This is one of the pages on the Waki Report that will jolt any hardened soul...
Are we still talking about amnesty?
MY NEIGHBOURS - THEY RAPED ME...
On the first of January 2008 we were still fearful. On that day, we were not open for business.
I worked at the Eldama Ravine shopping centre at Mama Faith's Shop. We owned the shop. It was just next to my house - they are joined together. But I stayed home that day because I was scared. We left the shop locked up.
At about 3pm that day, people came to my home. At the time there was only my husband and I at home. My children had gone to visit their grandparents in Nyandarua. There were more than ten people who came. They were all men. They were dressed in coats and they had smeared mud on their faces so you could not recognize them. The mud was different colors on their faces - white back and red in spots - patches all over their faces. They were armed. They had arrows, pangas and rungus.
The first I knew they were there was when I heard talking and noises outside. They were speaking in Kalenjin.
They said "we have come to finish you." The door was not locked so they just came inside. My husband and I were in the sitting room. We were sitting down but stood up as soon as the men walked in. When they came in I began to plead with them because of what I had heard them say. I asked them why they were doing this when we had lived with them. They ordered me to shut up and said that the Kikuyu had migrated to the area and taken up their (the Kalenjin's) property. They asked me to be quiet or they were going to kill me. So I just kept quiet then.
That is when they started attacking my husband. They began cutting him with pangas and pierced him with arrows. My husband he did not go without a fight, the men, they struggled to keep him to the ground. They crowded him - ten of them against him... they attacked him. I was scared.
With a panga they sliced his neck, and he fell to the ground. It was a serious blow. As if that was not enough, that he was lying on the ground, they cut up his body into little pieces.
After they cut up my husband, but before he died, one of the men came towards me and asked me what I wanted to be done to me. I asked them not to kill me.
One said "we need to know what she is like, now that she never talks to us". There was another group of men who were looting my shop. I could see them from the door - it was still open. They were going past carrying property from my shop: sugar, cooking fat and other goods.
I was wearing trousers with buttons at the waist. The men tore at my trousers trying to get them open and the buttons came off. There were about four of them there doing this to me at that time.
They lifted me up and put me on the ground. They were arguing amongst themselves who was going to be the first.
Then one said that if I escaped from the knife and arrows, I would die of AIDS. Some of them held my legs and some held my hands while they raped me. When this was happening my husband and I were both still in the sitting room, but by now I was not watching my husband but pleading my own case.
The last time I had looked at him, it was like he was dead. He wasn't moving.
One man raped me and then the second one and the third. They put their penises in my vagina. It was either the second or the third man who said they were not able to get inside me: so they cut me.
I think it was the panga they were carrying that they used. They cut my vagina. As they raped me I thought about my children. I remember that when I had my children, my doctor had told me that I had a narrow opening. So both my children were born by cesarean.
They continued raping me. It was when the fourth man was raping me that I went unconscious.I next remember - and it is vague - that a Kalenjin friend of ours called Joseph was there and he was pleading with the men. He was asking them for him to be allowed to take the body of my husband and take me to hospital. The men started quarreling with him and told him that he was in partnership with us. They threatened to kill him.
Using street theatre to sell products in East Africa (scroll down to see Churchill live himself)
New DVD releases, Nairobi, Kenya
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Tanzania should be “Sent Packing”
It is disheartening that Tanzania does not share in the other EAC countries’ desire to fast-track East Africa’s regional integration. This has come out very clearly in their unwillingness to act on decisions that have already been agreed on.
This dilly-dallying and “wariness” exhibited by Tanzania leaves more questions than answers. Will the East Africa Federation ever see the light of day with Tanzania in the picture? Is there the political will, on the Tanzania side, to see this dream (dream really! Whose dream?) come to fruition?
I read a certain article by Tom Mshindi sometime this week that says something to the effect that Tanzania’s self-interest must not derail integration.
I reproduce some sections of the said article to help us reflect even better on this issue.
1. “IT IS A GOOD THING THAT in Zanzibar last week, Tanzania finally came clean on its opposition to the desire to fast-track East Africa’s regional integration. Its position liberates the other four states from the burden of collegiality and allows them to pursue faster integration without the distraction of a partner that is clearly unwilling to commit to either a plan of action or key principles.”
2. “…Tanzania has decided to backtrack on decisions agreed by the Council of Ministers and now wants to renegotiate them.”
3. “This is what the Zanzibar meeting was intended to do, only for the Tanzania delegation to demur and submit instead that the pace should be slower.”
4. “On the contrary, there are numerous tales of frustration and distress that Kenyan companies in particular have to put up with when seeking work permits for staff who work in Tanzania.”
This brings to mind the issue of the Nation Media Company employees who were denied work permits but instead were ordered out of Tanzania some three years ago. They were declared prohibited immigrants. Prohibited immigrants?! Surely!
I honestly think that we should forget about Tanzania and go on with the fast tracking of the East Africa Federation without them. I believe this will be for the good of our people. The remaining four East African countries – Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi – will make East Africa an economic power house.
I like people of action (and vision) like Presidents Kagame (Rwanda) and Museveni (Uganda). Even before Rwanda was officially allowed into the East Africa Community, President Kagame made a very profound statement that astounded many. He said that professionals from Eastern African countries would not require work permits to take jobs in Rwanda.
As a bottom-line:
Genuine willingness to submit to the protocol is of the essence. Tanzania should not be arm twisted into committing to anything it is not ready to stand for.
* Tanzania’s self-interest must not derail integration
* Tanzania “importing” Albino body parts? – This is insane!
Get shocked discovering the 10 Most honest cities in the world
DVD movies, free delivery
This dilly-dallying and “wariness” exhibited by Tanzania leaves more questions than answers. Will the East Africa Federation ever see the light of day with Tanzania in the picture? Is there the political will, on the Tanzania side, to see this dream (dream really! Whose dream?) come to fruition?
I read a certain article by Tom Mshindi sometime this week that says something to the effect that Tanzania’s self-interest must not derail integration.
I reproduce some sections of the said article to help us reflect even better on this issue.
1. “IT IS A GOOD THING THAT in Zanzibar last week, Tanzania finally came clean on its opposition to the desire to fast-track East Africa’s regional integration. Its position liberates the other four states from the burden of collegiality and allows them to pursue faster integration without the distraction of a partner that is clearly unwilling to commit to either a plan of action or key principles.”
2. “…Tanzania has decided to backtrack on decisions agreed by the Council of Ministers and now wants to renegotiate them.”
3. “This is what the Zanzibar meeting was intended to do, only for the Tanzania delegation to demur and submit instead that the pace should be slower.”
4. “On the contrary, there are numerous tales of frustration and distress that Kenyan companies in particular have to put up with when seeking work permits for staff who work in Tanzania.”
This brings to mind the issue of the Nation Media Company employees who were denied work permits but instead were ordered out of Tanzania some three years ago. They were declared prohibited immigrants. Prohibited immigrants?! Surely!
I honestly think that we should forget about Tanzania and go on with the fast tracking of the East Africa Federation without them. I believe this will be for the good of our people. The remaining four East African countries – Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi – will make East Africa an economic power house.
I like people of action (and vision) like Presidents Kagame (Rwanda) and Museveni (Uganda). Even before Rwanda was officially allowed into the East Africa Community, President Kagame made a very profound statement that astounded many. He said that professionals from Eastern African countries would not require work permits to take jobs in Rwanda.
As a bottom-line:
Genuine willingness to submit to the protocol is of the essence. Tanzania should not be arm twisted into committing to anything it is not ready to stand for.
* Tanzania’s self-interest must not derail integration
* Tanzania “importing” Albino body parts? – This is insane!
Get shocked discovering the 10 Most honest cities in the world
DVD movies, free delivery
Friday, November 21, 2008
A Call to re-Engage the Electorate in Kenya
Guest post By Barry. O
There is something that has to be said about Kumekucha, whether you agree or disagree with bloggers on the site it truly is a great forum for debate and discussion. With that said, there are a number of issues that I have been waiting to discuss here but was mainly waiting to see if history would be with the election of Barrack Obama. Now that history has been made there are a few things that I took from the recent US election that I feel would greatly benefit the electorate in Kenya and indeed the country as well.
For the most part it still seems as though most Kenyans support leaders based on two main characteristics: tribe and personality. Going by the looks of things this has not augured well for Kenya. If I am a member of the Kikuyu community without ties to any powerful leader be it politician or businessman/woman, how has having a Kikuyu president benefited me? Have my living standards improved, does my family have better access to education and healthcare? The community where I live, is it now safer or do I feel more secure now that one of my “own” is in state house? What about employment are my chances of employment significantly better now that one of my “own” is in power? This is not to single out the Kikuyu people as the same question can be posed to members of the Kalenjin community or hypothetically by any other community that should happen to have one of their “own” ended up in state house. If the answers to the above questions are yes, then I must ask if you are content to succeed amongst those who suffer largely through not fault of their own but because one their “own” is not in power knowing full well that in the next election your circumstances could end up in the opposite direction(unless you manage to have your guy in power for 24 yrs!)? If you are someone who prefers a leader who all KENYANS can call “OURS” then let me suggest a few things.
One thing that I took a way from the US elections was that each candidate, whether it was Mc Cain, Clinton, Obama, Romney or even Palin had a record that could be identified, analyzed and evaluated against another. A great portion of this information was PUBLIC, that is to say that even a high school student with a keen knowledge for politics could go online or to the library and look up how each candidate voted on important issues or if the candidate voted at all. Most importantly perhaps, is that each candidate has a fairly identifiable ideology, be it conservative, liberal , moderate, republican or democrat. In Kenya we seem to just have parties and rhetoric. I can recall a few months ago before we were consumed by the waki report, a comment by Kiraitu where he said he and Raila had no differences just different ideologies. I asked myself what are those ideologies? Are they self evident, and perhaps I was just too blind to identify them? Back to US election analysis, because US politicians know that a record is important as well as having a message that resonates with the people it is extremely rare you find a candidate come from obscurity to make a bid to run for the Presidency. The reason for this is because the American voter has no record to evaluate that candidate, and if your record is without substance and thin, like say Sarah Palin your fate is quite often sealed the moment you announce you are running. We Kenyans need to be the kind of electorate that looks beyond rhetoric, let us know which MPs refused to be taxed, If the Waki report is brought to parliament let us know who voted for its implementation who did not and why who is alleged to have done what and why, who was not mentioned and why. Let those who wish to run for the Presidency explain to us how they have voted in parliament on other sensitive issues of the past, then we can have something to consider, evaluate and vote for or against.
When ODM was clamouring for Majimbo I really wish they had chosen another term, something simple like devolution of power or de-centralization. Kenyans would be much better off. In my eyes devolution would make becoming an MP that much harder. Councillors and local government would be strengthened and have more power to address local issues and based on how people performed in these roles would be a good indicator as to how they would perform as MPs or even President because now there would be an identifiable RECORD for voters to examine. Devolution would not mean each province would govern itself exclusively, there would be some room for Provincial authority but this would be subjected to the supreme laws of the Republic. Devolution would not mean the exclusion of certain communities in different provinces on the contrary each and every KENYAN could live where they pleased and own land by RIGHT. What it would mean perhaps, is that certain towns may determine through referendum that for example night clubs close by a certain time, schools in certain towns may determine which languages teachers are allowed to teach in and other unique laws provided that they were not discriminatory against any one community or tribe. I think if we had this in Kenya the electorate would no longer be held captive by tribal leaders who drive around Nairobi in expensive cars and lavish houses and only come home to visit or to ask for votes!
In closing I want to add my two cents to this whole Waki Report debate. As many people have commented and indeed witnessed, the post election violence of 2007 was one of the darkest days in Kenyan history and for us to act like we can just wish it away is not only immoral and foolish it is extremely insensitive to the innocent families who were victims and lost loved ones. I join Raila, Martha Karua, Mudavadi, Orengo, Kilonzo, Uhuru and others who have called for the full implementation for the report. I like many others Kenyans voted for ODM and even when the controversial if not fraudulent results were announced I saluted the call for MASS ACTION by Raila Odinga and others. Peaceful demonstrations should never be banned and disrupted in the violent manner in which they were by the police. At no time can I remember Raila or any other ODM member call for MASS VIOLENCE. I do not recall Raila calling for the forcible evacuation of Kikuyus or Kisiis. So if you fought for Raila and ODM, I am assuming you fought against election fraud and the POLICE who used live bullets, if the calls for MASS ACTION were misinterpreted than I think Raila should apologize for those who misinterpreted him and nothing else as far as MASS ACTION goes in response to the fraudulent election. If there is evidence that shows Raila incited violence by suggesting certain communities be evacuated from certain areas, than I would hope to see Raila and other names amongst those on Waki List. Even in Kenya you are innocent until proven guilty and given the fact that our MPs have the resources to hire the best lawyers in the land, proving their innocence in a Kenyan tribunal would be elementary compared to having to go before the ICC. By coming out and dismissing a report that has only made suggestions you make yourself seem as if you have something to hide in the court of public opinion. As to those threatening to quit parties over INDIVIDUAL stands taken on the report I would recommend that those people fight from within their parties as it is for the party’s ideals and philosophy that you are a member in the first place or is it the individual? I hope my ramblings have not stirred up too much and I have tried to be as non-partisan as possible I look forward to feedback positive and negative.
How Moi used music to rule Kenya for 24 years
Free delivery DVD movies
There is something that has to be said about Kumekucha, whether you agree or disagree with bloggers on the site it truly is a great forum for debate and discussion. With that said, there are a number of issues that I have been waiting to discuss here but was mainly waiting to see if history would be with the election of Barrack Obama. Now that history has been made there are a few things that I took from the recent US election that I feel would greatly benefit the electorate in Kenya and indeed the country as well.
For the most part it still seems as though most Kenyans support leaders based on two main characteristics: tribe and personality. Going by the looks of things this has not augured well for Kenya. If I am a member of the Kikuyu community without ties to any powerful leader be it politician or businessman/woman, how has having a Kikuyu president benefited me? Have my living standards improved, does my family have better access to education and healthcare? The community where I live, is it now safer or do I feel more secure now that one of my “own” is in state house? What about employment are my chances of employment significantly better now that one of my “own” is in power? This is not to single out the Kikuyu people as the same question can be posed to members of the Kalenjin community or hypothetically by any other community that should happen to have one of their “own” ended up in state house. If the answers to the above questions are yes, then I must ask if you are content to succeed amongst those who suffer largely through not fault of their own but because one their “own” is not in power knowing full well that in the next election your circumstances could end up in the opposite direction(unless you manage to have your guy in power for 24 yrs!)? If you are someone who prefers a leader who all KENYANS can call “OURS” then let me suggest a few things.
One thing that I took a way from the US elections was that each candidate, whether it was Mc Cain, Clinton, Obama, Romney or even Palin had a record that could be identified, analyzed and evaluated against another. A great portion of this information was PUBLIC, that is to say that even a high school student with a keen knowledge for politics could go online or to the library and look up how each candidate voted on important issues or if the candidate voted at all. Most importantly perhaps, is that each candidate has a fairly identifiable ideology, be it conservative, liberal , moderate, republican or democrat. In Kenya we seem to just have parties and rhetoric. I can recall a few months ago before we were consumed by the waki report, a comment by Kiraitu where he said he and Raila had no differences just different ideologies. I asked myself what are those ideologies? Are they self evident, and perhaps I was just too blind to identify them? Back to US election analysis, because US politicians know that a record is important as well as having a message that resonates with the people it is extremely rare you find a candidate come from obscurity to make a bid to run for the Presidency. The reason for this is because the American voter has no record to evaluate that candidate, and if your record is without substance and thin, like say Sarah Palin your fate is quite often sealed the moment you announce you are running. We Kenyans need to be the kind of electorate that looks beyond rhetoric, let us know which MPs refused to be taxed, If the Waki report is brought to parliament let us know who voted for its implementation who did not and why who is alleged to have done what and why, who was not mentioned and why. Let those who wish to run for the Presidency explain to us how they have voted in parliament on other sensitive issues of the past, then we can have something to consider, evaluate and vote for or against.
When ODM was clamouring for Majimbo I really wish they had chosen another term, something simple like devolution of power or de-centralization. Kenyans would be much better off. In my eyes devolution would make becoming an MP that much harder. Councillors and local government would be strengthened and have more power to address local issues and based on how people performed in these roles would be a good indicator as to how they would perform as MPs or even President because now there would be an identifiable RECORD for voters to examine. Devolution would not mean each province would govern itself exclusively, there would be some room for Provincial authority but this would be subjected to the supreme laws of the Republic. Devolution would not mean the exclusion of certain communities in different provinces on the contrary each and every KENYAN could live where they pleased and own land by RIGHT. What it would mean perhaps, is that certain towns may determine through referendum that for example night clubs close by a certain time, schools in certain towns may determine which languages teachers are allowed to teach in and other unique laws provided that they were not discriminatory against any one community or tribe. I think if we had this in Kenya the electorate would no longer be held captive by tribal leaders who drive around Nairobi in expensive cars and lavish houses and only come home to visit or to ask for votes!
In closing I want to add my two cents to this whole Waki Report debate. As many people have commented and indeed witnessed, the post election violence of 2007 was one of the darkest days in Kenyan history and for us to act like we can just wish it away is not only immoral and foolish it is extremely insensitive to the innocent families who were victims and lost loved ones. I join Raila, Martha Karua, Mudavadi, Orengo, Kilonzo, Uhuru and others who have called for the full implementation for the report. I like many others Kenyans voted for ODM and even when the controversial if not fraudulent results were announced I saluted the call for MASS ACTION by Raila Odinga and others. Peaceful demonstrations should never be banned and disrupted in the violent manner in which they were by the police. At no time can I remember Raila or any other ODM member call for MASS VIOLENCE. I do not recall Raila calling for the forcible evacuation of Kikuyus or Kisiis. So if you fought for Raila and ODM, I am assuming you fought against election fraud and the POLICE who used live bullets, if the calls for MASS ACTION were misinterpreted than I think Raila should apologize for those who misinterpreted him and nothing else as far as MASS ACTION goes in response to the fraudulent election. If there is evidence that shows Raila incited violence by suggesting certain communities be evacuated from certain areas, than I would hope to see Raila and other names amongst those on Waki List. Even in Kenya you are innocent until proven guilty and given the fact that our MPs have the resources to hire the best lawyers in the land, proving their innocence in a Kenyan tribunal would be elementary compared to having to go before the ICC. By coming out and dismissing a report that has only made suggestions you make yourself seem as if you have something to hide in the court of public opinion. As to those threatening to quit parties over INDIVIDUAL stands taken on the report I would recommend that those people fight from within their parties as it is for the party’s ideals and philosophy that you are a member in the first place or is it the individual? I hope my ramblings have not stirred up too much and I have tried to be as non-partisan as possible I look forward to feedback positive and negative.
How Moi used music to rule Kenya for 24 years
Free delivery DVD movies
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Why Kibaki and Raila Should Lead the Hague Trail Suspects
The on-going debate on the dreaded Waki List lacks any serious substance. Every politician who shoots his mouth to contribute to the debate are defending themselves (the listed names are still top secret but the guilty ones are already afraid), defending their kinsmen/community or trying to circumvent the truth. These are the fruits of our collective worshiping of our tribes and failing to reason with our heads.
The stinking debate on the Waki List shows that Kenyans never learnt a single lesson from the bloodbath we witnessed early in the year. It is either we are all foolish like the proverbial warthog, which escapes from the jaws of a charging lion once and immediately forgets the looming danger and stops to continue eating grass. The lion’s second attempt is often successful and tragic. If we sit on our brains, we will all sink in this country which we all falsely believed was an island of peace! We thought what our neighbours were going through was a Rambo movie.
When will Kenyans rise above tribes and reason rationally? If Kenyans will refuse to see no evil or hear no evil in their quest to adore their tribe and blindly defend their tribesmen and women implicated in serious criminal acts, then what is happening in DRC today could soon happen in Kenya but on a bigger scale to make the Congo war look like child’s play.
What is amazing is that every time a politician urinates on the law (committing crimes against humanity or being involved in theft of our taxes – which they have stubbornly refused to pay) they rush back to their community shouting their tribe is being finished. Yet, the loot they stole is not shared amongst the tribes but amongst their own wives, children and the lucky concubines. Yet, the community – wallowing in abject poverty – often end up being fooled by the politicians and take the frontline in defending “our own” politician.
Some are even ready to bite the bullet on behalf of their greedy and well-fed politician and yet they themselves have difficulties putting a decent meal on their table. When the politicians manage to hoodwink their tribes they are being finished, the law is often bent to favour the politicians who get away with the crimes and the cycle of the culture of impunity, stealing, theft, corruption and murder continues. Who suffers? Who becomes more and more impoverished? Definitely not the fat-bellied politicians and the “duly” elected president. In all the African countries which have been gripped by turmoil, their leaders often flee to safe havens in other countries and leave the foolish subjects slaughtering each other.
Let’s face the truth. Anyone who was in Kenya in the past three years know the truth of what triggered the violence after the December polls – but we have all sat on our brains due to the stupid loyalty we have for our tribes (read stupid politicians). We never use our brains but prefer to sit back and allow politicians to think for us. And we blindly swallow any rubbish and crap they vomit to our ears without questioning it.
Before the elections were held, the country was so charged – torn between communities supporting OMD and PNU. Anyone wise enough knew this was a recipe for chaos and it was a bomb waiting to explode. Before the election was held, ODM started crying foul that PNU were planning to rig elections. ODM leaders, led by Raila himself, made toured the country making inciting remarks against tribes that were perceived to be supporting Kibaki and his PNU. This heightened tensions in Kenya. And we all sat there cheering our politicians as they armed themselves with their razor-sharp tongues tearing our country into pieces. Already ODM had declared they would not recognise a Kibaki win long before the elections were held? This meant that only an ODM win was a genuine win. Why then go to the polls if you already knew the outcome of how Kenyans were to vote? African elections are never won depending on which side you support. They are rigged.
The election was held. All leading media houses, state-owned KBC included, had figures from the grassroots showing Raila was leading Kibaki throughout. On the 3rd day of counting votes, a MAGIC happened and all the media houses simultaneously removed the figures they were showing us on their TV screens and used ECK figures which showed Kibaki had miraculously overtaken Raila. A few hours later, Kibaki was hurriedly declared winner and sworn in like a thief at the lawns of State House as darkness fast approached. If Kibaki knew he had won fairly, why the haste to be sworn in at night in the GSU protected confines of State House? If he was the people’s president and he had won the popular vote, why not wait to be sworn in the following day at Uhuru Park like it happened in 2002? Surely, a president who has won a popular vote should give a chance to people who voted for him and his opponents to share his glory!
ODM queried the “huge” turn out of voters in parts of Central province. Maragwa constituency, for instance, recorded 115% voter turn out! Only God knows how the voters who cast their ballots could be more than the registered voters. In their defence, PNU accused ODM of electoral malpractices in their strongholds on the voting day. Some constituencies in ODM strongholds in Rift Valley and Nyanza recorded 98% turn out. It was alleged the poll officials and ODM agents voted for the voters who were dead or who failed to turn up. The same claims was made after ODM won the Referendum vote. But how can an Opposition steal votes where there is a functional Government in place? Only in a country where the “duly” elected president is Emilio Mwai Kibaki!
After the “duly” elected Kibaki was sworn in, Raila and other ODM leaders called for mass action and mobilised their communities against communities perceived to have voted for Kibaki. The slaughter of innocent Kenyans began as the “duly” elected president retreated into his preferred cocoon of State House and heard no evil and saw no evil as the country burnt and Kenyans swarm in their own blood.
When they saw Kibaki was not going to yield, ODM cried to the international community and Mr Koffi Annan was dispatched to Kenya to mediate. In fact, Mr Annan was the choice of Raila and ODM leaders. Kibaki and his PNU were reluctant to have international mediators claiming Kenyans were mature enough to solve their own problems. Due to the international pressure, Kibaki and his allies backed down and agreed to meet the Raila team at the negotiating table.
Backed by the international community, Raila pushed the “duly” elected president to the wall and he reluctantly agreed to share power (on 50/50 basis? That’s an illusion) and the slaughter of innocent Kenyans eased off. At the time, Raila and his ODM and communities which supported them were full of praises to Mr Annan, Ambassadors Michael Ranneberger (US) and Walter Lindner (Germany) and all foreign countries that backed the meditation.
Both the Waki and Kriegler commissions of inquiry were the product of the Koffi Annan-led mediation talks. The power-sharing pact signed by Kibaki and Raila endorsed the two commissions and everything else they agreed upon. Both PNU and ODM were bound by the signatures of Kibaki and Raila. Nobody in both PNU and ODM rejected the pact or the subsequent commissions.
When the Kriegler report was unveiled, ODM hurriedly endorsed it and called for the speedy disbandment of ECK, which was criticised by the commission for the poor manner it handled the elections. On the other side, PNU led by Kibaki were urging caution in disbanding ECK. Why? The likes of Martha Karua and Kibaki were against ECK during Moi’s reign. Kibaki’s contempt for competitive democracy was evident when he trashed the gentleman’s IPPG agreement of 1997 and single-handedly picked commissioner to oversee the 2007 polls. Why the sudden change of heart? Did Kibaki and Martha Karua know something the rest of us didn’t know? Why not implement the Kriegler report recommendations, which Kibaki had committed himself on paper to support? Were Kibaki and Karua returning a certain favour to the ECK the rest of us don’t know?
The Kriegler report did not mention any politician. Apart from Kibaki and Karua who were urging caution on the implementation (due to the favour they were returning to the ECK), the Kriegler report is a 100% safe document to any politician and that is why the likes of William Ruto were shouting from the rooftop for the speedy implementation of the report. The Kriegler report did not create any dust since ECK commissioners are not politicians and Kenyans care little if their careers were sacrificed. But should they have been politicians, the story would be our tribe is being finished!
To understand the hypocracy of our politicians, the debate on the Waki report is the complete opposite of the Kriegler report. Why? Because the Waki report identified politicians who financed/contributed to the slaughter of innocent Kenyans! Although nobody knows the names that were handed over to Koffi Annan by Judge Waki in a sealed envelope, the guilt in our politicians has given them sleepless nights and they have retreated to their tribal cocoons to mobilise their community for support in the most likely event that their names are in the envelope. Unlike before when Ruto frequently appeared on TV in his office or in the field talking agriculture, his face is today on TV in all manner of public barazas in his backyard trashing the Waki report! Why is he so jittery that he can’t wait for the names to be made public? Does he know something the rest of us don’t have a clue?
Just to veer off the debate, why did Ruto get all his wealth? Where was he employed after university? How did he make all his money if he was never employed like the rest of us and we don’t have so much money? Have Kenyans forgotten the YK92, Moi’s machine that looted state coffers to fund Kanu during 1992 polls under Ruto and Jirongo? Isn’t Ruto an accused in court for grabbing a forest land in Ngong Forest and selling it to KPLC at inflated prices? Yet Ruto and Jirongo appear on our TVs lecturing us on how we have been made more poor by others (not seeing themselves first)! One feels like puking when we listen to all the lies on TV and digest them like the gospel according to St Luke.
Mr Ruto’s stand on the two reports clearly illustrates the hypocracy of our politicians. Mr Ruto was very vocal that the Kriegler report should be implemented 100% and even told ECK chiefs, led by Mr Kivuitu, they should not wait to be shown the door but should resign immediately if they had any little conscience remaining in them. The Kriegler report was sweet music to Mr Ruto and his ODM. But the Waki report turns out to be a bitter pill for Mr Ruto and a section of ODM and they want it trashed. Why? They suspect their names are in the sealed envelope!
Initially, Kibaki was categorical that any killer/mastermind of the post-election violence should not expect any mercy from Kenyans. On the other hand, Raila and his group were demanding total amnesty for the suspects. That was around June. Today, Kibaki and Raila have swapped positions. Kibaki is calling for forgiveness – suggesting we sweep the Waki report under the carpet and not even place it on the shelves to gather dust! Why the sudden change of heart? Is his inner conscience being pricked by some guilt? And Raila is now calling for the total implementation of the Waki report. Kibaki and Raila both expressed their opposing views on the same platform. Who is fooling who here? Aren’t Kenyans being taken round some circus they don’t know anything about?
Let’s face the truth Kenyans. If the post-election violence was the work of small timers and villagers like most of us, those involved would have been ruthlessly hunted down and those who were luck to escape Maj Gen Ali’s live bullets would be languishing in jail not knowing what hit them. Our jails are bursting to the brims due to congestion. Who have filled the jails? Isn’t it small time crooks? And where are the big time crooks who have milked us dry and made us to slaughter each other and swim in our blood? Aren’t they the ones we vote into leadership and Parliament because they have a lot of money to bribe our conscience – with the same money they have looted from us? Kenyan parliament is full of thieves and murderers. The crooks in Parliament have committed crimes that are collectively bigger than all the crimes committed in the people languishing in jails. Yet, the MPs are walking free with their fat bellies while the wanyonge are languishing in the prisons! Why don’t Kenyans see this when politicians rush to them seeking protection from their tribes?
If post-election violence was the work of the small fish, there would have been no need to form the Waki and Kriegler commissions. The small timers would have tasted the full force of the law on the same day they committed the crimes. The BIG BOYS in Kenya are untouchable and we have to form commissions to investigate what is common knowledge to us. This is a tactic to buy time to give the BIG BOYS a soft landing. When did we ever hear of a commission of inquiry to investigate cries of the wanyonge and the down-trodden? When did we ever hear calls to FORGIVE the wanyonge and the down-trodden? When did we ever hear DIALOGUE being encouraged to determine the fate of the wanyonge and the down-trodden?
If Kenyans want the culture of impunity to end in this country, then we must take hard decisions and tough choices. Anyone who contributed to the post-election violence – either by stealing votes or calling on Kenyans to fight – should carry their own cross regardless of their tribe. Let’s all forget our tribes if we all want to secure a good future for our children and future generations. The post-election violence was directly triggered by both Kibaki and Raila and they must lead the pack going to Hague for trial. That is the surest way to end the culture of impunity and re-unite our country. Why take foot soldiers to Hague and leave out the two masterminds of the violence? Kibaki and Raila diehard supporters can frown over that but the truth is always a bitter pill to swallow. While you are wallowing in poverty and paying huge taxes, Kibaki and Raila don’t know of your sufferings. Think outside the box before you hurl insults for telling the truth.
Kenyans should vehemently demand that no tribunal should be formed in Kenya. All killers and masterminds of the post-election should be frog-marched to Hague which is neutral. If the trials are held here, we will start looking at the tribe of the judge, prosecutors versus who is on trial. Due to our polluted minds, the outcome of the trial will be measured in our minds on the basis of tribe of the judge and the accused. Why are both PNU and ODM against the Hague trial? Because they know they can use their money and influence to have a trail that is favourable to them? They want the Waki List tabled in Parliament so that they trash it like the List of Shame they trashed in the 8th Parliament, which had listed MPs who had stolen public land.
As I have stated above, the Waki commission was the product of Koffi Annan mediation talks which were backed by the international community. The European Union and the US paid bills for the Annan team. ODM knew this all along. Kenya did not pay a cent for their upkeep and allowances. By then, Koffi Annan and European Union and the US were regarded as God-sent angels in ODM ranks because they had forced the Kibaki mountain to move to the negation table.
After the Waki report was out, ODM brigade now shouts from the rooftop they don’t want the Waki report and that the international community has no business lecturing to Kenyans on how to conduct their affairs! Good Lord! Why was it in order in January for the international community lecture to Kenyans on how to conduct their affairs? Koffi Annan did not have any business coming to Kenya in January if he was not invited by ODM. This is why ODM’s latest twist in the Waki debate stinks. ODM wants local trial of suspects.
In Dec, ODM called Kenyans to revolt against the “duly” elected president and told us they would not challenge his election in court because they did not have faith in Kenya’s judicial system. What reforms have taken place in the judiciary since then to make Ruto and other ODM leaders have faith in our courts? Isn’t it hypocritical? ODM’s invite of Koffi Annan and the international community is like a person who sharpens a knife not knowing it will end up cutting him afterwards.
ODM and all the others should face the international knife which we sharpened together because we cannot manage our elections and the best way we know to contest an election defeat/theft (whichever side you stand) is to slaughter each other – when those who are ordering the slaughter are safe in the confines of their well-guarded Nairobi homes. They poured and continued adding more petrol in the villages as they watched the bloodbath on TVs from the comfort of their secluded homes – together with their wives and children. We never saw them, their wives or children leading the battle fronts. We did not hear any casualties in Kibaki, Raila’s, PNU’s and ODM ranks. But close to 3,000 (police doctored figures put it at around 1,700) Kenyans lost their lives. Helpless families were burnt alive in an Eldoret church as they cried for mercy.
Poor Kenyans lost their jobs, business, homes, property, animals, dignity and pride – they are still refugees in their own country. Poor Kenyans live in tents miles away from their home – which offer them little protection from rain, disease and cold weather at night – as Kibaki and Raila sleep under the warm hands of their wives in their electric heated bedrooms. The poor Kenyans are suffering – not because they did anything wrong but because they were perceived to have voted for the wrong presidential candidates. Yet, all of us Kenyans have forgotten the cliff we stood watching our country almost exploding into a bonfire. We are now cheering when our OWN politicians come to us seeking our support to OUR communities (read the politicians) over the looming Hague trial. Why do these politicians come to us only when their careers are threatened and not when they receive their fat salaries to share with us?
Kenyans, rise above tribes and allow every politician who contributed to the bloodbath to carry their own cross and not drag your communities into a selfish debates aimed at protecting their careers and families. Kenyans should tell all politicians – Kibaki and Raila included – that the Waki report was funded by our money and we collectively own it as 37 million Kenyans. The document is not the exclusive property of MPs, Kibaki and Raila for them to decide on their own what they want to do with it. The collective will of the Kenyan people should prevail over the selfish interests of these damned politicians.
We either stand together as Kenyans and not as tribes or we will all sink together.
Guest post by a friend of Kumekucha
How Moi used music to rule Kenya for 24 years
Free delivery DVD movies
The stinking debate on the Waki List shows that Kenyans never learnt a single lesson from the bloodbath we witnessed early in the year. It is either we are all foolish like the proverbial warthog, which escapes from the jaws of a charging lion once and immediately forgets the looming danger and stops to continue eating grass. The lion’s second attempt is often successful and tragic. If we sit on our brains, we will all sink in this country which we all falsely believed was an island of peace! We thought what our neighbours were going through was a Rambo movie.
When will Kenyans rise above tribes and reason rationally? If Kenyans will refuse to see no evil or hear no evil in their quest to adore their tribe and blindly defend their tribesmen and women implicated in serious criminal acts, then what is happening in DRC today could soon happen in Kenya but on a bigger scale to make the Congo war look like child’s play.
What is amazing is that every time a politician urinates on the law (committing crimes against humanity or being involved in theft of our taxes – which they have stubbornly refused to pay) they rush back to their community shouting their tribe is being finished. Yet, the loot they stole is not shared amongst the tribes but amongst their own wives, children and the lucky concubines. Yet, the community – wallowing in abject poverty – often end up being fooled by the politicians and take the frontline in defending “our own” politician.
Some are even ready to bite the bullet on behalf of their greedy and well-fed politician and yet they themselves have difficulties putting a decent meal on their table. When the politicians manage to hoodwink their tribes they are being finished, the law is often bent to favour the politicians who get away with the crimes and the cycle of the culture of impunity, stealing, theft, corruption and murder continues. Who suffers? Who becomes more and more impoverished? Definitely not the fat-bellied politicians and the “duly” elected president. In all the African countries which have been gripped by turmoil, their leaders often flee to safe havens in other countries and leave the foolish subjects slaughtering each other.
Let’s face the truth. Anyone who was in Kenya in the past three years know the truth of what triggered the violence after the December polls – but we have all sat on our brains due to the stupid loyalty we have for our tribes (read stupid politicians). We never use our brains but prefer to sit back and allow politicians to think for us. And we blindly swallow any rubbish and crap they vomit to our ears without questioning it.
Before the elections were held, the country was so charged – torn between communities supporting OMD and PNU. Anyone wise enough knew this was a recipe for chaos and it was a bomb waiting to explode. Before the election was held, ODM started crying foul that PNU were planning to rig elections. ODM leaders, led by Raila himself, made toured the country making inciting remarks against tribes that were perceived to be supporting Kibaki and his PNU. This heightened tensions in Kenya. And we all sat there cheering our politicians as they armed themselves with their razor-sharp tongues tearing our country into pieces. Already ODM had declared they would not recognise a Kibaki win long before the elections were held? This meant that only an ODM win was a genuine win. Why then go to the polls if you already knew the outcome of how Kenyans were to vote? African elections are never won depending on which side you support. They are rigged.
The election was held. All leading media houses, state-owned KBC included, had figures from the grassroots showing Raila was leading Kibaki throughout. On the 3rd day of counting votes, a MAGIC happened and all the media houses simultaneously removed the figures they were showing us on their TV screens and used ECK figures which showed Kibaki had miraculously overtaken Raila. A few hours later, Kibaki was hurriedly declared winner and sworn in like a thief at the lawns of State House as darkness fast approached. If Kibaki knew he had won fairly, why the haste to be sworn in at night in the GSU protected confines of State House? If he was the people’s president and he had won the popular vote, why not wait to be sworn in the following day at Uhuru Park like it happened in 2002? Surely, a president who has won a popular vote should give a chance to people who voted for him and his opponents to share his glory!
ODM queried the “huge” turn out of voters in parts of Central province. Maragwa constituency, for instance, recorded 115% voter turn out! Only God knows how the voters who cast their ballots could be more than the registered voters. In their defence, PNU accused ODM of electoral malpractices in their strongholds on the voting day. Some constituencies in ODM strongholds in Rift Valley and Nyanza recorded 98% turn out. It was alleged the poll officials and ODM agents voted for the voters who were dead or who failed to turn up. The same claims was made after ODM won the Referendum vote. But how can an Opposition steal votes where there is a functional Government in place? Only in a country where the “duly” elected president is Emilio Mwai Kibaki!
After the “duly” elected Kibaki was sworn in, Raila and other ODM leaders called for mass action and mobilised their communities against communities perceived to have voted for Kibaki. The slaughter of innocent Kenyans began as the “duly” elected president retreated into his preferred cocoon of State House and heard no evil and saw no evil as the country burnt and Kenyans swarm in their own blood.
When they saw Kibaki was not going to yield, ODM cried to the international community and Mr Koffi Annan was dispatched to Kenya to mediate. In fact, Mr Annan was the choice of Raila and ODM leaders. Kibaki and his PNU were reluctant to have international mediators claiming Kenyans were mature enough to solve their own problems. Due to the international pressure, Kibaki and his allies backed down and agreed to meet the Raila team at the negotiating table.
Backed by the international community, Raila pushed the “duly” elected president to the wall and he reluctantly agreed to share power (on 50/50 basis? That’s an illusion) and the slaughter of innocent Kenyans eased off. At the time, Raila and his ODM and communities which supported them were full of praises to Mr Annan, Ambassadors Michael Ranneberger (US) and Walter Lindner (Germany) and all foreign countries that backed the meditation.
Both the Waki and Kriegler commissions of inquiry were the product of the Koffi Annan-led mediation talks. The power-sharing pact signed by Kibaki and Raila endorsed the two commissions and everything else they agreed upon. Both PNU and ODM were bound by the signatures of Kibaki and Raila. Nobody in both PNU and ODM rejected the pact or the subsequent commissions.
When the Kriegler report was unveiled, ODM hurriedly endorsed it and called for the speedy disbandment of ECK, which was criticised by the commission for the poor manner it handled the elections. On the other side, PNU led by Kibaki were urging caution in disbanding ECK. Why? The likes of Martha Karua and Kibaki were against ECK during Moi’s reign. Kibaki’s contempt for competitive democracy was evident when he trashed the gentleman’s IPPG agreement of 1997 and single-handedly picked commissioner to oversee the 2007 polls. Why the sudden change of heart? Did Kibaki and Martha Karua know something the rest of us didn’t know? Why not implement the Kriegler report recommendations, which Kibaki had committed himself on paper to support? Were Kibaki and Karua returning a certain favour to the ECK the rest of us don’t know?
The Kriegler report did not mention any politician. Apart from Kibaki and Karua who were urging caution on the implementation (due to the favour they were returning to the ECK), the Kriegler report is a 100% safe document to any politician and that is why the likes of William Ruto were shouting from the rooftop for the speedy implementation of the report. The Kriegler report did not create any dust since ECK commissioners are not politicians and Kenyans care little if their careers were sacrificed. But should they have been politicians, the story would be our tribe is being finished!
To understand the hypocracy of our politicians, the debate on the Waki report is the complete opposite of the Kriegler report. Why? Because the Waki report identified politicians who financed/contributed to the slaughter of innocent Kenyans! Although nobody knows the names that were handed over to Koffi Annan by Judge Waki in a sealed envelope, the guilt in our politicians has given them sleepless nights and they have retreated to their tribal cocoons to mobilise their community for support in the most likely event that their names are in the envelope. Unlike before when Ruto frequently appeared on TV in his office or in the field talking agriculture, his face is today on TV in all manner of public barazas in his backyard trashing the Waki report! Why is he so jittery that he can’t wait for the names to be made public? Does he know something the rest of us don’t have a clue?
Just to veer off the debate, why did Ruto get all his wealth? Where was he employed after university? How did he make all his money if he was never employed like the rest of us and we don’t have so much money? Have Kenyans forgotten the YK92, Moi’s machine that looted state coffers to fund Kanu during 1992 polls under Ruto and Jirongo? Isn’t Ruto an accused in court for grabbing a forest land in Ngong Forest and selling it to KPLC at inflated prices? Yet Ruto and Jirongo appear on our TVs lecturing us on how we have been made more poor by others (not seeing themselves first)! One feels like puking when we listen to all the lies on TV and digest them like the gospel according to St Luke.
Mr Ruto’s stand on the two reports clearly illustrates the hypocracy of our politicians. Mr Ruto was very vocal that the Kriegler report should be implemented 100% and even told ECK chiefs, led by Mr Kivuitu, they should not wait to be shown the door but should resign immediately if they had any little conscience remaining in them. The Kriegler report was sweet music to Mr Ruto and his ODM. But the Waki report turns out to be a bitter pill for Mr Ruto and a section of ODM and they want it trashed. Why? They suspect their names are in the sealed envelope!
Initially, Kibaki was categorical that any killer/mastermind of the post-election violence should not expect any mercy from Kenyans. On the other hand, Raila and his group were demanding total amnesty for the suspects. That was around June. Today, Kibaki and Raila have swapped positions. Kibaki is calling for forgiveness – suggesting we sweep the Waki report under the carpet and not even place it on the shelves to gather dust! Why the sudden change of heart? Is his inner conscience being pricked by some guilt? And Raila is now calling for the total implementation of the Waki report. Kibaki and Raila both expressed their opposing views on the same platform. Who is fooling who here? Aren’t Kenyans being taken round some circus they don’t know anything about?
Let’s face the truth Kenyans. If the post-election violence was the work of small timers and villagers like most of us, those involved would have been ruthlessly hunted down and those who were luck to escape Maj Gen Ali’s live bullets would be languishing in jail not knowing what hit them. Our jails are bursting to the brims due to congestion. Who have filled the jails? Isn’t it small time crooks? And where are the big time crooks who have milked us dry and made us to slaughter each other and swim in our blood? Aren’t they the ones we vote into leadership and Parliament because they have a lot of money to bribe our conscience – with the same money they have looted from us? Kenyan parliament is full of thieves and murderers. The crooks in Parliament have committed crimes that are collectively bigger than all the crimes committed in the people languishing in jails. Yet, the MPs are walking free with their fat bellies while the wanyonge are languishing in the prisons! Why don’t Kenyans see this when politicians rush to them seeking protection from their tribes?
If post-election violence was the work of the small fish, there would have been no need to form the Waki and Kriegler commissions. The small timers would have tasted the full force of the law on the same day they committed the crimes. The BIG BOYS in Kenya are untouchable and we have to form commissions to investigate what is common knowledge to us. This is a tactic to buy time to give the BIG BOYS a soft landing. When did we ever hear of a commission of inquiry to investigate cries of the wanyonge and the down-trodden? When did we ever hear calls to FORGIVE the wanyonge and the down-trodden? When did we ever hear DIALOGUE being encouraged to determine the fate of the wanyonge and the down-trodden?
If Kenyans want the culture of impunity to end in this country, then we must take hard decisions and tough choices. Anyone who contributed to the post-election violence – either by stealing votes or calling on Kenyans to fight – should carry their own cross regardless of their tribe. Let’s all forget our tribes if we all want to secure a good future for our children and future generations. The post-election violence was directly triggered by both Kibaki and Raila and they must lead the pack going to Hague for trial. That is the surest way to end the culture of impunity and re-unite our country. Why take foot soldiers to Hague and leave out the two masterminds of the violence? Kibaki and Raila diehard supporters can frown over that but the truth is always a bitter pill to swallow. While you are wallowing in poverty and paying huge taxes, Kibaki and Raila don’t know of your sufferings. Think outside the box before you hurl insults for telling the truth.
Kenyans should vehemently demand that no tribunal should be formed in Kenya. All killers and masterminds of the post-election should be frog-marched to Hague which is neutral. If the trials are held here, we will start looking at the tribe of the judge, prosecutors versus who is on trial. Due to our polluted minds, the outcome of the trial will be measured in our minds on the basis of tribe of the judge and the accused. Why are both PNU and ODM against the Hague trial? Because they know they can use their money and influence to have a trail that is favourable to them? They want the Waki List tabled in Parliament so that they trash it like the List of Shame they trashed in the 8th Parliament, which had listed MPs who had stolen public land.
As I have stated above, the Waki commission was the product of Koffi Annan mediation talks which were backed by the international community. The European Union and the US paid bills for the Annan team. ODM knew this all along. Kenya did not pay a cent for their upkeep and allowances. By then, Koffi Annan and European Union and the US were regarded as God-sent angels in ODM ranks because they had forced the Kibaki mountain to move to the negation table.
After the Waki report was out, ODM brigade now shouts from the rooftop they don’t want the Waki report and that the international community has no business lecturing to Kenyans on how to conduct their affairs! Good Lord! Why was it in order in January for the international community lecture to Kenyans on how to conduct their affairs? Koffi Annan did not have any business coming to Kenya in January if he was not invited by ODM. This is why ODM’s latest twist in the Waki debate stinks. ODM wants local trial of suspects.
In Dec, ODM called Kenyans to revolt against the “duly” elected president and told us they would not challenge his election in court because they did not have faith in Kenya’s judicial system. What reforms have taken place in the judiciary since then to make Ruto and other ODM leaders have faith in our courts? Isn’t it hypocritical? ODM’s invite of Koffi Annan and the international community is like a person who sharpens a knife not knowing it will end up cutting him afterwards.
ODM and all the others should face the international knife which we sharpened together because we cannot manage our elections and the best way we know to contest an election defeat/theft (whichever side you stand) is to slaughter each other – when those who are ordering the slaughter are safe in the confines of their well-guarded Nairobi homes. They poured and continued adding more petrol in the villages as they watched the bloodbath on TVs from the comfort of their secluded homes – together with their wives and children. We never saw them, their wives or children leading the battle fronts. We did not hear any casualties in Kibaki, Raila’s, PNU’s and ODM ranks. But close to 3,000 (police doctored figures put it at around 1,700) Kenyans lost their lives. Helpless families were burnt alive in an Eldoret church as they cried for mercy.
Poor Kenyans lost their jobs, business, homes, property, animals, dignity and pride – they are still refugees in their own country. Poor Kenyans live in tents miles away from their home – which offer them little protection from rain, disease and cold weather at night – as Kibaki and Raila sleep under the warm hands of their wives in their electric heated bedrooms. The poor Kenyans are suffering – not because they did anything wrong but because they were perceived to have voted for the wrong presidential candidates. Yet, all of us Kenyans have forgotten the cliff we stood watching our country almost exploding into a bonfire. We are now cheering when our OWN politicians come to us seeking our support to OUR communities (read the politicians) over the looming Hague trial. Why do these politicians come to us only when their careers are threatened and not when they receive their fat salaries to share with us?
Kenyans, rise above tribes and allow every politician who contributed to the bloodbath to carry their own cross and not drag your communities into a selfish debates aimed at protecting their careers and families. Kenyans should tell all politicians – Kibaki and Raila included – that the Waki report was funded by our money and we collectively own it as 37 million Kenyans. The document is not the exclusive property of MPs, Kibaki and Raila for them to decide on their own what they want to do with it. The collective will of the Kenyan people should prevail over the selfish interests of these damned politicians.
We either stand together as Kenyans and not as tribes or we will all sink together.
Guest post by a friend of Kumekucha
How Moi used music to rule Kenya for 24 years
Free delivery DVD movies
Criminal Saboteurs of Hague Express
The kicking and screaming is over and the political elite settling for the local tribunal option secure in the knowledge that their scalps are safe. But not so fast, time is ticking and this post-election issue may not prove as easy as other occasions when they selfishly gang to feather their nests.
The ICC has certified that Kenya is a JUDICIALLY FAILED STATE. And without plastic patriotic blinkers they are spot on. Waki the Kenyan must have seen it coming. No wonder the Hague noose tightens with every passing day. In one week, the MPs have breathed fire and brimstone and promptly followed it with full pack of ice all in equal measure. Well, scoundrels manifest themselves in all shapes and sizes.
Our legal scoundrels must be rubbing their hands in glee in salivating at the impending fat cheques and crowded diaries. Our poor and tattered constitution will soon be the subject of merciless shredding as these mercenaries invent legal loopholes to derail Hague Express. Make no mistake, all the present political heat with commensurate light have eyes singularly trained on the predictable and abused gift of presidential clemency to murderers. And towards that end, Kibaki will not disappoint lest he risks exposing the nasty contents of the political can.
The PEV was no ordinary bloat on our national fabric. The MPs are only cheating themselves by thumbing their chests in minting shortcuts that will only succeed in unwittingly watering impunity. Thank God Waki’s Hague option insulates us from being help as a collective collateral and hostage in the MPs' murderous schemes to swim in our blood.
No therapyspeak
But the MPs are not alone. They are in good company of many Kenyans weaned on impunity must be sheepishly smiling ear to ear brandishing hollow sovereignty as they bend over once more for the MPs’ ultimate ride to self-preservation. At least Waki gave us Annan and his team of EMINENT PERSONS who must earn their labels.
It is no time for THERAPYSPEAK. Our Mps are as guilty as sin itself. They are running roughshod exploiting the chronic lack of leadership within our shores. The present lot have disabused us of any hope in the so-called younger generation of leaders. The little devils are fast overtaking king Lucifer in all matters abominable and scandalous to the national good.
Democracy is one word that has been used and abused with equal zeal. The MPs may form all the available committees they wish to buy time but they better they are only fooling themselves. All the gimmicks to derail the Hague Express will not deter the locomotive from ultimately leaving station Nairobi for Holland. It may take long but it will surely head carrying fully-paid passengers. It remains a matter of when and not if.
The 10 Most honest cities in the world
Select Free delivery DVD movies
The ICC has certified that Kenya is a JUDICIALLY FAILED STATE. And without plastic patriotic blinkers they are spot on. Waki the Kenyan must have seen it coming. No wonder the Hague noose tightens with every passing day. In one week, the MPs have breathed fire and brimstone and promptly followed it with full pack of ice all in equal measure. Well, scoundrels manifest themselves in all shapes and sizes.
Our legal scoundrels must be rubbing their hands in glee in salivating at the impending fat cheques and crowded diaries. Our poor and tattered constitution will soon be the subject of merciless shredding as these mercenaries invent legal loopholes to derail Hague Express. Make no mistake, all the present political heat with commensurate light have eyes singularly trained on the predictable and abused gift of presidential clemency to murderers. And towards that end, Kibaki will not disappoint lest he risks exposing the nasty contents of the political can.
The PEV was no ordinary bloat on our national fabric. The MPs are only cheating themselves by thumbing their chests in minting shortcuts that will only succeed in unwittingly watering impunity. Thank God Waki’s Hague option insulates us from being help as a collective collateral and hostage in the MPs' murderous schemes to swim in our blood.
No therapyspeak
But the MPs are not alone. They are in good company of many Kenyans weaned on impunity must be sheepishly smiling ear to ear brandishing hollow sovereignty as they bend over once more for the MPs’ ultimate ride to self-preservation. At least Waki gave us Annan and his team of EMINENT PERSONS who must earn their labels.
It is no time for THERAPYSPEAK. Our Mps are as guilty as sin itself. They are running roughshod exploiting the chronic lack of leadership within our shores. The present lot have disabused us of any hope in the so-called younger generation of leaders. The little devils are fast overtaking king Lucifer in all matters abominable and scandalous to the national good.
Democracy is one word that has been used and abused with equal zeal. The MPs may form all the available committees they wish to buy time but they better they are only fooling themselves. All the gimmicks to derail the Hague Express will not deter the locomotive from ultimately leaving station Nairobi for Holland. It may take long but it will surely head carrying fully-paid passengers. It remains a matter of when and not if.
The 10 Most honest cities in the world
Select Free delivery DVD movies
The Inside Story Behind Strange Killing At Sarit Centre
Kumekucha exclusive
A couple of weeks ago a man walked up to an ATM machine at Sarit Centre did his business and emerged. Seconds later another man stepped forward and shot him at point blank range. It was clear from the way he was shot that the idea was to make sure he died.
What followed was puzzling. A section of the media reported the incident and even added the critical bit of information that the man had some information on police extra-judicial killings.
Then suddenly the story vanished and nobody seemed to follow up what would appear to be a very big story.
Today I reveal the inside details behind the killing and exactly what happened.
The name of the deceased was Constable Kirinya and he was a driver at the Eagle Squad - a sister squad of Kwekwe which it has been whispered have been given express orders "from above" to execute anyone they IMAGINE is linked or sympathetic to Mungiki.
Constable Kirinya and his team arrested a notorious drug baron from Mombasa, who had Sh4m in cash and drugs of an unknown value. It happened that the drug baron was known to some senior cops - two of them being Nairobi Provincial Police Officer, Njue Njagi, and his deputy, Julius Ndegwa. Insiders say Njue and Ndegwa called for the suspect and shared the loot. Eagle Squad officers who had arrested the drug baron were given Sh200,000 each.
But Con Kirinya declined to take the money. He was given an immediate transfer to the North Eastern province to languish there as is the usual practice. He refused to take the transfer and fled to a foreign embassy in Kampala with the help of some influential friends. He promised to spill the beans of how Eagle arrested young men from their homes or places of work and executed them in cold blood under the guise of fighting Mungiki (as reported here in Kumekucha). He would have given critical details on how many young men had been killed and where their bodies were secretly discarded by the police. He promised the embassy he would reveal how Eagle had turned out to be an execution and extortion squad. The squad's officers are said to be targeting rich young men - whom they threaten to kill if they are not given a certain amount of money. Some end up being killed even after paying a hefty ransom.
Eagle Squad has been in the news for the wrong reasons. Families of young men (mostly Kikuyu) who disappeared without trace from July last year have been up in arms and human rights bodies, led by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, have stepped in the open and accused the Squad of arresting more than 5,000 young men who ended up disappearing without trace. Some of them were traced to morgues in many parts of the country with bullet holes while other bodies were found dumped in forests. Majority disappeared without trace.
The embassy said it was interested in the juicy dossier. Constable Kirinya said he would first return to Kenya to arrange for his family's relocation to Kampala pending relocation to the US. All this time, alarmed senior policemen had instructed top marksmen to hunt down Constable Kirinya and ensure he was dead meat and did not “sing” on Eagle's killing machine.
The cops who were tracking him down got wind he was in Nairobi and they trailed him to Sarit Centre where they shot him dead and made the scene of crime to look like he was killed by thugs.
The tragedy is, the mainstream media got wind of the killing but were silenced by the mighty and powerful Maj Gen Ali not to publish the story. It's not known why the embassy involved never went public after their informer was eliminated.
The 10 Most honest cities in the world
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A couple of weeks ago a man walked up to an ATM machine at Sarit Centre did his business and emerged. Seconds later another man stepped forward and shot him at point blank range. It was clear from the way he was shot that the idea was to make sure he died.
What followed was puzzling. A section of the media reported the incident and even added the critical bit of information that the man had some information on police extra-judicial killings.
Then suddenly the story vanished and nobody seemed to follow up what would appear to be a very big story.
Today I reveal the inside details behind the killing and exactly what happened.
The name of the deceased was Constable Kirinya and he was a driver at the Eagle Squad - a sister squad of Kwekwe which it has been whispered have been given express orders "from above" to execute anyone they IMAGINE is linked or sympathetic to Mungiki.
Constable Kirinya and his team arrested a notorious drug baron from Mombasa, who had Sh4m in cash and drugs of an unknown value. It happened that the drug baron was known to some senior cops - two of them being Nairobi Provincial Police Officer, Njue Njagi, and his deputy, Julius Ndegwa. Insiders say Njue and Ndegwa called for the suspect and shared the loot. Eagle Squad officers who had arrested the drug baron were given Sh200,000 each.
But Con Kirinya declined to take the money. He was given an immediate transfer to the North Eastern province to languish there as is the usual practice. He refused to take the transfer and fled to a foreign embassy in Kampala with the help of some influential friends. He promised to spill the beans of how Eagle arrested young men from their homes or places of work and executed them in cold blood under the guise of fighting Mungiki (as reported here in Kumekucha). He would have given critical details on how many young men had been killed and where their bodies were secretly discarded by the police. He promised the embassy he would reveal how Eagle had turned out to be an execution and extortion squad. The squad's officers are said to be targeting rich young men - whom they threaten to kill if they are not given a certain amount of money. Some end up being killed even after paying a hefty ransom.
Eagle Squad has been in the news for the wrong reasons. Families of young men (mostly Kikuyu) who disappeared without trace from July last year have been up in arms and human rights bodies, led by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, have stepped in the open and accused the Squad of arresting more than 5,000 young men who ended up disappearing without trace. Some of them were traced to morgues in many parts of the country with bullet holes while other bodies were found dumped in forests. Majority disappeared without trace.
The embassy said it was interested in the juicy dossier. Constable Kirinya said he would first return to Kenya to arrange for his family's relocation to Kampala pending relocation to the US. All this time, alarmed senior policemen had instructed top marksmen to hunt down Constable Kirinya and ensure he was dead meat and did not “sing” on Eagle's killing machine.
The cops who were tracking him down got wind he was in Nairobi and they trailed him to Sarit Centre where they shot him dead and made the scene of crime to look like he was killed by thugs.
The tragedy is, the mainstream media got wind of the killing but were silenced by the mighty and powerful Maj Gen Ali not to publish the story. It's not known why the embassy involved never went public after their informer was eliminated.
The 10 Most honest cities in the world
Select Free delivery DVD movies
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Waki List Touches President Kibaki
There are one or two fake Waki lists already doing the rounds on the web. However the list which I have verified from at least two independent sources to be the real list is the kind of list that no Kenyan will sleep easy after reading the names on it (see details below on how you can get the genuine Waki list).
I keep wondering what Raila’s game plan is telling the public lies that the government is unanimous in implementing the Waki report.
Let’s call a spade a spade. The Waki list will wipe off ODM from the face of the earth. And PNU as well. But what is more is that it touches the president very closely indeed. So close that I am just wondering what is going to happen. (more on that later).
Little wonder that all of a sudden there is no partisan politics, no presidential campaigns for 2012, absolutely nothing else but the Waki Report. Out of the blue it is now the sole agenda in Kenyan politics. Scrolling down the Waki list it is easy to understand why.
Actually the season for lawyers is here and this one is going to be BIG. These are the chaps who will reap maximum from the whole thing. I am reliably informed that some clients have been advised that there are grounds for defence of the perpetrators of the murder and mayhem based on extreme provocation of being cheated out of an election. Eti when this is combined with cumulative historical injustices and the long history of impunity in this country, “any head can snap.” Oh boy!!! Some lawyers!!! This is a fabulous sob story with some truth in it, but it has absolutely no place in law. The retaliation of a provoked person should be what any reasonable person would do. Would a reasonable person lock up screaming women and children in a church and burn them alive?
Of course this is all about playing to the gallery with International press TV cameras rolling and cameras flashing and you can be sure that there will be plenty of that. Lawyers must already be rubbing their hands in glee and anticipation. Nothing to do with getting your client acquitted of some very serious charges.
Now this guy Emilio Stanley, is the kind of guy that is never moved by anything. Those who know him well say he cares about nothing, except his own self preservation. And this has been proved time and again. Now the question I want to ask; does he care about persons who are very close to him named in the Waki report? I am assured that he does NOT. And that those people despite being extremely close to the president, will probably find themselves carrying their own crosses.
But Emilio himself is mentioned in the Waki report (and not on the list of names). The Waki report clearly documents a meeting that took place in State House with the dreaded Mungiki. Little wonder that Alfred “cobra squad” Mutua was quick to spin a yarn as unbelievable as the ones he spins in the high budget Cobra Squad TV drama series that my 5 tear old grandson finds a hilarious unbelievable comedy that he will never be caught watching. Mutua’s yarn was some long story about the dates and the meeting being mentioned. It is something that seemed to confuse even him as he told it to the press during his weekly briefings. So maybe Emilio should look into his bag of tricks for something to enable him to go for a third term in office. Otherwise the Hague beckons for sure because that State House meeting cannot be explained away just like that. Emilio will find himself alongside one Charles “cut off women’s breasts and other atrocities” Taylor of Liberia.
------------------------------------
Kumekucha has obtained the full list of names in the secret envelope handed over to Kofi Anan. The list is described in detail in Kumekucha Confidential our FREE weekly email newsletter. Simple instructions are also given on how you can get the full list in your email in-box today.
If you are not a subscriber yet, subscribe now by sending an email to:-
kumekucha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Ban any art made in the name of Barack Obama
Miriam Makeba- A Tribute to Mama Africa
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I keep wondering what Raila’s game plan is telling the public lies that the government is unanimous in implementing the Waki report.
Let’s call a spade a spade. The Waki list will wipe off ODM from the face of the earth. And PNU as well. But what is more is that it touches the president very closely indeed. So close that I am just wondering what is going to happen. (more on that later).
Little wonder that all of a sudden there is no partisan politics, no presidential campaigns for 2012, absolutely nothing else but the Waki Report. Out of the blue it is now the sole agenda in Kenyan politics. Scrolling down the Waki list it is easy to understand why.
Actually the season for lawyers is here and this one is going to be BIG. These are the chaps who will reap maximum from the whole thing. I am reliably informed that some clients have been advised that there are grounds for defence of the perpetrators of the murder and mayhem based on extreme provocation of being cheated out of an election. Eti when this is combined with cumulative historical injustices and the long history of impunity in this country, “any head can snap.” Oh boy!!! Some lawyers!!! This is a fabulous sob story with some truth in it, but it has absolutely no place in law. The retaliation of a provoked person should be what any reasonable person would do. Would a reasonable person lock up screaming women and children in a church and burn them alive?
Of course this is all about playing to the gallery with International press TV cameras rolling and cameras flashing and you can be sure that there will be plenty of that. Lawyers must already be rubbing their hands in glee and anticipation. Nothing to do with getting your client acquitted of some very serious charges.
Now this guy Emilio Stanley, is the kind of guy that is never moved by anything. Those who know him well say he cares about nothing, except his own self preservation. And this has been proved time and again. Now the question I want to ask; does he care about persons who are very close to him named in the Waki report? I am assured that he does NOT. And that those people despite being extremely close to the president, will probably find themselves carrying their own crosses.
But Emilio himself is mentioned in the Waki report (and not on the list of names). The Waki report clearly documents a meeting that took place in State House with the dreaded Mungiki. Little wonder that Alfred “cobra squad” Mutua was quick to spin a yarn as unbelievable as the ones he spins in the high budget Cobra Squad TV drama series that my 5 tear old grandson finds a hilarious unbelievable comedy that he will never be caught watching. Mutua’s yarn was some long story about the dates and the meeting being mentioned. It is something that seemed to confuse even him as he told it to the press during his weekly briefings. So maybe Emilio should look into his bag of tricks for something to enable him to go for a third term in office. Otherwise the Hague beckons for sure because that State House meeting cannot be explained away just like that. Emilio will find himself alongside one Charles “cut off women’s breasts and other atrocities” Taylor of Liberia.
------------------------------------
Kumekucha has obtained the full list of names in the secret envelope handed over to Kofi Anan. The list is described in detail in Kumekucha Confidential our FREE weekly email newsletter. Simple instructions are also given on how you can get the full list in your email in-box today.
If you are not a subscriber yet, subscribe now by sending an email to:-
kumekucha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Ban any art made in the name of Barack Obama
Miriam Makeba- A Tribute to Mama Africa
Free DVD movies delivered to you anywhere in Nairobi
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Acting Now to Save Future from Ruined Past
As a Markov chain, Kenya’s future can only be saved and shaped by the present actions. Only a conscious and decisive move to shame our past which is singularly defined by IMPUNITY can free us from the bondage of living a national lie whose pillars are DECEPTION and FRAUD. Waki’s report offers the perfect launching pad towards reclaiming the Kenya we want. It may not be perfect but that is no excuse to give murderers and scoundrels a free pass to continue lording over us.
There two types of leaders. The TRUE leaders who lead from the front and by example and then the PRETENDERS whose stand on weighty matters leaves them pander to the whims of their sectarian supporters. True, leaders must be sensitive to those who elected them BUT there comes a time in when challenges demand both symbolic and actual LEADERSHIP to shape a country and her destiny.
Waki is no fool to have taken the controversial and emotive Hague option. Unlike Kriegler before him he a Kenyan well versed with our weird and selfish political actions. The good Judge cleverly slummed the door shut on all escape routes leaving the scoundrels foaming at the mouth gasping for breathe lakini wapi? There is no free lunch and if the prize for reclaiming Kenya starts with the scalps of the 10 names in the envelope handed to Anna so be it.
We must banish the cheap and hollow gimmicks to don deceptive patriotic garbs by branding the international community neo-colonialists. If anything were it not for the same donors we would be having no country called Kenya to defend. They saved us from own murderous ourselves and in return they have the right to demand accountability for all our primitive ways to hack and burn fellow human country men and women.
Isle of turmoil
Make no mistake by mourning louder than the bereaved. Waki report made very WEIGHTY allegations that will see the political landscape change forever. Ruto and Uhuru may be the juicy preface to the report but the chapter indicting State House as the address where attacks were organized makes very chilling confirmation of what has been hitherto street wisdom. It is sacrilegious to imagine the seat of power being transformed into evil headquarters painted red with citizens’ blood.
Resourceful Kenyans will peddle all forms of gimmicks including forgiveness clothed in religion but no way. A time has come when Kenya must walk the talk and take that PAINFUL decision to denounce the national lie and facade of peace we shamelessly cheat ourselves to be enjoying. The bubble is burst and no hollow chorus ISLE OF PEACE IN A SEA OF CHAOS will wash.
Waki is no Einstein but in one smart stroke he outwitted the political class by handing us a national lifeline. There are no two ways about it: we either seize life jacket of drown in our own blood. No more plastering of the septic wound. Only the radical surgery will save the limb and body. That is the only guarantee for the first step to a great leap in breaking from the ruinous past defined by IMPUNITY.
No time to entertain apologetic theories of building on an infant democracy. It is no rocket science to understand that those who experiment with disasters never live to tell the story.
------------------------------------
Kumekucha has obtained the full list of names in the secret envelope handed over to Kofi Anan. The list is described in detail in Kumekucha Confidential our FREE weekly email newsletter. Simple instructions are also given on how you can get the full list in your email in-box today.
If you are not a subscriber yet, subscribe now by sending an email to:-
kumekucha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Ban any art made in the name of Barack Obama
Miriam Makeba- A Tribute to Mama Africa
Free DVD movies delivered to you anywhere in Nairobi
There two types of leaders. The TRUE leaders who lead from the front and by example and then the PRETENDERS whose stand on weighty matters leaves them pander to the whims of their sectarian supporters. True, leaders must be sensitive to those who elected them BUT there comes a time in when challenges demand both symbolic and actual LEADERSHIP to shape a country and her destiny.
Waki is no fool to have taken the controversial and emotive Hague option. Unlike Kriegler before him he a Kenyan well versed with our weird and selfish political actions. The good Judge cleverly slummed the door shut on all escape routes leaving the scoundrels foaming at the mouth gasping for breathe lakini wapi? There is no free lunch and if the prize for reclaiming Kenya starts with the scalps of the 10 names in the envelope handed to Anna so be it.
We must banish the cheap and hollow gimmicks to don deceptive patriotic garbs by branding the international community neo-colonialists. If anything were it not for the same donors we would be having no country called Kenya to defend. They saved us from own murderous ourselves and in return they have the right to demand accountability for all our primitive ways to hack and burn fellow human country men and women.
Isle of turmoil
Make no mistake by mourning louder than the bereaved. Waki report made very WEIGHTY allegations that will see the political landscape change forever. Ruto and Uhuru may be the juicy preface to the report but the chapter indicting State House as the address where attacks were organized makes very chilling confirmation of what has been hitherto street wisdom. It is sacrilegious to imagine the seat of power being transformed into evil headquarters painted red with citizens’ blood.
Resourceful Kenyans will peddle all forms of gimmicks including forgiveness clothed in religion but no way. A time has come when Kenya must walk the talk and take that PAINFUL decision to denounce the national lie and facade of peace we shamelessly cheat ourselves to be enjoying. The bubble is burst and no hollow chorus ISLE OF PEACE IN A SEA OF CHAOS will wash.
Waki is no Einstein but in one smart stroke he outwitted the political class by handing us a national lifeline. There are no two ways about it: we either seize life jacket of drown in our own blood. No more plastering of the septic wound. Only the radical surgery will save the limb and body. That is the only guarantee for the first step to a great leap in breaking from the ruinous past defined by IMPUNITY.
No time to entertain apologetic theories of building on an infant democracy. It is no rocket science to understand that those who experiment with disasters never live to tell the story.
------------------------------------
Kumekucha has obtained the full list of names in the secret envelope handed over to Kofi Anan. The list is described in detail in Kumekucha Confidential our FREE weekly email newsletter. Simple instructions are also given on how you can get the full list in your email in-box today.
If you are not a subscriber yet, subscribe now by sending an email to:-
kumekucha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Ban any art made in the name of Barack Obama
Miriam Makeba- A Tribute to Mama Africa
Free DVD movies delivered to you anywhere in Nairobi
To All The Kumekucha Pioneers
I am about to make a very important post but I am waiting for some information.
As I am sitting here my mind cannot help going back to the beginning of Kumekucha and I think now is as a good a time as any to pay tribute to the pioneers. Those guys who came here when it was lonely and quiet. When there was an average of only one post every 10 days or so. The days following the launch in May 2005, when I wondered whether Kumekucha would come to anything.
---------------------------
Published earlier today: Why has Raila veered off so badly?
---------------------------
The first person who showed their face here was a man who had a strange way with words and his name signified problems. Taabu (what is in a name but a cluster of letters put together for identification purposes?) was a great encouragement in the early days quite often being the only commentator. I must say that kept me going. Thanks mate. I will always owe you a beverage of your choice and more.
Next came Phil. The man who seemed to be so well informed (mostly about one political party). But the reason why I have always loved him so much is that unlike so many commentators here who have hidden agendas this brave man always spelled out his stand right from day one. We all know Phil is ODM but we love him still. Even those of us who are not ODM. Kudos, the captain's man.
Next two guys arrived almost at the same time. Luke and Vikii. I stand to be corrected but I believe Luke came slightly earlier. Vikii was always controversial from day one and that controversy helped attract scores of new readers to Kumekucha. Vikii is the only man I know who can insult you and you find it funny. The thing with Luke is that we seemed to agree on many things and sometimes he made me laugh sana. Like the time he used to start or finish all his posts by reminiscing on Kenya’s meteoric economic growth which was happening as Kenyans starved and were worse off (Remember?)
Finally I cannot forget the first lady who checked into Kumekucha. Her name was Sayra and for a long time she was still too shy to post any comment but we exchanged emails. I panicked when she made her maiden comment because it was an attack on Vicky, a man known never to take a rebuke lying down. His reaction to Sayra’s maiden comment was predictable. I was sad knowing that she would never return. Luckily the girl has a thick skin and these days she is pretty active on this blog. I hasten to add that Proud Kikuyu Woman (PKW) was active making comments before Sayra made her maiden one. She started off as proud (certain tribe) woman. Thanks girl. I have not forgotten you, although we have never agreed on anything, even very mundane things like colours.
There. If I have left out anybody my sincere apologies. As always I am ready to be corrected.
But for now my fellow Kenyans, those are the people who helped Kumekucha survive the early lonely days. I will forever be grateful to them. Three cheers for Taabu, Phil, Luke, Vicky, Sayra and PKW…
…and of course all the early day anons.
I would never have reached this small distance without you guys.
P.S. We have scores of very good people these days. I don’t want any of them to feel left out. You make kumekucha what it is and I love you all… even when I don’t agree with the great love for four letter words a few of you have.
------------------------------------
Kumekucha has obtained the full list of names in the secret envelope handed over to Kofi Anan. The list is described in detail in Kumekucha Confidential our FREE weekly email newsletter.
If you are not a subscriber yet, subscribe now by sending an email to:-
kumekucha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
N.B. Due to unavoidable circumstances to do with the gravity of the matter we regret to inform our readers that the Waki list is NOT available in Kumekucha Confidential. However the latest Confidential issue gives you clear instructions on how you can still obtain the list directly sent to your email in-box. ENJOY.
Ban any art made in the name of Barack Obama
Miriam Makeba- A Tribute to Mama Africa
Free DVD movies delivered to you anywhere in Nairobi
As I am sitting here my mind cannot help going back to the beginning of Kumekucha and I think now is as a good a time as any to pay tribute to the pioneers. Those guys who came here when it was lonely and quiet. When there was an average of only one post every 10 days or so. The days following the launch in May 2005, when I wondered whether Kumekucha would come to anything.
---------------------------
Published earlier today: Why has Raila veered off so badly?
---------------------------
The first person who showed their face here was a man who had a strange way with words and his name signified problems. Taabu (what is in a name but a cluster of letters put together for identification purposes?) was a great encouragement in the early days quite often being the only commentator. I must say that kept me going. Thanks mate. I will always owe you a beverage of your choice and more.
Next came Phil. The man who seemed to be so well informed (mostly about one political party). But the reason why I have always loved him so much is that unlike so many commentators here who have hidden agendas this brave man always spelled out his stand right from day one. We all know Phil is ODM but we love him still. Even those of us who are not ODM. Kudos, the captain's man.
Next two guys arrived almost at the same time. Luke and Vikii. I stand to be corrected but I believe Luke came slightly earlier. Vikii was always controversial from day one and that controversy helped attract scores of new readers to Kumekucha. Vikii is the only man I know who can insult you and you find it funny. The thing with Luke is that we seemed to agree on many things and sometimes he made me laugh sana. Like the time he used to start or finish all his posts by reminiscing on Kenya’s meteoric economic growth which was happening as Kenyans starved and were worse off (Remember?)
Finally I cannot forget the first lady who checked into Kumekucha. Her name was Sayra and for a long time she was still too shy to post any comment but we exchanged emails. I panicked when she made her maiden comment because it was an attack on Vicky, a man known never to take a rebuke lying down. His reaction to Sayra’s maiden comment was predictable. I was sad knowing that she would never return. Luckily the girl has a thick skin and these days she is pretty active on this blog. I hasten to add that Proud Kikuyu Woman (PKW) was active making comments before Sayra made her maiden one. She started off as proud (certain tribe) woman. Thanks girl. I have not forgotten you, although we have never agreed on anything, even very mundane things like colours.
There. If I have left out anybody my sincere apologies. As always I am ready to be corrected.
But for now my fellow Kenyans, those are the people who helped Kumekucha survive the early lonely days. I will forever be grateful to them. Three cheers for Taabu, Phil, Luke, Vicky, Sayra and PKW…
…and of course all the early day anons.
I would never have reached this small distance without you guys.
P.S. We have scores of very good people these days. I don’t want any of them to feel left out. You make kumekucha what it is and I love you all… even when I don’t agree with the great love for four letter words a few of you have.
------------------------------------
Kumekucha has obtained the full list of names in the secret envelope handed over to Kofi Anan. The list is described in detail in Kumekucha Confidential our FREE weekly email newsletter.
If you are not a subscriber yet, subscribe now by sending an email to:-
kumekucha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
N.B. Due to unavoidable circumstances to do with the gravity of the matter we regret to inform our readers that the Waki list is NOT available in Kumekucha Confidential. However the latest Confidential issue gives you clear instructions on how you can still obtain the list directly sent to your email in-box. ENJOY.
Ban any art made in the name of Barack Obama
Miriam Makeba- A Tribute to Mama Africa
Free DVD movies delivered to you anywhere in Nairobi
Monday, November 17, 2008
Why Has Raila Veered Off So Badly?
I am baffled.
I want to speak in very raw terms here because I think something has gone gravely wrong. I watched the Prime Minister speak at the Safari Park Hotel yesterday, literally fortifying his stance that the Waki Report be implemented to a T. As I watched, I had to scratch my head in amazement at what the man's strategy is. Where is he going with this fervent call to implement a report that his support base in the Rift Valley is vociferously opposed to? And when that full implementation takes place, where will he find new allies to help him realize his lifelong dream of being president of Kenya? Does he intend to revert to the painful old alliances that have been fraught with jealousy, treachery and outright betrayal?
The way I see it, there are two sides to the Waki Report. There's the political side. And there's the legal side. Prime Minister Odinga is obviously winning the legal side handsomely, and in the process he is driving his supporters away. Because he is driving his supporters away in the Rift Valley and elsewhere, he is losing the political side of this equation in a spectacular way. For a politician of his stature, that is an astounding failure. Many ardent followers of this man have been with him because they saw in him someone who had his ear on the ground, who detected the direction of the political winds, who knew when to make tactical retreats. What has gone wrong? Is it the men and women around him who have insulated him from the groundswell of opposition to his leadership style? Has the power of his office suddenly blinded him?
I'm disturbed that it turns out to be President Kibaki who now calls for forgiveness and reconciliation. This was a matter the Prime Minister would have had more moral authority to call for than the president. But since this is something I've championed in the past, I salute President Kibaki for going in that direction. Indeed, I maintain that it's the only viable way to deal with the disunity occasioned by the failed elections of 2007.
But it's never too late.
The Prime Minister is an intelligent man who understands the power of perception. Our Rift Valley brothers and sisters are not defending one of their own because they think anybody is guilty, they are reacting to the perception that since becoming Prime Minister Raila has not seemed very attentive to their issues. Incidentally, vast swathes of Luo Nyanza voters feel the exact same way as their Rift Valley counterparts. If this trend crosses over to Western Province and the Coast, tell me where the Prime Minister will get his votes from in 2012. An alliance with Martha Karua? Maybe Uhuru? My God! Maybe it's because of the possibility of this scenario playing out that the Luo Council of Elders called on the PM to rethink his strategy. I concur.
I'm aware that I'll be called a tribalist for addressing this issue as I have. But I go off on the premise that six out of eight provinces voted for the Prime Minister. What that means is that more than half the nation is looking up to him for direction, inspiration and an understanding of where this nation is going. Advocating that we turn over our sons to the Hague is not how to play this game. A local tribunal is the way to go. It strengthens our faith in our nascent institutions and affirms our hard-won independence. The kind of blackmail the European Union wants to subject our country to is unacceptable. They need to be told in no uncertain terms that we're no longer a colony. We have to come to a point where we say no to the monies they give us, because they are using those funds to blackmail us. How low can they sink?
Mr. Prime Minister, the time to hit a U-turn is now. I've spoken candidly because this is a time for a brother to whisper to a brother that the zipper of his pants are down. I hope you pull that zipper up before the children come storming into the living room and chuckling at the peeping sight of your red undergarments.
------------------------------------
Kumekucha has obtained the full list of names in the secret envelope handed over to Kofi Anan. The list is described in detail in Kumekucha Confidential our FREE weekly email newsletter.
If you are not a subscriber yet, subscribe now by sending an email to:-
kumekucha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
N.B. Due to unavoidable circumstances to do with the gravity of the matter we regret to inform our readers that the Waki list is NOT available in Kumekucha Confidential. However the latest Confidential issue gives you clear instructions on how you can still obtain the list directly sent to your email in-box. ENJOY.
Swahili Fashion Week Ends as East African Women Go Nude
Miriam Makeba- A Tribute to Mama Africa
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I want to speak in very raw terms here because I think something has gone gravely wrong. I watched the Prime Minister speak at the Safari Park Hotel yesterday, literally fortifying his stance that the Waki Report be implemented to a T. As I watched, I had to scratch my head in amazement at what the man's strategy is. Where is he going with this fervent call to implement a report that his support base in the Rift Valley is vociferously opposed to? And when that full implementation takes place, where will he find new allies to help him realize his lifelong dream of being president of Kenya? Does he intend to revert to the painful old alliances that have been fraught with jealousy, treachery and outright betrayal?
The way I see it, there are two sides to the Waki Report. There's the political side. And there's the legal side. Prime Minister Odinga is obviously winning the legal side handsomely, and in the process he is driving his supporters away. Because he is driving his supporters away in the Rift Valley and elsewhere, he is losing the political side of this equation in a spectacular way. For a politician of his stature, that is an astounding failure. Many ardent followers of this man have been with him because they saw in him someone who had his ear on the ground, who detected the direction of the political winds, who knew when to make tactical retreats. What has gone wrong? Is it the men and women around him who have insulated him from the groundswell of opposition to his leadership style? Has the power of his office suddenly blinded him?
I'm disturbed that it turns out to be President Kibaki who now calls for forgiveness and reconciliation. This was a matter the Prime Minister would have had more moral authority to call for than the president. But since this is something I've championed in the past, I salute President Kibaki for going in that direction. Indeed, I maintain that it's the only viable way to deal with the disunity occasioned by the failed elections of 2007.
But it's never too late.
The Prime Minister is an intelligent man who understands the power of perception. Our Rift Valley brothers and sisters are not defending one of their own because they think anybody is guilty, they are reacting to the perception that since becoming Prime Minister Raila has not seemed very attentive to their issues. Incidentally, vast swathes of Luo Nyanza voters feel the exact same way as their Rift Valley counterparts. If this trend crosses over to Western Province and the Coast, tell me where the Prime Minister will get his votes from in 2012. An alliance with Martha Karua? Maybe Uhuru? My God! Maybe it's because of the possibility of this scenario playing out that the Luo Council of Elders called on the PM to rethink his strategy. I concur.
I'm aware that I'll be called a tribalist for addressing this issue as I have. But I go off on the premise that six out of eight provinces voted for the Prime Minister. What that means is that more than half the nation is looking up to him for direction, inspiration and an understanding of where this nation is going. Advocating that we turn over our sons to the Hague is not how to play this game. A local tribunal is the way to go. It strengthens our faith in our nascent institutions and affirms our hard-won independence. The kind of blackmail the European Union wants to subject our country to is unacceptable. They need to be told in no uncertain terms that we're no longer a colony. We have to come to a point where we say no to the monies they give us, because they are using those funds to blackmail us. How low can they sink?
Mr. Prime Minister, the time to hit a U-turn is now. I've spoken candidly because this is a time for a brother to whisper to a brother that the zipper of his pants are down. I hope you pull that zipper up before the children come storming into the living room and chuckling at the peeping sight of your red undergarments.
------------------------------------
Kumekucha has obtained the full list of names in the secret envelope handed over to Kofi Anan. The list is described in detail in Kumekucha Confidential our FREE weekly email newsletter.
If you are not a subscriber yet, subscribe now by sending an email to:-
kumekucha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
N.B. Due to unavoidable circumstances to do with the gravity of the matter we regret to inform our readers that the Waki list is NOT available in Kumekucha Confidential. However the latest Confidential issue gives you clear instructions on how you can still obtain the list directly sent to your email in-box. ENJOY.
Swahili Fashion Week Ends as East African Women Go Nude
Miriam Makeba- A Tribute to Mama Africa
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Sunday, November 16, 2008
The Value Of A Headstrong, Stubborn Opinionated President
Headstrong, stubborn, opinionated.
Are those the qualities you would want in your president? Are there benefits in having such a man sitting in State house or is it a recipe for disaster and the possible shut down of a nation? Well, think about it as you read on.
Former United States ambassador to Kenya Smith Hempstone (now deceased) worked tirelessly to help Kenyans get rid of the dictatorial Moi regime in the 1980s. It is no secret that the lovable “nyama choma ambassadeur” overstepped his mark as a diplomat in this country many times. I mean how does a peaceful protest march in the city against the Moi regime end up at the US embassy, with wananchi demanding that the ambassador address them?
Still in my book extreme times call for extreme measures and may history never forget to record the contributions of this white bearded burly man in the long road Kenyans have walked towards freedom and justice.
My apologies for getting emotionally carried away with Hempstone, but what I wanted to say was that one of Hempstone’s noble initiatives was to unite the then opposition to field a single candidate against President Moi in the initial multi-party elections of the 1990s. His efforts were always frustrated by headstrong politicians who believed that they would go it alone and beat Moi and his well oiled machinery single-handedly. One name in particular kept on popping up in Hempstone’s lips as a major stumbling block to any semblance of opposition unity. That name was Mwai Kibaki.
Fast forward to 2005 and the historic referendum. After years in the dark, many Kenyans were beginning to get a glimpse into the character of this Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki. Numerous people advised him to save the country from chaos and call off the referendum. He stubbornly refused insisting that he was winning and the Yes, banana vote would carry the day.
Fast forward to 2008 and somebody suggested that Barack Obama may have an outside chance of winning the US presidency. Insiders say that the president almost had a fit. He who had started going to the United States in the 1950s surely knew that country very well and there was no chance, even if every American fell dead of a black man being elected president. Of course the careful damage control that has been played out recently including those silly stories of how Kibaki gave Obama’s dad a job may fool some Kenyans as it is designed to do.
By the way one of the favourite means by which the president dismisses views and opinions that do not go down well with him is by calling people “young man.” You will remember in the run up to the 2007 elections Lucy Kibaki talked about a young man causing the president sleepless nights. She was simply echoing what was being discussed in private. In my view both Kalonzo Musyoka and Raila Odinga are NOT young men. If they are then Jimmy Kibaki must be a toddler.
Indeed through out the long political career of Mwai Kibaki he has been a lone ranger in the way he plays his politics. Lone rangers are impossible to advice and are set in their ways (whether they work or not). That character in the president is about to earn him yet another place in the history books for the wrong reasons. Legal experts say that there is more that enough evidence to prosecute Mwai Kibaki when he leaves office for various crimes. In sharp contrast Daniel Toroitich arap Moi, that perfected Machiavellian master of the political game was a listener and listened to everybody. That is the secret behind his long survival. And what is more he covered his legal backside admirably. The man must have read Mario Puzo’s classic, The Godfather, several times. I mean he was very careful whom he gave orders to and of course he signed nothing. The result is that nobody can pin him down for any of his many sins against the Kenyan people let alone prosecute him successfully.
Mwai Kibaki is a whole different kettle of fish. The when-I-was-lecturing-in-Makerere President has been way too careless. So careless that his handlers are having sleepless nights now wondering how they can scheme a peaceful retirement for the man under whose watch the country sunk into tribal chaos and its’ deepest crisis ever.
Take it from me, if that man lives long enough, prepare yourself to see him in images transmitted all over the world, surrounded by a battery of lawyers facing serious charges but still as headstrong as ever as to how his legal defence should be handled. And he may just be right once again. The way he was right about Obama, the referendum and how Kenyans can never elect a “Jaruo young man” as president... even if the incumbent fell asleep in State House and forgot there was an election until the last 3 months or so.
------------------------------------
Kumekucha has obtained the full list of names in the secret envelope handed over to Kofi Anan. The list is described in detail in Kumekucha Confidential our FREE weekly email newsletter.
If you are not a subscriber yet, subscribe now by sending an email to:-
kumekucha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
N.B. Due to unavoidable circumstances to do with the gravity of the matter we regret to inform our readers that the Waki list is NOT available in Kumekucha Confidential. However the latest Confidential issue gives you clear instructions on how you can still obtain the list directly sent to your email in-box. ENJOY.
Swahili Fashion Week Ends as East African Women Go Nude
Miriam Makeba- A Tribute to Mama Africa
Order now online, Free DVD movies delivered to you anywhere in Nairobi
Are those the qualities you would want in your president? Are there benefits in having such a man sitting in State house or is it a recipe for disaster and the possible shut down of a nation? Well, think about it as you read on.
Former United States ambassador to Kenya Smith Hempstone (now deceased) worked tirelessly to help Kenyans get rid of the dictatorial Moi regime in the 1980s. It is no secret that the lovable “nyama choma ambassadeur” overstepped his mark as a diplomat in this country many times. I mean how does a peaceful protest march in the city against the Moi regime end up at the US embassy, with wananchi demanding that the ambassador address them?
Still in my book extreme times call for extreme measures and may history never forget to record the contributions of this white bearded burly man in the long road Kenyans have walked towards freedom and justice.
My apologies for getting emotionally carried away with Hempstone, but what I wanted to say was that one of Hempstone’s noble initiatives was to unite the then opposition to field a single candidate against President Moi in the initial multi-party elections of the 1990s. His efforts were always frustrated by headstrong politicians who believed that they would go it alone and beat Moi and his well oiled machinery single-handedly. One name in particular kept on popping up in Hempstone’s lips as a major stumbling block to any semblance of opposition unity. That name was Mwai Kibaki.
Fast forward to 2005 and the historic referendum. After years in the dark, many Kenyans were beginning to get a glimpse into the character of this Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki. Numerous people advised him to save the country from chaos and call off the referendum. He stubbornly refused insisting that he was winning and the Yes, banana vote would carry the day.
Fast forward to 2008 and somebody suggested that Barack Obama may have an outside chance of winning the US presidency. Insiders say that the president almost had a fit. He who had started going to the United States in the 1950s surely knew that country very well and there was no chance, even if every American fell dead of a black man being elected president. Of course the careful damage control that has been played out recently including those silly stories of how Kibaki gave Obama’s dad a job may fool some Kenyans as it is designed to do.
By the way one of the favourite means by which the president dismisses views and opinions that do not go down well with him is by calling people “young man.” You will remember in the run up to the 2007 elections Lucy Kibaki talked about a young man causing the president sleepless nights. She was simply echoing what was being discussed in private. In my view both Kalonzo Musyoka and Raila Odinga are NOT young men. If they are then Jimmy Kibaki must be a toddler.
Indeed through out the long political career of Mwai Kibaki he has been a lone ranger in the way he plays his politics. Lone rangers are impossible to advice and are set in their ways (whether they work or not). That character in the president is about to earn him yet another place in the history books for the wrong reasons. Legal experts say that there is more that enough evidence to prosecute Mwai Kibaki when he leaves office for various crimes. In sharp contrast Daniel Toroitich arap Moi, that perfected Machiavellian master of the political game was a listener and listened to everybody. That is the secret behind his long survival. And what is more he covered his legal backside admirably. The man must have read Mario Puzo’s classic, The Godfather, several times. I mean he was very careful whom he gave orders to and of course he signed nothing. The result is that nobody can pin him down for any of his many sins against the Kenyan people let alone prosecute him successfully.
Mwai Kibaki is a whole different kettle of fish. The when-I-was-lecturing-in-Makerere President has been way too careless. So careless that his handlers are having sleepless nights now wondering how they can scheme a peaceful retirement for the man under whose watch the country sunk into tribal chaos and its’ deepest crisis ever.
Take it from me, if that man lives long enough, prepare yourself to see him in images transmitted all over the world, surrounded by a battery of lawyers facing serious charges but still as headstrong as ever as to how his legal defence should be handled. And he may just be right once again. The way he was right about Obama, the referendum and how Kenyans can never elect a “Jaruo young man” as president... even if the incumbent fell asleep in State House and forgot there was an election until the last 3 months or so.
------------------------------------
Kumekucha has obtained the full list of names in the secret envelope handed over to Kofi Anan. The list is described in detail in Kumekucha Confidential our FREE weekly email newsletter.
If you are not a subscriber yet, subscribe now by sending an email to:-
kumekucha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
N.B. Due to unavoidable circumstances to do with the gravity of the matter we regret to inform our readers that the Waki list is NOT available in Kumekucha Confidential. However the latest Confidential issue gives you clear instructions on how you can still obtain the list directly sent to your email in-box. ENJOY.
Swahili Fashion Week Ends as East African Women Go Nude
Miriam Makeba- A Tribute to Mama Africa
Order now online, Free DVD movies delivered to you anywhere in Nairobi
A Cry Of Concern From A Kumekucha Reader Who Wanted To Help
Dear Kumekucha readers,
I am mad at the Kenyan leadership. They have failed us and we as a nation should look up to new untainted leaders.
I was in Kenya and voted, however, as everybody now knows it was the most polarized election in our short life as a nation.
Following the post election violence my friends here in Japan contributed money and clothes and food for the IDPs. We sent a container of goods to Kenya at the end of April and to date it has not been cleared to be delivered to our unfortunate brothers and sisters.
If the government cannot let her citizens participate in helping bridge the great divide that visited our land and also to help soothe and heal the wounds then they have no business asking for forgiveness for the said perpetrators of the evil our nation went through.
Who will listen to our brothers and sisters' cries.
Concerned George.
------------------------------------
Kumekucha has obtained the full list of names in the secret envelope handed over to Kofi Anan. The list is published in Kumekucha Confidential our FREE weekly email newsletter.
If you are not a subscriber yet, subscribe now by sending an email to:-
kumekucha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Miriam Makeba- The departed songbird Africa will never forget. A Tribute
Order now online, Free DVD movies delivered to you anywhere in Nairobi
I am mad at the Kenyan leadership. They have failed us and we as a nation should look up to new untainted leaders.
I was in Kenya and voted, however, as everybody now knows it was the most polarized election in our short life as a nation.
Following the post election violence my friends here in Japan contributed money and clothes and food for the IDPs. We sent a container of goods to Kenya at the end of April and to date it has not been cleared to be delivered to our unfortunate brothers and sisters.
If the government cannot let her citizens participate in helping bridge the great divide that visited our land and also to help soothe and heal the wounds then they have no business asking for forgiveness for the said perpetrators of the evil our nation went through.
Who will listen to our brothers and sisters' cries.
Concerned George.
------------------------------------
Kumekucha has obtained the full list of names in the secret envelope handed over to Kofi Anan. The list is published in Kumekucha Confidential our FREE weekly email newsletter.
If you are not a subscriber yet, subscribe now by sending an email to:-
kumekucha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Miriam Makeba- The departed songbird Africa will never forget. A Tribute
Order now online, Free DVD movies delivered to you anywhere in Nairobi
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