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Sunday, January 13, 2008

Visa Ban For Kenyan Politicians?

There is talk that the International community plans to slap a Visa ban on all Kenyan politicians (MPs and the speaker) as a way of putting more pressure on the political elite to find a quick solution to the Kenyan crisis.

My informant thinks it is a brilliant idea and so do I. My informant suggests that they go a step further and also withdraw visas for the children of these politicians most of whom go to school abroad. That way they will truly feel the pinch like other ordinary Kenyans. Personally, I wouldn’t agree more.

This is a better idea than sanctions which will mostly hurt the ordinary Kenyans who are already going through so much suffering because of the mistakes of the political elite.

Kumekucha remains hopeful and positive but at the same time a little skeptical because it is clear that the Americans despite the nice things they keep on saying in public, fully back the Kibaki administration and may not support such sanctions. One does not need to be a rocket scientist to figure out why. Sly Kibaki made a deal with them about terrorist suspects which Raila Odinga promised the Muslim community during his campaigns, that he would reverse once in power. Many Kenyan terror suspects are still held outside the country and family members do not know where they are, let alone what their fate will be.

The Americans have also been very keen to locate their main anti-terrorism headquarters in the region in Kenya. It is obvious that they are not interested in the Kenyan people’s views on this matter (which is critical) because it is bound to have long term repercussions on the country.

The latest is that America has issued a very strongly-worded statement warning the Kibaki government that it will NOT be business as usual if the government does not move quickly to end the current crisis. Brave words indeed, but just words all the same. Let us wait and see if there is some concrete actions that follows this statement. Kenyan politicians are not the only ones in the world who are good at talking and doing nothing you know... there are other countries that can be a close second.


P.S. I am strongly considering going back to moderating comments on this blog because a section of those leaving comments here have abused the priviledge of being allowed to have their say without a moderator like before.

I have received a number of petitions in favor of this action. Like the one I reproduce here;

Dear Chris,

I just wanted to say thank you thank you thank you for your blog. I appreciate all the work that you do, for us to be able to know what is really happening in Kenya and behind the scenes.

I am just upset that some people still continue to threaten and speak badly in the comments section, and I know you have asked for all to be 'grown up' about the comments but it still happens, I tell you, In this time, when I don't know if my parents back home and my fellow Kenyans will come out ok, I hate to read all the stupid, ignorant, hateful, threatening comments. Chris would it be censoring if you moderate the comments so these people don't have a place to spew their poison. The angry people who can't control themselves in this time should be ignored they are not contributing anything and their negative energy is not helping.

God bless you Chris and your family.

Sincerely

23 comments:

  1. I will be glad to see a visa ban on the entire families of Raila,Martha Karua,Kibaki,Muchuki,Ruto,Uhuru ans Kalonzo VP.

    Then the chaos will stop immediately.

    Raracha

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  2. Not only the MPs and their entire families should be banned but the ECK commissioners, as well as the AG and the Chief justice should be thrown in as well.

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  3. I Second that opinion....

    Visa ban for all and their children included.....

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  4. I doubt Visas can be banned in the fasion mentioned. The fact is that most of these other countries operate strictly by their laws and will have to find a breach of law inorder to enforce a Visa ban.

    Political disagreements do not amount to breaching laws and therefore they might not be able to enact this ban on anyone unless there is evidence that the person broke certain laws.

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  5. News flash!!!! European Union countries and the U.S. are the main destination for most of the elite.Then you have the commonwealth countries; Australia,New Zealand etc.

    Unless they want to go to China as Kivuitu had advised them to do...

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  6. It is somewhat ridiculous to suggest ODM's Raila Odinga would be among the Kenyan politicians whose visas would be banned.

    Taking you back to history, are you aware that during the dark corrupt days of single party dictatorship NONE of Moi's ministers had their visa's banned and infact, Njonjo and Moi himself used to visit the then apartheid South Africa despite economic sanctions? It just goes to show you how low Mr. Kibaki has driven the reputation and international standing of this country because not only have three of his serving cabinet ministers so far had their visa's banned - FOR CORRUPTION, it is also sad that he has done absolutely nothing to recover capital flight that includes the billions unearthed by Kroll 5 years after he was first elected.

    Sometime last year, it reached a point where only Tuju and Karua could go beyond the Immigration desk at JKIA.

    Meanwhile, on the other hand top ODMers continue to travel freely while at the same time receiving high level audience with high ranking government officials in foreign countries.

    Also do not forget - in yet another embarrassment for Kenya - Kibaki has not received a single congratulatory 're-election' message from who-is-who in global politics, while Raila continues to receive numerous messages of solidarity from people who matter in this world. To name but one, Nelson Mandela himself, who has offered to send his wife Graca to come and talk some sense into the heads of our brothers in PNU.

    Lets hope this time they will listen before a blanket economic sanction is slapped on Kenya.

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  7. I concur. All these fat cats formenting trouble for ordinary Kenyans should be santioned. Infact I think one does not have to break any law to be refused entry into most of these countries; for example, obtaining a visa does not necessarily give the holder the right to enter the UK. The final decision rests with the immigration officer at point of entry.

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  8. The Al Qaeda threat is REAL guys. RAO will NEVER get support from America. He was naive enough to condemn the reparations. I say send the bastards to guantanamo bay or hell whether they are kenyans or not not. Did yu know they planned to assasinate the Queen during CHOGM in UG recently?

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  9. Tuchomeke hapa sote

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  10. Meanwhile, on the other hand top ODMers continue to travel freely while at the same time receiving high level audience with high ranking government officials in foreign countries.
    So, you have forgotten about Bwana Ruto. Why didn't he attend the planned retreat in London?

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  11. Chris, sensoring views in this blog will amount to you behaving like the people whom you deride very much--the Michukis et al who have censored freedom of speech!.
    It comes with the territory, you cannot have your cake and eat it.
    I find ODM being hypocritical about democracy and all...since they have whipped their MPs into submission...they cannot even go to parliament since ODM will kick them out of the party--reminds me of the days of KANU when the Okiki Omayo led disciplinarian organ would kick out errant members...but why should I be surprised? the rank and file of ODM include well known KANU stalwarts---Otieno Dalmas, Mudavadi, Chris Okemo, Dr.Sally Kosgei, Ntimama, Former Kanu Sec.General Raila Odinga, former Kanu VP Noah Kantana Ngala...same old, same old...VISA BAN? Its about TIME!.

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  12. Anon@2.17
    You have spoken the truth. The Jaluos will never rule anybody and anywhere . Jaluos are so naive that their god raila put a paid up advertisement in November to condem Kibaki for arrestinmg alqaeda militants who had fled somalia when Ethiopian forces kicked them out of Mogadishu. Remember Ethiopia was acting on instructions of the US. This fool called Raila went ahead to sign MOU's with muslims to create a sharia state called kenya.

    He can continue calling himself president untill he gets tired. There is no political crisis in kenya as long as thje security forces are under command on CIC. Kofi Anan will be coming to witness the crime of genocide committed in rift valley by Ruto's goons.

    The government should buy the land from the displaced people and settle them in safe areas in Nakuru, Laikipia & central Kenya. Then the nilotes can be left to fight amongst themselves. These warlike communities are so coward they only use their brawn not their brains. They fear competion, are lazy and are only good at cattle rustling. The pokots are now busy preparing to raid the marakwets again, soon it will be nandis against kipsigis.

    Joel Okemwa

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  13. There is no justification for blanket visa bans?

    The thief cannot be put in jail with the victim of theft?

    What would a ban on Raila do? It will be another slap on the face of aggrieved Kenyans who will feel victimized for seeking truth and justice.

    Just call a spade a spade and impose the visa ban on Kibaki and his government for openly stealing an election. All independent bodies local and international concur on that!

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  14. Joel Okemwa - your comments would sound a bit more mature if you'd left platitudes like 'Jaluos will never rule anybody and anywhere' out.

    By the way, did you know that Laikipia is claimed by the Maasai? They are pretty much fed up with all the farms there and I would not underestimate them. We never had problems and in fact our best friends are Maasai but I don't think it would be a good idea to declare Laikipia which already has far too little good granzing land as a 'safe area' to drop a mass of new Kikuyu settlers there. Remember that in the end it is just the last little straw that breaks the camels neck.

    There was already enough messing around with the pawns on the chess board. There have to be other ways to settle the problems.


    As for moderating the blog - I am fairly new here and even worse, one of those who do not like Raila Odinga. But I would hate to see the blog moderated. As someone mentioned above, it would smack of censorship.

    Then, what I do like here is that even when here and there a less delightful comment pops up, the over all tenor of this blog is very well mannered. I saw different things on the internet, just these days I've found a Kenyan forum that left me deeply disgusted with all the vitriol spewn around there.

    It is very good that in this blog people can still talk in a civilized manner, and the one or other slip here and there does not detract from it.

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  15. Then comes the Bigot Phil defending his favourite RAO. All the chaos in Kenya are his responsibility. PHil, style up.

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  16. Joel Okemwa just step out of your plastic shoes and use what lies in between your ears. Please stop reciting your upper primary civics here about nilotes and Bantus, we don't need it and find a better forum commensurate with your pea-sized brain. You speak of brawn and you superlatively measure to using the same in abunadance. Well you make the society complete and woe unto yourself for swimming in verbiage and your own vomit mistaking its warm for water. Common argue and stop shouting, style and grow up, won't you numskull?

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  17. Joel Okemwa, you are obviously angry at Kenyans for voting out you idol Nyachae. You should feel better that they voted out Biwott, TUJU, Moi's son's, Njenga Karume...POLE SANA! NO MORE FREE SANSAORA BREAD FOR YOU!

    Ban Visas for PNU thieves and families in this order: Kibaki, Wetangula, Tuju (ex-MP), kivuitu,... you must be wondering why i did not mention Michuki, Karua, Alfred Mutua? They don't need a visa to visit Somali, Tz & Ug (these are the only countries that can listen to the crap that comes out of the mouth of these characters...

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  18. VISA ban to the gov ministers and Kibaki would save the country.

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  19. Ruto cannot travel Phil. He is one of the few mentioned in grand corruption and Mandela calling raila is nothing. Kibaki has been ruling Keenya in the last few days without the messages. They can keep their messages and ODM can continue recieving their messages of support. Anyway, it make no difference. When stock run out at Marks and Spencer and Tesco in London, they will come crying. Tea pickers are back at work and the country is slowing begining to pick up.

    Economic sanctions? We only require 7% of our expenditure. the rest are collected within the country. We can cope. Another one?

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  20. Joel Okemwa ..Sounds nigerian to me!!! Dude wake up and stop being too emotional it does n't suit you or ur still angry that your sister was told "aende akamue Kibaki"

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  21. I have been following the hot air coming out of karuas and govt spokesman mutua(katoto) and would like to imagine what they would say if eminent africans like mandela would congratulate raila! That would really be funny to hear

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  22. Please moderate this blog. At a certain point in life humans outgrow tribalism and become level headed. There is nothing more valuable than life and when people loose it because of corruption it's not enough to make fun of it of be pin-headed. Surely you cant think one whole community is naive just because you speak a different lg. Kibaki and the government have failed to neither uphold democracy nor protect the citizens. It pains to read crap like (Okemwa's). It sounds like the words out of scrambled brains.

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  23. To say that we can survive without donor support underlines lack of any amount of understanding of how economies function! (annonymous) do you know it is more than foreign aid, it is tourists, it is healthcare, it is malaria prevention, aids programs. Btw 1990-1999 when we did not have foreign aid, see how kenya suffered. It was resumed in 1999 and we saw economic growth which people have attributed solely to kibaki governement without looking at the contributinf factors. Truth is Kenya does not need Mutua and Karua. They are worse than Kibaki or anyboy else. In fact Mutua sounds like the former Iraqi minister for broadcasting who could not admit that America had invaded when the invasion was in the gthird week.

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