A few days ago on December 31st I celebrated my birthday and only 2 people remembered one of them giving me a wonderful unforgettable present (although they forgot to sing happy birthday).
Days later today I have something really important to celebrate. And this time I want to celebrate this thing with the multitudes of Kumekucha readers and contributors all over the world.
Some time last night or in the early hours of today the visitor counter on this popular blog broke the 2 million hits barrier. 2 MILLION!!!
I cannot remember the last time I was so excited. Of course I have been expecting it for weeks now, regularly looking at the counter on your left hand side of this page. But now that it has happened I can hardly contain myself.
Why am I so excited? Because it has not been easy. It has taken a combination of many things and many people to make it happen, including world-class search engine optimizers who I am proud to report have Kenyan blood flowing through their veins but can take on any SEO heavyweight from Silicon Valley and still get the better of them.
It has also taken our selfless team of contributors here who have given us some excellent stories, many times breaking news that Kenyans read in the mainstream press many weeks and even months later. Thank you Phil for the best scoops of 2008 (especially in January). But thanks to all the other guys as well.
Special mention goes to regular commentators in this blog. Let me say that I feel very blessed to have what must be the most hilarious blog commentators in the world. Let me let you into a secret. When things get very tough and sad for me, I usually read Kumekucha comments (not posts) and within no time I am laughing until tears are streaming down my eyes. Thank you so much guys for making this place so so so much fun.
Of course the party has only just began and the next phase of this Kumekucha project promises to be the most exciting yet. Together we want to trigger real change in Kenya and do "an Obama" on our very own State House. Together we can.
I have a very big celebration planned for tomorrow to re-charge my batteries. Pity I can't invite you all but wherever you will be, please remember to say a prayer for Kumekucha and all the team of wonderful people who have made this possible.
2 million hits!!!! Wow. Who would have imagined?
SEE the other post made a few moments ago; Kibaki's out of character behaviour is reason to worry. Something is very wrong somewhere.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Kibaki’s Out Of Character Behaviour Is Reason To Worry
Something Is Very Wrong Somewhere
I feel rather generous today and so I will let you into one of the secrets behind Kumekucha’s seemingly uncanny ability to predict stuff long before it happens.
Any analyst worth their salt knows that one of the signs to look out for is when people behave out of character. That should automatically send warning bells ringing loud and clear in your mind.
Let me give you a little story from my personal life to illustrate this. My Dad is not religious but believe me, he is a good man. I have told you before how many times he risked his life to “leave his conscience clear” as he likes to put it. Now if there is one thing the guy hates with a passion, it is being told lies. You can do anything to him but JUST DON’T tell him lies.
I remember one day when I was already an adult I had visited him and he casually asked whether I had checked out his maize in the store. My mind raced and I decided to tell him a “kind lie”.
“YES,” I said brightly. He then asked how high up the maize cobs were. My mind raced again and I told him it was almost at the top. His face twisted with rage and disappointment. He muttered something under his breadth and did not talk for over 15 minutes. He’s my dad and I knew what was wrong. Being an ex-cop (do they ever retire?) he had quickly been able to nail me for telling what may appear to be a harmless lie. To him there is nothing harmless about lies.
If the world ever sees anything good in me, then I can assure you it came from my dad. If we had a few more like him maybe Kenya would not have turned out the way it did.
Now back to my point in telling this story. Imagine if one day somebody told the old man a lie and he just laughed and brushed the whole thing aside? I would be alarmed. When people behave out of character that is the right reaction.
Now something has happened over the last few days that has had me so worried that I have been bothering my informants and contacts terribly looking for more clues and chasing various leads. Don’t worry folks, you will be the first to know when I have something concrete. But for now let me share my train of thought with you.
The President behaved totally out of character when he so suddenly bulked under pressure over the infamous Kenya communications act. Knowing President Kibaki the way my excellent insider contacts have helped me know him, the President does not really care and it usually takes a whole lot to rattle him.
Remember what happened during the post elections violence? The country was burning and moments away from total shut down, and Emilio Stanley just remained cool and refused to budge. It was Raila Odinga and ODM who blinked first and even then the President took that as a show of weakness and moved the goal posts a little. What made him finally change were a combination of many very serious factors including a terse and very threatening message from the Yankies delivered to him By Tanzanian President Jakaya Kiwkete (because Emilio had stopped taking calls from The US). Anyway that is a story for another day.
So what is really bothering me is why the President has so suddenly accepted to go back on his convictions regarding the media bill. My thinking is that the president by virtue of his position has information that most Kenyans do not have and this information is very alarming bordering on catastrophic scenarios facing the good corrupt-filled banana republic we call home.
Could it be the looming famine? By the way the way things look on the ground what is about to happen is unprecedented in these shores. Experts say that one in every 3 Kenyans faces the risk of starvation. That is a huge number folks, no matter what angle you look at it from? Or is Emilio feeling threatened by the policy changes that are about to take place in Washington as the Obama administration takes over? Is he going to be handed over to the Hague while he is still in power? Or does it have something to do with the never-before-seen level of security we see around the president these days? All these are merely my suspicions at the moment and am still pursuing useful leads to give you some concrete story.
Meanwhile those who are wise will join me in worrying why a man so suddenly behaved so much out of character.
The best basic SEO training course tips.
Hot product tips from Kumekucha: Have you seen the latest brand new Nairobi Budget Hotel?
Hot product tips from Kumekucha: Have you had lunch at this unique Nairobi upmarket African dishes restaurant yet?
I feel rather generous today and so I will let you into one of the secrets behind Kumekucha’s seemingly uncanny ability to predict stuff long before it happens.
Any analyst worth their salt knows that one of the signs to look out for is when people behave out of character. That should automatically send warning bells ringing loud and clear in your mind.
Let me give you a little story from my personal life to illustrate this. My Dad is not religious but believe me, he is a good man. I have told you before how many times he risked his life to “leave his conscience clear” as he likes to put it. Now if there is one thing the guy hates with a passion, it is being told lies. You can do anything to him but JUST DON’T tell him lies.
I remember one day when I was already an adult I had visited him and he casually asked whether I had checked out his maize in the store. My mind raced and I decided to tell him a “kind lie”.
“YES,” I said brightly. He then asked how high up the maize cobs were. My mind raced again and I told him it was almost at the top. His face twisted with rage and disappointment. He muttered something under his breadth and did not talk for over 15 minutes. He’s my dad and I knew what was wrong. Being an ex-cop (do they ever retire?) he had quickly been able to nail me for telling what may appear to be a harmless lie. To him there is nothing harmless about lies.
If the world ever sees anything good in me, then I can assure you it came from my dad. If we had a few more like him maybe Kenya would not have turned out the way it did.
Now back to my point in telling this story. Imagine if one day somebody told the old man a lie and he just laughed and brushed the whole thing aside? I would be alarmed. When people behave out of character that is the right reaction.
Now something has happened over the last few days that has had me so worried that I have been bothering my informants and contacts terribly looking for more clues and chasing various leads. Don’t worry folks, you will be the first to know when I have something concrete. But for now let me share my train of thought with you.
The President behaved totally out of character when he so suddenly bulked under pressure over the infamous Kenya communications act. Knowing President Kibaki the way my excellent insider contacts have helped me know him, the President does not really care and it usually takes a whole lot to rattle him.
Remember what happened during the post elections violence? The country was burning and moments away from total shut down, and Emilio Stanley just remained cool and refused to budge. It was Raila Odinga and ODM who blinked first and even then the President took that as a show of weakness and moved the goal posts a little. What made him finally change were a combination of many very serious factors including a terse and very threatening message from the Yankies delivered to him By Tanzanian President Jakaya Kiwkete (because Emilio had stopped taking calls from The US). Anyway that is a story for another day.
So what is really bothering me is why the President has so suddenly accepted to go back on his convictions regarding the media bill. My thinking is that the president by virtue of his position has information that most Kenyans do not have and this information is very alarming bordering on catastrophic scenarios facing the good corrupt-filled banana republic we call home.
Could it be the looming famine? By the way the way things look on the ground what is about to happen is unprecedented in these shores. Experts say that one in every 3 Kenyans faces the risk of starvation. That is a huge number folks, no matter what angle you look at it from? Or is Emilio feeling threatened by the policy changes that are about to take place in Washington as the Obama administration takes over? Is he going to be handed over to the Hague while he is still in power? Or does it have something to do with the never-before-seen level of security we see around the president these days? All these are merely my suspicions at the moment and am still pursuing useful leads to give you some concrete story.
Meanwhile those who are wise will join me in worrying why a man so suddenly behaved so much out of character.
The best basic SEO training course tips.
Hot product tips from Kumekucha: Have you seen the latest brand new Nairobi Budget Hotel?
Hot product tips from Kumekucha: Have you had lunch at this unique Nairobi upmarket African dishes restaurant yet?
Friday, January 09, 2009
Obama's Inauguration And The Hague-Bound Gentlemen From Kenya
What is unfolding about the upcoming Barack Obama inauguration is fascinating and indeed amusing in many ways.
Initially behind the scenes there was a clear push and pull between the ministry of foreign affairs and the PM's office over who will attend Obama's inauguration. The PM's office had even compiled a rather long list.
Then at some point it dawned on everybody that neither President Kibaki nor Prime Minister Raila Odinga had been invited and neither has anyone in the government.
Softly and quietly the word from the Obama camp was that while Kenyans have trumpeted themselves hoarse over ownership of Obama and moved to rehabilitate his family in record time. Obama is quite clear that he is first an American. And that Kenya will find its place in official US foreign policy. Sorry guys. No special favours.
Government officials have been scratching their heads to see how they can play out this embarrassment. Only 240,000 tickets are available for the presidential inauguration. The majority of them will go to American high flyers especially those who oil the democratic party machinery. Others will go to foreign dignitaries. For example the British premier may get 50 for himself and his delegation. The Queen of England may receive another 10 and so on. It is unclear whether any African head of state has got one. Mandela probably.
It is not lost on America that the two Kenyan gentlemen were behind atrocities that claimed the lives of well over 5000 of kenyans and are still having a possible date with the Hague. Not to mention the Waki probe yet to start and their being in charge of one of the most notoriously corrupt governments in Africa.
There are a limited number of tickets that are for sale. These go for US$ 50,000 a piece. And money is not enough, to get one you must have the right connections.
The Kenyan government are in a dilemma because if the buy, then those who don't get will spill the beans that they wasted taxpayers money to go to an event they were not invited to. Also it would be a major embarrassment to those who have claimed to be a step away from Obama yet now they cannot even go for his inauguration.
Meanwhile the Kogelo clan have been feted at the invitation of the Saudi Royal Family then the King of Jordan and are now on their way to the US where they will attend the inauguration.
Important Notice From Kumekucha: Somebody who is obviously up to no good has been repeatedly posting a comment in this blog claiming to be me an talking about me giving up this blog due to some silly cash reasons. It is not surprising that some people see this site as a threat to their evil ambitions and many of them will go to any length to try and discredit it.
Let me make it clear that this blog for me is NOT about money and I started it with the higher ideal of fighting for genuine change in Kenya. I urge readers to ignore any comments purporting to be me that many any wild claims about me giving up Kumekucha.
Hot product tips from Kumekucha: Have you seen the latest brand new Nairobi Budget Hotel?
Hot product tips from Kumekucha: Have you had lunch at this unique Nairobi upmarket African dishes restaurant yet?
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Thursday, January 08, 2009
Situations Vacant: State House Controller, Finance Minister
Kenya has been running without a substantive minister for Finance for close to half a year. And why the hurry if the right DNA is in short supply among the present lot of parliamentarians. Amos Kimunya must be rubbing his hands in glee after refusing to die rather than resign.
There are government ministries and then there are REAL MINISTRIES. Finance ministry is the nerve centre of all transactions, legal and otherwise. Only a naive president would entrust such an important office to a holder with the wrong genes in his veins. Gate keepers of Kenyan Limited must be INDUSTRIOUS Kenyans capable of transacting REAL BUSINESS in first language.
Forget all the facade of trying to legislate against tribalism and cronyism. Only in Kenya are laws made exclusively to message egos with the principal intention to break them with all attendant impunity. We do not have our national butt kissing the bottom of the pit because of lack of good ideas and laws.
Transactions at the finance ministry were at the heart of last year’s election fraud. Some of the most lucrative businesses it handled during the 9th parliamentary session could not be forfeited on the strength of mere ballot papers. You don’t risk the wrath of the international community by acting as an arms conduit for Southern Sudan only to surrender the proceeds to less enterprising Kenyans armed with ballot mandate.
Realistic Kenyans better learn to live with the painful fact that the Finance ministry will remain vacant till Kenyans until we become immune to reigning impunity and accept the truth that the country has its owners. The passengers aboard the geographical entity called Kenya must are better advised to remain loyal to the principal shareholders. And lest you forget no life is sacred in this industrious pursuit of wealth.
Right DNA
If you doubt the temerity of these owners to auction Kenya, then just ask one Hyslop Ipu. The poor guy has corrupted DNA and consequently no clout neither does he belong. He provided the razor that shaved his predecessor oblivious of the fact that his own schedule with the TRIBAL barbers was booked long time ago.
Kenya is not an evil political society for lack of scheming tribal clerics. Instead the entrepreneuring men and women of the cloth populate every sector of our national fabric so much so that they suffocate us with cheap sectarian evangelism.
So here we go folks. Take an honet self-assessment, APPROPRIATELY translate your CV if you belong with the right DNA and RIGHTLY submit your application for any of the two positions above. My lady luck smile to the lucky applicants.
There are government ministries and then there are REAL MINISTRIES. Finance ministry is the nerve centre of all transactions, legal and otherwise. Only a naive president would entrust such an important office to a holder with the wrong genes in his veins. Gate keepers of Kenyan Limited must be INDUSTRIOUS Kenyans capable of transacting REAL BUSINESS in first language.
Forget all the facade of trying to legislate against tribalism and cronyism. Only in Kenya are laws made exclusively to message egos with the principal intention to break them with all attendant impunity. We do not have our national butt kissing the bottom of the pit because of lack of good ideas and laws.
Transactions at the finance ministry were at the heart of last year’s election fraud. Some of the most lucrative businesses it handled during the 9th parliamentary session could not be forfeited on the strength of mere ballot papers. You don’t risk the wrath of the international community by acting as an arms conduit for Southern Sudan only to surrender the proceeds to less enterprising Kenyans armed with ballot mandate.
Realistic Kenyans better learn to live with the painful fact that the Finance ministry will remain vacant till Kenyans until we become immune to reigning impunity and accept the truth that the country has its owners. The passengers aboard the geographical entity called Kenya must are better advised to remain loyal to the principal shareholders. And lest you forget no life is sacred in this industrious pursuit of wealth.
Right DNA
If you doubt the temerity of these owners to auction Kenya, then just ask one Hyslop Ipu. The poor guy has corrupted DNA and consequently no clout neither does he belong. He provided the razor that shaved his predecessor oblivious of the fact that his own schedule with the TRIBAL barbers was booked long time ago.
Kenya is not an evil political society for lack of scheming tribal clerics. Instead the entrepreneuring men and women of the cloth populate every sector of our national fabric so much so that they suffocate us with cheap sectarian evangelism.
So here we go folks. Take an honet self-assessment, APPROPRIATELY translate your CV if you belong with the right DNA and RIGHTLY submit your application for any of the two positions above. My lady luck smile to the lucky applicants.
Eldoret Dead Bodies Drama: Hilarious But Not Funny
I have been talking about our blundering government a lot in recent times (need I remind you that it is led by our dear beloved blunderer in chief who is commander in chief of all the blunderers and blunders).
If ink was something we used to make posts online, then I would have said the ink had not yet dried on my post when the President made an about turn on the Kenya communications bill he signed only last Friday and ordered the contentious parts to be looked into. managers please help us here with the following question. How much does it cost to make a decision and then make an about turn only a few days later? How much is this little circus costing us as a country?
Anyway the main aim of this post was to attract your attention to another government blunder in Eldoret where the government was caught red-handed trying to secretly bury dead bodies of the post election violence. What is hilarious was the excuse the government pathologist gave to grief-stricken relatives of the dead for his actions. My ribs are still aching in pain since I read this a few hours ago;
But Dr Njue said the measure was temporary, as the bodies would be exhumed once they had been identified and given to their families.
“This is actually not a burial ceremony, but a temporary resting place. The way we are doing it is not like a normal burial ceremony. Even the UN recognizes this as a legitimate way of holding bodies,” he said. Read the full story.
I have said time and again that this government has perfected the art of burying evidence especially in the form of bullet-ridden dead bodies and dead bodies in general. I stand by my figure for the total death toll of the post election troubles (well over 5,000 souls). While agreeing that it is not easy to dispose of thousands of bodies without trace, just remember that we are dealing with experts here and some of the tactics that have been devised include the following;
- Throwing bodies in the vast Nairobi National Park during a drought
- Taking bodies of Mombasa Victims to the Nairobi morgues and Nairobi victims victims to Kisumu.
- Digging mass graves like the one in Eldoret and burying dozens of bodies at a time.
- Other ingenious methods that we will discover with time.
Hot product tips from Kumekucha: Have you seen the latest brand new Nairobi Wi Fi Hotel?
Hot product tips from Kumekucha: Have you had lunch at this unique Nairobi upmarket African dishes restaurant yet?
Basic SEO training tips made simple
If ink was something we used to make posts online, then I would have said the ink had not yet dried on my post when the President made an about turn on the Kenya communications bill he signed only last Friday and ordered the contentious parts to be looked into. managers please help us here with the following question. How much does it cost to make a decision and then make an about turn only a few days later? How much is this little circus costing us as a country?
Anyway the main aim of this post was to attract your attention to another government blunder in Eldoret where the government was caught red-handed trying to secretly bury dead bodies of the post election violence. What is hilarious was the excuse the government pathologist gave to grief-stricken relatives of the dead for his actions. My ribs are still aching in pain since I read this a few hours ago;
But Dr Njue said the measure was temporary, as the bodies would be exhumed once they had been identified and given to their families.
“This is actually not a burial ceremony, but a temporary resting place. The way we are doing it is not like a normal burial ceremony. Even the UN recognizes this as a legitimate way of holding bodies,” he said. Read the full story.
I have said time and again that this government has perfected the art of burying evidence especially in the form of bullet-ridden dead bodies and dead bodies in general. I stand by my figure for the total death toll of the post election troubles (well over 5,000 souls). While agreeing that it is not easy to dispose of thousands of bodies without trace, just remember that we are dealing with experts here and some of the tactics that have been devised include the following;
- Throwing bodies in the vast Nairobi National Park during a drought
- Taking bodies of Mombasa Victims to the Nairobi morgues and Nairobi victims victims to Kisumu.
- Digging mass graves like the one in Eldoret and burying dozens of bodies at a time.
- Other ingenious methods that we will discover with time.
Hot product tips from Kumekucha: Have you seen the latest brand new Nairobi Wi Fi Hotel?
Hot product tips from Kumekucha: Have you had lunch at this unique Nairobi upmarket African dishes restaurant yet?
Basic SEO training tips made simple
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Medieval Politics: Leaflets and Rent-a-Mouth
That the more things change the more they remain the same wouldn’t have been more apt adage in describing the Government’s desperate move to lift itself out of the deep hole it plunged into. Alfred Mutua has re-invented his Turbo-charged mouth in creative leaflets authored to EDUCATE Kenyans on the merits of media censorship.
True, desperate moments calls for desperate measures. But Mutua and his masters must have been blinded by their cheap optimism that Kenyans will buy their gimmick. Granted, the media is not without blemish but no leader ever successfully fought the fourth estate. Only in Kenya can politicians shamelessly re-invent the non-circular wheel and ride on the falsehood. If anything, the global time–tested and tried practice of media self-regulation militates against speedy economic returns.
We are back to political medieval times. What with rent a mouth youths on the ready to congratulate the king on how immaculately he is dressed in his birthday suit. Now we understand that not only here at Kumekucha do we have easily excitable Kenyans. They are in good company ready with oiled lips and joints to dance themselves lame to old lyrics from a broken record.
There are leaders and spineless politicians. Forget the hollow defence from Kibaki’s apologists that he did what he had to do after the MPs handed him the bill. There is leadership and responsibility and above all else having the hindsight to act in tandem with national mood. A responsible parent will not serve a hungry kid poison to calm him down.
Impunity patented
One Lucy must be still be enjoying her sleep after receiving the sweetest and most priceless New Year present from her sweetheart. Her nocturnal escapade at the newsroom has been taken a notch higher and what is more, it is LEGAL. That is a personal war won at the altar of royal expediency. The media must be ruing their antics to paint ogres in all the rainbow colours.
Signing the Communication Bill amounts to institutionalizing our pricey national vice of IMPUNITY. Kenya has her gate keepers and damn the IDP families who are spoiling the party in demanding decent burial to their loved ones. True entrepreneurship includes doing commerce with corpses. And why not expand the virtue if carpenters can do it honestly at the lower end?
But Kenyans must remain realistic and alive to the truism that no progress can come out a leadership singularly defined by deception. Fraud begets only more fraud and its derivatives. We are back to the starting point and the torturous circular journey continues. We better sample the Arabic wisdom in having smart mouths that never invite stinking flies by knowing when to shut up.
Hot product tips from Kumekucha: Have you seen the latest brand new Nairobi Wi Fi Hotel?
Hot product tips from Kumekucha: Have you had lunch at this unique Nairobi upmarket African dishes restaurant yet?
Basic SEO training tips made simple
True, desperate moments calls for desperate measures. But Mutua and his masters must have been blinded by their cheap optimism that Kenyans will buy their gimmick. Granted, the media is not without blemish but no leader ever successfully fought the fourth estate. Only in Kenya can politicians shamelessly re-invent the non-circular wheel and ride on the falsehood. If anything, the global time–tested and tried practice of media self-regulation militates against speedy economic returns.
We are back to political medieval times. What with rent a mouth youths on the ready to congratulate the king on how immaculately he is dressed in his birthday suit. Now we understand that not only here at Kumekucha do we have easily excitable Kenyans. They are in good company ready with oiled lips and joints to dance themselves lame to old lyrics from a broken record.
There are leaders and spineless politicians. Forget the hollow defence from Kibaki’s apologists that he did what he had to do after the MPs handed him the bill. There is leadership and responsibility and above all else having the hindsight to act in tandem with national mood. A responsible parent will not serve a hungry kid poison to calm him down.
Impunity patented
One Lucy must be still be enjoying her sleep after receiving the sweetest and most priceless New Year present from her sweetheart. Her nocturnal escapade at the newsroom has been taken a notch higher and what is more, it is LEGAL. That is a personal war won at the altar of royal expediency. The media must be ruing their antics to paint ogres in all the rainbow colours.
Signing the Communication Bill amounts to institutionalizing our pricey national vice of IMPUNITY. Kenya has her gate keepers and damn the IDP families who are spoiling the party in demanding decent burial to their loved ones. True entrepreneurship includes doing commerce with corpses. And why not expand the virtue if carpenters can do it honestly at the lower end?
But Kenyans must remain realistic and alive to the truism that no progress can come out a leadership singularly defined by deception. Fraud begets only more fraud and its derivatives. We are back to the starting point and the torturous circular journey continues. We better sample the Arabic wisdom in having smart mouths that never invite stinking flies by knowing when to shut up.
Hot product tips from Kumekucha: Have you seen the latest brand new Nairobi Wi Fi Hotel?
Hot product tips from Kumekucha: Have you had lunch at this unique Nairobi upmarket African dishes restaurant yet?
Basic SEO training tips made simple
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Media Bill Controversy: Oh Boy, It Was A Blunder After All!
In the days of retired president Daniel arap Moi, every move he made was analyzed and re-analyzed to try and figure out what he was up to. And true enough a few weeks later or even a few months later it suddenly became clear what Moi's game plan was.
It is emerging (and has just dawned on yours truly) that the biggest mistake political analysts in Kenya are making these days, including this blogger is to attempt to analyze the political moves of one Emilio Stanley. How do you analyze blunders?
Take the signing of the recent controversial bill aimed at clipping the wings of the media ahead of the post election violence trials. Why would Alfred Mutua suddenly wake up one morning and start distributing anti-media leaflets on the streets of Nairobi? (Nairobians just glanced at them and threw them down, littering the clean streets of Nairobi.) Is this not a clearly an attempt at damage control after the blunder has already happened?
If truth be told, Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki will go down in history as the most blundering president Africa has ever had. Can you think of another one? (Even Idi Amin with his broken English was decisive and made very few mistakes). If you review the Kibaki administration right from the day one, it is a long, boring, repetitive chronicle of political mistakes and blunders.
So what is the big deal? After all human is to err one would say. Sadly it is not as simple as that in this case. The problem we have here is that the Kenyan presidency is so powerful that the consequences of a single blunder can be catastrophic, let alone several in a row. Take the big mistake made to go ahead with the referendum in 2005? That mistake led to the fiasco of December 2007 than left thousands of Kenyans dead (the official figure is still sic hundred and something. Huh!!!) and hundreds of thousands homeless. I have asked several times in this blog what the cost of stealing an election is and nobody has dared to venture to give a figure. Actually it runs into billions and the bills are still piling up even as you read this.
The tragedy of Kenya today is that the country is stuck with a weak, indecisive blundering leader who has got powers in his hands that young King Mswati (of Swaziland) and King Charles (before Cromwell) would envy. The kind of powers that have made his predecessors often confuse themselves with God. Now giving that power to a blundering politicin who has made a career out of NOT making decisions is more than tragic. It is almost like leaving a child with a loaded revolver.
The bottom line, my sources assure me, is that the president did not expect the kind of troubles that he now has in his hands when he signed the Kenya Communications act last Friday afternoon. Just like he did not expect the troubles we saw in January when he made the decision to steal the election.
What will he do next without fully appreciating the consequences?
Kazi iendelee wacha wale wanataka kuropoka waropoke
Could this story about the sacking of journalists over the media bill be true? I was not able to verify from my sources at the time of making this post. But I am still digging around and will get back to you guys.
Hot product tips from Kumekucha: Enjoy the latest brand new Nairobi Wi Fi Hotel
Africa has come of age on the web and clear evidence of that is the availability SEO Africa
It is emerging (and has just dawned on yours truly) that the biggest mistake political analysts in Kenya are making these days, including this blogger is to attempt to analyze the political moves of one Emilio Stanley. How do you analyze blunders?
Take the signing of the recent controversial bill aimed at clipping the wings of the media ahead of the post election violence trials. Why would Alfred Mutua suddenly wake up one morning and start distributing anti-media leaflets on the streets of Nairobi? (Nairobians just glanced at them and threw them down, littering the clean streets of Nairobi.) Is this not a clearly an attempt at damage control after the blunder has already happened?
If truth be told, Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki will go down in history as the most blundering president Africa has ever had. Can you think of another one? (Even Idi Amin with his broken English was decisive and made very few mistakes). If you review the Kibaki administration right from the day one, it is a long, boring, repetitive chronicle of political mistakes and blunders.
So what is the big deal? After all human is to err one would say. Sadly it is not as simple as that in this case. The problem we have here is that the Kenyan presidency is so powerful that the consequences of a single blunder can be catastrophic, let alone several in a row. Take the big mistake made to go ahead with the referendum in 2005? That mistake led to the fiasco of December 2007 than left thousands of Kenyans dead (the official figure is still sic hundred and something. Huh!!!) and hundreds of thousands homeless. I have asked several times in this blog what the cost of stealing an election is and nobody has dared to venture to give a figure. Actually it runs into billions and the bills are still piling up even as you read this.
The tragedy of Kenya today is that the country is stuck with a weak, indecisive blundering leader who has got powers in his hands that young King Mswati (of Swaziland) and King Charles (before Cromwell) would envy. The kind of powers that have made his predecessors often confuse themselves with God. Now giving that power to a blundering politicin who has made a career out of NOT making decisions is more than tragic. It is almost like leaving a child with a loaded revolver.
The bottom line, my sources assure me, is that the president did not expect the kind of troubles that he now has in his hands when he signed the Kenya Communications act last Friday afternoon. Just like he did not expect the troubles we saw in January when he made the decision to steal the election.
What will he do next without fully appreciating the consequences?
Kazi iendelee wacha wale wanataka kuropoka waropoke
Could this story about the sacking of journalists over the media bill be true? I was not able to verify from my sources at the time of making this post. But I am still digging around and will get back to you guys.
Hot product tips from Kumekucha: Enjoy the latest brand new Nairobi Wi Fi Hotel
Africa has come of age on the web and clear evidence of that is the availability SEO Africa
Monday, January 05, 2009
Kibaki And Raila: Two Jokers Who Want To Sink The Country Back Into The Abyss
This past weekend has been the most eventful politically for a very long time. In a way we have opened 2009 in much the same way we opened 2008 with a lot of fear and anxiety flying around—amongst those who can read politics pretty fast. Although this time there is no bloodshed (at least not yet).
Those who think that this is just about the Kenya Communications bill signed by the president last Friday need to think again.
Fascinating whispers are emerging and as the saying goes that there is no smoke without fire, Kenyans cannot dare to afford to ignore what is being whispered. There is too much at stake for us to simply sit back and ignore “the rumours.”
Interim Military Government Will Be PNU’s Bargaining Chip - Shocking Whispers From Insiders Claim
Firstly it is emerging that the signing of the said controversial bill, that the media is up in arms against and which has triggered off the heat with the coalition government unity now quivering and threatening to collapse, was timed perfectly. It is no accident that the bill was signed late Friday. Meaning that those holding the carefully choreographed plan in their hands have had time through the weekend to take in all the reactions and intent of all those they are watching carefully who could not take any real action until today (Monday) and were therefore doing a lot of talking instead. ODM have brought forward their crisis meeting over their future in the coalition to today.
Secondly the provocative act of signing the bill has been done at a time when no electoral commission exists. According to the national accord in the event that the coalition collapses it can only be replaced by an interim government pending elections. The fact that we do not have an election body in place and the major players are already squabbling over the composition of an interim one means that no elections can be held in a hurry. Then we have the President’s men who insist in private that the Kenyan constitution is supreme and in the event that the coalition government was to collapse, then the president can re-constitute a new government on his own because he is the “duly elected president.” Let us stop before you start getting dizzy because as a commentator pointed out in the last post, this is a legal minefield where lawyers from both sides can argue until the chickens come home without coming anywhere near a consensus.
In short the intention behind the signing of the media bill was to re-assert the president’s authority as the sole executive power in the land and to bring an end to the coalition government, having carefully laid plans already in place. As you read this reports are filtering in to me that the government is circulating anti-media leaflets on the streets of Nairobi.
Further whispers that may sound far-fetched insist that the PNU side of government will propose the compromise of having a military government as an interim government until elections are to be held. This will be done knowing fully well how Kenyans fear and loath a military administration which the country has managed to avoid thus far, save for the 30 minute administration of air force Senior Private Hezekiah Ochuka on 1st August 1982. The idea is to have Kenyans surrender themselves to the grand PNU plan.
Now the most dangerous thing in all this circus are the two principals. If Kenyans were to be honest with themselves, there is very little difference between the two (Kibaki and Raila) and 2 selfish, spoilt kindergarten kids refusing to give an inch as they punch each others noses bloody in a nursery school yard. None of the two are interested in the greater good of the country because if they were, both would resign and pave way for more neutral Kenyans to take over the reigns of power. As it is Kibaki is determined to rule until 2012 and Raila is determined to be the next president. If Kenyans die as they play their war games who cares?
“Wacha wale wanataka kupigana wapigane.”
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Sunday, January 04, 2009
I Announce My Intent To Form An Exploratory Committee
I trust we've all rested and are ready for hard work this new year.
As the year begins, we must all be on notice that there is no time to waste. We must now move with deliberate speed and put in place a formula for measuring our progress on a periodic basis. Obviously many within the Diaspora and within our beloved nation will want to know how we proceed. To this end, I announce today my intent to form an exploratory committee. Like usually happens in the States, this committee, which must start its work on the 10th and report back its findings by January 25th, will be tasked to study the logistical and all other issues we will face in our quest to win Kenya back from the oligarchies and the power cartels that have stagnated the progress and cohesion of our nation.
If anybody still doubted the intransigence of this government, all you have to do is look at the signing of the media bill. I was assured by an authoritative source that it wouldn't be signed. Raila was assured by an even higher authority that it wouldn't be assented to. Kalonzo was given the assurance that it would be returned to Parliamnet for further deliberation. How good is these people's word? Right from Kibaki down to the last scoundrel in his State House, their word is worth crap. In fact, I was so infuriated by the assent that when I was woken up by my frantic wife Hellen about the breaking news in Mombasa, where the President was on vacation, I picked up the phone and called my authoritative source. Can you imagine my disgust when he told me that a KTN programme that catalogued Kibaki's Coup was the reason some strategists around him used to box him into assenting to the bill?
The question now is not what this bill means. The question is what is the intention of the folks who so desperately wanted to see it signed. I must warn that what is going on is the beginning of another round of rigging. The power barons around Kibaki have set in motion an elaborate plan to deny the nation a president the people will have elected in 2012. Under this scenario, what these folks hope to do is rig, then beat and terrorize us into submission, under the guise of state security...which will force the minister in charge of internal security to invoke this very law Kibaki has now signed. The effect will be a total blackout as Kibaki's preferred heir is installed as President of Kenya. By the time the ban is lifted, we will have a new President.
No, folks. We must defeat this plan. The exploratory committee will give us a detailed report on the range of scenarios our opponents might throw at us. I will bring them to you here at Kumekucha, leaving out what will constitute the classified strategic plan.
The folks around President Kibaki have a knack for making Kenya look very bleak indeed. Just when you thought a new year might make things better, that common sense might prevail, they make things even worse. Did they have to coax Kibaki into opening a new year with a big fight? What's his assent to this bill a signal of? Dramatic impunity? And suddenly Raila and the ODM want to fight for the media? These guys should all go to the caves where they belong and let us build a Kenya that will work for all of us, not just for them. By the way, if he was so pissed at Kibaki, why was he in Mombasa eating a pumpkin pie with him? Or was he called to hoodwink Kenyans one more time like he did with unga? This man is reaching a point where he's beginning to look pitiful.
It's a lot I've had to say, but the big deal here is that an exploratory committee is in place in the next few days. We are going to work with speed, but we shall not rush anything. You never beat a dug in power structure like the one we have in Kenya by screaming out your plans.
When they see what we do, they'll know they are finally facing a worthy opponent. A fight they shall have.
Let's get ready!
As the year begins, we must all be on notice that there is no time to waste. We must now move with deliberate speed and put in place a formula for measuring our progress on a periodic basis. Obviously many within the Diaspora and within our beloved nation will want to know how we proceed. To this end, I announce today my intent to form an exploratory committee. Like usually happens in the States, this committee, which must start its work on the 10th and report back its findings by January 25th, will be tasked to study the logistical and all other issues we will face in our quest to win Kenya back from the oligarchies and the power cartels that have stagnated the progress and cohesion of our nation.
If anybody still doubted the intransigence of this government, all you have to do is look at the signing of the media bill. I was assured by an authoritative source that it wouldn't be signed. Raila was assured by an even higher authority that it wouldn't be assented to. Kalonzo was given the assurance that it would be returned to Parliamnet for further deliberation. How good is these people's word? Right from Kibaki down to the last scoundrel in his State House, their word is worth crap. In fact, I was so infuriated by the assent that when I was woken up by my frantic wife Hellen about the breaking news in Mombasa, where the President was on vacation, I picked up the phone and called my authoritative source. Can you imagine my disgust when he told me that a KTN programme that catalogued Kibaki's Coup was the reason some strategists around him used to box him into assenting to the bill?
The question now is not what this bill means. The question is what is the intention of the folks who so desperately wanted to see it signed. I must warn that what is going on is the beginning of another round of rigging. The power barons around Kibaki have set in motion an elaborate plan to deny the nation a president the people will have elected in 2012. Under this scenario, what these folks hope to do is rig, then beat and terrorize us into submission, under the guise of state security...which will force the minister in charge of internal security to invoke this very law Kibaki has now signed. The effect will be a total blackout as Kibaki's preferred heir is installed as President of Kenya. By the time the ban is lifted, we will have a new President.
No, folks. We must defeat this plan. The exploratory committee will give us a detailed report on the range of scenarios our opponents might throw at us. I will bring them to you here at Kumekucha, leaving out what will constitute the classified strategic plan.
The folks around President Kibaki have a knack for making Kenya look very bleak indeed. Just when you thought a new year might make things better, that common sense might prevail, they make things even worse. Did they have to coax Kibaki into opening a new year with a big fight? What's his assent to this bill a signal of? Dramatic impunity? And suddenly Raila and the ODM want to fight for the media? These guys should all go to the caves where they belong and let us build a Kenya that will work for all of us, not just for them. By the way, if he was so pissed at Kibaki, why was he in Mombasa eating a pumpkin pie with him? Or was he called to hoodwink Kenyans one more time like he did with unga? This man is reaching a point where he's beginning to look pitiful.
It's a lot I've had to say, but the big deal here is that an exploratory committee is in place in the next few days. We are going to work with speed, but we shall not rush anything. You never beat a dug in power structure like the one we have in Kenya by screaming out your plans.
When they see what we do, they'll know they are finally facing a worthy opponent. A fight they shall have.
Let's get ready!
Why The Media Bill Is The Beginning of The End For Kibaki And Raila
Based on lots of insider information
This is one of the numerous angry sms messages I received from my contacts mad as hell that any sane President of Kenya would sign any legislation similar to the Kenya Communications (Amendment) Act signed last Friday.
The said SMS read;
Greek proverb: When the gods want to destroy you—they first make you mad with power.
I cannot agree more. As you read this Prime Minister Raila Odinga has called a crisis meeting of all ODM legislators to reassess the party’s "standing in Government" this Wednesday.
But rather than join the well orchestrated campaign by the media against this bill (which affects the mainstream media the most) let us try to analyze this whole situation from a neutral point of view.
The main aim of this post is to get inside the thinking of the major players here. In reaching my conclusions I have been greatly assisted by insider information from mostly impeccable sources.
Let us start with a brief history of where this bill came from. The initial idea was born, bred and nurtured right at the heart of State House Nairobi. This is very important to grasp and you will realize why as you read on.
The first time the bill was presented in parliament during the tenure of the 9th parliament it sailed through. The media and other stakeholders appealed to the president not to sign it. The president faced with a general election where things were not going too well (to put it mildly) listened to the voters and refused to sign the said bill. And that would have been the end of it. However something happened in January last year that changed everything. So am I linking post election violence to the decision by the president to sign the bill into law? The answer is YES.
It is rather obvious that one of the reasons why ODM popularity swept across the country in the run up to the general elections of 2007 had a lot to do with the media. While the Kibaki administration has been very careful to ensure that it has a reasonably good control of the media in the country, including influencing the appointments of CEOs to major media houses, the president’s advisors watched in horror as this control was wrested from their hands. I need to explain exactly how that happened in a simple way that non-experts in media and the art of propaganda can understand.
Opinion polls are very powerful and can tilt any election. So when you control those as well as the bulk of newspaper circulation in the run up to a presidential election, you should be okay. And this was the thinking amongst PNU strategists. But of course their undoing is that they are all old school in a world that is changing too rapidly to analyze.
Take the following scenario that I personally witnessed. The newspapers, TV and opinion polls all say that a certain presidential candidate is the most popular in Kisii. A native of the area reading this at first believes it. After all it is printed in the newspapers and so it must be true. But he has a cell phone so he makes a few calls back home and is shocked at the report he receives. It is a total contradiction to what he has read in the media. And so he sends out a few sms messages and when he goes for a drink in the evening he tells his friends what he has observed. Word spreads fast. Meanwhile the newspaper that has been infiltrated and is reporting only what certain powerful people want to see reported starts experiencing problems of dropping circulation. There seems to be a shift to the rival media which also has certain vested interests. Then to make matters worse we have the World Wide Web. For Kenyans in the Diaspora this is their most convenient tool for obtaining news of what is really going on back home. The people who are on the web are very few, but my oh oh my are they influential!!! They call back home frequently and they talk to their people… and they influence them like hell.
Meanwhile something else is happening. Frustrated journalists in the mainstream media who have a conscience are quietly leaking the articles that cannot be published in the mainstream media (because of the said powerful people) on the web. And some sites are really influential and have a very wide and growing audience.
Within a short time things change dramatically. The circulation of a certain newspaper falls like a heavy stone while that of the other rises dramatically. In desperation the editors of the leading newspaper suffering circulation losses start copying the headlines of the rival paper and are amazed at how high their circulation jumps back up when they report favorably on the rival political party their bosses are up against. A clear indicator as to who is more popular on the ground.
Let me stop there and fast forward to the period after the post-election violence. Those in State House realize that control of the media was wrested from their hands and that their rival won because he was able to “manipulate” the media. They swear that that must never happen again. And so the said bill gathering dust in some shelf is retrieved and dusted and re-introduced. You know the rest of the story.
Now there is one more alarming piece of information.
PNU insiders have been talking for months about the breaking up of the coalition government. Contrary to what many Kenyans think, the collapse of the coalition does not alarm PNU insiders. In fact they look forward to it happening. Already the factors that led to the Kalenjin and Luo sticking together during and after the elections have changed. So if the coalition were to collapse today we will not see any bloodshed.
And forget what the act of parliament that made the coalition possible said. The Constitution of Kenya is still supreme and supersedes everything else. So if ODM were to walk out of the coalition next week, the president will simply form a new government (with those who want to play ball) and life will continue. PNU insiders will certainly be more comfortable with that scenario. But I doubt whether ODM will walk out. I think they will just huff and puff and stay exactly where they are. Observant Kenyans know why.
So is the Kenya Communications (Amendment) Act good or bad for the country? It has some really good parts that will promote the rapid growth of the ICT sector. But mostly it is a law that goes against the very basic principals of the constitution that promote free speech and a free media. But who cares? You see there are other factors that have now taken centre stage.
The question Kenyans should be asking is; Can Kibaki and Raila survive this?
My two cents? I don’t think so
Why? I hear you ask.
The reason is simple. Kenyans are very much awake and at the moment they are fed up with the political class (both PNU and ODM) and when you add other factors like the looming serious famine, every time I try to look into the future I shut my eyes tightly in horror.
Enjoy the latest brand new Nairobi Wi Fi Hotel
SEO training in East Africa, trainer comes to your office.
This is one of the numerous angry sms messages I received from my contacts mad as hell that any sane President of Kenya would sign any legislation similar to the Kenya Communications (Amendment) Act signed last Friday.
The said SMS read;
Greek proverb: When the gods want to destroy you—they first make you mad with power.
I cannot agree more. As you read this Prime Minister Raila Odinga has called a crisis meeting of all ODM legislators to reassess the party’s "standing in Government" this Wednesday.
But rather than join the well orchestrated campaign by the media against this bill (which affects the mainstream media the most) let us try to analyze this whole situation from a neutral point of view.
The main aim of this post is to get inside the thinking of the major players here. In reaching my conclusions I have been greatly assisted by insider information from mostly impeccable sources.
Let us start with a brief history of where this bill came from. The initial idea was born, bred and nurtured right at the heart of State House Nairobi. This is very important to grasp and you will realize why as you read on.
The first time the bill was presented in parliament during the tenure of the 9th parliament it sailed through. The media and other stakeholders appealed to the president not to sign it. The president faced with a general election where things were not going too well (to put it mildly) listened to the voters and refused to sign the said bill. And that would have been the end of it. However something happened in January last year that changed everything. So am I linking post election violence to the decision by the president to sign the bill into law? The answer is YES.
It is rather obvious that one of the reasons why ODM popularity swept across the country in the run up to the general elections of 2007 had a lot to do with the media. While the Kibaki administration has been very careful to ensure that it has a reasonably good control of the media in the country, including influencing the appointments of CEOs to major media houses, the president’s advisors watched in horror as this control was wrested from their hands. I need to explain exactly how that happened in a simple way that non-experts in media and the art of propaganda can understand.
Opinion polls are very powerful and can tilt any election. So when you control those as well as the bulk of newspaper circulation in the run up to a presidential election, you should be okay. And this was the thinking amongst PNU strategists. But of course their undoing is that they are all old school in a world that is changing too rapidly to analyze.
Take the following scenario that I personally witnessed. The newspapers, TV and opinion polls all say that a certain presidential candidate is the most popular in Kisii. A native of the area reading this at first believes it. After all it is printed in the newspapers and so it must be true. But he has a cell phone so he makes a few calls back home and is shocked at the report he receives. It is a total contradiction to what he has read in the media. And so he sends out a few sms messages and when he goes for a drink in the evening he tells his friends what he has observed. Word spreads fast. Meanwhile the newspaper that has been infiltrated and is reporting only what certain powerful people want to see reported starts experiencing problems of dropping circulation. There seems to be a shift to the rival media which also has certain vested interests. Then to make matters worse we have the World Wide Web. For Kenyans in the Diaspora this is their most convenient tool for obtaining news of what is really going on back home. The people who are on the web are very few, but my oh oh my are they influential!!! They call back home frequently and they talk to their people… and they influence them like hell.
Meanwhile something else is happening. Frustrated journalists in the mainstream media who have a conscience are quietly leaking the articles that cannot be published in the mainstream media (because of the said powerful people) on the web. And some sites are really influential and have a very wide and growing audience.
Within a short time things change dramatically. The circulation of a certain newspaper falls like a heavy stone while that of the other rises dramatically. In desperation the editors of the leading newspaper suffering circulation losses start copying the headlines of the rival paper and are amazed at how high their circulation jumps back up when they report favorably on the rival political party their bosses are up against. A clear indicator as to who is more popular on the ground.
Let me stop there and fast forward to the period after the post-election violence. Those in State House realize that control of the media was wrested from their hands and that their rival won because he was able to “manipulate” the media. They swear that that must never happen again. And so the said bill gathering dust in some shelf is retrieved and dusted and re-introduced. You know the rest of the story.
Now there is one more alarming piece of information.
PNU insiders have been talking for months about the breaking up of the coalition government. Contrary to what many Kenyans think, the collapse of the coalition does not alarm PNU insiders. In fact they look forward to it happening. Already the factors that led to the Kalenjin and Luo sticking together during and after the elections have changed. So if the coalition were to collapse today we will not see any bloodshed.
And forget what the act of parliament that made the coalition possible said. The Constitution of Kenya is still supreme and supersedes everything else. So if ODM were to walk out of the coalition next week, the president will simply form a new government (with those who want to play ball) and life will continue. PNU insiders will certainly be more comfortable with that scenario. But I doubt whether ODM will walk out. I think they will just huff and puff and stay exactly where they are. Observant Kenyans know why.
So is the Kenya Communications (Amendment) Act good or bad for the country? It has some really good parts that will promote the rapid growth of the ICT sector. But mostly it is a law that goes against the very basic principals of the constitution that promote free speech and a free media. But who cares? You see there are other factors that have now taken centre stage.
The question Kenyans should be asking is; Can Kibaki and Raila survive this?
My two cents? I don’t think so
Why? I hear you ask.
The reason is simple. Kenyans are very much awake and at the moment they are fed up with the political class (both PNU and ODM) and when you add other factors like the looming serious famine, every time I try to look into the future I shut my eyes tightly in horror.
Enjoy the latest brand new Nairobi Wi Fi Hotel
SEO training in East Africa, trainer comes to your office.
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