Corruption is deadlier than most Kenyans realize.
For instance how safe can our borders be if a little bribe can get you across with all kinds of merchandise? Indeed there is a direct link between corruption and the number of Kenyans who die every year as a result of violent crime.
Not surprisingly Kenya is the number one drug trafficking country in the region and beyond. Cocaine, heroine and all manner of hard drugs flow freely in and out of Kenya. Many foreigners have quickly learnt the truism that there is absolutely nothing one cannot achieve in Kenya as long as you have plenty of cash.
One of our reporters on the ground was shocked two days ago while traveling on the Mombasa Nairobi road when the matatu he was on was stopped by half a dozen road blocks fairly close to each other. The procedure was the same at every road block. The driver handed over his driving license as the policeman (and in some instances policewoman) took it and went round the front to check their licenses on the windshield. Just before they arrived in Nairobi the driver struck up a conversation with the other passenger seated in the driver’s cabin and our source was shocked to learn that at every stop Kshs 100 had been handed over to the police. The driver grimly announced that there was no way they would have passed the roadblock without parting with the said sum of money.
This blog has been at the forefront of screaming about the extra-judicial killings the police have been accused of, more so during the tenure of police commissioner Brigadier Ali. However as painful as it is to have people killed without due process, sometimes when they are completely innocent and were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time, one can clearly see the wisdom of such a policy. The latest figures show that violent crime has fallen dramatically and it seems that many violent criminals have simply been executed.
Major General Ali was appointed police commissioner from the military early in the Kibaki tenure. The difference between soldiers and policemen incase you did not know is that policemen are trained to enforce the law while soldiers are trained to kill. As much as I hate to say it and as much as there have been terrible, terrible human rights violations, it seems that Ali’s tactics have worked after all.
That is the Kenya we live in.
And as quite a number of commentators here have quite rightly pointed out, we are calling for change in our leadership. BUT that change must start with us. How can we demand an end to corruption in high places when we greatly admire that girl next day who globe-trots trafficking drugs under the cover of being an international businesswoman? Or even worse we do not mind slipping Kshs 100 to that policeman to avoid the inconvenience of going to court to answer for our smooth tyres.
Special offer Christmas offer for fridges and LCD TVs only for Kumekucha readers.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
TSC Planting Big Parents-Teachers Tension
Kenyan institutions never cease to amaze with colourful blueprints that are purposely authored to generate plenty of heat and no light. So now the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has introduced the so-called radical measures to select, appoint and deploy head teachers.
Never short of lofty and high-sounding nouns, TSC has developed a policy document, Identification, Selection, Appointment, Deployment and Training of Head Teachers, in an attempt to improve the management of learning institutions.
Nothing wrong with this marvelous new policy if only it was meant to be implemented as authored. But alas, in Kenya you have to be overtly and covertly optimistic to divorce expediency in such grand schemes.
You don’t have to be a neurosurgeon to see the impending tension between communities left to build their own schools only for TSC to deploy a professional head teacher whose modus operandi is at odds with the local interests. Not employing their sons and daughters who may not be qualified is a definite source of tension and eventual fallout.
TSC has professionally proposed that heads of post-primary institutions only become eligible for deployment outside their localities and communities. That would be sweet music to educationists since the move would effectively sever the links of patronage and nepotism in addition to reducing pursuit of personal interests often seen in running matatus and kiosks.
Social integration among the youth at their formative ages would be a great leap into banishing retrogressive mindset moulded in ETHNIC SUPERIORITY. We have witnessed the perils of being a student of Chepkoilel primary school proceeding to Chepkoilel Secondary and then qualifying for Chepkoilel Campus. Him who is not travelled/exposed often thinks his mum is the best cook. Long gone are the good old days when Mr. Mwamburi was a revered teacher in Suneka Primary School his not speaking Kisii notwithstanding.
TSC’s new directive amounts to making micro fundamental policies in a flawed national fabric. Granted secondary education is the best platform to plat the seed of national cohesion among the numerous Kenyan tribes. But Moi’s ruinous ERROR witnessed populist expansion of education at the expense of quality and structure. 8-4-4 is a marvelous idea working flawlessly in Canada but Moi never left implementation of Mackay’s commission to professionals. The end product was to have specialized professions like music and art/craft bastardized to juvenile levels.
Slaying flies with a hammer
Apologists to the present political dispensation will readily jump to the cliche tokenism to use Moi's low bar for Kibaki. Education is such an important corner stone of a country's identity and prospect that must not be left at the whims of populism and machinations of scoundrels. The last six years have been no better as evident in populating the Ministry of education with the right DNA top heavy with dinosaurs.
It is not difficult to see the localized version of our quest to SUCCEED academically at whatever cost. Last years KCSE fiasco is a case in point where parents conspired with teachers to finance widespread exam cheating. Apologists may downplay that as an isolated episode but not for those conversant with Kenya’s steady decline in education standards over the past years. The nationwide cheating was only evident when the scandal gained CRITICAL MASS.
The TSC policy is a right move that only scratches the surface of a national affliction education with potential long term consequences. Kenya prides itself in her enormous human resources. But leaving educational infrastructure in the hands of villagers only to shove head teachers down their throats is a recipe of rural tension and subsequent downturn in quality.
Until we prioritize education and leave its policies to professionals, Kenya will continue living the national lie of being a regional hub of excellence. Inferior politics that never spares any sector its ugly claws is our bane.
Never short of lofty and high-sounding nouns, TSC has developed a policy document, Identification, Selection, Appointment, Deployment and Training of Head Teachers, in an attempt to improve the management of learning institutions.
Nothing wrong with this marvelous new policy if only it was meant to be implemented as authored. But alas, in Kenya you have to be overtly and covertly optimistic to divorce expediency in such grand schemes.
You don’t have to be a neurosurgeon to see the impending tension between communities left to build their own schools only for TSC to deploy a professional head teacher whose modus operandi is at odds with the local interests. Not employing their sons and daughters who may not be qualified is a definite source of tension and eventual fallout.
TSC has professionally proposed that heads of post-primary institutions only become eligible for deployment outside their localities and communities. That would be sweet music to educationists since the move would effectively sever the links of patronage and nepotism in addition to reducing pursuit of personal interests often seen in running matatus and kiosks.
Social integration among the youth at their formative ages would be a great leap into banishing retrogressive mindset moulded in ETHNIC SUPERIORITY. We have witnessed the perils of being a student of Chepkoilel primary school proceeding to Chepkoilel Secondary and then qualifying for Chepkoilel Campus. Him who is not travelled/exposed often thinks his mum is the best cook. Long gone are the good old days when Mr. Mwamburi was a revered teacher in Suneka Primary School his not speaking Kisii notwithstanding.
TSC’s new directive amounts to making micro fundamental policies in a flawed national fabric. Granted secondary education is the best platform to plat the seed of national cohesion among the numerous Kenyan tribes. But Moi’s ruinous ERROR witnessed populist expansion of education at the expense of quality and structure. 8-4-4 is a marvelous idea working flawlessly in Canada but Moi never left implementation of Mackay’s commission to professionals. The end product was to have specialized professions like music and art/craft bastardized to juvenile levels.
Slaying flies with a hammer
Apologists to the present political dispensation will readily jump to the cliche tokenism to use Moi's low bar for Kibaki. Education is such an important corner stone of a country's identity and prospect that must not be left at the whims of populism and machinations of scoundrels. The last six years have been no better as evident in populating the Ministry of education with the right DNA top heavy with dinosaurs.
It is not difficult to see the localized version of our quest to SUCCEED academically at whatever cost. Last years KCSE fiasco is a case in point where parents conspired with teachers to finance widespread exam cheating. Apologists may downplay that as an isolated episode but not for those conversant with Kenya’s steady decline in education standards over the past years. The nationwide cheating was only evident when the scandal gained CRITICAL MASS.
The TSC policy is a right move that only scratches the surface of a national affliction education with potential long term consequences. Kenya prides itself in her enormous human resources. But leaving educational infrastructure in the hands of villagers only to shove head teachers down their throats is a recipe of rural tension and subsequent downturn in quality.
Until we prioritize education and leave its policies to professionals, Kenya will continue living the national lie of being a regional hub of excellence. Inferior politics that never spares any sector its ugly claws is our bane.
Evil should never be allowed to Triumph
Our country has come (and gone) through a lot of shakeups in recent times. And in all these circumstances we have realized that we are our own worst enemies. Yes, we are enemies to our very own existence.
Well, and the ruling elite has been doing very little to steer us clear off the path of self-destruction. In fact, our leaders have been out to aggravate matters. Some of the people we let sail into Kenya’s cockpit, the driving seat, have completely forgotten what the electorate mandated them to do.
Some of them have forgotten that the common man (the mwananchi) is their employer – at least we pay their salary by being faithful to paying our taxes!
They forgot their employer (and what the employer wanted done) the minute they stepped into the “job”. The job mesmerized them. They were inundated with all manner of “pressures” that saw them forgetting that their employer wants results and not just mere babble.
When in the House, they forget that they are discussing the future of their employer, you and me. They twist issues and pass bills to save their own skins (from the flip-side of their avarice!). They fight to continue living while subjecting their employers to a life of utter doom and heartache.
This is not right!
They do not want to pay taxes like the rest of us. They don’t want a dime of their fat cheques touched in the name of paying tax. This is a case of an employee being better than the employer in the employer’s office! Quite an incongruous state of affairs.
They forget that we cried foul when they were awarding themselves “plump” pay packets sometime back. They got their way then. It pained us. And now they do not want to pay taxes. This is too much!
Are they not Kenyans? Are they not supposed to pay taxes like the rest of us? Or are they trying to say that they are better than the people who pay their salaries? Are they better than the people they represent? Are they “more equal” than us?
Oh, my head is going round and round in circles.
They forget that people in this country have not fully healed from the effects of the post-election violence that characterized the start of this year. People who lost their loved ones, property, homes, livelihoods and …hope are yet to get a respite from the physical, emotional and psychological devastation that was “visited on them”.
But our employees, our leaders, pretend that everything is okay and that, because the violence is no more, then, everything is all right.
Everything is not okay.
There are so many people who are yet to be resettled but our leaders are not doing enough to alleviate the plight of the IDPs by presenting workable solutions. The very people who are supposed to come to the rescue of the mwanachi are closing their ears to our cries and pleas. A very sorry state indeed!
And the other day these same people, the voices (nay, “noises!”) in the House, passed a bill aimed at gagging the vehicles of information in Kenya. They want to make sure that their employer does not get to know what kind of people they (our leaders) are.
How will you and I get to know them well if they strangulate the editorial process? How will you and I get glimpses of “the behind-the-scenes” if (and when) they completely gag the media? If (and when) this happens, are we going to claim to be a democratic nation? Are the members of the ruling elite waiting for 2012 to start listening to us?
This can never be allowed to continue happening. We must stand up to decry their “tyranny”. Yes, and it should be done with the needed vehemence. I like what Edmund Burke says: The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
If we continue resting on our laurels and do nothing about anything, then, we could be in the same position even 100 years from today. Nothing will have changed.
You know if we continue doing things the way we have always done and then expect different results, then, if someone calls us crazy, we should take the punch humbly. It is preposterous to expect different results if we continue employing the same methods to achieve a certain goal.
The kind of people this country needs (both the employer and employee)
A time like this demands: strong minds, great heights, true faith and ready hands;
Men whom the lust of office does not kill;
Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy;
Men who possess opinions and a will;
Men who have honour; Men who will not lie;
Men who can stand before a demagogue;
And damn their treacherous flatteries without winking;
Kenyans, we have a long way to go. A long way to true freedom and truth.
So, vaa hiyo nguo ya kazi (put on your apron) for you should never wear your best trousers when you go out to fight for freedom and truth. It is murky business…
MPs be warned: Revolutions don’t just happen, they evolve
Ladies and their woes
The advantages of online job hunting
Be the change you so much seek
Well, and the ruling elite has been doing very little to steer us clear off the path of self-destruction. In fact, our leaders have been out to aggravate matters. Some of the people we let sail into Kenya’s cockpit, the driving seat, have completely forgotten what the electorate mandated them to do.
Some of them have forgotten that the common man (the mwananchi) is their employer – at least we pay their salary by being faithful to paying our taxes!
They forgot their employer (and what the employer wanted done) the minute they stepped into the “job”. The job mesmerized them. They were inundated with all manner of “pressures” that saw them forgetting that their employer wants results and not just mere babble.
When in the House, they forget that they are discussing the future of their employer, you and me. They twist issues and pass bills to save their own skins (from the flip-side of their avarice!). They fight to continue living while subjecting their employers to a life of utter doom and heartache.
This is not right!
They do not want to pay taxes like the rest of us. They don’t want a dime of their fat cheques touched in the name of paying tax. This is a case of an employee being better than the employer in the employer’s office! Quite an incongruous state of affairs.
They forget that we cried foul when they were awarding themselves “plump” pay packets sometime back. They got their way then. It pained us. And now they do not want to pay taxes. This is too much!
Are they not Kenyans? Are they not supposed to pay taxes like the rest of us? Or are they trying to say that they are better than the people who pay their salaries? Are they better than the people they represent? Are they “more equal” than us?
Oh, my head is going round and round in circles.
They forget that people in this country have not fully healed from the effects of the post-election violence that characterized the start of this year. People who lost their loved ones, property, homes, livelihoods and …hope are yet to get a respite from the physical, emotional and psychological devastation that was “visited on them”.
But our employees, our leaders, pretend that everything is okay and that, because the violence is no more, then, everything is all right.
Everything is not okay.
There are so many people who are yet to be resettled but our leaders are not doing enough to alleviate the plight of the IDPs by presenting workable solutions. The very people who are supposed to come to the rescue of the mwanachi are closing their ears to our cries and pleas. A very sorry state indeed!
And the other day these same people, the voices (nay, “noises!”) in the House, passed a bill aimed at gagging the vehicles of information in Kenya. They want to make sure that their employer does not get to know what kind of people they (our leaders) are.
How will you and I get to know them well if they strangulate the editorial process? How will you and I get glimpses of “the behind-the-scenes” if (and when) they completely gag the media? If (and when) this happens, are we going to claim to be a democratic nation? Are the members of the ruling elite waiting for 2012 to start listening to us?
This can never be allowed to continue happening. We must stand up to decry their “tyranny”. Yes, and it should be done with the needed vehemence. I like what Edmund Burke says: The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
If we continue resting on our laurels and do nothing about anything, then, we could be in the same position even 100 years from today. Nothing will have changed.
You know if we continue doing things the way we have always done and then expect different results, then, if someone calls us crazy, we should take the punch humbly. It is preposterous to expect different results if we continue employing the same methods to achieve a certain goal.
The kind of people this country needs (both the employer and employee)
A time like this demands: strong minds, great heights, true faith and ready hands;
Men whom the lust of office does not kill;
Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy;
Men who possess opinions and a will;
Men who have honour; Men who will not lie;
Men who can stand before a demagogue;
And damn their treacherous flatteries without winking;
Kenyans, we have a long way to go. A long way to true freedom and truth.
So, vaa hiyo nguo ya kazi (put on your apron) for you should never wear your best trousers when you go out to fight for freedom and truth. It is murky business…
MPs be warned: Revolutions don’t just happen, they evolve
Ladies and their woes
The advantages of online job hunting
Be the change you so much seek
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Harambee Stars Shoot Up in FIFA World Rankings
PIC: Kenya striker Allan Wanga (L) controls the ball as Namibia's Jammal Mohammed looks on during their 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer match in Nairobi September 6 2008.Guys, things could never have been better for local soccer!
Sometime mid this year when this blogger decided to publish a story on this forum highlighting on the efforts of the Minister Raila Odinga to revive soccer and sporting in general, not many people took it seriously. At that time, many saw it from a myopic political point of view.
How wrong they were, because as I type these lines, it was announced yesterday that national team Harambee Stars’ FIFA ranking has skyrocketed to an all time high position 68th globally , 14th in Africa and the best amongst the CECAFA region. Needless to say, this is the highest ranking Kenya has ever achieved in history. As it is, Kenya are the biggest African movers in the FIFA world rankings table, jumping 17 places to 68th.
Even as we celebrate this remarkable achievement, politics aside, we should not forget that were it not for the personal intervention of Raila and his one-on-one meetings with Sepp Blatter of FIFA, Kenya could in all probability be serving an indefinite suspension from world football today.
What does the new ranking mean? It means that Kenya footballers can now sign for what is arguably the most exciting professional league in world football - the English Premier League - because the British government only issues work permits to players who originate from countries that have ranked 70th and below. Not only are players highly paid at this league, the standards of the game are very competitive and English teams regularly reach the finals, semis and quarters of the European Champions League – again arguably the most prestigious soccer competition in the world after the FIFA World Cup.
All this could translate into raising standards locally, like has happened to other countries whose players turn out for the EPL. Professional football is not just big business for agents, promoters, marketers and governments, it is also in today’s world a career in itself. The news comes at a time when Harambee Stars are poised to play final qualifying matches for the 2010 World Cup and also when the team have just reported to camp for the CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup to be held in Uganda from December 31. From the “Russia Stand” of the stadium, bloggers please join me in yelling Oliech, Obama, Odinga!!!!Hongera to the Harambee stars and their head Coach Francis Kimanzi. Clap Clap Clap.
View Harambee Stars FIFA World Ranking History here
View the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking Table Here
Kumekucha’s Unorthodox Methods
How I get my hot information
In my previous post about Diasporans being Kenya’s top foreign exchange earner, one of our oldest and most loved contributors, Phil challenged the information contained in my post. This is quite in order and indeed the very nature of such a forum as this one is to discuss, debate and even challenge information contained here. That is in fact what Kumekucha thrives on.
I have however decided to take this opportunity to clarify a few things for newer readers of the most popular political blog on Kenya. But before I do so let me just clear the air for Phil and all those who doubt the accuracy of my information on the post on Diasporans.
Officially Diasporans were the highest forex earner for Kenya last year and accounted for a whooping Kshs 70 billion. The World Bank estimates that unofficial remittances by Diasporans are about 50 per cent of the official figure which would bring the figure to 105 billion. Read this article for full details.
The truth is that the government has never taken this amazing source of forex earnings seriously until very recently. Indeed I got my information long before the whole thing became official and the truth is that this is the real reason behind the amazing strength of the Kenyan shilling against foreign currencies for a number of years now.
You see unlike many other blogs, I DO NOT read the daily newspapers and then recycle the information here. I usually do my own research. The sources I use and insiders give me the information in strict confidence and therefore I can never name my sources. Indeed many times I write in sentences to mask my possible sources of information because my number one rule is to protect my sources at all costs.
This policy has served me well over the years and that is something any reader can verify by going through old posts. You will notice that generally Kumekucha talks about things that become breaking news many months later.
Of course there is a weakness with this policy and the resultant writing style as far as journalism rules are concerned because a casual reader will think that I am picking up the information from the air or creating it in my mind because I hardly ever attribute information to sources.
Well now you know better.
Once again I thank all you patriotic Kenyans who have trusted me with extremely sensitive information some of which I have even been unable to publish here (hence the creation of my raw notes). A Big Thank you, guys. Kenya owes you.
In my previous post about Diasporans being Kenya’s top foreign exchange earner, one of our oldest and most loved contributors, Phil challenged the information contained in my post. This is quite in order and indeed the very nature of such a forum as this one is to discuss, debate and even challenge information contained here. That is in fact what Kumekucha thrives on.
I have however decided to take this opportunity to clarify a few things for newer readers of the most popular political blog on Kenya. But before I do so let me just clear the air for Phil and all those who doubt the accuracy of my information on the post on Diasporans.
Officially Diasporans were the highest forex earner for Kenya last year and accounted for a whooping Kshs 70 billion. The World Bank estimates that unofficial remittances by Diasporans are about 50 per cent of the official figure which would bring the figure to 105 billion. Read this article for full details.
The truth is that the government has never taken this amazing source of forex earnings seriously until very recently. Indeed I got my information long before the whole thing became official and the truth is that this is the real reason behind the amazing strength of the Kenyan shilling against foreign currencies for a number of years now.
You see unlike many other blogs, I DO NOT read the daily newspapers and then recycle the information here. I usually do my own research. The sources I use and insiders give me the information in strict confidence and therefore I can never name my sources. Indeed many times I write in sentences to mask my possible sources of information because my number one rule is to protect my sources at all costs.
This policy has served me well over the years and that is something any reader can verify by going through old posts. You will notice that generally Kumekucha talks about things that become breaking news many months later.
Of course there is a weakness with this policy and the resultant writing style as far as journalism rules are concerned because a casual reader will think that I am picking up the information from the air or creating it in my mind because I hardly ever attribute information to sources.
Well now you know better.
Once again I thank all you patriotic Kenyans who have trusted me with extremely sensitive information some of which I have even been unable to publish here (hence the creation of my raw notes). A Big Thank you, guys. Kenya owes you.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Kenya Imposes Strict Sanctions Against Somalia’s President....lol!!
Bwa ha ha ha ha! Bwa ha ha ha ha!Yes folks, this Wetangula man is in fact a comedian. He has slapped President Abdullahi Yusuf with a travel ban..lol. Progress is seeing Kenya actualize the credibility to issue sanctions. Well, henceforth, the president of Somalia is barred from crossing the Kenyan border. But that’s not all folks; included in the adverse action is an order to freeze the presidents’ assets in Kenya. I imagine that would include bank accounts and real estate. Meanwhile, an internationally sort Rwandese fugitive is investing heavily in Kenya’s real estate and industry, operating several fat bank accounts and living nondescriptly in expensively furnished cellars of ambassadorial mansions ‘under construction’.
So what did Mr. President do to deserve such shabby treatment from a government that respects the AU charter on the sovereignty of countries such as Zimbabwe? He fired his non-performing Prime Minister and replaced him with his ally. More like a hybrid cabinet reshuffle…affecting one person. The kind of thing Moi used to do by the roadside while munching on roast maize and sweet bananas.
Of course no Kenyan wants to see Somalia disintegrate further. Its proximity alone should be reason enough for worry. But even with that said, don’t you find it a tad strange that our government continues to offer the African explanation when taken to task on Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe might not be an officially recognized war zone but the suffering of its people is incredible.
Responsible governments must join the International Community in pressurizing Mugabe to step down. As they do so, they must also ask the AU to close shop.
The Coming Revolution: Who Wants To Fool With This 200 Kgs Gorilla?
You don’t fool around with a 200 kilo Gorilla.You just don’t.
To emphasize this point many Americans would replace the words “fool around” with one four letter word for emphasis. It really matters little that you may be more intelligent than the Gorilla or that you have gone to school and it has not. When you come face to face with it, you just have to get out of the way pronto.
As far as Kenya is concerned Kenyans in the Diaspora cannot be ignored. To me they are that 200 kilo Gorilla. For starters they played a very key role in the last general elections and I am surprised that the Waki report does not mention them. Many people still don’t know it but they were ODM’s secret weapon. PNU also got a lot of “teeth” from Kenyans out there. Secondly they have been Kenya’s top foreign exchange earner for years with their remittances back home. In fact several industries in Kenya these days owe their very existence to our beloved brothers and sisters in the Diaspora.
Lets take a quick peep into history. Historians tell us that soldiers returning from the first and Second World War were major catalysts in our struggle for independence from our colonial masters. They came back different people after seeing the world out there. In my humble view Kenyans in the Diaspora will play an even more significant role in the coming revolution that will sweep right across the continent and leave Africa barely recognizable from the old stereotypes of everything that has gone wrong.
But there is a major problem currently best illustrated by the dramatic change that takes place to diasporans when they return home. More so I am talking about their political views. I have several friends who have argued with me for hours about things I have said here on Kumekucha when they are out there. But when they come back home they quickly change their positions and begin to agree with me on almost everything. Folks in other words it is really important to be on the ground or at least to have your ears on the ground. Of course this blog helps in that a lot and that is why some folks are really upset with it. (But that is a story for another day).
Indeed I made that mistake of assuming things in the early years of this blog. In the run up to the constitutional referendum of 2005 I predicted in this blog that the Yes, banana vote would prevail. Many readers of this blog do not know it but they have benefited immensely from that mistake I made because I went to great pains to ensure that never again, no matter where in the world I am would I lose touch with the ordinary Kenyans on the ground. I dare say many comments on this blog from our brothers and sisters out there clearly demonstrate that they are a little out of touch.
But as I said earlier, Diasporans cannot be ignored and they are a constituency that is way too powerful to be disregarded. I am aware that some prominent bloggers here love to call them “voteless”. Whatever that means. But I am talking about an influence that reaches into the ballot box even where no direct voting takes place.
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In my book they are much more powerful than the legislature that was busy this afternoon flexing its' muscles, with some MPs emphasizing the superiority of parliament and some accusing each other of “playing to the gallery”. Now that is very strange indeed because isn’t that exactly what an MP is supposed to do? They are all elected by the people who ultimately wield the real power as some of those cocky braggarts will discover in the not too distant future. MPS are supposed to play to the gallery of the people. The people are the ultimate law makers in the country and they speak through their leaders. However in Kenya things have been a little different. The Parliamentarians are the bosses and the people are pawns to be conned and cheated and bribed at election time.
Not any more.
Mark my words. Not any more. And NEVER AGAIN.
The Daily Nation says that our hero Fredrick Odhiambo is lucky to be alive. Well the guy in Iraq who threw shoes at President George Bush is not admitted to a hospital is he? And yet that was much more life-threatening. Read the amazing confessions of Fredrick Odhiambo.
The hottest story on Kumekucha this past weekend;
Is Safaricom's Michael Joseph a threat to the ruling class and the rich and powerful?
Which member of the current executive in Kenya was carried out of a function recently, unconscious due to overindulgence in hard drinks? Millions of Kenyans have never known that this man has had a drinking problem for years. The amazing story is in this weeks’ Kumekucha Confidential. Subscribe now, it is FREE. Send a blank email now to:
kumekucha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
If you are already a subscriber you do not have to do anything. The hot info should already be in your email in-box.
Plenty of Kenyan jobs available at this site.
Be sure to check out this mouth-watering African dishes in Nairobi.
Monday, December 15, 2008
The I-Don’t-Care-Attitude Of Our Leaders Clearly Came Out In The President’s Chilling Remarks
Emilio Stanley "Wacha wapigane" Mwai Kibaki.It is not too difficult to imagine Mwai Kibaki saying the very same chilling words he said at Nyayo Stadium on Jamuhuri day earlier this year when Kenya was burning. He probably said them many, many times last year and maybe at the beginning of this year... in private.
There is too much evidence to suggest that he did.
If the NSIS evidence given to the Waki commission is to be believed, the president was fully briefed of the gathering storms running up to the disputed general elections last year.
“Wacha wale wanataka kupigana wapigane.” (Let those who want to fight fight). I can imagine him saying those very same words when he was warned of impending violence in the country.
As I reviewed a tape a few minutes ago where he spoke those words a chill went up my spine and I remembered immediately the events leading up to the troubles of early this year that saw many innocent Kenyans killed, maimed and raped. And more so what the NSIS told the Waki commission. That they were fully aware that there was going to be trouble. If the NSIS knew did the President NOT know? Of course he did because the NSIS exists mainly to brief the president of their findings. So why didn’t somebody take action? Why didn’t the president take action?
Assuming that the president did not receive the advice from the intelligence people with the same attitude he faced angry Kenyans on Friday, Jamuhuri day, then we need to ask ourselves the question whether that is the way leaders are supposed to speak in public anyway. With such arrogance??
“Wacha wale wanataka kupigana wapigane.”
Would former President Daniel arap Moi have spoken in the same I-don’t-care-attitude? I am sorry but that second president of the republic of Kenya has been made to look so good by the current blundering, tribal presidency.
And neither can Prime Minister Raila Odinga escape blame for the terrible things that happened in this country. He knew very well that his political strategy to win the presidency was driving Mwai Kibaki up against a wall and isolating our dear Kikuyu brothers. Yet he continued with it and did not take leadership and stop even for a minute to take stock. If only to save precious Kenyan lives. Is making it to State House worth the unnecessary death of one single innocent Kenyan? Let alone the thousands who died?
Those who have said that we lack leadership in Kenya I must say that they are absolutely correct. What we call leadership are those morons in parliament busy with a circus that is NOT funny. Passing laws that would not even have been passed in apartheid South Africa and then turning round and telling us that they are against those laws and that they were not in parliament when they were being passed by their colleagues. What mavi ya ngombe is that??? More so in this age of cell phones and instant communications?
So where the hell were they? On Koinange street perhaps?
Post Updated by Chris
I told you guys that Kenya is a police state. Remember the guy who was arrested from Nyayo Stadium for disrupting the president's speech as part of the protest by Kenyans? His name is Fredrick Odhiambo. Well he was beaten up so badly that he is now receiving treatment at the Nairobi Women's Hospital. Some ordinary wananchi are perturbed that Mr Odhiambo was taken to the "Women's hospital" and told a Kumekucha reporter on the streets of Nairobi today; "Odhiambo is no longer a man - walimufinya sehemu za siri" (they assualted him in his private parts). Nothing of the sort happened because the Nairobi Women's hospital specializes on cases of people who have been brutualized not necessarily in the way these Nairobians were suggesting.
It looks like the cops followed instructions from their boss to the letter. Let those who would dare want to fight a police state, fight.
The hottest story on Kumekucha this past weekend;
Is Safaricom's Michael Joseph a threat to the ruling class and the rich and powerful?
Which member of the current executive in Kenya was carried out of a function recently, unconscious due to overindulgence in hard drinks? Millions of Kenyans have never known that this man has had a drinking problem for years. The amazing story is in this weeks’ Kumekucha Confidential. Subscribe now, it is FREE. Send a blank email now to:
kumekucha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
If you are already a subscriber you do not have to do anything. The hot info will be in your email in-box shortly.
Plenty of Kenyan jobs available at this site.
Dream Package cheap honeymoon holidays in East Africa at affordable rates this Christmas. Avoid crowded Mombasa.
Be sure to check out this mouth-watering African dishes in Nairobi.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Kibaki Couldn't Have Asked For A Better Christmas Gift
The President won't sign the damn bill.
Suddenly Kenyans are dealing with one of the worst Parliaments in history, to the point where a majority of the nation's suffering people are beginning to see in Kibaki a common sense modorate. That the country has come to this point within eleven months is an indictment of the the Kenyan electorate that perpetually accepts handouts from these scoundrels, just as much as it is a thumbs down on what is shaping up to be the most insensitive, authoritarian Parliaments in the history of this republic. It's indeed regretable that some of us hailed these youthful leaders as the right people to lead Kenya after last year's elections. How wrong we were!
Within a year these men and women, hell bent on enriching themselves, have gone from refusing to pay taxes, to playing games with unga, to passing one of the most draconian bills this side of post-Moi Kenya. What is even more stunning is that the ODM, the party most Kenyans were looking up to for progress, was part of this withering betrayal. Where was James Orengo when this law was passed? Where was William Ruto and Musalia? Why didn't the Prime Minister voice his outrage? Don't you find it disingenuous that these men are suddenly distancing themselves from the bill? They can try all they want, but I know that when Kenya needed them, they turned the other way and voted for oppression. Coming from Orengo and Imanyara and Raila and the other second liberation titans, this is a biting betrayal. Should we now be comforted that they will stop the bill? Jesus Christ, what do these people take us for?
So is Kenya ready for a revolution as I hear some pundits beginning to forecast? Not really. We haven't reached the point where the pressing matters this nation is dealing with are without solutions. Unga can and must be fixed. The MPs taxes will be fixed. As for the media supression bill, the President WON'T sign it. I have that from an authoriative source. And when you come to think of it, the incessant overeach of this bungling Parliemant has handed President Kibaki the best Christmas gift of his career. While the MPs now look like power-drunk dictators, Kibaki...by not signing this bill...emerges from this brouhaha looking like a consumate democrat. Whenever things go wrong in Kenya now, all he has to do is point a finger at Parliament. How these roles have changed within a year is one of the most fascinating political occurences this closing year. If I were Kibaki, I'd milk this trend for all it's worth.
Maybe not a revolution, but the government must sense that Kenyans are in no mood to accept crap from anyone anymore. It's now imperative that out leaders, at all levels, do the right thing or watch as the magnitude of grievances in Kenya grows exponentially to the point where a revolution becomes inevitable. In case they doubt that this can happen, all they need to do is harken back to the disheartening events of last Friday, when furiuos Kenyans, across the board, disapproved of the direction the nation is going. To a man, you could sense the collective No from Kenyans. To make this clearer let me put it this way. Kenyans have laernt that their problems are not caused by the poor Kikuyu, poor Luo, poor Kalenjin, poor Luhya or the poor Kisii next door. No. They now know that these problems, including the unending divisions in this country, are caused by the unscrupulous MPs and successive governments that have never shed colonial tactics.
Kenyans now know who the enemy is.
Our minds have been liberated ahead of 2012.
In just four years we will join hands, after these enemies of Kenya are defeated, and we will sing Free at last, Free at last, thank God Almighty, we're Free at last.
Suddenly Kenyans are dealing with one of the worst Parliaments in history, to the point where a majority of the nation's suffering people are beginning to see in Kibaki a common sense modorate. That the country has come to this point within eleven months is an indictment of the the Kenyan electorate that perpetually accepts handouts from these scoundrels, just as much as it is a thumbs down on what is shaping up to be the most insensitive, authoritarian Parliaments in the history of this republic. It's indeed regretable that some of us hailed these youthful leaders as the right people to lead Kenya after last year's elections. How wrong we were!
Within a year these men and women, hell bent on enriching themselves, have gone from refusing to pay taxes, to playing games with unga, to passing one of the most draconian bills this side of post-Moi Kenya. What is even more stunning is that the ODM, the party most Kenyans were looking up to for progress, was part of this withering betrayal. Where was James Orengo when this law was passed? Where was William Ruto and Musalia? Why didn't the Prime Minister voice his outrage? Don't you find it disingenuous that these men are suddenly distancing themselves from the bill? They can try all they want, but I know that when Kenya needed them, they turned the other way and voted for oppression. Coming from Orengo and Imanyara and Raila and the other second liberation titans, this is a biting betrayal. Should we now be comforted that they will stop the bill? Jesus Christ, what do these people take us for?
So is Kenya ready for a revolution as I hear some pundits beginning to forecast? Not really. We haven't reached the point where the pressing matters this nation is dealing with are without solutions. Unga can and must be fixed. The MPs taxes will be fixed. As for the media supression bill, the President WON'T sign it. I have that from an authoriative source. And when you come to think of it, the incessant overeach of this bungling Parliemant has handed President Kibaki the best Christmas gift of his career. While the MPs now look like power-drunk dictators, Kibaki...by not signing this bill...emerges from this brouhaha looking like a consumate democrat. Whenever things go wrong in Kenya now, all he has to do is point a finger at Parliament. How these roles have changed within a year is one of the most fascinating political occurences this closing year. If I were Kibaki, I'd milk this trend for all it's worth.
Maybe not a revolution, but the government must sense that Kenyans are in no mood to accept crap from anyone anymore. It's now imperative that out leaders, at all levels, do the right thing or watch as the magnitude of grievances in Kenya grows exponentially to the point where a revolution becomes inevitable. In case they doubt that this can happen, all they need to do is harken back to the disheartening events of last Friday, when furiuos Kenyans, across the board, disapproved of the direction the nation is going. To a man, you could sense the collective No from Kenyans. To make this clearer let me put it this way. Kenyans have laernt that their problems are not caused by the poor Kikuyu, poor Luo, poor Kalenjin, poor Luhya or the poor Kisii next door. No. They now know that these problems, including the unending divisions in this country, are caused by the unscrupulous MPs and successive governments that have never shed colonial tactics.
Kenyans now know who the enemy is.
Our minds have been liberated ahead of 2012.
In just four years we will join hands, after these enemies of Kenya are defeated, and we will sing Free at last, Free at last, thank God Almighty, we're Free at last.
Our Politicians Only Fooling Themselves
It is both funny and irresponsible to see MPs shouting fire in a crowded hall after absconding from heir primary role of making laws by absenting themselves from parliament when needed most. Now that they have been exposed, they are all shouting at Kibaki not to sign the passed Communication (Amendment) Bill into law. Leaves you wondering whom do these scoundrels think they are fooling apart from themselves.
Our MPs have institutionalized DECEPTION by lying through their oddly-spaced teeth. In their warped mindset they believe Kenyans will swallow all the balderdash they spew. Make no mistake, there is no love lost between the politicians and the media. And the truth is the media must be regulated. That said there is no need to re-invent the wheel and the practice world over on responsible journalism is stringent self-regulation and not our penchant to legalize raids headed by ALIENS from Armenia.
MPs’ behaviour is symptomatic of our shamelessness to lie and get away with it no matter the consequences, personal or national. Shaggy’s song IT WASN’T ME has never been more poetic. Now that the politicians are experiencing first hand signs of open revolt they are ruing their selfish antics to have us bend as they rape as some more. The spectre of food riots is one reality that change the political landscape forever.
But the MPs still don’t get it. The national mood is so FLUID no politician is safe from being heckled and shouted off stage. Even the time-tested contempt to egg the protesters on is meeting new challenges if nasty and violent scenes at Nyayo Stadium are any measure of dissatisfaction. Even Bush is not immune to SHOE MISSILE.
Food riots
Kenya and her leaders have taken deception to new levels. Only on these shores is lying on camera and denying it on the same screen acceptable and whitewashed with some hair splitting gimmicks. Mugabe must have outsmarted his Kenyan teachers is denying cholera outbreak and even claiming that the disease was exported from the west to remove him from power. That stunt must have sounded familiar as the ANGLO LEASING scandal that never was.
Minister Poghisio knew well when to strike the fatal blow on the media’s underbelly. With a partisan and fractious parliament he only needed a handful of COMPLIANT MPs and hurrah the bill is headed from presidential ascent. The media owners can scream themselves hoarse but Sam holds no hostage to sectarian interests. Damn the national interests, MPs have had the sweetest revenge served on the media.
The present standoff provides the best platform to launch campaign for TRUE REFORMS. But trust such a resolve to be a casualty of short-term political memory that will soon see demonstrations take ETHNIC SLOGANS. But the good news MAY be that finally the civic society is finally waking from their slumber after their fire was extinguished by embedding them in government.
Our MPs have institutionalized DECEPTION by lying through their oddly-spaced teeth. In their warped mindset they believe Kenyans will swallow all the balderdash they spew. Make no mistake, there is no love lost between the politicians and the media. And the truth is the media must be regulated. That said there is no need to re-invent the wheel and the practice world over on responsible journalism is stringent self-regulation and not our penchant to legalize raids headed by ALIENS from Armenia.
MPs’ behaviour is symptomatic of our shamelessness to lie and get away with it no matter the consequences, personal or national. Shaggy’s song IT WASN’T ME has never been more poetic. Now that the politicians are experiencing first hand signs of open revolt they are ruing their selfish antics to have us bend as they rape as some more. The spectre of food riots is one reality that change the political landscape forever.
But the MPs still don’t get it. The national mood is so FLUID no politician is safe from being heckled and shouted off stage. Even the time-tested contempt to egg the protesters on is meeting new challenges if nasty and violent scenes at Nyayo Stadium are any measure of dissatisfaction. Even Bush is not immune to SHOE MISSILE.
Food riots
Kenya and her leaders have taken deception to new levels. Only on these shores is lying on camera and denying it on the same screen acceptable and whitewashed with some hair splitting gimmicks. Mugabe must have outsmarted his Kenyan teachers is denying cholera outbreak and even claiming that the disease was exported from the west to remove him from power. That stunt must have sounded familiar as the ANGLO LEASING scandal that never was.
Minister Poghisio knew well when to strike the fatal blow on the media’s underbelly. With a partisan and fractious parliament he only needed a handful of COMPLIANT MPs and hurrah the bill is headed from presidential ascent. The media owners can scream themselves hoarse but Sam holds no hostage to sectarian interests. Damn the national interests, MPs have had the sweetest revenge served on the media.
The present standoff provides the best platform to launch campaign for TRUE REFORMS. But trust such a resolve to be a casualty of short-term political memory that will soon see demonstrations take ETHNIC SLOGANS. But the good news MAY be that finally the civic society is finally waking from their slumber after their fire was extinguished by embedding them in government.
M-Pesa Panic: Who is Afraid of Michael Joseph?
It seems that ordinary Kenyans are constantly on a collision course with the rich and corrupt in this country. Even as the MPs refusal to pay taxes and the media bill fiasco rages there is more trouble brewing in the horizon with the M-Pesa controversy. Truly bado mapabano.
Michael Joseph CEO Safaricom: Is this man such a serious threat to the rich and powerful in Kenya?
I know business is terribly boring to many of you my dear readers, but kindly bear with me for a few minutes and I will explain in simple terms what every Kenyan must know.
Acting Finance Minister has ordered an audit of Safaricom’s M-Pesa and has expressed fears that the popular service could be used for money laundering saying that the relevant experts and government bureaucrats should investigate the matter urgently. The timing of the statement was not lost on keen observers because Safaricom’s parent company, Vodafone had just finalized a mega deal with Western Union that will allow direct transfer of funds to M-Pesa subscribers in Kenya on their phones.
Let us not waste time with many words. What Michuki is saying is RUBBISH!!! Pure and simple. And there are many reasons for this. Firstly saying that somebody would use M-Pesa to launder cash is like saying that thugs will use 5 rounds revolvers to outgun the flying squad’s automatic AK-47s and Israeli Uzis. M-Pesa has a limit of Kshs 35,000 for every individual transaction. For money laundering to work well, one needs huge transactions to clean money and that is why the Nakumatt Supermarkets route for money launders worked like a dream. Just think about it, how many transactions of Kshs 35,000 would one need to "clean" a mere billion shillings? Mind boggling isn’t it? Then there are a couple of other safeguards that Safaricom have put in place that I will not go into just now.
Want to know what money laundering means in simple terms and the Nakumatt money laundering story?
So now that we have established that Michuki is talking rubbish, let us try and figure out exactly what is really happening here.
We know for a fact that the Finance Minister has close contacts of many years in the local Banking industry, some sources even claim has substantial interests. It is clear that the pressure on Michuki to talk as he is talking is coming from mainstream banks. So the next question is how does a money transfer service mainly for ordinary folk like M-Pesa threaten the banking industry?
First of all I want to remind you that the remittance of Money back home by Kenyans in the diaspora has been the main foreign exchange earner for Kenya for a number of years now (but the government only started talking about it recently). All that money until now has been paid through the banks. You can imagine how much mainstream banks are earning from it in terms of commissions when people go to them to cash in funds from Western Union. Indeed that is one of the very few big profit areas remaining for banks these days. One of the reason is that big banks like Barclays and Standard Chartered have not been able to figure out yet how to attract back the small man in large enough numbers to make a difference. Well there is also the little matter of numerous Kenyans who were chased away (and abusive language was used) by these banks when they closed numerous “small accounts” as they were drunk with Treasury Bill interest profits. The banks said that these small customers were not viable and were a waste of time. Which was probably true at the time because widespread use of ATMs had not yet penetrated this market. My point is that too many Kenyans still have bitter memories of these big banks.
Then the big customers they were relying on when they chased away “small accounts” are dwindling in number, besides they are too few to go round the numerous banks we have in Kenya all scrambling for them. (Did you know that Kenya has the highest number of banks in sub-Saharan Africa at 46? Higher than Nigeria and South Africa?). Not to mention the global economic melt down that has hit some local banks very hard.
Secondly Zain have announced that plans are at an advanced stage to launch cell phone banking in Kenya. M-Pesa is strictly a money transfer service and it has already proved to be devastating to banks, now imagine what the effect of a full cell-phone banking service would be? And to make matters worse, this comes at a time when banks have been hit hard by the Equity Bank phenomenon. As you read this we have a total about 4 to 5 million account holders in Kenya. Out of those over 2.5 million (and rapidly growing) are with Equity Bank. The big banks have tried everything, including spreading malicious lies that Equity is in financial trouble or is headed for collapse. It has not worked. They have also poached staff in hoards from Equity, but they have still not been able to replicate the Equity Bank magic. Well I have some free advice for them. The executives who make key decisions at these banks need to move from Westlands and Kilimani and live somewhere like Dandora or Eastlands for a month to even begin to understand the ordinary Kenyan, the very person they are trying to attract as a client.
The bottom line is that M-Pesa is a very convenient service for many poor and middle class Kenyans and they have responded by using it in such huge volumes. The service is a vital lifeline for many ordinary wananchi now.
Contrast that with the real money launderers of Kenya who are Mr Michuki’s colleagues in the crowded grand coalition cabinet. Remember the still unresolved Anglo-Leasing scam? Remember the leaked Kroll report which detailed billion of shillings being laundered abroad, some of it from Nigeria’s former dictator Sani Abacha coming to Kenya on transit abroad? Ironically the worst crimes in Kenya’s financial sector have been committed by the so called big banks. Citibank for instance is the main bank that has been used by the likes of Gideon Moi to transfer huge sums of stolen public funds overseas, according to the Kroll report and other impeccable sources.
So what is Michuki really up to? Is the idea to shut down M-pesa so that the big banks benefit? Or perhaps to introduce new regulations to ensure that all the cash passes directly through banks who will charge hefty commissions of course?
See also: Is Michael Joseph A Business Genius Or What?
Which member of the current executive in Kenya was carried out of a function recently, unconscious due to overindulgence in hard drinks? Millions of Kenyans have never known that this man has had a drinking problem for years. The amazing story is in this weeks’ Kumekucha Confidential. Subscribe now, it is FREE. Send a blank email now to:
kumekucha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
If you are already a subscriber you do not have to do anything. The hot info will be in your email in-box shortly.
Plenty of Kenyan jobs available at this site.
Dream Cheap package honeymoon holidays in East Africa at affordable rates this Christmas. Avoid crowded Mombasa.
Be sure to check out this mouth-watering Delicious African dishes in Nairobi.
Michael Joseph CEO Safaricom: Is this man such a serious threat to the rich and powerful in Kenya?I know business is terribly boring to many of you my dear readers, but kindly bear with me for a few minutes and I will explain in simple terms what every Kenyan must know.
Acting Finance Minister has ordered an audit of Safaricom’s M-Pesa and has expressed fears that the popular service could be used for money laundering saying that the relevant experts and government bureaucrats should investigate the matter urgently. The timing of the statement was not lost on keen observers because Safaricom’s parent company, Vodafone had just finalized a mega deal with Western Union that will allow direct transfer of funds to M-Pesa subscribers in Kenya on their phones.
Let us not waste time with many words. What Michuki is saying is RUBBISH!!! Pure and simple. And there are many reasons for this. Firstly saying that somebody would use M-Pesa to launder cash is like saying that thugs will use 5 rounds revolvers to outgun the flying squad’s automatic AK-47s and Israeli Uzis. M-Pesa has a limit of Kshs 35,000 for every individual transaction. For money laundering to work well, one needs huge transactions to clean money and that is why the Nakumatt Supermarkets route for money launders worked like a dream. Just think about it, how many transactions of Kshs 35,000 would one need to "clean" a mere billion shillings? Mind boggling isn’t it? Then there are a couple of other safeguards that Safaricom have put in place that I will not go into just now.
Want to know what money laundering means in simple terms and the Nakumatt money laundering story?
So now that we have established that Michuki is talking rubbish, let us try and figure out exactly what is really happening here.
We know for a fact that the Finance Minister has close contacts of many years in the local Banking industry, some sources even claim has substantial interests. It is clear that the pressure on Michuki to talk as he is talking is coming from mainstream banks. So the next question is how does a money transfer service mainly for ordinary folk like M-Pesa threaten the banking industry?
First of all I want to remind you that the remittance of Money back home by Kenyans in the diaspora has been the main foreign exchange earner for Kenya for a number of years now (but the government only started talking about it recently). All that money until now has been paid through the banks. You can imagine how much mainstream banks are earning from it in terms of commissions when people go to them to cash in funds from Western Union. Indeed that is one of the very few big profit areas remaining for banks these days. One of the reason is that big banks like Barclays and Standard Chartered have not been able to figure out yet how to attract back the small man in large enough numbers to make a difference. Well there is also the little matter of numerous Kenyans who were chased away (and abusive language was used) by these banks when they closed numerous “small accounts” as they were drunk with Treasury Bill interest profits. The banks said that these small customers were not viable and were a waste of time. Which was probably true at the time because widespread use of ATMs had not yet penetrated this market. My point is that too many Kenyans still have bitter memories of these big banks.
Then the big customers they were relying on when they chased away “small accounts” are dwindling in number, besides they are too few to go round the numerous banks we have in Kenya all scrambling for them. (Did you know that Kenya has the highest number of banks in sub-Saharan Africa at 46? Higher than Nigeria and South Africa?). Not to mention the global economic melt down that has hit some local banks very hard.
Secondly Zain have announced that plans are at an advanced stage to launch cell phone banking in Kenya. M-Pesa is strictly a money transfer service and it has already proved to be devastating to banks, now imagine what the effect of a full cell-phone banking service would be? And to make matters worse, this comes at a time when banks have been hit hard by the Equity Bank phenomenon. As you read this we have a total about 4 to 5 million account holders in Kenya. Out of those over 2.5 million (and rapidly growing) are with Equity Bank. The big banks have tried everything, including spreading malicious lies that Equity is in financial trouble or is headed for collapse. It has not worked. They have also poached staff in hoards from Equity, but they have still not been able to replicate the Equity Bank magic. Well I have some free advice for them. The executives who make key decisions at these banks need to move from Westlands and Kilimani and live somewhere like Dandora or Eastlands for a month to even begin to understand the ordinary Kenyan, the very person they are trying to attract as a client.
The bottom line is that M-Pesa is a very convenient service for many poor and middle class Kenyans and they have responded by using it in such huge volumes. The service is a vital lifeline for many ordinary wananchi now.
Contrast that with the real money launderers of Kenya who are Mr Michuki’s colleagues in the crowded grand coalition cabinet. Remember the still unresolved Anglo-Leasing scam? Remember the leaked Kroll report which detailed billion of shillings being laundered abroad, some of it from Nigeria’s former dictator Sani Abacha coming to Kenya on transit abroad? Ironically the worst crimes in Kenya’s financial sector have been committed by the so called big banks. Citibank for instance is the main bank that has been used by the likes of Gideon Moi to transfer huge sums of stolen public funds overseas, according to the Kroll report and other impeccable sources.
So what is Michuki really up to? Is the idea to shut down M-pesa so that the big banks benefit? Or perhaps to introduce new regulations to ensure that all the cash passes directly through banks who will charge hefty commissions of course?
See also: Is Michael Joseph A Business Genius Or What?
Which member of the current executive in Kenya was carried out of a function recently, unconscious due to overindulgence in hard drinks? Millions of Kenyans have never known that this man has had a drinking problem for years. The amazing story is in this weeks’ Kumekucha Confidential. Subscribe now, it is FREE. Send a blank email now to:
kumekucha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
If you are already a subscriber you do not have to do anything. The hot info will be in your email in-box shortly.
Plenty of Kenyan jobs available at this site.
Dream Cheap package honeymoon holidays in East Africa at affordable rates this Christmas. Avoid crowded Mombasa.
Be sure to check out this mouth-watering Delicious African dishes in Nairobi.
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