For months now Kenyans have been complaining that the Kibaki administration has been making deliberate tribal appointments. But nobody really cared to look too closely into these claims that were mainly attributed to ODM supporters criticizing for the sake of it.
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Other stories published today;
Tribal appointments email that has been widely circulated
More Evidence Of Kibaki's Appointments Strategy?
Was this fair to KTN?
Mayor may now have to be a university graduate.
Daily nominations for the best comment
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So most people dismissed and ignored the claims. Even a post in this blog a few weeks ago was received with a lot of skepticism. Part of the reason is that although Kenyans were prepared to criticize Kibaki for many things, nobody wanted to believe that he had also become a tribalist. This is not the official leader of the opposition that Kenyans once thought they knew, admired and respected.
However everything suddenly changed with the appointment of the new Central Bank governor. Kenyans suddenly started paying attention and scrutinizing government appointments. What they have found has shocked many. In fact there is an email that has been widely circulated that contains a long list of Kibaki appointments with most being from the Kikuyu tribe and the rest from the expansive Mount Kenya region that has been the President's stronghold for years. (see email in this post).
What is really worrying is the fact that the Kibaki appointments strategy seems to mostly focus on key areas of government. One such area is the media. The media is critical in an election year such as the one we are in. Keen media analysts have been warning for weeks now that key media is firmly in the hands of the President's handlers. In effect, going into the elections the President will be much more effective than Moi was in his hey days with full control of KBC and censorship through threats of other important privately owned media.
The result is that the opposition will be caught flat-footed and in effect the outcome of the general elections has already been decided by a pro-Kibaki media.
Just check this out. This list includes both direct appointments and appointments that many believe have been influenced in one way or another by State House. The corridors of power have also encouraged certain appointments that were made prior to 2003 but which favored them to be upheld and maintained at all costs;
Ministry of Information
Minister - Mutahi Kagwe (Kibaki's home boy)
Nation Media Group
Recently appointed CEO- Linus Wang'ombe Gitahi (Nyeri Kibaki's home boy). There are those who have insisted that this was one appointment that was pushed through by State House for purposes of the coming general elections. Already we have seen this giant media house flexing its' muscles. The result was that the arrest and harassment of one of the best crime writers Kenya has ever produced and a former Nation crime editor, Stephen Muiruri was given an effective media blackout. What else is in the forthcoming long list of items to receive a news blackout going into the general elections?
Group Editorial Director (this post is crucial being the heart of all content that is published and aired by all NMG outlets) - Wangethi Mwangi (Murang'a)
Daily Nation's Managing Editor - Bernard Nderitu (Kiambu - where Njenga Karume comes from)
Sunday Nation's Managing Editor - Mutuma Mathiu (Mt. Kenya, Meru - backyard of Kibaki's men Kiraitu, Mwiraria etc)
The new Business Daily's Managing Editor - Nick Wachira (Nyeri)
The Standard Group
CEO – Paul Wanyaga (Karatina - Kibaki's home boy)
Ownership of Standard group - Retired President Moi - a key ally of Kibaki
KBC (Kenya Broadcast Corporation)
MD - David Waweru (Nyeri)
Editor in Chief (A VERY POWERFUL POST) - Waithaka Waihenya (Kiambu - Njenga Karume's home boy).
Capital FM
Owner - Chris Kirubi (Kibaki's man)
KissFM
Owner – The Kittony family close relatives of retired President Moi, a key Kibaki ally.
KamemeFM
Owner - Rose Kimotho (From Nyeri and a close ally of Linus Gitahi). She gets good contracts from Government and has been instrumental in doing damage control for the Kibaki regime to ensure Kibaki Abaki (returns) so that she continues getting rich at the rapid current rate.
Royal Media
Owner - Macharia
This media house had better just change its' name to Royal Kibaki Media Services.
All senior positions in this company are filled by people from Mt Kenya
All royal media outlets (countless FM radio stations, TV station, newspaper and an unknown number of used airwaves) were so openly biased during last General Elections, the referendum and in all their news bulletins that it was embarrassing just to watch and listen.
As you can see from the pattern, all the key and influential media houses are owned and the key positions in the same media houses are held by people from Mt Kenya. They are all either close to Kibaki or to his friend and ally of many years, Njenga Karume.
A Little creativity made Kenyan man $1,000 in daily profits
This woman has never heard sex, the reason will shock you.
Again, there is a tinge of bias and spin in the reposted email above. Royal Media, KamemeFM and CapitalFM are private entities which existed before Kibaki came to power. Kibaki has no control over appointments in those companies. Just because they happen to be owned by kikuyu business persons does not make them pro-kibaki.
ReplyDeletePlease do not allow this blog to be a dumping ground for kikuyu hate mail.
I have all along been anti kibaki. I still am. My support in the coming elections will go to Kalonzo or Uhuru (In order of preference). I have been complaining to my friends when we go pinting of how tribal Kibaki is since 2003. Amazingly even his most ardent supporters seem to concur with me.
ReplyDeleteHowever,of late I have come to look at it through another angle. I went to a Kalonzo rally in Kitui (My fren works for KTN and he asked me to accompany him). In that rally,Kiema Kilonzo read a long list of the senior posts held by the "kikuyus" in the ministries of energy and Education. HE would just read a name and the crowd faithfully respond with the word kikuyu. This was when I started think about it seriously.
First of all,there are enough presidential and ministerial appointments to form the basis of this discussion. Let us not try to get into private businesses and infer how tribal kibaki is based on who works for those private businesses.
Secondly while I hold no brief for kibaki or for any kikuyu for that matter,I think we have been extremely unfair to them. If Kibaki appointed Joe donde CBK gorvernor,we would not be discussing how tribal he is but how he is out to cut Raila to size. I mean are we saying that no kikuyu should be CBK gorvernor just because the president is kikuyu? While I acknowledge that Andrew Mullei was not driven out of office in the most enviable way and considering the minister was kikuyu and the rivalry at the time between Kalonzo and Kibaki,it is unfair to imagine that whenever a coastal or a kamba is fired they shoild be replaced with one of their own.
Just like Kiema's list, Chris' list falls short of telling us how many luos work in the ministry of energy or how many kambas work in the ministry of health or as attaches in various kenyan embassies all over the world.
In my opinion, Kibaki just like all other kenyan leaders is tribalist. BUT damn not in the proportions being circulated by the opposition. We call the meru, the embu people and the mbeere kikuyus to swell our numbers and give credibility to the salvos we are throwing to this gorvernment. Kikuyus for heavens sake account for 23 % of the population. When we add the meru,mbeere and embu the proportion comes to 33 %. Just as Chris talks about "The expansive Mt Kenya region" it is very very important to factor in the size of the tribe any time we are comparing how many kikuyus are working where with any other tribe. WE dont expect there to be only one kikuyu assistant minister but we appreciate the fact that we have an assistant minister from the kuria community. AS much as appointments should be all inclusive, they should also be proportionally representative. I think the GEMA people are entitled to 33% of all appointments just as the kambas are entitled to 12% of the appointments. In that breadth we should have one kamba working for the goverment for every three GEMA people. WE should have two luos for every 5 GEMA people and so on.
Guys what I am saying may not be the biblical truth and I am not foolish enough to imagine that the appointments so far have been reflecting the demographic complexities and proportions but i think it is paramount that we correct the insinuation that we should have the same number of kikuyus and luos working for the government. WE should demand that whatever appointments are made reflect the population of every tribe and most importantly those appointd to those positions should have impecable credentials. WE should not have Joe WAnjui as chancellor of the University of Nairobi. Critics ill say that he is not there to teach but for heavens sake this is an educational institution and should be headed by the likes of Yash PAl Ghai.
Chris you should be in the front line telling people not to link every appointment to the coming elections. And u said Moi owns the standad. While I do not have enough facts to dispute that, in my most humble opinion The stanmdard is more user friendly to Raila as opposed to Kibaki. I think The standard favours Raila and so I do not see how the Moi/Kibaki axis stands to benefit from their "coverage". But guys remember I have been wrong before.
Well said and commented my countrymen (any ladies if they are there). Tribalism still remains the singular malady whose nasty consequences continue to eat into both our conscience and moral fabric.
ReplyDeleteThere is no justification to vilify Kibaki nor proctect him provided we understand the generation and school of thought he was weaned on. It's total waste of breathe and I would humbly suggest to you Kenyans with a future to look upto to tackle the root cause of this cancer. I am not naive to its prevelence and I know it will take ages to correct but we would be dancing ourselves lame before scoundrels for politicians who sold our soul for cheap populism and expediency.
It is the height of utter insensitivity to brand dimwits professors of politics just because they cause so much bloodshed. On the same vein, what is this madness to jump to the defence of academic dinosaurs whose economic models can't be programmed i any known language?
Spare us the balderdash please and lest seize the opportunity slipping bettwen our fingers to address TRIBALISM. I speak my mother tongue with pride, but the identity end there and I wouldn't care a hoot if the language belonged to the apes.
We are all born equal and any sense tribal superiority is not only a farce but living a lie at best.
True, Kikuyus constitute more than 1 fifth of Kenyans. But you don't have to be a rocket scientist to see the disparity. Stop insulting the collective intelligence of Kenyans. We know negative 'sms, when see one and amount of unsolicited level 100 series of lectures will wash.
Granted, even in a cosmopilitant morgue you are more likely to find more Kuks than Digos but management of public affairs doesn't take such a simplistic version of reasoning. Kenya belongs to all of us and anybody indulging in self-deception that they belong more than others are busy erecting castles on quicksand.
You don't need to be psychic to decode the arrogance and loaded ignorance lurking behind every comment that pretends to exorcise and rationalize the tribal devil.
We are simply, convinently and unwittingly packaging stereotypes with lofty but empty phrases. Ours is a superlative act of intellectual dishonesty. An argument takes a typical Kenyans turn when you start seeing magnified side shows being prominently elevated to the VIP table of ideas. We can conitinue bandying all the existing tired catch words while we conviniently let the tribal virus mutate withing at our collective peril.
Kibaki is Kenya's president and you can't pocket him unless you entertain the self-deception of 'ni wetu' ilk. Being a public figure, he can't afford to avoid visitation by flies patronzing the beautiful road he strolling on.
Trivializing and tribalizing weighty matters takes the wind off our moral saild and we become no better than the pilloried scoundrels we pass as polticians. No amount of peddling of street wisdom will rescue us from this hole unless we have an honest hard look at ourseleves and work together towards reclaiming out nationhood and motherland.
Tribalism, initiatted by Mzeee Jomo Kenyatta's first cabinet (they you to speak in one language and another one translates to the others), protected by Moi and Kibakia as his vice-president and now perfected by Kibaki in his capacity as president.
ReplyDeleteKiukyu, Kikuyu, and Kikuyu. Mungiki is Kikuyu, leader arrested by Somali Police Commish, crime low. Kikuyu. Banks robbed. Now the banks are making mobey. Previously not. Kikuyu Chukua Bure (KCB) then Kalenjin Cash Box (KCB) and National bank getting better (Who was there Githunguri) Yes, River Chania!
This is commendable. Next time mr. kenya77 come with both lists and then we compare. Mr. Taabu we are tired of reading all that gibberish u come up with. Using big words doesnt necessarily convey messages equally big. U need to communicate and stop hiding under all that pomposity. What exactly is your point? I bet u wud even find your very own post confusing and ver lacking in any tangible meaning
ReplyDeleteVery comprehensive list Mr. Kenya77 (aka Gazette) save for the fact that the sight gets intimidated after afew lines. Point taken but is the problem solved or put differently don't we need to do something if there is a problem?
ReplyDeleteYou have fed Chris with more than he can chew leave alone swallow. But he asked for it. What a textbook of all Kenyans against....Well done brother, it must have been such a painful task on your tender shoulders.
There you go Chris! Your cover has been blown. I once regarded you as a sensible person and one who would not allow himself to be used to channel tribal bigotry, but clearly I was wrong. If you call yourself a born-again Christian (I may be wrong) you should be able to understand how God works. It was God's will that Moi rule Kenya for 24 years, that is why opposition tried and failed, why? simply because in God's eyes Kenya was not ready for anybody else. The same with Kenyatta. So when God said Kibaki tosha well we had no choice but to accept His divine will. Come December, it may be Kibaki or somebody else. It all fits in his divine ultimate purpose, and there is nothing any of us can do, including you. His will will prevail at least for those who trust in Him. Let those who have ears hear!
ReplyDeleteTribal politics are deeply rooted in Kenya and Kibaki is doing what all other leaders out there will do if they had a chance. What need to be done is get someone who is above tribal politics and as Kenyans we should stop listening to politicians who publicly or privately seek to be the sole tribal chiefs and on their campaign they keep talking of the way a tribe should vote as a block.
ReplyDeleteAlso, one thing that should be clear is that Kibaki appoints friends of friends and his circle has lots of GEMA members,but i agree with you Kenya77...our blindness and dumbness does not allow us to see beyond Presidents tribe.
Give us a break Kenya77! Nobody accused Kibaki of making public appointments favouring kikuyus 100%.
ReplyDeleteWhy have you conveniently forgot to list the posts that your tribesmen hold so we can make a fair comparison? I have seen this list elsewhere on the net where it suspected to have been planted there by NARK K minders, and it is obviously a "copy and paste" to Kumekucha.
Since Kibaki took over government can you please confirm if key ministries (Finance, Defence, Constitutional Affairs, Internal Security) have been held by anyone outside the GEMA communities, yet there have been numerous cabinet reshuffles?
I don't mind it when you cite instances from Government ministries and parastatals. However, it is incorrect to try and associate the leadership of private companies with Kibaki's leadership. Yes, there may be some deals at country golf clubs but that's open to all.
ReplyDeleteLet's focus on public offices and not forage elsewhere for evidence to support an iffy claim.