Tuesday, December 11, 2007

The 3 Opiums Of Kenyan Voters

Tribalism. Corruption. Short-term memory. These are the three opium’s we must exhale out of our body system before you go vote on the 27th

No time for preaching sermons here. It is better to greet an angry mother bear unjustly robbed of her new cubs than to extend the friendly hand of warm welcome to a Kenyan doped up on tribalism opium-is this the worst type of Kenyan there is?The jury is still out. Definition of a tribalist is also known as home-grown terrorist

Like a bad toothache that just won’t go away, corruption opium has refused to give Justice Ringera reason to show us the back of his post-molars in genuine laughter. Hear the Kenyan doped up on corruption speak “nobody can remove corruption from Kenya.” This monster slayed all three Presidents Kenyatta, Moi and Kibaki. Whoever dares this ogre will be Kenya’s hero forever

Short-term memory loss. We remember what we ate for breakfast yesterday but can’t remember why we got independence 44 years ago. Then we let dishonourables walk right back into Parliament so we can complain in Kumekucha for another 5 years

Now you know-beware, smoking opium maybe harmful to health and kill

9 comments:

  1. Luke, let us be hopeful as we herald a new dawn. Like Bill Clinton, let us continue to smoke heavily but be very careful not to inhale.

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  2. 1. PNU is a coalition of KANU, DP, Ford-Kenya, Ford-People, Safina, Shirikisho, Agano etc. ODM is not a coalition. Going by NARC performance as a coalition, ODM will be far better placed to keep control of its house in the next parliament than PNU.

    2. Its ok to fail in curb corruption while trying, but to condone it is another issue. Kibaki's Ministers were implicated in Anglo-Leasing and no action taken other than a minor slap in the hand. Until now, no Minister has been charged over Anglo Leasing. Not even the guys in Moi's govt who started Anglo Leasing or the guys in Kibaki's govt who continued it. Instead, most of the ministers who were seriously implicated are back in Kibaki's govt as full cabinet Ministers.

    3. Kibaki threw Githongo to the sharks. Githongo was determined to fight corruption and gave the President very detailed briefings on corruption. Kibaki heard nothing, saw nothing and did nothing. Instead, he hang Githongo out to dry. This was his anti-corruption Czar. If he did not want Githongo to do his job, why did he hire him?

    4. Kibaki today stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Moi, Biwott & Co. This is the worst betrayal on the war against corruption. The most corrupt people in Kenya are now Kibaki's benefactors.

    5. Remember the Arthur Armenian Brothers saga? Kibaki heard nothing, saw nothing and did nothing. Talk about being in charge.

    6. Remember the raid on the standard newspapers? Talk about Moi-like tactics and press freedom.

    7. Remember Lucy's raid on the Nation newspapers? Talk about a first lady gone out of control. Talk about taking charge of your household. Who is the man here?

    8. Remember the MoU he signed with LDP and his promise to serve 1 term and his promise to be a transition President and provide a bridge to the future? Talk about trust.

    9. Recall all the retirees that have been brought back to govt simply because they are his buddies? Talk about nepotism. Talk about provising opportunities to the youth.

    10. Remember all the Merus and Kikuyu who have been awarded the plum public service jobs while all the rest get second tire jobs? Remember his failure to confirm Jacinta Mwatela as Governor of Central Bank despite her over 20-yrs exemplary service with the CBK, instead he brought a class room professor who happened to be a fellow Kyuk? Talk about tribalism and promoting gender equality. Talk about giving people a chance to achive their potential irrespective of tribe or gender.

    11. Remember the convicted a former director of the National Aids Control Council, Margaret Gachara. She was found guilty of embezzling funds, sentenced to jail and, alas, shortly thereafter pardoned by President Kibaki.

    The mans record is terrible when compared against expectations. Any talk of comparing his record to Moi is like comparing yourself to your 10-yr kid. Kibaki has simply failed the test of leadership.

    Frankly speaking, as a native of Mt Kenya, Meru to be precise, and as an individual and my family have done much better under the Kibaki govt than they will under Raila simply because Kibaki represents special interests and those who have get much more. I would rather do alittle worse but other Kenyans get uplifted. I would rather the roads in Easleigh and the rest of Eastlands be fixed than fixing the roads in Lavington, Karen and Muthaiga.

    Raila is far from perfect. Am not pro-Raila. Rather am anti-Kibaki for the above and many more reasons. The only way we can create accountability in Kenya is vote out Leaders who fail to keep their promise.
    This election is not about the economy. Its about Trust and ability to keep your promises. I can bet you non of the PNU politicians would for one second believe any promised Kibaki makes to them. When Dec 27th finally arrives, Kibaki will be left talking about 6% economy growth while heading to Othaya on retirement. Fortunately, he hears nothing, sees nothing and does nothing therefore he won't even know what hit him.

    I wish him well in the remaining campaign days and his remaining days in office.

    Mwenda J
    USA

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  3. Hey Phil, I didn't know you come from Meru and that you are not pro-Raila. I commend you for one thing brother-"consistent inconsistency"!

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  4. Vikii Vikii Vikii. Yes I come from Kenya and I am thoroughly pro-Raila! Nyambene highlands happens to be within parts of kenya.

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  5. Mwenda J's sentiments are deadly accurate! Accountability folks that's the only way of this endles cycle of conmen politicians

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  6. Let me be clear, am accountability period. The only way we achieve accountability is sending the most powerful signal we as voters have at our disposal which is to vote out a failed government.
    I want to repeat again that this election is not about 6% economic growth. Its about Trust, it about respecting the people of Kenya and its about change from the Kanu way of doing things. Kibaki scores low on this. To his credit, he scores high on economic growth but unfortunately, the election is not about economic growth. If it was, Kibaki would be well ahead in the polls.
    I cannot live with my conscious if I vote Kibaki and PNU. I would rather elect a less than perfect Raila and by so doing, I will have sent a strong message to the political class that I cannot be fooled and in 5 years, if you don't deliver, the same fate awaits you. I belong to a new breed of Kenyans who want to shun tribalism. Just because my people of Meru are fanatical about Kibaki does not mean I follow blindly. I belong to a new breed that expects more and deserves more from their leaders irrespective of ethnic background. I plan to travel home for the sole purpose of casting my vote on Dec 27. This will be an expensive vote but to borrow a phrase from Bill Clinton , its acountability, stupid!
    Mwenda J
    USA

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  7. Vikii, am not Phil, am Mwenda J from North Imenti which sits squarely in Meru district. The issue of my ethnicity is a non-factor. What matters is that am an informed voter and can decipher fact from fiction. I also know how to carry out evaluations. I know what it means to eradicate poverty and stimulate growth and fight corruption. On my score card, Kibaki scores well on a few measures and very dismal on many others. Overall, he fails the evaluation. Kenya needs radical surgery and Kibaki cannot deliver such surgery. At the rate we are moving, Kenya will be a country of 100 millionaires and 37 millions paupers. This might be acceptable to you but its simply not acceptable to me. We gave Kibaki a chance but his focus was elitist. We need to try a new direction. Lets focus on uplifting those that have been left behind. Lets use our increased revenues to build decent housing for slum dwellers and improve the welfare of those leaving below the poverty line. Build and equip hospitals in puwani and other low-income areas, improve roads in low income areas and regions that have been neglected for far too long. Lets improve the welfare of the jua kali folks rather than focus all efforts on EPZ and other high-end manufacturing owned by the political elite. Lets not spend money on luxury cars for Cabinet ministers, improving roads in Karen, Muthaiga, Lavington and other upmarket neighbourhoods. Lets reach out to the disadvantaged. They are the ones that urgently need a helping hand. If we can pull this disadvantaged up and expand the middle class, the knock-on effect will be huge. Kibaki is banking on a trickle down, an advocating a bottoms up approach whose impact is immediate and provides opportunities to disadvantaged Kenyans today rather than asking them to wait for the trickle down after the elite have had their fill. If Raila does deliver, I will be back in 2012 to deliver my evaluation with my voter’s card. This is the essence of democracy and the only way we can promote accountability.
    On the issue of my ethnicity, Justice Aaron Ringera who also hails from Meru, epitomizes the failures of the Kibaki administration. I hope he is the first person to lose his job when a new govt assumes power. I don’t know the man but I know enough to tell you that it was too much to expect a man that was nominated by Kanu for the same job during the Moi days to effectively lead the war against corruption. Maybe he was put there because Kibaki knew the man was ineffective.
    Also on the issue of ethnicity, I will be honest that my people from Meru and their Mt Kenya cousins have benefited unproportionately in appointments to public office at the expense of other Kenyans. The government should reflect the face of all Kenyans. My people are enjoying but at the expense of other communities. I can sit pretty and sign praise to Kibaki like most of my fellow clansmen by my conscious would not allow me. Am clearly not an undecided voter and more importantly, am not a tribal voter. I rest my case and I wish the President well in the Campaigns.

    Mwenda J
    USA

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  8. Wow... Need i say more i am not going to dilute what the disgruntled mt Kenya mafia said. Wembe ni ule ule. Five years if you fail to deliver go home. We will do that until the day we will get it right. We must see the promised land in our generation

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  9. Thanks Yvonne. Am happy someone gets its. You could not have put it better. We will keep doing it until we get it right and am very optimistic that we will. Wembe ni ule ule. This is the message we to send loud and clear to the political class.
    Mwenda J
    USA

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