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How some Kumekucha commentators have influenced my political thinking… negatively over time
Even as we launch our campaign on Monday to fight for an end to the current wave of political violence in Kenya, I have started realizing just how powerful the written word and mere comment can be. They say that talk is cheap and that idlers and people who are close to crackpots are the ones who write comments and opinion pieces, because they achieve very little if anything. How wrong can somebody be? Propaganda experts will just laugh at such a suggestion because this is always at the heart of their campaigns.
There is a simple experiment I invite you to do. Start with this post and click on the last heading on the right and in that way go backwards in time to the year 2006 and 2005
and you will clearly note that I started out as a political radical intent on campaigning for change in Kenya by dismissing all current political leaders. But gradually through the influence of our regular readers and commentators, I have greatly softened my stand to the point where I started seriously considering the current political pretenders for office. The lesser evil, as they say. This is something I would NEVER have done when I started out.
Thank you, my brother Taabu, you correctly noted this shift in my position a few weeks ago and said it here. The good news I have for you is that today I have returned to my previous position (because it is the only way we can save our country) but this time I will work hard to convince as many other Kenyans as possible to join me on my side rather than trying to force it down the throats of people as I previously tried to do.
What all this confirms is that the campaign we are launching in this blog, is extremely powerful and has the potential of making a huge difference. So kindly join in and encourage as many of your friends and colleagues to do the same. You do not need to wait for Monday, you can start straight away (Go to this page and find out all you need to know to get started). http://kumekucha1.blogspot.com/2007/06/stop-political-violence-in-kenya.html
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.
http://kumekucha1.blogspot.com/2007/06/stop-political-violence-in-kenya.html
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Chris, thanx for the post. I exhausted some arguments about the Mungiki stuff and I support your every effort. My contributions will come through the designed model you have ascribed.
ReplyDeleteOn the campaign, I still believe that as much as you me and the rest will come up with noble ideas, the buck stops with those in our race called POLITICIANS. That animal that can make a single statement and drives tens and eventually hundreds out of Molo, that breed that can make an 'alien' tribe in Olenguruone move and that animal that can rise and tell the Kuria in Isebania that 'others' should not share with them facilities. The Politicians. Selfish and greedy.
The Politicians who dont think of the state of the economy when they raise their salaries in 2004. the breed of the human race, as one writer painfully wrote to you yesterday. Politicians hold the key and they can make the difference. I cry for Beloved Kenya.
The polticians who create a job for Aaron Ringera, without telling him what not to do and what the CID can do and he cannot do and what the AG can do and he cannot do and at the same time charge him with duties to perform, in its triplicated role.
Politicians who award Kalembe Ndile alot of money and underuse him in the process. The fellow does not need all the money, he needs work. Infact when he was elected his life was going on with the little he could afford and he was comfortable.
I have said it before, that it is pear-shaped for ODM. Amid the confusion and after months of campaigning it is unravelling that Raila Amolo Odinga might not be the presidential candidate. No big deal. The writings were on the wall since the failed London trip.
The bloke has ran around campaigning, making whistle-stop tours around the world, leading to the grand launch of his vision. All the things Raila did were in order, until the vision. That was the end of the journey to State House. One supporter told me that I am the only one who did not see the Grand March to State House.
The opinion in the daily, in its own ways is a sure way that things might not be as people would have thought in the past. Yes, brilliant, yes fearless, yes, a great orator and yes, with the crowds, and a great tribe support to boot, but things are never the same in politics.
Raila might not beat Kibaki. It is no lie, but for Musalia Mudavadi it will even be harder without a solid base, that is currently threatened by in-roads by Kombo and the partial ability of Moody Awori to get the Busia part of the Western provice, and it will take no one's guess to remember the difference the province made in 1992.
Kalonzo Musyoka, not very. The province to get his base is at the moment shared by Kibaki's Narc or DP as it has been since the advent of multi-party politics. The main player, the Embu and the Meru are all in the Narc system and it will complicate things even further for Musyoka.
Then the main voting blocs of Nairobi and Central Kenya are dominated (I always say tribe - I AM NOT A TRIBALIST)by one tribe. So where is the ODM's fragmented support base. The Coastals said last week that they are in Shirikisho and affiliated to Narc-K with cabinet posts to spice their campaigns.
Kisii land, Omingo Magara vs Simeon Nyachae. Then wait for a battle that is won before it starts.
Not out of anything, but the best way to get an ODM candidate was the TOSHA model, which could have maintained the unity and saved alot of money through the imprictical visions launched (I mean all). Ask me why!!
People, it is increasingly becoming clear that even a united ODM is nothing more than a paper tiger. Even if they united under Kalonzo or the docile Mudavadi, they just cant win. I have never been a pessimist but surely this is not pessimism.
ReplyDeleteI for one, am an ardent supporter of the ODM who used his own little hard earned money to campaign for them during the referendum. I remember one day we spent a night chatting at the hallway of a lodging in Kwhisero constituency. Barack Muluka had paid for our accomodation but by the time we were preparing to go to sleep, it was six. We ordered for breakfast and joined the ODM big guns on the road to Vihiga. i am giving all this lest I am called a good for nothing prophet of doom. However, I will not vote for ODM if the candidate is not hon Kalonzo or Uhuru. The animosity has been so rife that a good number of Raila's supporters will part ways with him if for example he tried to campaign for Kalonzo. If Kalonzo were, by a slip of tongue to tell his people to vote for Raila, then he will not only be an outcast in Ukambani,he will be lucky to get anything more than 5000 votes in Mwingi North. And people it doesnt matter what prompted him to campaign for Raila. It may as well be a defeat in a fair contest with Raila. Those people, and believe u me, will vote for Mwai Kibaki to the last man if kalonzo's name is not on the ballot.
As Derek puts it, the people of Western know that the only person who can take care of their interests better than Kibaki is Musalia. Anybody else will be treated as an idler who has nothing to do. If that person had anything else to do, he would not be wasting his and other people's time touring Western seeking votes.
The R. Valley people have no time following ruto into the unknown. They have a tested relationship with Moi and his word will carry the day.
Omingo magara is another one of Raila's door mats. It may take him a while before he gets it but he surely will. Whether he does that in good time to salvage his parliamentary seat only time will tell.
Coast may be the battleground for all. They know they dont have a presidential candidate and instead of following the faggot that is Balala, sorry Taib (Balala has only 5 months left and he knows it, they would rather work with Chirau Ali Makuro.
Why spend all the time analysing these regions? 2012 is the only election we should be talking about. This one is won by Kibaki and u can take that to the bank. I am seeing a Saitoti, Uhuru, Kituyi battle in 2012. Any body still in dreamland about 2007?