Asked about his improved relationship with the PM, the president said that tension was to be expected at the beginning after such a closely fought election in 2007 but revealed that his relationship with both the PM and Vice President was excellent.President Kibaki has never as president of Kenya given a press interview. That was until yesterday (Saturday) morning.
It is worth noting that many times when in situations where journalists managed to sneak in an opportunity to ask him direct questions the president would either ignore them or just mutter an answer to himself under his breath. The most famous of these infamous mutterings was in the run up to the controversial 2007 elections when a BBC journalist asked the president what his options were in the event that he lost the general elections to Raila Odinga. President Kibaki answered under his breath in Kiswahili wondering about the journalists’ intelligence and declaring the impossibility of such an eventuality.
It seems that one of the effects of the president’s ill health has been an uncustomary impatience and foul mood that seemed to emerge at the least excuse. And so handlers must have feared the risk of such an outburst in the middle of a press interview especially if a sensitive question was fielded. It is instructive that even during yesterday’s press interview the president’s handlers were still visibly nervous about how it would all turn out.
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Interesting facts about the No campaign team
1. Has a much larger number of former MPs than the Yes brigade. What does that tell you?
Answer: Ex MPs are usually cash-strapped meaning that the No camp has much more money being dished out.
2. Is led by two individuals who hold the record for making their first 100 million in the shortest time ever recorded in history. Even Bill Gates and the Google guys didn't make their first 100 million this fast. Namely William Ruto and Cyrus Jirongo via a "cash machine" called YK92
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The Sunday Nation journalists who found themselves in this rather historic situation yesterday rose to the occasion magnificently and asked a wide range of questions (including some extremely sensitive ones). Indeed this blogger was amazed that glimpses of the old sharp witty pre-Machakos-junction-road-accident-in-2002-Kibaki seemed to show through. It would seem that the only reason the president’s handlers allowed the interview was because the President’s health seems to have improved dramatically in recent months and weeks. Still the president got impatient on the verge of being irritable on one or two occasions yesterday including the time when his handlers asked him to button up his jacket. He dismissed them and it seemed that he was getting angry but quickly recovered and said that the habit of buttoning up the jacket was a new fad that “watu wa zamani” had no time for.
Careful observers of the Kenyan president will remember the president’s contribution on the floor of the house during the debate to pass the bills that legalized the national accord and allowed for a coalition government with the two principals at the helm. Kibaki started embarrassingly repeating himself to the disbelief of those who have known his usually witty ways and remarkable speeches over the years.
Reading between the lines, it became very clear from the interview that President Kibaki is now sharply focusing on his legacy and wants to be on the “right side of history.” Amazingly the man who watched and did very little as the country sunk into the worst bloodshed in it’s history over an election that he had stolen has a chance for an amazing make-over that will be nothing short of miraculous. And it all hinges on the passing of the new constitution.
Admittedly the truth is that Kibaki has brought massive positive changes to Kenya. From the most ambitious infrastructural improvements in history as well as the introduction of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) which despite misappropriation has had a major impact across the face of the nation. Then of course there is the much wider political space that has resulted from his tenure in office. Many Kenyans have forgotten what the economy was like before 2002 when we saw negative growth for a few consecutive years. Clearly the president understands the Kenyan economy well. There has been better revenue collection and the KRA has completely been transformed into one of the most efficient institutions on these shores and as the president pointed out in yesterday’s interview the growing economy has helped the taxman collect much more revenue without the government having to increase the tax burden on individual Kenyans.
Sadly all these achievements will go down the drain and will hardly be considered or remembered by Kenyans all because of the president’s inability to play politics, because he is after all a politician, is he not? Kibaki has behaved more like an arrogant monarch who has no time to explain things that should be obvious to the ignorant uneducated commoners.
Still Kenyans are a forgiving lot and if they managed to forgive the barbaric Jomo Kenyatta regime when the old man passed on it now looks like they will do the same when Kibaki exits from power and leaves the country with a brand new constitution that is bound to be the envy of the entire continent and beyond. It became crystal clear during the unique press interview that the president wants to be at the forefront of the historic event that will start to shape a new Kenya after August 4th.
Read the exclusive Sunday Nation Mwai Kibaki interview
Previous post by Chris that you may have missed: Mostly fat rich burping men telling hungry Kenyans that the draft constitution is BAD
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Chris,
ReplyDeleteIt is IMPORTANT you differentiated between press interview and CONFERENCE. Until you hold the later where no pre-posted questions are asked and thinking on yoour feet helps you, it is no gamer.
Just look closely at who interviewed Kibaki. Mutiga Muriithi is a senior scribe but he could have also been roped in to gloss over details. Kibaki has the guts to lie on camera that he has never held an interview because the media has never asked. Well, they have been shouting questions all along and all they get is contempt. Ati publicity is not my game yet any politician thrives on excatly that. Tell it to the birds.
I am sorry to rain on the parade but Kibaki's interview was so-stage managed and for the SN guys to get surprised is nothing but the Kenyan low bar. We have fallen for tokenism yet we could be flying past the skies. The bar must remain high and not stop at Moi's lowest pit floor.
That was a surprisingly excellent interview by President Kibaki.
ReplyDeleteBy the way where is the guy from Bondo. He needs to get back up, at least for the sake of his worshippers who are walking around like headless chicken. One of them at my place of work keeps reminding everybody that the first order of business when Raila becomes president is to be flown to Kisumu in the presidential jet escorted by Kenya Airforce jets doing their manouvers all the way. Every time he says it, he does a monkey laughter thinking that it is funny.
Chris
ReplyDeletethat picture of P.O.R.K taken from XYZ is derogatory are you trying to portray Kibaki as a cartoon character?and by the way when will you do an interview for us here in this blog?There is much we need to know like do you button your coat even though wewe si mtu wa zamani? and by the way how do you spend your weekends?AFC or....
H.E. wants to create a legacy that will be remembered not one that will drive away like the car. P.R. ala domodomo is at work here and what better time than now to give the press an exclusive with the YES poised to win and the loudmouth RAO indisposed
any press is good press and in one fell swoop the clever ex-Makerere alumni has reclaimed his position as the gentleman and academician of kenyan politics whose best intentions for the country were somehow misconstrued
i know Taabu must be wishing he was the one that did the interview for interrogation not sweet talking lakini wapi
I don't think there was any interview. The Sunday Nation just sent the questions and then Kibaki's handlers answered them. A picture was then taken to pretend that an interview took place. I watched the youtube clip and did hear a word from Kibaki's mouth.
ReplyDeleteNation media group (Sunday Nation) can fool some people some time but not all Kenyans all the time. Kibaki cannot and will not give any coherent interview till death, fullstop. All else is lies.
ReplyDeleteWapende wasipende! Kibaki continues to redeem himself in many ways than his vicious critics will ever accept.
ReplyDelete100%, Kibaki has brought massive positive changes to Kenya.
For those of us who find there is less or zero development in our respective regions, then let's not shift the misplaced blame on Kibaki but confront the local hyenas who are so busy skimming the CDF intended for regional development.
Kenya would have been thirty years ahead of where we find ouselves in 2010 had one Pramount Chief Daniel arap Moi learned to govern Kenya(August, 1978 - December, 2002) as developing nation rather than owning it as if it were a stagnanted village will thousands of sycophants, opportunists, fearful residents and blind population.
I will write again what i wrote yesterday and was deleted.
ReplyDeleteKibaki did not rig any elections. He won but ODM could not take the lose. They paid the media and spin doctors to scream of rigging to legitimize their anger and actions and ultimately Raila and other ODM leaders engineered violence whose pilling body counts ultimately forced Kibaki to share some powers with his nemesis....remember official toilet and red carpet....
Chris of Kumekucha should have known by now that repeating a lie many times while muting those who hold a different view does not and will not make it true.
Truth will never mutate no matter how untrue it seems.
Yes truth never mutates no how you DELUDe yourself about flawed 2007 polls. Repeat it to yourself and ask Cameron/Brown about genocide. What a genius to convince the whole world about theft! Lying sio mbaya but cheating yourself it will mutate to truth is painful. Chris is just reminding you of what you hate to read=TRUTH. Deceit in programmed in some genes I guess. Endelea lakini pole.
ReplyDeleteOf all the election petitions filed against MP's, only those of ODM allied MP's are due to falcification of results which have seen them get embarassed after a recount.
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say, they have been losing in by elections.
Only those who smoke weed cannot see this.
I really doubt if Raila went anywhere near 4 million votes. Vote stuffing and daylight falcification of election results was the order of the day in ODM party which has now predictably realligned into tribal groupings.
The pentagon is long gone and now we have Luo's some who are foreigners calling the shots since their leader can only trust his kin. Actually, they can now comfortable hold their meetings in dholuo.
What a shame!!!!
Kupayukapayuka on Kumekucha is all some of us do best given our well known limited options.
ReplyDeleteVery Understandable.
Anon ^^^^^ i pity you kupayukapayuka aka domo domo orphans. After running allowed following Haki Yetu mboys, and not even getting crumbs, its expected to result to e-uprooting of railways!
ReplyDeletePoor mboys and ngals!!!
Anon 5:03 PM,
ReplyDeleteYou are a real twit - and twat. You have no sense of shame repeating such an obvious lie.
I quote you:
"Kibaki did not rig any elections. He won but ODM could not take the lose. They paid the media and spin doctors to scream of rigging to legitimize their anger and actions and ultimately Raila and other ODM leaders engineered violence whose pilling body counts ultimately forced Kibaki to share some powers with his nemesis....remember official toilet and red carpet...."
Anon 5:03 PM, That is absolute nonsense. Absolute RUBBISH.
No matter how many times you repeat the outrageous lie that Mwai "Mr Pumbavu" Kibaki won the elections of 2007, it will never become the truth. The truth, and which will never become a lie, is that Mwai "Mr Pumbavu" Kibaki STOLE the elections of 2007. HE NEVER WON THEM!
I agree with Anon 5:33 PM who stated in his/her comment that it appears that: Deceit and fraud is programmed in "some genes" I guess - we all know where these genes come from. Endeleeni lakini pole.
Anon 1:12 am,
ReplyDeleteEven Krieger refused to join that well rehearsed chorus that Kibaki stole the election. In fact, when presented with facts, Krieger shokingly admitted the widespread corruption that ODM orchestrated in their strongholds. No wonder they have been losing their MP's like flies through petitions.
Soon, 'bishop' Wanjiru of starehe who is an ODM assistant minister will have to step down and hand over the MP docket to the rightful owner who is PNU. The lady lost with over 10,000 votes and that is in the heart of NAirobi. This just proves that ODM could not have even mustered 4 million votes without their day light robbery. And now the thieves, rapists and killers have parted ways.
Kibaki will make history on 4th August while ODM made their history in Jan 2008.
While Kibaki will be remembered for economis prosperity, breathtaking infrastructure and new laws, Raila and his cohorts will be remembered with the human slaughter bordering genocide.
Hongera Kibaki, you are the genuine NJAMBA who knows how to win a race.
ReplyDeleteOthers are just pretenders and DOMO DOMO.
Go go go HIS Excellency.
I have been a very strong critic of Kibaki in the past, not in vain though, but because i did not like what he was doing to the country.I was among an energised youth that celebrate the exit of mr moi.
ReplyDeleteThe big question in my mind is what makes a great leader? does leadership involve learning from past mistakes? I am personally attracted to leaders who accept they are prone to errors but improve and become better leader. In my view Kibaki seems to be moving to this camp of leaders. Leaders who are quick to learn and improve. I am indeed beginning to soften my stand and although his terms will be tainted by the huge mistakes of his first term...he is likely to jump start a great revolution in our country. He has choosen to walk away from the likes of moi and give us, the future generations, an opportunity to create a great nation where each citizen is allowed to live a dignified life, free from poverty.
Regardless of what the no camp says the greatest injustice that kenyans have suffered from is poverty. This issue has to be corrected urgently regardless of what the contentious issues are...I personally dont give a monkey about issues like abortion or kadhi courts. What matter to me is that every child in the country is allowed to live a good life with great opportunities to dream about. It indeed pains me whenever I visit my village in ukambani too see some of my neighbors trapped in extreme poverty(some survive on 4 meals a week)who work hard but continue to live a life that bring no dignity to them!....we need a kenya free of these kind of problems today and not tomorrow!!!
Kibaki is a good President. The best kenya has ever had!
ReplyDeleteLong live Emelio....!!!!!!
Give it to Kibaki has some traces good deeds. But do we stop at TOKENISM and say amen? Imagine if he did the right thing from 2002/3. We have set the bar too low any stride passes for a leap.
ReplyDeleteHistory is the best teacher and wait after referendum to see 2003 replayed with the homeboys taking the home stretch. No holds barred, just ask one Clay on perenial budget holes.
We are being fattened as a country before collective slaughter. Nation media can fool some but not all. That interview by the INCOHERENT was stagemanaged, period. Lie to yourselves some more.
WHO IS THE LEADER OF THE YES CAMPAIGN??
ReplyDeleteH.E. KIBAKI
WHO MADE HISTORY BY GIVING KENYANS UNIVERSAL EDUCATION??
H.E. KIBAKI
WHO INTRODUCED CDF THAT HAS TRANSFORMED KENYAN LIVES??
H.E. KIBAKI
WHO WILL MAKE HISTORY BY GIVING KENYANS A FRESH START, A NEW CONSTITUTION??
H.E. KIBAKI
WHO HAS TRANSFORMED KENYAN INFRASTRUCTURE TO BE THE BEST IN AFRICA??
H.E. KIBAKI
Behind the infrastructure lies the HOMEBOYS. As you shout yourself hoarse praising, please watch your exposed back that is being WORKED ON
ReplyDeleteMzee Mwai Kibaki is not the best president Kenya has ever had, all things considered, he is a good president and a very refreshing change from the previous village tyrant who is still roaming around the country preaching falsehood against the proposed constitution and overdue changes that are urgently needed to move the country and Kenyans in the right direction.
ReplyDelete"Reading between the lines of Kibaki's first ever press interview" from the Harambae House, was welcomed by many Kenyans from all walks of life, and a change in the right direction. I hope future presidents will take note and do better.
As it has been said before, there is nothing better than to have a president (and political leaders) like Mzee Mwai Kibaki who is fluent in the national language, official language and his very own dialect from Nyeri.
He is well understood by the majority of Kenyans whenever he addresses the nation and wherever he goes to engage the people. The other presidentials hopefuls do not measure up to him and lack the necessary communication skills.
Anyway, let's give credit where its due and allow Kenya's history to judge Mzee Mwai kibaki with whatever shades of light that will be available through the prism of 20/20 by the year 2030 or 2040 or 2050 or 2060.
lol! Don't forget to place a copy of the book on my headstone in what will have been left of my underdeveloped village by 2060.
Kibaki said:
ReplyDelete"A growing economy has made it possible for government to collect more taxes without raising the individual tax burden. This has enabled us to have money to finance the most ambitious infrastructure programme in our nation’s history. But, as a former educationist, I must say that smiling children enjoying our free primary education gives me an extra sense of pride. We must, however, grow the economy further so as to absorb the many young people in the job market and many more who are joining the market every year.”
xxx
Mr Kibaki says he has been able to collect more tax without raising individual tax burden. How Kenyans believe such shit is beyond human understanding.
All you have to do is to calculate the inflation since 2003 - 2010. Since inflation is a HIDDEN TAX, therein, the real INDIVIDUAL TAX burden which Kibaki dare not talk about. Thus, this statement is nonsense.
More so, when we address the question of taxes, we ought to know some basic facts so that, we are not deceived.
In 1984, the U.S. President Ronald Reagan had a commission called Grace Commission look into affairs of U.S's finances.
The Commission came back to the President with this verdict. NOT A PENNY of the money collected by the IRS in the form of INCOME TAX goes to pay any service or program that the American people expect from their Government.
Instead, 100% of the money generated by the income tax is WASTED, or goes to pay the INTEREST on NATIONAL DEBT , or, is spent on the operation of the IRS itself.
If that was the verdict of the US president Commission, what lessons did Kenyans draw from this? Seem ZERO.
More crucially is this. Money represents a form of energy. When this energy flow is diverted from those who create goods/services, we can only expect SOCIAL PROBLEMS.
The more we disrupt this energy, as we plan to do under this new constitution, the more frustrated individuals become in a society.
It is this accumulated frustration which creates social tensions in a society like ours. From this, we can see that, poverty as such is not the real cause of social dysfunction. The social dysfunction is therefore a result of a system that MAKES and KEEPS citizens poor. This is the system Kibaki has served and is FUNDAMENTALLY entrenched in our new constitution.
Thus, if you dare believe that, we can end poverty with this katiba, you may as well believe us if we asserted that, the moon is made up of cheese.
Why don't you create MWARANG'ETHESTAN, practice your textbook ideas and hawk it as a model to others. Otherwise you pollute every discourse with your self-indulgence/impotance.
ReplyDeleteAnon 5:28 AM
ReplyDeleteShow us any new developments in your home-village, hometown, home-division, home-district and home-province and we will show you who is behind them, who is not and who has been against it since 2003.
An old adage reminds us that "Ardent support for infrastructure begins at home".
There is one sub-location in Kenya that has produced twenty-six physicians, thirty engineers, over eighty nurses (yes 80), 100 teachers, countless number of police and military officers and numerous civil servants since 1980.
Guess what? Your guess is as good as mine, the area as in "sub-location" does not any good primary schools, secondary schools, hospitals, bridges, roads, electricity, clean drinking water facilities, good public markets, transportation and churches.
Why?
Everybody who is somebody or becomes somebody eventually moves to Nairobi and pitches their tents therein just because "All roads [still] lead to Nairobi".
Support build your village and hometown without robbing or looting from government coffers, foreign aid and local agricultural produce.
Kibaki used a vacuum to GRIND his influence in Kenyan politics at a moment that shapes the destiny of the country.
ReplyDeleteLucky man he is...Unexpected all the way. Things will change next week as the TOWER OF BABEL construction is complete. Yes will win, but read the politics in the last three weeks.
NO NEED TO CAMPAIGN IN NYANZA, but campaigns have been taken to all parts of the country!!!!
Einstein (yes, that one) said... Only a fool does the wrong thing again and again hoping to get it right.
@Deroo,
ReplyDeleteAt long last you have resurfaced. But tell us whether Nyanza residents are cooks and/or watchmen. You must know because that is your strength, ama.
If Mwarangethe with all his superior knowledge always enganges in conspiracy theories,whom am I not to engage in one,but I will have to whisper.Shhhhsh,is it true that Kibaki made sure Raila got sick and was confined at home so as to win all the credit for the passage of the new constitution?No less a persom than Phil posted here earlier that ODM was very wrong to let PNU wing lead the referendum campaigns.Predictably,you would have a tooth extracted(pun intended) to have the guy comment..!!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you create MWARANG'ETHESTAN, practice your textbook ideas and hawk it as a model to others. Otherwise you pollute every discourse with your self-indulgence/impotance.
7/26/10 6:26 AM
xxx
We accept, and we are in deed proud in that, books are our reference.
However, since ignorance is your reference book, we have no grudges.
In your book of ignorance, Kenyans are told that, when this Katiba passes, every Kenyan will have a RIGHT for a job, clean environment, clean water and your right not to sleep hungry.
What a wonderful nation of milk and honey we are creating without bothering with textbooks?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldU4x8AE-to&feature=player_embedded#!
Anon: 5:22 AM
ReplyDeleteKenya's infrastructure is not one of the best on the continent of Africa, taking into consideration the amount of funding in billions of dollars that have been dumped into Kenya's developemnt programs since the 1970s.
Kenya's infrastructure ranks at 3 from the scale of 1 to 10. It's still very abysmal.
BTW, what's the current status of the rural access roads, schools, medical clinics, water purification facilities, availability of electricity, security, agricultural development, women, employment, and gvp [gross village product per homestead]?
If it's above 65% marker and not below the usual 20%, then shout your praises in honour of kibaki and the previous governments.
In the meantime, let's read in between the lines while we wait and hope for immediate and long term development assistance to be delivered to every village, slum, IDP camp and refugee camp in Kenya.
Unlike MOI and the ailing PM Raila, H.E. Kibaki is a leader who believes in less press coverage and more work.
ReplyDeleteThe results have shown why that stratergy is adopted by leaders in developed countries with an exception of US. The economy during H.E Kibaki's reign has never registered a negative growth, Kenya is enjoying universal education, there is massive job creation, the infrastructure is amongst the best in Africa and there is press freedom like never experienced before.
The new katiba if passed will make Kibaki the best president of Kenya and his legacy will be entrenched in the school syllabus.
All these years, Kibaki has never agreed to have his face on the Kenyan shilling, has never agreed to have a school, hospital, airport or public holiday named after him.
A humble servant of the people. Quite a contrast to Moi who was everything No.1 or Raila who since becoming a PM has struggled, cheated and bribed his way into the news.
He is now however ailing and we wish him all the best.