act as a mere mistake reminding Judge Kriegler for good measure that to error is human. Smart rigging takes place many months ahead of the polls itself. Mr Sheikh Aman was handed his RO job without any interview in present day Kenya and he had to deliver. You can bet your next lunch that he was not the only Aman in the whole scheme.
ECK’s IT team ordered laptops and trained ROs six months before the poll only to advice on the reliability of manual tallying. That is enterprising Kenyans killing numerous birds with no stone. You see the taxpayers purchase the computers which are not used, trainers pocket the allowance for doing nothing and more importantly you create the impression of work done and meet the ultimate objective THEFT.
So what is the price of stealing an election? Simple answer UNQUANTIFIABLE. Our future generation will continue to pay the steep price. Leaves you wondering who is fooling who in this whole fiasco. If only we were honest and took the singular bold step to correct the bleeding wrong by conducting FRESH and FAIR elections. Well, dream on. That is a risky gamble no enterprising Kenya will engage in given its guaranteed gloomy returns.
Insulting democracy
That two wrongs never made a right has been more true. Justifying the bungled elections with the hollow argument that both sides stole except the better thief won is flawed logic at best and an insult to democracy at worst. Unless we shun our DECEPTIVE ways and confront the truth head on, the charade will continue cascading and mutating into ugly monster waiting to collectively gobble the last Kenyan left standing. -
Allowance: Pay as you Sleep Romance
» You Missed This As the debate rages on the proposed allowances for the wives of the PM and VP, other Kenyans are taking the quest for material wealth to another level. A kilifi man has been denied his conjugal rights by his legally married wife because he cannot make enough money from his job of extracting coral blocks from the floor of the Indian Ocean at Bofa.
To spite her husband even more, the unhappy lady had the audacity to bring in her civil servant lover to pose as a cousin in counseling the STARVING husband who had threatened to commit suicide if access to the goods were denied. What is more, the lover even had a sumptuous lunch made the very lady who is the item of both lust and tension. So what does this sorry story tells about the Kenyan society in general?
What happens in our homes and houses is a reflection of the wider national philosophy distilled to its indivisible parts. The quest for material wealth overrides any virtues we stand for a society. The worst bid lies in the fact that DISHONESTY has become the defining trait for most Kenyans. We live our lives for others and SUCCESS is measured in the obtuse magnitude of opulence no matter how the resources were acquired.
Peddling fleshy goods
While products and beneficiaries of fraud will readily dismiss such concerns as thinly-veiled jealousy/envy, its remains an unsustainable lifestyle that only succeeds in massaging you ego to the detriment of your integrity. You don’t have to be a preacher to leave within your means and peddling what lies at the junction of your lower limbs in the height of self low esteem.
Trust typical Kenyans to stop at nothing in their quest to join the SUCCESSFUL club. No wonder one commentator here tongue-in-cheek offered to marry any aspiring PM or VP without any conditions provided she was guaranteed the legal spot to earn the proposed allowance. You see, no price is too steep to pay as the end apparently justifies the means.
Predictably, we will be shamelessly atop hills condemning the Kilifi woman in public but the truth is that our own lives are but variations of the same selfishness. Surely DECEPTION and FRAUD remain our collective forte as a nation. -
Muthaura’s Grand Scheme to Reward Mrs. VIPs
» You Missed This As a nation we never cease to amaze in coming up with brilliant ideas designed to please the political class at the expense of the national good. Now the fossil head of public service Francis Muthaura is at it again proposing KES 400,000 allowance per month for the wives of PM and VP. The most ridiculous thing about this is the fact that the constitution doesn’t have provision for these offices in the first place.
But again what the heck if cow Kenya can be milked some more before she drops dead. Here we are busy proposing new offices complete with allowances while the FIRST LADY office which is constitutionally recognized continues to suck public money with no face to match the bill. Enquiring on the whereabouts of Mama Lucy will predictably elicit ethnic vitriol cleverly clothed to question lack of humanity in such queries. It is more than three months since Kenyans saw Lucy.
Well, maybe the law has changed and we can now pay people from public coffers to run personal errands or enjoy MEDICAL holiday/quarantine. Or better still maybe Lucy has borrowed a leaf from within by being the laid-back boss. After all economic growth remain the harbinger to our nirvana and all else are mere appendages.
Disguised impunity
Muthaura’s proposal is another insult into our national conscience. The old guy is contemptuous of what Kenyan feel and only concerned with pleasing politicians at our collective expense. At this rate I fear the Grand Coalition will soon transform itself into a GRAND MONSTER to rape Kenya of all her resources. All these insensitive moves leave you wondering whether the proponents of grand opposition would be handy with their noise if only they were not sulking from missing out in the eating table.
This GCG must be the most expensive edifice in political history. And with the OLD and tired civil servants’ boss like Muthaura whose realm of operations revolve around archaic ideas while superlatively allergic to new ideas, we haven’t seen the last selfish move to milk Kenya dry. At this rate you can be forgiven for being mad at the bill to the Kenyan taxpayer were the PM and VIP to be polygamous. That will definitely ignite the debate in last parliament about MPs and their wives/mistresses.
The wives of the PM and VP must learn to live within the budgets of their spouses. These mothers must not assume imagined status which they never applied for from the Kenyan people. And Muthaura must not continue his insensitive gimmicks as if Kenya is a bottomless pit of gold. Mzee Muthaura's antics is nothing but disguised IMPUNITY. -
Kumekucha Weekend Special: Why A Handful Of Kenyans Are Not Having A Good Weekend
» You Missed This Shortly before the 2002 general elections if you were a frequent person along Moi Avenue in Mombasa or Digo Road you would not have failed to observe a rather fascinating but obviously very determined man going about his business in the sweltering heat.He was burly and very tall and therefore difficult to miss. He could be seen heavily laden with pharmaceutical supplied moving from one chemist shop to another hawking his wares. Obviously he was not accustomed to the humidity and heat of the coastal city because he could be frequently seen wiping sweat from his face, quiet often removing his spectacles to do so.
Dr Chris Murungaru
Many of the pharmacists who out of sympathy gave him a few orders here and there were shocked when just a few months later that same man was named to one of the most powerful cabinet dockets in the brand new National Rainbow Coalition government of President Mwai Kibaki. The “hawker” became the minister in-charge of Internal security and was even captured in the media inspecting a guard of honor at one time.
That man’s name is of course Chris Murungaru. A man who will go down in the history of Kenya for the sheer speed at which he moved from pauper to multi billionaire. It is no secret that just a few weeks to the general elections Murungaru was playing hide and seek with auctioneers.
Now that man who is no longer the legislator representing the good people of Kieni burst into the news again this week. Apparently he is trying to serve summons to former ethics PS John Githongo in a 2006 defamation suit that has never gotten off the ground because efforts to serve Githongo have always failed. On 22 January, John Githongo named Murungaru as one of three top politicians involved in scams worth $600M in what is referred to now as the Anglo Leasing scum. The other two Githingo named were Kiraitu Murungi, former justice minister and present energy minister; and former finance minister (now out of parliament) David Mwiraria.
But to observers the really fascinating thing about Dr Chris Murungaru’s latest antics this past week is the boldness with which he has attracted attention to himself. Those who know him well say that the pharmacist has always been a gambler in life. But even so this latest gamble must surely beat all the previous ones. To start with the man has failed to read the mood in the country at the moment. Then he has drawn battle lines even before anybody has mentioned his name, meaning that he has forced the hand of those who must have some very damaging evidence against him. More than anything else Murungaru’s latest move illustrates just how high the stakes must be.
Admittedly Murungaru is a survivor and is obviously prepared for a long drawn out battle here. Many wrote him off when on February 17, 2006, the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACA) took Dr. Murungaru to a Nairobi court charging him with failing to declare and account for his wealth. The Commission’s view was that Dr. Murungaru became too waealthy too quickly and had been investigating the source of his wealth, especially in relation to the Anglo Leasing Scandal. He denied refusing to declare his wealth, and was released on a bond of Kshs 200,000 after an embarrassing wait right next to the stinking police cells at the Nairobi courts. On December 1st 2006, the High Court determined that KACA's notice to Murungaru was not carried out according the laid down law that subsequently led to the High Court quashing KACA's case against Murungaru.
Let us for a moment put ourselves in the shoes of the good doctor. What would you do if you knew that your time for being exposed was nigh? Would you just sit quietly and wait for what was coming to you? That is quite unlikely and not Murungaru at all.
Most probably you would come out both guns drawn and firing. That may mean that Murungaru is going to use the information he has to cause “leaks” of various scandals involving numerous characters right across the political divide. This is what is causing so much fear amongst the political elite. It is the inevitable chain reaction from all this.
Indeed the minute Githongo landed at JKIA, it is like somebody dropped some highly volatile compound into some simmering acid.
Some of the “leaks” that we should expect will involve top notch personalities within ODM. All in all I can authoritatively tell you that quite a number of Kenyans are not having a good weekend at all.
In my latest raw notes I reveal all that you did not know about the former MP for Kieni including how he made his vast instantaneous wealth and the nature of his relationship with a well known woman personality. You can get a free sneak preview by Subscribing to my bi-weekly Confidential. Do it NOW. It is free.
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Beijing we Came and Conquered, London Next
» You Missed This 
Sammy Kamau Wanjiru did Kenya and Kenyans proud by winning the Beijing Olympic Marathon. Wa Ciru's winning was not only phenomenal because of the Gold medal but his fast pace in the first and last 500m in sweltering Garissa-like heat of 30 degrees Celsius was breathtaking to say the least. You can imagine running the 42+ km as sprinting from Nairobi to Thika in that Sahara-like temperatures in a time of just over 2 hours (Sammy took 2.06.32 to be precise).
And that makes us the track KINGS of Africa. At position 15 overall, we stand head over shoulders among the sporting power houses. The superlative performance leaves wondering if only we had our national priorities right and diversified what a haul of medals we would bag! But let us savour the pride and sweetness for now. The veteran Catherine Ndereba started it all with her silver medal and now Tokyo-based Sammy brought down the curtain down in style. In between we spiced it with medals from the Nandi and Eldoret Expresses.
Just as death is the universal equalizer sports remain our UNIVERSAL and national unifier. The last two weeks of sporting extravaganza from Beijing has galvanized Kenyans into they should have been always by melting our unproductive political and ethnic tension. If only we had leaders to seize on such unique opportunities to help build on the unity for our national cohesion and unity. Well, you guess and the opportunities don’t come flooding our shores very often.
Inverted priorities
Next in four years is London Olympics. Let us hope our sports administrators and leaders will have their priorities right then by putting our money where our TRUE pride resides. In the meantime let us savour the joy and pride brought to us by our gallant sons and daughters. Congratulations to them for the endurance and resultant national glory. Hongera our heroes. -
Nigerian Man to kick “82 of his women” out in the Cold
» You Missed This Catch these articles published earlier today: Kenya wins 2 more gold medals
Who is afraid of John Githongo?
I was amused the other day when I heard the story of an 84 year old Nigerian man who has 86 women for wives. This is just a staggering number! Wait, that’s not all. The story went on to say that he has at least 170 children!!
Phew!
It occurred to me that for an 84-year-old man to keep such a vast number of women together and close to him then he must have loads of “strength”. Loads of that very vital energy that most men would give their eye teeth to have half of! (Kwani ni uongo!)
When asked to comment about his “strength”, the man, Mohamed Bello Abubakar, said: “A man with ten wives would collapse and die but my own power comes from Allah. That is why I have been able to control 86 of them.”
Fathering 170 plus children is no mean feat. The energy and expenses involved are overly enormous, to say the least. It is said that they take 36 kilos of rice in a single meal. This, quite apparently, costs a lot of money (and quite a fortune to this man who has no job to rely on).
But Mohamed faces death as per Sharia Law for having wives that are more than four. {According to the Muslim faith, men are allowed to have up to four wives and not more than that.}
Despite imminent death due to his “offence”, Mohamed feels it up to him to challenge the Sharia Law. He says that Prophet Muhammad made the retribution for sins such as adultery and fornication clear but he did not say what punishment a man who has more than four wives should go through. So, this 84-year-old man does not see anything wrong with having as many wives as he has (though he discourages other men not to go his way and have as many wives as he has).
The good thing is that he has a choice. He can divorce a whopping 82 “wives” and remain with only 4.
My heart goes out to this man who is faced with a very tough decision. This is a perfect example of a dilemma (one that literature teachers can cite in their explanation of this stylistic device!)
I wonder what criteria he’ll use to drive 82 women out of his life (that’s if he still wants to live and not be on Sharia “Death Row”). Will the children go with the women too? I reckon there are so many questions going through his mind. His 84-year-old brain is having its fair share of trouble!
So many people have reacted to this story in different kinds of ways. I like the comment of one man on BBC yesterday. He said: “Where was the Sharia Law when this man was accumulating his women? Why didn’t the custodians of Sharia not move swiftly when he (Mohamed) crossed the 4 wives mark?”
Food for thought, this.
Other articles elsewhere:
Have a Strangle-hold on your Vision
Be as Wary as an Eagle -
Kenyan Gold Rush in Beijing!
» You Missed This Kenyan runners have won two more gold medals at the Beijing Olympics in the mens 800 meters and women's 1500 meters.
It all started with Wilfred Bungei winning the men's 800 meters in a race in which Sudan's Ismail Ahmed Ismail of Sudan came second followed by Alfred Yego of Kenya who got the bronze.
A few minutes later Nancy Jebet Langat of Kenya won the women's 1500 meters in what is being reported as an upset.
More later. Enjoy the photos
Wilfred Bungei of Kenya (2246) crosses the finish line first to win the men's 800m final of the athletics competition in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 23, 2008. The other competitors are Nabil Madi of Algeria (1007), Alfred Kirwa Yego of Kenya (2251), who finished third, Gary Reed of Canada (1295), Ismail Ahmed Ismail of Sudan (2914), who finished second, Yeimer Lopez of Cuba (partially obscured), Nadjim Manseur of Algeria (1008) and Yusuf Saad Kamel of Bahrain.
Gold medallist Wilfred Bungei of Kenya and bronze medallist Alfred Kirwa Yego of Kenya celebrate after competing in the men's 800m final of the athletics competition in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 23, 2008.
Men's 800m winner Wilfred Bungei of Kenya (L) celebrates with compatriot Alfred Kirwa Yego, classified in second position, after the final of the athletics competition in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 23, 2008.
Kenya's Nancy Jebel Langat crosses the finish line to win the gold in the women's 1500-meter final during the athletics competitions in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008.
Kenya's Nancy Jebel Langat, right, crosses the finish line to win the gold in the women's 1500-meter final during the athletics competitions in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008.
Read BBC Reports Here:
Bungei battles hard to 800m glory
Langat takes 1500m gold for Kenya
UPDATE FROM BEIJING
Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele has survived a strong Kenyan challenge to win gold in the men's 5000 meters where Kenyan's Eliud Kipchoge and Edwin Cheruiyot Soi won the silver and bronze respectively.
This is now shaping up to be the best performance by Kenya at any Olympic games where the country is presently ranked at position 16 overall with a total of 13 medals; 4 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze. -
Kumekucha Weekend Special: Who Is Afraid Of John Githongo?
» You Missed This Former ethics PS jetted into the country just last Tuesday night. And yet just too much has happened behind the scenes and in the open since then to suggest that as predicted various characters right across the political divide are extremely jittery.The latest move is that disgraced former powerful internal security minister Chris Murungaru has desperately been trying to serve Githongo court summons for defamation through his lawyers. This is an old suit first filed in 2006 which failed to go anywhere because all attempts to serve Githongo have always failed.
But what is the fuss all about? After all if the massive anti-Githongo campaign that is going on all over the web right now (that is keeping some people extremely busy) were to be believed then Githongo is a non-entity who should not attract the kind of attention that he has attracted so far. And as we have been reminded countless times, he was not even the real whistle blower of the Anglo Leasing scandal and such credit has to go elsewhere. Maoka Maere, is the one who credit must go to for that, some people are saying.
So why should John Githongo ruffle so many feathers right across the political divide? Why is it that some individuals are burning the midnight oil to get as much so-called Githongo dirt onto the web and mainstream media as possible? Why is it that the 2012 presidential campaign which had swung into full gear has suddenly gone quiet? Why is it that even those within ODM are uncomfortable? What is the problem?
The crux of the problem is that although Mr Githongo has not made any indication that he is interested in politics and participating in the 2012 general elections in any way, all in the political class view him as a serious threat to their political ambitions. You see as much as Kenyans dislike the political class for what they are, one thing they are not is stupid. They have correctly read the mood of the electorate. Kenyans are sick and tired of corruption and they are determined to elect a clean government and clearly that is topmost on their minds and will be the undisputed number one agenda in the forthcoming general elections.
Now whatever anybody says about John Githongo, he is the only Kenyan (and I am deeply ashamed as a Kenyan to say this) who has said no to tempting corruption money at the highest level. I would like to believe that there are others who have done the same, but Githongo’s case stands out. A friend reminded me two days ago about what Kiraitu Murungi represented in the 1990s. The lawyer was a firebrand second liberation campaigner. However when he got close to the cookie jar we all know what happened. Martha Karua also has admirable credentials in the fight for the second liberation however we all know the key role she played in the presidential elections mess of last year. My friend emphasized that they have given up on Kenya and that ushering in a new generation of younger leaders will not make any difference.
There is no doubt that many long suffering Kenyans feel exactly the same and they are probably right in throwing in the towel.
However Githongo represents the only exception thus far and is surely a ray of hope. His name has come to mean integrity tried and tested. And those who have been out to tarnish his name have clearly been grasping at straws digging back to his schooldays and planting all sorts of nonsense and untruths amongst the facts (the classic method of spreading propaganda). The bare facts are simple. Githongo was there and he had a chance to simply look the other way and he would never have had to worry about money again in his life. But he chose to say NO. No other Kenyan has those credentials to date, at least not at the national level.
This blog has earned a reputation for being a great Githongo admirer and indeed this writer may look like a seer seeing many years ahead. However I have no time to gloat. I love my country and we must change direction and change direction now. The change we seek is bigger than Githongo or any other individual. However fate and destiny have thrust this Kenyan in a position where he must help to take the lead to a new Kenya. I am persuaded that he is up to it.
Expect high drama like never before over the next few days. -
Kenyatta’s Legacy Examined 30 Years After
» You Missed This Kenyans have just marked 30 years since the death of our nation’s founding president Jomo Kenyatta. With a whole generation gone by since his death, what can be branded as the legacy of Uhuru’s dad? Well, Kenyatta’s legacy (or lack thereof) will be obviously viewed with the present partisan lenses.
To his admirers he founded a nation and premised her prosperity on fighting poverty disease and ignorance. Whether he made efforts to deliver on these pillars is a different matter subject to personal judgement. Some of Jomo’s disciples even go further to see a re-incarnation of his ‘prosperous’ reign in the present regime.
Enter Johnstone Kamau’s detractors and all they see in the late president is the planter of the seed of IMPUNITY and FRAUD whose long term effects continue to tear the Kenyan fabric apart. Such people will readily blame Kenyatta for the present land mess owing to his failure to comprehensively address the emotive and cultural issue which was the cause of struggle for independence in the first place. While at it they will bandy criminal statistics that the Kenyatta family own land equivalent to a province thanks to Jomo’s insatiable appetite to grab what he used to fondly refer to as SHAMBA YENYE ROTUBA NYINGI.
So what is the true legacy of Kenya’s founding president who many adore and idolize with his body interred at the heart of the city while others see as synonymous with DECEPTION and FRAUD. Well, there may be no one single answer to that same question as raises more questions than answers. But one thing can be said for certain: Kenyatta RULED and reigned in his twilight years that may have denied Kenya the benefit of a dynamic leader capable of formulating a roadmap to found a nation.
Deceptive legacy
Bishop David Kamau’s sermon commemorating Kenyatta’s death leaves one wondering aloud to whom his message was directed. Urging our politicians to unite Kenyans may be akin to playing a sonorous tune to a goat who cannot appreciate the same. Trust fractious Kenya to subjectively interpret the message of carrying on the dreams of the founding father of the nation by ensuring all Kenyans were served equally.
Bishop Kamau reminded the congregation of Kenyatta’s vision for a united Kenya, free from poverty, tribalism and discrimination. He added that we should make a new commitment that we will lead a country free of corruption, poverty, hunger and favouritism. Well, maybe the late Jomo stood for all these grandiose values or the good man of God was just being good to the dead as is the African/human tradition and trend. At the risk of being seen to be flogging the dead, the jury is still out and only time will tell. -
Kibaki is not Mugabe, So Tsvangirai Move on
» You Missed This Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai may have meant well calling on Kenya to seek first hand experience in Grand Coalition Government negotiations and formation. However, the MDC leader would be better advised that the dynamics in the two countries are very different. The similarities and differences almost balance each other albeit on grand different premises.
For starters, Tsvangirai must accept the fact that Mugabe exhibited utmost civility in ALLOWING win the first round of Zimbabwe election in March. But he must not have been naive to imagine that Bob would just sit back and wish him well like that with so much at stake. Mugabe only did the most logical thing in bettering Kibaki’s script by mating MAXIMUM and unrestrained IMPUNITY that automatically pushed poor out of the run off in June.
You see Kibaki is not Mugabe. Here in Kenya we tally votes in advance and swear in pronto unlike coward Bob who made history with his patience by counting votes for a whole month. Poor Tsvangirai also appears ignorant to the fact that Mbeki is not Annan save for the striking physical resemblance. He lost the plot by playing by the rules which allowed Mugabe to assume the reigns of power and hence negotiate from unequal premise. But again may be MDC would have better imported ODM gang if only for Zanu-PF’s bludgeoning.
Grand impunity perfected
That said, similarities galore between the Zimbabwe and Kenya political predicaments. Already Mugabe is destined to convene parliament in breach of SADC’s MOU. That must make our rush to name half the cabinet familiar. Add that to the fact that Arthur Mutambara of the breakaway MDC is waiting on the wings salivating to fill the void should Morgan continue to play hard ball. And for the records Simba Makoni is still around for Bob's attention.
Poor Tsvangirai is in very unenviable position. He is sandwiched between the political hell and the dark blue sea. He must be alive to the fact that the executive power he is demanding remains a very emotive and hot issue even in our six-month old GCG. Meanwhile Bob must be laughing all the way to Grace’s belly secure in the knowledge that he is in good company within our continent. Surely we are mere tenants on these geographical entities we can our countries. Our countries have their owners lest we forget. -
PNU Now Walking Same Doomed Path KANU Walked in 2002
» You Missed This Uhuru handed PNU ticket as Kalonzo retreats to ODM-K!
In 2002 KANU was a powerful political machine but the disgraceful management of the Moi succession ended its 40 year grip on power. We are now in 2008, KANU is virtually dead and signs are that we shall be going to an all important constitutional referendum in 2009 and possibly a general election shortly thereafter followed by Kibaki’s retirement.
Recent reports indicate that the PNU succession structure has been finalized and not so surprisingly, the so called president’s principal assistant, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka has been upstaged by KANU Chairman Uhuru Kenyatta as the preferred torch bearer of post Kibaki PNU. Not totally unexpected, but ever since Kalonzo was persuaded to pressure the ECK into announcing controversial presidential results on the premise that he would be given the Vice President’s docket plus several cabinet positions for his party ODM-K, he has fallen over himself wooing the GEMA voters. He has visited Central and Upper Eastern provinces at any given opportunity in the mistaken belief that the rich GEMA vote basket would be his for the taking following Kibaki’s retirement. It brings back memories of 2007 when Kalonzo persistently and unsuccessfully attempt to court the Rift Valley vote through the AIC church.
The last time I checked, Kalonzo was playing amateurish politics assembling Dubai bound councillors and telling that he had no qualms with them undertaking the Harun Mwau sponsored trip as if he has any powers to stop them in the first place. Kalonzo further assured councillors that ODM-K would sponsor a motion in parliament proposing a salary raise for civic leaders, forgetting that only a few months ago, millions of Kenyan workers were denied their annual salary increase during Labour Day celebrations by none other than President Kibaki! Many political observers believe Kalonzo and Uhuru’s moves to dissolve ODM-K and KANU is being driven the fear that these two parties cannot pass the acid test that is the Political Parties Act 2007 The two politicians have been singing the unity song since the formation of the grand coalition.
Now it emerges that the blessed PNU succession line-up features Uhuru as 1st Vice Chairman (read presidential torch bearer), a very reluctant Moses Wetangula as 2nd Vice Chairman (read running mate – words that have no meaning in Kenya’s volatile politics), Mutula Kilonzo as Secretary General and George Nyamweya as Organizing Secretary. The Treasurers position is being reserved for rebels and all of the top PNU positions are to have two deputies.
With a retirement bound Kibaki being given the Chairman’s post, Kalonzo’s name had initially been proposed for the high sounding Deputy Party Leader post, but events on the ground became too hot forcing PNU to abandon the Party Leader post and in the process left Kalonzo without any significant party position. Clearly, the PNU structure has been crafted with Kibaki succession / general elections in mind and with the political parties act hovering above their heads, there is no other option but to call for the dreaded grassroot elections.
Interestingly, the PNU top line-up does not feature FORD-K, FORD-P, SHIRIKISHO, SAFINA or any of the other numerous parties that supported Kibaki’s bid for the presidency in 2007.
To complicate the PNU succession equation even further, KANU ‘owners’ led by ex-President Moi have disowned Uhuru’s move to dissolve the independence party by flatly refusing to join the PNU bandwagon.
Even more significantly, Mzee Moi is said to have finally accepted that Agriculture minister and ODM pentagon member William Ruto is now politically superior to himself and his favourite son Gideon Moi in so far as Rift Valley is concerned. In other words, Moi is using the elders to send an olive branch to the ODM, especially Raila Odinga who many observers opine will be the man to beat in the next general elections.
Mzee Moi is keen on rehabilitating his son Gideon back into the national political platform through KANU, a party that has been lying on its death bed since the December 2007 general elections. Given Moi’s strong emotional attachment to KANU, rather than have the independence party dissolved like Chairman Uhuru Kenyatta appears to have decided, the senior Moi recently invited Kalenjin elders to his palatial Kabarak home to apologise for his mistakes in 2002 (read backing Uhuru) and 2007 (read backing Kibaki).
In the meantime, George Saitoti and Martha Karua are watching events in PNU with a keen eye. Saitoti is planning to use his massive wealth to sponsor candidates in the PNU grassroots polls so as to have an upper hand when the PNU National Delegates Congress is called to choose national officials and the party torch bearer. Saitoti is banking on Kibaki to endorse him as successor due to their closeness and also by virtue of being the senior most of all PNU presidential contenders.
Martha Karua, whose popularity in Central Province is worrying Uhuru Kenyatta, has declared that her interest for the presidency is real and that NARC-K will not be dissolved for the sake of PNU unity. Karua’s chances of mounting a serious presidential bid is largely influenced by her long time association with the civil society and if James Orengo’s experience is anything to go by, then Karua will be in for the shock of her life when election results are announced. As it is, she lacks the prerequisite resources in terms of finance and the vital grassroot representation at the district and locational levels. Her defence of ECK and PNU earlier in the year makes her an instant enemy in most parts of Kenya and she would require to shelter under the massive political umbrella of Raila Odinga’s ODM to be gradually accepted nationally.
The game is on, will PNU survive or will it go the KANU way? -
Unmasking Githongo's Blunt Warning on Growth Weaned on Corruption
» You Missed This Judging from the confidence and the salvos he fired during his first press conference, John Githongo appears to be privy to some form of protection we don’t know. Given the fact that the powerful political elite he brought down as still alive and with their connections intact, the former PS cannot afford the luxury of being naive to expose himself to these sharks who will not waste a second to wring his neck literally.
Granted, Githongo is many things to many people. To many he epitomizes selflessness judging from his readiness to bell the marauding big wild cats roaming our political lives. The guy is no typical Kenyan will readily turn the other way provided his comfort is guaranteed and the pocket taken care of. And to his detractors he is just but a simple headline seeker blowing his trumpet from the hilltops. Whatever you take, give it to the chap for the extraordinary courage to look at scoundrels right into the eye and calling their bluff. Kenya’s political landscape is still reverberating from his actions to stand for the truth more than 1000 days ago.
Without mincing words, Githongo has busted the myth that corruption does not really matter so long as the economy was growing. With DECEPTION and FRAUD as unique factors defining our political leadership, Githongo’s twinning of corruption and poor governance is going to generate predictable political heat. The script is so predictable so much so that in a matter of days the heat will be chocking the GCG. And there lies the political catch too.
Hunting dragon corruption
In his press release last week, Githongo initially indicated he was on a brief visit home as a KNHRC guest speaker. Now that has changed and JG has hinted he is here to stay for the long haul to continue doing what he knows best from within-hunting the corruption DRAGON. Come to think of it. The advertisements of senior positions at the PM’s office a few weeks back may not be mere coincidence.
It demands no fertile imagination to picture the political fireworks ahead were the present developments to prove more than a coincidence. Only time will tell but one thing is for sure; the political landscape is destined for vigorous tremors. What next then? Your guess is as good as mine on political grand scheming. Something is definitely cooking and soon the guns will be out blazing. Keep your eyes WIDE open. -
8 Million Dollar Corrupt China Guns Deal
» You Missed This It appears that our extremely expensive grand coalition government is shaping up to also be a government of grand corruption even as we witness a 10th parliament that is proving to be the most effective watch dog the country has ever had in its’ parliamentary history.--------------------------------
See also: Ingenious way to sell that lifted small business to big success
Relationships: Romance without finance?
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Kumekucha has unearthed a fascinating deal that seems to be unfolding at the moment involving the department of defense.
The government of Kenya needs to import 10,000 rifles for the department of defense. The US government has offered the required rifles for free but in circumstances still shrouded by mystery the government seems to be already taking steps to purchase the said rifles from China at a cost $800 per unit. Incidentally the rifles being purchased are relatively new in the market. This is in sharp contrast to the American rifles which are not only being offered for free, but we are talking about the tried and tested M16 assault weapon which was severely tested in the jungles of Vietnam against the renowned AK-47s that were being used against them in that horrible war. The M16 has over the years been modified and improved to the standard where it can measure up against the very best. Little wonder that the military chiefs have advised that they prefer this particular weapon and have said that this is what should be purchased. It seems that they are unaware of the free offer.
The Chinese Norinco QBZ
However the government seems to have turned down the free offer and has instead opted to purchase those 10,000 rifles from China at a cost of $800 per unit. The rifles from China are the Norinco QBZ-97. This the export version of the brand new Chinese QBZ-95 regulation rifle. Which means that it is yet to be tried and tested.
However the news gets worse. The real cost for each rifle is $500. But the Kenya government is paying $800 per rifle.
One loophole that has consistently been used to fleece money off the public over the years is this excuse about defense and security related purchases being too sensitive for any close scrutiny. Accordingly the names that end up being involved with such deals are always extremely high profile. The names behind this China rifle deal are no exception.
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Kenya Wins Two Olympic Gold Medals
» You Missed This Kenya’s athletes have this afternoon set the Olympic athletic stadium in Beijing alight by winning two gold medals, one silver and one bronze.
First it was Brimin Kiprop Kipruto who won the men’s 3000 meters steeple-chase event while Richard Mateelong of Kenya grabbed the bronze after failing to catch-up with Frenchman Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad who won the silver.
Olympic champion in Athens four years ago Ezekiel Kemboi faded to finish in seventh place.
A few moments later, the ‘Nandi Express’ Pamela Jelimo led her compatriot ‘Eldoret Express’ Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei in a one-two finish of the women’s 800 meters final winning the gold and silver medals respectively.
Kenya has won seven straight medals in the men's 3,000-meters steeple chase since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, while this is the first time Kenyans are participating in the women’s 800 metres event final.
The win catapults Kenya to the highest ranking African nation position 17th on the medals standings with a total of seven medals two gold, three silver and two bronze.
Kenya's Brimin Kiprop Kipruto celebrates after winning the men's 3000-meter steeplechase final during the athletics competitions in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Kenya's gold medalist Brimin Kiprop Kipruto, left, silver medal winner Richard Kipkemboi Mateelong, right, and Ezekiel Kemboi run with Kenya's national flag after the men's 3000-meter steeplechase final in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008
Kenya's Pamela Jelimo celebrates winning the gold in the women's 800-meter final during the athletics competitions in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Second-placed Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei (L) of Kenya celebrates with team-mate and winner Pamela Jelimo after their women's 800m final of the athletics competition in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 18, 2008. -
To Cut Or Not To Cut, That Is The Question
» You Missed This AIDS. AIDS. AIDS.
We don't think about this scourge very much anymore because it's been with us for years, right? But for nearly thirty years the world's leading scientists have struggled to come up with a cure or a form of antidote that would slow down its devastating symptoms. The good news is, there has been a measure of success on the latter front. In most developed nations, AIDS is no longer an automatic kiss of death. In swaths of Africa, however, the march has been slower.
Yesterday I watched as Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, called upon the nation to embrace the cut. I have to assume his comments were directed at a certain group of people from the Lake Victoria region who still flee when they are confronted with the possibility of a knife kissing the tip of their.......fill in the blank. What was striking about his comments was the fact that he called for an act that was a radical departure from years of cultural practice. Was the Prime Minister saying that the scourge has been so devastating that a fundamental rethink of culture is called for? Was he bravely stating that radically new approaches needed to be part of the overall effort to combat the continuing scorched-earth effects of AIDS?
I come to this matter with the humility of a man who realizes that thousands of Kenyans have lost their lives, and many others, like me, have lost relatives and friends to this debilitating disease. Because of the horrendous effects of AIDS, and the impact it has on the nation's vibrancy, I agree with the Prime Minister that whatever can be done must be done to slow down this disease. We must also thank the hundreds of NGOs, churches, government entities and private citizens who have worked tirelessly to slow down the determined encroachment of this scourge.
But you'll have noticed that the Prime Minister went out in broad strokes. He said let's do the cut. I agree with him. But who should do the cut? The kids in standard one? Form One? College freshmen? Should a husband do it? How about a priest?
And by the way, do all Kenyan communities do the cut except those people from the lake who run away at the sight of a knife? In case you didn't know it, the Luos had their own form of a cut, only it took the six lower teeth of our forefathers. It was a measure put in place to fight what was called lockjaw disease. The premise was simple. If one was inflicted with the disease and their jaws locked, they could still be fed through that hole created by pulling down the six teeth. Wasn't that smart? That was Luo ingenuity.
So why did certain communities cut the foreskin?
Fellow countrymen, what the Prime Minister called on Kenyans to do must be seen in the context of his willingness to be pragmatic about the issues facing Kenya. New approaches must be embraced in order to fight diseases and other ills. Where tradition and culture stands in the way of saving lives and moving the nation forward, those traditions must be discarded for the good of everyone.
Lastly, I hope we are all smart enough today to ask the person we plan to marry to take a test. Don't walk that man or woman down the aisle until he/she slaps a medical record on the table that clears him/her of the disease. And for those who are in relationships, there is only one sure way to keep safe...integrity. Respect yourself enough to wait until you are married to take that beautiful woman/handsome man to bed. Is that easy to do? No, but you have years of togetherness after getting married, what would a little wait hurt?
So my friends who run away at the sight of a knife, take courage, look the knife in the eye and tell it you are ready to tango. Once that piece is sliced off, run with it to the lake and watch as the waves sail away with it. Or you may ask our friends from Sotik and Bungoma and Voi and Nyeri and Kangundo what they did with theirs.
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Kumekucha Weekend Special: Why Kibaki Is The Best President Kenya Never Had
» You Missed This There is mounting evidence that had President’s Kibaki’s health been better, then the tragedy of post election violence would probably never have happened.It is a fact that those who know the president well will tell you that right from the referendum of 2005 the decisions made by the Kibaki they have known for years is just not him. In a long career in public service, this is a man who has always come across as a very sober political player with a sharp mind and sharp wit to go with it. Hardly the president who blundered his way through his first term so much so that there was a time most Kenyans did not believe that he would complete his first term. He actually limped along and even had to ask for the help of retired president Moi to steady things along.
And this is one of the reasons why when well known political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi predicted as early as 2003 that there was no way that Kibaki would have over power peacefully if he were defeated, he caused an uproar and even many die hard ODM supporters at the time found this assertion ridiculous.
Kibaki admirers insist that all this is clear evidence that he never really recovered from that horrible accident of late 2002 that almost took his life. There are those who strongly believe that that road accident denied Kenya an excellent president who would have had a very different term of office indeed and Kenya would have been a different country.
Instead, president Kibaki will not only go down in history as the president who has overseen the most massive tribalization of the Kenyan people in the history of the country, but he will also be remembered as the president who insisted on going for a second term when clearly he had not even been physically fit to handle his stormy first term.
His two terms will also be viewed as a stormy period in the history of the country when may things went wrong because there was no clear leadership at a time when the country needed it badly.
Sadly there are many politicians and Kenyans who think that the office of the president is one comfortable office of honour and glory. They refuse to see the pressures of the office that made Moi age so fast in the years after the re-introduction of multi-partyism. The same office has taken it’s toll on president Kibaki who was already weak and on a wheel chair.
In conclusion it is rather obvious that the president is not healthy or fit enough to handle the demanding pressures so rather than continue to tarnish his image built of many years, the most honorable things and continue to carry out OR gimmicks to hoodwink Kenyans, the most honorable thing for his to do would be to resign now. He would be able to prove his critics wrong, who aver that he has never done a single courageous thing in his long political career.
In my latest Kumekucha Confidential issue I give a sneak preview of some of the detailed inside information on the man who could easily rise to the presidency as per the constitution if president Kibaki was declared unfit to handle the office. Most of this information will leave you numb with shock and it is free. Subscribe now by Sending me a blank Email right away -
Catherine 'The Great' Ndereba Wins Kenya's First Medal
» You Missed This August 17, 2008
38- Year old Romanian mother - Constantina Tomescu-Dita - has a few moments ago won the Olympics women's marathon gold medal in 2 hours 26 minutes 44 seconds, 22 seconds ahead of silver medalist, world champion, Catherine ' The Great' Ndereba of Kenya.
Ndereba outsprinted China's Zhou Chunxiu at the end even as the crowd stood and chanted Zhou's name. It chanted again when bronze medalist Zhou grabbed a Chinese flag and held it for her countrywoman, fourth-place finisher Zhu Xiaolin.....
Catherine Ndereba of Kenya (front) gestures as she crosses the finish line ahead of Zhou Chunxiu of China in the women's marathon of the athletics competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in the National Stadium August 17, 2008.
Catherine Ndereba of Kenya (R) approaches the finish line ahead of Zhou Chunxiu of China during the women's marathon of the athletics competition of the Beijing 2008 Olmypic Games in the National Stadium August 17, 2008.
Catherine Ndereba of Kenya (R) runs ahead of Zhou Chunxiu of China during the women's marathon of the athletics competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in the National Stadium August 17, 2008.
Catherine Ndereba of Kenya gestures after the women's marathon of the athletics competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in the National Stadium August 17, 2008.
Catherine Ndereba of Kenya crosses the finish line in the women's marathon at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2008. At left is third placed Zhou Chunxiu of China.
Catherine Ndereba of Kenya celebrates after winning the silver medal in the women's marathon at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2008. -
My Evasive Nyama Choma
» You Missed This Published earlier today: Kumekucha weekend special, secrets about Kibaki's health
News that at least four abattoirs had been closed down in Nairobi sometime this week hit me hard. In fact it was a slap across my broad face. Nyama choma (roasted meat) and my mouth are sworn blood brothers. Yeah, and literally so.
So, news that some principal slaughter houses in Nairobi had been closed down really jolted me. I started asking myself how I would get by the week with the thought that come weekend there might not be enough meat to serve the city thus I would end up not tasting my delicacy.
My employer might have noticed my disenchantment with life itself for he called me the other day asking what was “eating” me. He also pointed out that my work output was lackluster (to use his word). He said this was unlike me.
If only he knew what was bugging me, he might have sent me packing. Thank God he couldn’t read the thoughts that were doing their rounds in my head!
The authorities say that these abattoirs are in a sorry state sanitation-wise. They are very dirty and pose health risks to the “nyama choma” patrons (like yours truly).
But, seriously speaking, I thought fire can kill all manner of germs, worms and other such health risks that can “append their poison” in the meat I love so much. Roasted meat goes through fire, doesn’t it?
Can someone please, puliiiiz, do something about this state of affairs. I, like so many other Nairobians, need to get back to work with all the energy I can and could muster. This is energy that I can only get from my favourite delicacy “Nyam Chom”.
You slaughter house guys, clean up your act and make sure there is enough Nyama Choma to drown the city the moment I step out of the house this weekend. Somebody reading this? -
Kumekucha Weekend Special: Secrets About Kibaki’s Health
» You Missed This Based on the information that I have received, it is now clear that the country has entered a very dangerous phase indeed.President Kibaki in recent times has displayed behaviour even in public which most Kenyans have missed. Few have been aware that they were witnessing subtle clues that clearly tell us that the country is in very dangerous waters indeed. However any trained medical eye will tell you a lot of things, mostly things no Kenyan would like to hear. Least of all now, when the country is desperately trying to recover from the mishaps of last December and January.
But in private within the precincts of State House Nairobi, which the president has made his home, things are even more worrying.
The president has problems waking up in the morning. No big deal about that, you may think. But when you compare him to former president Moi, you begin to understand the possible repercussions. Moi was always up at 4 am in the morning and would start by going through all the newspapers of the day. By 5 am when those Kenyans going to work early are beginning to stir, he would have already made lots of notes to act upon. This was around the time Moi would usually have his breakfast, if he did not have a breakfast meeting later that morning. On most mornings what would follow would be a briefing from the intelligence. Little wonder that as corrupt as he was, he always seemed to be on top of things.
Several sources have also told this blogger that the president has serious problems these days remembering stuff. On several occasions he has even forgotten the names of his own children during introductions. Now, pray tell me, how does a person govern when they cannot remember things. How on earth do they even make decisions, let alone quality decisions?
Another even more worrying symptom is the fact that the president repeats himself a lot when talking. Incidentally this has also come out in the public most notably when he addressed parliament during the historic debate on the Anan-peace bills that created the current grand coalition government power sharing deal.
In private he mutters things to himself a lot as he hobbles around State House. Interestingly this habit emerged in public shortly before last years’ general elections in a most fascinating incident. A BBC journalist asked the then incumbent presidential candidate about his options should he lose the elections. Kibaki muttered almost under his breath in Kiswahili something to the effect that he wondered whether the journalist had a brain. Several journalists present heard and understood what the president had muttered almost to himself. None dared report it. Only the Standard carried a description of the incident tacked away in a small paragraph deep inside the newspaper. In the excitement of the general elections then many missed it.
So what do the doctors say about the president’s condition? Indeed because of the lack of information, all sorts of rumours have been flying all over the place. Still one doctor told this blogger that the symptoms described are what one would expect as the aftermath of a stroke. The doctors confirms that in that kind of condition one is clearly not capable of executing the duties of a president let alone handle the pressures of the office.
Analysts paint a very grim picture of the possible repercussions and they do so by taking us back to the events of last December. Decisions were made then that led to the blood bath we saw in January this year. Even when the crisis began there are many decisions that were not made which would have saved numerous Kenyan lives.
You see under the current constitution the presidency in Kenya is all powerful and whatever decisions are made or not made at State House, they impact on almost every Kenyan irrespective of their political affiliation.
The president’s handlers knowing very well what is happening have instead chosen to carry out several PR antics to fool Kenyans about the president’s true health status. One such gimmick is the recent decision to have the president honour many of engagements at his Harambee house office. Another one is the purported inside story leaked to a daily newspaper that suggested the president is very good friends with the PM Raila Odinga and is voluntarily ceding and delegating a lot of things to him. The truth is that increasingly the president is not fit to govern and is only too happy to get all the help he can from the energetic Raila Odinga.
However this has led to what is shaping up to be a fierce power struggle within the top echelons of Kenyan leadership where VP Kalonzo Musyoka is now fighting with everything he has to hold onto the presidency even as a looming cabinet re-shuffle places his fate on the balance. The truth is that Kalonzo’s political usefulness to Kibaki and PNU ended with the formation of the grand coalition government and now more pressing political considerations, like the Kibaki succession have made their way to the top of the agenda, leaving the VP very exposed indeed. We will discuss that in more detail in my explosive post tomorrow.
In my latest Kumekucha Confidential issue I give a sneak preview of some of the detailed inside information on the man who could easily rise to the presidency as per the constitution id president Kibaki was declared unfit to handle the office. Most of this information will leave you numb with shock and it is free. Subscribe now by Sending me a blank Email right away
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Is Kenya Ready For A Woman President?
» You Missed This You've heard it said that any Kenyan above thirty five and with certain attainments is capable and free to run for President of East Africa's most strategic nation, and no doubt the region's strongest economy. In the books, and thank God it is so, that's indeed the case. But in life things never fall neatly in place like water down a predictable line of weak resistance. On the contrary, the laws we place in our books are merely a road-map to what's possible if goodwill were brought to bear. In that respect, our constitution has paved the way for the eventual realization of a dream. A dream to elect the first female president in Kenya. But will it ever happen? And just how soon?
When you slap a map of the world on the table and start pinpointing the nations that have been brave enough to experiment with the leadership female chief executives, you'll be stunned by just how few they are. In Africa, we have Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson in Liberia. After years of men running that nation down, spilling blood and plundering the nation's resources, this
Harvard-educated lady took over and brought back sanity into the affairs of government. I've watched her at rallies in her devastated nation and seen how the adoring people of Liberia look up to her. I've seen children reach out to hold her hand, and I've seen her lean in to plant that cherished kiss on a child with dirt on their cheek. It's just lovely to watch.
In neighbouring Uganda, Strongman Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, had the foresight to bring in East Africa's first female vice president. You may argue that her powers were only limited, but you can't argue with the symbolic importance of being the second most powerful person in that landlocked nation. What it did was to shatter a glass ceiling, as Hillary Clinton would say. It made the girls in Uganda realize that a woman could do anything men could do...and do it even better.
We've all heard about Britain's Margaret Thatcher. This iron lady led her nation through the war with Argentina and actually won. Can you see in the eye of your mind Maggie sitting in that meeting, directing her commanders to draw a war plan, to present to her a plan of attack within days? Can you see her addressing the British people, telling them that the nation had to go to war over the Falk Islands? And finally watch as the British war planes drop bombs and subdue the Argentinians...all in the name of Margaret Thatcher. And lest you forget, the neat thing about a war planned by a lady is that care is taken to minimize collateral damage, which is another term for civilians caught up in the crossfire.
Back to Kenya. Are we ready for a woman president? When I look around, only two women at present seem like they could mount credible presidential campaigns. There's Martha Karua and Charity Ngilu. Are they qualified? Yes, they are. But if we were to seriously assess their chances, what would Kenyans be looking for in order to feel comfortable with female leadership?
Here is what I'd be looking for.
1. Beauty. Hold on, hold on. Before you call me fickle, let me ask you this question. How would you like to watch the face of a woman who is not pretty for the next five years? Personally I'd like to watch on TV a pretty woman. It just makes it a lot easier when a hot mama is the chief executive, especially when she has to persuade the nation to do something drastic like budget cuts or go to war. So is Charity cute? Just look at her, man. She's cute. How about Martha? Me thinks she's another cutie. If Phil and Chris don't think those two are beauties, tell me who is, guys.
2. Grit. What I mean here is toughness. In most traditional societies, men have always been wary of strong women. Women have always been cast as the fairer sex, people who were supposed to smile and look sweet. But you all know that Martha and Charity don't play that game. Those women are tough. Just think back to the days of the grand bargain that gave us the coalition government. Do you remember how Martha was out there telling off foreign envoys? Do you remember how she took on Orengo and Ruto and all the big boys? How about Charity? Weren't you impressed when she took on the Kalonzo wave in Ukambani and won? How about that day at the airport when she caught the VP trying to catch a government plane for a non official event? Didn't you like it when she called him up on it and forced him to issue a statement? Yes, those two women are tough and ready to lead.
3. Sober and Pragmatic. Can a woman be tough and sober at the same time? Of course a woman can. I take it you've been impressed by the juggling act in Liberia, where Madam Sirleaf has synchronously shown her tough side by taking on male-dominated institutions and making them work for Liberia and at the same time presenting a softer, sweeter side to her burdened people. Okay, has Martha ever shown a sweeter side? Sure, haven't you seen her smile? Haven't you caught her dancing with the folks, her eyes sparkling with childlike joy? And lately haven't you seen her try to get into alliances that are in sync with her presidential aspirations? How about Charity? What I've seen in her is a calculating, sober assessor of situations. I saw her walk out of Afya House on her terms. Saw her join the ODM Pentagon on her terms. And now she's running her ministry with pragmatism and efficiency. So again, can these two women lead?
4. Communication. One of the areas where our leaders have fallen short is in communicating their policies and intentions to the people. President Kenyatta was a master of intrigue. He never let Kenyans know what he was up to. In fact, even when he died we couldn't be told straight out that the president was dead. Moi was no better. To know what was on Moi's mind, Kenyans had to listen to the pronouncements of people like Shariff Nassir, Mulu Mutisya and Kariuki Chotara. What a way to communicate! Now there's Kibaki. Who the hell speaks for this President? Is it the perpetually hilarious Dr. Mutua or the super-secretive and assertive Muthaura? Whoever it is, they have done a lousy job. Now, has Martha communicated her intentions to the folks? Here is what she has said. I'm running for president in 2012. How clearer can a girl be? Charity has been equally succinct. Watch her as she talks to her teary-eyed staff on her last day at Afya. I will be back! again, how clearer can a girl be?
5. Faith. A president who doesn't pray for his nation and for wisdom from God has no business leading a nation. It's always nice watch a president pray. I liked it when Kenyatta was in a house of worship. I was moved whenever I saw Moi with a hymn book in hand, singing praises to the Lord. And I set my disagreements with Kibaki aside whenever he is before the throne of grace. Prayer is power. So do the two women I've been talking about pray? Yes, they do. But just imagine what it would mean for Kenyans to watch on Sunday TV as the president, a sweet motherly figure, kneels down in plea with God to bless Kenya. Don't you long to see that day come?
I do.
But 2012 is years away. We have a chance to evaluate all our presidential candidates. I'd love to see Martha Karua give the boys a run for their money, become Kenya's first female president. I'd love to see Charity Ngilu go all out to capture the presidency of Kenya and help us make positive history. That said, Kenyans are not going to elect somebody just because we yearn for female leadership. We are going to elect the best candidate out there.
Ladies, make 2012 your time to shine. If you don't become president, you'll have paved the way for the brave Kenyan girls who will come after you.
For Love of Country,
Guest post by Sam Okello
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In your Kumekucha Weekend Special tomorrow:
The Truth About Kibaki's health and the serious danger for Kenya
Using sources deep inside State House we have unearthed the terrible truth...
you will go numb with shock. Wherever you will be make a date with Chris this weekend.
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Of Schools' Unrest and Playing Dice with God
» You Missed This Whoever said religion is opium of the people won’t be more right. Only that in Kenya we have taken to smoking religion literally. So Kibaki is urging our ETHNIC-based church to help stem the unrest in our secondary schools. Given the sectarian nature of the present church, such a paradoxical request amounts to entrusting a flock to the care of marauding wolves.
The Catholic church has a reputation of sponsoring and founding top performing schools nationwide that were hitherto unique for their sense of unrivalled discipline. But not anymore if the recent spate of violence is anything to go by. All the catholic parishes are headed by locals who have fallen to such low levels so much so that they would as well double us village councillors. You can bet you lunch that just like Kibaki is only comfortable touring Central and Eastern provinces, Cardinal Njue would find it very difficult to preach objectively in Mogotio.
Mocking God
Kenyan politicians have serially abused the pulpit as a launching pad for politics. Add to that their penchant to prey into our collective insecurity while sacrilegiously invoking the name of God in vein and you get a nation knocking incessantly at the door of hell. We better stick to our two traits of deception and fraud and localize it all the much we care. Extrapolating to the high heaven may just earn us God’s singular wrath.
Religion has been used the world over to unify people for its selflessness. But in our shores the tribal cancer has gnawed the fabric leaving our clergy shameless political cheerleaders bereft of any moral upper pedestal on which to offer hope and guidance. By challenging the church to review its role as sponsors of learning institutions, Kibaki is being typical Kenyan leader who is uniquely defined by our immaculately he clothes deception disguised as offering leadership. Well, lies never hurt but self-deception can be morally very fatal. -
Githongo Releases Statement
» You Missed This NEWS RELEASE
Thursday 14 August 2008 - For immediate release
Githongo to return to Kenya
John Githongo, former Permanent Secretary for Governance and Ethics in the Kenya Government, is to return to Kenya after an absence of over three years. He is currently Senior Associate Member of St Antony's College, Oxford, and Vice-President, Policy and Advocacy, of the relief, development and advocacy agency World Vision.
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Also published in Kumekucha today: Passionate mistakes in relationships
Small Business Kenya: Secret of success that should not be secret
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Mr Githongo has been invited to address a meeting of the Kenya Human Rights Commission in Nairobi on 20 August.
In a statement issued in London today, Mr Githongo said that he had been invited back by Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Vice President Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka.
"I have been greatly encouraged by both the Prime Minister and the Vice President," he said, "and now believe that it is time to return home and make any contribution I can to the future of my country. Kenya has faced severe problems in recent months, and some of these remain. But I have complete confidence in the ability of Kenyans, at all levels, to confront and surmount them.
"I intend to speak my mind on what I feel needs to be done. I have no political affiliations. My obligations are solely to the people of Kenya – particularly the poor, the dispossessed and those in need." -
Probes that Enquire Loudly into the Obvious
» You Missed This The three commission set up to enquire on DECEPTION and FRAUD are measuring up to the written script. From Cockar to Waki, the commissioners are attempting to justify their pay by revisiting the very old and tired lines albeit with a sprinkling of legal lingo. It is typical Kenyan way to buying time secure in the knowledge that Kenyans have perishable memories.
While Majid Cockar and his team are getting superlative entertainment from legal busybodies who are synonymous of fraudulent regimes, Waki is apologizing to bullet and rape victims promising them no repeat of their traumatic and shattered lives. The Cockar-led commission is another window to showcase Kenyans professionals hawking their expertise to the most fraudulent power brokers. In their twisted minds, the Masikas of this world shamelessly feign ignorance when their services were sourced by the best scheming fraudsters hell-bent on milking cow Kenya to the last drop of blood.
Judge Kriegler must be enjoying every act of the show from his VIP seat as the cast from besmirched ECK outdo themselves in sanitizing the stench they invited upon themselves. You read about former PPO Matagaro wax lyrical in his defending the indefensible and wonder whether he is reading straight from comments in Kumekucha. The besieged ECK have fallen to such predictable lines that one is left wondering where the thin line between them and propaganda-laden politicians lie.
Calling thieves' bluff
The common thread running through the duplicitous Waki-Kriegler and Cockar commission is the intention to sanitize DECEPTION and FRAUD. Only in Kenya do scoundrels have the luxury to constitute probes to investigate themselves with predictable reports that will never see the light of the day. Meanwhile the poor IDPs remain the collateral of the whole scheme of deception personified.
But just wait a minute! Imagine the consequences of Judge Kriegler muddying the waters by calling the scoundrel’s bluff. Caging the ECK for bungling the polls would definitely lead to some form of fall out and the attendant bean spilling from one Sam Kivuitu and his bunch of incompetents. That may be a wild thought but were it to happen Kimunya’s script of resorting to drumming tribal support will reach a crescendo. We surely live in interesting political times. Na bado. -
Breaking News: Githongo Expected In Nairobi
» You Missed This According to information that I have just received, exiled former Ethics PS John Githongo is expected in Nairobi in the next few days.
Apparently he is not returning from exile but will merely be in Kenya for "a short visit." All efforts to get an idea of his itinerary by our people on the ground failed only for us to later learn that his handlers are talking to the mainstream media and giving out a lot of information. It is expected that they will break the news in tomorrow mornings newspapers or later in the day in the electronic press.
However the news has already reached various political factions in the country and my information is that there is a lot of anxiety all round. There is no doubt that the visit will cause plenty of ripples right across the political divide.
This piece of news creates many more questions than answers. There is for instance the question of security. Little has changed since Githongo fled the country in 2003 and the threats to his life are no doubt still intact.
Then the question that must be bothering many in political circles is what the real reason for his visit might be. And why now?
Githongo will arrive in the country when political temperatures are way too high considering that it is barely 7 months since the last general elections.
More to follow as I get it. -
Raila Steps On Dangerous Snakes At The Mombasa Port
» You Missed This I love the city of Mombasa. Many people do because of the numerous wonderful things that this coastal city has going for it. Crime is low, plenty of beach to enjoy and the place is extremely romantic. Some people even call it the city of love. Kenyans have moved there and loved it, saying that they never suffer the stresses that are common in Nairobi. The pace is slow and yet business wise things still get done.---------------------------------
Also published in Kumekucha today:- Excuses men use to dump their girlfriends
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But all this is a façade. The truth is that Mombasa can be deadly to the naïve. There is a saying in the town that Mombasa iko na wenyewe which loosely translated it means that Mombasa has its’ owners.
Kenyans will remember the case of the policeman who was sent to investigate some missing containers at the port but was shot dead in circumstances that are yet to be explained. A few arrests were made but the case has now gone cold and will in all likelihood never be revived. That is Mombasa for you.
This is the kind of background that makes developments related to the port over the last few days very interesting indeed.
The coalition government has moved fast and in a well co-ordinated move both the Prime Minister and the president himself have issued statements concerning changes that that the government wants to see, including the reduction of roadblocks on the road leading from the port to Nairobi and beyond. The government has also given port authorities one week to transform operations so that cargo can be cleared 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Predictably this initiative has rubbed the powerful coastal town barons up the wrong way. MPs from Mombasa (obviously speaking on behalf of the “real owners” of Mombasa have come out both barrels firing. They have accused the PM of meddling in port affairs and have asked him to keep off and leave the responsibility to the minister of transport Ali Mwakwere.
Speaking during a harambee in Kaloleni District yesterday, four MPs accused Mr Odinga of undermining Mr Mwakwere and portraying him as a non-performer. The four MPs were Danson Mungatana (Garsen, Narc Kenya), Gideon Mung’aro (Malindi, ODM), Ali Hassan Joho (Kisauni, ODM) and Samuel Kazungu (Kaloleni, PNU). The fascinating thing here is that even ODM MPs are lashing out at their party boss.
Many Kenyans do not realize the real impact of rampant corruption and delayed cargo at the port has on the economy. Sadly the powerful cartels that control the port will not just pack their bags and go. In fact there are those who believe that to clean up the Mombasa port and uproot the cartels will take a full scale massive military-like operation like the one carried out in Colombia a number of years ago to deal with major drug barons.
There is no denying that the Prime Minister is a very brave man to have decided to take on the powerful Mombasa cartels some of whom supported his presidential campaign last December but bravery will certainly not be enough because these “stones are way too heavy to turn."
--------------------------------Get a free sneak preview of the latest raw notes which reveal secret deals that are worrying the local and international intelligence community involving a high-ranking member of the coalition government. Get the sneak preview for FREE by subscribing to the Kumekucha Confidential. subscribe right now. It is free. Or send a blank email to kumekucha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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Of Village Coaching and Communal Vices
» You Missed This It came as no surprise when secondary school pupils justified their present destructive streak to learning from politicians by example. Students in Naivasha stunned MPs by claiming that they learnt first hand that in Kenya one is only listened to via violence. It seems learning vices and perfecting them has been elevated to new heights in our moral and national psyche. Call it what you may but the students’ take is nothing but DECEPTION disguised as inference.
We have made deception a defining trait as a nation. The kids are simply taking it a new level in the delusion their sentiments sounds intellectual. If copy-pasting sins was such a virtue, why don’t these smart students burn their homes in protest when their parents deny them what they want. Well, these genius Kenyans may have just read comments from Kumekucha. Buck passing is our middle name.
Communal vices
Long gone are the days when we used to debate in primary school about the merits of being a doctor above an engineer. Such debates must be very primitive I the eyes of present students who have proved no different from their mentors. If these students are genuinely looking for mentors or hungry for positive influence why have don’t they aspire to be space scientists or to emulate ultimate political trophy be ministers or ultimately scandal-free president?
Granted, the escapist sentiments by the secondary school students will be cheaply hailed as representative on national youth psyche oblivious of their predictability given where they were mouthed. Thee truth is these students had been couched on what to say to reflect the feeling of their parents and villages. Pretending otherwise is to engage in a long ego trip. Bottom line is as a nation, we are critically allergic to taking hard decision that won’t bring speedy monetary returns. -
Secret Agenda For Uhuru Succession Team?
» You Missed This In the wake of the raging Kibaki succession, whatever one Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta says is important. Whether Kenyans like it or not all the old money in Kenya is on Uhuru becoming the fourth president of the republic of Kenya. I know it is unfair but then money makes the world go round does it not?
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Also in Kumekucha today: Signs that she wants you
Small Business tips: Simple habits to help you make money
------------------------But don’t panic folks, especially if you are not a Uhuru supporter, you just need to remember what happened last December to realize that although money is important, it will certainly not be the only deciding factor on who the next occupant of State house will be.
Now the main thrust of this post are the remarks that I am told Uhuru made earlier today in Tigania Meru. The deputy prime minister said that a review of constituency boundaries was of utmost importance and should be made top priority.
Well, well. Sounds familiar? Of course it does. In the run up to the general elections of last year the government sponsored a bill that would have seen a review of constituency boundaries increasing them in number just before the elections. The bill was resoundingly defeated despite the clever strategy of trying to sugar-coat it with a clause that would have ensured that dozens of women legislators would now be seating in the 10th parliament.
The next question we need to ask ourselves is why was the government in such a hurry to pass such critical bills when the general elections were only a few months away? The answer to that question will also give you the answer to the question why Uhuru and his cronies are bringing it up now, even as the momentum of the Kibaki succession race continues to pick up speed.
Folks, even if the topic of constituency boundaries bores you to tears you had better sit up and pay attention because this is an issue that will certainly not go away. And it is one that will greatly affect the future of Kenya.
For a long time now, leading central province politicians have strongly felt that there is urgent need for the number of constituencies to be increased on the basis of looking at numbers rather than just geography. If this plan were to be followed the immediate result would be more power to the big communities and in the current set up, it would give PNU strongholds many more parliamentary seats than they have at the moment.
In other words somebody somewhere is already casting his eyes into the post-Kibaki era where there will be no coalition government and they want to ensure that their principal has the teeth in parliament to be able to govern.
In any case, the Bomas draft (which we have been told is the basis of the new initiative for a new constitution) is essentially a parliamentary democracy meaning that the leader of government will emerge from the party that produces the majority MPs. So number of MPs one who wants to govern has, is very critical.
But Kenyans must not lose the downside of this push for more constituencies. The most obvious disadvantages have to do with budgetary constraints. At a time when the country is reeling from the burden of the huge coalition government cabinet, what we are saying here is that we want to further increase the costs of government even more steeply with the 11th parliament set to have well over 300 members. It also means that smaller communities and minority interests will most probably be drowned by the sheer numbers of those communities with very high populations.
Is this what we want?
Get a free sneak preview of the latest raw notes which reveal secret deals that are worrying the local and international intelligence community involving a high-ranking member of the coalition government. Get the sneak preview for FREE by subscribing to the Kumekucha Confidential. subscribe right now. It is free. Or send a blank email to kumekucha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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The Rise And Rise Of Citizen TV
» You Missed This Amazingly Citizen TV was nothing more than a joke not too long ago. All of a sudden it is the TV station that everybody is talking about. It was here in Kumekucha that we discussed last year the move to Citizen of one of the longest serving news anchors Katherine Kasavuli whom they poached from KTN. Another big name that moved from KTN to Citizen media at the time was Louis Otieno.Now, even as you read this Citizen TV has attracted scores of other big names like Alex Chamadwa also formerly of KTN.
But the rising popularity of Citizen cannot be attributed to presenters alone indeed a lot of credit has to go the management team led by one Wachira Waruru (formerly of KTN and KBC). Waruru has an amazing knack for finding the right people to do the right jobs and the results speak for themselves. For example everybody these days is talking about the high quality drama shows produced on Citizen including Tahidi High and comedies like Inspector Mwala and Papa Shirandula have taken Kenyans by storm. Waruru is the man who came up with the brilliant idea of financing comedians by advertising shows in various popular restuants countrywide, for them on KBC TV in a highly creative barter deal that has seen artists receive the kind of money that just a few months ago they could only dream about.
Of course politics has a different story to tell about why Citizen TV is suddenly the TV station to watch. Everybody knows that the owner is well connected with the corridors of power and is said to be a close ally of the president. About two years ago, Citizen harassed another popular local radio station, Kiss FM by literally hijacking their frequencies and playing havoc. This is of course a very serious thing, but Citizen got away with it without even as much as a slap on the wrist.
It has not escaped the attention of analysts that building up the popularity of Citizen media products is creating a powerful broadcast tool that will come in very handy in 2012.
Incidentally this is the same TV channel that recently featured a captivating series titled Kenya’s secret history where former Nyandura North MP’s JM Kariuki’s murder in 1975 was analyzed in great details with lots of new information coming out.
Politics not withstanding, credit has to be given where it is due and there is little doubt that Citizen is the TV channel to watch in the coming months.
P.S. Meanwhile changes going on behind the scenes at the Standard media group are worth noting. As has been reported in my raw notes, after a meeting in former president Moi’s Kabarak home some time back, a decision was made for former aide Joshua Kulei to transfer back all commercial interests that he was holding on behalf of the family. One of thos interests is of course the Standard which is now formly in the hands of Gideon Moi who is known to be a Kanu man who fully backs the current PNU administration. It will therefore be fascinating to see what happens at both the Standard newspaper and KTN in the next few weeks and months. For those who do not know, Kulei is a well known supporter of Raila Odinga’s ODM
The Kumekucha Weekend Special series resumes next weekend.
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A Regime Oozing Corruption From All Orifices
» You Missed This One may be forgiven for imagining that Kibaki’s administration is jinxed to serial economic frauds. In the last three months, fraudulent deals hitherto cemented before last year’s elections are continuously being exposed. From the bar-talk-never-sold-actually-sold-above-board Grand Regency to the stinking Rift Valley Railways. The RVR is promising to be GRANDER than Goldenberg and Anglo Leasing before it. Leaves you wondering whether any asset sitting on asset Kenya will be left standing by 2012.
With enterprising Libyans shamelessly reading riot act at DULY ELECTED in his own backyard, we may as well consider ourselves collective squatters in our own country. The breakneck speed at which everything Kenyan is being nationalized (nay auctioned) smells everything except honest privatization. The players are so smart in taking advantage of the imperial presidency and state law offices such that no legal lose end is left. Any administration in the future trying to recover or retrace any of these mega scams will be permanently entangled in legal webs with all manner of serial constitutional references.
The rate at which fraud is popping at every crevice in Kibaki’s administration is proof enough of how elaborate the scheme to auction Kenya has been. But trust fraud and deception to hit back in vengeance as evident in the turmoil in Safaricom shares. While pedestrian economists gloated about their acumen to make a killing during the IPO, they will remain blind to the dead end of the path they chose. But again those asking pesky question in a room full of the smell of money have been derided as the epitome of lazy bones. Let industrious Kenyans reap the maggots hatching from the eggs they zealously bought and protected.
Wages of economic sin
So how many fires can a regime start and fan in a single term of office? It appears while Moi was ruining Kenya, the present vultures were salivating, scheming and bidding their time. It took Moi more than two decades to bring us to our knees. Contrast that with the monstrous looting in less than six years and you get DECEPTIVE INDUSTRY redefined. The Grand Coalition must be the Achilles heels to the smooth looting highway that has seen elite looters cruising at formula one speed in the last five years.
The present power elite have economics as their stock in trade and Kenya as the collateral. But despite this mad rush to primitive wealth accumulation at the expense of the rest of Kenyans, the evil schemes will come back to haunt their perpetrators. They may rape Kenya to her bare bones but the sins will definitely catch up with them in the long run. They will be made to pay for the numerous crimes they committed as collateral in pursuit of economic might. This may take time in years but as sure as the sun rises in the east these scoundrels will pay big time in the fullness of time. -
The Nairobi Bomb Blast Ten Years On: A Subtle Lesson
» You Missed This Yesterday Kenyans and Tanzanians marked ten years to the day the dastardly bombing of the American Embassies in these towns rocked our lives – and completely changed many lives.
But, even as we mourn our departed heroes, we ought to rectify ourselves on a number of issues.
Kenyans, we are very slow to learn some things and our leaders are equally “inept” when it comes to some things. They have not been providing the necessary leadership to help build us a bastion against a recrudescence of social ills that have been threatening to split us into two equal halves.
Even as you read this, the monster that we created by our sheer ignorance and ineptness in dealing with “our issues” head-on is wreaking havoc in this country – so much has gone up in smoke and we pretend not to know the reasons why.
Early this year we saw, experienced and tasted the flip side of our ignorance – the monster growled out loud and the country shook!
Hypocrisy reigns supreme in this country. The people we expect to light our path as a nation so that we don’t fall into pits (some of which we, sadly, helped create!) rarely rise to the occasion. Here I am talking about our politicians, our religious leaders, our schools (the teachers and the whole school system) and the media.
Most of the time, these groups of people and institutions fail to bring us together. They, instead, fight to drive wedges between us. We fail to see them guiding us to celebrate the beauty of unity and being one. Being our examples, we fail to see them working as one (remember, example is better than precept).
We fail to see them taking the opportunities that present themselves and turning them to gold – especially opportunities that would help foster nationhood.
What is the use of ranting about how different we are and laying our weaknesses (most of which are mere stereotypes) bare at the expense of national unity?
What has all this got to do with the Nairobi bomb blast ten years ago?
The answer is simple: the solidarity and empathy exhibited by Kenyans of all walks of life when the tragedy struck.
The story of one woman’s struggle for her life under the massive rubble is worth mentioning here. This is the story of Rose Wanjiku Mwangi – newspapers called her ‘A Candle in the Wind’.
She was buried under the rubble when the American Embassy and other buildings around it came tumbling down due to the impact of the bomb. She was alive for around four days under the rubble; and she was all the while communicating with the rescuers. This spurred them to work even harder in order to save her life.
Her voice fell silent on Sunday, August 9, 1998, but on the next day, Monday, the rescue was spurred on when tapping was heard from where she was thought to be buried.
The whole nation was hoping and praying that she would be rescued. Her determination to live – the massive rubble on top of her notwithstanding – touched many people.
No one asked what tribe Rose was or, even, from which part of Kenya she came from. If any one did, then it was for a different reason. A reason far from the one some people would have today asking the very same questions.
She died less than 24hours before her body was recovered at 0300 local time on the Wednesday of that week. Millions of people in Kenya and other countries around the world mourned her death and that of others who lost their lives during the American Embassy bombing.
Rose’s spirit to live against all the odds, encapsulates the spirit that we should have as a nation. A spirit to rise above our lot; a spirit to rise above ethnic differences; a spirit to celebrate nationhood (and not just mouth the fleshless “Najivunia kuwa Mkenya”).
This is a spirit that our leaders (political, religious and school leaders) and the fourth estate (the media) can help us realize. We are tired of just existing. Can we begin living as Kenyans?
We must stir the fighting spirit within us to life and fight on till we reach the acme we aspire. As bothers and sisters; as Kenyans, we can make it! -
Beijing Olympics Starts in Style
» You Missed This Today is 8/8/8, a very lucky day for believers in cosmos. What is more, the spectacular opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic has just began. While many Kenyans will only sample the extravaganza on the screens, our politicians have opted to empty the public till as they book the next available flight to Beijing at our expense. Old habits die heard so they say. Our politicians have shamelessly adjourned parliamentary business to embark on expensive trip to China under the excuse of following tradition. Shame on all these scoundrels.
Beijing here we come
Despite all the political selfishness, we can at least take pride in our athletes who are guaranteed to have the Kenyan national anthem played severally as they sprint their way to Gold. If only we would have our priorities right and expand the disciplines in which we compete and capitalize on our strengths. Just imagine if the money wasted by the politicians would be channelled to the right sports and athletes. But trust our so-called leaders to feather their nests in exclusion to what is good for Kenya.
Meanwhile let the fireworks begin in Beijing and let us enjoy the spectacle as men and women sweat their way to glory. Only stringent vetting in modern sports provide no room for deception. -
Selling Kenya to Terrorists for Nine Silvers
» You Missed This It is 10 years since that dark Friday when death and destruction landed on Kenya. Kenya was devastated by terrorists who brought their trail of destruction to our shores. Since then Kenya has never been the same again. But what have we learned as a country since that fateful Friday?
What a paradox that while many maimed Kenyans are still trying to come to terms with their shuttered lives, the mastermind of that heinous act one Fazul Mohamed from Comoros is right within our borders possibly planning an anniversary to obliterate Kenya. Fazul is around shopping for a doctor at the right price to attend to his ailing kidneys. And for the fifth time in as many years he has escaped the police dragnet.
Fazul’s operation since 1998 has proved that in Kenya everything has a price and nothing is sacrosanct. Forget about the hollow chorus of najivunia kuwa Mkenya which was a visionary slogan manufactured by sightless scoundrels principally for political expediency. Here we have one fugitive with the police force at his beck and call and at the right price he is tipped off of an impending raid leaving all his belongings but escaping with his most murderous soul.
Deception and fraud is our forte both at individual and institution level. The corrupt policeman doesn’t a care in the wilderness what is actions in tipping Fazul portents for a whole country. By the way, why would he care when doing so would make him rich and respectable Kenyan? It has been said that eradicating corruption starts with taking personal responsibility towards the same. But where would one get the motivation in matters he has no control over and will the potential to decimate him and others around him?
Damn the consequences
Two wrong never made a right and past ruinous governments is no justification to outdo those grand frauds. While Kibaki regime is having auctioning Kenya though a myriad cleverly crafted avenues like government-to-government Grand Regency sale, individual Kenyans will do anything within their powers to pursue our national pastime of primitive wealth accumulation. The ingenious fraudsters seldom fail to craft high-sounding programs like v2030 which are designed to keep Kenyans busy mauling over abstracts as the looting spree acquires breakneck speed.
Our is a culture singularly defined by the vices of deception and fraud only succeeds in mutating to a monster that ends up eating herself. By working hard, we are unwittingly nourishing terrorists who will help us achieve the ultimate objective of obliteration faster. Here have Fazul from Comoros possessing two Kenyan passports with the new one acquired in February 2008 at the height of near-meltdown in the post-election violence. No wonder we lost the UK visa privilege in 1997 when we chose to sell our birthright to Somalis at the right price. Well, we have been propping skunks under the guise of fraudulent industriousness and we have to live with the resulting stench. No amount of deodorizing will ameliorate sickening smell as we steadily and surely hurtle towards self-destruction on our own and aiding others to accelerate it. -
Can We Detribalize Kenya?
» You Missed This Hate rules the world.
No, I'm not being cynical or feeling hopelessly discouraged, on the contrary I'm bringing up an issue that has the potential to one day destroy our country. In my travels, I've come to realize that wherever I go, hate is always a very powerful force or emotion. I've traveled to parts of the United States where I sat in a Holiday Inn lobby watching news and suddenly the TV was turned off. When I asked why it was being turned off, here is the reply I got. "I'm turning it off because nobody is watching it." You get the point? I am a nobody because of my skin color.
Hate.
Then I think about Rwanda. This is where more than one million Hutus killed the Tutsis because of simmering tribal animosity. If you've had a chance to watch Hotel Rwanda, Don Cheadle starring, what you've witnessed is how cruel and cannibalistic man can be. The hate that's projected in that movie is enough to make one wonder whether there is any redemptive quality in man. Yes, there's Mandela and Mahatma and Abraham Lincoln, men who fought hard to turn back the tide of hate in their communities, but for each of them, there were hundreds of others who fought hard to preserve the legacy of hate that they inherited from their forefathers.
Hate.
And recently I was talking to a Mexican friend of mine. She has watched the immigration debate in America and Europe. What this good professor sees is hate, pure and simple. Why, for example, do the Australians find it necessary to put asylum seekers in detention centers...with their wives and children? Would they still detain them if the immigrants were predominantly from a Western nation with a Judeo-Christian background? And why does Europe continue to enact immigration laws that are clearly meant to keep black and brown people out? They say they want to control the flow of immigrants into their shores and plan their future effectively. I agree with that. But when you look at the punitive nature of these new laws and the fact that they are enforced by the great grandchildren of men and women who enslaved our great grandfathers and grandmothers, don't you begin to wonder about fairness? So when you see so many Africans turned back from Europe, you know what's at play here.
Hate.
And before I turn my attention to Kenya, I want to remind us of what happened in Israel. Over there, a number of people managed to get out of the boiling Darfur, tiptoed into and through Egypt, then crossed and landed in Israel. When word of their presence reached the Israeli authorities, they were promptly rounded up and sent back to Darfur. To the boiling pot. The minister responsible said beaten down Sudanese were economic refugees! Can you believe this? Had the Israelis never heard of Darfur?
Hate.
Closer home, I look at the ongoing tribal animosity with increasing fear. Since the sixties, we've practiced the politics of tribe. First it was the GEMA and the Luo community coming together. This was an alliance that sustained a Kenyatta presidency. The other thing it did was to keep smaller Kenyan tribes on the periphery of power. Then there was the KAMATUSA. This alliance sustained the Moi administration. The other thing it did was to turn Kenya into a Kalenjin Kingdom. Now there is the Kibaki administration. This is one of the most cynical administrations to ever rule Kenya. Before the coalition government was put in place, it had literally turned Kenya into a Kikuyu Kingdom. The downside to this kind of politics has been to tribalize Kenya in a way that if not checked, could lead us down a path to a revolution. Why? Because alliances inevitably create an US verses THEM complex. These alliances create hate. Is it any wonder that our brothers and sisters in Central Province felt left out in the Western Alliance of Raila, Ruto and Mudavadi? And is it any wonder that Kenyans have felt left out in the grab grab grab mentality that's characterized the Kibaki leadership? When will we start practicing the politics of ideas? When will we go with issue-driven campaigns? Policy-guided leadership?
Hate.
I fear hate.
When the Hutus called the Tustsi cockroaches, they went all out to exterminate them. When the Nazis called the Jews rats, they went all out to destroy them. And now, I see a Kenya where Kikuyus are called thieves, the Luos are called dirty and AIDS carriers, the Luhyas are called watchmen and ugali-eaters and the Kalenjin are called dumb and militaristic. This is the language of hate. It must have no place in a modernizing Kenya. We must all work towards a Kenya where our children will embrace all of the nation's children as brothers and sisters. Where genuine admiration will exist for the Kikuyu for their liberation of our nation from colonial bondage, where accolades will be extended to the Kalenjin for turning over power peacefully when Moi's Kenyatta was beaten at the polls, where the Luo will be respected for producing some of the nation's best brains, where the varied tribes of our nation will be celebrated for their strengths...strengths that together form the beautiful stretch of land that we all adoringly call our motherland.
Forgiveness.
Fellow Kenyans, let hate give way to forgiveness. We've all done things that have oiled the path to hatred. The first step is to look deep inside and see where our actions may have abetted this vice. We don't have to announce to the world what a self-examination reveals about our hateful ways, but we can all begin by forgiving ourselves and making a promise, to ourselves...individually, that we'll work hard to advance harmony rather than project hate. I know that it's not easy to let our prejudices go, but I also know that we must start the process of letting Kenya emerge as a cohesive, loving nation.
Folks, the world out here is full of hate. We must work hard to create a place where our children can grow up without experiencing the bitter hate that rules the world. It would be nice if one day all of the Kenyans of the Diaspora will come back to a nation unified in love and purpose, a place where they will come back to rest after battling the fears and indignities of living in a thoughtless, cold world.
I know we can detribalize Kenya.
Let's start now!
For Love of Country,
Guest post by Sam O. Okello
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In Proud Support Of Omar Al-Bashir
» You Missed This In line with the African Union.
The chairman of the African Union Commission, a Mr. Ping, has pretty much purchased a good quality rope, handed it to the International Criminal Court and politely requested it to go hang itself. This after visiting the lavish gold-tiled presidential palace of Sudan; precisely the abode of a most wanted criminal, Omar al-Bashir.
Now, I have never been to Darfur but I hear that our blackest of 'bradas' are being bludgeoned to death by the Janjaweed under the remote controlled supervision of Omar al-Bashir, a man accused of war crimes, genocide and an assortment of crimes against humanity by the ICC. Well of course the situation on the ground is more complex but for our purposes, let us visit the AU's decision to chastise the ICC for issuing a warrant to arrest al-Bashir….even if the backdrop includes Darfuri infants being split in two parts.
Why do we Africans choose to respect (fear) our leaders/older generation so much? Why are we so powerless to address the abuses and excesses heaped upon us by our political leaders? As a whole, we black Africans have succumbed to the lowest level of supreme idiots. We are competing with sheep to see who's more sillier. How can we be so silent and very impotent when it comes to doing what is right in Darfur. So the ICC, with much evidence and fortitude, identifies and then indicts a murderous leader who has killed hungry weather-beaten African boys and girls for sport….and what do we do?.....like a jukebox choir, we cry foul in continental unison. Folks, those who do not condemn violence condone it.
In the case of Kenya, we are also going to bed with the Chinese so we cannot just start shouting curse words at Sudan. But what of other African countries? Yaani these so called leaders are just seated somewhere when a fella is exterminating a substantial portion of his citizens.
Why are we so gallant and courageous in our fight to win the Nobel prize in ineptitude? -
Saving Mau Forest: Ogiek Community Voluntarily Accept Outside Resettlement
» You Missed This Yesterday, PM Raila Odinga received a large delegation of Ogiek community leaders in his office. As usual our mainstream media have given the momentous occasion little publicity. The hide-attired Ogiek delegation comprised of representatives from the Ogiek Peoples National Assembly (OPNA), Ogiek Welfare Council and the Ogiek Peoples Development Programme (OPDP) whose executive chairman Daniel Kobei doubled as their spokesman.
At the end of the meeting, the PM called a press conference attended by local and international press in which it was announced that the Ogieks were ready to move out of the controversial MAU forest on condition that the government resettles and compensates them adequately. Sadly, the NMG did not even bother to publish this story in its Nation newspaper. For those who have been following the protracted Mau saga, this announcement constitutes one of the most significant coups by any official of the government of Kenya since independence in the efforts to reclaim the forest and puts the PM in frame for international environmental honours.
The Ogieks who number about 20,000 people are not squatters but are in actual sense the only indigenous dwellers of the Mau Forest. They have since colonial times suffered eviction, persecution, harassment, intimidation, death threats and even murder from successive governments and their agents under the excuse of 'protecting the environment'. That the PM has persuaded them to peacefully leave their ancestral homeland and appreciate the importance of preserving this water catchment area is a great achievement indeed. No other government officials or Rift Valley MPs were present in this historic meeting and surprise, surprise….no tear gas canisters were unleashed on hapless Kenyans!
To put other Kenyan communities in perspective; can the proud Luo, for instance, ever accept to be evicted from the shores of Lake Victoria or perhaps are the populous Kikuyu ready to accept to be moved away from the Mount Kenya region even if it is for preserving the environment? You and I know this is an impossible dream.
Although the Mau Task Force is still working on modalities for handling the Mau crisis, it is not lost on political observers that Raila is already making inroads on the ground and is successfully working with grassroot communities in resolving the impasse. It should therefore not surprise anyone when a delegation of Kipsigis or Maasai community leaders or elders visits the PM in the near future and agree to be relocated from the Mau.
Whereas it is the right of any Kenyan community to public appointments, journalists attending the PM/Ogieks function were shocked to learn that no single individual from the Ogiek community has been nominated to parliament or appointment a minister, PS or even an MD of a public corporation, although quite a number of them are educated and qualified for public service jobs. The Ogiek never feature anywhere on the national radar apart from when they are resisting attempts to evict them from their homeland.
It will be interesting to hear what the so called Kipsigis and Maasai MPs have to say about yesterday’s meeting which was devoid of any political agenda. Meanwhile, the PM marches on…….. -
Earth Tremors Return To Nairobi
» You Missed This In the midst of all the news and incidences unfolding in the country at the moment, an interesting development has been quietly taking place in the Kikuyu area in the outskirts of Nairobi.
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Residents are complaining of constant earth tremors in the area that are so serious that some buildings have been badly affected. Recently a church in the area was shut down because serious cracks had started emerging on the walls so much so that the church members were certain that it may collapse at any time. Experts from the government were brought in to inspect the building and promptly shut it down. To allay the fears of the public they announced that they were shutting it down for further inspection. However it is clear that they firmly agreed with the verdict of the public about the imposing structure.
Interestingly many buildings in the area are semi-permanent structures and it was not immediately clear to this blogger how seriously they have been affected by the constant earth tremors that have swept through the area in recent weeks.
One possible reason why the tremors have been downplayed by the press is probably to stop panic setting in.
A certain Dr Awuor has predicted that the city of Nairobi will be swept by a major earthquake. Last year some unknown persons started forwarding text messages via mobile phones saying that a serious earth tremor was expected in few minutes, which spread fear and panic in the city centre causing workers in high rise building to abandon their work stations in great fear.
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What Is Really Going On In Kenyan Politics?
» You Missed This Is history about to repeat itself?Regular readers of Kumekucha are well aware of the fact that weeks ago our columnists here started sounding off Kenyans on the desperate power struggle unfolding around the president.
It is only in the last week or so that this has clearly come out into the open as justice minister Martha Karua has made her intentions to run for the presidency in 2012 very clear.
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Indeed it is as if the country is back to 1976 and the infamous change-the-constitution move which was designed to stop the then Vice President Daniel arap Moi from automatically ascending into power in an acting capacity, in the event of the death of President Kenyatta. Clearly politicians at the time who were privy to information on the president’s health knew very well of the strokes Kenyatta had suffered and the fact that he usually drifted in and out of comas. It was really just a matter of time before he passed on.
So naturally a very intense no holds barred power struggle around President Kenyatta started. Ironically it was this infighting that ended up handing over the presidency to Daniel arap Moi on a silver platter. The question political analysts are pondering is, is history about to repeat itself?
For months now, right before the general election, this blogger has been receiving information from many different sources to the effect that all is not well with the duly elected president’s health. Apparently he is constantly on medication and has to receive several jabs before he can make any public appearance. Now some very alarming reports have started trickling in (which this writer is yet to verify from independent sources) to the effect that the president is suffering from an incurable disease that affects memory and the mind. In any case, any close observer of the president who knows him well will be able to tell you right away that the president is not the same man and all is surely not well.
However the clearest sign to date that there is something very wrong somewhere has been the behaviour of politicians, especially those within the PNU fold. Just watching them will convince you that surely there will be a general election in the country much sooner than 2012.
Then there is the considerable pressure that is now being suffered by a politician who has no track record for soaking in any pressure. And that is Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka. It is no accident that members of his own party—ODM-K have intensified plans for a coup within the party that is designed to throw him out. There are even reports from some quarters that a major cabinet re-shuffle is looming which will see Kalonzo dropped from the Vice presidency in favor of Kibaki’s favored heir.
Ironically in 1976 many people waited for just such a cabinet re-shuffle to drop the then vice president, Daniel arap Moi. But, alas, it never came and the then Vice president survived to ascend to the presidency. Are we about to see history repeating itself?
Some political analysts point to the fact that there is a very huge and colossal difference between Daniel arap Moi in 1976-78 and Kalonzo Musyoka 2006-2008. Moi had a solid grassroots backing especially on his home turf in the Rift valley. Kalonzo Musyoka has serious political problems in how own backyard where election results clearly showed that he does not have any solid backing in Ukambani. In fact the Vice President performed dismally in Ukambani considering the fact that he was a presidential candidate from the community. If one takes into account the fact that there were much fewer registered voters in 1997 when Charity Ngilu stood for the presidency, it is obvious she faired much better in Ukambani than Kalonzo did last December.
ODM supporters are quick to rubbish the rapid developments taking place within PNU that generally spell doom for the party and in recent days even the Prime Minister himself seems to have moved into campaign mode and revisited the controversial issue of a stolen election emphasizing the fact that his party would still win the presidency it was cheated out of come the next elections. He has however been quick to emphasize that the grand coalition government will run its’ full course.
In the midst of all this political storms and realignments a ticking time bomb has been totally ignored. Various factors including steeply rising fuel prices have put the ordinary man under considerable pressure in their ability to put food on the table, let alone cover other basic costs like house rent. Some experts believe that food riots in the country are not very far off.
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Tearing Kenya Apart to New Heights
» You Missed This Kenya must probably be the most tear-resistant country on planet Earth. This is one country teaming with competing egos at her helm. The political combatants are in permanent state of electioneering and their selfish vibes amount to nothing but thinly veiled bravado meant to serve sectarian interests. Grandiose slogans are our forte and we never run short of high sounding programs which are crafted purposely not to be implemented.
The Grand Coalition Government was an estranged relationship even before the nuptials were exchanged. Look at how the partners are busy pleasing pursuing their individual interest at the expense of the common good on which the truce was singularly premised. ODM is busy retracing its steps after rediscovering that the detour was a road to political nowhere. Everywhere the political drums are beating and the tempo increases with every passing day.
Whoever said that a president serving his final term is a lame duck couldn’t have been more right. By attempting to politically re-invent himself in leading an active political party, Kibaki has exposed his soft underbelly and his hitherto gate keepers know it better. They have bared their fangs by latently challenging the emperor to his own throne while alive. His apologists may try all they wish to craft opaque theories in justifying Emilio’s astuteness but the political players no a thing or two about the guy at very close range and they appear bent on exploiting it for their political future.
We are a country at crossroads and acutely lacking in imaginative leadership. The v2030 must have been a clever ploy to celebrate somebody’s 100th birthday in advance. Otherwise how do you explain an uncreative program pegged on a trickle down economics learnt in the first half of last Century? Let us be honest with ourselves people. All the political posturing and heat are simply reverberations of inept leadership singularly defined by FRAUD and DECEPTION. The resulting mess is now compounded by schemes to protect status quo after Kibaki’s political demise. To think otherwise is to engage in massaging of obtuse egos. Well, it is not a crime but the price is enormous to self and country. -
A Culture of Corruption
» You Missed This 
For many years I have been an independent entrepreneur in Kenya and one thing I can tell you is that generally there is absolutely no respect for honest businessmen. Kenyans only respect wealthy people and they don’t care how that wealth was made.Those who even casually study the world of business will tell you that building up a business to sizeable proportions takes time, quite often years. This is in sharp contrast to corruption where it is easy to make crazy amounts of cash overnight.
The sad result of all this is that Kenyans look down on honest entrepreneurs trying to make it the hard way and glorify corrupt overnight millionaires. That is why if you tell anybody that you are in business, the next question they will ask you is what business you are in. If you mention anything that links you to “Jua Kali” or a struggling start up, they will quickly lose respect. So the big question here, is how do we encourage Kenyans to go into business which is much more beneficial to the economy on the long term, when everybody knows that the way to make money is the crooked corrupt way. How many generations of Kenyans will it take for us to correct this perception that corruption pays?
I have myself witnessed numerous corrupt deals where people have used their position in government and even private companies to make a lot of money overnight. This includes the games people play with quotations. You see it is mandatory that for anything to be supplied to government, purchasing officers have to get 3 quotations for it. So what is done is to have 3 different business names handy complete with company rubber stamps. You then supply all three quotes but make sure that they are all very high. So whichever company wins the tender, you win because you control all three. And what is more you get to make a windfall in profits.
If the boss insists that he wants a certain company to supply because of their quality and reputation, all is not lost. The government official approaches the said company and tells them that he is in a position to help them win a lucrative government tender and asks them if they can “do the needful.” There are cases where cash is even paid upfront.
This kind of system can prove to be deadly. There is a famous case in the 1990s where a businessman called Kimani Kongo supplied chalk to the Nairobi City Council purporting it to be chlorine. Chlorine is usually used to treat water and although many wise Kenyans do not drink tap water directly from taps without treating it, there are numerous other poverty stricken ones who do not have an option. How many of them fell sick after city water was treated with chalk or not at all? How many ended up dead because they got sick and could not afford proper medical attention? Incidentally this gentleman stood in the last general elections for a parliamentary seat in Dagoretti constituency.
Corruption in Kenya is at all levels and many times, the games played are more or less the same right across the board, with slight modifications. The leaked Kroll report made an astounding revelation. That there is a registered legal entity known as the Government of Kenya. It still exists even as you read this. It is linked to Nicholas Biwott with other directors listed including Prof George Saitoti and ODM’s former Finance Minister Chris Okemo among others. The implications of this is that any cheque being issued to the government of Kenya can easily be cashed by this privately owned “business.” Now this is one scheme that clearly puts corruption in Kenya a notch higher than what our brothers is Nigeria have become world-famous for.
I will end this post and this series with a scene that I am sure has been played and re-played over and over again right across the country.
It is Christmas and two sons arrive with their families at their upcountry rural home. One comes by matatu and arrives tired and dusty heavily laden with luggage. The other son arrives in his big four-wheel drive car. Now which son are the parents more pleased to see? Which son are the parents more proud of? Naturally the four wheel drive car was purchased with corruption cash. But who wants to know? So what do you think will happen if somebody one day approaches the matatu-traveling son with a corrupt deal? Or even lures them into crime?
How can we ever hope to end corruption when Kenyans will not respect people for what they are but will instead only look at them for what they have?
Read my earlier article on corruption in high places that tells a simple story to illustrate the little talked-about impact that corruption has on ordinary Kenyans.
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Reminiscing Friday, August 7, 1998
» You Missed This …aptly dubbed dark Friday.
At around 10:37am on Friday August 7, 1998, a pick up was seen at the gate of the American Embassy in Nairobi. One of two men manning the vehicle was seen as if arguing with the guard at the gate. Undoubtedly, they wanted entry into the Embassy compound.
Seconds later, all hell broke loose. A bomb exploded. A bomb that set things running in the opposite direction. A bomb that brought mighty buildings down. A bomb that killed, maimed, incapacitated, dealt a death blow to people’s ambitions (and aspirations) and forcefully wrenched and wrested our loved ones from our very hands.
The scene was aghast after the blast. People ran, screamed, and hollered while some tried to shield themselves with their palms – sheer madness. But for once, nobody cared what their neighbours were doing for each and every one was doing their own thing – primarily to get as far away from where the noise had come from (the bomb!).
Hundreds lost their lives and the whole country was held at ransom by the very pain and sorrow its citizens were going through. Many lost their limbs, eyesight, hearing ability and – hope!
As countless numbers of people were sifting and rummaging through the rubble trying to find their loved ones – hoping against all hope that they would find them alive – countless others thronged churches and mosques asking God to purge their sins for they thought the prophesied Armageddon had finally come. A frightening thought!
I was at home, in Nyahururu (a town in Central Kenya), at the time. Some minutes after the blast of the bomb, my mother came running to my room.
“Have you heard the news? There’s been a massive bomb blast in Nairobi. People have died and buildings have been destroyed,” she said, panting.
“What?!” I exclaimed. I had never heard of a massive bomb blast anywhere in Kenya before that day. I was flabbergasted.
As news came trickling in the rest of the day and on subsequent days, the picture of what had happened on that fateful day gradually sunk in. The images on TV spoke very loudly. Images of the injured, the dead and the destroyed buildings evoked sympathy and empathy; Images of Kenyans of all walks of life working together to help find “loved ones” (who could not be traced), Kenyans working together to help the injured and piece the pieces of the jigsaw to get a clear picture, spoke volumes.
{I fail to understand where that spirit of working together as a nation went to: working towards a common goal without looking at the creed, colour, tribe or religion of fellow Kenyans. Will that sweet spirit ever come back to bond us together again? I’m just wondering.}
It was during that time, too, that I came to hear of the term “terrorism” being widely used. I heard that terrorist activities were levelled against America, Americans and American interests in the rest of the world.
So, Kenya and Kenyans were victims of circumstances in this whole thing. Is there any reason why our brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers were affected if America and Americans were the target?
My heart goes out to Kenyanswho were emotionally, physically and psychologically affected by this catastrophic event. Poleni sana ndugu zangu.
As we mark the 10th anniversary of this “event of torture” next week, let us appreciate the essence of being just Kenyan - the beauty of it - for the sake of our fallen friends.
Can you be Trusted?
Are you a condescending workmate?. -
Where Art Thou Clean Fortune?
» You Missed This It is ironical that as we run this series on how the most respectable Kenyan families made their money, the grand coalition cabinet on Thursday had to approve a rescue plan for a bank that has been a consistent under-performer. This is the National Bank of Kenya.
What is really fascinating is that the genesis of the problems of the National Bank of Kenya is a Kshs 300 million loan that the former executive chairman of the bank Stanley Githunguri gave himself in the 70s. Mr Githunguri is now a member of the 10th parliament. And just on time too. It is widely said that people go into politics in Kenya to protect their (mostly ill-gotten) riches. If this is true then do not expect anybody to talk about the genesis of the problems at the National Bank of Kenya. Those who are familiar with banking know that bad underperforming loans never go away, they come back to haunt an institution again and again. And that is exactly what has happened a the National bank despite several huge cash bail outs from the treasury.
For the record the cabinet approved a two-phase plan to off-load its’ majority stake at the bank. The first will involve getting a major strategic investor for the bank and the second will be to sell off shares to the public through the Nairobi Stock exchange.
Many casual readers of this blog who have never bothered to read carefully through our posts of the past assume that this is an ODM blog. The truth is that we are the people’s blog and if the majority of Kenyans are leaning in a certain direction, then that is the direction you will tend to see Kumekucha leaning towards. However we have a record of never sparing anybody, as the doubting Thomases are about to discover.
Corruption and ill-gotten wealth spread right across the political divide. If anything, taking mere statistics and sifting through records, ODM seems to have the vast majority of corrupt individuals within its’ fold. Give me a who-is-who list of the most powerful and influential ODMers and I will tell you about their corrupt past. Very few are clean. This is why it is so funny when I hear some of them denouncing corruption. Sadly the joke is on the long-suffering Kenyan public.
Take William Ruto, the current agriculture minister as an example. It is no secret that the barely 40 legislator is extremely wealthy. So how did he make his money?
We know that shortly before he was brought into the Kanu fold in the late 80s Ruto was a graduate school teacher earning peanuts. How did Ruto shoot up in the space of a few short years to become so wealthy? Where did his fortune suddenly “fall” from?
Just to give you a clue, I am certain that every time Ruto hears the name National Social Security Fund mentioned anywhere, tears collect in his eyes and he has this warm, gowing feeling in his stomach. The reason is that this is the institution that lifted him up to the status of an overnight billionaire from a pauper.
The money-making schemes in the Kanu days were simple. You get the president (through the numerous power brokers who littered State House in those days) to allocate you a piece of land and then you sell it to the then cash-rich NSSF. Thus a simple operation that takes a few days sees you banking a triple digit million cheque at the end of it all. Of course contacts and connections are used to get the cheques out quickly even as impoverished pensioners travel long distances from their rural home to Nairobi to “chase” their pension cheques in vain.
Now you have to be careful about the Kalenjin. They can get very violent if you dare insinuate that they are corrupt. That is what a Mr Chesoni found out on the grounds of State House Nairobi in the early 90s when Ruto confronted the old man (old enough to be his father) and wrestled him to the ground.
This may have something to do with the cultural past of the Kalenjin who were very similar to the Maasai in that they would constantly raid neighboring tribes and steal their cattle. Ooops I meant “take” their cattle. So in the same way if a Kalenjin politician uses his position and good fortune to “take” some money from the NSSF or the previously prosperous National Assurance (brought down single-handedly by a Mr Henry Kosgey) then there is really no big problem is there? After all it was their turn “to eat” under Moi after the Kenyatta days.
To Be continued
In my twice weekly email newsletter Kumekucha Confidential, I talk about how the two principals, Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga made their fortunes. If you are not a subscriber already, you can subscribe right now. It is free. Or send a blank email to kumekucha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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Coming Soon: Major Cabinet Reshuffle to Name New VP…., Snap Elections Next?
» You Missed This 
Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Trade Uhuru Kenyatta answers journalists' questions during a press conference during the fifth day of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial summit on trade liberalisation talks, at the WTO headquarters, in Geneva, Switzerland, Friday, July 25, 2008.
For this country Kenya, the dreaded month of August has historically meant a national disaster or major calamity of some sort. For many Nairobi residents, today’s miserable weather in which the city witnessed unusual persistent showers and low temperatures could not have come at a worse day which also happens to be the first day of the jinxed month of August.
Sadly, information reaching this blogger will not make it better for any of you Kumekuchans. Sources inform this blogger that major political realignments are already underway even as anxiety grips the political class. Not only are cabinet ministers and MPs avoiding unpredictable Wilson airport flights, they remain acutely aware of unforeseen career-ending events that are beyond their individual control within the political arena .
Information leaking out of the corridors of power have got observers asking themselves how deeply indebted is this country to the so called first families? This follows revelations that the Kibaki succession is now about to precipitate a major cabinet re-shuffle aimed at elevating Uhuru Kenyatta to Vice President and in the process put him in pole position to be named the country’s next President?
Another shocker is that both government intelligence and other independent pollsters are already rating the Justice minister and fast rising Martha Karua as the most popular presidential candidate in Central Province at a whopping 65%. This is a marginal reduction from the surveys done early this year where she was rated much higher. Do the math of the number of registered voters in GEMA zones and you will have answered yourself as to why Steadman last week cleverly limited the survey to Raila and Kibaki and then went ahead and called it “highest approval ratings in performance” as opposed to “highest popularity rankings” of the already known presidential candidates as they have done in the past? Even more interesting, Steadman are still insisting on ranking President Kibaki whom every Kenyan knows is serving his last term and is no longer relevant to the future of this country. This is just but one of the reasons that the Justice & Constitutional Affairs minister will be a victim of the forthcoming cabinet reshuffle. Another obvious reason is to move Karua as far away as possible from the explosive and highly incriminating commissions of inquiry reports that have been gathering dust in government shelves.
According to impeccable sources, the current president is being bogged down by ill-health and his advance age. The fact that he will automatically be ineligible to seek re-election having served the constitutional maximum two terms is a major factor is forcing him to throw in the towel and open public speculation of an impending snap election. Matters are not made any better considering the well being of the first lady has been subject of intense rumour mongering since the botched December 2007 elections! The immediate first family is said to be deeply concerned about the welfare of the duo and are probably behind the fast-tracking of succession arrangements.
Insider strategists opine that the only way to safely leapfrog the Annan resolutions without being accused of sabotage is to call a snap general election that shall usher in a newly mandated government without any extra baggage obliging them to honour any post 2007 election deals. More importantly, it will ensure continuity of the old order under the preferred current constitution.
Folks, it is not a question of IF, but WHEN Martha Karua is inducted into the powerful ODM pentagon. The expanded pentagon is expected to be representative of the face of Kenya. Uhuru’s camp assume that Raila Odinga and his ODM gang will have their fate sealed as soon as the NARA accord collapses. The president appears to have decided that he will leave it to Vice President (read- Project II) Uhuru Kenyatta to decide how to handle Raila and Karua whom are expected to accept their official opposition role since Kenya remains a multiparty democracy.
Kalonzo's fate in the post Kibaki alignments remains unclear but what is clear is that he has out-lived his political usefulness in the current set-up. Uhuru's appointment, unlike Musalia's in 2002, is being aimed at giving him an upperhand in the succession battlefront. It is being left to Uhuru to determine whom he will form an alliance with.
Kumekuchans you can take the information you read on this post/blog to the bank. In other words, you should expect to vote again much earlier than 2012.
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