Gitobu Imanyara as a school prefect in Nairobi School in 1973Looking at the career of Mr Imanyara one cannot help but feel that he surely deserves much more than what life has handed to him so far. Let’s compare him to two very lucky Kenyan politicians who have played it safe contributed very little and reached the top. Namely Mwai Kibaki and Kalonzo Musyoka.
When Gitobu was getting in and out of police detention Mwai Kibaki was enjoying life as usual, flashing the one finger KANU salute. Indeed Mwai Kibaki has never seen what the inside of a police cell looks like. All his political career he has been the overcautious politician who would agonize for months when they reached the edge of a political cliff with nowhere else to turn except to jump down into the water below. A case in point was after the controversial 1988 infamous queue-voting general elections.
Gitobu Imanyara for PresidentBored handlers of president Moi itching for a challenge after having shot down everything that could move as far as a threat to the Moi presidency (real or imagined) was concerned turned their attention to the then cowardly and extremely harmless Vice President. They decided to rig him out of his Othaya parliamentary seat and everything was in place for the shock announcement that some obscure politician called Muriuki or something like that had defeated Kibaki in the 1988 parliamentary elections. But when Othaya constituents heard of the scheme most men (and some women) went home and fetched their pangas to come and hear the announcement of the election results. The DC sensed serious trouble and hurriedly called Nairobi for direction. In the end Mwai Kibaki was announced victor and his opponent needed heavy police protection to hurriedly get the hell out of town. Still when Moi announced his new cabinet a few days later the Vice President was a man called Prof Josphat Karanja and Kibaki was relegated to a mere Minister for Health. Still he did nothing and sat on the uncomfortable fence until Christmas day 1991 (the very last minute because elections were due in 1992) when he announced his defection from Kanu to a new political party that he had just formed with others called DP (Democratic Party of Kenya). That’s Kibaki for you.
Kalonzo Musyoka is not any different and was at the heart of Kanu mama na baba as Imanyara struggled to stay alive. Musyoka is now the Vice President while Imanyara is not even in the cabinet.
It seems Kenyan politics has always favoured the cowardly and the compromisers (read details in my landmark book Dark Secrets of the Kenyan Presidency. You can now get your copy for FREE HERE.)
And Gitobu Imanyara’s troubles seem to be far from over even when Kenya has gained so much democratic space thanks mainly to Imanyara’s personal sacrifices and endless suffering in police cells and torture chambers. What comes to mind right away is the recent incident where he was slapped by first lady Lucy Kibaki in State House.
This is the fascinating East African Standard report on the issue (the account was from Imanyara himself);
Imanyara said he had cut short a trip to South Africa to attend the meeting (at State House Nairobi), also graced by Vice-President, Mr Kalonzo Musyoka, and Internal Security minister, Prof George Saitoti.
Imanyara said after going through the security checks at State House, they were ushered into a conference room.
After taking a seat and introducing himself to the President, the MP said, State House Comptroller, Mr Hyslop Ipu, came in and whispered to him that he should leave the room.
“I thought this was quite rude for a junior officer to come where the President was and ask me to leave the room,” said a visibly angry Imanyara.
Shortly afterwards, Imanyara recounted, the Head of the Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet, Mr Francis Muthaura, came to ask whether they could talk outside.
“At this time, I could hear loud screams of a female shouting all kinds of words. I did not know who it was,” said Imanyara.
The Imenti Central legislator said as he was talking to Muthaura, the First Lady burst into the scene screaming: “This is the man that took the First Lady to the courts. Nobody comes to State House without my permission!”
Imanyara said she went on: “You are a friend of the Luos. Foolish Merus voted for you.”
At this juncture, said Imanyara, the First Lady came forward and started throwing punches at him, which he ducked.
“Nobody takes the First Lady to court. Nobody gets away with it,” Imanyara quoted her as saying.
He said Mrs Kibaki vowed that he would not get any Government appointments as long as she was at State House.
And on allegations that he was punched, Imanyara said: “The First Lady is too short and no punch touched me, neither did I return any.”
Imanyara said security at the corridors of State House stood by and watched as the whole episode unfolded.
The MP said at some point, he was asked to leave State House and he obliged.
Speaking at the Serena Hotel, Nairobi, Imanyara lashed out at the First Lady for trying to create an impression that State House was her property.
“At this rate, we don’t know who is in charge at State House. Kibaki needs to remove the First Lady from State House,” said Imanyara.
So who is Gitobu Imanyara?
After Imanyara spent more than two years in Maximum Security Prison on charges associated with his work as a human rights lawyer, he founded the Nairobi Law Monthly in 1987. It was not supportive of Daniel arap Moi's one party policy and Imanyara was arrested for not registering the magazine.
He was again arrested 1n 1990 after writing a special issue entitled "The Historic Debate: Law, Democracy, and Multi-Party Politics in Kenya." At one point he was held in a prison psychiatric ward, though he re-released the issue following his own release. Receiving the International Editor of the Year by the World Press Review while in prison, he was called "the boldest voice for a free press in a country whose intolerant government does not hesitate to shut down publications and where most journalists practice self censorship."
Imanyara was arrested for a third time in April 1991 after police confiscated that moneth’s issue of the Nairobi Law Monthly. The offending information was about the formation of an opposition political party. It is instructive that he went on to become the founding secretary general of the Forum for the Restoration of Demoracy, FORD KENYA, 1990-2002. This was the first opposition party to be registered in Kenya for many decades.
While in custody, Imanyara developed a brain tumour. Luckily it was successfully treated. Kenyan aid money went down significantly after that arrest, and the U.S. State Department called it "another denial of freedom of expression in Kenya." Imanyara was awarded the World Association of Newspapers' Golden Pen of Freedom Award later that year, but due to authorities not allowing him to leave the country for it, Liberal International President Otto Lambsdorff brought it personally to Nairobi in early 1992.
At the Kenyan general elections in December 1997, he won a regional landslide victory and was elected MP for Central Imenti Constituency. He continued to publish his magazine, which was renamed the Africa Law Review.
Posted at the Nairobi School website www.oldcambrians.com. Imanyara is an alumni of the elitist boy’s boarding school in Nairobi:
# House Prefect, Scott House 1972
# Head of Scott and School Prefect 1973
# University of Nairobi 1974-1977, LL.B
# Kenya School of Law 1978
# Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, from 1979
# Member of Parliament 1997-2002
# Founding Secretary General, Forum for the Restoration of Demoracy, FORD KENYA, 1990-2002
# Founding Publisher and Editor in Chief, The Nairobi Law Monthly
# Internatinal Board Member, Article 19, The International Centre Against Censorship, London, 1990-2000
# International Adisory Editorial Board Member, Human Rights Quaterly,USA
# Chairman,The Great Lakes Parliamentary Forum on Peace,[Kenya,Uganda,Tanzania,Rwanda,Burundi,Zambia, Zanzibar] 1997-2002
# World Press Review's Internatinal Editor of the Year, 1990, New York
# World Association's Golden Pen of Freedom Laureate, Paris 1991
# Harvard University's Nieman Fellow's Louis m. Lyons Award Laureate, 1991, USA
# Liberal International's Prize of Freedom Laureate 1991, Switzerland
# Human Rights Award 1991 International Human Rights Law Group, Washington
# Internatinal Biographic Centre, Cambridge, UK's 2000 Outstanding Scholars of the 20th Century, 2000
Kumekucha salutes you Gitobu Imanyara. Our position is that you could make an excellent presidential candidate for 2012.
See also:
Gitobu Imanyara's brother died because of a piece of meat
My encounter with Lucy Kibaki
Book gives clues on Lucy Kibaki's condition
Advertise for free in the Nairobi Online Business Directory
Now it is high school politics is it? Were u in Nairobi School Kumekucha?
ReplyDeleteChris,
ReplyDeleteFor once in a very long time, you are talking sense.
However, the the reality and the dymamics of Kenyan politics make Gitobu Imanyara 2012 dream a distance mirage.
First off, you give us Imanyara's high school history as if that was ever a yardstick for who gets elected to the presidency. In so far as education is concerned, have you forgotten what you kept on telling us about your every year hero Tom Mboya?
Secondly, you conveniently and very sadly forget to mention to huge influence of the late Ford-K Chairman - Jaramogi Odinga Oginga - on the political careers of Imanyara and his peers like Muite, Wamalwa, Nyongo, Raila, Kiraitu, Orengo and many others. In my view, I think Jaramogi shapped Imanyara's political thinking more than being prefect at Nairobi school or serving as a detainee in Kamiti.
Thirdly, in the 10th parliament, Imanyara was elected on a party ticket that miserably lost the election in 2007 and was part of the group that tacitly supported the civilian coup of December 2010. In case you have forgotten, Martha Karua, Kalonzo Musyoka and those miserable election losers of PNU were all there supporting the biggest injustice on the Kenyan electoral politics.
Although Imanyara later fell out with the frist lady when he gave up running for the post of Deputy Speaker, he has brought several bills into parliament which I support whole heartedly. For example, his bill for the establishment of a local tribunal for PEV was far much better than that proposed by Karua and later Mutula. When most people seem to have forgotten where this country is coming from, Imanyara has been on the forefront in pushing for the identification and prosecution of the killers of the late Robert Ouko, most of whom are well known and still alive doing business in Nairobi. The tabling of the Ouko Parliamentary Commission Report shocked all of us but YET AGAIN, it was the same PNU which pushed for its rejection in parliament when some of its more known supporters were mentioned as having participated in the plot to eliminatre Ouko.
Imanyara, I think, has a long way to go before he can authoritatively stand on national stage and proclaim interest in the presidency. Such a mission will most likely end like that of Orengo's in 2002, or that of Koigi's in the 1990s, remember? Martha Karua is also on her way to having the taste of the same medicine in 2012. Bure kabisa these so called second liberation heros.
.........more
...continued
ReplyDeleteWhen all is said and done, Imanyara needs to be closer to, perhaps right inside, ODM which is the people's party. Among the hundreds of registered political parties ODM is that which one in four Kenyans identify with and has remained the most popular since re-launch in 2007, and has the most MPs in the 10th parliament and is also the most representative of all political parties. If Imanyara can find his way and occupy that position currently occupied by want away ICC suspect Ruto, then he can start looking at himself as a rival to Mudavadi and perhaps, just, a heir apparent to Raila Odinga on the stage of national politics and international politics because we in ODM are clever enough to see Raila will not be ODM leader forever.
I know many will rush to dismiss this as far fetched. However, I will be quick to remind you that the Meru/Embu vote is what has basically sustained the Kibaki presidency since his days as DP Chairman in the 1990s. The number of votes in the former upper eastern province, easily rivals that of Kalenjin in Rift Valley. It is not a few hundred thousand like that of the Kamba in lower Eastern.
Since these two communities (Meru and Embu) have been mercilessly used as voting machines by their brothers the Agikuyu - it is time to explore new directions to national leadership. Forget about flyshisk waving Angaine or appointing Muthaura for Chief Secretary - and now sacrificing him as an Ocampo suspect.
Kenyatta misused the Meru/Embu, so did Moi and so did Kibaki. You can see Kalonzo wants to do the same.
However, the ODM offers a genuine democratic lifeline to true leadership for the Meru and Embu based on the numbers they deliver to the political table. It is as simple as that. By virture of constitutional demands of a presidential candidate getting at least 25% of votes in half the counties, Imanyara and many other a politician must soberly assess their chances and board the right bus. Not one that will lead him YET AGAIN, to opposition benches in the 11th parliament.
In comparison and great contrast, William Ruto on the other hand is trying to claim from ODM what he never delivered. ODM forced him to join the the party. Ruto is now just using his ODM popularity to confuse Kalenjin youth through Arap Sand of KASS FM. And looking at it critically, the reform credentials of Gitobu Imanyara are rivaled by very few people in the 10th parliament, least of all Ruto, perhaps only by Orengo or Raila himself.
Thus Gitobu should be smart enough to spot such opportunities on the national stage so he can shed-off the backward, localised, ancient and village politics of NjuriNcheke and for once be seen as a serious contender for the presidency. Unlike Uhuru and Ruto, age is not on his side. Siasa ya ukabila imeptiwa na wakati. Hii ni katiba mpya and the Meru/Embu must be liberated from the yokes of Agikuyu political slavery.
As Phil rightly said there,
ReplyDeleteOnly Kalonzo Musyoka will remain standing come 2012!
@Phil,
ReplyDeleteHappy new year bro and what a thesis, if only the coloured horse would gallop faster. Anyways just one swali, must all progressive siasa revolve around one party or individual? Come to think of it, can somebody come out with something TOTALLY new and workable outside the tired political perimeters?
As one finger derides Njuri Ncheke the other four are doling LCoE, hypocracy? Real politik of Imanyara being so-called heir apparent will disenfranchise the Luyha and who will fill that hole? Castigating tribal politics with the lips while promoting the same with in the same breathe is DISHONESTY, ama?
To Phil and Chris,
ReplyDeleteOn the surface, you may appear to have differences. However, upon deeper look, you are sailing in the same boat. We may add, to the rock of Gibraltar ahead.
The deal is this. For generations, we have been locked in a STERILE debate between so called CONSERVATIVES and so called LIBERALS.
To the CONSERVATIVES as they call themselves, were it not for STATE intervention and welfare to the masses, we would be living in a wonderful world.
Hear them and their clamour for "privatisation" which is nothing, but, creation of private monopolies like Safaricom.
Oh, the brainwash media is full of praise of the most profitable company in EA.
To the LIBERALS, such as Clintons, Obamas, Chris, Gitobu, Phil, Raila, Orengo etc, there are serious problems with LEADERSHIP in a system that is otherwise good.
Seen this way, to both of you, your political analysis is based on this hypothesis:
The problem is the BAD LEADERSHIP such as of Kenyatta, Moi, Kibaki, Gbagbo, Mbeki, Bush etc.
Seen this way, your "SOLUTION" is to replace such BAD LEADERSHIP with GOOD LEADERS such as Gitobu, Martha Karua, Quattara who will be elected by the masses off course.
On our part, we propose to leave these nonsensical "debates" for they will take humanity nowhere.
The evil tax system, the deepening poverty, the deepening social tensions, deepening ecological crisis etc, are not an unintended outcomes of a rational system, but, rather, a RATIONAL outcome of a system whose goal is the outcome we see.
From this perspective, change of guard is a waste of time. We are glad that, there are a few people who are willing to open their eyes and see this problem as it is.
For instance, while we DIFFER with the idea of SEASTEADING of Patri Friedman as the solution, we applaud his courrage and vision on diagnosing that, the REAL PROBLEM is not lack of leadership as Phils and Chris would tell us everyday.
Please see his talk here:
http://is.gd/k4Vo4
Meanwhile, as we watch these futile and useless debates, we will be enjoying mursik while listening to Bob Marley words:
"Build your penitentiary, we build your schools,
BRAINWASH EDUCATION to make us the FOOLS."
@ http://is.gd/k4Wna
Again I ask: why do luos froth in the mouth when someone other than raila is suggested as a possible presidentil candidate? I saw somewhere where makau mutua was called a stupid professor for praising naikuni and asking him to consider a presidential run.
ReplyDeleteLogic is of course not phil's strong point. According to him merus/embus were being misused when they voted for Kenyatta, moi and kibaki. But if they vote for raila, it is not misuse. And akina muite owe their political carreers to OO! The cult is alive and strong.
Blogger Taabu said...
ReplyDelete@Phil,
Happy new year bro and what a thesis, if only the coloured horse would gallop faster. Anyways just one swali, must all progressive siasa revolve around one party or individual?
Taabu,
Being that political parties are our vehicles to power, show any party currently in this country that is better than ODM?
----
Come to think of it, can somebody come out with something TOTALLY new and workable outside the tired political perimeters?
Of course they can. The new constitution allows independent candidates. But these independents must be ready to democractically compete.
-----
As one finger derides Njuri Ncheke the other four are doling LCoE, hypocracy? Real politik of Imanyara being so-called heir apparent will disenfranchise the Luyha and who will fill that hole? Castigating tribal politics with the lips while promoting the same with in the same breathe is DISHONESTY, ama?
You probably didnt grasp the gist of my earlier remarks. What I am saying is Imanyara needs to move a step higher so that he at least has some political control on the Njekes as well as some MPs from around his area. He needs to show he can marshal support locally...right now it is the other way round. It is those elders who are controlling everything much to the disappointed of the majority but sadly disenfranchised miraa chewing youth in Meru. When Imanyara brought his STK bill to parliament, it is right thinking ODM legislators who supported him. He needs to see and appreciate that. And while at it, please note, the ODM primaries are democratic, and therefore if Imanyara fairly wins ahead of Mudavadi or even RAO, the ticket is his.
-----
Do you or dont you agree with what Chris is saying?
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteLogic is of course not phil's strong point. According to him merus/embus were being misused when they voted for Kenyatta, moi and kibaki. But if they vote for raila, it is not misuse. And akina muite owe their political carreers to OO! The cult is alive and strong.
You are the type who spoil debate in KK. Whats your value addition to Chris' post?
Unless you call the latest naming of Muthaura as an ICC suspect as a handsome retirement package from Kibaki to the Meru/Embus, I call it total misuse. These guys have voted for Kibaki almost to man since 1992. Now Kibaki is president and what do they have to show for it?
Looking at Moi/Kenyatta and Jackson Harvester Angaine the story is the same.
People vote to acquire political power. Not to end up as ICC suspects in the Hauge for crimes comitted by the commander in chief himself. People do not vote so that their sons and daughters can be used like toilet paper (ditto Karua and Kiraitu) who pulled Anglo-Fleecing and Triton deals for Kibaki. PLIZ!
You obviously do not know the history of multiparty politics in Kenya and this is why you dismiss OO's contribution to this struggle. I think even Imanyara himself would agree with me on that.
@Chris
ReplyDeletesorry to be a spoil SPORT bro but just pointing out some inconsistencies with your post:
1) "....at this juncture, said Imanyara,the First Lady came forward and started throwing punches at him, which he ducked...."
Yet later on you say
"..and on allegations that he was punched, Imanyara said: “The First Lady is too short and no punch touched me, neither did I return any.”
If he was so TALL why did he need to DUCK from TOO SHORT? This is manifest nonsense
2)“Nobody takes the First Lady to court. Nobody gets away with it,” Imanyara quoted her as saying.
yet later on you say
"...the MP said at some point, he was asked to leave State House and he obliged"
How long did this SHADOW BOXING last? Was Honourable Imanyara busy marking time JOTTING QUOTATIONS as FLORK sparred Jabs and danced around MP?
Sorry but your attempt to portray Imenti long suffering as a virtue for candidate as President even in the face of Foul moods&professional SLAPPERS is a low blow attempt to garner more sympathy for the failed runner up to Kumekucha Person of the year 2010. Only new thinking and new ideas can change Kenya
@Taabu
wachana na Bw.Phil and please singularly back your own HORSE will you?
meanwhile all is well here in the Swamp of festering corruption
"Hii ni katiba mpya and the Meru/Embu must be liberated from the yokes of Agikuyu political slavery."
ReplyDelete....by the (jaluos) ODM for the jaluos. Utter nonsense. Thought you'd said you were clever?
Chris,
ReplyDeleteYou made my day. Kumekucha has started 2011 on a very bright note, and I hope this is a sign of many good posts in the pipeline leading to 2012.
Juts a quick reminder, that there are two pictures of Gitobu Imanyara, one taken during his first arrest, and the other when he was last released from detention. I am sure you have access to them.
And did you know that Kenyans like Gitobu Imanyara loved their country so dearly?
One of his parent was so heartbroken when Gitobu Imanyara opted to join Kenya's only university at the time after he had forfeited his opportunities to study at St. Anderws in Scotland and Fordham in the USA.
The reason he gave was, "I love it here, this is my home and I will study at Karanja's. Of course I know there are millions of young Kenyans out there who would do anything to get the chance to study at St. Andrews or Frodham."
Lest Kenyans forget the fact that 'The Bite Within' the Law Society of Kenya ("kikulacho ki nguoni mwako") was Gitobu Imanyara's Achille's heel.
Some of the LSK's well known and respected members were at times used, coerced, paid or even rewarded with promotions in the government, to "dig and find out what Gitobu Imanyara was up to in his efforts to fight and oust Mzee Daniel Moi's government and political party."
But unfortunately for Imanyara, there were some dedicated yellow pigeons, Kenyan Savanna wolves and green snakes within the LSK, who allowed themselves to be used to spy on him, under the auspice of the Special Branch, CID, and of all people, KANU's National Organizing *Secretary (1988-1998).
*A person who knew Gitobu Imanyra so well during their days at Karanja's, and the LSK.
@3:32 AM
ReplyDeleteMmmmmmm! Talk of the devil with his twin arches full of REVENGE and GREED! Will he be the last one standing when the thick fog has subsided by January of 2013?
I rest my case.
"These guys have voted for Kibaki almost to man since 1992. Now Kibaki is president and what do they have to show for it?"
ReplyDeleteHmmmm. Luo Nyanza (including Kibera slums) have consistently voted, to a man, for Jaramogi and later on for the bumpkin son. And what do they have to show for it, save for flying toilets, dominion farms, maize scandals, molasses, imposed 'leaders' and so on? Very clever indeed!
Really Phil?
ReplyDeleteThis world is a bad place. Misused the Meru,not the Kalenjin demonstrators, rapists, arsonists and murderers sounds Biblical to me.
I thought that KASS FM was used to further the ODM cause.
Life is not fair anyway. Not fair at all!
2011, lets talk corruption now and ODM. Kosgey, Rutto, Ngilu, Mwau and the list goes n and on. It is not fair..
@ Luke good eye on the inconsistencies. The different versions of the rumble in state house & disjointed accounts point to doctoring of the facts.
ReplyDeleteChris, I'm still wondering what it is you have against Wikileaks. I posted a lenghthy quote from the Wako Wikileak (wackyleak) last night RE: Kosgey's arrest warrant which you deleted from the blog. To date KK hasn't analyzed Wikileaks yet a lot of the changes we see in KE today, and sudden transformations of the likes of Wako (my argument yesterday) are either covered in or originate from the Wikileaks expose. What gives, bro?
Though i appreciate how far Imanyara has come he strikes me as an arrogant fellow. You should have done a piece on Paul Muite.
ReplyDelete@2:34 Am
ReplyDelete"Bure Kabisa these so called second liberation heros
.......more."
Does the "bure kabisa" label include some well known personality?
Will the personality in question face the same taste of medicine in 2012, now that the emperor has been declared naked and lonely after the departure of two horsemen from the rank and flank that was expected to carry the emperor to the throne in 2012?
Regarding Orengo, he is the same person many outsiders and some of his people thought he was all along. He is what he is. No more, no less.
Unlike Uhuru and Ruto, age is not on his side
Says who?
Kalonzo Musyoka, 1953, Gitobu Imanyara, 1954, Uhuru Kenytta, 1961, Samoei arap Ruto, 1966,
Must you be reminded of Mwai Kibaki, 1931, Toroitich arap Moi, 1924, Mugane Njonjo, 1920, ole Ntimama, 1930, Matiba, 1932, Raila Odinga, 1945, and Wamalwa Kijana, 1944?
It's not a question of how young one may be, but it's always an issue of how long a person can manage to hang on and have a good quality of life while still involved in the rough world of politics.
As for political detention, it does make or break a person, and it influences how a person lives out the rest of his/her life.
ODM the most popular party in Kenya today...very,very true..!And the most corrupt party in Kenya today...right..?Suspected murderers,arsonists and rapists...suspended ministers...Chairman..on Ocampo list,resigns due to corruption.Deputy party leader..on Ocampo list,resigned due to corruption...Organizing secretary...suspected drug dealer...add Ngilu...Mwau...et al..very popular party indeed and sorry for diluting debate...!!
ReplyDelete@Paul,
ReplyDeleteWhat makes you cast Gitobu Imanyara in an arrogant shade of light?
Hope the "Nairobi School label" is not being held against him.
ODM will die as a dodo after 2012. FORD? The file and rank have squandered all the opportunities they had to change the political course in the country. The ODM party turned out to have been cut from the very same corrupt and status quo peice of cloth as was the case with KANU, DP and PNU.
ReplyDelete@Bobby6Killer,
ReplyDeleteThe KK "gatekeepers" never sleep, only what the "head honcho" subscribes to is allowed through the gates, so lets just assume your article is "lost" somewhere in cyberspace.
The Oracle has Spoken
Can somebody tell us why they are only targeting the ODM wing of government on this corruption war, while we know that the PNU wing has the vast majority of corruption busy bodies
ReplyDelete@Bobby6Killer
ReplyDeleteI know we do not always agree but let me confess I always read your contributions with great interest and several times u hve given me very important tips for vital leads that have led to very big stories here. I have no idea who deleted ur comment but I will try my best to find out. Meanwhile pls re-post it. U can also send a copy me via email to umissedthis@yahoo.com
FYU I hve set up Kumekucha in such a way that if anything happens to me, the blog will continue. Giving admin rights to others has its problems sometimes coz at the end of the day I hve to take responsibility for some of their strange actions.
I have nothing against Wikileaks and I am in fact preparing a major post about Wikileaks and the impact the leaked cables (and especially those that r yet to be released) will have on the 2012 general elections.
Chris Kumekucha
@Phil
ReplyDeleteThank you for your long contribution. I don't have to agree with you to appreciate it and the work you must have put into it.
Chris Kumekucha
Some people have a very wicked sense of humour.Ati the reward for 4 decades of blind support to the O family is grinding poverty,life in slums and flying toilets...am still smiling at that one.ha ha ha..!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately Kenya is not ready for some 'crusader'. Imanyara needs to shed the activism cloak.
ReplyDeleteI like this Kumekucha blog, it's rather interesting so I'll be back now and then...thanks!
@ Chris, say no more. With various individuals with admin rights then I was offline directing the query at you.
ReplyDeleteAs it was off topic yesterday & today, I'll simply copy the mirror site's link below for those who may not have read the US Embassy's take on Wako. Hopefully we'll revisit the subject when you post your Wikileaks article.
On Gitobu Imanyara, it is interesting looking at his CV & his record on human rights. I wonder if you could compile a similar CV for the winner of POY 2010 complete with her highschool photo if you can get your hands on one.
http://wikileaks.aelmans.eu/cable/2009/09/09NAIROBI1830.html
Just wondering about what primary, secondary and high schools did Martha Karua attend?
ReplyDeleteShe's always been mute or not so proud of narrating that particualar aspect of her whole-life-story.
A prominrnt politician like Kalonzo Musyoki has never had a problem in letting it be known that he is an alumni of the now famous Tsekuru Primary, Kitui High and Meru High.
Raila Odinga is another politician who has taken pride in being an alumni of Kisumu Union Primary, and Maranda Primary, including the one time infamous Maranda High School.
Even Samoei arap Ruto, love him or hate him for whatever political reasons, has taken the effort in letting the general public know of his "formative and foundational days" at Kerotet Primary School, Wareng Secondary School and Kapsabet High School.
Mzee Mwai Kibaki's list of the schools he attended is common knowledge, an open book so to speak.
Did Martha Karua attend Kerugoya Girls' Boarding Primary School and Kerugoya Girls' Secondary School?
It doesn't matter where martha was schooled. even ravals school has produced some astute and wealthy business and professional people. on the other hand, some rich foolish kids found their way to top notch national schools through corruption. does that make them brigh? nope. but again, they get all foreign scholarships(through corruption)....which still doesn't take away the fact that they are thick. raise your hand if you are one of them.
ReplyDeletePhil,
ReplyDeleteIf you are one of those designated to go out and do outreach work for ODM, then ODM has no future!!! When you approach the politics of GEMA communities (Kikuyu, Meru & Embu) you must bear in mind that they do not vote for a leader out of blind worship for that leader. Try to understand how they are socialized from childhood before you offer your unsolicited advice. And always remember that they do not respond to 24/7 emotional politics. They are a very calculating people.
Also try to answer the person who asked you what the Luos have gotten from their slavery to Odinga family since independence. And the Kalenjins, what have they gotten after voting to a man for Raila in the 2007 elections - hint: their mosting promising sons sacrificed to Ocampo by Raila.
Of course, ODM has always been very popular among the outlaw sections of our society. In 2007-08, it was very popular among the genocidaires. Currently, it is very popular in the drug dealers' alleys of Joho and Mwau. The ODM Party Chairman (Kosgey) and the Deputy Party Leader (Ruto) are being pursued by the ICC for crimes against humanity, and the Party Organising Secretary (Joho) is being pursed by law enforcement officers as a drug kingpin.
ReplyDeleteIs this the party the magestic people of Meru and Embu being invited to join? To do what, join in drug dealing and land grabbing, or in raping and murdering political opponents!? I believe the people of Meru and Embu would rather be partyless rather than join a criminal enterprise.
Tamaku,
ReplyDeleteIt's gay crudasers Kenya is not ready for and certainly NOT here in KK!
So what will happen if Kibaki eventually surprises ALL OF YOU and endorses RAO as president? Wont Meru jump into the ODM bandwagon as they did for DP?
ReplyDeletePhil said...
ReplyDeleteSo what will happen if Kibaki eventually surprises ALL OF YOU and endorses RAO as president? Wont Meru jump into the ODM bandwagon as they did for DP?
1/5/11 4:15 AM
xxxx
Bwana Phil, when you say Merus have not "benefited" from Kibaki's admin. we think you are behind the curve.
Sample this. If you go to Gitaru dam, there are NEW power lines that are cutting across Mbeere district to take power to Merus.
Mark you, these power lines are over places in Mbeere which have never seen electricity which is produced a few meters or kms away and taken all the way to Kisumu, Msa etc.
And, we hear the people of Kisumu, Msa claim to have been "marginalised."
And, if we may ask, how is the "war on corruption" going?
As we wait for your response, let us take some pocorn from the microwave as we listen to "Lesson In My Life" by Tosh the Great:
http://is.gd/k9xuL
PNU Thugs! We know you, GEMA mmmmh! Euphemism for THIEVES! Aheeeem the G-ikuyu is the main problem, Cecily Mbarire said it, Embu people are no longer sheep to be herded at the whims of the Mafia!
ReplyDelete90% of Kenya's social and economic problems are as a result of the G-ikuyu, kweli au uwongo?
Phil,
ReplyDeleteCan you shed some light why is PLO Lumumba not popular among the ODM goons?
"PNU Thugs! We know you, GEMA mmmmh! Euphemism for THIEVES! Aheeeem the G-ikuyu is the main problem, Cecily Mbarire said it, Embu people are no longer sheep to be herded at the whims of the Mafia!"
ReplyDeleteFrom cemeteries, to maize to molasses to immigration and so on...The roster of theft and corruption tells a very different story from the above. And toilets indeed continue to fly ;). Nusu mkate....hah!
@ anon 12:27. Ever wondered how the very people who keep the O family out of power inadvertantly perpetuate their myth? The majority of the 47 years have been spent in the opposition. OO could prove he lost the VP seat for his convictions & principles. Out in the cold of opposition politics he suffered along with them as they were marginalized & could argue, "if I were in power I would....".
ReplyDeleteRAO could say the same with his brief ministerial stint in the Moi era. Just when it seemed he had the driver's seat with a presidential win in '07, victory was snatched from his grasp & as the Grand Coalition Government was ushered in. The vehicle RAO is driving today as PM is like those cars at driving schools. He may have his hands on the steering, but instructor Kibaki has a hidden set of accelerator, clutch & brakes. RAO may appear to be in control but is not. He can thus still say "when I am in power I will....". & thus the cycle continues.
Blogger Mwarang'ethe said...
ReplyDeleteBwana Phil, when you say Merus have not "benefited" from Kibaki's admin. we think you are behind the curve.
Sample this. If you go to Gitaru dam, there are NEW power lines that are cutting across Mbeere district to take power to Merus.
Mark you, these power lines are over places in Mbeere which have never seen electricity which is produced a few meters or kms away and taken all the way to Kisumu, Msa etc.
And, we hear the people of Kisumu, Msa claim to have been "marginalised."
This is precisely why the ODM wanted MAJIMBO introduced in the constitution of Kenya. This is also precisely why a certain clique around the mountain are avoiding majimbo like plague. Remember the unholy alliance of Uhuru and Ruto frustrated the three tire devolution structure that ODM had proposed in its 2007 campaign. That alliance is for sustaining the status quo.
It's so funny Mwarash, but fresh fish landing at most beaches on Lake Victoria is more expensive than fish in Nairobi. It is also a shame that residents living around the lake only get to feed on remnants left behind after all the fillet is taken to Nairobi. If they are lucky when government 'un-bans' fingerling fishing, they get omena!
What about NEP, which feeds the multi-billion beef industry in Nairobi? What do they have to show for it? Garissa, which is the HQS of NEP has no running sewerage. The same thing is replicated in the Western suga belt region.
The fact that the power lines to from 'Seven forks' Dam are new tells me these are world bank supported rural electrification projects which can also be seen in parts of Western and Nyanza....coming so late into the presidency of the so called LSE trained Kibaki.
Still NOT an excuse to hand Muthaura a retirement package at the Hague jails, is it!?
-------
And, if we may ask, how is the "war on corruption" going?
Highly selective, biased, politicized and a waste of time. PLO has introduced politics into this crucial agenda and he is now playing Kibaki succession games. AGENDA> STOPPING RAILA! Perhaps legal minds like Chris or Taabu can explain how you begin charging a minister for exercising his constitutionally given powers....not for the first time, but as the latest in a line of PNU ministers who have been doing exactly what Kosgey is being charged for. I do not see this ending in a successful conviction and I will be surprised if it does.
In any case, why cant PLO remove his wooden sun-glasses, so he can at least see what we are seeing and then tell us when he will haul Grand Regency, Lamu Port, Triton fraud, Anglo-Fleecing robbery, Free Primary Education theft, Japan Embassy rip-off, to that court of law he purports to take the big fish?
Kosgey's trial is a SHAM. It is akin to taking Mudavadi to court for abuse of office for gazetting names of nominated councillors or charging Uhuru for abuse of office for reading the budget speech in parliament. It is a failure even before it has started.
Anon 5:20 PM
ReplyDeleteDid you really have to fly off the handle?
I never expected an individual would be so ticked off by top notch Kenyan schools such as Tseikuru, Kerotet, Wareng, Maranda, Kitui, Meru and Kapsabet?
Was the kneejerk reaction due to a severe case of unresolved childhood issues or what?
Why do people waste their lives habouring deep seated anger, pain, agendas and revenge darts for five years, ten years, fifteen years, twenty years, twenty-five or even thirty years after having graduated from high school?
Anon 5:20 PM, raise your hand if you are one of those the "walking-wounded" (people) who still have a large cast iron axe to grind?
Phil wrote:
ReplyDeleteHighly selective, biased, politicized and a waste of time.
xxxx
We hate to say this, but, we said it here long time ago.
When Raila suspended Ruto and Ongeri, we noted that, the so called fight against corruption is a waste of time.
As usual, we were attacked left, right and centre for "cheap rebellion."
It is very nice that, the things we have said are coming true as watch and Phil is joining us.
About devolution, yes, we would have wanted even more devolution. Right now, we have FAKE devolution. And, time will confirm this.
DID GITOBU TELL YOU HE WANTS TO BE A PRESIDENT. ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO AVOID RAILA PRESIDENCY. LET US FACE IT, YOU ARE DANCING AROUND RAILA PRESIDENCY, WELL BAD NEWS FOR YOU IT WILL COME. I GUARANTEE YOU WILL BE OKAY, DO NOT PANIC!
ReplyDeletea) How will the so called much awaited presidency of Raila Amolo Ondinga change the political landscape in Kenya for the better?
ReplyDeleteb) Will a Raila Amollo Odinga presidency be any different from the Mwai Kibaki presidency, Daniel arap Moi's and the late Jomo Kenyatta's presidency, judging from what the nation has experienced so far from the modus operandi within ODM's inner political circles?
c) Let's say if a highly favoured presidential candidate other than Raila Amollo Odinga is elected by the majority in December 2012, will the ODM party and its diehard followers from ODM's stronghold accept the voice of the people, majority of the Kenya's electorate and respect the constitution in thereafter?
Or will Kenya be forced into shameless political mudslinging and airing of divisive ethnic dirty laundry simialr to what is being experienced in Ivory Coast and Zimbabwe?
NB: Robert Mugabe is in his late 80s.
c) Railo Amollo Odinga will have have been Kenya's prime minister for one term by 2012, so let's say he gets elected by the majority as president in 2012, the burning question on the minds of many concerned Kenyans is, "will he seek another term or bid for the presidency in 2017, thus leaving Kenyans stuck with him at the helm for another term until December, 2022.
(2007-2022?)
d) Is the Kenyan presidency as we know it so far, a birthright or ethnic entitlement for specific individuals, families and particular ethnicities?
e) Will the current election democracy, Kenyan style, ever bring any much needed relief to the ongoing ethnic and regional tensions that keep blowing out proportion every election cycle?
Just asking, you don't have to respond, but think about it whenever you have the time.
@7:22 AM
ReplyDeleteWhat is your real fear? Are the ODM's elephants really getting afraid of the political unknowns around the country?
Kenyans never cease to amaze. The term 'marginalization' has been one of the lamest excuses that continues to be traded around for all the wrong reasons.
ReplyDeleteWhy would people continue to claim they "have been marginalized for the last four and half decades" and "are still marginalized" in this day and age, when in reality they are their own worst enemy?
So, how come these particular regions in question still lay claim to the status of political victimhood and calculated insidious political marginalization, when in reality 80% of the highly educated segements (physicians, lawyers, engineers, politicians, businessmen/women, clergy, civil servants and PhDs) of the population still have a very high preference for working, residing, heavily investing, spending their income, sending their children ("the next generations of the marginalized") to study in other regions and cities such as Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru and abroad?
Why not put the same resources and efforts together, demand what's due to those marginalized regions, take pride in 'regional-make-over' development projects and turn the economic tide in their favour for a change?
For instance, residents from the regions that were formerly marginalized at one time or another, have an unquestionable love, passion and commitment for life, excellence, education, travel, nightlife, and above all for the game of soccer?
So why are there no modern soccer stadiums, medical facilities, teaching hospitals, universities with renowned research centers and faculties, resorts, schools, social programs, infrastructure and other facilities in these regions?
Come to think of it, there is no single MRI facility in these regions. Correct me if I wrong on the absence an MRI.
Why not emulate the Israeli, Rwandans and others, and eradicate what still ails all regions of country in the process?
It is so cheap yap about CAPITAL investment like infrastructure as if it is equivalent to building a house.The Israeli/Rwanda analogue smacks off the tribal stereotype that others are lazy. Just think past packaging village bravado as intellect, will you?
ReplyDeleteWhat was so urgent in Nairobi that made Raila abandon his AU appointed mediation efforts and come back in a borrowed Nigerian military plane...?PLO must be really ruffling feathers..!!
ReplyDelete@Mwara"N"gethe,
ReplyDelete"Marginalisation" is still very much ALIVE!, The "trappings" & "rituals" of the old ways still continues.....
Power running from Meru to Mombasa never arrested "marginalisation" or did it?just the same way as saying boats never stopped people from swimming.
Now that Iberafrica & OrPower 4 made Meru town "glow in the dark" let us not forget that a small cabal of politically powerful bureaucrats made this possible, with their granted "power" to proclaim "let there be light", lets clap for Kiraitu Murungi, the Late James Gachui, David Mbugua, Joseph Njoroge & Wilfred Kiboro for:
Undermining incentives to increase energy efficiency in Kisumu, Mombasa, Lodwar, Turkana etc, limited the expansion of electricity to isolated rural populations of west pokot, Kosele, Lokitaung etc, placed a DISPROPORTIONATE burden on low - income consumers whose poverty index can't even come close to their miraa chewing brethren and for FAILING! Miserably to effectively manage expansion of the transmission system.
We shall continue to ask ourselves what this Cabals political interests were at stake in "reform" of the sector & how then did they shape the reform process.
Let me shake my gourd as I sip another round of Mursik, as I ponder on this "marginalisation" fable.
The Oracle has Spoken
For instance, residents from the regions that were formerly marginalized at one time or another, have an unquestionable love, passion and commitment for life, excellence, education, travel, nightlife, and above all for the game of soccer?
ReplyDeleteSo why are there no modern soccer stadiums, medical facilities, teaching hospitals, universities with renowned research centers and faculties, resorts, schools, social programs, infrastructure and other facilities in these regions?
xxxx
Little knowledge is dangerous.
So, for instance, you are now asking the Mbeere people to just DECIDED and TAP power from Gitaru dam?
And, do the people of Nyeri for instance, who enjoy the power the Mbeere people have never seen put those infrastracture or, were funded by all Kenyans?
We may also ask, why is the REGIONAL HQ of KPLC in Nyeri and not in Embu or Mbeere? What does Nyeri has to do with power coming from Mbeere?
Or, according to your wisdom or lack of it, the people of Embu/Mbeere were too lazy to have such regional HQ sitiated where the dams are?
@ Chris,
ReplyDeleteNo doubt that Gitobu Imanyara is an astute politician, but even he himself knows that going for PORK will lead to his early "appointment" with his ancestors.
While you were profiling the man, you left out a story on his trip to Libya. If you recall he was invited to celebrate Gaddafis 40 years in power together with Njuri Ncheke as a "Junior elder"
Fast forward.....
Some people broke into his hotel room while he was asleep, despite the hotels use of "high tech" security swipe cards to access the rooms, luckily his shouts raised an alarm and he was unharmed,as the two "guests" dashed out, it was later found out that it had actually been Kenyans ( NSIS sleuths) who had gained entry, and there records had vanished "mysteriously" from the hotels guest list.
Now did interpol solve this case? Ephraim Waweru Ngare has answers to this mystery, and on a related incident Paul M'Ithinkia's ( Njuri Ncheke) office was broken into and his computer hard disk and files relating to cases involving a member of the first family were taken, mmmmh I wonder what.
Meanwhile, we wish the AG well in his quest of becoming a Governor & I say to an avid but "silent" reader of KK, one Chol de Mabior Garang, Dad would have wished for a peaceful referendum in S.Sudan, see to it that it happens.
The Oracle has Spoken
@Oracle,
ReplyDeletePlease watch the walls that you patch on. I fear for the life of your wings, LOL. Make sure you piss from inside and NEVER venture out, lest......
Mwarangethe,
ReplyDeleteOh men oh men! Oh people oh people. You are as good as they come, and as knowledgeable as the authors of the Tummal Chronicle.
Someone should have filled in the blanks for you before you even opened your reservoir of too much knowledge.
Were you responding to Phil @2:46 AM or to The Oracle has Spoken @11:35 AM or what?
Oh my gosh, oh wise Sumerian, the aforementioned comments hard nothing to do with Mbeere or Embu regions or people.
The word 'soccer' was a big give away and you should have gained some slight insight to begin with.
Anyway, I am sure that you must have overlooked it because soccer was never a sport among the annual royal festivities during the height of the Sumerian Kingdom or when some of your favourite rulers like Nangishlishma ("the Kishian") and Lugalbanda ("the shepherd") were kings.
BTW, your input has yet to be verified through the available archaelogical inscriptions stored at the archival research center located within the Baghdad Museum of Antiquities.
Good luck with your beloved Akkadian neighbours.
Aiiiiiih! Mungu si Athumani. Kwa kweli Kenya kuna mambo, vituko, ndoto, mipango na siasa ya ajaabu.
ReplyDeleteAti Mkuu wa sheria Bwana Attoni Generali bado anaota, kutamani na kutarajia kunyakua ugavana nchini Kenya, katika hii enzi ya baada Katiba Mpya?
Atakuwa gavana wa wapi au eneo gani abalo raia hawana wakilishi au wapenzani wanaoweza kuchaguliwa bila takhshishi yeyote?
Kwani ugavana utapakuliwa au kupewa kama ukuu wa mikuona wa hapo awali?
@Chris,
ReplyDeletePardon the Interruption. I have failed to reach you via the email contact that you provided a while ago. Where art thou?
Some people [names and town withheld] who once had your editorial sympathy at one time or another during 2010, were put in jail yesterday after having been heavily involved in disturbance of the peace and inciting paid crowds to cause damage to property, bully bystanders and passerbys under the guise of the right to hold a demonstration for very selfish reasons.
@ Oracle. Marginalization is either very much with us or it's a fable. Which camp are you in? I recently downloaded (from Scribd) a dissertation by Lea B. Morrison of Duke University entitled "The Nature of Decline: Distinguishing Myth From Reality In The Case of The Luo of Kenya". It featured last year on KK comments & I look forward to explore it.
ReplyDeleteOn the Imanyara Libya story. Indeed that did happen but who's to say the Kenyans were NSIS. Couldn't Kwekwe Squad types get passports & jet off to Tripoli if ordered to do so? NSIS, at least on paper, are bookish analysts who don't even pack heat. Those were most likely rogue boys in blue or someone's private army. We have plenty of those in KE.
@ anon 5:16. What an intriguing cryptic message. Just the kind of fodder NSIS feed on.
Karen Blixen was right. Africans cease to grow mentally at age 7. There is this mp called mbadi who laughed off keter's threat to abolish KNHRC just because it had made accusations against ruto. Mbadi saw this as illogical. He is now threatening to abolish KACC just because it has charged his party chairman in court. We are so alike, we should love each other.
ReplyDeletephil, Merus are the greatest beneficiaries of kibakis rule, if you go to that region you will immediately notice that its far in development than rest of kenya in terms of infrastructure and human development, buyt it is naive to equate this totally with kibaki since Merus are naturally wealthy in African standards. problem for gitobu is he as almost minimal support and he is a very arrogant person
ReplyDeleteblogger anonymous said....
ReplyDelete.....buyt it is naive to equate this totally with kibaki since Merus are naturally wealthy in African standards......
I am equating the amount of votes the Merus have been giving Kibaki since the 90s with whatever tangible benefits they have derived from this blind loyalty.
Let me put it this way. As late as this week, Uhuru a pure Agikuyu has once again been declared the GEMA heir apparent, and presumably Merus/Embus are comfortable with this?
Now now....when will a MERU or EMBU (say Imanyara or Kiraitu) rise to be the cultural or political leader of GEMA? Can Agikuyu accept to support a GEMA candidate who originates from Meru or Embu? Remember even Kibaki's presidency in 2002 was not earned using the Agikuyu vote but that of other patriotic Kenyans including Merus and Embus. The question is; can Uhuru step down for Kiraitu or Imanyara?
Can we assume EMA are therefore forever comfortable playing second fiddle (read: yokes of slavery) to Agikuyu in so far as political power is concerned? Or are they willing to explore other avenues (read-ODM) that may just produce a MERU/EMBU president or a deputy state president? This is a new dispensation and I hope EMA will think deeply about liberating themselves from this 50 year-old slavery. Even previously enslaved and marginalised Southern Sudanese are now voting to secede. EMA does not have to go that far because ODM offers opportunity for growth in a clean democracy. Look at previously unknowns like Ruto, Balala and Mudavadi are now going places simply because they dared to join the orange dream.
Can Imanyara do the same or he is comfortable with his people continuing being voting machines for another 50 years? Are Meru/Embus in this country to vote for others and not be voted for? That is the question. We need a daring son or daughter of Meru or Embu to step out of the massive Agikuyu mythical shadow. Other Kenyans can sit up and listen to ideas from our 'wealthy' miraa chewing brothers.
Regarding Meru's apparent natural welath, how does national government or the exchequer gain from the miraa trade, which is primarily the source of wealth in larger meru region?
Bobby,
ReplyDeleteKindly get rid of the assumption that NSIS are bookish analysts, only 5% are, the others are hands-on people who do 'amazing' things in the field in which they belong. They are some of the smartest people I know.
A fun of Bobby comments.
Phil,
ReplyDeleteYou need to forget about merus/embus in your 2012 arithmetic. They find your culture repugnant to their core beliefs. They only associate with people whose culture is similar to theirs. And culturally they are actually closer to wakambas than agikuyus.
And when will luos support a suba, like kanjang?
ReplyDeleteBlogger Anonymous said...
ReplyDeletePhil,
You need to forget about merus/embus in your 2012 arithmetic. They find your culture repugnant to their core beliefs. They only associate with people whose culture is similar to theirs. And culturally they are actually closer to wakambas than agikuyus.
You are confirming my worst fears. That Meru/Embu are in this world to vote for others and not vice versa.
At the risk of being seen to be sailing in the same boat as yourself, I will say this: At this day in history, talking about repulsive cultures smacks of stupidity and is mediocre. It also betrays deep intellectual laziness because you evade the gist of my comments.
We do not support ODM because of culture or ethnicity.
phil,you comments easily make one conclude that you are a raila fanatic and a bigot,merus are very conservative and proud people,they detest tribes that they consider inferior like luos,meru simply back gikuyu because they are family,they dont care since the cake is closer at home PERIOD.
ReplyDeletePole sana 'superior' anonymous.
ReplyDeleteI am NOT ashamed to support ODM (which you stupidly continue to associate with inferior Luo) and unless you face up to the political challenges I outlined in my comments, I am done with exchanging with yourself.
If agikuyu are indeed 'family', then this might well be the most one-sided selfish family setting in history. When will agikuyu reciprocate the blind family loyalty back to Meru/Embu? Or are the Merus 2nd class family? Bure kabisa
phil until you get circumscised you will never get the point boy
ReplyDeletePhil wrote
ReplyDeleteRegarding Meru's apparent natural welath, how does national government or the exchequer gain from the miraa trade, which is primarily the source of wealth in larger meru region?
xxxx
Here, we differ again.
Your argument is founded on an absurd assumption which has become so common.
It is this. Citizens exist to work for the state. No, we totally reject such a weird idea.
Meru/Mbeere people do not grow miraa,so as to feed the state. No, we grow these stuff to feed our families and grow our wealth.
Thats why if you travel to Meru, you will find that, they enjoy some of the best living standards in the country.
xxxxx
Can we assume EMA are therefore forever comfortable playing second fiddle ... are they willing to explore other avenues (read-ODM) that may just produce a MERU/EMBU president or a deputy state president?
xxxx
Does that mean TAXING/ROBBING us as we sell our miraa? If so, no thanks.
We prefer to sell and keep 100% of our proceeds. We are better managers of our wealth/income.
The downside of this is this. Those who work in formal areas like doctors, lawyers, engineers shall continue to bear the brunt of ROBBERY/TAXATION as the sellers of miraa enjoy their wealth.
That being the case, the ODM should be telling us how it will reduce INCOME/VAT ROBBERY on the doctors, teachers, nurses, engineers etc.
If ODM can come up with such a plan, then, we can enjoy this:
"Singapore's Surprise GDP Growth Among Highest In The World."
"Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry reported yesterday (Wednesday) that gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 18.1% in the first half of the year....
The rise is the country's biggest since record-keeping began in 1975."
Where did this growth come from?
"A strong expansion in the MANUFACTURING SECTOR underpinned the growth of Singapore economy in the fourth quarter, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said Monday."
Source: http://is.gd/ke0cH
xxxxx
How does Singapore manage this?
Very very easy, less or no taxation on WEALTH PRODUCTION and CONSUMPTION including COSMETICS which Anyang wants to tax like medicine to feed the state.
For instance, if you earn SGD 20, 000 as matters of personal tax, you pay ZERO tax. That is equal to 1,252,080.22 KES ROBBERY/TAX FREE.
It is when you earn something like SGD 320, 000 you will pay only 17%. That is like 20,018,578.03 KES and you only pay 17%.
What about corporate tax?
For 300, 000 SGD equivalent to 18,776,752.80 KES you pay only 8.5%.
The only problem is this Phil. To do what Singapore does, ODM will have to deliver something the wonderful "new constitution" miserably failed to deliver.
What are the chances of that brother?
Mwarangethe
ReplyDeleteI was responding to a lost soul and those of us who keep praising LSE trained Kibaki as the best there is.
Being a quadruple taxed sugar farmer myself, I perfectly understand and support what you are talking about. It makes us wonder if we are living in the same country when we see those tax-free miraa toyota hiluxes speed up to the airport each evening. No one is as heavily taxed as a sugar farmer...and ODM is working on a blue print. Tungoje 2012.
@ anon 2:27, I hear you. As far as I know, NSIS do not have a mandate to do the type of "black operation" that was attempted on Gitobu in Tripoli. That sounds more like guns for hire, which our agents don't carry. They can't even make an arrest. Just monitor, record & report. But you're right ofcourse that they are more than bookish analysts as I stated earlier. They blend seamlessly with the rest of us unnoticed, as they keep a watchful eye on....things.
ReplyDeletePhil wrote
ReplyDeleteNo one is as heavily taxed as a sugar farmer...and ODM is working on a blue print. Tungoje 2012.
1/6/11 6:10 AM
xxxx
We very much hope this blueprint will be about UNTAXING sugar farmers, people of Kibera, Korogocho, etc, and not about extending SLAVERY to miraa growers.
Otherwise, if it is about extending this SLAVERY, prepare for truceless war like that of ancient Carthage.
One more thing Phil as you guys prepare your blueprint. There is one thing those who support ODM ought to bear in mind. We explain it this way:
When a resident of Kibera walks to work, and let us say he earns KES 35, 000 per month, at the end of the month, Waweru of KRA anapiga yeye ngeta in the name of INCOME TAX to the tune of about 30%.
The ngeta does not end there. When the same resident goes to Uchumi to buy this and that, he is NGETAD again by Waweru to the tune of about 17% in the name of VAT (we are not sure if this figure is correct).
By the time this Waweru is thru with the Kibera guy, the poor chap has lost almost 60% of his SWEAT and BLOOD.
A man/woman who works under such arrangements will never be wealthy. These arrangements must be changed for there to be any change. Is ODM up to this task? We will soon find out.
What about a Meru? He wakes up in the morning and sells his vegetables at Mitunguu area. When he sells, he pockets 100% of his SWEAT and BLOOD.
When he wants to buy this and that, he buys locally where VAT is unknown. As a result, this guy will continue to enjoy a better lifestyle that a guy calls himself ati mtu wa mtaa na amechanuka. Wapi?
Meanwhile, as we sip mursik, let us continue enjoying:
Sheriff John Brown [TAX MAN] always hated me,
For what, I don't know:
Every time I plant a seed [WORK],
He said kill [TAXES/ROBS] it before it grow [I CAN SAVE]-
He said kill [TAX IT] them before they grow[WEALTHY].
http://is.gd/keoa9
@Bobby6Killer
ReplyDeleteRest assured that the fodder has very little appetite stimulant for the NSIS, and they will not spend an ounce of their bureaucratic energy trying to take a bite let alone chew on any post that passes for an "intriguing cryptic message."
The incident in question happened in a region next door, the inland equivalent to what would be known as internatinally recommended transit corridor (irtc).
The sour grapes of wrath from Wilbrod Slaa and his 49 Chademans resulted from some disputed mayoral elections.
Imagine for second, PNU or ODM top brass descending on the equivalent of Kenyan towns like Eldoret, Kisumu, Busia or Nyeri in order to fight it out with local legislators from the opposing camp, after one of their own, chosen one, has lost a mayoral election.
How desperate they have become under the guise of demonstrating against corruption.
I had to get it off my chest just before 2011 begins to mature with good tidings for the majority of the people in the region.
@Mwarangethe,
ReplyDeleteTrue to your BACK-TO-THE-BASICS tag. Taxation as we know it has elicited plenty of opposition but what baffles me is the same critics are domiciled in the very countries which epitomize this economic savegery.
What to do? Either wax academic shouting about the problem or STOP paying tax (HOW?) and get deported. Can't have it both ways, ama? Speak of a lose-lose game. Any PRACTICAL ideas apart from going back to the cowrie shell/GOLD era?
mwarangethe that is the point precisely,but you can rest assured the likes of phil and his hooligan kinsmen would without failure impose taxes on miraa,if you read michelle wrong's article on the economic miracle of miraa trade, just google please, she is categoricall that lack of gvt regulation is the key to miraa trade success,you can tell phil is green with envy and jealous,but you cant blame some people for being more creative economicaly can you?
ReplyDeleteTaabu wrote:
ReplyDeleteWhat to do? Either wax academic shouting about the problem or STOP paying tax (HOW?) and get deported. Can't have it both ways, ama? Speak of a lose-lose game. Any PRACTICAL ideas apart from going back to the cowrie shell/GOLD era?
1/6/11 7:27 AM
xxxx
It is rather OBVIOUS what to do. Let us give live examples.
In the UK, Cameroon and his gang, are planning to grow the UK economy by TAXING/ROBBING more in terms of increased VAT and other taxes.
At the same time, we have evidence from Singapore, to this effect:
They are the FASTEST GROWING economy in the world in 2010. They are doing so by because their MANUFACTURING base in increasing.
The question is, where are these manufacturers coming from? They are running from:
(a) Cameroon's prosperity by TAXATION/ROBBERY/USELESS PAPER PRINTNG and
(b)Obama's/NERO's prosperity by TAXATION/ROBBERY/TISSUE PAPER PRINTING, as well as
(c) Kenyan/Nigerian etc confused leadership which specialises in:
(i) "fighting corruption."
This being the case, the only question we ought to ask is this:
Why the hell is Singapore able to attract MANUFACTUCTURERS and not the UK, SPain, Ireland, Kenya, South Africa or Nigeria?
In the answer to this modern riddle, therein, lies the REAL SOLUTION.
Unfortunately, most of us are too LAZY to investigate and thereby, demand policies like that of Singapore.
Instead of such investigations, we prefer the usual way of taking OPIUM every 5 years hoping things will improve.
We ask, how Sir?
@Taabu
ReplyDeleteWoe unto you bro for CONSISTENTLY poking E-holes in sound economic fundamentals and ignoring popular prevailing realities in the political landscape!
Pick a HORSE please won't you?while at it you better subscribe to PROVEN bread and BUTTER conventions instead of BARTER trade mutated into a hydra
@BobbySixKiller
There can only be one reason why Hon.Imanyara would give such an inconsistent account of events which transpired that fateful day in what Bw.Chris sensationally refers to as "the most evil address in Kenya"...but the truth is too COWARDLY and IMPOTENT to even dare accuse runner up of KK person of the year 2010...
Karen Blixen was right. Africans cease to grow mentally at age 7.
ReplyDeleteI do not know but these attacks on men and women who happen to have been born in Africa, cruel, unjust, untruthful and racist as they often are, serve a good purpose.
In our case, we (Kenyans) know that they always continue to expose the true nature of who the colonialists, the so called bourgeois and imperial missionaries were.
That does not exclude some of the present day expatriates aka wannabe modern day settlers, self-invented aristocrates and experts on all things Africa.
Luckily, I never find myself angry at such statements anymore due to obvious reasons such as what become of the lives of so many people who once held a similar mind set, Africans cease to grow mentally at the age of 7 while enjoying the new kind of freedom which until then one had only found in dreams!.
LOL! Now you know who helped Kuki Gallmann get the idea for her book, I Dreamed of Africa.
It is a well known fact that some people were glad that a person like Karen Blixen, was overlooked and denied the Nobel Prize in Literature.
I am included among the ranks of those who are still gland that she never got the recognition.
To add insult to injury, she was forced and kicked Out of Africa by the worldwide economic depression after she was unable to sustain her so called bourgeois coffee plantation in Africa.
Talk of early foreclosures in Africa of the early 1900s
The more I think of Europeans who once lived in Africa including those who still reside in Africa, [they type that love to proclaim (twit and facebook) that they have been to Africa when in reality they have only been to one or two or three African countries for a ten days], the more I emparthize with so many of them due to a variety reasons well known to many of us who happen to have lived in there own backyards, namely, different European countries, North America and Australia.
Anway, I have forgiven the Danish woman given the high price she paid for her social life after mother nature had slapped her with an invisible hand in the same fashion her father had been slapped with a syphilitic reminder of the causes of human mortality - need I say more?
Africa is a CONTINENT.
@Taabu,
ReplyDeleteThe "illusion" of safety, in posting using "handles" well neither message is so strong that it can overpower the other, please don't fear for my "wings" ( Mmmh they don't belong to the "un-masked owls)as they will grow back if scathed nor where I patch & if I do piss "inside" remember only I can feel the "warmth" of thy piss, just watch out that you don't end up gurgling it. LMAO!
@ Bobby6Killer,
Re-read & absorb thy article & absorb the contents like a sponge, you can "spill" over the excess. Meanwhile, I urge you to find out more on covert NSIS operations, you will find very interesting FACTS! & will dispell alot of MYTHS! Seek and you will find, let me provide you with leads of where to start: T. Eregai & M.Oyugi.
Meanwhile, enjoy the article on the Luo, if you can also get your hands on the confidential UN report on the Luo, it will be an eye OPENER!
The Oracle has Spoken