Thursday, July 29, 2010

What is Kibaki smoking?

In my landmark book Dark Secrets of the Kenyan presidency I explore the fascinating transformation that took place in Jomo Kenyatta, a teetotaler who hated alcohol and promised church elders in the 1920s never to touch it again to the land-grabbing mafia don president who ordered hits of those who dared to criticize him or his government. Indeed many people who knew Jomo well lost their lives because they could not bring themselves to believe that he was capable of taking anybody’s life.

Daniel arap Moi too metamorphosed after the failed 1982 coup attempt. From a humble hard working president who had released all political detainees to a dictator who ruled with such a iron hand that some started looking at the bloody Kenyatta days with nostalgia.

Now in his sun set years as President Mwai Kibaki seems to be going through his transformation phase which seems mandatory for every Kenyan president. A politician who has spend his long political career avoiding confrontation at all costs is suddenly itching for political “mud fights.”

What really shocked me beyond any words was that after Moi defended himself against the Kibaki remarks that started this whole thing and fired his own salvo, the president issued a statement through the presidential press unit answering him right back. Aiii!!! That is certainly NOT Kibaki.

I have spent the last two days linking up with all my contacts and State house insiders trying to answer the mystery of who the man impersonating Mwai Kibaki really is. To date I have no answers. Indeed I have more questions that I had when I started.

What has caused this transformation that is so sudden?

One possible reason that is repeatedly being floated by some political analysts is the Kibaki legacy. For somebody who has studied the president for so long this is not so easy to accept. If Kibaki was so concerned about his legacy all along, then surely he would have acted differently during the worst political crisis the country has ever failed in December 2007/January 2008. There is plenty he would have done that he did not do.

Could it be that the preassures of the office have finally taken their toll on Mwai Kibaki just as they did to his predecessors? I have watched the president arrive for many public holidays and as he waves to the crowd many times Kenyans have simply stared back and some of them have had open hatred showing on their faces. A sharp contrast to Moi who even in the years when he was least popular always seemed to elicit some sort of positive response from any crowd of Kenyans. That could not have been any fun for Kibaki. It is human nature to want to be popular and maybe the president has seen the perfect opportunity to make a heroic exit from office when he hands over power in two short years.

To be honest folks, I am puzzled.

Incidentally retired president Moi could be smoking something even more potent than what Kibaki is taking. A man who terrorized and crashed all opposition to his rule (real and imagined) is now telling Kenyans in public and with a straight face that he did it all for the good of Kenyans. Can you believe that?

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What Kibaki said:

Some old men are moving around saying the constitution is bad It is a shame for such old men. He should stop panicking and join us so that we can pass the constitution

Moi’s long rejoinder:

“There are those who promised a new constitution within 100 days, but they are yet to deliver.”

The former president maintained that all he was interested in was a united Kenya, where all lived in peace. He said to make a good constitution it was important to ensure that the needs of every Kenyan were safeguarded, failure to which the country will be divided

"Some are saying Moi was a dictator, but for me I was interested in peace and love among Kenyans and I strived to ensure that the country was united," he said.

The former president said constitution making was not like everyday politics saying it needed thorough consultations to ensure no one was left out of the process.

Mr Moi said during his tenure as president he ensured that Kenya was united and in peace unlike today where people are divided along tribal lines.

Moi said he will not support a constitution that allows abortion, same sex marriages and disciplined forces to picket.

"How will the country respond to any security threat if the soldiers were picketing?" he posed.

He was referring to Article 26 (4) in the Proposed Constitution that empowers doctors to end a pregnancy only if it endangers the woman's life or she needs emergency treatment.

The document also provides that no Kenyan will be discriminated against on grounds of age, marital status, disability, sex, religion among others and does not refer to same sex marriages.

While the Proposed Constitution acknowledges that every Kenyan has the right to join association, protest, hold demonstrations and picket, it removes the right for the security agencies.

21 comments:

  1. Chris,
    The crux of the matter lies in that dark 2007/8 period. Moi knows plenty we don't and would hate to. He is prodding Kibaki to loose his guards and call his bluff. He has noting to loose. As Mutahi Ngunyi (he went undergroung to regain credibility after Njoki smkoked him as a scaremongering don) once said the window to correct previous wrong is very short. Kibaki missed it and Moi knows it. Game on, who will blink first?

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  2. Something important I forgot to mention in my post...

    Some of my contacts on the ground tell me that Kibaki confronting Moi was a smart move for the YES camp because it has triggered plenty of animosity against Moi opening old wounds from the Moi era and swayed some voters who were going to Vote No to the YES side. They are telling themselves that something that Moi seems to be so much against must be good.

    Chris

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  3. of course anything Moi supports must be bad.and vice versa

    same for RAO. Does this explains his absence and the PROMINENCE of Kibaki,Kaloozer and Uhuru for this Katiba?.

    Prominence of Moi and absence of ROA=85% for YES vote on 4th August

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  4. Why the obsession with Rao and thinly-veiled hatred for the sick guy? Last time I checked he was in YES, so how does that compare with Moi's NO stand and people opposing?

    Reminds me of Kuttuny's (mdomo baggy zipped) juvenile snide ati they will paka yeye matope mpaka kila mtu akimbie. Bigoted Diaspora.

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  5. Chris, I will comment later on Kibaki's Smoking a Leadership/Spiritual Herb. Although I know for sure that he didn't inhale any of the residual pleasures.

    Moi knows zilch, we are giving him too much credit than the man has ever deserved. He's the one who paved the way for PEV when he propagated and nurtured the seeds of negative ethnicity during the mid-late 1980s.

    What does Moi really know that the rest of the country and international community doesn't know about Kenya from December 12, 1963 - July 30, 2010?

    Comparing Mwai Kibaki's era to Daniel arap Moi's is like comparing mangoes to oranges. The two don't mess up at all.

    And why is that some segment of the Kenyan population still place the whole weight of the blame on Mwai Kibaki for the PEV?

    What become of their COMPLICITY in PEV?

    For the record, after the PEV, most of the regional planners, organizers, political criminals, financiers (domestic & abroad), ethnic murderers, cheering squads, ardent supporters of PEV and their sympathizers (domestic & abroad), refused to accept CULPABILTY, and still refuse to take responsibility for their actions during the PEV..

    So why would anyone shift blame on Mwai Kibaki for the ethnic killings, rape, looting and wanton destruction of property that went in some of their own backyards?

    Some of the individuals who carried out the heinous crimes and killings, including those who cheered them on happen to be our very own family members, extended families, relatives, well known neighbours, local clergy, business people, teachers and community at large?

    WHY?

    WHY should I ever trust, let alone have any faith in any political leader or so called religious leader who were heard shouting at the top of their voices "Maliza hawo watu (kill them all)! Fukuza nyang'au ("outsiders") hawo wote kabisa kabisa (expel the foreign barbarians!)?

    Think again. We have never been angels walking around in human skin (clothing) or coexisting in relative peace.

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  6. Anon 4:19 PM

    When you have the time, please review or check out what is clearly stated and clarified by Rev. Fr. Gabriel Dalon, with regard to Article 26(4) [on Citizen TV and youtube] at a crucial time when most rank and file Catholic bishops, priests, sisters ("nuns") and some of their followers are so scared stiff to offer any semblance of support to brave priests like Rev. Fr. Gabriel and others who happen to be in their midst.

    One of the reasons for their dead silence or rather lack of support may not be due to religious, theological, political, medical ethical or personal reasons .....[because some of the are physicians, nurses, ethicists, social workers, activists, liberators, healers, etc]...., but because many of them are so afraid to speak out or to be viewed as biting the mighty Vatican hand that feeds, cloths, shelters, rewards and protects them till their dying day.

    Silence is golden so they say during such historic moments. Hence, towing the comapny line is key for survival, rewards and bigger promotions in the near future.
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    Raila Odinga's absence has been a belessing in disguise for the YES camp, due to the fact that some politicians like Ruto and company within the No camp were very busy trying to sally his image in the process, while steering people away from what really matters that is contain in the proposed constitution.

    Raila Odinga is no longer an axe to grind, and it's no longer a contest between William Ruto vs Raila Odinga or Raila Odinga vs Kalonzo Musyoki or Raila Odinga vs Uhuru, all jokeying for a showdown in 2012.

    Lo and behold, they can no longer use Raila Odinga as scapegoat to rally the ethnic sentiments of their people and regional allies to gain political capital against Raila Odinga.

    The cliche "An enemy of an enemy" will no longer play any major role nor sway the minds of the undecided now that Raila Odinga is recuperating far away from the campaign trails.

    #I wish Prime Minister Raila Odinga a quick recovery.

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  7. Chris said,
    ...................................
    He was referring to Article 26 (4) in the Proposed Constitution that empowers doctors to end a pregnancy only if it endangers the woman's life or she needs emergency treatment.
    ...................................
    The last time i checked, the draft talks of a HEALTH PRACTITIONER. This includes nurses, nutrionists etc.
    Chris should know better than to cheat Kenyans and then castigate Moi for doing the same. Kweli nyani haoni kundule. Kenyans are way smarter than chris and can read the draft for themselves.
    Maybe Chris should write an article WHY YES FORTUNES AND VOTES INCREASED TREMENDOUSLY WITH THE INCAPACITATION OF RAILA.
    Dont forget to include IDP's who are there because of raila's kabila adui laced presidential campaigns.

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  8. What happened to the fala(yes fala not fellow) who used to harp here about the magic of 0 + 0 + 0?Well let him know the country is moving full steam ahead even without his fancied 0!

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  9. Good to understand that original solid Yes by Rao. Watermelons can now join in without being seen as underdogs to him. These are Kaloozer,Michuki,Uhuru(absent in western yesterday) and the mt.Kenya block as a whole

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  10. I bet you that the keraiko (spl) or somoko on Kibaki's lips was doctored or photoshopped.

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  11. Where is Thug Raila? I miss the mad man of Kenya who calls others kabila adui, and takataka.

    What this thug didn't understand is that long after he is dead and buried the kabila adui will still be there doing their business and as usual voting the "wrong" way.

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  12. Chris,

    Its very disrespectiful of you to alter the image of our president and introduce substances like cigars in his mouth. An affront to the Presidency is punishable by law.

    You are warned and we are watching.

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  13. Anon 4:24 PM

    You ask a very pumbavu question:

    "And why is that some segment of the Kenyan population still place the whole weight of the blame on Mwai Kibaki for the PEV?"

    In short this is why: If you do remember, the elections of 2002 were generally regarded to have been run in a free and fair manner. There was no BLATANT STEALING like the ones of 2007.

    The presidential elections of 2007 were blatantly and deliberately MISMANAGED, RIGGED and STOLEN in broad daylight by the rightly discredited and disbanded E.C.K of Samuel Kivuitu which allowed itself to be used by a tiny but very wealth clique of rich conservative fellows from the Mt Kenya region - Mr John "the rattlesnake" Michuki being one of them, who were major beneficiaries of the status quo, to make sure that Raila never became president, and the only way for them to achieve this "goal" was to STEAL THE ELECTIONS since Mr Pumbavu (Kibaki) had lost.

    Anon 4:24 PM, if you are still wondering why Kibaki holds most of the blame, it is because he failed in his duty and responsibility and allowed things to degenerate to the point where the country was almost destroyed.

    And as the man in charge of the situation until the handing over of power to the real winner of he elections (Raila), THE BUCK STOPPED WITH HIM (Mr Mwai "pumbavu" Kibaki) and that is why the whole weight of the blame on for the PEV is rightly paced on Mr Mwai "pumbavu" Kibaki

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  14. Anon 12:08 AM

    I don't know what it will take for Raila worshippers like you to understand that Raila did not win last presidential elections despite ODM rigging th elections in his favour in Nyanza, Western and RV. Then he tried murdering and raping his way to power using RV warriors and Nyanza thugs. It didn't work and it will never work. He will take his disollusionment to the grave like his father.

    It was not for Kibaki to give Raila power. It was for the people of Kenya to vote Raila to power and the MAJORITY did not vote in his favour, period.

    The mistake Kibaki did was to fail to call the army to kanyanga hawa wachenzi. That is the cowardice I don't like in Kibaki.

    That is why Kibaki is pumbavu; he failed to kanyanga the thugs the way Moi would have done, or Kenyatta before him, or as Kalonzo will do after he succeeeds Kibaki.

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  15. Why should'nt KIbaki take 100% blame for the chaos and deaths of 2007/08?...am shocked that someone in this bloggs thinks otherwise.No wonder we are trapped in poverty and our politics are skewed toward self distruction. In my world the back has to stop with someone, in my mind this is always the man at the top. Kibaki is most guilty for in action, fullstop!!!. Can you imagine president Bush blaming the issue of hurrican Katrina on god!ot Tony Hayward blaming the BP disaster on incompetent engineers or former CEO- Shame on you bloggers...if things go wrong the man at the top should own it in full just the same way when things go right!

    However having said that, I am happy to state that, Kibaki has my 100% support in his efforts to reform the country, albeit slower than I would have hoped.My hope is that he will move quickly to put in place a mechanism that ensure a speedy implementation of the constitution. The reforms must me as radical as prescribed for in the contitution.

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  16. Anon 1:10 AM,

    Your kind never ceases to amuse. You reckon and I quote you:

    "I don't know what it will take for Raila worshippers like you to understand that Raila did not win last presidential elections"

    You are totally out of touch with the truth. You prefer to live a BIG LIE.

    You think that if you repeat a LIE a thousand times that it will become the truth. Well, I've got news for you: NO WAY!! A LIE (That Mr Mwai "pumbavu" Kibaki won the elections of 2007) will never become the truth no matter how many times you repeat it.

    THE TRUTH DOES NOT ROT and one day it will come out very loudly for all to see and clowns such as you who try to feed us nonsensical lies will be put to shame.

    It is a hard truth for you to swallow but I shall repeat it again:

    "The presidential elections of 2007 were blatantly and deliberately MISMANAGED, RIGGED and STOLEN in broad daylight by the rightly discredited and disbanded E.C.K of Samuel Kivuitu which allowed itself to be used by a tiny but very wealth clique of rich conservative fellows from the Mt Kenya region - Mr John "the rattlesnake" Michuki being one of them, who were major beneficiaries of the status quo, to make sure that Raila never became president, and the only way for them to achieve this "goal" was to STEAL THE ELECTIONS since Mr Pumbavu (Kibaki) had lost." This is what triggered and caused the PEV.

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  17. Do non-gema tribes have a strategy of winning the next election? I hope riala and kalonzo know there will be a gema candidate, most likely uhuru. There are also rumours that ruto might be willing to become deputy president under uhuru.

    Neither raila nor kalonzo can beat uhuru if he (uhuru) has ruto's support. First kalonzo will not be accepted by the western block and kambas will not vote for raila. It means for non-gema to win, they must look for someone else other than kalonzo or raila.

    To kikuyus: Am sure you can understand why other tribes also want to produce a president. Humans by nature hate being dominated by one group. I remember seeing some black americans saying it was time they had a president who looked like them. So this is not an anti-kikuyu post.

    We also know there is no individual voting in kenya. Voting is by tribes or blocks of tribes. It is therefore easy to predict the winner at the outset. Non-gemans need to forget things like "kenyans will not accept another kikuyu". This was not written in the consititution, and all gema needs to do is put together a coalition with superior numbers but led by a kikuyu and voila!

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  18. Kibaki wants this draft passed so bad so that he can redeem his tarnished legacy- esp when it comes to post election violence. He has become more confrontational (with Moi), more energized and even focused more than before.

    My insider sources tell me Kibaki has actually made a pact with Raila that the PM takes the backseat so that all the credit for passing the draft goes to Prezzo. Raila has also been asked to stop "owning" this draft and project it as a Kibaki "baby" while also keeping a low profile.

    And what does Raila get for giving Kibaki space to shine and redeem his legacy which has not been so squeaky clean? Well, he will get all the backing he needs in his quest for 2012 elections. This includes financial and political backing from Kibaki and 5 Million Gema voters.

    But having been cheated before by the same Mt Kenya Mafia, does Raila surely think these dark forces have changed this time round? Time will tell. Welcome to the dirty world of Kenyan politics!

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  19. You may be on to something. Some people are asking why the head was not shaved, before it was drilled. But am putting my money on there being a kikuyu candidate. A meru friend once told me kikuyus would not vote for a meru. It was his way of telling me that raila and kalonzo should forget the kikuyu vote. I know there are some progressive kikuyus in nairobi who talk in an inclusive way but the kawaida population in centro will not vote for a non kikuyu.

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  20. The real shame is you my fellow Kenyan blogger.

    One cannot kill their child, spouse, sibling, parents, cousins, extended family, immediate neighbours, the whole clan and then turn around and blame it on his father, the head of the home stead, just because he was denied ancestral land, or he did get what he thought he was entitled to inherit.

    How confused can one be? Killing innocent Kenyans and blaming it on the man at the top, just because the killer's preferred candidate failed to win the general election with a landslide victory as some myopic individuals had anticipated.

    How ignorant can one be in this day and age.

    Katrina, BP and other disasters don't cause the local residents to go into a killing frenzy like some tumbiri did a while ago during PEV.

    How many Americans murdered each other during and after Katrina? And how have been killed since the BP oil spill?

    The real shame is on you. The real shame is on us. Us as in those who were involved in the wanton destruction of human life and property, those who stood by and did nothing to stop the mayhem, those who remained indifferent as the PEV continue to unfold and those of us who have tried so hard to forget the plight and the current existence of IDPs on Kenyan soils.

    Shame, shame, shame, shame, shame, shame shame on you and on us all.

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  21. Fellow Kenyans, country men/women. Know ye that this country is for all of us. Live above narrow pettiness reminiscent of a villager. Rise above the ethnic mind, stretch your imagination and see far. Dwell on issues not personalities nor tibal sentiments. Write on the positives and ignore the lowdown negatives. Love thy neighbour as you love yourself. For if white America can vote an Obama from Alego, Siaya....waht stops us from votin in a new constitution that will propell us to prosperity and unity? Love and peace.....Odingo

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