Bitter enemies of the new constitution: Can Kenyans stop them?

It seems that former powerful AG Charles Njonjo needed a favour from Gideon Moi in this instance. There are hardly any photos around of Gideon's brother and forgotten Moi son, Philip. When you know what he gets up to, you won't be suprised.

There was a time when I was pretty naïve and it cost me dearly. In fact I am still paying to this day (that is a very sad story for another day).

The personal tragedy that resulted from my naïve ways has made me very sensitive these days. I know how things run and who runs them. As you keep hearing on Kumekucha Kenya iko na wenyewe.

In this post I want to focus on some of these powerful dark forces who control everything from the shadows. Naturally these guys are not happy about the draft constitution. For starters it will bring too many naïve but powerful people to positions where they can hurt some of their illegal businesses. Take the business in drugs. I hope you are not naïve enough to believe those press reports about how the police are doing a great in the fight against drugs. The truth is that Kenya in recent years has become a major drug trafficking hub on the continent. It arrives in tons on containers disguised as all kinds of stuff and it gets into the country easily and effortlessly.

The image that most Kenyans have of drug traffickers as some dirty desperate Nigerians who somehow got into Kenya and are making billions from the illegal trade. Hahahahahahahahaha. That’s really funny. Those Nigerians are mere foot soldiers. Nobody can do any drug business in a foreign country without the full cooperation of some very powerful locals.

Secondly it is NOT small people who run major drug rings. It is usually very big people. The pawns and messengers are the guys who are always getting caught and amazingly they never lead the police to the kingpin of the whole operation.

To illustrate the kind of people involved in this business let me mention the forgotten Moi son whom the famous Kroll report singled out as a major trafficker in these shores for many years.

The press hardly mention President Moi's other son, Philip Moi. Yet some of his deals would make Gideon look like an angel in comparison. According to the Kroll report, Philip's estimated wealth stands at about $770 million and he is said to control more hidden cash than even Gideon. (Other Kumekucha informants tell me that this estimate of his wealth is a mere drop in the ocean and the man is worth much more. Philip uses low key Asians and even houseboys as proxies for all his business deals and interests.

Philip rarely travels himself and chooses to use his wife Rossana Pluda instead, who is an Italian and relatively unknown in Kenya, even amongst the press. So she is able to slip in and out of the country without attracting any attention. She is also his link to many Italian underworld businesses that he works with.

According to the Kroll report, Philip Moi has dealt in Hashish, Madrax tablets and bhang grown around the Mount Kenya area with the Akasha family. But it doesn’t stop there. He has also dealt with hard drugs like cocaine, providing cover for Italian families based in Malindi on the Kenyan Coast. It is said that with his help, the drug cartel in Malindi was able to offload 20-feet containers, packed with drugs.

The Kroll report names Muzahim as Philip's business partner. Muzahim has mainly been a car dealer, drug baron and money counterfeiter. Basically Philip provided the cover and Muzahim managed the operations. They jointly made counterfeit dollars for Somalia, Zaire, Sudan and Liberia.

When Muzahim and Philip fell out, Philip paid an assassin to kill him mainly because he knew too much and had armed himself with extensive documentary proof to protect himself. Amazingly the would-be assassin approached Muzahim and confessed to him what had happened. He was promptly paid off to abandon the mission.

Now these are the kind of characters that would do anything to ensure that the draft constitution never sees the light of day because it would complicate business for them, big time. Despite denials the truth is that the No campaign team is very well funded. Now the crazy thing about all this is that the church in its’ joint NO campaign with politicians like William Ruto is getting partly funded by drug money. Digest that!!!!

P.S. Notice how angry the No team are at the recent poll results on the upcoming referendum? These guys are getting big money to do what they are doing because they are telling their financiers that it is working. That is why they are now suggesting that all opinion polls get banned until after the referendum.

People being blunt about the good and the bad in the book Dark secrets of the Kenyan presidency

The really bad news about the new constitution

Something is NOT right. Apart from the spirited No campaign, there is something wrong. There is something that is not quite right in all this new constitution thing.

I saw George “Goldenberg” Saitoti stand up yesterday and talk passionately about how the new constitution is good for Kenya and I wondered. Mwai “Anglo leasing” Kibaki to quote a local TV station “has now removed his gloves” in battling the No camp over the new constitution.

For somebody who knows the history of all these politicians fairly well and having read a substantial part of the draft constitution, there is something that just doesn’t add up. Unless human nature has suddenly changed. Or maybe the self-preservation instinct in humans has disappeared, let alone in the super-greedy politicians of Kenya.

If the draft constitution is passed, the truth is that justice will come to Kenya and many political careers will come to an abrupt end forever. The truth is that wananchi will change into wenye nchi and within a few years Kenya as you know it today will be unrecognizable.

So would a man welcome an executioner to their home and fete them knowing very well that their necks would be on the chopping block within the hour? Quite unlikely.

So what is it that the political class knows that the rest of us don’t know?

Let me try to answer that question.

Firstly it is important to note that the chain of events starting with the post-election troubles of January 2008 have removed matters from their hands. The truth is that there has been considerable international pressure. It has been clear to the world that going to the next elections without a new constitution was just plain suicide for Kenya. And many of those nations have vast vested interests in the country. The travel bans have worked miracles and put the right pressure in the right places. Have you noticed how much Wako has changed since the Visa ban? This is certainly not the same Amos “editorial changes to the constitution” Wako of 2005.

And so the political class has had little option but to support a new constitution, at least the vast majority of them. But after consultations with their lawyers and legal experts they have come up with a strategy. It is based on the fact that it will take a minimum of five to six years to fully implement the new constitution if passed. And then parliament can always employ a few delaying tactics here and there which would drag certain changes for many more years. In any event many of the most powerful politicians in Kenya do not envisage themselves still in politics in the next 10 years. And bear in mind that a lot of crucial decisions have still been left to parliament. For instance the maximum number of acres an individual can own can be kept high enough. In any case there are still countless loopholes because a large land owner can distribute his land holdings amongst his wives and sons (and believe me some of these families are huge). You see the most important thing about any constitution is the spirit of that constitution and great damage can be done by people who do not have the interests of the country at heart. There is no constitution in the world without loopholes that any smart lawyer can take full advantage of.

And so the bad news is that saying Yes on August 4th will only be the first step and the beginning of a massive battle to free Kenyans. There is still a lot to be done if we are to see the full positive effects of the new constitution. For starters we will have to vote very wisely in the next general elections and ensure that we get fresh new faces who are ready to do serious battle with old money in Kenya. People who cannot be swayed by money and people prepared to give their lives for the motherland. Tall order indeed, do such Kenyans exist?

But the good news is that if the new constitution is passed it will be the beginning of our emancipation. Already we know for sure that the train has left the station and for better or for worse it is headed in the right direction. We’ll just have to take care of the obstacles as they come. Brace yourselves for a rough ride folks but we shall surely overcome.

What people don’t like about Dark secrets of the Kenyan presidency.