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It is not my intention to upset any of the radical emotionally-charged supporters of various leading presidential candidates within ODM who will end up reading this, so I will report just the facts (I have evidence on tape of everything that I am going to say here).
The Mombasa ODM political rally this weekend was held at the Khadija grounds, the first time a rally of such magnitude has taken place outside the Tononoka grounds. The turn out was massive and the crowds were charged.
The candidates first had lunch at Najib Balala's house before proceeding to the rally. Interestingly the same strategy used by Narc in 2002 of using the host "tribal chief" was adopted and it is Balala who led the candidates into the grounds waving vigorously to the wildly cheering crowd.
All hell broke lose when Raila stepped forward to address the crowd who punctuated every other sentence with a resounding shout of "Nyundo." He then introduced Kalonzo Musyoka who immediately ran into problems as he was drowned out by shouts of "Nyundo" most of which were coming from the front section of the crowd. Most of his speech was a shouting march between him and the rowdy section of the crowd shouting "Nyundo." At one point Kalonzo appeared to lose his temper as he handed over the microphone to the next speaker, Musalia Mudavadi, without introducing him. No doubt this small incident will not augur well for the "bonding" of the candidates as the day when the party will have to name its' presidential candidate draws nearer and nearer.
At the end of the rally, the massive crowds almost crowded vehicles off the busy Nyali bridge, which links Mombasa island to the North Coast, as they headed back to their humble abodes, towards the island and its' environs.
I just have two comments to make.
Firstly our political leaders should encourage maturity in their supporters. Shouting down a speaker is not democracy although the same kind of behavior has often been seen in this blog and it is clear Kenyans have chosen to ignore the wisdom of the ancient Greeks. Even if you "violently" disagree with what somebody has to say, at least listen carefully so that you will have valid and powerful arguments against them when it is your turn to air your views. Even supporters need to be able to convince others to join their bandwagon with solid arguments of persuasion based on fact and what has literally "come from the horses' mouth". This is preferable to using abusive language which is the thing intellectually challenged persons tend to do. Some very intelligent Kenyans I know also occasionally sink to this level when they decide to have a few rather strong drinks before visiting Kumekucha to make comments (you know yourself--my friend).
Secondly it is clear that ODM has a head start at the Coast and Narc's recent victory in the Magarini by-election by a small handful of votes is not a reflection of how Coast voters will vote in the coming general elections. All this is assuming that the mammoth crowds at the ODM rally and their spheres of influence can be translated into votes on D-Day December 2007.
Why Is Hon Michuki bullying his youthful challenger?
The photographs Kumekucha feared to publish.
Horror of Kenyan with female sex organ sharing cell with men at Kamiti Prison
Are you a Kenyan? Do You love your country? Join in this noble campaign to change things. Do something instead of just complaining.
Monday, July 09, 2007
Kangema Constituency Countdown To Elections 2007: Youthful Michuki Challenger Harassed By Police
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Is This A Sign Of Things To Come?
I have often said in this blog that the older generation of Kenyan politicians only knows how to play dirty in politics and sadly you cannot teach an old dog new tricks. The drama that is unfolding in Kangema Constituency, is a perfect illustration of this.
My heart goes out to Paul Kimani Mugo of Kangema. The 32-year old Nairobi businessman is really feeling the heat of "daring to oppose" the powerful Minister whose docket is internal security. Internal security incase you did not know, includes the police, although it is a well known fact that the Police commissioner Maj General Mohamed Hussein Ali and his boss don't see eye to eye (the latest spat between the two is over what the Minister told his constituents is police harassment under the pretext of smoking out Mungiki suspects—something that is not news to Kumekucha readers). Still, as the infamous raid on Standard newspapers proved, the Minister can bypass the commissioner and give direct orders to policemen at any time he wishes to do so.
Three weeks ago, young Mugo was arrested by police officers on the streets of Nairobi. The policemen had trailed him all the way from Kangema. Mugo was locked up for two days. The charge police were pursuing? You will not believe it. Careless driving.
In the first place it is strange for somebody to be locked up for a traffic offence after being arrested by plain-clothes policemen who most probably were attached to the CID. And then it is also very rare for people to get locked up for traffic offences.
Obviously there was no complainant (apart from probably the officers and maybe the Minister himself). The ordeal only ended when Mugo's family had the sense to hire a lawyer. Still, the last time Kumekucha checked Mugo is still following a police order to report to a city police station daily (what a brilliant way to keep an eye on your political opponent while intimidating them at the same time).
However what is exciting voters in Kangema who see the possibility of a giant-killing feat at the constituency, is the fact that over 60 per cent of the population at the constituency can be classified as "youths." I wonder if any IDs were being issued to youngsters at the constituency during the voter registration period—which ends tomorrow. Mr Mugo comes from a very humble background in Rwathia village within the constituency.
What probably irked the Internal security minister the most is the fact that young Mugo has often been heard describing him to constituents as a "brutal person" (ta nyamu for our Kikuyu speakers). And of course the fact that the aspirant has struck a chord and excited many constituents with his promises to tackle head-on the main problems on the ground including poor payments to coffee and tea farmers. Mugo himself hails from a tea-growing zone.
The photographs Kumekucha feared to publish.
Horror of Kenyan with female sex organ sharing cell with men at Kamiti Prison
Are you a Kenyan? Do You love your country? Join in this noble campaign to change things. Do something instead of just complaining.
Is This A Sign Of Things To Come?
I have often said in this blog that the older generation of Kenyan politicians only knows how to play dirty in politics and sadly you cannot teach an old dog new tricks. The drama that is unfolding in Kangema Constituency, is a perfect illustration of this.
My heart goes out to Paul Kimani Mugo of Kangema. The 32-year old Nairobi businessman is really feeling the heat of "daring to oppose" the powerful Minister whose docket is internal security. Internal security incase you did not know, includes the police, although it is a well known fact that the Police commissioner Maj General Mohamed Hussein Ali and his boss don't see eye to eye (the latest spat between the two is over what the Minister told his constituents is police harassment under the pretext of smoking out Mungiki suspects—something that is not news to Kumekucha readers). Still, as the infamous raid on Standard newspapers proved, the Minister can bypass the commissioner and give direct orders to policemen at any time he wishes to do so.
Three weeks ago, young Mugo was arrested by police officers on the streets of Nairobi. The policemen had trailed him all the way from Kangema. Mugo was locked up for two days. The charge police were pursuing? You will not believe it. Careless driving.
In the first place it is strange for somebody to be locked up for a traffic offence after being arrested by plain-clothes policemen who most probably were attached to the CID. And then it is also very rare for people to get locked up for traffic offences.
Obviously there was no complainant (apart from probably the officers and maybe the Minister himself). The ordeal only ended when Mugo's family had the sense to hire a lawyer. Still, the last time Kumekucha checked Mugo is still following a police order to report to a city police station daily (what a brilliant way to keep an eye on your political opponent while intimidating them at the same time).
However what is exciting voters in Kangema who see the possibility of a giant-killing feat at the constituency, is the fact that over 60 per cent of the population at the constituency can be classified as "youths." I wonder if any IDs were being issued to youngsters at the constituency during the voter registration period—which ends tomorrow. Mr Mugo comes from a very humble background in Rwathia village within the constituency.
What probably irked the Internal security minister the most is the fact that young Mugo has often been heard describing him to constituents as a "brutal person" (ta nyamu for our Kikuyu speakers). And of course the fact that the aspirant has struck a chord and excited many constituents with his promises to tackle head-on the main problems on the ground including poor payments to coffee and tea farmers. Mugo himself hails from a tea-growing zone.
The photographs Kumekucha feared to publish.
Horror of Kenyan with female sex organ sharing cell with men at Kamiti Prison
Are you a Kenyan? Do You love your country? Join in this noble campaign to change things. Do something instead of just complaining.
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