Kumekucha On The Run

As a boy in primary school I distinctly remember my dad driving me to school one morning with a big loaded gun on the floor of the empty front passenger seat. I was in Standard six at the time and I wondered what the problem was because I could “smell” the same tension and fear that had been in the air the year before when the then Nyandarus North MP JM Kariuki’s badly mutilated and charred remains had been discovered somewhere in Ngong Hills. That day school had closed at lunch time because everybody had expected serious trouble.

I remember wondering what the problem was this time round and making a point to read the newspapers that evening when I got home, which I did and found nothing to give me the faintest clue as to why my senior policeman dad was suddenly given to walking around armed to the teeth.

Years later the mystery was solved. He had rubbed the dreaded Kiambu mafia up the wrong way by stubbornly refusing to look the other way as smuggled coffee belonging to a member of the Kenyatta family was given police escort to Mombasa. Not even a call from the then police commissioner himself could get him to change his mind. (incidentally the commissioner’s exact words on the phone to the most principled man I know were; “I am very disappointed in you Mr ..........). I also learnt that during those frightening days my father never slept at home and would slip away to book himself into different hotels using assumed names, always armed and ready for anything.

I went through high school wondering what the hell was wrong with my dad. Why couldn’t he be like those other “cool” albeit corrupt dads who usually brought their kids to school with better-looking cars than our battered old Ford Escort and had a lot more money? After all there was no way that he could single-handedly stop all the corruption in Kenya.

My dad always said that the reason why he could not bear to accept a bribe or be corrupt was because there was no way he was going to live with it in his conscience. I often wondered what the conscience had to do with the pocket which is where one kept the fat bundle of crisp bank notes received from bribes. With the benefit of hindsight and after watching what finally became of all those corrupt colleagues of his, I now know exactly what he meant. Many of those “cool” dads are now six feet under. One of them lived his last months having to get terribly drunk just to get to sleep. Today I have great respect for that man and his principals. I am very proud to call him my dad.

This week I have found myself in exactly the same position he was in those many years ago. I have been on the run and worried sick about my personal safety. I now know precisely what he must have felt.

Mercifully I am currently in fairly safe territory (although I am not yet out of the woods kabisa) and as I write this, for the first time in days I do not have that sickening feeling at the pit of my stomach.

For the last 18 months I have been writing this blog from within the borders of our beautiful country. It has its advantages. Like the fact that I can mix with ordinary Kenyans at the grassroots and get their views. Or organize the poll that showed in the run up to the elections last year that ODM’s Raila Odinga would win 6 provinces out of the 8. Most of all it is easy to get a “feel” of exactly what is happening within the country. Now circumstances which I cannot give details of here (but have published a few more fascinating facts in my raw notes this week) have forced me to hurriedly leave.

It is rather fitting that on my last night in Nairobi two things happened. Firstly I had a long talk with my dad that happened purely by accident and without any prior arrangements. Secondly the headline on one of the leading dailies that day showed just how much things have NEVER changed since that day so long ago when I was being driven to school with a loaded gun in the car. In fact they have gotten incredasingly worse.

Let me start with the headline. Apparently a man called Deepak Kamani who had been on the police’s “most wanted” list has suddenly and mysteriously been cleared of all charges and suspicions. I will not say anymore about this man who featured prominently on the Kroll report and is one of the main names behind the mammoth Anglo Leasing scum. It is said that he is the same man who paid President Kibaki’s hospital bill in London shortly after that near fatal accident of 2002.

During my long talk with my dad, it occurred to me how we still do not agree about many issues (like he was sure that Hilary Clinton was going to easily secure the democratic nomination for the presidency and he also voted Kibaki in the last elections). Then on the other hand there are other things we are in total agreement about. Like the current political mood in the country the coming unprecedented famine and what is most likely to happen in the months to come. Folks we are seated on a time bomb that is about to explode big time. More on that in the days to come.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those wonderful people who have in one way or the other helped me and assisted me in any way small or big during this very difficult and trying time. Ahsante sana. Especially that close friend who has repeatedly gone out of their way to be of such great help, quite often sparing no expense.

Now, if you are reading this and you often get a feeling of being overwhelmed by corruption and injustices in Kenya, take heart. I am sure you feel like a flickering candle in the wind, but always remember that the flame will never be quenched until that day when it will be strong enough to burn down the entire forest called “corruption and injustices in Kenya.”

My dad survived because his conscience was clear and he knew he had done the right thing. For the same reason, Kumekucha too will survive.

P.S. Have you noticed how after the 2007 general elections the wrong people are on the run while the crooks are being cleared to come back to Kenya to rape some more? I am not talking about myself but about the long list of Kenyans who have had to leave the country suddenly. For instance do you guys know where Ted Josiah is and why he is there? Yep I am talking about that music producer guy.

Cheering Shameful Leadership from the Rear

Wentangula's goofs over violence in South Africa and AU mediator Adeneji were apt examples of poor leadership and disastrous diplomacy. He can choose the cheap Kenyan politician escape of denial and claiming to have been misquoted BUT CAMERAS DON'T LIE. But then this Kenya were DECEPTION and living in serial self denial are revered virtues.

Just like lies you have to use fraud and deception to prop up fraudulent leadership. As a nation we have taken deception to new levels. We shamelessly rush to rally behind our GOOFING and FRAUDULENT tribesmen at the slightest criticism even when caught red handed napping on the job. Reasoning by DISPLACEMENT is our forte during such missions. We readily sanitize their ROTTING leadership using cheap comparison with their political rivals. That is why 5 years of Kibaki's misrule and rape is less ruinous compared to Moi's 24.

True leadership is measured by the amount of conviction and effort a leader puts forward to confront a challenge and not how many years you compare yourself with an IMBECILE. Deflection from the truth never makes the TRUTH change its colour nor shade. Wetangula's diplomatic goof is symptomatic of the present leadership INCOMPETENCE. Remove Annan and Adeneji (his successor) and there would be no country called Kenya to talk about in the first place. Well, haters of the truth will jump to cheap justification with buzzwords like LETS MOVE ON. And there lies DECEPTION and FRAUD extraordinary - bandaging the cancer and wishing it away. We must be our own worst enemies.

Led by the tail
We must call our scoundrels bluff. Until we discard TRIBAL lenses and look truth in face and squarely face to its demands we are unwittingly fooling ourselves that HEALING and PROSPERITY can be built without hard choices. We must replace DECEPTION with the useful HONESTY. There are no two ways about this. There has never been and it won't be. Faint hearts never won any battle leave alone war. Opting for cheap and quick fixes is our national bane. Indulge and soothe your TRIBAL ego if you must but you are only fooling yourself in expecting miracles out of the indulgence. Our present leaders are a disgrace at best and a disaster at worst. Bring them on.

This Stupid thing called XENOPHOBIA!!

This is the picture of an African Immigrant in South Africa being burned alive as South Africa Police watch and have a GOOD time! Look at the policeman at the centre (isn't that a smile?)
God save our continent...
Ritch Invites You

Check out Kasarani.com, a new way to meet and keep in touch with Kenyans worldwide. You can even start your own blog on Kasarani! Click here to go to Kasarani.com now

Manchester Hoyeeee!

Ritch Invites You

By-Elections; ODM in Focus

Even as ODM holds its parliamentary group meeting at the Safari Park Hotel this morning, this blogger is informed that ODM is facing a daunting task in assuring its supporters that the party remains united and will emerge victorious following today's party nominations for the by elections.

There have been rumours of shadow-boxing in ODM and supporters fear that PNU and KANU have indeed infiltrated the ODM ranks including up to the Prime Minister's office. The anxiety peaked when ODM announced it had disbanded the National Elections Board previously headed by Justice (rtd) Richard Otieno Kwach and replaced it with a new team headed by former Rangwe MP Philip Okundi. No explanations have been forthcoming from the party why the Kwach team has had to be disposed.

Today, the public is singularly focused on ODM with all the mainstream media currently broadcasting regular updates on the on-going ODM nominations and the party's PG meeting.

As in the 2007 general elections, the ODM is once again showing political parties in Kenya why and how to conduct primaries in electing representatives to face opponents in the main elections.

Considering PNU, NARC-K, FORD-K, KADDU, etc have all intimated that they will be fielding independent candidates for these elections, it is strange that for the last one week, newspapers, TV and radio stations are only reporting on the ODM nomination exercise as it is the only political party in Kenya and its nominee will be the automatic MP.

For undisclosed reasons and not surprisingly, the ODM-K is not fielding even a single candidate in the by-elections and will instead support those of the PNU. Whereas Raila's ODM is in cabinet by right, Kalonzo's ODM-K owes cabinet positions to PNU and it is avoiding antagonistic actions that might be misinterpreted by its senior partner as a challenge to authority. Whichever way one looks at it, ODM-K MPs in cabinet are at the mercy of PNU - whatever the political subject in question! One would have expected a decision as to whether or not to field candidates to be made at a party National Delegates Congress, and certainly not at some backyard office in Nairobi as ODM-K is doing.

Exporting Deception, Lessons From Football

First congratulations to all drunk and sober souls still savouring last night's victory and glory in Moscow. Still here waiting to DETOXIFY before the visa waiver expires. THERE IS ONE UNITED and WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS.

With that double gloat off my chect, what can we learn as Kenyans from the beautiful game? One no shortcuts. You cannot afford to win a trophy via top up. But most important NO IMPUNITY and fair play is enforced to the letter. Those traits leaves you with a sour taste when you think of ELECTION THEFT. If one Samuel Kivuitu would have been a referee worth his name and beyond reproach Kenya would be the much better devoid of IDPs and the 1500 souls still alive. But then you cannot polish Lucifer in any angelic gab. or can you?

Now we have Kenyans running for their dear lives down in South Africa. Reason? Hostile local environment left no option of making it at home. And while abroad these Kenyans are overtly or covertly exporting our national pastime of DECEPTION hence the resentment. Very soon Southern Sudan will be the next xenophobic hot spot. Kenyan business people are used to SHORTCUTS to riches and the Sudanese are not taking it lightly.

Deception no industry
We are a country led by pretenders whose forte is DECEPTION which they defend with selective application of law. As a result Kenyans export ILLEGAL practices that readily boil to tensions outside our borders. As a nation are unwittingly caging ourselves into an exclusive home of scoundrels disguised as INDUSTRIOUS. This is no ethnic bashing by any means but a reality check. While locally those who raise their voices in opposing these vices are derided as DOMO, elsewhere the consequences are so grave so much so that the victims are often exterminated altogether.

Charity begins at home and you don't need to be a Nobel Economic laureate to see the local economic gloating for its true cheapness. While a section of Kenya brag of hosting more than 90% of Kenyan millionaires, their backyard is littered with abject poverty. The murderous Mungiki is an apt consequence of this HELL-FOR-LEATHER mentality. Simpy put we are in a hole and must stop digging. But again money rules our lives and preaching to the converted is a harlequin task. We can try though.

Check out Kasarani.com, a new way to meet and keep in touch with Kenyans worldwide. You can even start your own blog on Kasarani! Click here to go to Kasarani.com now

What A Pervert!

How Safe Is Our Money In The Banks?

It seems banks are not the revered places that we once thought. Just a week after writing about a friend who suffered an infiltrated account under an indigenous bank, today the daily nation money magazine is reporting the case Mr. Walubengo who had chillingly similar woes but this time with a local subsidiary of a heavily capitalized international bank which they say was among last year’s aggressive lenders.

Mr. Walumbengo and his wife Alice first lost Kshs.32,000/-in 1996 when they were transferring their money from the Nyeri to Nairobi branch. The money seems to have disappeared in transit with the Nyeri branch insisting that they had transferred it while the Nairobi branch of the same bank denied receipt of the same. They traveled extensively to Nairobi trying to trace their cash but gave up in frustration as the bank kept passing the buck between the branches. They decided to let go of the money.

February this year the couple noticed some curious ATM withdrawals from their statements. Another Kshs.32,000/- had disappeared from their accounts between December, 2007 and January, 2008. Some of the withdrawals were made at midnight in locations where they didn’t even know the bank has ATMs. Incidentally the withdrawals were made in branches where the ATMs have no security apparatus like CCTV. The bank insisted that the withdrawals were made using Mrs. Walubengo’s card and heaped blame on her for letting someone else access it. But according to her nobody else except her husband knew her PIN number. They were simply asked to retrace their steps while the bank too carried out their investigations.

But the bank was not done with the couple yet. Even after reporting the case, another Kshs.4,000/- disappeared and they decided to freeze the account. Two weeks later they were hit with another weird withdrawal of Kshs.31,000/- in cash advances even when for over 10 years they had never used a credit card to withdraw cash. They closed the account in frustration. But after the credit card saga, an account that the couple keeps with the same bank for heavy medical expenses was infiltrated and they lost a further Kshs.43,000/-. The bank is still investigating that too.

An employee of the bank admitted that there are numerous card fraud cases and many are still being investigated.

This story is adopted from the Daily Nation Money Magazine.

See also: Is your money safe in the bank?

Kenyans Attacked In SA !! KIBAKI IS TO BLAME

Kibaki must be held accountable for the attacks meted out on Kenyans in SA. He is 100% to blame.

We all know that these attacks on foreigners are mainly aimed at the millions of unskilled Zimbabwean workers surviving at the bottom ranks of South African society. These are the people who are stealing jobs that would otherwise go to South Africans of the same poverty status and skill level. Kenyan businessmen and professionals are just being caught up in the crossfire. There would be no problem if Zimbabwean workers stopped flooding South African low skill job sites.

I have been told that practically millions of Zimbabweans were eagerly anticipating the opportunity to return to their country had Mugabe accepted the election loss. Jamaas had packed their housewares while bus and train tickets to Zimbabwe were sold out. A few confident chaps had even resigned from their low paying jobs in the gold mines. It was all systems go, until Mugabe graduated from Kibaki's university.

Here is where Kibaki comes in. You see, Mugabe chose to steal the elections, Kibaki-style, under the strict guidance and advise from Kibaki himself. The postal workers have reported that Kibaki's congratulatory letter to Mugabe was on the way to Zimbabwe, five days prior to their election date.

The point is, without the election thieving example of Kibaki, Mugabe would have been very afraid to attempt such a travesty against the Zimbabwean people. Kibaki's determination not to be forcefully retired by the votes of Kenyan citizens encouraged and gave much confidence to Mugabe. To this day, Mugabe beams with immeasurable pride when he views the Doctoral Degree in Election Engineering awarded to him by Professor and Dean of Fraudulent Election Studies; Hon Kibaki.

Right now, Mugabe should be holed up in his palace carefully studying the latest catalog of Zimbabwean jails...with instructions to choose one. In turn, the millions of Zimbabwean workers in SA would be on their way back to their country thereby easing the competition for low skill jobs in SA. With the availability of 'their' jobs, South Africans would not see the need to hound foreigners out of their country. There would be no feelings of hate towards foreigners. It follows therefore that without the violence, Kenyans would be safe and doing brisk business as usual. Lakini, because of Kibaki, Kenyans in SA are in grave danger.

There you go folks. Those are the real ramifications of Kibaki's activities. The trickle down effect of his thievery is sure to affect Kenyans all over. The way I see it, Kibaki should stop advising other African presidents to do like he did. He should at the very least be mindful of Kenyans living in foreign lands. Fellas, every time incumbent presidents copycat Kibaki, Kenyans in those countries are bound to suffer.

Kibaki must shut down the University of Election Thievery…..esp. the statehouse road campus.

Check out Kasarani.com, a new way to meet and keep in touch with Kenyans worldwide. You can even start your own blog on Kasarani! Click here to go to Kasarani.com now

Ladies Beware of Perverts!

ODM Exporting Violence to SA

Following violence in South Africa targeting African immigrants, IDPs is acquiring new meaning for INTERNATIONALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE. Already more than 3000 Kenyans have fallen victims of the orgy of violence in Johannesburg and Pretoria. ODM's detractors will readily jump into snide conclusion that the party has successfully exported its brand of violence to demand EQUITY.

The scenarios may be very different but the common thread between the SA violence and our local version following stolen elections is SENSE of INEQUITY and domination. Call it whatever you fancy but every geographical local on this planet has its ANCESTRAL and IMMIGRANT owners. No amount of selective application of the law can effectively address such feelings.

SA may be excused for they may be considered still smarting from apartheid and white domination. But there lies a potent lesson on how to harness peaceful coexistence among a people. I pray the violence gets contained and our fellow Kenyans continue with their daily lives out there. Their home country is a flame already and the imagination of coming back is just too grim.

PS: Less than 20 hours to Moscow glory and counting. Poor brother Drogba. The guy is marvelous but unfortunately he is playing for the runners up. THERE IS ONLY ONE UNITED.

Check out Kasarani.com, a new way to meet and keep in touch with Kenyans worldwide. You can even start your own blog on Kasarani! Click here to go to Kasarani.com now

Guy Abandons His Family And Marries First Cousin

Raila, Mboya And How History Always Repeats Itself

David Goldsworthy never met Tom Mboya and yet the Australian political scientist penned a classic work on the brilliant politician; Tom Mboya: The Man Kenya wanted to forget that is an absolute must-read for anybody who wants to understand Kenyan politics.

In that fascinating read (now sadly out of print) Goldsworthy notes the most serious mistake the otherwise brilliant Tom Mboya made. In fact it was the mistake that cost him his life. The Kiambu mafia used Mboya to deal with what was the most serious threat to the Kenyatta presidency—the Luo threat through the then community leader Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. Mboya saw Jaramogi as nothing more than a tribal chief. Jaramogi saw Mboya as a young upstart who though he was too smart. There was absolutely no love lost between the two. This was probably one of the reasons why Mboya used his brilliance to finish off Jaramogi politically in the most ruthless manner. That was Mboya’s big mistake because as Goldsworthy notes, when the job was done and Jaramogi was safely out of the way, this in fact paved way for the assassination of Mboya. He had finished his assignment and was the only threat remaining in the horizon for the Kiambu mafia who were at the time already accumulating wealth like Kenya was about to shut down.

In other words, in politics it is not a good thing to finish off your enemy completely because as long as they exist there is work for you and therefore your long term survival is guaranteed.

Fascinatingly the son of Mboya’s arch enemy is in that exact position now that Mboya was in 1969. Raila Odinga as Prime Minister is rapidly proving that old adage that it is what you make of the office that determines exactly the kind of power one wields. But one of the assignments that the Prime Minister has found increasingly placed on his laps is that of sorting out the mess in the Rift Valley. His close supporters are enraged that Agwambo should end up being asked to clean up the mess that was in fact caused by the decision to steal the presidency from him. But then that is life. Raila is the Prime Minister of Kenya and he has to deal with the most serious problem facing Kenya today.

Already retired president Moi is busy building up dissent against Raila within ODM and the high noon of Raila versus the Kalenjin is rapidly approaching (see my latest raw notes for details). I am of course aware of the statement that Raila made yesterday which caused a lot of panic in the PNU camp, asking for the release of those arrested in connection to post election violence. That does not change the fact that we have a showdown looming very soon.

Raila will want to re-read Goldsworthy’s book, assuming that he has already read it at least once. He should then note that the Kalenjin community even in the days to come as they rise against him, are very important for his long time survival. I have no doubt on my mind as to who the winner will be in such a contest and neither should anybody who understands the current political situation in the country. Hate him or like him, but the fact is that Raila has outsmarted many and will continue to do so for many days to come. But Raila must be careful to appreciate the largest community in the Rift Valley, even as his political enemies. And in the contest to come must make sure that whatever he does, and whatever the government that is part of does, the Kalenjin should not be defeated completely.

His political partners at PNU are already eager that the “Kalenjin threat” is dealt with once and for all and have already assigned huge sums of money to the project and have made all sorts of promises which I discuss in great detail my raw notes this week.

Check out Kasarani.com, a new way to meet and keep in touch with Kenyans worldwide. You can even start your own blog on Kasarani! Click here to go to Kasarani.com now

Traffic Generation! - Get *free* traffic to your Website Guaranteed! Check it out - It's free!

Couple's midnight row over strange sms

Kibaki Succession and Politics of Miracles

Last weekend’s endorsement of Kalonzo as Kibaki’s heir presumptive by Gema may have been the soothing lyrics of a political hymn Brother Steve needed to complete his journey of MIRACLES. If only politics was not an earthly pursuit whose dividends are often directly proportional to your previous calculative investments. But again miracles happen and you need a very big heart full of patients to benefit from such goodies.

Kibaki succession is here with a deafening bang. Forget about all the denials that are nothing but true symptoms of a people whose middle name spells DECEPTION and all its derivatives. Kalonzo will have floods of accolades assaulting his ears in the interim when politically expedient. One only prays and hopes that God-fearing Steve listens to his inner little voice. True to the Jews adage he is a handy sacrificial goat who can be lavishly fattened oblivious of the ultimate slaughter house.

Kibaki and incumbency are the principal threads holding Gema together. Cast your eyes back to Ford Asili-DP days and see the plastic union for what it truly is. The players may be different but the HELL-FOR-LEATHER script remains as solid as before. Only self-deception oiled by blind quest to DOMINATE others at whatever cost blindness can prevent any Kenyan from seeing the impeding tower of Babel following Kibaki’s exit. Well, nobody ever suffered constipation from overindulgence in self-denial.

Loyal marionette
Look around you and what do you see? Yes, you read that OLD and empty Bantu-Nilote divide here on Kumekucha. And why not? You can as well resort to the old and tested gimmicks of deceptively cajoling others to bend over so that you can have their backs for you eternal ride. Moreover you can even butcher lower primary civics if it can help advance your course. Trust average minds to shamelessly peddle falsehood in rewriting basic history. The unpleasant truth is that such cheap epithets have the unfortunate tendency to bounce on you face with devastating consequences. But again souls devoid of any element of shame will gleefully swim in the same murk oblivious of the stench aand embarrassment.

Just like a boy marvels at a toy believing the contraption is a real nascar, Kalonzo is better advised to fully message his political ego with the endorsements that are made with the singular purpose of not being honoured. The rich calculative history DECEPTION and INSINCERITY is not about to be wiped just yet. Scoundrels will make you smell honey but make sure you don’t lay your hand on the jar. In the long run their objective is superlatively served with you as the willing marionette.

Welcome to political deception extraordinaire made in Kenya for Kenyans. In our shores THEFT is nothing but alternative possession, DECEPTION is reversed industry quest for fairness and equity is envy or laziness exhibited as parroting (DOMO). Speak of immaculately protecting a vice with a golden fence.

Check out Kasarani.com, a new way to meet and keep in touch with Kenyans worldwide. You can even start your own blog on Kasarani! Click here to go to Kasarani.com now

Traffic Generation! - Get *free* traffic to your Website Guaranteed! Check it out - It's free!

Folly of Legislating Peace and Tribalism

The National Ethnic and Race Relations Commission Bill is the brand new political gimmick to legislate against SUFFOCATING NEGATIVE ETHNICITY. Well, the charade that is Kenyan politics never ceases to amaze. Our political landscape is replete with marvellous ideas that are manufactured with the principal purpose of never implementing them. Our political leadership is so SHAMELESS so much so that it has no qualms starting a fire only to turn around and cry wolf. Falling for quick unsustainable fixes is our forte and self-deception the national mantra.

While the internally displaced are being carted to their own devices in the expansive Rift Valley, Kenya’s political leadership is busy fashioning motions meant to create impression of a solution. The process is watered by selective quotation and application of the law for political expediency. All the tough talk only succeed in messaging bloated egos of the political scoundrels. And why not when they are secure in the knowledge that their loyalists sing along albeit oblivious of the impending cliff ahead.

We are a country busy chasing her own tail. Stop gap measures forms the nucleus of all our efforts to combating any challenge. If we are not forming commissions to investigate other commissions, we are manufacturing security committees to duplicate the police force. Political expediency seems to run through any decision made by our leaders. Beholden to regional and ethnic interests, these leaders have to look over their shoulders before making up their mind on any decision regardless of its weight and impact on the Kenyan nation.

Legislating commonsense
It is foolhardy to inflict pain unto yourself and cry for mercy from elsewhere.
It is foolhardy to inflict pain unto yourself and cry for mercy from elsewhere.
Kenya and her present leaders have perfected the game of hollow semantics. While making efforts is commendable towards finding a lasting solution to any malady, we only fool ourselves with tokenism and half measures disguised as objective blueprints. We need no research to uproot the entrenched negative ethnicity as conceived by Kenyatta, delivered by Moi and weaned to the present monster by Kibaki.

Our sorry face for politicians can indulge all they wish in soothing their egos but only hard and HONEST decisions can rehabilitate us out of the present state of national comatose. No amount of pretence that dutifully addresses the symptoms of our national ailment that conveniently leaves the cause to fester to cancerous proportions will wash. It is high time we stopped cheating ourselves that you can LEGISLATE PEACE, never you can't. Peace can only be CULTIVATED in an environment where every Kenyan feels valued, a sense of belonging and respected.

HONESTY and SELFLESSNESS are irreplaceable pillars in pursuit of lasting PEACE and national COHESION. The corollary is to continue with our national pastime of DECEPTION and doublespeak in the religious footsteps of our esteemed top TRIBAL CLERICS. And at that rate our MPs will next time embark on legislating commonsense.

Check out Kasarani.com, a new way to meet and keep in touch with Kenyans worldwide. You can even start your own blog on Kasarani! Click here to go to Kasarani.com now

Traffic Generation! - Get *free* traffic to your Website Guaranteed! Check it out - It's free!

What Are The Political Fireworks Really All About?

The big question keen analysts of Kenyan politics are asking themselves this week is a simple one but complex to answer. That is, is the PM against the formation of a grand opposition or is he secretly for it?

Our own Phil of Kumekucha said here last week that secretly Raila supports the formation of the grand coalition as a way to keep his PNU opponents in check. Indeed the statement the Prime Minister gave a few hours ago in Western Kenya seems to suggest that if indeed the PM was against the formation of an opposition then he has softened his stand. Raila told journalists that he had no problem with back-benchers forming an opposition only that they would have to form a new political party and seek fresh mandate since it was not feasible for an MP in the ruling coalition to at the same time be in the opposition.

The reason why this question of the PM's stand is so important is because if it is indeed true that Raila is strongly against the formation of an opposition, the the only other conclusion we can make is that there is a serious rebellion brewing within the ranks of ODM which could threaten the existence of the shaky coalition government. Not that PNU is doing any better.

Then there is the question of the Kibaki succession which is clearly shaping up to be some very serious business that will make the Moi succession seem like kid's play.

Yours truly is very busy digesting unfolding events countrywide and will be back here before the weekend is out to give you a more substantial post of what is really going on.

Rumours persist that Mike Tyson will fight again very soon and guess who his opponent is?

Check out Kasarani.com, a new way to meet and keep in touch with Kenyans worldwide. You can even start your own blog on Kasarani! Click here to go to Kasarani.com now

Traffic Generation! - Get *free* traffic to your Website Guaranteed! Check it out - It's free!

Interesting Goings-on In ODM

Yesterday an anonymous reader asked: “………Phil, I posed some questions to you and Chris, but you ignored me. Anyway, now Ruto is throwing the spanner in the works. Phil, what is going on in ODM????”

Well, well….here is an interesting piece from the The People on Sunday. It has so far not been denied by ODM Secretary General Anyang Nyongo, neither has the ODM Spokesman Salim Lone said anything. I do not want to be the one to speculate, but since we know powerful people within ODM (and PNU) read this blog religiously, there you are.

Isahakia Sabotaging Raila: The Man Odm Wants Out

Recent media reports (The People On Sunday May 4, 2008) about a fierce war by officers at the Premier’s office barely scratch the bottom of what is really at stake for Raila Odinga and ODM.

The man drawing discontent in the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is Dr. Mohammed Isahakia, erstwhile head of the ODM Presidential Campaign Secretariat, former director of National Museums of Kenya and former Permanent Secretary (PS) whom Moi sacked severally under controversial circumstances and now the re-invented boss at the critical PM’s office.

He is the only PS in the history of civil service re-appointed to public office while still facing misuse of office allegations in court in addition to being past retirement age. He is such a persona that his support base (Muslims) and party (ODM) fraternity do not want him near any decision–making but the Prime Minister is weighed down with him.

He is also the “enemy within” that party bigwigs and strategists tag for spirited sabotage manoeuvres of the ODM electioneering campaigns, misuse of campaign funds, fiasco in cabinet portfolio balance in power-sharing negotiations and short-changing in public service appointments, but who has been planted on the PM as his closest minder.

Recent reports of infighting within the PM’s office and disquiet within ODM hierarchy is but a tip of the iceberg as the PM faces credibility questions from his own party. Members of the Pentagon, cabinet ministers and large pools of professional support groups cite lack of integrity by officers in his office. Prime Minister Raila Odinga is indeed in danger of squandering an image build over the years as a man after real change in governance.

Premier’s Office in Disarray

The recent squabble might seem to be between Dr. Isahakia and Raila’s close political aide, the Secretary of Administration at the PM’s office, Mr. Caroli Omondi; but the gulf runs much deeper. On the PM’s instruction, Mr. Omondi wrote to the Justice Aaron Ringera-headed KACC asking for a brief on the controversially alleged handover of Grand Regency Hotel by Kamlesh Patni, of the Goldenberg infamy. Mr. Omondi, a lawyer and ODM liaison officer at the on-going Serena Mediation talks signed off as the “Chief of Staff” for the PM.

Apparently upset that Raila had overlooked him in “protocol”, Dr. Isahakia is said to have appealed to newfound confidante - the Head of Civil Service Mr. Francis Muthaura - to put the record straight on the pecking order at the PM’s office. Motivating Isahakia was the desire to spite the PM amidst suspicion that the PM is already overwhelmed by appeals to cut him loose. In an offhand rude putdown to Raila and Omondi, Muthaura - in the now-famous insolent manner he has come to treat the PM - did not let his buddy down; he was least bothered with courtesies and official channels.

He contemptuously let fly through the media his disdain for Raila; Muthaura was categorical that no one will bother with a reply since government structures had no “chief of staff” and only Dr. Isahakia could author such requests. This is despite the letter downright stating that “I have been directed by the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister…” Insubordination is the strategy to Muthaura has chosen to let the PM know his place.

The relationship between Muthaura and Dr. Isahakia is intriguing and a source of great anxiety within ODM. In the heat of disagreements over portfolio balance, the two were used as point’s men by President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila respectively in heated correspondence, when one-on-one meetings failed. Dr. Isahakia was the errand boy for ODM on “portfolio balance” in meetings with Muthaura for PNU. It through these engagements that the two developed a conspiratorial working rapport.

The Saboteur

Back to ODM portfolio balance negotiations, a red flag was first raised when media leaks begun to portray ODM as constantly conceding on its “irreducible minimum” in portfolio balance. Sources say that “coincidences were too many” when approved “portfolio balance” presentations to PNU were concisely substituted with new ones once in the hands of Isahakia.

“It was baffling. For instance, the strategists would work on a document and fine tune it for presentation. But between Isahakia’s offices for the PM’s approval, the document would acquire different proposals. Of course the PM would assume that the changes were by the strategy team as it had been presented to him!” said a distraught official. He cited the leak that portrayed ODM ceding Foreign Affairs, Internal Security and Finance to PNU even before any discussion was held as a fake document that was traced back to an Isahakia sidekick at Pentagon House.

It was determined that Isahakia had been “turned” in espionage to ensure a favourable deal for PNU because he was “too compromised” by his past. In his mole role, Isahakia was/has strategically been placed to feed Raila with misinformation. Henceforth Isahakia would not meet alone with Muthaura. He would be shadowed by Mr. Caroli Omondi, Dalmas Otieno and Amukowa Anagwe.

However, Isahakia would pull a first one; he recruited Dalmas Otieno and Amukowa Anagwe into his confidence. At Sagana where ‘portfolio balance’ was agreed only Isahakia and Muthaura and the two principals were present. It is noteworthy that not even the highest decision-making organ – Pentagon - at ODM was aware of Sagana. Subsequently Isahakia would evade ‘his tails’ in meetings with his new-found villain Muthaura to fine tune the agreement and finalise appointments to cabinet and civil service that has became the source of fury in ODM.

“It is uncanny how Isahakia connived to meet alone with Muthaura and agree on PS allotments and then tell a tall story as already plotted by them to the PM”, said an ODM MP.

Plot to Fix Raila’s Reputation

In a much Isahakia’s positioning is a source of ire, diehard supporters of the PM fear that it is an insidious long-term PNU plot to politically fix Raila. To begin with among the presidential candidates, it only the Raila Odinga who presented himself as “Mr. Clean” and on behalf ODM promised to fight corruption. In the campaigns, Raila would scold opponents as representing “business as usual” in reference to their alleged corrupt backgrounds in public perception.

“It comes as shocking and alarming to supporters that the PM has within his office people with stained and dubious reputations”, said a professional from Nyanza.

Supporters are worried that apart from Isahakia himself, the latter in complicity with Muthaura is busy recruiting into PM’s office wheeler dealer Tony Gachoka as a Senior Assistant Secretary for protocol and a Major Idris who left the armed forces procurement department under a dubious cloud as a Deputy Secretary. This is being done without following laid down procedures indicating the length head of public service, Muthuara is prepared to prop up his friend and go to have PNU-friendly insiders around the PM.

Most of PM’s close confidants are lost for words that their interventions to have the PM cut loose Dr. Isahakia have hit a brick wall. Dr. Isahakia continues to call the shots even as he continues, according to ODM insiders, “to mislead the PM into PNU traps at every corner”. It is in this light that Raila is said to be quietly shifting political responsibilities to Mr. Omondi prompting Isahakia to wage insurgency in cohorts with Muthaura.

“We sincerely do not know where the Captain got this man and why”, said an irate ODM Pentagon member when asked about Isahakia’s recruitment as campaign head adding he found the PS “lazy, manipulative and inopportune”. “He confessed to me that he knew nothing about managing campaigns and proved it”, he said.

“I can tell you the man is incapable of writing a simple memo”, said a former minister whose sentiments were supported by a member of ODM strategy team who had to re-draft “juvenile” memos from Isahakia.

“We don’t know this man’

However, insiders told us that Dr. Isahakia as the ODM Presidential Campaign Secretariat head was part of the deal in the contentious and debilitating “Muslim MOU” authored by NAMLEF, the Muslims lobby group that was at the centre of the debate during that 2007 campaigns. In the course of the campaigns, however, it transpired Dr. Isahakia abandoned the Muslim agenda and became a material broker for vested interests in the party nominations, especially Muslim parliamentary constituencies. Furthermore, the source claimed, campaign funds released to the area never reached the intended beneficiaries. They cite a case of Ksh.1m meant for a coordinator who only received Ksh200, 000 from Dr. Isahakia.

“He is responsible for the fiasco that saw us loose ground in North Eastern to PNU as he substituted strategic parliamentary candidates with his cronies in the area for some consideration. Somehow, most of his recommended candidates lost to PNU”, said a party strategist from the region who sought anonymity.

As if these were not enough, the Muslim community feels short-changed in the recent PS appointment by ODM which led to a delegation that asked the PM to fire his PS. Sources in NAMLEF say that Dr. Isahakia colluded with PNU to ensure that names for ODM Muslim appointees to PS positions, like the those from other regions, were replaced by PNU appointees.

Players in the on-going saga who fear that there is a larger PNU plot to isolate the PM from his support bases point out that PNU is already using its manipulation of PS appointments to its advantage in ODM support areas. “I can tell you that other than one Secretary, none of those PSs with Muslim names are ODM supporters”, said an NAMLEF official.

The story is the same everywhere; Kanu is busy taunting ODM in Rift Valley since all PS appointees are its supporters to the chagrin of ODM Kalenjin professionals. In Western, ODM was even upstaged by ODM-K and Ford-Kenya where they got one PS each to none for ODM! In addition, Kibaki retained his previous appointees.

More recently, there are unconfirmed reports circulating among Muslims that ODM cabinet and PS positions were “bought” for as much as Ksh30 million and Ksh20, 000 respectively.

‘Dirty Hands’

The insinuation of dirtied hands at the PM’s office goes back to the campaigns. The issue of misappropriation of campaign funds is not new. At the height of the campaigns, the media cited conflict of interest in the award of tenders at Orange House, the party headquarters. To date, the party secretariat has not accounted for the millions that aspirants on the ODM ticket paid as nominations fees.

What did not attract media attention; however, were the goings-on at the Presidential Campaign Secretariat headquarters then based at Dr. Isahakia’s private office at Titan House near Yahya Centre. Information now sipping out reveals that despite public perception that ODM was a well-funded machine; the presidential campaign had to operate from hand-to-mouth most of December as cartels at the secretariat under Dr. Isahakia’s command siphoned off millions in procurement deals that nearly derailed the campaign.

“You had the ‘Isahakia boys’ inflate transport, publicity and security procurements while major needs were left bleeding for want of money. Their trick was to ensure that the logistics for members of Pentagon campaigns teams were well executed to blindside them from seeing the sabotage from within”, we were told by a regional coordinator from Rift Valley.

He said Isahakia dillydallied with the roll-out for recruitment and training programmes for presidential agents in an act that many saw as sabotage. At the intervention of the strategy team, this task was personally delegated to Mr. Omondi by the presidential candidate. It is no wonder campaign tuff wars have been extended to the PM’s office.

Fraudulent deals

Another case darkens the clouds over Isahakia are revelations about an internal opinion poll that cost Ksh6 million. A member of the media team based at Raila’s private offices at Raila Odinga Centre (ROC) House in the Upper Hill area of Nairobi revealed that Isahakia recruited a former Kanu insider and PS Dr. Jeremiah Ngeno and made him “head of technical services”.

Dr. Ngeno was meant to be answerable to the high powered strategy team based at Rainbow House in Kawangware but never shared any information with it, choosing instead to chain himself at Isahakia’s Titan office. It turned out that Dr. Ngeno never carried out any field work for the opinion poll. Instead, our source said, the couple (Isahakia and Dr. Ngeno) teamed up with Dr. Simbili current PS Planning ministry at the PM’s office, and used rehashed data from the national sampling agency from the ministry.

The strategy team that used to advice on itinerary was shut out when it demanded to see the protocol for the poll, samples of questionnaires and tabulations. After evading the team’s demands Dr. Ngeno would secretly present “polling results” to the ODM candidate which was used to map out his campaign itinerary in the final days of the campaign. This ensured that the campaign was diverted into investing resources and time in useless trips to regions that had little added value. The heightened poll results showed PNU winning and thus panicked ODM into frantic campaigns.

Too late it would be discovered that in fact Dr. Isahakia, Dr. Ngeno and Dr. Sambili actually used poll results earlier commissioned by PNU through the Ministry of Planning under Dr. Sambili’s direction to mislead the ODM campaign. All this time, just like it would happen during the post-election negotiations with Isahakia, that time the candidate would be presented with a fait accompli that Dr. Ngeno was an emissary of the strategy team.

“Sack this man’

“At one time, people just got fed-up and told the Captain to fire Isahakia if he expected a win”, said a volunteer who worked at Rainbow House in the ODM strategy team.

“However, to our dismay almost all senior staff at the secretariat were fired except Isahakia”, the volunteer said addicting that the PS’s management style by deception and double-dealing has served him well, and that “you do not get into a dog-fight with Isahakia and win”.

Today, Dr. Sambili having been retained as PS Ministry of Planning in the Premier’s Office is working closely with Dr. Ngeno on harmonising party manifestoes for the Grand Coalition Government.

A minister whom Isahakia have worked under in the public service says that “yeye ni mutu wa kukupotosha” (he misleads you) and then pretends to be the one solving the problem.

“Isahakia uses bad-mouthing to the boss as a potent weapon. He has succeeded in isolating the PM from his trusted teams”, said a former PS now an ODM MP referring to the dismissal of long-serving Raila aides during the campaign ostensibly due to financial misappropriation. It is said Isahakia has mastered the art of passing the buck to his subordinates. He would set people up by goading them into a deal and then rush to “report”.

In this way Isahakia is said to have managed to get rid of former Raila PA Dave Arunga, and Head of Campaign Finance and ODM party secretary general Tony Chege. This was after he had instigated fallout between Raila’s personal assistant Serah Elderkin on one hand and Raila’s daughter Rosemary Akinyi who was the deputy to Director of Communications Kibisu-Kabatesi on the other. The latter two had questioned the opaque use of publicity money.

The bad blood between Isahakia and the strategy team, many whose names were dropped from PS appointments must be seen in this context. To completely obliterate the team’s central role in advising the Premier, Isahakia is lobbying that it be deployed to the party as departmental directors. Indeed, a source confirms that there is a plot to close Pentagon House, which is an important symbol for ODM.

Indeed, the PM is now surrounded by gatekeepers who are Isahakia cohorts. Information indicates that Isahakia is currently up in arms against a new structure in the PM’s office that donors have agreed to support. That the recent snide accusations that foreigners are “babysitting” the PM by PNU are part of his counter attack strategy so as not to lose influence on the PM.

Check out Kasarani.com, a new way to meet and keep in touch with Kenyans worldwide. You can even start your own blog on Kasarani! Click here to go to Kasarani.com now

Traffic Generation! - Get *free* traffic to your Website Guaranteed! Check it out - It's free!

Master of Pretence and Betrayal

The Grand Coalition Government is one political animal that is too big for its nest. The truth is that the PNU-ODM marriage of convenience ended immediately it was consummated. Kibaki had his face on the pact but his heart and intentions still lie elsewhere despite spirited pronouncements to the contrary. He was dragged into the pact by both international and local pressure.

Kenya is in EXTRAORDINARY state which needs EXTRAORDINARY leadership which Kibaki cannot offer. His apologists still shamelessly deride protesters who forced the THIEF to relent as uncivilized. Well, only myopia can sanitize fidelity to a skewed law. Kenyans are ahead of the THIEVES and PNU’s call to turn to the courts was a script delivered straight from political scoundrels.

Fraudulent company
Kibaki’s fraudulent mantra has loyal students in Mugabe and the junta in Burma. These are dinosaurs whose political relevance starts and ends with their marionette nature. Mugabe the independence hero was to Zimbabweans what Kibaki was to Kenyans in 2002. As soon as Kenyans delivered Kibaki to State House after two unsuccessful bids before, he embarked on unparalleled mission to TRIBALIZE Kenya than never seen before.

So here we are a country crying for leadership but our tears is being mocked by a scoundrel ruling by proxy and cronies. Well, sitting on a fraudulent pedestal denies you any trace of moral authority to govern. And no CEO leaves his subordinates to run the show downhill without lifting a finger. It is even worse when the very subordinates are privy to your soft underbelly. Only a miracle can have people pulling in different directions move in the same direction.

Kibaki's bane is traceable to his archaic mindset moulded in nostalgia of the 1950s. We belong to different generation and IMPUNITY and utter contempt of Kenyatta's time will be resisted with all the might and sweat. Kenyans demonstrated their might on December 27 last year only for the THIEF-IN-CHIEF to trash their democratic and birth right with all the bravado and impunity by stealing elections. Well, gloating you can but the time to account for collective and individual misdeeds is nigh. It is only a matter of when and not if.

Air force man's crazy mzungu woman fantasy led to tragedy

Check out Kasarani.com, a new way to meet and keep in touch with Kenyans worldwide. You can even start your own blog on Kasarani! Click here to go to Kasarani.com now

The Real Culprits

Guest Post By Sam O. Okello

Fellow Kenyans,

The other day I heard Martha Karua speak eloquently in support of Kalonzo Musyoka's contention that those who committed crimes against humanity during the horrible weeks after the stolen elections must be punished. I fully agree with these two characters, but only if everybody is indeed punished. I don't need to go over the manner in which the election was stolen. The arrogance and impunity speaks for itself. What Kenyans need to remember, before we embark on the administration of justice, is that there are levels of responsibility in the manner in which events unfolded. Here is my list of the levels.

1. President Kibaki. This man, back in 2002, was elected by Kenyans to unite the nation. His presidency brought Kenya tribal hatred, an economy skewed against the poor and an election that he refused to concede. Now, the reason Kibaki should face punishment before anybody else is...he was the head of state. He was the one whose security apparatus presided over the killing and maiming of innocent Kenyans. Had he chosen to walk away after losing the elections, nobody would have died. For him to now turn around and blame others for the mess he orchestrated tells us a lot about this man's character. What a shameless goon!

2. Samuel Kivuitu. This man presided over a sham election. He knew that Kibaki had lost the election and yet went ahead to declare him the winner. Did Kivuitu hope that Kenyans would just fold up and accept a stolen election? And just how much was he paid to swing the thing Kibaki's way? It's my contention that had Kivuitu not accepted a bribe, and had he not called the election for Kibaki, Kenyans would not have needlessly died. For him to still occupy the chairmanship of the ECK speaks to what kind of a man he is. How dumb!

3. John Michuki. This man was in charge of internal security. He led the police force in brutalizing Kenyans, killing men women and children. If it can be proved that he coordinated efforts with the Mungiki, then indeed this is the man who killed Kenyans. He is responsible for the atrocities the forces committed against Kenyans. For him to sit out there and pretend he is innocent makes a mockery of the judicial system in Kenya. Idiot.

4. Uhuru Kenyatta. I watched this man in Nakuru at the height of the election violence. He was on a track, ostensibly on a mission to bring peace to Nakuru. But his body language spoke about his true intentions. He was in Nakuru to cheer the murderous Mungiki on. What does he know about the Mungiki? What does he know about how the election theft was planned? What made him insist he was going to be in government several months before the elections? To the extent that Kenyans died, Uhuru Kenyatta cannot escape blame for helping orchestrate the game plan that led to the death of Kenyans.

5. General Ali. The police commissioner is a man I pity. It's now clear that he so deplored the tactics employed by the Kibaki people that he resigned. But he was marched back to work. He catches blame because as the man who is responsible for the actions of his officers, he should have stopped their murderous campaign. If he feared for his life, like I'm aware he was, he should have fled the country. Honor is a great thing, General.

Guys, that's my list. Now, I know there will be people who ask why Ruto's name doesn't make my list. It's for the same reason I leave out the Mungiki and the Kalenjin warriors who raided an Eldoret church and fought like hell to drive out the invading Mungiki. What I'm saying is that The Mungiki and The Kalenjin warriors were responding to events that were planned by the five culprits I mentioned above. Did you expect the Kalenjin warriors to sit by and watch the wholesale slaughter of their children and wives? Did you expect the Mungiki to watch as their community in the diaspora was decimated by the rest of Kenya? I don't think so. These brave boys all fought to protect their people...even if they did it for the wrong reasons. By fighting like they did, they fought other people's wars. They fought a war planned by Kibaki's people.

So when the time comes to punish the evil people, we must start with Kibaki and go down the chain. This situation where the people who planned the evil are excused and the small man who valiantly fought to defend himself is blamed will not stand. It may now, but as sure as the sun sets in the east, it will only breed more discontent and will bring us the next implosion.

Is anybody listening?

If you are, here is my proposal. Punish Kibaki and his team, the people who led us down this path, or let the boys in prisons across Kenya go. We will not allow the fat cats to dump their foolishness on the small man. And to the small man, the time has come to think of Kenya in different terms. Aren't we tired of fighting the wars of these tycoons? Why do we kill each other for them?

I ask the Mungiki leadership, the young Luos around the world, the Kalenjin warriors, the youthful Luhya Brigade and the Coastal Vijana to rethink their political and economic situation. Maybe the time has come to worry about a future beyond these people. Maybe Luke Mboya is right to ask for a shift in our thinking. Maybe only younger leaders will save us.

Terrible secrets from rich Asian households

Check out Kasarani.com, a new way to meet and keep in touch with Kenyans worldwide. You can even start your own blog on Kasarani! Click here to go to Kasarani.com now

Balance Behind Sanity

Breaking News: Cabinet Minister's Son Killed In Crazy Freak Accident

News just in is that the son of a prominent politician and cabinet minister in the grand coalition government was killed just a few hours ago in a crazy freak accident.

The 23 year old lad was killed by a falling helicopter that hit him and then dragged him several meters before finally trapping him under the intense heat of the burning fuselage. Apart from the 3 occupants of the helicopter who were all killed, the young Kenyan was the only person on the ground killed.

Eyewitnesses say that the victim was not able to hear the falling helicopter because he was listening to music on stereo earphones. Apparently he had just stepped out for a walk.

The accident occurred in Cranbrook BC, Canada.

The dead Kenyan was identified as Isaiah Otieno (23) who was a student at the College of the Rockies. Isaiah is believed to be the son of cabinet minister Dalmas Otieno. As you read this the parents are said to be making hasty arrangements to fly out to Canada from Kenya. My sources in Kenya close to the family say that he is the son of one of the politician's younger wives.

What are the chances of being hit by a falling helicopter? One in 10 million? It is for this reason that there is no doubt that tongues will be wagging overtime in Nyanza with all sorts of mambo jumbo conspiracy stuff and superstitious theories. How insensitive Kenyans can be sometimes.

I take this opportunity on behalf of myself and all Kumekuchans to communicate our deep and sincere condolences to the family and friends of this young Kenyan who no doubt had a lot of promise before him. Our prayers go out to those who were close to him at this time of shock, disbelief and inconsolable grief.

Read the full story HERE

A recent photo of the late Isaiah Otieno

Kimunya's Budget: Daylight Robbery?

Following recent comments on this blog about skewed national resource allocation and suggestions to bloggers to send-in proposals to Treasury which they feel might be included into the forthcoming government financial year budget, the following is reposted here at Kumekucha for the benefit of the many Kenyan citizens and tax payers who visit this blog. This is an opportunity for patriotic citizens to show that they can also, in their own small way, play a constitutionally given role in shaping the destiny of this country.

NOTICE ON PROPOSALS FOR THE BUDGET FOR F/Y 2008/2009

This article was first published at Bungle La Mwananchi.

Mwananchi 2008/9 Budget-Put your Thumprint!

Bunge La Mwananchi proposes that the Government's budget should be balanced at 60:40 where 60% is development and 40% recurrent expenditures.

Kenya's 2008/9 budget year (commencing 15th June, 2008) is almost here!

Bunge La Mwananchi (Kenya People's Parliament ) is working on delivering a MWANANCHI BUDGET before Hon. Amos Kimunya gives us the GRAND POLITICAL BUDGET.

In this regard, we are currently studying previous years' budgets to identify trends and priorities in Government expenditures so as to bring those areas into sharp focus. Bunge La Mwananchi proposes that the Government's budget should be balanced at 60:40 where 60% is development and 40% recurrent expenditures.

Let me give you a sneak preview of some of the things we are discovering:

For the last 5 years, the State House budget allocation for transport has been as follows:

Firstly, State House is said to have 149 official cars. This is not easy to establish, but for argument's sake we will work with the figure of 149 cars. Further, each car is budgeted to consume 114 litres of fuel per day. Surely, besides maybe the President's Limousine, there is no car in Kenya that has the tank capacity of over 100 litres of fuel. Even further investigation reveals that all that is required to account for the 114 litres of fuel used per day, is for one to produce a receipt for that amount of litres from any petrol station. A rather dubious accounting mechanism that raises alot of questions in any self respecting audit. To qualify that, the account's receipt doesnot show the automated fuel pump's reading.

Taking it further, we will recall that in the last 5 years, save for the Referendum and the General Election which were ostensibly not Government affairs but political parties affairs, President Kibaki did not travel from State House much. If you do some quick math of amount of fuel allocated over that period of time (149 cars X 114 litres of fuel per car per day X 365 days X 5 years) you will arrive at a whooping 30,999,450 litres of fuel. Take it a step further and translate that into shillings at an average of 65/= per litre... K.Shs. 2,014,964,250. Yes, it is over K.Shs. 2 billion...

And that is only one area of one government department's expenditure. A literal tip of the iceberg. You would be shocked if you dug deeper into other departments and contextualized the findings!

The billion shilling question is, where did all this fuel really go? Who might have spent the EXTRA money and on what?

Fellow Kenyans and friends of Kenya, we must not allow this kind of loop holes in the management of our taxes and resources to go on unchallenged. General save face statements from the Finance Minister in assessing past financial years must no longer be accepted unaudited. Bunge La Mwananchi urges you to consider looking at our previous budgets, especially the last 5 years and find out areas where we should expose the Government's fraudulent expenditures so that we can identify mis-allocated resources and earmark priority areas in which to put to use the "recovered" money in developing Kenya.

Bunge La Mwananchi envisages an adjusted and practical budget that results in the national Constituency Development Fund (CDF) receiving a boost of as much K.Shs. 200 billion for the 2008/9 financial year and thereby allow each constituency to receive at least KSh. 1 billion for constituency

We urge you to study the previous budgets, make your proposals and leave your thumbprint on the 2008/9 budget. Let us also utilize Bunge La Mwananchi website www.bulamwa.co.ke discussion forums to further deliberations.

In the setting the agenda for our leaders,

George Nyongesa
Bunge La Mwananchi
+254 720 451 235
www.bulamwa.co.ke

Raise the Bar, Expose Kibaki’s Incompetence

Reverse logic has an uncanny tendency to look rosy and smell sweet yet underneath lies its potent poison. Take Kenya as a country and the dearth of leadership offered by pretenders to leadership as personified by one DECEPTIVE and INCOMPETENT Mwai Kibaki. Supporters of Kibaki can only succeed in offering his spineless apology by hanging on Raila’s every move. Kibaki’s loyalists live in self denial exemplified by their readiness to catch political cold anytime Raila sneezes.

Juvenile pride of comparing your dad’s hypothetical prowess with others is best and safe inside your skull until it is exposed for what it is. Kenyans have a president whose every move smells nothing but INEPTITUDE and incompetence. But tell that to Kibaki's loud-mouthed choir boys and girls and the only magic wand their hand can wave is comparative logic disguised as cleverly-clothed epithets that iss meant to gloss over the DECEPTIVE ways of their sorry face for a human being.

There are leaders and LEANERS. Our THIEF-IN-CHIEF Kibaki definitely belongs to the later category. Emilio’s supporters unwittingly subscribe to what the Germans call schadenfreude - that evil little pleasure you draw from your competitor’s slip (imagined or real) with the prime objective of covering your personal inadequacies. Theirs is akin to American Republicans rejoicing in the raunchy revelations about Bill Clinton and his favourite intern Monica Lewinsky.

Commanding deranged spouse
Often shallow criticisms of Raila among Kibaki’s loyalists amounts to lesser minds reducing a superior competitor to their level and promptly beating her with the primitive experience. Examples abound of schadenfreude among spectators of sport displayed overtly or covertly. Just ask any Chelsea or Arsenal fun what ails Manchester United and your cup will be left overflowing with litany of fictional inadequacies dressed as pseudo facts. The singular reason being poorly clothed envy –comeuppance, the great medicine for our own ills.

No great leader ever led by proxy nor innuendos. Reactionaries are best known for their gaffes and least for their creativity. Being proactive is an alien doctrine in their arsenal of vices. You cannot claim leadership of a country when your backyard is exclusively commanded by a deranged spouse who cannot be rehabilitated by the best doctors at Mathare mental facility.

Give Raila all the Roman Holidays (English version of Schadenfreude) you wish but the truth remains your idol for THEFT extraordinaire won’t smell any fresher. He may hide his LETHAL INADEQUACIES in such catchy buzzwords as delegation but none of that will sanitize his incompetence.

Even from her deathbed, she was determined to snatch away her best friend's husband

Check out Kasarani.com, a new way to meet and keep in touch with Kenyans worldwide. You can even start your own blog on Kasarani! Click here to go to Kasarani.com now

Raila's Eventful Homecoming Bash: What Would He Have Done Different?

By Kumekucha Correspondent

Although I admire Prime Minister Raila Odinga for the selfless role he played in widening the democratic space in Kenya, championing the cause of the voiceless and the statesmanship he showed when President Kibaki stole an election victory from him, his just-concluded homecoming party in Kisumu failed to address pertinent issues that directly affect his own people.

Judging by the furious reactions that greet any comments perceived by his fanatical supporters to be negative, I’m aware that what I’ll say here will not be sweet music to them. But that is democracy. As much as Raila’s supporters are entitled to their own views, they should in the same breadth respect alternative views – whether they agree with them or not.

Raila’s home-coming party was of major significant. He was the second person after Mzee Jomo Kenyatta to occupy the post of PM. Raila is a man who has selflessly fought for democracy for the Kenya people. He has been detained for a total of eight years by retired President Moi. Raila has spent more years of his political career in the Opposition than in the Government. And he won the hearts of many Kenyans and the international community when President Kibaki shamelessly stole the presidency from him in the last December 27 General Election and he humbled himself to the lesser post of PM for the sake of the Kenyan people and the nation.

The new PM deserved the home-coming bash. However, Raila home-coming parties on Saturday and Sunday largely dwelt on raw politics and self-glorification. Matters that directly affect millions of lives in the Luo Nyanza - development and economy, education, the shameful poverty, the untapped fishing industry that is Lake Victoria’s goldmine for Luos, the need to tone down high-voltage politics by the residents of Nyanza and go back to their farms and businesses to uplift their living standards, etc etc – took a back seat. The home-coming parties were turned into a hero-worshipping affair and Raila loved it.

Being a PM with executive powers and with the majority MPs in Parliament, Raila wasted a good opportunity over the weekend for he failed to explain to his people how they will benefit from the Coalition Government he laboured so hard to put in place. Had I been in Raila’s position, I would have seized the occasion to tell my people my vision for uplifting the economy of Nyanza and the pathetic living standards in the region.

Kenyans watched Raila on TV being at pains to explain to his supporters which of his MPs got which ministry portfolio. That’s fine. But he should have gone ahead and explained what benefits his people were going to reap by having the region represented in key decisions of the coalition government.

Had I been Raila, I would have told the huge crowd that turned up to fete him that I would convene a meeting of political leaders, professionals and top brains from the region to come up with a blue-print of turning around the economy of the region for the benefit of the common man. Raila must realise that his supporters can’t feed on raw politics from January to December year in year out.

It’s a known fact that Nyanza region – especially Luo Nyanza – lags behind in development despite producing some of Kenya top brains. The region has been neglected by successive post-independence governments and this has been linked to the abrasive kind of politics played by leaders from the region.

I liked Raila’s plea to his supporters to change their long-held mentality of being in the Opposition and know that they were now firmly in the Government. Since Kenya attained independence in 1964, Luo Nyanza has been the bedrock of Kenya’s Opposition and this has impacted negatively in the economic development of the region.

Together with Thika, Luo Nyanza has the highest rate of HIV/AIDs infections in the country. Apart from individual performances by students, Luo Nyanza scores poorly in overall performance in national examinations. After Kenya attained independence, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta’s rallying call to his own Kikuyu community was that they should go back to their farms. He also spoke about hard work every time he took the podium to address his people. Luo Nyanza needs water supply, good infrastructure, industries etc.

Instead of sitting down and mourning about neglect, leaders of this region should sit down and chart the way forward for their community. This should have been the focus of Raila’s key note address to his people.

How will the Luo community or other communities benefit from their MP flying the flag? It’s time it dawned on Kenyans who abandon their daily chores at the expense of politics that the real beneficiary of ministerial and public service appointments are the individuals and their immediate family, and sometimes a few of friends and sycophants.

The thousands who turned up at the home-coming parties should reflect on what they personally achieved after braving the scotching sun to give Raila a hero’s welcome, crown him a Luo elder and listen to empty political speeches. Next time an MP or a Cabinet Minister or the PM holds such a bash, the people who will attend should tell the politician that: “we are happy you have realised your political dreams, but now tell us how we, as your loyal supporters, are going to benefit from the job we fought so hard for you to get.”

The benefits of the public offices held by the MPs should trickle down to the common man just in the same way the MPs keeps demands that the benefits realised by the Government trickled down to the common man. It’s not a question of MPs bursting their bellies with food while the people who fought for them to get the plum jobs die of shameful poverty.

Unless Raila dwells less on being glorified like a semi-god and focuses more on real issues that affect his subjects in Luo Nyanza and the rest of Kenya, he’ll realise when its too late that he is on a self-destruction path.

Crazy goodbye for dumped byfriend who loved too much

Even from her deathbed, she was determined to snatch away her best friend's husband

Check out Kasarani.com, a new way to meet and keep in touch with Kenyans worldwide. You can even start your own blog on Kasarani! Click here to go to Kasarani.com now

Thanking The Stone Throwers and Road Barricaders

While totally leaving out the panga wielding head and limb decapitators, looters of radios and bread, title deeded land displacers, arsonists and everyone else who aimed a rock at anyone else other than the riot police or military, I too think it's about time we thank and congratulate the thousands of Kenyans who jammed the streets in protest of the stolen vote.

Were it not for these aggrieved folks who take their vote very seriously, we would be living in greater agony and misery today. While we cannot yet tell whether their sacrifices will bare true fruits of change, we must continue to tip our hats to them every time we pass them on the streets. Yes fellas, that's where they still are, on the streets; jobless, disillusioned and anxiously waiting for expeditious change.

When some of you thought the poll date was a public holiday for eating roasted poultry, some jobless fella from Kariobangi was sweating profusely while queuing under the sun waiting to exercise his most important democratic right.

When some of you crawled under your mahogany king sized beds at the sound of a gun shot, a hungry warrior of democracy from Kibera was hauling a fist sized rock at the protectors of the status quo i.e. the police.

When some of you sat on plush comfortable sofa sets watching with glee as Kibaki stole the vote on HD TV, some hapless jamaa was receiving a thorough thrashing by GSU officers on the very grounds of KICC under the cover of darkness brought about by a very convenient power blackout.

When some of you, secure in foreign lands, shed crocodile tears to appease yourselves, some youngsters were busy tearing down the railway lines that feed Uganda, a country led by a supporter of despots.

You see, civil disobedience and public expression of anger at political excesses are some of the cornerstones of democracy. Kenyans must be free to shout their lungs out and vent until their heads explode…at every opportunity. Violence and anarchy directed at fellow citizens solely because of their opposing political persuasion must be discouraged by all means, however, it must be encouraged if directed towards emerging despotic regimes conjured up in the lush backyard of one big white house on State House Road. To say no to such wild backyard shenanigans safeguards the legacy of all those who sacrificed their lives for a better Kenya. Yes folks, Kenya does have heroes. To have accepted the topping up of vote results at KICC without throwing a few stones here and there would have confined their deaths to vain.

I know most of you subscribe to the peaceful principals of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King…but truth be told, even the Dalai Lama himself could have caught a bullet in the corridors of State House during those tumultuous weeks. We all witnessed the shabby treatment meted out on some international visitors of goodwill. The creativity of some phrases used to terrify the ambassadors of peace still baffles me today. People like Desmond Tutu technically fled the country vowing never to return. Now, here's a man of God who's been running away from apartheid's rubber bullets for many years... only to visit Kenya in peace and be forced to sprint past the JKIA terminals like a cat on fire towards his emergency one way flight back to South Africa. Wasn't peace given a chance?

The frankness of the matter is that violence eventually breeds peace. Whether or not this is the type of peace we envisioned is a debate for another day. At times it feels like some of our warriors of democracy died so that a few monkeys can become ministers.

Check out Kasarani.com, a new way to meet and keep in touch with Kenyans worldwide. You can even start your own blog on Kasarani! Click here to go to Kasarani.com now

Why Did The Media Give Raila Incident a Blackout?

Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s homecoming over the weekend was quite an event.

It started off as a very colorful affair. Even our very own Phil briefly reported from Kisumu as the festivities were kicking off. And then suddenly it is like somebody switched the lights off. Everything went quiet. Even the usually brave KTN went silent over what really happened in Kisumu on Saturday. Although the group newspaper, The Standard tried to tell a little of the story.

Actually the shocking events that transpired in Kisumu were perhaps the most significant political development since December last year when Mwai Kibaki in the face of defeat made a decision to steal the elections.

For the first time in his long political career, Raila Amolo Odinga was jeered and there were even very audible boos from the charged crowd as he spoke. And all this was happening right in the heart of Kisumu. Analysts including this blogger watched in disbelief as Raila struggled through what should have been a comfortable victory homecoming speech. Many times he fell back into Dholuo in an effort to win back the charged crowd and sway them to his way of thinking.

Interestingly it had earlier been announced that the guest of honour at the ceremony would be President Kibaki. It was just as well that he did not turn up, because judging from the mood of the people, things would have been very nasty for him.

Many people spoke and it seemed that the more anti-Kibaki a speaker was, the more the crowd liked them. Charity Ngilu for instance received a rousing welcome when she stepped up to mikes to make her speech. In fact the cheers were wilder than what even Raila himself received when he stood up to speak. Agriculture minister and ODM kingpin William Ruto ran into problems during his brief remarks when he mentioned President Kibaki’s name. He was trying to talk about the partnership between Raila and Kibaki. The people shouted him down until he was forced to withdraw the president’s name from his utterances. At one point the razor sharp Ruto told the crowd jokingly; Munataka nifutwe (do you people want me to be sacked?)

When Raila Odinga stood up and also started talking about the partnership with President Kibaki and PNU he was for the first time, since he was born, shouted down by the massive crowd right in Kisumu, his own hometown where he is supposed to have near-fanatical support.

Raila was at pains again the next day in his Bondo home trying to explain why it was important to work with PNU.

This blogger has taken some time since Saturday to make contact with various sources on the ground and especially those who were at the meeting on Saturday. What they have told me has shocked me beyond belief.

They say that the people are very determined that Kisumu will have nothing to do with President Kibaki and PNU. In fact sources in Luo Nyanza went as far as bluntly saying that Raila may not have a political future if he continues supporting and defending PNU. They add that the people are very angered that Raila should speak to them as if nothing happened in Kisumu. As if hundreds of people did not lose their lives. In fact it is now emerging that apart from shooting protestors, people dressed in police uniform also drowned some protestors in the waters of Lake Victoria. It looks like the idea was to ensure that there were no bodies found to raise the body count of the dead in the Kisumu fracas shortly after the disputed elections. People are saying those wounds are still too raw for them to contemplate Raila working with President Kibaki or PNU.

Interestingly in another incident President Kibaki himself was jeered by people from his own Kikuyu community at the Eldoret stadium during his joint visit to IDPs with Prime Minister Raila Odinga about 2 weeks ago.

Analysts are now saying that the most dangerous thing about the current coalition government is the fact that the two main leaders have angered their troops to such an extent that they can no longer count on full backing and support from their loyalists on the ground. That in itself is very scary indeed.

To make matters worse there is a looming crisis the country is about to face which will make matters a lot more uglier.

Impeccable sources have informed Kumekucha that most experts on the Kenyan economy concur that the economy will not recover from the post election troubles. Folks what we are about to see in our dear country is suffering on a scale that has never been witnessed before. More details of what to expect in Kenya over the next few months are in my raw notes.

Already the danger signals are there. Inflation has officially hit the 26% mark (although experts say that in reality it is well over 30%.)

Actually it does not take a genius to realize that the country’s economic recovery is very unlikely indeed. The country’s breadbasket has literally disappeared and the IDP problem is rapidly escalating into a very serious crisis indeed. Meaning that it will take a long time to restore normal flow of food crops from the Rift Valley.

Tourism seems to be in even bigger problems. The world economy is slowly slipping into the kind of depression that is unprecedented and tourist number are likely to be very badly hit let alone traffic to a country that many still do not consider to be too safe.

Nobody can predict what the full political impact of all this will be, but Raila Odinga reception in Kisumu last Saturday was just another sign of things to come.

Girl's creative goodbye as she dumps boyfriend

Check out Kasarani.com, a new way to meet and keep in touch with Kenyans worldwide. You can even start your own blog on Kasarani! Click here to go to Kasarani.com now

The Legacy of a Deceptive, Shameless President

Portfolio and protocol fiascoes have jointly given birth to a bouncing bonding baby. And Kibaki took the opportunity to read the riot act during the delivery of this new kid on the political block. The naked truth remains the fact that all his platitudes and hollow high sounding orders are all premised on DECEPTION. Unless old Emilio subscribes to the adage of set a thief to catch a thief.

Reading warning against grand corruption and Kibaki on the same sentence can only leave you raking your head for sanity. This is one SHAMELESS face and soul who epitomizes grand THEFT so much so that appearing to condemn the same vice amounts to unwittingly placing his own head on the chopping block. No sane parent would dare lead his kids by example and from in front laden with lies. But then this is Kenya ruled by a dinosaur whose model of leadership is packaged exclusively with IMPUNITY and utter contempt for his citizens.

They say your soul is the engine on which your community rides. Kibaki has roped his tribesmen, both old and young, to sing in praise of his birthday suit as a marvellous and unparalleled piece of fabric. The homeboy mentality has been internalized so much so that the rest of Kenyans are considered mere appendages populating this geographical entity called Kenya. Domination is the underlying script and primitive wealth accumulation makes its lyrics. Woe unto you who dare point this unpleasant fact out for you risk having your face plastered in all shapes and forms of bigoted vitriol.

Keeping trusted company
Selective application of the law is the genesis of social and legal decadence. The THIEF-IN-CHIEF’s warning ministers to shun grand corruption while he is squarely perched on a fraudulent pedestal is the height of moral shamelessness. But then who cares when you have a faithful and cheering gang sharing similar dicta. Kenya's Janjaweed president is ridding high on his devilish horse and enjoying right company.

No wonder Samuel Kivuitu can afford to consign thousands of lesser Kenyans to their early graves secure in the knowledge that Kibaki won’t dare compare the pot and the kettle’s bottom. The good work tooled in deception of all shades must continue. But not for long given the present Kenya with her resilient and informed population. Believe whatever strokes your ego because beliefs just like opinions are free but only facts remain sacred.

PS: Speaking of JANJAWEED, ati Avgrant who? There are LEADERS and LEANERS. We are the CHAMPIONS AGAIN, mtado? Moscow here we come in 10 days. Woe unto anything Chelsea-YES WE CAN. CR=Golden boot=Best goal of the year (Screamer vs Portsmouth)=Fans player of the year=Players' player of the year=Sports writers' player of the year again. Wake me up when Moscow arrives.

Check out Kasarani.com, a new way to meet and keep in touch with Kenyans worldwide. You can even start your own blog on Kasarani! Click here to go to Kasarani.com now