NSIS Investigating Bloggers As Michuki Issues Warning To “Internet Blogger Forums”

Is The Snake About To Rattle Again? This Time Online?

This blogger has been suspecting it for months, but recent events have proved it beyond any doubt that the Kibaki government considers bloggers as a threat to the security of the state.

Strange calls on my mobile phone and long visits from “strange” Kenyan IP addresses are clear evidence that this blogger and probably many others are under the close watchful eye of the government and in particular the NSIS (National Security Intelligence Service).

There is really nothing new about this. There is a blogger in Iran whom the government of that country has been trying to shut down for months. But then that is one of the huge advantages of blogging and the information age. It is much more difficult to shut down dissenting voices.(Although China have has been partially successful; blocking certain sites and intimidating mighty Google.)

But it is clear that the warning given by Internal Security Minister of State John “Standard Raid” Michuki has shaken quite a number of bloggers. The Minister booked a full page advertisement in the East African Standard to warn all those who are reporting “sensationally and arrogantly on the country and the government to tone down.” Among the groups John "rattlesnake" Michuki singled out were bloggers (whom he referred to as "Internet Blogger Forums") who he said are carrying out hate campaigns against the current administration.

And you can’t really blame bloggers for being jittery. A man who sanctioned and supervised a raid on a major Kenyan newspaper using foreigners can not be taken lightly. This blogger is not ashamed to say that he has taken a number of security precautions.

This is a reality check for all those bloggers who have been writing politics for fun. The reality is that the Kibaki administration is no different from previous regimes in many ways. The issue of security of the state (over which so many Kenyans’ blood has been spilt at the whim of some power-drunk beauracrats and in the name of state security – see my detailed article on political assassinations in Kenya) is still very much with us and the machinary used is still very much intact. The President gets a regular briefing about the threats to his presidency (both real and imagined). Some bloggers appear to be quite frightened (see the comments at this post that blew the whistle).

In my opinion one does not write politics for fun in a young democracy like Kenya. I believe that you only write politics with a deep desire to bring about positive change. That desire should be so deep that you are prepared to pay the price. Obviously this is not the sort of profile that fits many of our honourable bloggers seated in safety behind PCs across the United States.

My dear officers from the NSIS I will endeavor to save you a lot of time and trouble and also to save tax payers money that is going into the elaborate high tech efforts being carried out to keep tabs on me. I will do that by answering some of the main questions your investigation on me is seeking to find out.

Q-Which foreign government is financing you?
A-Before I answer your questions, let me stress that I do not and can not tell a lie. As you may already be aware I am a very serious born again Christian and have been for the last 14 years. So every answer I give here is nothing but the truth and the almighty bears me witness.

In answer to your question, there is no foreign government supporting me and neither am I interested in any such support.

Q-How do you make a living?
A-I am an entrepreneur. I earn a living doing honest legal business.

Q-What are your intentions against the Kibaki government?
A-My intentions are not targetted at the Kibaki administration but are for the good of the Kenyan people. To help bring about genuine change in Kenya. Kenya belongs to me just as it belongs to you and millions of others who have lost all hope of ever making anything out of this life. Many of those Kenyans, like me voted for change in 2002 only to discover that we had been conned and the very same people whom we thought we had voted out are still in power today.

I intend to do everything in my power to ensure that I encourage and urge Kenyans to vote out the entire current MPs and bring in fresh faces for a new beginning. I also intend to support a serious somebody whom the Kenyan people can truly trust for the highest office in the land. Failing to get a suitable candidate, I am very serious about standing for that highest office in the land with a clear vision and agenda. I have no intention of enriching myself. I am comfortable with what I have and even if my circumstances were to change I would much rather live in a coruption-free country where it is easier to work my way out of any financial crisis using my God-given talents.

Q-You are a day-dreamer. If what you say about foreign support is true then you do not have any money or any hope of making any impact.
A-Money is precisely one of the main points I want to address and talk to Kenyans about. Anglo-leasing happened because the current administration needed “financing” to remain in power. By the way, how is Narc-Kenya fianancing its’ current activities sir?

All we see from leading Presidential candidates at the moment is a concerted effort to raise funds from abroad for their presidential bids. Meaning that if any of them were to be elected, we would be in a situation of waiting for another Anglo-leasing to happen because once in power, they will need more funds to stay there.

The Kenyan public is fed up and ready to join hands with persons who can promise genuine change. It is important that we as a nation realize that if we do not urgently implement changes in our country then it is inevitable that things will sooner or later get out of hand. There are too many hungry desperate Kenyans with little or no hope and therefore with nothing to lose.

Many Kenyans sense that 2007 will be the last chance. Electing Narc Kenya or ODM Kenya will just not cut it. We need a fresh start and there are milions of Kenyans eager for that genuine fresh start.

God bless the ordinary people of Kenya, God do the impossible (which is your trade mark) and bring about genuine change in Kenya, if not for our sakes then for the sakes of our children and grand children.