Mwakwere Dismissed, Bring Back Michuki

Mwakwere's loss of his parliamentary seat via petition could be a blessing in disguise for Kenya. Now Kibaki can bring back Michuki to head the Transport ministry and restore sanity.

At least the popular demand to have Michuki back at transport has less political fallout than the heat at education. But again, Kibaki is one ruler immune to public wishes, or is he?

But the petition's success has once again exposed the rot that was ECK. But again they both rigged and so the whole lot should be illegitimate. This election petition thing needs to be urgently addressed since almost 1000 days after polls is no justice at all.

Which leaves you asking weather losers should be made to pay back what they earned while on the job. Democracy must be so expensive.

Raila’s Popularity in Central: Fact or Fiction?

Why is the proposed PM’s working trip to Central province creating an uproar? Why is the DPM suddenly eager to meet councillors from Central and parts of Rift Valley in an all-expenses-paid trip to Thika?

The ground in most parts of the country has moved. Old order politicians are slowly being edged out.

We saw it happen in Rift Valley in 2007, and it is now officially happening in Central Province. Up to four million votes, and upwards of 50 parliamentary seats, will be up for grabs in former PNU strongholds. The Central Kenya voter is already making his/her surprise choice known.

The amazing political goings on in Central Province have even been vindicated by the latest Synovate (Steadman) opinion poll. In their report released just last month, Synovate places the PM at 17% against DPM’s 15% in Central Province in terms of preferred presidential candidates. Even as political focus moves from Mau Water Tower in Rift Valley where a plot to paint the PM as an aggressor aborted, an interesting battle is shaping up in Central especially since it emerged the PM has identified the vote rich Muranga District as a launch pad for action oriented development and political forays into Central Province.

No one individual can currently be said to have total political grip on any province when it comes to elections. The most apparent of all is Central Province which is surprisingly emerging as the province that will make or break the next president of Kenya.

To add insult to injury, the DPM continues to hang on by a thread to an imaginary front run of the Central Province political leadership; a thread mostly held out by the likes of Simon Mbugua and Jamleck Kamau. Meanwhile, no scientific evidence has ever been tabled that the DPM is the automatic political leader of Central Province and neither are there any guarantees that Central Kenya will fall for the usual ethnic driven and short sighted politics.

In the meantime, the prime minister appears to be overwhelmed to accommodate tens of Central Province grassrooters, professionals and business leaders who are itching to pay courtesy calls and place invitations to visit them back home. Some of them believe he is the only leader who cares to resolve problems affecting the common man. The grapevine has it the PM has convinced influential Agikuyu elders and is now working on building a corruption free team of pointmen that includes individuals like Peter Kenneth and John Githongo. An endorsement is also expected from Nobel Laureate Prof. Wangari Maathai.

Interestingly, a petty cold war is being fought at Treasury Building where both the PM and one his DPM’s share the same office block. When Central Kenya delegations are visiting the PM in droves, one cannot help imagine a situation where these delegations from the DPM’s supposed stronghold meet with the DPM in the lifts, which then passes the KANU Chairman’s office to be ushered into PM’s conference room higher up. The same thing repeats itself on their way out. Boy! If only we could move the entire Treasury to some other place!

The latest development paints a remarkable turnaround of fortunes for the Prime Minister who in 2007 only managed a paltry 1.9% of the presidential vote against the incumbent’s 97%. During the same polls the Vice President managed a face-saving 0.7%.

Clearly, the Overton window has shifted and voter will no longer be used like sufurias that are only remembered when hunger sets in.

Although many had predicted the demise of certain causes following the 2007 disputed polls, most Kenyans appear to be ready to vote without regard to ethnic origins or ethnic alliances.

Media Must Let Muhoho Modernize Airports

What is all these obsession with age? The media is all over crucifying Muhoho oblivious of the fact that fellow octogenarians PSs Mutahi and Nyoike are doing just fine. Grey hair if synonymous with wisdom alloyed with the right genes.

Kenyans never cease to amaze. Their penchant to witch hunt the really industrious and competent is legendary. Now the press wants to hound CEO Muhoho out of office before his term expires. What a disgrace to pay somebody who has turned the hitherto sleeping KAA into a profitable institution.

The press must give the KAA board the freedom to appoint the MD after the President did his constitutional part in appointing ex-Runyenjes MP Wambora chairman. Muhoho is no ordinary Joe, just ask Engineer Erastus Mwongera who thought he had the gravitas to take him head on.

True, Muhoho has served two mandatory terms plus a 12-month extension but he must be allowed to manage his succession given the capital investment KAA has initiated. You only entrust such heavy investment to upstarts at the nation's collective peril. The astute economist in the President cannot and won't allow that to happen.

Reign of octogenarians
Father Muhoho may be 72 years only but he is less than 30,000 days old. What is more, his short third term has witnessed phenomenon growth with Kisumu Airport destined to be upgraded to international status in addition to constructing Isiolo Airport to decongest JKIA and open up northern Kenya for prosperity.

We owe it to Muhoho that he helped whisk the notorious Artur brothers out of our borders. What more do we need from such a person with a passion to preserve national security? All the flack directed at him can only be traced to his his filial and royal relationship with President Kibaki. Leaves you asking whether an ex-priest cannot remain faithful to his flock?

The press better direct their tirades elsewhere instead of detracting Mzee Muhoho from his pet projects that will see JKIA join the league of world's leading Airports.

For Pete's sake, we don't eat politics. The press must desist from attacking the president via proxy. Washindwe!

PM Raila Fights for Mourinho's Mariga

Update 2: Raila in the mix
The PM has announced that he successfully pushed for Mariga's case but unfortunately he secured the work permit after the transfer deadline. If that is true then Mariga can join an English Premier League club in the next transfer window this summer. But with a four-year deal at San Siro under the tutelage of the special one, Mariga may have bagged more than he prayed for.

Raila stated he spent more than 200 minutes on phone talking to UK PM Gordon Brown's office, the Africa Office, office of Culture and Sports, the Home office, the FA president Lord Treisman and to Mariga himself. Was he trying to rig or just doing what he had to do? Well, out there rules are rules and they are bent for nobody no matter your social standing.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Update 1
And Mariga has landed at Inter Milan in the capable hands of the special one, Jose Mourinho. Just when the English Premier League thought they have done him in by denying him work permit to play for Manchester City, Mariga has landed even a bigger trophy guaranteeing him Champions League in two weeks time. Now being Eto's teammate must be living the dream. Well, fate and fortune only smiles on the face of the deserving. Go Mariga go, you have hit the ceiling of Kenyan football history.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Kenya's McDonald Mariga has been denied work permit to play for Manchester City in the Premier League. While Mariga passed FA's criteria for appearing in 75% of internationals in the last two years (with his 24 caps for Kenya), his work permit application was rejected because Kenya is ranked 98th in Fifa's world rankings, outside the top 70 nations.

Manchester City's management have failed in their appeal to have the verdict overturned about the 22-year-old. The Kenyan press must have celebrated too early even before the goal hit the net. Now you can imagine the family's heartache after such irresponsible exposure.

Granted rules are rules and unlike us, civilized nations live by them and won't bent them no matter what. But the whole decision leaves a very sour taste in one's mouth. It is the individual who plays and not the country. Mariga's fate is akin to being erroneously declared incompetent by association and birth not his capabilities.

This is such a sad fate for the Kenya's would-be record breaker in the world of football. But take heart young Mariga, your star has been recognized and no bushel will succeed in dimming it. At 22, it is only a matter of when and not if you live your dream, North West or elsewhere.