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How Mboya fought back but lost the battle By : Peter Orengo
In this second installation on the life and times of Tom Mboya, we revisits the intrigues in the first post-colonial Cabinet that primed the former minister for an early grave. A serious ethnic power game and a premature Kenyatta succession battle erupted towards the close of the 1960s, providing a fertile ground anyone could use to hatch an assassination plot.
Blackmail dogged Kenya's Tom Mboya throughout his political life By : Peter Orengo
On July 5 1969, Kenya's most distinguished and prominent politician Tom Mboya was assassinated by a gunman outside a chemist in Nairobi. The circumstances of his death remain a mystery although his killer was later found, prosecuted and sentenced. It was widely rumoured that his profile and illustrious career as a brilliant and charismatic leader were seen as challenges to the political establishment, and might have led to his assassination.
Nahashon Njenga Njoroge - Secrets of Kenya's top assassin By : Douglas Okwatch
Fresh secrets of assassin Nahashon Njenga have emerged 39 years after he shot Thomas Joseph Mboya, a flamboyant politician who had his eye on the country's highest office — the presidency. It seems inconceivable, therefore, that the wife of a convicted assassin, who broke the heart of a nation, could lead a quiet life as a public servant away from the media perceived as probing and inquisitive until she died.
CIA and genesis of Jaramogi's and Raila's 'rebellious' streak By : Douglas Okwatch
The 'isolate and crush' tactics America's Central Intelligence Agency used to alienate Mzee Jomo Kenyatta in favour of Tom Mboya (TJ) and then tame Jaramogi Oginga Odinga have been deployed against Prime minister Raila Odinga. Today, 39 years after a lone gunman shot Mboya dead in Nairobi, evidence of CIA's role in TJ's meteoric rise and how this later planted the seeds for his assassination is almost incontrovertible.
In the shadows of Pattni, forgers, fraudsters and thieves By : Sarah Elderkin
So many years have now passed, during which tens of cases relating to Goldenberg have been postponed, or court files have been 'lost', that perhaps a whole generation wonders why some people continue to view Kamlesh Pattni as a pariah.
Kenya has a surplus of Mugabe-like politicians By : Okech Kendo
If it is true, as some observers have concluded, that the Electoral Commission pulled the trigger of post-election violence, it could also be a fact the prefect of democracy was hostage to vested interests. ECK may have then been acting on behalf of a class of hostage-takers. These leaders’ actions are variants of what Robert Mugabe is doing with impunity in Zimbabwe.
The price of a humane society is vigilance on human rights By : Ali A. Mazrui
Although President Kibaki's first term ended disastrously, this should not detract us from its positive aspects. After all, 'the condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance'. Similarly, we should affirm that 'the price of a humane society is eternal vigilance in defence of human rights'.
Our country in the eyes of South Africa By : James N. Kariuki
Since the demise of apartheid, there has been a remarkable upsurge of interaction between Kenya and South Africa. Despite this rise in people-to-people contact, one depicts a lingering sense of "unease" at the governmental and the SA news media levels. Several instances come to mind.
The world kills those it can't break By : Dominic Odipo
The Harvard-educated Obama Sr was part of a September 1959 airlift of 81 Kenyan students to the US organised by Tom Mboya. The 29-year-old Mboya, already a brilliant union organiser, had approached the US State Department to fund the airlift without success. That first effort only succeeded thanks to harambees and the help of the African-American Students Foundation.
Kenya - Tom Mboya's fatal links with CIA By : Douglas Okwatch
The CIA appears to have recruited the flamboyant minister and former trade unionist in a heavily funded 'selective liberation' programme to isolate Kenya's founding President Jomo Kenyatta, who the American spy agency labelled as 'unsafe.'
Kenya is in the grip of highly 'toxic' leadership By : Kipkoech Tanui
We are at a standstill because of bad leadership — not just at the presidency. It is the kind of leadership that listens to a cabal, always courting self-immolation and bad memories of itself. In the end it will just be about President Kibaki and Mr Raila Odinga.
American ambassador's remark on education erroneous By : John Mulaa
The comment by American ambassador to Kenya, Michael Ranneberger, that Kenya has the "highest level of education" in Africa has elicited comments mostly laced with skepticism, in some circles. The doubt arises from lack of evidence adduced by the good ambassador to back his assertion.
Kenya -- Power-Sharing a Mere Stopgap By : Ernest Mpinganjira
Rather than confront issues head-on, the international community is routinely prescribing coalition governments whenever there is a poll crisis in Africa to forestall potential civil strife. Power sharing is the latest fad in Africa. From Kenya to Zanzibar, Burundi to DR Congo and Cote D'ivoire to now Zimbabwe, African politics is currently dominated by discourse on power sharing between the opposition and the incumbent leaders whenever there is an electoral controversy.
Kenya's J.M. Kariuki's forgotten prophecy of ethnic strife By : Njonjo Mue
Mercifully, it is not too late to build the Kenya that JM dreamed and spoke of. If we put our hearts and minds to it, we can be the generation that recovered the promise of a truly independent and democratic country where the individual and the state work together to build a just society. Only then can we be able to enjoin ourselves to the hopeful vision of JM, proudly proclaimed in 1974, when he said: "In Kenya today, I can only see the dawn of a June morning rising majestically from .....
Kenya -- The way forward for our leadership By : James N. Kariuki
It is critical that Kenya's leadership faces the problem of youth. Show me a country that is saturated with unemployed, able-bodied and substantially educated youth and I will show you a country that is sitting on a time bomb. As it stands now, that country is Kenya. Visit any Kenyan town and, invariably, you will witness awesome unemployment.
Kenya - Land inquiry must delve back into settler history By : Barrack Muluka
Out of Africa is a capsule of the origins of what Kenyans will be addressing in the coming weeks, as they come to terms with what are being called 'historical injustices'. When they arrived in Africa, European explorers, settlers and allied adventurers did not recognise the humanity of the people they found here. They did not therefore recognise their right to the things and instruments that support life. They pretended to 'discover' rivers, mountains, lakes and other relief features that ......
Little optimism over power-sharing deal By : Abdulahi Ahmednassir
The power-sharing arrangement between President Kibaki and Mr Raila Odinga is a harbinger of a new dawn. The deal comes with all the attendant promises and peril. Through a litany of legislative enactments, a Government expected to be politically and ethnically inclusive will shortly be inaugurated.
Kenya - We must be honest about origins of current situation By : Barrack Muluka
Some kinds of petitions to God are easily exercises in futility. This is particularly so when the petitioner merits so little from Divinity. Sometimes both the style and substance of our devout pleas can be truly confounding. In point of biblical fact, some prayers, God is simply not interested in. They are not worth placing before Him.
Foreign interests in Kenya's crisis raising eyebrows By : James N. Kariuki
An increasing number of analysts are now convinced that the current crisis in Kenya is not derived from ethnic hatred; it is due to politicised ethnicity. Politicians have conveniently contaminated ethnicity to fulfil their personal ambitions. And the contesting political forces have found themselves hand-in-hand with like-minded external allies.
China has proved it's not a friend to count on By : Okech Kendo
China is preoccupied with businesses in Sudan, while the Khartoum junta is accused of presiding over genocide in Darfur. For China, the lives of millions of Sudanese are not important as long it allows Beijing to hunt for energy and minerals across Africa.
Kenya - Election polarisation has not spared the Diaspora By : John Mulaa
In America -- ODM supporters out here are in the Obama camp. Those among them who have the vote, and some who don’t, have contributed to the Obama campaign repeatedly. They are all very proud of their effort. Whenever they get an opportunity, they nettle PNU supporters, who are less inclined to support Obama. According to a source, a similar situation obtains back in Kenya.
False Comparison: 2000 US Presidential Election Debacle and 2007 Kenya Election Foul-Up By : John Mulaa
There is a myth abroad in Kenya that the 2000 US presidential election debacle remotely resembles the 2007 Kenya presidential election in essentials and outcome. The grinders of this myth readily point to the disputed US election and its eventual determination through the courts as the course of action ODM in Kenya should opt for. Al Gore, they are quick to reiterate, did not threaten mass action, rather he meekly walked away when the system decided for his opponent, George Bush.
Signs in Kenya of a Land Redrawn by Ethnicity By : Jeffrey Gettleman
Kenya used to be considered one of the most promising countries in Africa. Now it is in the throes of ethnically segregating itself. Ever since a deeply flawed election in December kicked off a wave of ethnic and political violence, hundreds of thousands of people have been violently driven from their homes and many are now resettling in ethnically homogenous zones.
Sovereignty Fig Leaf By : John Mulaa
Sovereignty has replaced patriotism as the last refuge of scoundrels. In Kenya, some politicians are loudly strumming several chords and beating many drums to the sovereignty rap hoping that like some magical incarnations it will ward off trouble. Balderdash it would were it not that some politicians appear to believe it and they may actually go to battle with the international community over it.
Can we learn from Barack Obama on how to run a clean campaign? By : Jerry Okungu
Can we learn the art of clean politics from Barack Obama, a man who resonates well with us this side of the Atlantic since he still has his roots here? Can we try and do better than the last Kenyan and Nigerian elections by for once having free, fair and most importantly unrigged elections? Can Ghana, Somaliland, South Africa and Sudan show us the way in 2009?
The Historian's Craft By : John Mulaa
Flash forward. When historians finally get to research and write about the extreme disturbances that rocked the First Republic in Kenya, December 2007 and immediately thereafter, it is likely they will work the inevitability route. They will posit as self-evident that the First Kenyan Republic was brought to knees by a number of internal and external factors, some of them beyond its control.
Kenya won't move forward until the bitter truth is told By : Donald Kipkorir
Former UN chief Kofi Annan has the support of Kenyans in his quest for a way out of the national crisis. But he must know that we will not countenance Zimbabwe-like AU-sponsored mediation which has been dancing on the spot as Mr Robert Mugabe presides over the annihilation of his country.
Kenya - At what point is the president expected to use his executive powers? By : Jerry Okungu
As things stand, the Annan team is becoming irrelevant by the day. It is getting sucked into the orgy of violence at the expense of its original mission. The people we need to come out now and address joint rallies for the sake of Kenya are Kibaki and Raila in Central Province, Rift Valley, Western and Nyanza. They must sort out the mess and spare Kenyans senseless deaths.
Basics Kofi Annan should consider in finding the solution to Kenya's political crisis By : Jerry Okungu
Our present crisis is embedded in the quagmire that is our political system. We are groping in the dark with a system that cannot work in a modern state unless we want to return to a feudal era.
If I Were Raila Odinga..... By : Jerry Okungu
If I were Raila Odinga, I would have second thoughts about the political situation in Kenya. I would rethink being the president of this country at this point in time. Hard as it may be, I would ask myself whether it is really worth the trouble to continue contesting the presidency.
Kenya - The Perils of Short Term Thinking By : John Mulaa
Since the country descended into hell, analyses and prognostications of all kinds have been undertaken and publicized. However, a great majority of them have tended to skirt unsparing examination of the drivers of the nation's calamity opting instead for the lazy option strewn with pseudo -sophisticated assessments that betray a more of the same kind of thinking that is partly responsible for the present mess. Few have ventured radical ideas because our whole ethos is infused with hypocrisy....
The Rot In Kenya's Politics By : Anne Applebaum
Thecloser one looks at Kenya, the less exceptional Africa seems. What was most striking to me about the violence in Kenya in recent weeks was not how much the country resembles Rwanda but, rather, how much it resembles, say, Ukraine in 2004 or South Korea in the 1980s. Perhaps the real story here is not, as one headline had it, about " The Demons That Still Haunt Africa" but about how Africa is no different from anywhere else.
Different readings of the same script By : John Mulaa
After trolling many Internet sites and reading an astonishing variety of opinions in the media on the Kenyan situation, the seeming plethora of views fall neatly in two distinct categories.
What lies ahead for Kibaki Presidency? By : Staff Writer
The Kibaki-Raila contest may not only widen the fissure between the two communities. Also along with it, the communities that supported each. It is this fissure that is the worry of the international mediators given the recent attack on a community perceived to have its presence beyond its traditional foothold. The biggest worry would be the emergence of Kenya's version of Nigeria's South and North.
Africa's case of the 'walking wounded' By : James N. Kariuki
Both Jacob Zuma and Raila Odinga have been dismissed as reckless politicians. Yet, last week Raila nearly wrested the presidency. Perhaps Zuma's victory as president of the ANC 10 days earlier should have heralded political danger to Mwai Kibaki's strategists.
Kenyans are fighting inequality, not ethnicity By : Rasna Warah
Inequalities within cities such as Nairobi are stark; Nairobi's ethnically diverse slums, rated as the biggest and most deprived slums in the world, service some of the wealthiest homes and neighbourhoods in Africa. Inequality tends to manifest itself ethnically and regionally, with some ethnic groups and regions benefiting more from public resources than others.
Kenya's presidential elections have set new standards for Africa By : Jerry Okungu
With the stakes pretty high, the three main contenders are leaving nothing to chance. Though still in the race and looking pretty determined to go to the finishing line, all indications are that this is a two horse race with Kalonzo Musyoka coming a distant third when all the votes are counted.
We are in this hole together, for better or for worse! By : Jerry Okungu
We Kenyans are in deep shit and the shit has hit the fan. We are choking with stench and sooner rather than later, we will not hold our breath any longer. The stage is set for real drama, the theatre of war like we have never known since the Mau Mau war.
Real peace and healing must be founded on truth and justice By : Jerry Okungu
Kenya is a land full of hypocrites, liars and opportunists. We love to exploit even some of the most bizarre situations. We never stop to seize any opportunity to make an extra coin from the donor community or add extra media visibility to our moribund humanitarian organizations. An unjust society where we thrive on lies and hypocrisy has landed us in unprecedented turmoil.
Kenya -- We'll kill each other as long as Big Man syndrome remains By : Lucy Oriang
The Kenyan nation—some people question whether it is not just an uneasy union of tribes brought together by artificial boundaries—has been operating pretty much like a pressure cooker. That it has finally come to this impasse is evidence that you cannot sweep every issue under the carpet and expect the rubbish to sit there quietly. It will turn toxic in the long run, as we have learnt – not for the first time.
Kenya -- There is a silver lining to current political crisis By : Abdulahi Ahmednassir
The December 27 General Election brought the best and the worst in Kenyans. We displayed our best in the passion we showed in coming out to vote. Our worst came when the institutions we entrusted to conduct the elections betrayed our trust and the resulting violence we unleashed.
Gangs of Nairobi -- 'Taliban' Vigilantes and 'Blood Drinking' Mungiki Sect By : Andrew Ehrenkranz
As Kenya simmers, a vicious slum war is playing out between 'Taliban' vigilantes and a mysterious sect reputed to drink blood. The poison is manifesting itself through what could be called the gangs of Nairobi, the swarming multitudes of young men who have begun patrolling the slums with machetes, axes—anything they can find to protect themselves from one another and from the swelling tide of resentment that the election and its handling have cast over the city.
Kalonzo's arbitration efforts betray raw ambitions By : Oscar Obonyo
Except for his suspect impatience to have the presidential poll impasse ironed out "without any further delay", ODM-Kenya leader Kalonzo Musyoka’s march to new political heights is on. With a paltry 43 MPs-elect as opposed to ODM’s 101, President Kibaki’s PNU is certainly poised to reach out to Kalonzo to survive an anticipated storm in the Tenth Parliament. The Mwingi North MP-elect’s party has secured 15 parliamentary seats.
Pressure piles on troubled presidency By : Dennis Onyango
For the first time in the history of Kenya’s most disputed polls, the international community moved away from the traditional statement that elections were flawed, but results "generally reflected the will of Kenyans". That was the phrase in 1992 and 1997 when then President Moi was believed to have robbed a divided opposition of victory through rigging. This year, the international community has openly disowned the presidential poll results and asked parties to renegotiate.
Kenya chaos hits Uganda economy By : Abraham Odeke
In the Ugandan town of Malaba, not even the sex trade has escaped the shockwaves from the political violence just over the border in Kenya. "We have lost our customers to these Kenyan girls who have decided to reduce the sex charges," says Claire, who operates a brothel near Dombolo Executive pub.
20 reasons why President Kibaki's Government should be overthrown by Kenyans By : Martin Ngatia
The truth is that the election of Mwai Kibaki as President of Kenya was an accident because Kenyans wanted to remove former dictator Daniel arap Moi from power regardless of who took over from Moi. The view was that there could be no progress in the democratic struggle with Moi at the helm because of harsh conditions the former President had imposed on Kenyans.
Tribal Rage Tears at Diverse Kenyan City By : Stephanie McCrummen
Omar Aly, deputy director of the hospital and a resident of Eldoret for 20 years, said the fighting was "the worst I've seen." "The emotions that have been generated are so intense," he said, referring to the convictions among opposition supporters that the vote was rigged. "People have been living together, and all of a sudden they are turning against their neighbors."
How Kenya polls were messed up By : Tabu Butagira
The most disputed results were those from 72 constituencies where the authentic ballot counts on declaration forms duly signed by Returning Officers (ECK) and agents of the various candidates are allegedly different from the figures released at the national tally centre.
Kenya on The Brink of Turmoil By : Jerry Okungu
The plot to rig elections started almost two years ago when Kibaki's government lost the referendum in November 2007. It was elaborately planned to take place at every stage of the process. The only mistake the regime made was to have had loose tongues in its midst that let the cat out of the bag. Again, it also included known criminals in its midst to stop one candidate in his tracks. That candidate was Raila Odinga who posed the greatest challenge to the Kibaki.
ODM manifesto and Raila have great potential By : Jerry Okungu
The best party to bank on is Raila Odinga’s ODM. I want Raila to win because even though he is originally from Nyanza, his roots are in Nairobi where he has been elected three times in Lang’ata constituency. All other presidential candidates do not understand the complex nature of urban politics. Having represented Lang’ata, I believe Kenyan communities trust him.
Tribal Rivalry Boils Over After Kenyan Election By : Jeffrey Gettleman
It took all of about 15 minutes on Sunday, after Kenya's president was declared the winner of a deeply controversial election, for the country to explode. Thousands of young men burst out of Kibera, a shantytown of one million people, waving sticks, smashing shacks, burning tires and hurling stones. Soldiers poured into the streets to fight them. In several cities across Kenya, witnesses said, gangs went house to house, dragging out people of certain tribes and clubbing them to death.
In Helicopter or Hummer, Kenya Presidential Contender Raila Odinga Dazzles By : Jeffrey Gettleman
The election is Thursday, and for months most polls have predicted that Mr. Odinga, 62, will unseat President Mwai Kibaki, though some recent surveys show the president catching up, with the race too close to call.
Kenya Presidential Elections -- No family dynasty will thrive unless endorsed by voters By : Gitau Warigi
I would be surprised if the spinners of the tale about an impending dynasty supposedly linking President Kibaki to Mr Uhuru Kenyatta to Mr Gideon Moi and back to Mr Kibaki's son, Jimmy, actually believed it themselves. What is especially weird is the claim about how this deal is being crafted.
Prolongation of Tyrannically United 'Ethiopia' triggers Chaos in Kenya By : Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis
Kenya may be in the eyes of the panicked criminal gangster Zenawi most suitable for a joint military operation geared to disarm the Oromo Liberation Army that already controls sizeable parts of the occupied Biyya Oromo. This however will be the beginning of the end for the also fragile East African country of Kenya that never became a real nation, as it consists of many different (either Bantu or Kushitic) peoples and nations, among whom the North is widely populated by Oromos and Somalis.
The corrupt found a bed of roses in ODM and PNU By : Abdulahi Ahmednassir
The shame and charade that were the party primaries have ended on the note we all feared. The exercises were characterised by petty rigging, blatant corruption, violence on a grand scale and inept management. The money and favours believed to have changed hands between members of the "politburo" of some parties and budding parliamentary candidates boggles the mind. The big losers were the Orange Democratic Movement and the Party of National Unity.
Political 'wannabes' licking wounds after reality strikes By : Jeeh Wanjura
Mrs Kwiima represents what many men dream of as an ideal wife and mother. Blessed with good looks hosted in an even better heart and mind, the high school teacher is a good study of a homemaker. There is plenty to show for the 15 years she has been in employment. A believer in a bright future, she is also meticulous in her personal and family finances......
Kenyans excelled despite nomination challenges By : John Mulaa
The recent party nominations in Kenya went as well as they could. As political parties are rightly castigated for sleeping on the job — whatever happened to all the nomination fees they raked in? — wananchi ought to receive several rounds applause for their courage and willingness to stand up for their rights. With such vigilance and willingness to go to the trenches, Kenya's democracy may be assured after all, because the ordinary people own it.
An open letter to Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga By : Jerry Okungu
First, congratulations are in order for a job well done to date. Your untiring efforts to woo voters all over the Republic of Kenya is finally bearing fruit. Your overwhelming majority vote at Kasarani a few weeks ago was proof enough that Kenyans of all tribes, regions, races and walks of life had finally begun to appreciate your message. Sweet as the victory was, I think it is in order and timely that I write this open letter to you.
Rising stakes as race for State House draws near By : Abdulahi Ahmednassir
President Kibaki and his rival for the presidency Mr Raila Odinga are in full throttle for a blockbuster political contest. Last week, they presented their nomination to the Electoral Commission of Kenya and released their party manifestos. They are set for their final political duel.
Kibaki's team focused on naive politics By : John Mulaa
President Kibaki's Government is on the ropes not because it has been an unmitigated disaster but because it is short through with an extremely naive view of politics. The Kibaki team may have belatedly recognised its political mistakes, but it appears too late to turn the negative experience into immediate political dividends.
War on terror and human rights By : Ndungu Wainaina.
While addressing leaders in Garissa, President Mwai Kibaki authorised the return of Sheikh Mohammed Osman to the country. The sheikh was deported to Britain in June on suspicion that he had ties with terrorist groups. The Muslim cleric is back "to continue with his humanitarian and preaching work subject to negotiations with Government."

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