Why some Kalenjin politicians are now fleeing UDA. Shocking | Kenya news

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Big Price of Uniting Political Foes

Current Kenyan political developments promise to help build political bridges and injure political and communal egos in equal measure. That ours is ethnic-based politics needs no gain saying. Accompanying this investment is the mandatory collateral to message the political egos of tribal lords.

Granted national peace is priceless and no effort must be spared to realize and sustain the same. Raila may be doing the most sensible thing in changing tact to sup with hitherto sworn political nemeses in the national interests with the wider picture as his guiding star. But before some political symbiosis takes place to have the same enthusiasm permeate to the numerous ethnic grassroots who supported him, his noble efforts may soon degenerate to disdain from the same masses who will promptly accuse him of betrayal.

Reconciling a nation still smelling embers of war is a kin to walking a political tight rope. True, you cannot please all the people all the time but time is of essence here to have all communities or at least most of their people on board. Hoping that they will eventually on their own see the need for peace through your lens without explicit explanations is to unwittingly inflame the same tensions the peace deal was designed to address.

Ticking time bomb
Kenya’s post election violence left individual communities with their own set apparatus for ‘self-defence’. Nothing has been officially done to dissuade these unofficial armies to disband. Instead some of them have transformed from rag tag vigilantes into potentially very destructive militia able to wage sustained skirmishes.

The present lull so far is premised on a satisfactory implementation of the peace deal. Our fate as a nation hangs on this fragile thread and shout fail, God forbid, trust of politicians to provide the much-need spark to the existing militia and the consequences are too grin to contemplate. This is not being an alarmist not a pessimist but our hope for sustained peace must be cognisant of the reality that Kenya is awash with militia waiting for the opportunity to be put to ‘good use’.

The only common threat joining politicians at the hip interest, nothing more. They do everything with their eyes singularly trained on votes. With out fractious ethnic voting blocks negotiating ourselves of the crisis can also be politically suicidal. The two principals in the present peace deal must redouble their efforts to rebrand Kenya as the ultimate trophy. But they must equally remain alive to the small dots that join to form final print.

Nobody is being a doomsayer here. Far from it because burying our heads in the sand of good news while conveniently ignoring explosive undercurrents is not only naive at best but to sit on a ticking time bomb at worst. Yes we want peace at WHATEVER COST but we must equally appreciate and remain a live to its ingredients.

16 comments:

  1. Our ethnic-based politics.

    The only cure for this disease is to change the constituition on parties.

    All parties participating in national elections (Parliament and Presidential) have to be real national parties. The officials and members have to be from at least 6 provinces. Moreover there has to be a barrier system. Only parties with at least 10% of all national votes should be allowed in to the parliament.

    This will remove the small tribal groupings like DP, ODM-Kenya, Ford-Kenya, Ford-P, etc which only serve the interest of their tribes. However they can field candidates in civic elections in their respective regions.

    This means that with such a system in practice a person like Kalonzo Musyoka would have had only one chance left: To become the mayor of Machakos. And indeed this is where he belongs. He is not a National leader but a tribal chief.

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  2. Don't worry Taabu. Kenyans are on high alert.

    People are keenly following the work of the various commissions and we will not rest until there is A NEW CONSTITUTION and LAND REFORMS.

    Then there is that matter of ECK being investigated by Judge Kriegler...

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  3. KUMEKUCHA??
    EVERYONE IS AWARE OF THIS?? MT. ELGON BEING ONE EXAMPLE OF MUNGIKI BEING USED MIXED WITH THE POLICE & MILITARY FORCES? GRUESOME THINGS THAT THEY ARE DOING AND TRYING TO POINT FIGURES AT THE SABOATS NOW!!
    MOST OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE WERE MOVED FROM MT. ELGON THEY WERE WARNED EARLIER ON THE GOVERNMENT PLAN

    ACTUALLY ALL EYES ARE ON NEXT WEEK ON WHAT DELAYS PNU MARTHA KARUA WILL COME UP WITH TO PASS THE BILLS IMMEDIATELY AND TO INSTALL THE PM
    THE OPPOSITION FUNCTIONS ARE NOT STUPID AS PNU MAY THINK- SO AFTER ALL MAYBE IT WILL END UP BEING CENTRAL LESOTHO??

    DID YOU LISTEN CAREFULLY TO RAILA'S SPEECH TO THE FARMERS THAT HE MET WITH THIS WEEKEND- GO LISTEN VERY CAREFUL -
    HE SAID THINGS WERE SO BAD AFTER THE ELECTIONS KENYANS WANTED TO DIVIDE THE COUNTRY INTO TWO THAT IS HOW BAD THINGS WERE - AND HE CONTINUED TO SAY THAT WE HAVE TO WORK HAD TO STOP THAT HAPPENING??
    WHY DID ID SAY IT THIS TIME??
    YOU THINK HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING IN MT. ELGON?? JUST BECAUSE KENYANS HAVE BEEN TOLD TO BE PATIENT AND WATCH WHAT CARD PNU IS GOING TO THROW ON THE TABLE NEXT!!

    ARMY?? I HAVE RELATIVE IN THE ARMY THE INFORMATION IS CHECK THE LIST ON WHO IS IN MT. ELGON!!from the army personal some with the advise and help of FORMER PRESIDENT MOI IS A PLAYER TOO IN THE MT. ELGON SAGA?? THE TRUTH WILL COME OUT THE GROUP OF HIS MEN THAT HE GAVE THE GOVERNMENT TO USE IN MT. ELGON!!REGION!! ( I'm glad that there is lots of independent pictures and video's on them while the army and police concentrate on media journalists beating them and destroying the pictures taken this is a good destruction while the locals have been used to do the job. that was genius if some of the journalists to think of using the locals

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  4. SO PNU ACTUALLY WILL BE SHOOTING IT SELF IN THE FOOT and will not have a leg to stand on- while Kenyans and international community are talking about the healing and reconciliation process- PNU WITH THE HELP OF THE ARMY AND POLICE ARE KILLING MORE KENYANS- BUT LET ME ASSURE YOU YET AGAIN!! IT WON'T BE A TIME BOMB! NOPE PEOPLE ARE WAITING AND WATCHING AND ARE READY IF AND WHEN THE SIGNAL IS GIVING.
    LOOK AT MUTHURUA'S TELEVISED SPEECH?? VERY PLANNED INDEED - BUT ODM ALREADY NEW ABOUT IT?? AND WERE ADVISED BY THE OTHER FOREIGN POWERS TO LET PNU SAYS IN AS PLANNED!!

    SERIOUS FOR WHAT I SEE -I'M NOT WORRIED KENYA WILL BE FINE SOON AND IT DOESN'T MATTER IF PNU WILL BE PART OF IT!!
    MANY IDEAS WE HERE THEY HAVE HEARD IN THE OFFING BY THE PNU HARDLINERS?? THEY HAVE TOUCHED EVEN MORE ASSASSINATIONS AND BLAME IT AGAIN ON MUNGIKI- BUT THAT WON'T WORK BECAUSE OF THE PNU MEMBERS WHO ARE ALSO MUNGIKI MEMBERS IT IS UNDERSTOOD MOST OF THIS MP'S TOOK THE OATHING AT NJENGA KARUME'S HOUSE!!

    WELL LIKE I SAID KENYANS ESPECIALLY ODM ARE NOT STUPID- THE KIKUYU'S SAID THEY WILL NEVER BE RULED BY A KIHII AND SOME CONVERSATIONS RECORDED OF SOME OF THE MEMBERS OF PNU AT SOME FUNCTIONS SAY EXACTLY THAT !!!
    AND THE HARDLINERS WILL NOT LET GO EASILY- SO NO TIME BOMB KUMEKUCHA!!
    WE ARE READY!!IF PNU DELAY THE BILLS IN PARLIAMENT NEXT WEEK AND PM'S OFFICE IS NOT MADE OFFICIAL NEXT WEEK THEN ALL THE PEOPLE KENYAN AND FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS WHO HAVE BEEN WATCHING CLOSELY WILL BE READY TO ACT!!

    I GUESS IT WILL CONFIRM KIBAKI HAS NO INTEREST OF GOVERNING AND HOPEFULLY HE WILL BE ABLE TO LIVE HIS RETIREMENT LIFE PEACEFULLY WITH HIS CHILDREN AND GRAND CHILDREN GIVEN THAT CHANCE!!WHO KNOWS WHEN A COUNTRY IS AT CIVIL WAR ?? NOBODY IS SAFE POOR OR RICH!

    MEANWHILE ALL KENYANS PRAY FOR PEACE AND LOOKING FOR THE HEALING PROCESS TO BEGIN.

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  5. kumekucha? i don't see a bomb shell word on the ground is kenyan are ready to deal with anyone one who derails the deal!! of course nobody was foolish enough to dis-arm before everything was settled in parliament - knowing kibaki and his record of not being trust worthy

    and let me caution Kenyans- some things PNU have been doing in some places have raised eye brows with the opposition and foreign governments - I'm told satellite intelligence gathering equipments are at work and are showing some horrific scenes in some parts of Kenya being done by Kenya personal under the government orders.
    not sure which area this is- but senior sources say foreign government say they won't let it continue-no repeat of-Sudan -dafur military that was the comment and the BILLS MUST SAIL THROUGH PARLIAMENT WITHOUT FAIL AND THE PM should be in office next week or else!! not sure what that stands for!!
    anyone with more information??

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  6. Porojo Na Ujanja: That is the motto and the meaning of PNU. They are not interested in Kenya.

    Looting, killing, grabbing and oppressing (circumcising) females. That is what Central Kenyans are after.

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  7. a dictionary, what is ths statement talking about in simple terms? quote
    "Granted national peace is priceless and no effort must be spared to realize and sustain the same. Raila may be doing the most sensible thing in changing tact to sup with hitherto sworn political nemeses in the national interests with the wider picture as his guiding star. But before some political symbiosis takes place to have the same enthusiasm permeate to the numerous ethnic grassroots who supported him, his noble efforts may soon degenerate to disdain from the same masses who will promptly accuse him of betrayal".

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  8. Quoting Kenyaone:

    'We should have a law that no MP can stand in province of his ethnic group and it should be made part of constitutional review'.

    Kenyaone I second you. And on top of that we should shorten their terms and set a limit on the number of terms one can serve. And they should campaign with just their CVs. Those of us who can decipher CVs shall explain to our mothers, grandmothers and other constituents who may not understand them.

    But then again my MP back home is as sharp and graduated as they come. Even my grandmother knows he went to univerthity. Lots of people, I included, prayed for the day he'd make it to parliament. He finally did manage and the first thing he ever did was to get himself a letter from the US and an order to write a little poem. I guess I've answered my own question.

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  9. taabu

    kenyans are very much more alive to current events and not as gullible as previously believed.

    the siasa of pata potea is not going to be tolerated. but having said that, we necessarily need to wait it out and see what the leadership is trying to achieve.

    certainly if there is no real power sharing, there will be massive fall outs and in this sense you are absolutely right, the potential for real chaos latently awaits.

    i would however hold up on any speculation and give at least end of next week. sadly thats what gives joy for those kazi iendelee types, but even judging from Kibakis speech at the funeral, the man was in a tight spot and this is a welcome relief for him.

    tnk

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  10. in case anyone is still wondering about why secession is not the best option

    please read

    http://www.kenyatimesonline.com/content.asp?catid=2&articleId=1949

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  11. Aha, Sasa mambo yana badilika...

    "Please don’t make such comments about Raila and Kibaki. We are now after what can improve the lives of Kenyans. Please let there be peace and people will start reaping the fruits of this coalition" a long-lost schoolmate wrote to me last week.

    Thank you, I wrote back...but look at it this way, the globetrotting, badmouthing, tribal divisions and the endless rhetoric has now been wasted effort.

    But look at it this way, I wrote, as a norm, Luo tribe (USED), John Githongo (USED), Willam Ruto and the Kales (USED), the Kenyan diasporic community (USED), the Maasai (USED), the Coastals (USED) and now, things are taking a totally different shape.

    But look at the things that happened prior to the elections, Githongo, the sacred crow who was supposed to be brought back to the country WILL NOT BE COMING ANY TIME SOON; Gilbert Deya will also be having a date with the Immigration soon after a reprieve occasioned by the violence in the country at the beginning of the year.

    William Ruto will not be the PM, 60,000 teaching jobs will not be created, there will never be a word (harsh) about Anglo Leasing (after all, the suspects are either ODM MPs or PNU MPs and some have even been seen wining and dining.

    Don’t pretend not to talk about it anyway, there is a massive military operation in Mt Elgon at the moment, and if it was before the elections, a section of the country's politicians could have made tens of trips into the area and spoken so ill about the government.

    As things stand, only KUMEKUCHA has stood up to speak about the operation which is illegal in the first place, manageable in the second place, and thirdly, a creation of the system. Yes, as things stand, army operations are usually not reported in the media, but not the extent where a whole village is led to squalor.

    It is rare in any place in this world for the army to use weapons on the citizens in the country if there is no state of war, but now, things have gone quiet so much that in its own illegality, tens are suffering; we are left wondering where reason prevails. Again, the UN charter notes that the country’s military cannot be called upon for such covert operations without the country’s supreme constitution making organ approving the use of military. Has there been an?

    Then, what is the use of the paramilitary, and this has been witnessed in other countries around the world, including in Northern Ireland, where a similar insurgence was quelled by the paras, not the army.

    Does it means that the area's politicians are agreeing because Raila signed a power-sharing deal with Mwai? Makosa!!!!

    Sasa, siasa Kenya yaelea, kweli, vimeundwa.

    -Derek-

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  12. Derek as usual you get it all wrong and spin your propaganda here on kumekucha!

    let me ask you a question?? since when has it become that what you see in the media is written in red ink??

    what exactly has Raila said that pits him against his ODM MEMBERS? isn't the fact that no one knows Raila's game plan and that he has held his cards close to his chest that you and the rest are trying to speculate hence writing unbelievable scenario's on kumekucha?? like kumekucha mentioned on here -words can be very effective- that used to be the so when the unrest started after the general elections results - but sad to say nowadays nobody takes blogs seriously anymore- even kumekucha- because of spin doctors like yourself.

    my suggestion to you is write facts -don't be a spin doctor on here!!
    secondly if you are in Nairobi Kenya and western,Rift,Nyanza. coast e.t.c then what you would be posting here would be the reality on ground like some of us here on the ground know- you are way off - but again - in today's world we do tend to have masters of doom spinning away- not caring what harm they cause-
    good luck- but kenya is on a good track- power-sharing is going to happen and after which all members of parliament will get to work with the kenya public eyes on every move they take!!

    so I hope this is not going to give you sleepless nights that your wish didn't of come to be

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  13. Anon, it is 19:39 where I am. Are you still nursing a hang-ove? Please read what I have written. I have not said that Raila Odinga is at war with any leader. There is no spin here! My friend, I have not said that Raila is up against his fellow Odinga Dictatorial Movement sycophants.

    You insinuate that I am spoinning PNU propaganda. I am not. For once, I have just said that all that was promised will not come to pass. Anyway, it was election time, so dont think of a river flowing of milk.

    I have simply taken note of events that have been taking place in the country. TAKE NOTE OF THE SEMANTICS.

    You talk like if you are lost, if not wandering about. You say that people dont know what Raila is thinking about. I want to tell you that raila is thinking about buying Safaricom shares that he once tried opposing in court, he is thinking of being sworn in next week and he is even thinking of whoim to back as his deputy prime minister. Is that what Raila is thinking? If yers, then, raila is thinking of a better opportunioty to work with the PNU 'gang of robbers' who were supposed to be swept aside by the December Polls so that Kazi Ianze sasa, but they were told NO, Kazi iendelee...

    Now that the man himself, has underlined KAZI IENDELEE, what do you think he is thinking.

    Thinking of CDF at 65%, No...the economy is in a very bad shape at the moment.

    I talked about the military operation in Mt Elgon/Trans Nzoia, is it bad to raise a voice against atrocities? Hapana! But then, no leader in the country has done that. If if was before the elections, the enteire ODM team of 100 MPs could have occupied acres of newspaper pages condemning the act as inhumna, and Maina Kiai's voice could be running hoarse.

    sasa, you remain on the ground and come to terms that Raila has been pocketed, and he has equally sold his ODM hook, line and sinker to Mwai Kibaki's antics and now, things will happen as people want them. Another point, Kibaki's ministers are usually independent and do their jobs without interference, so Raila will not have the sweeping powers of overturning a decision by Amos Kimunya to off-load Safariocom from Government's control.

    If you are still on the ground, pole...Raila's plane took off on February 28 and now, things are taking a different shape. Soon, it will be approaching jet-cruise speed while you are daydreaming on the ground.

    -Derek-

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  14. Psychic or e-mind readers? Mmhh

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  15. DOnt pretend that you can read Raila's mind.....So just stop speculating? Watch the space....

    Anon 12:00pm you are on the spot there there abt Derro(the PNU spin doctor)...You have just hit the nail on the head....Atagonja

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  16. The ticking time bomb will not be about ODM or PNU no ! It will be how to contain the militia's that have been formed. Remember that most members are young men who are jobless and when Raila, Ruto and other ODM officials start "eating" together with MK, KM and Karua, these young men wont kula. They will resort to the next option or mode of survival. You can first bet that some of them will never return the guns and ammo they acquired but were not used. So robbery with violence will rise to alarming levels. U will hear everyday on the news, a m3 was kidnapped and all passengers were robbed, raped and killed. Other stories like the ones going on in Laikipia will increase where some pastoral communities will continue passing their thousands of cattle on farms and in the process shooting anyone who prevents them from doing so. Cattle rustling will increase and violent crimes will reach alarming levels. By the way, this will all happen b4 the yr ends. The common mwananchi will continue to suffer but the top goons will continue to "kula" kama kawaida.

    At the moment we all know that Saitoti is the minister of internal security, it's a ministry he is not comfortable with and I have a strong feeling, Kibz will "transfer" him to another ministry and on "advise" from Raila, he will give it to an ODM MP. This way, he will try and shift blame from the PNU side when things get hot as they will. Let's wait and see what will happen btwn now and Dec 31.

    My two cents.

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