Can You Live With Your Decision on the 27th?
In a few days time (how time flys!!) Kenyans will go to the polls to make perhaps the most important decision humans on these shores have ever had to make in East African history.
The saddest thing of all as that day rapidly approaches is the fact that the real issues in these elections have deliberately been crowded out by non-issues. Contrary to what many folks think, Elections 2007 is not about tribalism. Actually it is about money and corruption.
Let me explain.
There is plenty of evidence that the Kibaki administration started out very serious about fighting corruption. In recent times it has often been suggested that they never intended to do anything about it. That IS NOT TRUE.
To bring into perspective the decision you and I have to make seated/standing inside some polling booth it is important that we understand where and why that fight against corruption ended.
Read more
Chris,
ReplyDeleteWhich non-corrupt individuals are kikuyus supposed to vote for? Raila and Molasses and selling his soul to Moi via NDP and admitting to protecting Moi from prosecution when he (Raila) was in the NARC cabinet? Ruto, Sally Kosgei, Henry Kosgey - need i say more? Did you see the landless farmer anguished on CNN because Kosgey took his land? Kenya National Assurance? Ntimama and the Narok County Council taxes? Mudavadi and Goldenberg. The pot cannot and should not call the kettle black. People in glass houses should not throw stones. Let me remind you that Kibaki was the one to highlight the corruption menace during his inauguration speech in 2002. Even if he has not wiped it out completely, highlighting it then put the issue of corruption on the national spotlight. Had he not highlighted it then corruption would have continued unabated. Raila will not do anything to Moi and has protected him more than once in the past. Give Kibaki a break, corruption is deeply entrenched and will not be wiped out overnight. Even if Raila wins, he will not wipe out corruption. Even in Britain and the US they have corruption. Lets stop looking at the world through rose-tinted glasses and appreciate progress that has been made on what is a difficult and complex issue. The ODM team are so corrupt that some members of the pentagon cannot be issued visas to the UK and the US.
Nice music Chris but is the tuje from the guitar plesant to the ears of a goat? You tried very much making the title less striking but your take betrayed you obtusely.
ReplyDeleteDivorcing ethnicity from Kenyan politics is akin to severing the umblical cord betweeen an expatant mum and her unborn baby. Tribe and the attendant emotions and tensions is what informs and fans Kenyan politics. The only difference comes in its two version: the elite tribalist here at Kumekucha and the raw village type who lives the stereotypes literally. Honestly birds of the same feather albeit different colours.
On Emilio and Moi roping their tribe in amounts to surrogate leadership. While Ophrah is standing on values and issues for Obama ours is...well you fill the blanks.
Raila may not win the coming elections because he is the best but because he is the viable avenue to deliver a definite protest. Make no mistake about my take on this vis-a-vis horselessness. You can argue with that all the much you want but truth has an uncanny trait of bitterness. Average Kenyans are far ahead of their leaders and may I add the exported villager our in the diaspora spewing vitroil made of yarns imbibed from his/her formative life in ....
Well, let us get one thing right here. It is grossly wrong to keep going on and on about how Kikuyus have been 'lied to' by their leaders. There is a rather absurd notion that some of you have that anybody opposed to Raila Odinga is a tribalist. That is why we are here desperately trying to prove that the Kalenjin are more intelligent than the kikuyus just because we THINK they support Raila Odinga. That is why you often times hear phrases like 'Kalonzo has misled his community'. I will pose one question to you hypocrites; If any of you is trully concerned that ethnicized politics is not good for Kenya why not question Raila Odinga's worship by the Luo community? I am not elite neither am I an exported tribalist but feel free to call me so if it suits you. Raila Odinga enjoys 100% support among the Luos, something Mwai Kibaki and Kalonzo Musyoka can only wish their communities accorded them. My point is simple; Kikuyus enjoy a far bigger political freedom than the Luos and so if you guys want to lecture people on the need to be liberal in their political decisions, please take the next bus to Mbita and go preach to those. They are in more need of these kind of sermons than the Kikuyus ever will.
ReplyDeleteThere are 42 tribes in Kenya. Imagining that only Kikuyus will be voting for Kibaki is strange. Nearly half of Kenyans support him. Now are Kikuyus that many? I like saying that elections will not be held in anybody's head or heart. They will be held in some 20K polling stations and the results announced there. Lying to yourself that all other tribes but the kikuyus have endorsed Raila will only bring you shock. Campaign for him in the air, on the ground and in the seas if you must but next time up your mind manipulation game. Telling Kikuyus to vote for Matiba or Muiru is funny--Why did you not vote for Omondi Oludhe in 1997 when those Kikuyus were voting for both Kibaki and Matiba and in 2002 when they were voting for both Uhuru and Kibaki?
These elections will NOT be about corruption or money. If they were, Mwai Kibaki whose government has totally failed to stanmp out the vice would not be a major candidate. Raila Odinga who is himself a corruption suspect heading a gallaxy of fellow suspects wont either. These elections will be about who the most talented propagandist is. I am suprised you consider them the most important political event in East Africa's history. To me the most important events are the independence of the E.A countries, the ousters of Idd Amin and Milton Obote, the repeal of Kenya's section 2A and the elections of 2002 which saw KANU relinguish state power.
If these elections were about money, then some of the candidates who are inexplicably stinking rich would be below Waweru Ng'ethe in the pecking order.I know how Mwai Kibaki, Kalonzo Musyoka and Kenneth Matiba made their money. Can someone tell me how Raila Odinga and Pius Muiru made theirs?
'If you can fool most of the people some of the time, that's enough!'
Good one Chris. These elections are not about Kibaki and Raila, nor about Kikuyus and Luos; they are about Kibaki. There'll be change on 28th Dec and the Dorobos, Embus, Kalejins, Kambas, Kikuyus, Luhyas, Luos, Maasai, Merus, Mijikenda, Rendiles, Samburus, Somalis, Taitas, Turkanas and 27 other ethnic groups will be the better for it.
ReplyDeleteChris some of us cannot mind read keyboards but unless one is blind it is quite blatantly obvious that these elections have never been about issues that promote the agenda of Kenya as a whole country. Opium smoking Kenyan voters doped up high on goodies dished out by Kibaki in the last few recent months have been harangued and harassed for close to the past 12 months with one resounding call;negative ethnicity-On the 27th at the polls, alot of protest voting will be taking place-protest against another tribe winning and coming to power, protest against a particular candidate from another tribe winning and coming to power and protest by individual tribes against how they feel they've been treated in the last 12 months. No wonder these campaigns have left the whole of Kenya feeling EXHAUSTED and wanting things to be over quickly. Even the exported villager in the diaspora meusing on the possibility of intellect VS political brilliance is taking refuge in the shadow of his/her adopted motherland the ZOO with regular scheduled feeding and secure habitation
ReplyDeleteThe first act of whatever Government comes to power from 28th will be massive healing and reconciliation-TRUE reconciliation not the fake non-existent one like the one after referendum. The next big issue is change of inner attitude amongst Kenyans by opening channels through which they can keep the administration of the day on its toes
i don't blame the kikuyus, kambas or luos for that matter. the blame lies with the kind of political dispensation that our forefather bequeathed us which is a winner take all system. unless the constitution is change there is no guarantee that if another tribe becomes president he will not solely use the unitary central govt for the sole benefit of himself and his community and control the other tribes through patronage as kibaki, moi and kenyatta have done!
ReplyDeletewe, the maa people are actually voting for raila in protest against kibaki because this man has been openly tribal is modus operandi. we hope raila will change the constitution and if he doesnt fulfil his promises we will not vote for him again in 5 years time. infact i think that if raila becomes a reincarnation of kenyatta/moi/kibaki mark my words that we are headed for extreme tribal bloodshed and vicious calls for secession in the minority communities who have no chance to ascend to power. the problem with kibaki is after being so tribally biased he is not promising any devolution except increasing CDF (which his govt opposed and finally lowered allocation from 10 to 2.5 percent)
vikii, leave your office and walk down the country to namanga and sample the cross-section of people. the ground is odm-raila! it is not a fabrication of chris, this is the reality...
john oilepo
vikii,
ReplyDeleteRaila should be commended for having made their money without political patronage(East Africa Spectre). The other people you have mentioned are the wrong examples who prove that only in mainstream politics that you are able to make money.
Absolutely off-track Vikii. Your hatred for Raila is well recorded. This post was never about Raila and Luo's but predictably, you must always find a connect between any anti-establishment post on this forum and Raila. Unfortunately for you and the rest of the hatters, Raila is on course to be the fourth president of Kenya in less than 2 weeks. What will you do about it; migrate to another country?
ReplyDeleteNo wonder you do not see anything wrong when a political party that portrays itself as a national party (DP, PNU, ODM-K) field candidates from one community for all the eight constituencies of the Nairobi province.
Unlike your Kamba brethren who have been ropped into a presidential bid that will not see the light of day, the Luos showed their unmatched patriotism in 2002 when they gave Mwai Kibaki (a kikuyu) more than 90% of their vote despite the fact that James Orengo (a Luo) was also in the same race. After reading through Mr. Abdul Nassir's article in Sunday Standard yesterday, I cannot help but endorse the contents therein. And with the same breath, endorse what Chris has so painstakingly explained in his post but as usual Vikii must criticize.
If you trully wanted to know how public figures across the board made their money - perhaps you should ask why the all-powerful Justice Minister has refused to make wealth declaration forms public and refused to enact laws that would compel anyone seeking a public office to explain how they made their wealth.
Personally, my support for Raila and ODM is not 'worship'. As far as I am concerned, no political party nor presidential candidate has ever come up with what ODM and Raila has put together as their 2007 campaign programme. I wonder what makes you not respect that people all over Kenya are entitled to their individual democratic right to vote for whoever they choose - just as we respect your choice of ODM-K and Kalonzo?
Well, its been a whole year Vikii, and I appeal to you for once to show respect to the opinions of Chris and others, then also appreciate that Luos are Kenyans who can also have a preferred candidate (not just Raila) and that you will also make good use of your privilege as a contributor at Kumekucha and tell us why you think we should vote for Kalonzo and ODM-K instead of doing what PNU has been doing for the last 3 months - castigate Raila.
dear all,
ReplyDeletethe kind of mess we have in kenya today is exactly the reasons why kenyans of all calibres are so fanatical about Raila, be they boranas, luhya, jaluos, kales, maasai, mijikendas, somalis, etc. Kibaki betrayed the goodwill and mandate that Kenyans gave him and retreated back into tribal and patronage leadership. Kenyans actually don't really care about the orange symbol the symbol in the hearts of the down-trodden kenyan is a huge hammer knocking hard on the thieves of our dream!
john oilepo!
Can somebody honestly claim to know how anybody else apart from himself made the wealth they own? Blinding rage can be so destructive especially if the object of hatred is something you CANNOT do anything about except hide under hollow and shameful generalities.
ReplyDeleteEagles and ego may have near-similar sylables but making the later fly is a sure recipe for disaster. You can chose to act the unwitting spanner boy smarting from rage originating from effects of SOUR GRAPE but at the end of the rant only your collar gets wet from the heat generated from within. it is simple. Egos are never designed to leave the ground so please don't mould them into a kite, they won't fly unless in your head.
True you can be an astute debator but abrogating yourself a false know-it-all aura only betrays your lack of depth. You only pity a kid playing with a rope by shaping it into a rope oblivious of the inherent danger. Listening to juvenile-like lectures from a 10-year old std 3 expounding the virtues of one Stanley Njido Matiba is the height of GENIUS.
Whoever said that age is just but a number must have had very substantive justification to disabuse IMMATURITY dolled in verbiage. Argue to resolve issues but never attempt to win what you are destined to lose even before you open your mouth. Make no mistake. Verbosity and being open-minded are like poled-traits that never attract.
Simple test: do you articulate your position passionately or cheaply lay in wait to attack other's take? Originality is the spice with which arguments are sampled. Recycling one-liner vitroil which are ofte poorly clothed as sarcasm only succeeds in unmasking the corollary of smartness.
Argue don't shout. Banish the sour grape syndrome and stop gatekeeping an empty shell. Rant and rave if you must but pretend for once to enrich your take with some rumour of substance instead of raw hatred. There is no known antibaotic for verbal diarrhea, bring them on.
I love Kumekucha bcoz most people never contribute in direct response to Chris's comments. They given their own expos, they talk about RAO or talk some more about RAO.
ReplyDeleteToday's question was whether in making a statement kukes should vote for Kalonzo rather than Kibaki. If this was an exam many would have failed badly?Vikii seems to have such big issues with RAO and the people of Mbita. Why the people of Mbita?? They are just ordinary Kenyans with no roads leading to their homes just like the rest of Western Kenya and going about their fishing business as usual.Please leave them out of your arguments will you?
It's almost impossible to expect our Bros from Central to back any other Horse least of all Kalonzo . I dont really blame them bcoz we are yet to reach a point where a ''nobody'' can be elected to the office on the Hill. All our issues are ethnicised and the Kikuyu , Kamba, Luo, Luhya etc are just backing the horse closest to their ''dvpt'' agenda.
All issues are tribal, even the Church has demonstrated that it finally realized tribes make up churches.
Chris,
ReplyDeleteNice propaganda. This seems to be your strategy...Keep on hammering the anti-kikuyuism to win the protest vote; divide the kikuyu vote between Kibaki, Muiru, Matiba, Musyoka, etc by appealing to their sympathy (in-laws?); keep on reflecting Kibaki supporters in bad light (Moi, Kenyatta, etc!); keep on deflecting attention from your candidate (he's an emotional subject); get the drift?.
I was actually encouraged to read on by your opening remarks about what killed the war on corruption. You lost me mid-way. But i wish to remind you that the culprit is not the fellows you are speculating about. You can actually trace all the troubles in the Kibaki government to that document ...yes...the illegal MOU. This document caused the split in the cabinet and the government's loss in the referendum. Kibaki had two options...call an early election or assemble some semblance of government. He chose the latter. He had to survive, with whoever was on his side. He coudn't call a snap election knowing he could lose!
Now (by the way) have you noticed the energy he is exhibiting in his campaigns, with no one 'assisting' him? Suddenly he does not seem to be he 'old', 'ailing', 'withdrawn' fellow you guys (Chris, Phil, et al) have been painting all year, complete with 'exclusive' medical histories. And you are beginning to notice this, hence the need for counter-strategies. He is no longer 'unfit' now, he is KIKUYU! And RICH. With RICH FRIENDS. Please!
The coming elections will not be about corruption, not even about any issues. They will be about whether the candidate is from your tribe or whether you will 'feel' close to the candidate. That is why Kalonzo will get 99% vote from ukambani, Raila 99% Luo vote, Kibaki 99% Gema vote, then share with Raila the rest of the tribes, depending on feelings of 'closeness' to the candidate. Politics, Kenyan style, remember?
Only one result is possible come December 28th. Kenya will not be better off. One question that will still be begging for an answer will be: How can you and me transform kenyan politics to be issue-based come 2012?
JEFF
P.S. Chris you have avoided mentioning the launch of a new 24hr TV channel in Kenya, the K24. While i don't want to speculate, i remember you gave interesting insights before the launch of the Nairobi Star. Why the silence now?
you hit the nail on the head their chris and phil.
ReplyDeleteAs expected, the ODM herd has come out baying for my blood. I will start with you Phil and then come to you Taabu(I have neither the time nor the inclination for 'originality', You are not going to give us empty lectures and go scot frree, u can spare those shallow ones for your students);
ReplyDeletePhil you said I don't see anything wrong with a political party fielding candidates from the same community. Well, for the second time in a week I am challenging you to tell me which non Kamba candidate won the ODMK nominations and was denied the ticket. Which non Kikuyu candidate won the DP nominations and was discriminated on the basis of ethnicity. As for the ODM, I can give you the name of Dan Shikanda (Please dont tell me those little lies about him being sponsored by the government to pull out of the race after he wins; why is he still running?) who was rejected because he was not tribally correct. Tell me why Walji was disqualified in Westlands. I can repeat it to you that I do not mind 210 Luos being in parliament. Our democracy is about elected officials being voted for by a SIMPLE MAJORITY of the registered voters because it is afterall those people they will be representing in parliament.
My hate for Raila is not the issue here. You WONDER why I am dragging the name of Raila and his Luo communiy here. Well, this post is a lecture to the not-so-intelligent Kikuyus on why they should THINK and refuse to be lied to. There is no better way to respond to that than giving a deliberately ommitted better example. My point was (and still is) the Kikuyus are in less of a political bondage than Luos and that is a fact. I introduced Raila and his community here for the same reason you introduced Kalonzo and his.
"I wonder what makes you not respect that people all over Kenya are entitled to their individual democratic right to vote for whoever they choose"----These are your words Phil. Are you addressing me or Chris here? It is time you, Chris and the other interesting fellows here respected the right of everybody(including the kikuyus) to choose whomever they like. What I am reminding you here is what Tom has already told you----that yours is a classical case of the pot calling the kettle black.
You said I should tell you why you should vote for Kalonzo and ODMK instead of 'doing what the PNU has been doing---castigate Raila'. Well to be honest with you, I dont care whom you vote for. I am not in Kalonzo's campaign team. I will vote for him because he appears to me as the best alternative, whether you vote for him or not is upto you, I dont really care. Now am I castigating Raila? Tell me how? When the new administartion came to power, they decided to form commissions of inquiry to look into the economic scandals that high ranking officials in government had inolved themselves in (And this was a cabinet decision, a cabinet in which Raila was a very senior figure). The first major commision was headed by a man with 'top marks' professional background called Justice Bosire. The commission's sessions were televised live and they implicated Saitoti Mudavadi,Gideon and the other fellows (I have been saying here that these people should be in jail. Now that is not unfairly blaming Mudavadi, is it? Come on man, he was Finance minister!) The second major commission was headed by a fabulous lawyer called Ndung'u. They were mandated with establishing who grabbed what land. They found out that Raila Odinga had irregularly acquired land belonging to the people of Kenya.They found out that Ruto, Gumo, Ntimama and many other fellows in the ODM summit had grabbed land. Again I am not cooking anything here. The report came out when Raila was a minister of government. Obviously you and the self appointed e-cops would wish this were swept under the rug but that wont happen. I am indeed proud that you have noted that I am castigatng these fellows. Why not? Criminals should be castigated! I have no time for Mwiraria, Moody Awori and Chris Murungaru because they were implicated in the Uhuru/PAC report and I have said as much here. Similarly, i have no time for Raila, Saitoti, Mudavadi and Ruto.
Now mr. Big Worded Taabu. You claim that it is strange that someone can claim to know how others made their money. To tell you the truth, you are actually right. I am pleased to remind you that you have also cast aspersions about Joshua Kulei in this very forum. You have told us how he was a lowly prison warder who became an overnight millionaire. That is what I am talking about. Perhaps i should explain myself. Mwai Kibaki has been holding some of the country's best paying jobs since 1963.We are talking about 45 years here. If he tells you he has invested that money and that is why he is worth what he is worth, it is not hard to believe him. Kenneth Matiba is known as an astute manager (This is not std three wisdom). He is a business man and he made his money before he joined politics. His Alliance group of hotels and his other interests have very little to do with politics or corruption for that matter.Kalonzo Musyoka has been earning a six figure salary for the last 22 years. He is not known for his wealth. Anybody earning that kind of money for 20 straight years will definitely be worth what Kalonzo is. Now since you have appointed yourself a Raila Odinga lawyer (Phil copy pasted an old breakdown of Raila's assets here and you kept mum), can you give me any reason that explains his enormous wealth. It is just strange how everything revolves around 2000/2001.
I will not get involved in the personality attaks you prefer. I thought college professors in the UK were a little bit smarter than that.What exactly are you suggesting in your six paragraphs? Structure them along some resonated theme and I promise to respond.
All Vikii is trying to say here, with and without proof, is that the ODM Pentagon is synonymous with Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Teamed up with Saitoti, Mwiraria, Moi, Patni, Biwott, Murungaru, Kimunya, Waruinge, Livondo, Giddy, Kiraitu and the Arturs, Mwai Kibaki is synonymous with Carlos the Jackal and all the other criminals of the world.
ReplyDeleteWhich leaves, in his eyes, Kalonzo as synonymous with the Dalai Lama. A man whose heart is as white as snow. Now all these may in fact be believable but like I have warned before, cultism is dangerous….be careful lest you swallow the one about the comet coming to take you for a ride to inner space….where there's water and honey for all.
Look, I understand the need to cast a protest vote in the presence of vagabond candidates. But is it truly patriotic to cast such when your country most needs you?
Vikii did you read this or you egnaged the mouth and give leave to your brains?
ReplyDelete.........."Eagles and ego may have near-similar sylables but making the later fly is a sure recipe for disaster. You can chose to act the unwitting spanner boy smarting from rage originating from effects of SOUR GRAPE but at the end of the rant only your collar gets wet from the heat generated from within. it is simple. Egos are never designed to leave the ground so please don't mould them into a kite, they won't fly unless in your head........"
Well you have proved every word typed above. Congratulatons you have passed with flying colours. You are a perfect replacement for your tribesman Kioko.
Bruce Roba
Wow wow, this was the mother of all bombs
ReplyDelete.....There is no known antibiotic for verbal diarrhea, bring them on..