It has now emerged that Kalonzo Musyoka could be the thorn in the flesh of ODM Kenya (Orange Democratic Movement) and if his recent behaviour is anything to go by, if the long predicted split happens then the Mwingi North MP will be fully responsible for it.
In a meeting last week to formulate the best way of electing their presidential candidate, the diminutive politician with an inflated ego, mainly brought about by controversial opinion polls favouring him, walked out on the second day claiming he had to address a campaign meeting elsewhere leaving all and sundry asking where the priorities for the former foreign affairs minister really were.
Many of those in ODM have confirmed to this writer that Kalonzo feels that the ODM ship is doomed if he is not elected as its’ torch bearer and on many occasions he has been saying behind closed doors that Raila can’t beat Kibaki due to the arithmetic of ethnicity. While there may be plenty of evidence to confirm this, the big problem here is Kalonzo’s attitude and the fact that he would end up being the sort of lame duck president that would make Kibaki look like a hero.
According to Kalonzo, Raila being a Luo can not secure votes from outside Nyanza and this will ensure that Kibaki wins a landslide victory at the detriment of the ODM who have several presidential candidate options like himself, Uhuru Kenyatta and Musalia Mudavadi.
Musyoka has little time for the likes of William Ruto and Najib Balala whom he sees as political greenhorns.
Kalonzo could turn out to be his own worst enemy as his arrogance and approach to ODM politics could alienate him and deny him the opportunity of running this country. His only chance would be to swallow his pride and accept the ODM presidential nominee even if its not himself. Alas, it seems that it is already too late for that.
Chances are extremely high that Raila will win the ODM presidential nominations and taking into consideration the grassroots support he enjoys in the party, it is also the governments and Narc Kenya’s will that Raila contests the presidency as they see this as the best way of ensuring Kibaki's re-election as Kenyans. They are stuck in the belief that Kenyans usually vote on ethnic lines and there is a lot of suspicion among other tribes in voting for a Luo president.
Musyoka will probably leave ODM in a huff after loosing the presidential nominations and maybe forge an alliance with disgruntled elements from other parties as chances of him vying for the presidency as an independent are slim as he does not have the financial resources to bank roll a presidential campaign.
If this turns out to be the case, Musyoka will never make it to State House as he will be isolated by the political class and contrary to popular belief that Musyoka is a hot favourite to take over from president Kibaki later this year, the Mwingi North MP is too optimistic for his own good and should not let the incredible opinion polls findings go to his head.
Apparently, Musyoka's biggest opposition comes from Ukambani where the locals accuse him of having done nothing for his community in spite of being in government for almost two decades.
Those who know the real Musyoka say he has never helped anybody apart from relatives and close friends with others saying they prefer health minister Charity Ngilu to Musyoka since during her brief stint in government, Ngilu has sought employment for several kinsmen from Machakos to Makueni district and assisted others get promotions not to mention the plum jobs under her ministerial docket that she has shared out among the Kamba community.
For Kalonzo, he has never been associated with assisting people and on the contrary, he has been in the forefront of ensuring powerful Kambas in the Moi regime were sacked like the former head of the public service Philip Mbithi and former treasury permanent secretary Joseph Mbindyo.
Needless to say, his Mwingi North constituency is among the most backward and least developed in Ukambani and the country apart from being also plagued with insecurity as bandits and cattle rustlers roam the area with impunity. Some of his constituents sleep on trees and have deserted their homes in fear of sporadic attacks by bandits.
I could bet my arm and leg that if the past of Kalonzo Musyoka is anything to go by, the Mwingi North MP is not about to take over the country from president Kibaki come December and even Raila Odinga has much better chances than the diminutive soft speaking legislator from Ukambani. And again, they say pretenders are worse than murderers.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Citizen Weekly Editors To Vie In 2007 General Elections
Every Monday in Nairobi, large crowds of people are seen scrambling at the news stands in the afternoon to catch a glimpse of the latest edition of the citizen weekly newspaper, which not only provides juicy gossip about the ruling elite but also covers scandals rocking the Kibaki administration.
The weekly has gained popularity over the past year as it covers stories that the mainstream media cannot touch including the philandering lifestyles of the high and mighty who have in more than one occasion been caught in the city's red light district picking prostitutes most of whom are minors.
Behind the controversial publication that has been raided by police even in the Kibaki era is one Thomas Alwaka who was formerly an editor with a party owned newspaper, the Kenya Times. His able assistant is Willy Kimanzi who does the editorial and has his own column in the publication, which is said to have a circulation of over 20,000 copies weekly.
On several occasions, police have raided the offices in Nairobi looking for Mr Alwaka but in most cases, the slippery editor has not been found and has the probity of rushing to his lawyer who escorts him to the police stations or the law court to seek orders to have the police stop harassing him.
Unfortunately, on the dark side, the publication has on several occasions been used as a weapon to settle scores among the ruling elite who pass on real and imagined stories about their rivals accompanied with cash tokens to the publishers and this has dealt a big blow to the credibility of the newspaper.
In some instances, the employees of the newspaper have been accused of blackmail and soliciting for cash not to print damaging dossiers about certain prominent people but all these are mere allegations as non of them are yet to be taken to court with such accusations.
Surprisingly, both Alwaka and his deputy harbor political ambitions with the former said to be gunning for a parliamentary seat in western province, namely Emuhaya while Kimanzi aspires to be a civic leader in Kibera in Nairobi which is the slum area in Langata constituency represented by presidential hopeful Raila Odinga.
The duo have rubbed shoulders with the high and the mighty in the course of their work and it is really not surprising that they have decided to plunge into the murky world of politics where anything goes. Not to mention the fact that Kenyan politicians are among the best paid in the world, enough cash incentive to attract most Kenyans.
The weekly has gained popularity over the past year as it covers stories that the mainstream media cannot touch including the philandering lifestyles of the high and mighty who have in more than one occasion been caught in the city's red light district picking prostitutes most of whom are minors.
Behind the controversial publication that has been raided by police even in the Kibaki era is one Thomas Alwaka who was formerly an editor with a party owned newspaper, the Kenya Times. His able assistant is Willy Kimanzi who does the editorial and has his own column in the publication, which is said to have a circulation of over 20,000 copies weekly.
On several occasions, police have raided the offices in Nairobi looking for Mr Alwaka but in most cases, the slippery editor has not been found and has the probity of rushing to his lawyer who escorts him to the police stations or the law court to seek orders to have the police stop harassing him.
Unfortunately, on the dark side, the publication has on several occasions been used as a weapon to settle scores among the ruling elite who pass on real and imagined stories about their rivals accompanied with cash tokens to the publishers and this has dealt a big blow to the credibility of the newspaper.
In some instances, the employees of the newspaper have been accused of blackmail and soliciting for cash not to print damaging dossiers about certain prominent people but all these are mere allegations as non of them are yet to be taken to court with such accusations.
Surprisingly, both Alwaka and his deputy harbor political ambitions with the former said to be gunning for a parliamentary seat in western province, namely Emuhaya while Kimanzi aspires to be a civic leader in Kibera in Nairobi which is the slum area in Langata constituency represented by presidential hopeful Raila Odinga.
The duo have rubbed shoulders with the high and the mighty in the course of their work and it is really not surprising that they have decided to plunge into the murky world of politics where anything goes. Not to mention the fact that Kenyan politicians are among the best paid in the world, enough cash incentive to attract most Kenyans.
Kibaki Is Waiting For ODM Split, To Call Early Elections
According to the Kenyan constitution, the president has the power to dissolve parliament and call for general elections whenever he feels like it. Many feel that President Kibaki is bound to use this as his weapon to catch the opposition unawares and guarantee himself re-election amid mounting pressure from Kenyans to kick him out of office.
The popular belief among the political class is that Kibaki is waiting for ODM Kenya to complete their presidential nominations which he expects will ultimately cause a major split in their ranks. This will favor Narc Kenya, which will openly accept the ODM losers and even offer them ministerial positions in the next government all in a desperate bid to ensure that Kibaki is re-elected.
It is also common belief that the government has its spies in ODM who are feeding the Kibaki administration with all the intended moves of the opposition to the effect that those in power can anticipate decisions taken by the opposition before they are even made public which is a big advantage when it comes to waging a propaganda war.
Majority of Kenyans are not against Kibaki for his policies or his leadership skills but for the simple reason that he has allowed tribalism to rear its ugly head in his administration and the fact that he has so many elderly grandpas managing key sectors of government yet majority of those who voted for him are the youth.
President Kibaki is known for not being decisive but his advisors and handlers are known to be overzealous and forthright to the extend that they often arm-twist their proposals through to take vital decisions which in most occasions are not popular with majority of Kenyans who feel that the president is being held hostage by his increasingly influential kitchen cabinet which consists of men above 70 years with extremely selfish interests.
Prior to the 2002 elections Kibaki is on record as saying that he would only rule for one term and begged the leading lights of NARC to allow him be the presidential candidate on the understanding that he would not seek re-election after completing his first term. All this was also in the memorandum of understanding that has long been trashed in the dustbin by Kibaki.
Plenty of water has flowed under the bridge ever since Kibaki took over and besides kicking out of government those who propelled him to power, he has reneged on several unwritten agreements he made with other members of the ruling coalition which has caused a lot of discontent among most Kenyans.
His most recent move that has incensed the opposition is the recent appointment of electoral commissioners which Kibaki went ahead and appointed without consulting the other political parties as per agreements made during the inter party parliamentary group meetings in president Moi's era.
This move was taken very badly by the opposition who now accuse Kibaki of rigging the general elections in advance by selecting his cronies to head the all-important commission that supervises elections.
To make matters worse, Kibaki has chosen to remain silent over the issue and has left it to his foot soldiers to justify the appointments to the chagrin of the political parties and civil societies who have vowed to vote him out for his betrayal.
The country's leading weekly newspaper, the Sunday Nation has also predicted that the polls could be held earlier than expected while others say the recent moves by the Kibaki administration is to cause anxiety and panic among the opposition ranks and prompt them to make hasty decisions with devastating results so as to ensure Kibaki returns to State House amid confusion among those opposed to his lackluster leadership that has been plagued by scandals and self-created crisis’s.
Despite all the tricks that Kibaki and his henchmen are using, it still will not be easy for Kibaki to be re-elected as his government is getting more unpopular by the day as his cabinet ministers who are notorious for political blunders continue to soil the governments name through irresponsible rhetoric and bad behaviour in public not to mention the astronomical salaries and allowances they draw from public coffers in a country where about 70% of the people live below the poverty line.
The popular belief among the political class is that Kibaki is waiting for ODM Kenya to complete their presidential nominations which he expects will ultimately cause a major split in their ranks. This will favor Narc Kenya, which will openly accept the ODM losers and even offer them ministerial positions in the next government all in a desperate bid to ensure that Kibaki is re-elected.
It is also common belief that the government has its spies in ODM who are feeding the Kibaki administration with all the intended moves of the opposition to the effect that those in power can anticipate decisions taken by the opposition before they are even made public which is a big advantage when it comes to waging a propaganda war.
Majority of Kenyans are not against Kibaki for his policies or his leadership skills but for the simple reason that he has allowed tribalism to rear its ugly head in his administration and the fact that he has so many elderly grandpas managing key sectors of government yet majority of those who voted for him are the youth.
President Kibaki is known for not being decisive but his advisors and handlers are known to be overzealous and forthright to the extend that they often arm-twist their proposals through to take vital decisions which in most occasions are not popular with majority of Kenyans who feel that the president is being held hostage by his increasingly influential kitchen cabinet which consists of men above 70 years with extremely selfish interests.
Prior to the 2002 elections Kibaki is on record as saying that he would only rule for one term and begged the leading lights of NARC to allow him be the presidential candidate on the understanding that he would not seek re-election after completing his first term. All this was also in the memorandum of understanding that has long been trashed in the dustbin by Kibaki.
Plenty of water has flowed under the bridge ever since Kibaki took over and besides kicking out of government those who propelled him to power, he has reneged on several unwritten agreements he made with other members of the ruling coalition which has caused a lot of discontent among most Kenyans.
His most recent move that has incensed the opposition is the recent appointment of electoral commissioners which Kibaki went ahead and appointed without consulting the other political parties as per agreements made during the inter party parliamentary group meetings in president Moi's era.
This move was taken very badly by the opposition who now accuse Kibaki of rigging the general elections in advance by selecting his cronies to head the all-important commission that supervises elections.
To make matters worse, Kibaki has chosen to remain silent over the issue and has left it to his foot soldiers to justify the appointments to the chagrin of the political parties and civil societies who have vowed to vote him out for his betrayal.
The country's leading weekly newspaper, the Sunday Nation has also predicted that the polls could be held earlier than expected while others say the recent moves by the Kibaki administration is to cause anxiety and panic among the opposition ranks and prompt them to make hasty decisions with devastating results so as to ensure Kibaki returns to State House amid confusion among those opposed to his lackluster leadership that has been plagued by scandals and self-created crisis’s.
Despite all the tricks that Kibaki and his henchmen are using, it still will not be easy for Kibaki to be re-elected as his government is getting more unpopular by the day as his cabinet ministers who are notorious for political blunders continue to soil the governments name through irresponsible rhetoric and bad behaviour in public not to mention the astronomical salaries and allowances they draw from public coffers in a country where about 70% of the people live below the poverty line.
How Will President Kibaki Finance His Re-election?
Since taking over the country in 2002 Kibaki has managed to increase his litany of rich friends all the while throwing caution to the wind and associating with fabulously wealthy individuals, some of them with dubious reputations.
Among those in the list of the super rich Kenyans that Kibaki has seen it wise to befriend is non other than the billionaire Juja MP William Kabogo who's brother has been accused on running a controversial import-export company that has been linked to drug trafficking and even murder.
The company is owned by Kabogo who is known for his lavish lifestyle including going out for lunch in Masai country with his personal helicopter and boasting that he is so wealthy that he cannot loose his parliamentary seat due to the development that he has accomplished in his constituency.
During the referendum last year in November, Kabogo came out very strongly in support of the Kibaki camp that was vouching for the new constitution and managed to ensure that the majority of Juja constituents voted for the constitution which was not surprising as majority of the constituents consists of the Kikuyu community, the presidents’ tribes mates.
Kabogo has also supported government motions in parliament all along and has not hidden the fact that he is a good friend and supporter of the Kibaki government in spite of belonging to the obscure Sisi Kwa Sisi party which has only two MPs in parliament, the other being Kangundo legislator Moffat Maitha.
It is interesting to note that the two legislators opted for the obscure party after they lost in the NARC nominations with both claiming that they were rigged out hence their defection to the brief case party who's officials are not even known by Kenyans.
It is common knowledge that Kabogo has no choice but to support the government as his business interests stand to suffer immensely if he does not co-operate with those in power. His company has been linked with drug trafficking at the port of Mombasa amongst numerous other shady deals.
His brother was arraigned in court last year for the murder of a senior police officer who was investigating the disappearance of containers At the Mombasa port and drug trafficking syndicates in Mombasa. The case is yet to be concluded.
Kabogo has also been held and interrogated by police on some occasions but has been released unconditionally mainly due to lack of evidence to support prosecution and it is also known that he is a close friend and associate of Joseph Kiragu, the man linked to the shs 6 billion cocaine impounded in Nairobi last year.
Kiragu is still holed up in the Nertherlands where he fled and the government is trying to have him extradited back to Kenya to face trafficking charges but that is another story altogether.
Kabogo is a brother in-law to John Harun Mwau another controversial figure also linked to drug trafficking with the latter having made a fruitless attempts to venture into politics in 2002 loosing the Kilome parliamentary seat.
The Juja MP is among the fabulously rich individuals who will most likely contribute generously to the Kibaki re-election campaign in a bid to ensure that his business does not suffer in the event of Kibaki loosing the presidency.
However, the million-dollar question is whether Kibaki is aware of the nature of business his so called business friends do and again if he approves of the sack loads of money that will come his way in form of campaign funds without asking too many questions, like where it came from.
Among those in the list of the super rich Kenyans that Kibaki has seen it wise to befriend is non other than the billionaire Juja MP William Kabogo who's brother has been accused on running a controversial import-export company that has been linked to drug trafficking and even murder.
The company is owned by Kabogo who is known for his lavish lifestyle including going out for lunch in Masai country with his personal helicopter and boasting that he is so wealthy that he cannot loose his parliamentary seat due to the development that he has accomplished in his constituency.
During the referendum last year in November, Kabogo came out very strongly in support of the Kibaki camp that was vouching for the new constitution and managed to ensure that the majority of Juja constituents voted for the constitution which was not surprising as majority of the constituents consists of the Kikuyu community, the presidents’ tribes mates.
Kabogo has also supported government motions in parliament all along and has not hidden the fact that he is a good friend and supporter of the Kibaki government in spite of belonging to the obscure Sisi Kwa Sisi party which has only two MPs in parliament, the other being Kangundo legislator Moffat Maitha.
It is interesting to note that the two legislators opted for the obscure party after they lost in the NARC nominations with both claiming that they were rigged out hence their defection to the brief case party who's officials are not even known by Kenyans.
It is common knowledge that Kabogo has no choice but to support the government as his business interests stand to suffer immensely if he does not co-operate with those in power. His company has been linked with drug trafficking at the port of Mombasa amongst numerous other shady deals.
His brother was arraigned in court last year for the murder of a senior police officer who was investigating the disappearance of containers At the Mombasa port and drug trafficking syndicates in Mombasa. The case is yet to be concluded.
Kabogo has also been held and interrogated by police on some occasions but has been released unconditionally mainly due to lack of evidence to support prosecution and it is also known that he is a close friend and associate of Joseph Kiragu, the man linked to the shs 6 billion cocaine impounded in Nairobi last year.
Kiragu is still holed up in the Nertherlands where he fled and the government is trying to have him extradited back to Kenya to face trafficking charges but that is another story altogether.
Kabogo is a brother in-law to John Harun Mwau another controversial figure also linked to drug trafficking with the latter having made a fruitless attempts to venture into politics in 2002 loosing the Kilome parliamentary seat.
The Juja MP is among the fabulously rich individuals who will most likely contribute generously to the Kibaki re-election campaign in a bid to ensure that his business does not suffer in the event of Kibaki loosing the presidency.
However, the million-dollar question is whether Kibaki is aware of the nature of business his so called business friends do and again if he approves of the sack loads of money that will come his way in form of campaign funds without asking too many questions, like where it came from.
Countdown General Elections in Kenya 2007: Why An Early Election Will Favor Narc Kenya
The influential Sunday Nation newspaper of Kenya seems convinced that we are headed for an early general elections 2007. Using the sort of sensational headline that would have been better suited to one of the many gutter press titles that litter the Kenyan streets these days, leading writers at Kenya's most popular Sunday newspaper yesterday gave 7 main reasons why they think the elections will be held either as early as August or in November at the very latest.
The Headline read; 7 signs of an early election.
The signs include the creation of 7 brand new districts by the president last week and the controversial appointment of new electoral commissioners.
Amid all the uncertainties over when exactly the much-awaited elections will be held, one thing is rather obvious. Whatever the opposition say about their being ready for the elections, an early election will favor Narc Kenya in a big way. By virtue of simply having government on its' side Narc Kenya already has campaign tentacles on the ground reaching into every tiny corner of the republic via the notorious provincial administration. And as was seen during the constitutional referendum in November 2005, the guys are really not shy about using this unfair advantage.
In sharp contrast, ODM Kenya and other political parties will have to set up their election campaign network painstakingly from scratch.
The election weapon of the incumbent keeping everybody guessing as to when the election date really is, has been used by many British Prime Ministers to win elections that they would have otherwise lost. It is power given to the president of Kenya in the current constitution, which the British premier has also enjoyed for years. Some people consider it to be an unfair advantage to the incumbent that gives them a huge edge because in politics timing is everything.
The Headline read; 7 signs of an early election.
The signs include the creation of 7 brand new districts by the president last week and the controversial appointment of new electoral commissioners.
Amid all the uncertainties over when exactly the much-awaited elections will be held, one thing is rather obvious. Whatever the opposition say about their being ready for the elections, an early election will favor Narc Kenya in a big way. By virtue of simply having government on its' side Narc Kenya already has campaign tentacles on the ground reaching into every tiny corner of the republic via the notorious provincial administration. And as was seen during the constitutional referendum in November 2005, the guys are really not shy about using this unfair advantage.
In sharp contrast, ODM Kenya and other political parties will have to set up their election campaign network painstakingly from scratch.
The election weapon of the incumbent keeping everybody guessing as to when the election date really is, has been used by many British Prime Ministers to win elections that they would have otherwise lost. It is power given to the president of Kenya in the current constitution, which the British premier has also enjoyed for years. Some people consider it to be an unfair advantage to the incumbent that gives them a huge edge because in politics timing is everything.
Tribalism At The Daily Nation: How Will It Affect The General Elections In Kenya 2007?
Insiders are only too aware of the fierce tribal office politics that has dogged Kenya's leading media house, the Nation Media group for years now. But what is of serious concern is how it will influence the coverage of the general elections expected later this year.
The public is bound to have a very short memory and therefore many have forgotten about the controversy that emerged during the November 2005 referendum that put the Nation newspapers on the spotlight with accusations of unfair or slanted coverage mainly coming from the Orange side. It took a number of closed door meetings at the Nation House with party representatives to sort that one out. But now the general elections loom large in the horizon where the stakes are much higher than they were in November 2005.
A recent incident at the Daily newspaper only serves to confirm analysts worst fears. It is said that an employee of the daily newspaper was sacked by a top editor at the newspaper who happens to belong to the Luo tribe, only to be re-instated by another senior editor who happens to belong to the house of Mumbi.
The incident sent shockwaves through the entire media fraternity and served to highlight the tribal politics that has always played out below the surface at Kenya's most popular daily and influenced many key decisions.
Insiders know that the best journalists in the profession happen to hail from the Luo community (there is a historical reason but that is a story for another day) and yet at the Nation there has always been a deliberate effort to frustrate and ensure that the influence of journalists who hail from that community is kept to a bare minimum. The chief architects of that campaign (and this may be a mere coincidence) have always hailed from—you guessed it—the house of Mumbi.
Nobody who does little research will find that talented journalists have been overlooked for promotion and other hounded to the door and the list of these injustices is rather long.
This is exactly the kind of post that convinces some casual readers of this site that the person who writes this blog is from the Luo community and that it is a Raila blog. Both allegations are false and my aim is only to expose the truth to Kenyans and I have no affiliations to any tribe ad neither do I have the slightest preferences. If I was a tribalist then Kalonzo Musyoka's bid for the presidency would have received plenty of good, positive coverage from this blog. As it is, the sort of mood that I have been forced into these days, will not allow me to spare even my own deceased mother if any whiff of corruption or past sins linked to her, emerged today. I kid you not, I would not hesitate to expose her.
The problem at the Nation has persisted for years and it is amazing how the effects it has had on the running of the newspaper have been so minimal. However as we head towards an election where the two largest tribes in Kenya are likely to face off, (just like they did in the referendum) those in the know have reason to worry. More so because of the Nation newspaper's influence on public opinion, which is powerful enough to decide the forthcoming elections.
The public is bound to have a very short memory and therefore many have forgotten about the controversy that emerged during the November 2005 referendum that put the Nation newspapers on the spotlight with accusations of unfair or slanted coverage mainly coming from the Orange side. It took a number of closed door meetings at the Nation House with party representatives to sort that one out. But now the general elections loom large in the horizon where the stakes are much higher than they were in November 2005.
A recent incident at the Daily newspaper only serves to confirm analysts worst fears. It is said that an employee of the daily newspaper was sacked by a top editor at the newspaper who happens to belong to the Luo tribe, only to be re-instated by another senior editor who happens to belong to the house of Mumbi.
The incident sent shockwaves through the entire media fraternity and served to highlight the tribal politics that has always played out below the surface at Kenya's most popular daily and influenced many key decisions.
Insiders know that the best journalists in the profession happen to hail from the Luo community (there is a historical reason but that is a story for another day) and yet at the Nation there has always been a deliberate effort to frustrate and ensure that the influence of journalists who hail from that community is kept to a bare minimum. The chief architects of that campaign (and this may be a mere coincidence) have always hailed from—you guessed it—the house of Mumbi.
Nobody who does little research will find that talented journalists have been overlooked for promotion and other hounded to the door and the list of these injustices is rather long.
This is exactly the kind of post that convinces some casual readers of this site that the person who writes this blog is from the Luo community and that it is a Raila blog. Both allegations are false and my aim is only to expose the truth to Kenyans and I have no affiliations to any tribe ad neither do I have the slightest preferences. If I was a tribalist then Kalonzo Musyoka's bid for the presidency would have received plenty of good, positive coverage from this blog. As it is, the sort of mood that I have been forced into these days, will not allow me to spare even my own deceased mother if any whiff of corruption or past sins linked to her, emerged today. I kid you not, I would not hesitate to expose her.
The problem at the Nation has persisted for years and it is amazing how the effects it has had on the running of the newspaper have been so minimal. However as we head towards an election where the two largest tribes in Kenya are likely to face off, (just like they did in the referendum) those in the know have reason to worry. More so because of the Nation newspaper's influence on public opinion, which is powerful enough to decide the forthcoming elections.
Youth Development Fund For Entrepreneurs: A Narc Kenya Campaign Tool That Will Have Minimal Impact On Unemployment
The idea of fighting unemployment in Kenya by turning the youth into employers rather than the vast majority of the unemployed is a noble one. The idea of funding good business ideas is a great one. However the manner in which the project is being run suggests and in fact confirms the obvious. This is nothing but a campaign tool designed to win aging President Kibaki re-election.
The government says that the first beneficiaries will start receiving funds by early next month.
If this was a genuine effort to create wealth amongst the youth of Kenya then the first thing that would have happened is that the fund should have been administered by specialist NGOs on the ground, of which we have numerous dotted in every corner of the republic. It would then have been much easier for the government to supervise the project to ensure that it has the desired impact, because many NGOs are also known to be corrupt.
As it is the whole idea seems to be to distribute the Kshs 1 billion to as many youths as possible so as to influence the voting in the general elections.
Everything is in line with the Narc Kenya strategy where they will ask the electorate for more time to make the effects of the economy trickle down to ordinary folk. The truth is that with the kind of policies and management style of the current government which we have seen in recent times, chances of a trickle down effect anytime soon are nil.
The government says that the first beneficiaries will start receiving funds by early next month.
If this was a genuine effort to create wealth amongst the youth of Kenya then the first thing that would have happened is that the fund should have been administered by specialist NGOs on the ground, of which we have numerous dotted in every corner of the republic. It would then have been much easier for the government to supervise the project to ensure that it has the desired impact, because many NGOs are also known to be corrupt.
As it is the whole idea seems to be to distribute the Kshs 1 billion to as many youths as possible so as to influence the voting in the general elections.
Everything is in line with the Narc Kenya strategy where they will ask the electorate for more time to make the effects of the economy trickle down to ordinary folk. The truth is that with the kind of policies and management style of the current government which we have seen in recent times, chances of a trickle down effect anytime soon are nil.
Such A Hypocrite You Are, Sir
Retired President Moi gave an emotional speech in church yesterday thanking God for healing him and re-dedicating himself to serving the Lord. Nothing wrong with that.
The president however failed to follow one particular fundamental teaching of the Bible which he must be familiar with. It says that when offering a sacrifice, if you realize that you have an issue with somebody, then you should leave your sacrifice at the altar and go and sort it out. Only when you have done so, should you return to offer your sacrifice.
Retired President Moi has many issues out there begging to be "sorted out." Forget the fact that he is hell bent on influencing the outcome of the forthcoming general elections against the best interests of the Kenyan people.
The issues that need urgent sorting out include telling Dr Robert Ouko's widow (if he cannot tell the Kenyan people in the face) who murdered her husband and why. Two independent accounts have put the former president at the scene of the crime and evidence from a witness whose life is still being threatened indicates that it is only Moi who would have ordered the "hit."
Then there is the Goldenberg scandal, which had the effect of impoverishing millions of ordinary Kenyans. Here the issue is even more clear cut. Either Moi was involved and if he was not then he should face prosecution for negligence in allowing so much money to leave the treasury while he was president.
Not to mention the mystery of how arrows were imported into the country, most probably using tax payers money but to kill the very same people who paid the bills in the notorious so-called land clashes that were rampant whenever Mr Moi faced an elections.
The retired president is an old man now and has served the country for decades; I therefore believe that Kenyans have it in them to forgive him, no matter how terrible his crimes. But how can you forgive somebody who has not confessed his or her sins?
As it is you have to give it to this old man. The guy's quite strong carrying in his conscience what he is carrying and still being able to stand up in church and address the nation with a straight face.
The president however failed to follow one particular fundamental teaching of the Bible which he must be familiar with. It says that when offering a sacrifice, if you realize that you have an issue with somebody, then you should leave your sacrifice at the altar and go and sort it out. Only when you have done so, should you return to offer your sacrifice.
Retired President Moi has many issues out there begging to be "sorted out." Forget the fact that he is hell bent on influencing the outcome of the forthcoming general elections against the best interests of the Kenyan people.
The issues that need urgent sorting out include telling Dr Robert Ouko's widow (if he cannot tell the Kenyan people in the face) who murdered her husband and why. Two independent accounts have put the former president at the scene of the crime and evidence from a witness whose life is still being threatened indicates that it is only Moi who would have ordered the "hit."
Then there is the Goldenberg scandal, which had the effect of impoverishing millions of ordinary Kenyans. Here the issue is even more clear cut. Either Moi was involved and if he was not then he should face prosecution for negligence in allowing so much money to leave the treasury while he was president.
Not to mention the mystery of how arrows were imported into the country, most probably using tax payers money but to kill the very same people who paid the bills in the notorious so-called land clashes that were rampant whenever Mr Moi faced an elections.
The retired president is an old man now and has served the country for decades; I therefore believe that Kenyans have it in them to forgive him, no matter how terrible his crimes. But how can you forgive somebody who has not confessed his or her sins?
As it is you have to give it to this old man. The guy's quite strong carrying in his conscience what he is carrying and still being able to stand up in church and address the nation with a straight face.
General Elections 2007 The latest Prediction
Latest Kenya Political Prophecy From The Man Who Has Gotten All The General Elections Right
This servant of God has got it right, every single election since 1992, without fail. That's why I was eager to hear what he had to say about the forthcoming general elections 2007. I am of course referring to the only evangelical pastor I know in Kenya who has been ordained into the office of a "prophet" by a higher authority than themselves.
He says;
a) The President This Time Will Not Come From Central Province And He Will Not Come From the Rift Valley. Kenyans should therefore keep their eyes on the other provinces in the country.
b) President Kibaki's term is over.
c) The Fourth President of Kenya will be much younger than the generation of Mwai Kibaki, Daniel Moi and Jomo Kenyatta when they came into office.
This servant of God has got it right, every single election since 1992, without fail. That's why I was eager to hear what he had to say about the forthcoming general elections 2007. I am of course referring to the only evangelical pastor I know in Kenya who has been ordained into the office of a "prophet" by a higher authority than themselves.
He says;
a) The President This Time Will Not Come From Central Province And He Will Not Come From the Rift Valley. Kenyans should therefore keep their eyes on the other provinces in the country.
b) President Kibaki's term is over.
c) The Fourth President of Kenya will be much younger than the generation of Mwai Kibaki, Daniel Moi and Jomo Kenyatta when they came into office.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Heard Of Monex And What They Do With Gold
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There is really nothing that you can compare gold with. What other previous metal has remained in favor for so many centuries across so many difference civilizations?
For well over 30 years now Monex Deposit Company (MDC) has been helping clients to purchase gold or other precious metals for immediate personal delivery and have also provided a wide range of other relates services including arranging for convenient and safe storage at independent depositories.
Gold Bullion or gold coin has always been an excellent investment. A gold investor can easily diversify investments, protect wealth and preserve one's purchasing power for years, even where there is intense inflationary pressure.
There is really nothing that you can compare gold with. What other previous metal has remained in favor for so many centuries across so many difference civilizations?
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Kumekucha Daily Home Page 12th Dec 2007
Kumekucha Today
Lead Story
Why Desperate Kibaki Appointed Electoral Commissioners And Ignored Parties
Lead Story
Why Desperate Kibaki Appointed Electoral Commissioners And Ignored Parties
i) Kalonzo Musyoka On NTV As Julie Gichuru Dissapoints
ii) The Kalonzo Musyoka You Don't Know Part 4: Cash Problems
iii) The Kalonzo Musyoka You Don't Know Part 4: How He Grew Up With Witchcraft And Forces Of Darkness
Recent stories
What Was Moi Meeting Kibaki About, This Time Round?
Dangers Somalia Poses To Kenya
The Big Moi Blunder On Somali That Is Being Paid For By Kenyan Blood
The Latest Kibaki Administration Crisis Caused By A Shoot From The Hip Directive.
Who Will Be President Kibaki's Running Mate?
The Kalonzo Musyoka You Don't Know And His Big Obstacle In His Own Back Yard.
Kumekucha Goes Daily.
There is too much hot information in this blog now. To avoid missing anything subscribe to our email newsletter Kumekucha Confidential. If you're not a yet a subscriber, become one today by sending an email to KUMEKUCHA-SUBSCRIBE@YAHOOGROUPS.COM
I hope you like the new format of this blog. I just decided that I should return with a new look.
Other Hot Stories;
Tom Mboya Murder Mystery Solved
What A Peasant Farmer Thinks Of ODM, Raila And Elections 2007
Kalonzo Musyoka: What Does He Stand For? Who Is He Really?
Medical Emergencies And Visa Hitches For Old And New Corrupt Money
Ex-Mungiki, Ndura Waruinge: What You Don't Know About Election Violence In Kenya.
This Blog is dedicated to the memory of this man...
Other Amazing Stories From The Archives;
Biwott: The Man Kenyans Love To Hate
Exclusive Interview: Alnoor Kassam Of TradeBank Fame Speaks to Kumekucha
Controversial Steadmann Presidential Polls Altered After Kumekucha Analysis
Why Kenyans Admire Thugs, And Deride Hawkers
Interview With Raila Odinga
The Four Most Important Provinces For A Winning Presidential Candidate
The Most Hotly Discussed Topic In This Blog: Kikwete Behaves Like The Kenyan Ambassador
Why The Daily Nation Is Such A Potent Political Weapon And The Mistake Kanu Made In 2002
Great Business Stories: Mandatally Manji's Business Secrets
Obama: A True Kenyan This Guy
Open Letter To America Voters Over Senator Obama
7 Things That Will Happen To Kenya If Kibaki Is Re-elected
So You Think You Need Money To Stand For MP: Poor Penniless Kenyans Who Won Elections
Top Forex Earner For Kenya: Illegal Kenyan Immigrants
Famous Books By Famous Kenyans
Ben Gethi: The Terrifying Security Man Who Helped Murder JM
More On Ben Gethi
What Was Jomo Kenyatta Really Like?
Witchcraft In Kenyan President's Office: Kalonzo Musyoka Named
The Amazing Kenyan Political Prophecy
Kibaki Appoints New Electoral Commissioners: Is He Desperate To Win Elections At All Costs?
Starting this morning, we should be hearing lots of protests from members of parliament and politicians about the move last night by President Kibaki where he appointed several new commissioners to the Electoral commission of Kenya without making any consultations with the other political parties.
Although the president is empowered by the current constitution to do this, it is a clear case of a player appointing the referee in a game, which they hope to participate in themselves.
The general consensus amongst political parties across the board is that the current chairman and deputy chair of the Electoral Commission of Kenya, Mr Samuel Kivuitu and Mr Gabriel Mukele should have their terms extended, so that they can oversee the forthcoming elections. President Kibaki is unlikely to yield to this request although it makes plenty of sense. It is obvious that the coming elections will be the most complex and hotly contested in the history of Kenya and the vast experience of Kivuitu will come in very handy.
Read the latest news on this burning issue.
But either there is something personal that happened between chairman Kivuitu and President Kibaki in the past or he does not trust him for some other reason, but it is clear that the president is very nervous about having him at the helm of the electoral commission in the coming elections. Whether opposition parties are aware of this or not, it is one of the main reasons why the Kibaki camp is so reluctant to come to the negotiating table with other political parties. Knowing in advance that there is a key issue that they will not be able to compromise on, it is more likely that the President will go on to appoint a new chairperson of his choice to the commission and the list to watch is that of yesterday's appointees. Once again the influence of President Moi will be felt here and there is a very high likelihood that the next chairman will be a trusted Moi croonie. Could this have been what the two were discussing recently at State House?
Although the president is empowered by the current constitution to do this, it is a clear case of a player appointing the referee in a game, which they hope to participate in themselves.
The general consensus amongst political parties across the board is that the current chairman and deputy chair of the Electoral Commission of Kenya, Mr Samuel Kivuitu and Mr Gabriel Mukele should have their terms extended, so that they can oversee the forthcoming elections. President Kibaki is unlikely to yield to this request although it makes plenty of sense. It is obvious that the coming elections will be the most complex and hotly contested in the history of Kenya and the vast experience of Kivuitu will come in very handy.
Read the latest news on this burning issue.
But either there is something personal that happened between chairman Kivuitu and President Kibaki in the past or he does not trust him for some other reason, but it is clear that the president is very nervous about having him at the helm of the electoral commission in the coming elections. Whether opposition parties are aware of this or not, it is one of the main reasons why the Kibaki camp is so reluctant to come to the negotiating table with other political parties. Knowing in advance that there is a key issue that they will not be able to compromise on, it is more likely that the President will go on to appoint a new chairperson of his choice to the commission and the list to watch is that of yesterday's appointees. Once again the influence of President Moi will be felt here and there is a very high likelihood that the next chairman will be a trusted Moi croonie. Could this have been what the two were discussing recently at State House?
Kalonzo Musyoka On NTV: More Questions Than Answers Remain On The Minds Of Kenyans
NTV's Julie Gichuru was a great disappointment last night when she hosted presidential hopeful Kalonzo Musyoka on her TV show, On The Spot. That coupled with the fact that Kalonzo supporters jammed the telephone lines, in what was most probably a well-orchestrated pre-planned strategy, resulted in the sort of show that made it difficult for anybody to remain awake.
All the right questions were either avoided altogether or asked in a very superficial way and the answers from Mr Musyoka left wananchi even more puzzled. For instance there was no mention of the scandal involving Kalonzo's law firm where a prime piece of land changed hands as a high court judge issued a warrant of arrest for Musyoka (we will cover that bizarre scandal in more detail later.) Nobody talked about Kalonzo's true background including the fact that his father is a known and feared witchdoctor. Or the fact that former PS in the office of the president, Philip Mbithi is on record for accusing Kalonzo of practicing witchcraft. Or the fact that Kalonzo's Mwingi constituency is one of the least developed in the republic. So how will Kalonzo succeed nationally and yet he has failed in his constituency?
Mercifully the ODM presidential campaign, let alone the final race, proper, will not be decided on a TV show. What all our presidential candidates fail to see is that this is not the time to play games. Kenya has reached a critical place where one wrong move could mean catastrophe.
Most important of all, Kalonzo did not come across on the show as being sincere and the sort of person we can trust with the presidency. Kalonzo tried to say that as a lawyer president, he would have certain advantages, however those who have dealt with lawyers are well aware what most of them are made of. But what is even more worrying about Kalonzo is that he does not seem to want a scrutiny of his past. What is he scared that Kenyans will find?
All the right questions were either avoided altogether or asked in a very superficial way and the answers from Mr Musyoka left wananchi even more puzzled. For instance there was no mention of the scandal involving Kalonzo's law firm where a prime piece of land changed hands as a high court judge issued a warrant of arrest for Musyoka (we will cover that bizarre scandal in more detail later.) Nobody talked about Kalonzo's true background including the fact that his father is a known and feared witchdoctor. Or the fact that former PS in the office of the president, Philip Mbithi is on record for accusing Kalonzo of practicing witchcraft. Or the fact that Kalonzo's Mwingi constituency is one of the least developed in the republic. So how will Kalonzo succeed nationally and yet he has failed in his constituency?
Mercifully the ODM presidential campaign, let alone the final race, proper, will not be decided on a TV show. What all our presidential candidates fail to see is that this is not the time to play games. Kenya has reached a critical place where one wrong move could mean catastrophe.
Most important of all, Kalonzo did not come across on the show as being sincere and the sort of person we can trust with the presidency. Kalonzo tried to say that as a lawyer president, he would have certain advantages, however those who have dealt with lawyers are well aware what most of them are made of. But what is even more worrying about Kalonzo is that he does not seem to want a scrutiny of his past. What is he scared that Kenyans will find?
The Kalonzo Musyoka You Don't Know Part IV: Cash Problems
Kalonzo Musyoka is among the favorites to wrestle power from president Kibaki in the elections slotted for December this year, but the big question among many Kenyans in the know, is how will the erstwhile Musyoka finance his presidential campaign?
It is an open secret in Kenya that in spite of Musyoka having served in the corrupt, plundering regime of president Moi for over two decades, the former foreign affairs minister did not mint millions like his cabinet colleagues, the likes of Nicholas Biwott and William Ruto who amassed fortunes through corruption. That is propably a plus in his character, only that keen observers insist that the reason was that he was never given the opportunity.
Musyoka is not a rich man by the standards of the political class and his biggest dilemma to date is if he loses the ODM Kenya presidential nominations and decides to contest the presidency as an independent, where will he get the funding to bankroll his presidential campaign?
Kalonzo has been burning the mid night oil as he embarks on several fund raising ventures including establishing a foundation and seeking assistance from foreigners to globetrotting around Europe and America and soliciting funds from Kenyans living abroad.
This has not yielded much fruit as he has found out that Kenyans living abroad do not have that much money so as to spare some for local politicians to make their dreams come true. In a visit to America last year, Musyoka was taken to task by Kenyans who told him on the face that they thought the Kalonzo Musyoka foundation was to assist the less fortunate and not a vehicle for raising funds for his presidential campaign. Musyoka had asked his compatriots to donate generously to his foundation as he launches his presidential bid.
The man who has been given the Herculean task to coordinate Musyoka's fundraising abroad is one professor Timothy Kaloki who was also the brains behind Musyoka's recent blue print on how his presidency will change the lives of Kenyans who are wallowing in abject poverty and squalor at the expense of the political class who earn obscene salaries and allowances drawn from public coffers.
Musyoka could boast of lots of foreign friends he made while he was foreign affairs minister in both Moi's and Kibaki's government but these contacts are yet to translate into cash as the election date nears.
Locally too, Kalonzo could boast of having very rich friends who could boost his campaign kitty but they are as limited as they are few and he will need more rich men to believe that he is capable of wrestling power from Kibaki who has so many rich friends that he could easily raise millions of dollars locally without breaking into a sweat. More so because he is the incumbent.
Among those who will surely contribute to Musyoka's campaign kitty and are worth mentioning is lawyer Mutula Kilonzo who made a fortune through Moi;s corruption networks as he was a lawyer to the former president and he is among the richest men in Kenya today. Another one is international gemstone dealer Johnson Muthama who rose from being a househelp cook to a gemstone dealer who quickly mastered the trade and made a tidy fortune from it.
These two men are from Kalonzo's Kamba community and they will surely back him as they are already showing signs of doing. Both see themselves as benefiting immensely from a Musyoka presidency.
Billionaire businessman John Harun Mwau is also from Musyoka's community but the two have not being seeing eye to eye for the past decade but since there are no permanent enemies in politics, Mwau may just choose to forget the past and finance Musyoka if he is convinced that he could be the next president of Kenya. A reader in the Mashada forum has already claimed as much , although we are yet to verify this as being a fact. The truth is that given the bitter past of the two, it is much more likely that Mwau will fight Kalonzo, rather than support him.
Winston Churchill once said 24 hours can be a very long time in politics and if this is true, then Kalonzo Musyoka could be having more than enough time to look for the necessary funds as the elections are over 11 months away.
It is an open secret in Kenya that in spite of Musyoka having served in the corrupt, plundering regime of president Moi for over two decades, the former foreign affairs minister did not mint millions like his cabinet colleagues, the likes of Nicholas Biwott and William Ruto who amassed fortunes through corruption. That is propably a plus in his character, only that keen observers insist that the reason was that he was never given the opportunity.
Musyoka is not a rich man by the standards of the political class and his biggest dilemma to date is if he loses the ODM Kenya presidential nominations and decides to contest the presidency as an independent, where will he get the funding to bankroll his presidential campaign?
Kalonzo has been burning the mid night oil as he embarks on several fund raising ventures including establishing a foundation and seeking assistance from foreigners to globetrotting around Europe and America and soliciting funds from Kenyans living abroad.
This has not yielded much fruit as he has found out that Kenyans living abroad do not have that much money so as to spare some for local politicians to make their dreams come true. In a visit to America last year, Musyoka was taken to task by Kenyans who told him on the face that they thought the Kalonzo Musyoka foundation was to assist the less fortunate and not a vehicle for raising funds for his presidential campaign. Musyoka had asked his compatriots to donate generously to his foundation as he launches his presidential bid.
The man who has been given the Herculean task to coordinate Musyoka's fundraising abroad is one professor Timothy Kaloki who was also the brains behind Musyoka's recent blue print on how his presidency will change the lives of Kenyans who are wallowing in abject poverty and squalor at the expense of the political class who earn obscene salaries and allowances drawn from public coffers.
Musyoka could boast of lots of foreign friends he made while he was foreign affairs minister in both Moi's and Kibaki's government but these contacts are yet to translate into cash as the election date nears.
Locally too, Kalonzo could boast of having very rich friends who could boost his campaign kitty but they are as limited as they are few and he will need more rich men to believe that he is capable of wrestling power from Kibaki who has so many rich friends that he could easily raise millions of dollars locally without breaking into a sweat. More so because he is the incumbent.
Among those who will surely contribute to Musyoka's campaign kitty and are worth mentioning is lawyer Mutula Kilonzo who made a fortune through Moi;s corruption networks as he was a lawyer to the former president and he is among the richest men in Kenya today. Another one is international gemstone dealer Johnson Muthama who rose from being a househelp cook to a gemstone dealer who quickly mastered the trade and made a tidy fortune from it.
These two men are from Kalonzo's Kamba community and they will surely back him as they are already showing signs of doing. Both see themselves as benefiting immensely from a Musyoka presidency.
Billionaire businessman John Harun Mwau is also from Musyoka's community but the two have not being seeing eye to eye for the past decade but since there are no permanent enemies in politics, Mwau may just choose to forget the past and finance Musyoka if he is convinced that he could be the next president of Kenya. A reader in the Mashada forum has already claimed as much , although we are yet to verify this as being a fact. The truth is that given the bitter past of the two, it is much more likely that Mwau will fight Kalonzo, rather than support him.
Winston Churchill once said 24 hours can be a very long time in politics and if this is true, then Kalonzo Musyoka could be having more than enough time to look for the necessary funds as the elections are over 11 months away.
The Kalonzo Musyoka You Don't Know Part IV: Witchcraft And Dark Forces
When Musikari Kombo was found guilty of committing an election offence in 1992 by consulting a witch doctor and engaging in superstitious activities prior to the elections that year, many Kenyans were taken aback but little did they realize that almost all members of parliament do this ahead of polls.
Kombo who was later elected as Ford Kenya leader after the death of Michael Kijana Wamalwa is known to come from the Bukusu sub tribe of the Luhyia community who are notorious for believing in witchcraft and in spite of going to church during the day, many of them usually engage in cult activities when the sun sets.
The Webuye MP is not the only presidential aspirant who regularly consults supernatural beings in the dead of the night as most of them are not leaving anything to chance including the so-called God-fearing Mwingi North MP and a hot favorite for the presidency, Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka.
Musyoka hails from the Kamba community who are also well known for their belief in witchcraft not to mention that Musyoka's father is a powerful witchdoctor who lives alone in a tiny island along some river where it is said that all visitors have to strip naked when they visit him as one is prohibited to set foot on the island with their clothes on.
According to popular belief in the area, one is capable of hiding evil spirits or witchcraft paraphernalia under their clothes hence the rule of stripping naked when visiting a top witchdoctor.
Musyoka claims to be a strong adherent of the African Inland Church and will never miss a church service on Sunday but those who know him well say they have never met a public figure as superstitious as the soft-speaking Musyoka.
According to close allies of Musyoka , the presidential aspirant almost always travels in the company of another strong witchdoctor known as Wa Maiyo who passes as a nominated councilor from the Mwingi town council and an entertainer of sorts who has the gift of composing and singing political tunes in Musyoka's functions.
Wa Maiyo is respected and feared so much by Kalonzo's allies that some of Musyoka's close friends will not dare interrupt a conversation between Musyoka and the towering middle aged man who carries a walking stick with him all the time though he enjoys good health and has no problems with mobility.
According to those who have been closely following Musyoka's movements, the diminutive presidential aspirant takes his orders from the witchdoctor and will always consult him about his diary and has on some occasions warned Musyoka not to visit some places as his life would be endangered.
Musyoka, a lawyer by profession is said to have been introduced to the world of witchcraft at an early age (because of his father) but in politics this was solidified by the late powerful Machakos Kanu branch chairman Mulu Mutisya who was also his political godfather.
It all started in the 1980s when Musyoka made it to parliament in a by-election resulting from the death of the local MP Peter Manandu who was shot dead in a bar by a rogue administration policeman under some very strange and yet to be explained circumstances.
The now deceased, Mulu Mutisya is said to have traveled all the way to Mwingi and met Musyoka, a young lawyer who was trying into make inroads to politics. Mutisya was impressed by the young man's demeanor and his patience even for someone illiterate as Mutisya who never saw the inside of a classroom.
Prior to the by elections, Mutisya informed Musyoka that one had to seek supernatural protection from witchdoctors so as to avoid being bewitched by rivals during political campaigns. Musyoka understood this only too well. After all his father is in that trade although Musyoka was known to be much closer to his mother who died last year and barely spent anytime with his father who is still alive.
Musyoka is said to regularly consult these men of the night including a prominent witchdoctor who resides along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway known as Dr Willy who also doubled up as the late Mulu Mutisya's witchdoctor and seer. Those who consult him say that he is able to read one's future using his supernatural powers.
Just to show how politicians, especially those from Ukambani, are so deeply entrenched in witchcraft, when the late Yatta MP John Mutiso died after his car was swept by floods on his way home, among those in the ill-fated vehicle was a female witchdoctor and her paraphernalia who also died in the deluge.
It was later established that the woman was going to the MPs home to cleanse it from evil spirits ahead of a party that the legislator was hosting the following day to celebrate his victory to parliament.
When the local press broke the story a few days later, it is instructive that it was Kalonzo Musyoka himself (Mr President-to-be) who marshaled all the MPs from Ukambani to deny the story and dismissed any witchcraft link to the legislator's death. Musyoka also hit back hard at the media for portraying the Akamba as a superstitious people.
An interesting aside here is the fact that Kamba MPs do not like being linked to witchcraft any journalist who tries to do so will usually be treading on very dangerous ground indeed.
Musyoka's name came up in yet another witchcraft incident when former PS in the President's office Prof Philip Mbithi claimed that he was attacked by invisible beings while at his office in Harambee House. He blamed Kalonzo Musyoka and the late Mulu Mutisya for the attack (Read the full story for yourself).
It is evident that presidential aspirants, Musikari Kombo and Kalonzo Musyoka will not only pray to God as they go for the highest office in the land but are bound to also rely heavily on the so-called dark forces in their bid to convince Kenyans that they are the most suitable candidates to take over from president Kibaki.
The Final Part of The Kalonzo Musyoka You Do Not Know series will be published on Monday. Don't miss it.
Kombo who was later elected as Ford Kenya leader after the death of Michael Kijana Wamalwa is known to come from the Bukusu sub tribe of the Luhyia community who are notorious for believing in witchcraft and in spite of going to church during the day, many of them usually engage in cult activities when the sun sets.
The Webuye MP is not the only presidential aspirant who regularly consults supernatural beings in the dead of the night as most of them are not leaving anything to chance including the so-called God-fearing Mwingi North MP and a hot favorite for the presidency, Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka.
Musyoka hails from the Kamba community who are also well known for their belief in witchcraft not to mention that Musyoka's father is a powerful witchdoctor who lives alone in a tiny island along some river where it is said that all visitors have to strip naked when they visit him as one is prohibited to set foot on the island with their clothes on.
According to popular belief in the area, one is capable of hiding evil spirits or witchcraft paraphernalia under their clothes hence the rule of stripping naked when visiting a top witchdoctor.
Musyoka claims to be a strong adherent of the African Inland Church and will never miss a church service on Sunday but those who know him well say they have never met a public figure as superstitious as the soft-speaking Musyoka.
According to close allies of Musyoka , the presidential aspirant almost always travels in the company of another strong witchdoctor known as Wa Maiyo who passes as a nominated councilor from the Mwingi town council and an entertainer of sorts who has the gift of composing and singing political tunes in Musyoka's functions.
Wa Maiyo is respected and feared so much by Kalonzo's allies that some of Musyoka's close friends will not dare interrupt a conversation between Musyoka and the towering middle aged man who carries a walking stick with him all the time though he enjoys good health and has no problems with mobility.
According to those who have been closely following Musyoka's movements, the diminutive presidential aspirant takes his orders from the witchdoctor and will always consult him about his diary and has on some occasions warned Musyoka not to visit some places as his life would be endangered.
Musyoka, a lawyer by profession is said to have been introduced to the world of witchcraft at an early age (because of his father) but in politics this was solidified by the late powerful Machakos Kanu branch chairman Mulu Mutisya who was also his political godfather.
It all started in the 1980s when Musyoka made it to parliament in a by-election resulting from the death of the local MP Peter Manandu who was shot dead in a bar by a rogue administration policeman under some very strange and yet to be explained circumstances.
The now deceased, Mulu Mutisya is said to have traveled all the way to Mwingi and met Musyoka, a young lawyer who was trying into make inroads to politics. Mutisya was impressed by the young man's demeanor and his patience even for someone illiterate as Mutisya who never saw the inside of a classroom.
Prior to the by elections, Mutisya informed Musyoka that one had to seek supernatural protection from witchdoctors so as to avoid being bewitched by rivals during political campaigns. Musyoka understood this only too well. After all his father is in that trade although Musyoka was known to be much closer to his mother who died last year and barely spent anytime with his father who is still alive.
Musyoka is said to regularly consult these men of the night including a prominent witchdoctor who resides along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway known as Dr Willy who also doubled up as the late Mulu Mutisya's witchdoctor and seer. Those who consult him say that he is able to read one's future using his supernatural powers.
Just to show how politicians, especially those from Ukambani, are so deeply entrenched in witchcraft, when the late Yatta MP John Mutiso died after his car was swept by floods on his way home, among those in the ill-fated vehicle was a female witchdoctor and her paraphernalia who also died in the deluge.
It was later established that the woman was going to the MPs home to cleanse it from evil spirits ahead of a party that the legislator was hosting the following day to celebrate his victory to parliament.
When the local press broke the story a few days later, it is instructive that it was Kalonzo Musyoka himself (Mr President-to-be) who marshaled all the MPs from Ukambani to deny the story and dismissed any witchcraft link to the legislator's death. Musyoka also hit back hard at the media for portraying the Akamba as a superstitious people.
An interesting aside here is the fact that Kamba MPs do not like being linked to witchcraft any journalist who tries to do so will usually be treading on very dangerous ground indeed.
Musyoka's name came up in yet another witchcraft incident when former PS in the President's office Prof Philip Mbithi claimed that he was attacked by invisible beings while at his office in Harambee House. He blamed Kalonzo Musyoka and the late Mulu Mutisya for the attack (Read the full story for yourself).
It is evident that presidential aspirants, Musikari Kombo and Kalonzo Musyoka will not only pray to God as they go for the highest office in the land but are bound to also rely heavily on the so-called dark forces in their bid to convince Kenyans that they are the most suitable candidates to take over from president Kibaki.
The Final Part of The Kalonzo Musyoka You Do Not Know series will be published on Monday. Don't miss it.
Home Page Kumekucha Daily 11h Jan 2007
Kumekucha Today
Lead Story
What Was Moi Meeting Kibaki About, This Time Round?
Lead Story
What Was Moi Meeting Kibaki About, This Time Round?
ii) Jim Bailey And The South African Magazine That Refused To Fight Moi
iii) The Kalonzo Musyoka You Do Not Know Part 3
Recent stories
Dangers Somalia Poses To Kenya
The Big Moi Blunder On Somali That Is Being Paid For By Kenyan Blood
The Kalonzo Musyoka You Don’t Know Part II
The Latest Kibaki Administration Crisis Caused By A Shoot From The Hip Directive.
Who Will Be President Kibaki's Running Mate?
The Kalonzo Musyoka You Don't Know And His Big Obstacle In His Own Back Yard.
Kumekucha Goes Daily.
There is too much hot information in this blog now. To avoid missing anything subscribe to our email newsletter Kumekucha Confidential. If you're not a yet a subscriber, become one today by sending an email to KUMEKUCHA-SUBSCRIBE@YAHOOGROUPS.COM
I hope you like the new format of this blog. I just decided that I should return with a new look.
Other Hot Stories;
Tom Mboya Murder Mystery Solved
What A Peasant Farmer Thinks Of ODM, Raila And Elections 2007
Kalonzo Musyoka: What Does He Stand For? Who Is He Really?
Medical Emergencies And Visa Hitches For Old And New Corrupt Money
Ex-Mungiki, Ndura Waruinge: What You Don't Know About Election Violence In Kenya.
This Blog is dedicated to the memory of this man...
Other Amazing Stories From The Archives;
Biwott: The Man Kenyans Love To Hate
Exclusive Interview: Alnoor Kassam Of TradeBank Fame Speaks to Kumekucha
Controversial Steadmann Presidential Polls Altered After Kumekucha Analysis
Why Kenyans Admire Thugs, And Deride Hawkers
Interview With Raila Odinga
The Four Most Important Provinces For A Winning Presidential Candidate
The Most Hotly Discussed Topic In This Blog: Kikwete Behaves Like The Kenyan Ambassador
Why The Daily Nation Is Such A Potent Political Weapon And The Mistake Kanu Made In 2002
Great Business Stories: Mandatally Manji's Business Secrets
Obama: A True Kenyan This Guy
Open Letter To America Voters Over Senator Obama
7 Things That Will Happen To Kenya If Kibaki Is Re-elected
So You Think You Need Money To Stand For MP: Poor Penniless Kenyans Who Won Elections
Top Forex Earner For Kenya: Illegal Kenyan Immigrants
Famous Books By Famous Kenyans
Ben Gethi: The Terrifying Security Man Who Helped Murder JM
More On Ben Gethi
What Was Jomo Kenyatta Really Like?
Witchcraft In Kenyan President's Office: Kalonzo Musyoka Named
The Amazing Kenyan Political Prophecy
What Was Moi Meeting Kibaki About?
Retired president Moi held a closed-door meeting with President Kibaki recently – once again. Kenyans have learnt t be extremely wary of these meetings. The last time the pair met, some earth-shaking political events quickly followed that swiftly left Messrs Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto without a political party. Mercifully the courts recently halted that daylight coup of Kanu, but the matter is yet to be resolved conclusively.
So what were the two discussing?
It is highly likely that the Somalia crisis featured very high on the agenda. It may even have been the only issue discussed. Keen observers will have already noted that the recent bold and decisive steps taken by President Kibaki is not really the Kibaki we have come to know and suffer. His style is to take much longer to make decisions, even where there is a crisis and when the decision is finally made, he favors piece-meal actions. That is why many are seeing another hand in the bold, rapid-response decisions we have seen over the Somalia crisis. Apart from the obvious influence of America, the real decision-maker over Kenyan foreign policy currently, especially in the Somali crisis could well be retired President Moi.
Nothing wrong with that. Indeed it is good for the president to get expert advice on issues and the handling of the Somalia crisis so far, in my view has been excellent, decisive and the right thing for the country, given the prevailing circumstances. However when the advisor is Moi and when most Kenyans understand that the motives, of the two, especially concerning the long-term political future of the country, is based purely on self-preservation, then you can't really blame people for being anxious.
So what were the two discussing?
It is highly likely that the Somalia crisis featured very high on the agenda. It may even have been the only issue discussed. Keen observers will have already noted that the recent bold and decisive steps taken by President Kibaki is not really the Kibaki we have come to know and suffer. His style is to take much longer to make decisions, even where there is a crisis and when the decision is finally made, he favors piece-meal actions. That is why many are seeing another hand in the bold, rapid-response decisions we have seen over the Somalia crisis. Apart from the obvious influence of America, the real decision-maker over Kenyan foreign policy currently, especially in the Somali crisis could well be retired President Moi.
Nothing wrong with that. Indeed it is good for the president to get expert advice on issues and the handling of the Somalia crisis so far, in my view has been excellent, decisive and the right thing for the country, given the prevailing circumstances. However when the advisor is Moi and when most Kenyans understand that the motives, of the two, especially concerning the long-term political future of the country, is based purely on self-preservation, then you can't really blame people for being anxious.
Jim Bailey And Drum Magazine
All Kenyans on the continent and beyond who have access to DSTV may have caught a rather captivating real-life drama movie last night based on the story of a magazine that had a huge impact on the continent of Africa, called Drum.
Today's glossy and gossipy Drum magazine is a far cry from the Drum of the 1950s that stood against Apartheid in South Africa when nobody else would dare to. Drum did not start out as a political magazine, but Jim Bailey loved playing the circulation game and he inevitably found his magazine veering deeper and deeper into politics. But not without casualties. The very first Mr Drum, was violently murdered for his incisive inside stories and the movie last night was mainly based on this.
I had the good fortune of meeting Mr Bailey several times in Nairobi. Drum had an East African edition based in Nairobi and he always flew in when circulation figures showed the slightest signs of wavering. By that time (mid-80s), Bailey was an old man and must have been extremely battle-weary and was much more interested in circulation figures than in changing the world. So his magazines stubbornly refused to take on Moi and his excesses. Bailey died a few years ago, a frustrated man.
Still it was difficult for me to fail to draw parallels last night between the battle against apartheid and the current war Kenyans have in their hands against the political ruling class that wants to cling to power at all costs so as to protect their ill-gotten wealth.
Today's glossy and gossipy Drum magazine is a far cry from the Drum of the 1950s that stood against Apartheid in South Africa when nobody else would dare to. Drum did not start out as a political magazine, but Jim Bailey loved playing the circulation game and he inevitably found his magazine veering deeper and deeper into politics. But not without casualties. The very first Mr Drum, was violently murdered for his incisive inside stories and the movie last night was mainly based on this.
I had the good fortune of meeting Mr Bailey several times in Nairobi. Drum had an East African edition based in Nairobi and he always flew in when circulation figures showed the slightest signs of wavering. By that time (mid-80s), Bailey was an old man and must have been extremely battle-weary and was much more interested in circulation figures than in changing the world. So his magazines stubbornly refused to take on Moi and his excesses. Bailey died a few years ago, a frustrated man.
Still it was difficult for me to fail to draw parallels last night between the battle against apartheid and the current war Kenyans have in their hands against the political ruling class that wants to cling to power at all costs so as to protect their ill-gotten wealth.
The Kalonzo Musyoka You Do Not Know
Who Is Financing Kalonzo Musyoka's Bid For The Presidency?
A comment in Mashada posted yesterday about Kalonzo Musyoka and John Harun Mwau caused this writer to go back and do some serious research to ascertain the truth of the same.
The comment was to the effect that John Harun Mwau has financed Kanu for many years and is currently also financing Kalonzo Musyoka. We should be able to find out the truth in the next couple of days from our contacts.
However I would like to point out the fact that this new information does not contradict our coverage on the Kalonzo-Mwau rivalry in Ukambani. In politics, there are no permanent enemies and as somebody here quite rightly pointed out by asking a question, this possibility cannot be ruled out and would make plenty of sense.
The question is simply this; what would you do if you were a drug baron in Kenya? Who would you support for 2007? The answer is very simple. You would give money to all the candidates that have a chance of winning the presidency. That is what Paul Goldenberg Pattni did in 2002. Apart from heavily financing the Kanu campaign, he also made hefty donations to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga's Ford Kenya and God knows who else.
One question that Kenyans voters must ask this time round of all those seeking high office is where their campaign funds are coming from. And if no straight answer is forthcoming then that candidate must be rejected. We already know that sending anybody to State House with such excessive baggage will not serve the interests of the country and will certainly not give us the Kenya we want.
We will continue with our deep analysis of Kalonzo Musyoka tomorrow.
A comment in Mashada posted yesterday about Kalonzo Musyoka and John Harun Mwau caused this writer to go back and do some serious research to ascertain the truth of the same.
The comment was to the effect that John Harun Mwau has financed Kanu for many years and is currently also financing Kalonzo Musyoka. We should be able to find out the truth in the next couple of days from our contacts.
However I would like to point out the fact that this new information does not contradict our coverage on the Kalonzo-Mwau rivalry in Ukambani. In politics, there are no permanent enemies and as somebody here quite rightly pointed out by asking a question, this possibility cannot be ruled out and would make plenty of sense.
The question is simply this; what would you do if you were a drug baron in Kenya? Who would you support for 2007? The answer is very simple. You would give money to all the candidates that have a chance of winning the presidency. That is what Paul Goldenberg Pattni did in 2002. Apart from heavily financing the Kanu campaign, he also made hefty donations to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga's Ford Kenya and God knows who else.
One question that Kenyans voters must ask this time round of all those seeking high office is where their campaign funds are coming from. And if no straight answer is forthcoming then that candidate must be rejected. We already know that sending anybody to State House with such excessive baggage will not serve the interests of the country and will certainly not give us the Kenya we want.
We will continue with our deep analysis of Kalonzo Musyoka tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Home Page Kumekucha Daily Jan 10th 2007
Kumekucha Today
Lead Story Dangers Somalia Poses To Kenya
Lead Story Dangers Somalia Poses To Kenya
2. The Big Moi Blunder On Somali That Is Being Paid For By Kenyan Blood
3. The Kalonzo Musyoka You Don’t Know Part II
Recent stories
The Latest Kibaki Administration Crisis Caused By A Shoot From The Hip Directive.
Who Will Be President Kibaki's Running Mate?
The Kalonzo Musyoka You Don't Know And His Big Obstacle In His Own Back Yard.
Kumekucha Goes Daily.
There is too much hot information in this blog now. To avoid missing anything subscribe to our email newsletter Kumekucha Confidential. If you're not a yet a subscriber, become one today by sending an email to KUMEKUCHA-SUBSCRIBE@YAHOOGROUPS.COM
I hope you like the new format of this blog. I just decided that I should return with a new look.
Other Hot Stories;
Tom Mboya Murder Mystery Solved
What A Peasant Farmer Thinks Of ODM, Raila And Elections 2007
Kalonzo Musyoka: What Does He Stand For? Who Is He Really?
Medical Emergencies And Visa Hitches For Old And New Corrupt Money
Ex-Mungiki, Ndura Waruinge: What You Don't Know About Election Violence In Kenya.
This Blog is dedicated to the memory of this man...
Other Amazing Stories From The Archives;
Biwott: The Man Kenyans Love To Hate
Exclusive Interview: Alnoor Kassam Of TradeBank Fame Speaks to Kumekucha
Controversial Steadmann Presidential Polls Altered After Kumekucha Analysis
Why Kenyans Admire Thugs, And Deride Hawkers
Interview With Raila Odinga
The Four Most Important Provinces For A Winning Presidential Candidate
The Most Hotly Discussed Topic In This Blog: Kikwete Behaves Like The Kenyan Ambassador
Why The Daily Nation Is Such A Potent Political Weapon And The Mistake Kanu Made In 2002
Great Business Stories: Mandatally Manji's Business Secrets
Obama: A True Kenyan This Guy
Open Letter To America Voters Over Senator Obama
7 Things That Will Happen To Kenya If Kibaki Is Re-elected
So You Think You Need Money To Stand For MP: Poor Penniless Kenyans Who Won Elections
Top Forex Earner For Kenya: Illegal Kenyan Immigrants
Famous Books By Famous Kenyans
Ben Gethi: The Terrifying Security Man Who Helped Murder JM
More On Ben Gethi
What Was Jomo Kenyatta Really Like?
Witchcraft In Kenyan President's Office: Kalonzo Musyoka Named
The Amazing Kenyan Political Prophecy
Dangers Somalia Poses To Kenya
It is with a sad heart rather than a self-righteous-I-told-you-so attitude that I remind regular readers of this blog of the warnings I issued about Somalia last year, long before the current crisis even started showing signs of erupting.
Two events happened late yesterday that clearly sounded warning bells that Kenya is in serious trouble over the Somalia crisis. Firstly President Kibaki cancelled a trip to his native Othaya to chair a security meeting in Nairobi. Then local TV channels gave the Somalia crisis unprecedented prominent coverage in the prime time news slots.
Although there has been fighting for weeks as American-backed Ethiopian troops swept through the country uprooting elements of the Islamic courts government, something in this seemingly endless crisis changed yesterday that makes Kenya even more vulnerable. And that is the American air bomb raids on what they believe are al Qaeda strongholds in the country. The American bombing was a big mistake and in my opinion will only fan flames of hatred and make a peaceful conclusion to the Somalia crisis even more difficult. It was a mistake because the success of air raids is surely a very dodgy affair ad it would have been best to leave any clean up operations to the Ethiopian troops already on the ground. By now everybody knows what terror groups are best known for, nay what they do best.
Personally I believe that it is no accident that Kenya has been the victim of terror attacks not once, but twice since 1997. It is mainly because Somalia is a major al Qaeda outpost. Indeed the terror group's international terrorism campaign grew out of this tiny East African nation that has not had a government for over a decade. The Nairobi and Dar-es-salaam US embassy bombings were an important step leading to the 9/11 attacks on American soil.
Something else that I am persuaded to believe is that the Kibaki administration must be under intense pressure from the American government to act against Somalia. Hence the current purge on Somalia nationals living in the country. Given the government's reluctance in the past to bend over quickly to American whims, blackmail in this case cannot be ruled out. As the Americans themselves would put it, this is an issue where they are bound to play hardball. So although I have no hard evidence there is little doubt that there is an American hand in the recent bold moves taken by the Kibaki administration.
So what is the worse we can expect from the Somalia crisis? The probability is high that we might see terror attacks on key installations in Kenya launched by remnants of the fallen Islamic courts outfit that ruled a significant chunk of Somalia until the Ethiopians rolled into town last week. Even more likely will be escalating violent crime involving weapons spilling over from the Somalia crisis. More so in view of the fact that one of their major fund-raising activities of piracy off the Indian Ocean coast has been curtailed by heavy American presence and patrols currently taking place there. Closing the border was the right decision but it is hardly the sort of thing that will stop Somalian insurgents from sneaking into the country.
There is good reason for Kenyans to hold their breath and pray hard over these latest developments.
Two events happened late yesterday that clearly sounded warning bells that Kenya is in serious trouble over the Somalia crisis. Firstly President Kibaki cancelled a trip to his native Othaya to chair a security meeting in Nairobi. Then local TV channels gave the Somalia crisis unprecedented prominent coverage in the prime time news slots.
Although there has been fighting for weeks as American-backed Ethiopian troops swept through the country uprooting elements of the Islamic courts government, something in this seemingly endless crisis changed yesterday that makes Kenya even more vulnerable. And that is the American air bomb raids on what they believe are al Qaeda strongholds in the country. The American bombing was a big mistake and in my opinion will only fan flames of hatred and make a peaceful conclusion to the Somalia crisis even more difficult. It was a mistake because the success of air raids is surely a very dodgy affair ad it would have been best to leave any clean up operations to the Ethiopian troops already on the ground. By now everybody knows what terror groups are best known for, nay what they do best.
Personally I believe that it is no accident that Kenya has been the victim of terror attacks not once, but twice since 1997. It is mainly because Somalia is a major al Qaeda outpost. Indeed the terror group's international terrorism campaign grew out of this tiny East African nation that has not had a government for over a decade. The Nairobi and Dar-es-salaam US embassy bombings were an important step leading to the 9/11 attacks on American soil.
Something else that I am persuaded to believe is that the Kibaki administration must be under intense pressure from the American government to act against Somalia. Hence the current purge on Somalia nationals living in the country. Given the government's reluctance in the past to bend over quickly to American whims, blackmail in this case cannot be ruled out. As the Americans themselves would put it, this is an issue where they are bound to play hardball. So although I have no hard evidence there is little doubt that there is an American hand in the recent bold moves taken by the Kibaki administration.
So what is the worse we can expect from the Somalia crisis? The probability is high that we might see terror attacks on key installations in Kenya launched by remnants of the fallen Islamic courts outfit that ruled a significant chunk of Somalia until the Ethiopians rolled into town last week. Even more likely will be escalating violent crime involving weapons spilling over from the Somalia crisis. More so in view of the fact that one of their major fund-raising activities of piracy off the Indian Ocean coast has been curtailed by heavy American presence and patrols currently taking place there. Closing the border was the right decision but it is hardly the sort of thing that will stop Somalian insurgents from sneaking into the country.
There is good reason for Kenyans to hold their breath and pray hard over these latest developments.
The Big Somalian Blunder Moi's Kanu Made, Paid For By Kenyan Blood
It is said that in Kenya, money can buy you anything. That is why the people in Kenyan jails are mostly the innocent, fools and those who were a little short of cash to buy their freedom.
The situation in Nairobi's Eastleigh estate seems to confirm this popular belief. For all intents and purposes the sprawling estate, not far from Nairobi City Centre is a part of Somalia on Kenyan soil. To start with a vast number of the Somalian nationals living there are in the country illegally. Yet they engage in business (mostly the matatu business and trading in smuggled clothes and electronics) and enjoy the privileges that any Kenyan national would enjoy.
You can purchase an automatic weapon easily here and even obtain an American or British passport that will get you through most immigration departments in the world. It is instructive that policemen fear to tread in Eastleigh and when they have to will usually turn up in large groups and while very heavily armed (even when they are in plain clothes.)
Eastleigh-Somalia, as I would call it, happened because the Somalians have cash and they simply bribed their way into the heart of Kenya. There are those who argue that Somalians have greatly benefited the Kenyan economy. I disagree. They have actually caused more harm than good. To start with they do not pay taxes, not even VAT. Then they have caused serious new problems. For instance Eastleigh alone has cost Telekom Kenya huge losses over the years. A couple of years back, a popular business carried out by Somalians in Eastliegh was to apply for numerous Telkom land lines. The usual deposits would be paid and immediately the line was installed, it would get terribly busy making international calls worldwide. Owners of the lines would charge their clients a fraction of what Telkom Kenya charges. So how would they make a profit, I hear you ask? Simple. They would abandon the line with its' colossal pending bill the minute it was disconnected and apply for fresh new lines under different names. Naturally palms at Telkom would remain "well oiled" so that by the time the scum came into light the local telephone company had lost millions of shillings. That is just one example.
Because the Moi administration was not able to deal with the problem as it commenced, today, "cleaning up" Eastleigh would be a mammoth operation that is probably no longer viable. So Kenyans are forced to learn to live with this deadly menace. Guns from Eastliegh continue to claim Kenyan lives and maim others for life every day and now with the worsening crisis in Somalia we are actually sitting on a time bomb right in our own backyard. The recent case where policemen were stopped from entering a hotel in Eastliegh to carry out a search is a case in point and very worrying indeed.
The situation in Nairobi's Eastleigh estate seems to confirm this popular belief. For all intents and purposes the sprawling estate, not far from Nairobi City Centre is a part of Somalia on Kenyan soil. To start with a vast number of the Somalian nationals living there are in the country illegally. Yet they engage in business (mostly the matatu business and trading in smuggled clothes and electronics) and enjoy the privileges that any Kenyan national would enjoy.
You can purchase an automatic weapon easily here and even obtain an American or British passport that will get you through most immigration departments in the world. It is instructive that policemen fear to tread in Eastleigh and when they have to will usually turn up in large groups and while very heavily armed (even when they are in plain clothes.)
Eastleigh-Somalia, as I would call it, happened because the Somalians have cash and they simply bribed their way into the heart of Kenya. There are those who argue that Somalians have greatly benefited the Kenyan economy. I disagree. They have actually caused more harm than good. To start with they do not pay taxes, not even VAT. Then they have caused serious new problems. For instance Eastleigh alone has cost Telekom Kenya huge losses over the years. A couple of years back, a popular business carried out by Somalians in Eastliegh was to apply for numerous Telkom land lines. The usual deposits would be paid and immediately the line was installed, it would get terribly busy making international calls worldwide. Owners of the lines would charge their clients a fraction of what Telkom Kenya charges. So how would they make a profit, I hear you ask? Simple. They would abandon the line with its' colossal pending bill the minute it was disconnected and apply for fresh new lines under different names. Naturally palms at Telkom would remain "well oiled" so that by the time the scum came into light the local telephone company had lost millions of shillings. That is just one example.
Because the Moi administration was not able to deal with the problem as it commenced, today, "cleaning up" Eastleigh would be a mammoth operation that is probably no longer viable. So Kenyans are forced to learn to live with this deadly menace. Guns from Eastliegh continue to claim Kenyan lives and maim others for life every day and now with the worsening crisis in Somalia we are actually sitting on a time bomb right in our own backyard. The recent case where policemen were stopped from entering a hotel in Eastliegh to carry out a search is a case in point and very worrying indeed.
The Kalonzo Musyoka You Don't Know Part II
Continued from yesterday
What exactly is Kalonzo Musyoka up against in John Harun Mwau?
To answer that question, a close analysis of the man is necessary.
John Harun Mwau is probably the most high profile and controversial figure in Kenya today, who remains shadowy with very little known about his background and how he rose from humble beginnings to become one of the richest men in a country where more than half of its citizenry live below the poverty line.
Those who have attempted to investigate the billionaires' past have been met with threats from himself and aides who swiftly inform the inquisitive minds that his past is not important and they should dwell on the present and the future, or else…
According to scanty details which his insiders reveal is that Mwau was born about fifty years ago in Ruiru to a single Kikuyu woman who was so poor that she shared her humble one roomed tin shark with two goats and the young John Harun.
In his formative years, Mwau is said to have been aggressive and was always picking fights with his peers who made fun of him since he came from a single parent home and did not know who is father was.
This is said to have affected the young John so much that he swore he would one day leave the life of poverty and squalor and join the big league of the rich and famous.
It was also during this time that he realized that he had marksmanship skills as he felled several birds with a catapult, which had become his constant companion.
In his mid-20s, Mwau joined the police force as a constable and rose through the ranks swiftly mainly because of his shooting skills and was among the first Africans to participate in the commonwealth shooting competition.
It was also during this period that he traveled widely representing the country in numerous competitions abroad and managed to make several business contacts while others say he also got an opportunity to make acquaintances with underworld figures.
He managed to rise to the rank of chief inspector prior to being sacked from the police force for what was termed as gross insubordination as a result for refusing to shave his beard citing the flimsy reason that he had a skin condition that worsened with shaving.
It is said he then went low profile for about two years before he emerged as a major importer of electronics from the middle east and Europe and was also in the process of starting his own bank and other businesses which many believe are just fronts for his drug operation which is said to extend to Europe and Asia.
Today, Mwau is among the wealthiest Kenyans to the extent that he sometimes spends more than 10 million shillings in a day as he contributes to development projects of his choice, mainly in Ukambani.
A case in point was in 2002 when he attempted to contest the Kilome parliamentary seat in Ukambani where he spent millions daily for about a month of campaigns but due to his arrogant nature, lost by nearly 10,000 votes to Mutinda Mutiso who managed over 12,000 votes while Mwau settled for about 2,000.
It was the first time in Kenyas electioneering history where a candidate used satellite phones to communicate while helicopters hovered all over in a bid to impress the voters but the poverty stricken people of Kilome rejected the boss as he is popularly known as this days. Thanks mainly to the campaign activities of one Kalonzo Musyoka.
This incident proved that Kalonzo has clout in Ukambani constituencies that are miles away from his Mwingi home.
To Be Continued Tomorrow.
What exactly is Kalonzo Musyoka up against in John Harun Mwau?
To answer that question, a close analysis of the man is necessary.
John Harun Mwau is probably the most high profile and controversial figure in Kenya today, who remains shadowy with very little known about his background and how he rose from humble beginnings to become one of the richest men in a country where more than half of its citizenry live below the poverty line.
Those who have attempted to investigate the billionaires' past have been met with threats from himself and aides who swiftly inform the inquisitive minds that his past is not important and they should dwell on the present and the future, or else…
According to scanty details which his insiders reveal is that Mwau was born about fifty years ago in Ruiru to a single Kikuyu woman who was so poor that she shared her humble one roomed tin shark with two goats and the young John Harun.
In his formative years, Mwau is said to have been aggressive and was always picking fights with his peers who made fun of him since he came from a single parent home and did not know who is father was.
This is said to have affected the young John so much that he swore he would one day leave the life of poverty and squalor and join the big league of the rich and famous.
It was also during this time that he realized that he had marksmanship skills as he felled several birds with a catapult, which had become his constant companion.
In his mid-20s, Mwau joined the police force as a constable and rose through the ranks swiftly mainly because of his shooting skills and was among the first Africans to participate in the commonwealth shooting competition.
It was also during this period that he traveled widely representing the country in numerous competitions abroad and managed to make several business contacts while others say he also got an opportunity to make acquaintances with underworld figures.
He managed to rise to the rank of chief inspector prior to being sacked from the police force for what was termed as gross insubordination as a result for refusing to shave his beard citing the flimsy reason that he had a skin condition that worsened with shaving.
It is said he then went low profile for about two years before he emerged as a major importer of electronics from the middle east and Europe and was also in the process of starting his own bank and other businesses which many believe are just fronts for his drug operation which is said to extend to Europe and Asia.
Today, Mwau is among the wealthiest Kenyans to the extent that he sometimes spends more than 10 million shillings in a day as he contributes to development projects of his choice, mainly in Ukambani.
A case in point was in 2002 when he attempted to contest the Kilome parliamentary seat in Ukambani where he spent millions daily for about a month of campaigns but due to his arrogant nature, lost by nearly 10,000 votes to Mutinda Mutiso who managed over 12,000 votes while Mwau settled for about 2,000.
It was the first time in Kenyas electioneering history where a candidate used satellite phones to communicate while helicopters hovered all over in a bid to impress the voters but the poverty stricken people of Kilome rejected the boss as he is popularly known as this days. Thanks mainly to the campaign activities of one Kalonzo Musyoka.
This incident proved that Kalonzo has clout in Ukambani constituencies that are miles away from his Mwingi home.
To Be Continued Tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Home Page Kumekucha Daily; January 9th 2007
Kumekucha Today
1. The Latest Kibaki Administration Crisis Caused By A Shoot From The Hip Directive.
1. The Latest Kibaki Administration Crisis Caused By A Shoot From The Hip Directive.
2. Who Will Be President Kibaki's Running Mate?
3. The Kalonzo Musyoka You Don't Know And His Big Obstacle In His Own Back Yard.
4. Kumekucha Goes Daily.
There is too much hot information in this blog now. To avoid missing anything subscribe to our email newsletter Kumekucha Confidential. If you're not a yet a subscriber, become one today by sending an email to KUMEKUCHA-SUBSCRIBE@YAHOOGROUPS.COM
I hope you like the new format of this blog. I just decided that I should return with a new look.
Other Hot Stories;
Tom Mboya Murder Mystery Solved
What A Peasant Farmer Thinks Of ODM, Raila And Elections 2007
Kalonzo Musyoka: What Does He Stand For? Who Is He Really?
Medical Emergencies And Visa Hitches For Old And New Corrupt Money
Ex-Mungiki, Ndura Waruinge: What You Don't Know About Election Violence In Kenya.
This Blog is dedicated to the memory of this man...
Other Amazing Stories From The Archives;
Biwott: The Man Kenyans Love To Hate
Exclusive Interview: Alnoor Kassam Of TradeBank Fame Speaks to Kumekucha
Controversial Steadmann Presidential Polls Altered After Kumekucha Analysis
Why Kenyans Admire Thugs, And Deride Hawkers
Interview With Raila Odinga
The Four Most Important Provinces For A Winning Presidential Candidate
The Most Hotly Discussed Topic In This Blog: Kikwete Behaves Like The Kenyan Ambassador
Why The Daily Nation Is Such A Potent Political Weapon And The Mistake Kanu Made In 2002
Great Business Stories: Mandatally Manji's Business Secrets
Obama: A True Kenyan This Guy
Open Letter To America Voters Over Senator Obama
7 Things That Will Happen To Kenya If Kibaki Is Re-elected
So You Think You Need Money To Stand For MP: Poor Penniless Kenyans Who Won Elections
Top Forex Earner For Kenya: Illegal Kenyan Immigrants
Famous Books By Famous Kenyans
Ben Gethi: The Terrifying Security Man Who Helped Murder JM
More On Ben Gethi
What Was Jomo Kenyatta Really Like?
Witchcraft In Kenyan President's Office: Kalonzo Musyoka Named
The Amazing Kenyan Political Prophecy
The Day That Internal Minister Caused A Bank Crisis In Kenya: After first Kenyan woman police officer to die in the line of duty Elburgon saga
John Michuki directive triggers crisis
It all started with a daring ambush robbery of cash being transported to a bank somewhere in Elburgon last week that claimed the life of the first Kenyan woman police officer to die in the line of duty, as well as two male colleagues. Suddenly the good minister remembered that there were certain regulations in the transportation of money that have not been followed for a long time. His directives to the police concerning the transportation of cash has quickly culminated in a serious crisis.
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----
Michuki directed that all police officers escorting cash must henceforth wear bullet-proof vests. They must also travel in a separate car from the one transporting the cash. At first these appear to be reasonable requests. After all even as you read this, there are 3 grieving families making arrangements to bury their dead. But was this the right way to handle this situation? Apparently not, because the government does not have bullet proof vests in the necessary quantities to fulfill the wishes of the minister. So that cost as well as the cost f the extra chase cars falls back on the clients transporting the cash, which is in this case banks.
The aftermath is that virtually all armed escorts of cash in the country has ground to a halt. That means that there is a serious accumulation of cash at most banks, which in itself is a serious security risk that puts even more Kenyan lives in danger. Yesterday and this morning, top government officials were locked in meetings trying to resolve the self-created crisis.
Here is how an efficient modern government would have handled the situation. The minister should have quietly called a meeting with stakeholders and discussed how best to reduce the risks of transporting cash. Whatever directives would have been issued after that should have been implemented quietly with absolutely no press coverage. This has the huge advantage of taking any would-be highway robbers by surprise. Surprise is one of the most valuable and effective security weapons that anybody can have on their side.
----
Michuki directed that all police officers escorting cash must henceforth wear bullet-proof vests. They must also travel in a separate car from the one transporting the cash. At first these appear to be reasonable requests. After all even as you read this, there are 3 grieving families making arrangements to bury their dead. But was this the right way to handle this situation? Apparently not, because the government does not have bullet proof vests in the necessary quantities to fulfill the wishes of the minister. So that cost as well as the cost f the extra chase cars falls back on the clients transporting the cash, which is in this case banks.
The aftermath is that virtually all armed escorts of cash in the country has ground to a halt. That means that there is a serious accumulation of cash at most banks, which in itself is a serious security risk that puts even more Kenyan lives in danger. Yesterday and this morning, top government officials were locked in meetings trying to resolve the self-created crisis.
Here is how an efficient modern government would have handled the situation. The minister should have quietly called a meeting with stakeholders and discussed how best to reduce the risks of transporting cash. Whatever directives would have been issued after that should have been implemented quietly with absolutely no press coverage. This has the huge advantage of taking any would-be highway robbers by surprise. Surprise is one of the most valuable and effective security weapons that anybody can have on their side.
----
----
As it is now, every thug and would-be thug is receiving all the information they need for future operations first-hand and easily through the media.
The whole saga has made the internal security ministry and this government a laughing stock in security circles. By the way although bulletproof vests save lives in this case the impact would be minimal because most robberies put the thugs at close range with the guards and police escorts, which means that they can easily aim their guns at the heads of the security personnel. So apart from vests, the minister should also think of providing the officers with bulletproof helmets. And while we are at it, we might just as well supply bulletproof vests to all motorists, especially those driving in Nairobi on Fridays (the day reputed to have the highest carjackings).
Despite the good intentions, the handling of this situation has proved beyond any doubt that we have an internal security minister who does not have a full grasp of the issues let alone how security matters should be handled. Why did he just not delegate things to police commissioner Brigadier Ali?
Oh, I forgot. The last time I checked, the minister was calling a press conference to prove to the press that they are on talking terms with the police commissioner. Nobody swallowed that one.
This crisis should be solved easily in the next day or so, but what about the inevitable ones that will follow in the next 11 months?
How Kibaki and Michuki planned and executed the Standard raid at State House (Kumekucha Exclusive)
Michuki's lethal shots wraps Kibaki in fraud
Dark faces behind secret No campaign by Yes camp
More about John Michuki's death
As it is now, every thug and would-be thug is receiving all the information they need for future operations first-hand and easily through the media.
The whole saga has made the internal security ministry and this government a laughing stock in security circles. By the way although bulletproof vests save lives in this case the impact would be minimal because most robberies put the thugs at close range with the guards and police escorts, which means that they can easily aim their guns at the heads of the security personnel. So apart from vests, the minister should also think of providing the officers with bulletproof helmets. And while we are at it, we might just as well supply bulletproof vests to all motorists, especially those driving in Nairobi on Fridays (the day reputed to have the highest carjackings).
Despite the good intentions, the handling of this situation has proved beyond any doubt that we have an internal security minister who does not have a full grasp of the issues let alone how security matters should be handled. Why did he just not delegate things to police commissioner Brigadier Ali?
Oh, I forgot. The last time I checked, the minister was calling a press conference to prove to the press that they are on talking terms with the police commissioner. Nobody swallowed that one.
This crisis should be solved easily in the next day or so, but what about the inevitable ones that will follow in the next 11 months?
---
Most controversial past articles on John Michuki published in Kumekucha blog;
How Kibaki and Michuki planned and executed the Standard raid at State House (Kumekucha Exclusive)
Michuki's lethal shots wraps Kibaki in fraud
Dark faces behind secret No campaign by Yes camp
More about John Michuki's death
Who Will Be Kibaki's Running Mate Alias Narc Kenya Deputy Party Leader?
Narc Kenya are behaving in the sort of cocky manner that causes people to lose elections. Not satisfied with the fact that they have announced their presidential candidate, President Kibaki, they are now on the verge of naming his running mate.
All this is being done a full 11 months before the polls. A better strategy would have been to at least wait until ODM announce their presidential candidate and then name President Kibaki's running mate based on who the ODM flag bearer will be.
Incidentally for the first time in the history of Kenya, the running mate to any of the presidential candidates is going to be a critical decisive factor in deciding the outcome of the elections. This did not quite happen in 2002 because of the strategy adopted by Narc of constituting a summit that had political heavyweights from all over the country. Even if ODM adopts the same strategy this time around, in Narc Kenya, their naming of Kibaki's running mate will decide the election.
A careful analysis of the situation reveals that President Kibaki's running mate can only come from two possible provinces. Namely Western or Rift Valley. However chances are that they will be from Western. In spite of the close working relationship between President Kibaki and former President Moi, their strategy will most probably be for them to go into the elections in separate parties and Moi's intention is for his Kanu faction to sweep Rift Valley, a province that Moi knows like the back of his hand. Unfortunately the former president does not seem to realize that this is going to be virtually impossible this time around.
All the other provinces will have minimal impact. Central is the President's province and it does not make sense to name a running mate from his home turf. Nyanza is out because of Raila Odinga. North Eastern does not have the necessary numbers (there are approximately 200,000 voters registered in the whole province). Coast is too volatile currently and Eastern has Kalonzo Musyoka. A VP from Nairobi would offer minimal political mileage for the president as it appears to be split between ODM and Narc Kenya, although early indications seem to shockingly suggest that a sizeable number of the Kikuyu vote in this cosmopolitan province will go to ODM, if elections were to be held today.
All this is being done a full 11 months before the polls. A better strategy would have been to at least wait until ODM announce their presidential candidate and then name President Kibaki's running mate based on who the ODM flag bearer will be.
Incidentally for the first time in the history of Kenya, the running mate to any of the presidential candidates is going to be a critical decisive factor in deciding the outcome of the elections. This did not quite happen in 2002 because of the strategy adopted by Narc of constituting a summit that had political heavyweights from all over the country. Even if ODM adopts the same strategy this time around, in Narc Kenya, their naming of Kibaki's running mate will decide the election.
A careful analysis of the situation reveals that President Kibaki's running mate can only come from two possible provinces. Namely Western or Rift Valley. However chances are that they will be from Western. In spite of the close working relationship between President Kibaki and former President Moi, their strategy will most probably be for them to go into the elections in separate parties and Moi's intention is for his Kanu faction to sweep Rift Valley, a province that Moi knows like the back of his hand. Unfortunately the former president does not seem to realize that this is going to be virtually impossible this time around.
All the other provinces will have minimal impact. Central is the President's province and it does not make sense to name a running mate from his home turf. Nyanza is out because of Raila Odinga. North Eastern does not have the necessary numbers (there are approximately 200,000 voters registered in the whole province). Coast is too volatile currently and Eastern has Kalonzo Musyoka. A VP from Nairobi would offer minimal political mileage for the president as it appears to be split between ODM and Narc Kenya, although early indications seem to shockingly suggest that a sizeable number of the Kikuyu vote in this cosmopolitan province will go to ODM, if elections were to be held today.
The Kalonzo Musyoka You Don't Know
Kalonzo Musyoka's Bid For The Presidency: The Inside Story Part I
Today we start this series that analyzes the chances of one Kalonzo Musyoka being the fourth president of Kenya. It appears that even in his home turf, he has to overcome some major obstacles. The name of one such obstacle is shadowy figure, John Harun Mwau.
If there is anybody Kalonzo Musyoka fears as far as his presidential bid is concerned it is definitely not the incumbent, Mwai Kibaki or his fellow presidential hopeful Raila Odinga. It is in fact somebody from his very own backyard. One John Harun Mwau.
Mwau of the Mkamba Osa Finya fame, will probably not contest the presidency as he did ten years ago. However, the multi-billionaire businessman who is widely suspected to be a drug baron (see tomorrow's post where we analyze evidence pointing to this) has money literally sticking out his ears and has a strong motive to use plenty of it to stop Musyoka from ascending to the presidency.
The rivalry between Mwau and Musyoka has been going on for over ten years now but it came to a head during the infamous Kilome by-elections when Musyoka campaigned vigorously for one Mutinda Mutiso for the Kilome parliamentary seat hence denying Mwau an opportunity to go to parliament.
In spite of a high profile campaign involving helicopters and satellite phones, Mwau spent a fortune in the elections and even organized for electricity in a few towns in the constituency only to manage a paltry 2,000 votes to Mutiso's 11,000, a result many see to have been influenced by Musyoka who made several forays in the constituency to ensure that Mwau lost.
In public, Musyoka has openly castigated Mwau claiming he is a shadowy figure whose roots are not known and has even gone further to claim that the billionare is not from Ukambani and he is in fact a Kikuyu by tribe.
Many Ukambani residents believe this allegation due to the fact that Mwaus grasp for the Kamba language is wanting. Matters are made worse by the fact that the bearded businessman usually gets cagey when asked about his background or roots.
For starters, Mwau has enjoyed goodwill from both the Moi and Kibaki administration and due to the nature of the business that he does, he stands to lose everything and probably go to jail if he faces a hostile government like that of a Musyoka presidency.
Mwau's companies have been in the news for all the wrong reasons ranging from money laundering to tax evasion but these weighty matters seems to have been swept under the carpet hence most Kenyans believe that the billionaire has also made inroads into Kibaki's state house just as he did in Moi's.
It is also an open secret that Mwau is also a major arms dealer, supplying instruments of death mainly to the Congo region where war is a way of life for the mineral rich people of that vast country now ruled by Joseph Kabila.
To ensure that his consignments are never interfered with, Mwau has been contracted over the years by the government to operate an inland container depot in Athi river, in the outskirts of Nairobi known as Pepe which was in the news two years ago when cocaine drugs worth millions of dollars were cleared from the depot.
The manager, one Bobby Macharia was charged in court with drug trafficking but was later acquitted due to lack of evidence but again, that is another story for another day.
Mwau has always had political ambitions but his arrogance seems to be his stumbling block as he will never humble himself before anybody, leave alone the electorate and his popular line in politics is telling the masses that they need him more than he needs them hence they should vote for him.
He ran for the presidency in 1997 on a Party of independence candidate of Kenya PICK ticket and performed so disastrously that he did not even manage the Westlands parliamentary seat, which he was also vying for.
Mwau was to emerge later in 2000 this time claiming he was out to unitr the Kamba community and empower them, a move that earned him the wrath of the then community kingpin, the late Mulu Mutisya who ganged up with Kalonzo Musyoka to ensure that the billionaire did not make any inroads into Ukambani politics.
Mutisya and Musyoka arranged a series of rallies in Ukambani and told the attentive crowds that a bearded man would come calling with sacks of money and urged the people to take the money but not listen to him since he was a crook and the cash was "dirty money" anyway.
Apparently, the Mutisya/Musyoka propaganda machine worked like a dream as Mwau managed to attract big crowds in his political meetings but at the end of the day, lost the Kilome parliamentary seat after dishing out millions of shillings and initiating various development projects in the constituency.
Mwau has always enjoyed a very cosy relationship with Moi and his sons who have also been implicated in dealing with drugs, mainly by protecting barons like the late Ibrahim Akasha who was gunned down in the streets of Amsterdam a few years ago over what is believed to have been a deal gone sour.
There is little doubt that id Kalonzo Mustoka is elected president, John Harun Mwau will be among the first casualties of his administration. Mwau knows this just too well and will do everything in his capacity to ensure that Kalonzo does not end up in that enviable posution where he is run this country. All indications are that Mwau will not spare his vast resources in ensuring president Kibakis re-election this year.
Insiders say that Mwau visited Kibaki's State House a few times last year. One need not be a rocket scientist to figure out how the two can mutually benefit from each other.
Of late, Mwau seems to have hibernated but his people say he has struck a mega deal in Rwanda and spends most of his time there. Then again, the money laundering controversies involving John Harun Mwau's companies are still fresh on the minds of most Kenyans so naturally it wouldn’t be prudent to appear in the limelight at this juncture.
Rest assured, the last has not been heard of this shadowy and controversial figure who seems to bounce back from murky waters to spring a surprise on his detractors. Will Kalonzo be one of his victims in the run up to the Kenyan general elections 2007?
How John Harun Mwau really made his billions
Today we start this series that analyzes the chances of one Kalonzo Musyoka being the fourth president of Kenya. It appears that even in his home turf, he has to overcome some major obstacles. The name of one such obstacle is shadowy figure, John Harun Mwau.
If there is anybody Kalonzo Musyoka fears as far as his presidential bid is concerned it is definitely not the incumbent, Mwai Kibaki or his fellow presidential hopeful Raila Odinga. It is in fact somebody from his very own backyard. One John Harun Mwau.
Mwau of the Mkamba Osa Finya fame, will probably not contest the presidency as he did ten years ago. However, the multi-billionaire businessman who is widely suspected to be a drug baron (see tomorrow's post where we analyze evidence pointing to this) has money literally sticking out his ears and has a strong motive to use plenty of it to stop Musyoka from ascending to the presidency.
The rivalry between Mwau and Musyoka has been going on for over ten years now but it came to a head during the infamous Kilome by-elections when Musyoka campaigned vigorously for one Mutinda Mutiso for the Kilome parliamentary seat hence denying Mwau an opportunity to go to parliament.
In spite of a high profile campaign involving helicopters and satellite phones, Mwau spent a fortune in the elections and even organized for electricity in a few towns in the constituency only to manage a paltry 2,000 votes to Mutiso's 11,000, a result many see to have been influenced by Musyoka who made several forays in the constituency to ensure that Mwau lost.
In public, Musyoka has openly castigated Mwau claiming he is a shadowy figure whose roots are not known and has even gone further to claim that the billionare is not from Ukambani and he is in fact a Kikuyu by tribe.
Many Ukambani residents believe this allegation due to the fact that Mwaus grasp for the Kamba language is wanting. Matters are made worse by the fact that the bearded businessman usually gets cagey when asked about his background or roots.
For starters, Mwau has enjoyed goodwill from both the Moi and Kibaki administration and due to the nature of the business that he does, he stands to lose everything and probably go to jail if he faces a hostile government like that of a Musyoka presidency.
Mwau's companies have been in the news for all the wrong reasons ranging from money laundering to tax evasion but these weighty matters seems to have been swept under the carpet hence most Kenyans believe that the billionaire has also made inroads into Kibaki's state house just as he did in Moi's.
It is also an open secret that Mwau is also a major arms dealer, supplying instruments of death mainly to the Congo region where war is a way of life for the mineral rich people of that vast country now ruled by Joseph Kabila.
To ensure that his consignments are never interfered with, Mwau has been contracted over the years by the government to operate an inland container depot in Athi river, in the outskirts of Nairobi known as Pepe which was in the news two years ago when cocaine drugs worth millions of dollars were cleared from the depot.
The manager, one Bobby Macharia was charged in court with drug trafficking but was later acquitted due to lack of evidence but again, that is another story for another day.
Mwau has always had political ambitions but his arrogance seems to be his stumbling block as he will never humble himself before anybody, leave alone the electorate and his popular line in politics is telling the masses that they need him more than he needs them hence they should vote for him.
He ran for the presidency in 1997 on a Party of independence candidate of Kenya PICK ticket and performed so disastrously that he did not even manage the Westlands parliamentary seat, which he was also vying for.
Mwau was to emerge later in 2000 this time claiming he was out to unitr the Kamba community and empower them, a move that earned him the wrath of the then community kingpin, the late Mulu Mutisya who ganged up with Kalonzo Musyoka to ensure that the billionaire did not make any inroads into Ukambani politics.
Mutisya and Musyoka arranged a series of rallies in Ukambani and told the attentive crowds that a bearded man would come calling with sacks of money and urged the people to take the money but not listen to him since he was a crook and the cash was "dirty money" anyway.
Apparently, the Mutisya/Musyoka propaganda machine worked like a dream as Mwau managed to attract big crowds in his political meetings but at the end of the day, lost the Kilome parliamentary seat after dishing out millions of shillings and initiating various development projects in the constituency.
Mwau has always enjoyed a very cosy relationship with Moi and his sons who have also been implicated in dealing with drugs, mainly by protecting barons like the late Ibrahim Akasha who was gunned down in the streets of Amsterdam a few years ago over what is believed to have been a deal gone sour.
There is little doubt that id Kalonzo Mustoka is elected president, John Harun Mwau will be among the first casualties of his administration. Mwau knows this just too well and will do everything in his capacity to ensure that Kalonzo does not end up in that enviable posution where he is run this country. All indications are that Mwau will not spare his vast resources in ensuring president Kibakis re-election this year.
Insiders say that Mwau visited Kibaki's State House a few times last year. One need not be a rocket scientist to figure out how the two can mutually benefit from each other.
Of late, Mwau seems to have hibernated but his people say he has struck a mega deal in Rwanda and spends most of his time there. Then again, the money laundering controversies involving John Harun Mwau's companies are still fresh on the minds of most Kenyans so naturally it wouldn’t be prudent to appear in the limelight at this juncture.
Rest assured, the last has not been heard of this shadowy and controversial figure who seems to bounce back from murky waters to spring a surprise on his detractors. Will Kalonzo be one of his victims in the run up to the Kenyan general elections 2007?
How John Harun Mwau really made his billions
Monday, January 08, 2007
Kumekucha Goes Daily
You Missed This better known as Kumekucha and one of the most popular destinations on the web for information on Kenyan political news, will from tomorrow Tuesday January 9th 2006, go daily.
The decision to go daily has been made in response to the increasing hunger for news and analysis on Kenyan politics, especially as the country heads into the forthcoming general elections.
Going daily is not easy. It meant that extra staff had to be hired to ensure that the coverage widens and meets the expectations of our growing number of readers. I feel privileged in that I have been able to secure the full-time services of a very experienced political reporter who previously worked with one of the leading daily newspapers in the country. His well-researched pieces will start appearing here alongside articles by our other regular contributors.
I take this opportunity to request you the reader to take the initiative to participate more actively in not only leaving comments here regularly, but also in the flow of information to this blog.
Kenyans in every corner of the globe are hungering for genuine change in our beloved motherland. That change cannot come when everybody sits down doing nothing and waits for the next person to take action. Nay. This is a time for personal sacrifice and active participation by all.
I promise that we will retain our policy of accommodating views from everybody including those selfish Kenyans who make a living from spreading propaganda for the sole purpose of self preservation and ensuring that their man gets to power or remains there even if it is at the cost of the entire nation.
The decision to go daily has been made in response to the increasing hunger for news and analysis on Kenyan politics, especially as the country heads into the forthcoming general elections.
Going daily is not easy. It meant that extra staff had to be hired to ensure that the coverage widens and meets the expectations of our growing number of readers. I feel privileged in that I have been able to secure the full-time services of a very experienced political reporter who previously worked with one of the leading daily newspapers in the country. His well-researched pieces will start appearing here alongside articles by our other regular contributors.
I take this opportunity to request you the reader to take the initiative to participate more actively in not only leaving comments here regularly, but also in the flow of information to this blog.
Kenyans in every corner of the globe are hungering for genuine change in our beloved motherland. That change cannot come when everybody sits down doing nothing and waits for the next person to take action. Nay. This is a time for personal sacrifice and active participation by all.
I promise that we will retain our policy of accommodating views from everybody including those selfish Kenyans who make a living from spreading propaganda for the sole purpose of self preservation and ensuring that their man gets to power or remains there even if it is at the cost of the entire nation.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
A Decade Of Quality Service
Message from our sponsors
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It is also important to note that Hayfield Dental Care has been serving Alexandria and the surrounding areas since 1987. All dentists at Hayfield have received advanced or specialty training which means that they can perform almost any procedure without the need for a referral to somebody else.
Charles Brown DDS is listed as one of the regions top dentists by the Washington Area Consumer Council and is a member of the ADA.
The fact that Charles Brown DDS has been employed by Hayfield Dental Care for over ten years speaks volumes and already gives any interested party a positive testimonial before they look any further. Over the years, charles brown dds pc has performed thousands of successful crown, root canal and surgical procedures.
It is also important to note that Hayfield Dental Care has been serving Alexandria and the surrounding areas since 1987. All dentists at Hayfield have received advanced or specialty training which means that they can perform almost any procedure without the need for a referral to somebody else.
Charles Brown DDS is listed as one of the regions top dentists by the Washington Area Consumer Council and is a member of the ADA.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
2007 General Elections: The Mother Of All Kenyan Elections Through The Crystal Ball
It is amazing how all those who profess to be servants of the almighty seem to agree about what sort of year 2007 will be.
It will be generally peaceful, all of them say. The Kenyan electorate after the "disaster" of 2002 will be much harder to fool, cash handouts not withstanding and will be able to quickly tell a genuine candidate out to bring genuine change and a "wolf in sheeps' clothing" which is what the typical Kenyan politician precisely is. Some have been bold enough to declare that this is the general election that will usher in genuine victory for the common man.
Predictions aside, there is one fact that has never been in doubt. And that is, never have Kenyans yearned and desired genuine change as much as they do now, and it is clear that this is something that will definitely come out very clearly in the way that they will vote in the general elections 2007, scheduled for the end of this year.
The polls (whose accuracy I will not comment on now) have been spewing out lots of confusion, however admittedly, it is also clear that the public have not yet "found" the right candidates. So what do you do in such a scenario when an earnest pollster suddenly shows up at your door? You give any answer that comes to your mind, mostly based on previous poll results that you have seen in the newspapers and elsewhere. However the popularity of the incumbent (President Kibaki) and candidate Kalonzo Musyoka is still a deep mystery to this writer as it contradicts all the facts and statistics on the ground. As to why somebody would want to aggressively publish poll results two years before a general election, and how they would consistently find the money to do so is still a nagging mystery to those in the know. The truth will probably come out one day, but this writer can smell nothing but lots of dead rats in the whole thing.
I have a habit of keeping my ears very close to the ground, where the votes really are and the vibes I am getting contradict all the polls I have seen so far. So today I publish my own poll based on my own findings;
President Kibaki: 29%
Uhuru Kenyatta: 17%
Raila Odinga: 16%
Kalonzo Musyoka 10%
Others (Incl. the undecided) 26%
Notice that although President Kibaki still leads, the combined votes of just 3 leading ODM candidates are already more than his at 43%. Also these results do not contradict the tribal arithmetic that cannot be ignored in Kenyan politics. The Kikuyu are the biggest tribe numerically and their votes are split between their two candidates with the incumbent enjoying the lion's share. The DhoLuo and Kamba follow in that order. All polls released by Steadmann so far do not make sense when you hold them up next to tribal numbers and past voting patterns, including the most recent November referendum.
Secondly the "undecided vote" is huge (and you can be sure that most of these people will not vote Kibaki and Narc Kenya). The logical strategy for the president's handlers in such a situation is to do everything under the sun to divide and splinter ODM Kenya. When you consider that "the professor of dividing the people", Daniel Arap Moi himself is firmly entrenched on President Kibaki's corner, then you know what to expect. Only that unknown to the two, the Kenyan electorate are in a very bad mood and will not fall into line or be divided so easily this time.
I take this opportunity to welcome all regular and not-so-regular Kumekucha readers to the year 2007. I wish you all a happy and prosperous new year that will end in victory for the Kenyan people. I will be announcing major (and very positive) changes in this blog later in the week.
It will be generally peaceful, all of them say. The Kenyan electorate after the "disaster" of 2002 will be much harder to fool, cash handouts not withstanding and will be able to quickly tell a genuine candidate out to bring genuine change and a "wolf in sheeps' clothing" which is what the typical Kenyan politician precisely is. Some have been bold enough to declare that this is the general election that will usher in genuine victory for the common man.
Predictions aside, there is one fact that has never been in doubt. And that is, never have Kenyans yearned and desired genuine change as much as they do now, and it is clear that this is something that will definitely come out very clearly in the way that they will vote in the general elections 2007, scheduled for the end of this year.
The polls (whose accuracy I will not comment on now) have been spewing out lots of confusion, however admittedly, it is also clear that the public have not yet "found" the right candidates. So what do you do in such a scenario when an earnest pollster suddenly shows up at your door? You give any answer that comes to your mind, mostly based on previous poll results that you have seen in the newspapers and elsewhere. However the popularity of the incumbent (President Kibaki) and candidate Kalonzo Musyoka is still a deep mystery to this writer as it contradicts all the facts and statistics on the ground. As to why somebody would want to aggressively publish poll results two years before a general election, and how they would consistently find the money to do so is still a nagging mystery to those in the know. The truth will probably come out one day, but this writer can smell nothing but lots of dead rats in the whole thing.
I have a habit of keeping my ears very close to the ground, where the votes really are and the vibes I am getting contradict all the polls I have seen so far. So today I publish my own poll based on my own findings;
President Kibaki: 29%
Uhuru Kenyatta: 17%
Raila Odinga: 16%
Kalonzo Musyoka 10%
Others (Incl. the undecided) 26%
Notice that although President Kibaki still leads, the combined votes of just 3 leading ODM candidates are already more than his at 43%. Also these results do not contradict the tribal arithmetic that cannot be ignored in Kenyan politics. The Kikuyu are the biggest tribe numerically and their votes are split between their two candidates with the incumbent enjoying the lion's share. The DhoLuo and Kamba follow in that order. All polls released by Steadmann so far do not make sense when you hold them up next to tribal numbers and past voting patterns, including the most recent November referendum.
Secondly the "undecided vote" is huge (and you can be sure that most of these people will not vote Kibaki and Narc Kenya). The logical strategy for the president's handlers in such a situation is to do everything under the sun to divide and splinter ODM Kenya. When you consider that "the professor of dividing the people", Daniel Arap Moi himself is firmly entrenched on President Kibaki's corner, then you know what to expect. Only that unknown to the two, the Kenyan electorate are in a very bad mood and will not fall into line or be divided so easily this time.
I take this opportunity to welcome all regular and not-so-regular Kumekucha readers to the year 2007. I wish you all a happy and prosperous new year that will end in victory for the Kenyan people. I will be announcing major (and very positive) changes in this blog later in the week.
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