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Esther Arunga; TV Personality Dominates Kenyan Media For One Whole Week
Give it to the young 29 year old Kenyan lawyer turned TV personality. She had it all. With her charm on TV for a couple of years, Esther Arunga may have never known how powerful she was or how she would capture the imagination of Kenyans until she suddenly resigned from KTN to live with some low life preacher more known for his music than his spiritual talent.
Kenya Needs The Services of a Corporate Manager
Right now as a country, Kenya needs a corporate manager with the management skills of Ekirapas and Gechagas of yester years. Just as it was impossible to entertain gossips, backbiting and insubordination in the corporate world when order and discipline were the catch phrases in management, Kenya badly needs that era gone by.
Media Bias Towards Sensationalism and Sideshows May Derail The Constitution Again
I cannot be persuaded that the only important constitutional issue in Kenya is the executive powers of the president or the prime minister. In the same vein, nobody can convince me that a duly elected popular leader must be the one to wield executive power just because Kenyans elected him. If that were the cause, Hitler's popular vote did not prevent him from carrying out genocide in his own country.
Yes, Kenya's Muslim Leaders are Right To Disown Al Amin Kimanthi's Violent Antics
Sheikh Muhdhar Shariff Khitamy and Sheikh Abu Hamza of Mombasa must be commended as true Muslims and real patriots of this country. They have talked as true spiritual leaders that this country can depend on in times of crisis. They have taken the courage to stand up and be counted among the voices of reason at a time when some misguided zealots in the name of Islam have attempted to drive this country on the brink of civil strife.
Rebels Without a Cause, The Shame of Nairobi
No, those were not Muslims that rioted in Nairobi for eight good hours last Friday. They were not even Kenyan Somalis that went to Jamia Mosque armed with dangerous weapons and Al Shabab flags to taunt Kenyans. Those were foreign radicals, rebels without a cause that came to Kenya to spread the culture of violence that they have perfected in that lawless Mogadishu.
Reckless Political Activists Wrecking The Coalition Government
As it is, Kenyans have enough problems to deal with. The last thing they may want to entertain at this point in time is cheap theatric coming out of street comedians masquerading as advisors and spokesmen of political leaders and political parties.
The Matatu Lawlessness Must Be Punished According To The Law
As the year began this week, the matatu madness ushered us in to the New Year with the first of our many challenges. The fact that the first strike ever for Kenya by the matatu operators was planned to occur on the first day of work and opening of schools was telling in more ways than one
Let us lower our political temperatures this Christmas season
As we move to the Christmas season and New Year celebrations, it is about time we gave politics a break and focused on the little things that matter to us most; love for one another.
It is in trying moments like the Mau Evictions when all leaders must speak with one voice
Our leaders must learn the meaning of sacrifice. If you differ with the government, you must be ready to do away with its trappings of power. Jaramogi, Oneko and Murumbi did it in 1966 under Jomo Kenyatta. Kenyans still respect them up to today. Kenneth Matiba did just that in 1988 under Moi and Kenyans still adore him for that to this day. We expect cabinet ministers who are in this government no matter who they are or where they come from to spare us the embarrassment from time to time and ...
If MPs tamper with the draft constitution, Kenyans will reject it like they did in 2005
As the public debate on the draft constitution draws to a close, there are fears that ODM and PNU are ganging up to have a common stand on what the new constitution should contain and discard. One of the clauses they are conspiring to expunge is the recall clause that threatens to cut short the life of non-performing MPs rather than wait for five years before sending such no-performers packing. The other one targeted for expunging is the clause that compels all Kenyans including .....
The Ocampo factor in Kenya's justice system must be faced with sobriety
We Kenyans must appreciate that the world has never been the same since Hitler ordered the slaughter of 6 million Jews on account of race alone. That crime was a wake up call to the entire human race. Because the perpetrators of the Jewish genocide are still being hunted up to today, we have to accept the reality that latter day perpetrators of similar crimes in Rwanda, Liberia, Serra Leone, Bosnia, Sudan and Kenya will never rest in peace. The world will not allow it much as we would not like their intervention.
Is the Obama administration bullying or accelerating Kenya's reform process?
The Cold War era blinded Americans and the rest of the Western world to the cruelties of African dictators such as Jomo Kenyatta, Mobutu Sese seko, Kamuzu Banda, apartheid South Africa and numerous generals in Africa as long as they could support America and the West in the fight against Communism. This talk of democracy and good governance we hear about just started the other day when the Soviet Union and Berlin Wall collapsed in 1989.
Sound management of our resources must start with proper management of our politics
Let us look at templates from mature democracies like the United States, Canada and India to learn from their experiences because a fool who recognizes his foolishness is wiser than he who thinks he knows everything.
The East African economic integration, important for me, my country and region
As we move to the implementation of the East African Common Market, there is already progress on talks regarding the adoption of a Common Currency for the region that is expected to be implemented by 2012. If this happens, East Africans will for the first time have a Common Central Bank with one Governor in 42 years, a milestone that will change the way we do business in this part of Africa.
Bad politics, corporate greed, the bane of East Africa
As Kenyans celebrated the day Jomo Kenyatta was arrested and detained by the British government on allegations that he masterminded the Mau Mau uprising, we remember with nostalgia the euphoria than engulfed East Africa at that time. In those heady days, one could not think of Kenyatta without mentioning Milton Obote and Julius Nyerere. They were the champions that fate had bestowed upon the responsibility of liberating our three countries from foreign domination.
Like in 2005 through to 2006, Kalonzo Musyoka is ahead of the pack in polls
South Consultants are the new kids on the block in Kenya politics. After all, they are the eyes and ears of the African Eminent team detailing with precision the direction Kenyan reforms are taking.
Mo Ibrahim award, a slap on the face for good governance pretenders
It is now official. This time round, no former Head of State was good enough to earn Mo Ibrahim's annual prize bounty of US $ 5 million plus a lifetime cheque of another $ 200,000 per year for life. To tell you the truth, this is the most attractive prize anyone can earn in today's world where the buzz word these days is economic crunch.
The politics of water and Kazi Kwa Vijana funds
Having lived in rural Kenya in my early childhood, with my roots still deeply embedded in my village, I understand it well when the government announces that water dams will be built in arid regions as it allocates Ks 4 billion in its budget for the Kazi Kwa Vijana initiative.
South-South Talks: Come on African Leaders, Get Serious!
I have followed the contributions of African leaders at the just concluded UN General Assembly in New York and a follow up meeting in Venezuela at which the South-South talks centered on Africa's close cooperation with South America.
For President Kibaki, This Year Has Been Rough
Compared to the first two presidents we ever had, Kibaki's story when it is finally written, will be the richest and most colorful. It will be the most readable chapter in our national history because of the endless drama that has characterized it.
For Kibaki and Obama Letters, Two Wrongs Cannot Make a Right
I have never liked the slow pace of reforms promised to Kenyans soon after Kofi Annan negotiated the present coalition government. The lackluster performance of reform drivers has got every knowledgeable Kenyan let alone the European Union and the United States State Department worrying.
The state of the East African Nation
As I write this article, apart from dealing with earth breaking political upheavals like the stand-off between President Kibaki and Parliament over the Anti Corruption Commission appointments, leading Kenyan politicians are likely to be arrested any time now for crimes against humanity and hauled into The Hague for their roles in the 2007 post election violence that claimed 1500 lives and left thousands homeless.
Why are Kenyans so keen on Raila's meal with Obama?
It is only in politics where a dignitary can be invited for a meal and then be "disinvited" then re-invited within hours. This is the story of President Obama and Prime Minister Raila Odinga that kept tongues wagging for the better part of the long weekend Idd holidays. It is the stuff that makes headlines even in some of the most respected media in Kenya.
Will the Mau forest and Ringera bring down the coalition government?
We are on a roller coaster heading to the Indian Ocean. Politicians have set us in motion. Our destination is down hill and there is no stopping unless they hold the breaks which are in their possession.
A crisis in Uganda is an East African crisis
This article is a reminder of my painful memory as a child growing up in East Africa. I do hope that those among us who grew up with me under Kenyatta, Obote, Nyerere and thereafter Idi Amin will bear with me.
Africa has to clean its politics before it markets itself on the world stage
Africa's liberation movements and those sons of Africa that fought for the liberation of the African continent had a dream. The likes of Abdel Nasser of Egypt, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Patrice Lumumba of Congo, Tom Mboya of Kenya, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, Siaka Stevens of Siera Leone, Ben Bella of Algeria and Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya had their noble dream for the continent. When that dream became a nightmare, Kenya lost two chances of producing a Mandela.
Chris Obure, listen to Charity Ngilu if you cannot listen to Kenyans dying of hunger
What sense would it make, even to a primary school kid, to see you go on TV to insist that the Ks 380 million budgeted for the Vice President must be spent even when Kenyans are dying simply because it was decided a long time ago? Was the cabinet decision cast in stone? Will Kalonzo Musyoka die or fail to perform his duties if this house is not built here and now?
Bomachoge-Shinyalu By-Elections Separated Boys From Men
The Bomachoge-Shinyalu elections, told us something else; without Kibaki, PNU is a dead party. If Kibaki does not campaign for a candidate in a by-election, that candidate has a 70% chance of losing the vote. In other words, you can rally Kalonzo, Saitoti, Uhuru, Kiraitu, Ruto, Ongeri and Magara to campaign for a candidate. That candidate will still surely lose unless Kibaki throws his weight behind him.
APRM at crossroads: Where is the AU leadership?
The African Peer Review Mechanism is facing a litmus test. The grapevine among the donor community across the continent is something to worry about. Apparently they are voicing worries that the once lauded African success story may be gradually facing its demise.
The Ringera public outrage -- unfortunately both Kibaki and his critics are right
Aaron Ringera's second term as KACC chief executive has raised a wild storm. Almost every imaginable activist, ranging from the cabinet to the church has blasted Kibaki for renewing Ringera's contract. Some of us, who have been watching on the sidelines, have been wondering what the noise has been all about.
Kenya's 2009 Census Management Challenge: How Well Planned Was It?
What exactly went wrong with the Kenyan census of 2009? Was it the math that wasn't right or was it the process that wasn't making sense? How come Kenyans earned a free holiday when there were no enumerators in sight in most of the neighborhoods in the first 72 hours? Where is the proof that every Kenyan including those in Migingo Island was counted? Was this a census for Kenya citizens or was it inclusive of foreigners living within our borders?
With a bit more ruthlessness, Gaddafi may be just what the AU, NEPAD and the APRM have been missing
Africa is in dire need of a benevolent dictator. Democracy as we know it cannot take us anywhere. When hunger strikes, we cannot feed our people on democracy alone. Good governance means that there are laws that every citizen including the head of state must obey. When you have uncontrolled democracy such as ours in Kenya where every law is either disobeyed or ignored, anarchy creeps in.
Hillary Clinton's speech, a disappontment to pro-reform activists
Now I know why Hillary Clinton lost the elections to Barack Obama. She is such a conformist, such a systems good guy that no reforms can ever come under her stewardship.
Politics took center stage in the AGOA forum
Fire and brimstone anticipated at the AGOA opening ceremony when Hillary Clinton and Mwai Kibaki met did not take place. Hard hitting statements against graft and bad governance were missing. Even Raila Odinga, who the day before had taken on Western countries to stop lecturing Africa on good governance sounded more reconciliatory.
Of Nile waters, Mau forest politics and Egyptian arrogance
Egypt and Sudan are clinging to the River Nile treaties of 1929 and 1959 as if the documents were the Ten Commandments handed over to the biblical Moses by the God of Israel. In that treaty, Egypt and Sudan have exclusive rights to 70% and 30% of Nile waters respectively, irrespective of countries that occupy the sources of River Nile.
Mau forest occupation, a clear case of arrogant impunity
It is time this government called Ruto's bluff and dealt with Mau Forest firmly. If he and his followers want to return to KANU, so be it. After all that is the place they truly belong because it was during their time in KANU that Mau Forest was grabbed.
AGOA in Nairobi: How prepared is East Africa for the AGOA meeting in Nairobi?
The fact that the Kenya government is prepared to spend US $9 million in purchasing new apartments for our prized guests just goes on to prove how serious the government is taking the AGOA meeting. It reminds us of the fortunes Nigeria and Uganda spent a few years ago when they last hosted the Commonwealth summits in Abuja and Kampala; something the two countries have never gotten over regarding audit queries.
Disband The Kenya Cabinet: Now Is The Time The Cabinet Should Be Sent Packing
The truth is; Kibaki has proved that he is no longer the executive head of state. The warlords appointed to the cabinet arbitrarily have dug in and usurped his authority.
Are Annan, Obama and Ocampo reading from the same script on Kenya?
Prosecutor Ocampo's whirlwind journey in Eastern Africa; from Addis Ababa to Kinshasa and back to Kampala has been anything but good news. It has been an ill wind blowing across our troubled region.
Mutula Kilonzo is no match for Annan or Ocampo
President Kibaki must be regretting having appointed Mutula Kilonzo as Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs. Every morning the President wakes up, he finds Mutula has shot himself on the foot claiming imaginary powers to direct Kenya's cause of events at The Hague.
2009 Does Not Auger Well For Democracy in Africa
From Sirte in Libya and The Hague in The Netherlands, the news hasn't been very for democracy and justice in Africa this week. Finally the continent's rulers have decided that enough is enough. They will no longer adhere to international obligations like the United Nations' Rome Statutes. The dead and the dying in Africa can go to hell. The AU rulers will no longer listen to their anguish.
Why was Daniel arap Moi allowed to hold a Mungiki rally in Nakuru?
The Mungiki sect is outlawed in Kenya. It is an underground organization that operates in this country as a terrorist organization. It specializes in killing innocent Kenyans- more particularly the Kikuyu community in Central and Rift Valley provinces.
William Ruto and the Hague: Is this fear of the unknown or an obsession?
I have written about this subject before. I have no problem having a go at it again. I probably will do so again in the near future until Kofi Annan becomes decisive enough to do the only sensible thing; hand over the envelop containing suspects of the 2008 massacres to the Hague.
Growing up with Michael Jackson's music
The death of Michael Jackson invokes many fond memories of the 1970s and 80s when his music career was peaking. This is the generation I belong to. I, like my generation, grew up with MJ's action packed music that has remained as danceable as ever.
Of the us envoy, youth revolution and young turks in Kenya's 10th parliament
The silence is deafening. The guns have gone silent. The American Ambassador to Kenya seems to have either run out of steam, funds for the youth revolution or both. Or may be the State Department has asked him to slow down on Kenyan politics. May be he has been told to do what diplomats are supposed to do in the first place; use quiet diplomacy to achieve better results.
As political opportunists are busy eroding Annan's credibility, ordinary Kenyans are baffled by his indecisiveness
The behavior of Kofi Annan is typical of international diplomats. They are normally slow to decide on issues. They are known for weighing issues over and over with accompanied loss of sleep worrying over the consequences of their actions. Yes, diplomats listen too much and practice too much restraint as Jacob Zuma would be inclined to say.
East Africa will get it right if governments implement this year's national budgets
It was gratifying that for the first time in the history of this region, four partner states out of five harmonized their budget days and presented them concurrently in their respective parliaments.
What is it that excites Mutula Kilonzo?
A verse in the book of Proverbs says that "When the righteous are in authority, people rejoice. However, when the wicked are on the throne, people mourn."
This verse came to my mind when I watched President Jacob Zuma on television show the other day. The dancing South African president was as impressive as he could be. His happy-go-gigging public perception was in the back banners. He was talking tough to the continent about the ills that have consumed our region for decades.
Africa; let us listen to Zuma on good governance in this continent
Last week I was equally miffed by the so called African envoys at the United Nations Human Rights Council that purported to have spoken on behalf of the continent regarding Prof Alston's Report on Kenya.
Uhuru Kenyatta has scored highly with his political budget
Give it to him; Uhuru Kenyatta had his moment of glory in Parliament. He presented a unique budget that was as different as no other since independence. More importantly, he confounded both foe and friend with the kind of budget that caught many speculators with their pants down. To tell you how effective Uhuru was in Parliament, there were very few snoring honorable waheshimiwas in the august house; if any he gave Speaker Kenneth Marende a hectic time trying to minimize ....
Let us not rush to judge fundamental flaws in Uhuru's budget
As Uhuru took away fuel guzzlers from ministers, permanent secretaries and other constitutional office holders to save rare cash from a non performing economy, it looked like he was out to punish the few privileged honorable members. Yet, as this luxurious status symbol was being removed, he made sure that every constituency had its share of more than any MP would have bargained for. Further more; he refrained from venturing into Amos Kimunya's landmine- taxation for the honorable members of our society.
Democracy gets further beating in Africa as human rights abuses flourish
If the African Group continues to advocate for human rights abuses at the world's highest forum, it will send a sad message that these atrocities that we witness on our borders will never end for many years to come especially if now we know that the AU will never punish one of its own for the atrocities committed on this continent.
Africa's regional economic blocks, just like the AU, are in love with our dictators
The just ended Comesa Summit in Harare was once again an eye opener. It displayed to the world once again that democracy talks that we normally hear of from the lips of our heads of state are just that; lip service. Most African leaders hate democracy in all its forms, including those who came to power through the barrel of the gun claiming then to be fighting for justice decades gone by.
Is Kenya Sailing in Troubled Waters With The Obama administration?
Recent reports that Obama was not happy with the slow pace of reforms and his subsequent snub of Kenya have not gone down well with the Kibaki administration, least of all with many ordinary Kenyans who have a soft spot for the American President. The fact that Obama has decided to make Ghana and Egypt his first destinations of choice has fundamentally embarrassed Kenya in more ways than one. And as if to add insult to injury, Obama's sudden invitation of Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania to ......
Of the American Ambassador, our politics and Kenya's bloated cabinet
The beauty of a working democracy saw Indian Prime Minister name a cabinet of 19 ministers from outside parliament; one cabinet post per 100 million people! Here in Kenya, for a mere 35 million people with an economy that grows at 1.7% we load ourselves with a cabinet of 90 politicians that cannot even prepare a supplementary budget let alone scrutinize it!
The Ksh 10 billion error that never goes away: Uhuru is no crook; he just doesn't get it
Uhuru Kenyatta must be a very unlucky politician. He came into politics at a very bad time when Kenya's freedom of speech and scrutiny of public affairs had been entrenched. If that were not so, he would be president of Kenya today, not scratching his head over small little numbers at the Treasury that are never the work of respectable heads of state
Kenya in need a powerful 'Propaganda Machine' to fight tattered image
Propaganda as a tool has been used over the years in the last century whenever a country is in a state of war or is undergoing credibility crisis as we do now.
Obama and Kenya: Are Our Leaders Living in Fools' Paradise?
Barack Obama knows how to exert pain where it hurts most. The American President is livid with Kenyan political leadership. This is in spite of the fact that his late father worked with President Kibaki at the Treasury in the 1960s and '70s. Never mind that he is a distant relative of Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
APRM South African Secretariat in Turmoil: A Special Report
Exactly a month ago, I wrote an article on the APRM warning of the dangers that some members of the Panel of Eminent Persons and even Heads of State had exposed it to. At that time, I warned that Africa had reason to worry that the once much talked about APRM was fast losing its glamour. Its architects were busy mutilating it.
Kenya's image is messed here at home not in American capitals
The only price the Kenya Government will pay in order for President Obama to agree to work for Kenya is for the coalition government to get its act together, tackle graft and implement the Kofi Annan recommended reforms. Yes, all that Kibaki and Raila need to do is to prosecute Golden Berg, Anglo Leasing, Triton, Grand Regency, KTD, Maize and Treasury scoundrels and everything will be on course.
APRM South African Secretariat in Turmoil
The CEO's absence has enabled Adedeji, the current Panel Chairman to usurp the operations of the APRM Secretariat in South Africa to the extent that he is able to run the affairs of the institution from his village in Nigeria.
Ordinary East Africans Must Safeguard The Gains of The East African Community
If this Migingo thing is not sorted out fast and amicably, East Africa will witness the worst humanitarian catastrophe never witnessed before in the last 40 years, because, unlike in the past when Kenya was the last refuge for fleeing victims of war in the region; it will this time be consumed by the same civil strife. If this happens, business will completely grind to a halt in Kenya right from the port of Mombasa and spread all the way to Kinshasa, Mwanza, Bujumbura, ...
Stephanie McCrummen and The Washington Post Must Avoid Reporting Falsehoods on Kenyan Politics
This article corrects the falsehoods that the Western Press is fond of visiting on Kenya and Africa in general. There is more to Kenya's problems than the gossips and rumors in Nairobi's pubs.
Mugabe is an embarrassment to AU and UN
This despot must be removed by force if necessary to stop him from further annihilating his country, his record as a freedom fighter notwithstanding. Zimbabweans did not fight for freedom only to be massacred by one of their own! Because of the shame of what is going in Zimbabwe, the AU and the UN stand condemned in the court of world public opinion.
Can we learn from Barack Obama on how to run a clean campaign?
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?
Kenya - At what point is the president expected to use his executive powers?
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
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.....
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's presidential elections have set new standards for Africa
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!
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
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 on The Brink of Turmoil
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
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.
An open letter to Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga
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.
Good Old America at her finest when it comes to order and discipline at state funerals
In contrast to the carnival nature of party conventions, American funerals are the most solemn funerals on earth. Somehow in Kenya, funerals attended by politicians become a free-for-all affair and a contest between the clergy, Members of Parliament and local councillors. In such funerals, God help you if you have a local area councilor as the master of ceremonies to guide the programme.
Emerging Tribal Arithmetic & Ethnic Voting Pattern: Will it propel ODM to power .....
The ODM line up represents Kikuyus, Luos, Maragolis, Embus, Kambas, Samias, cosmopolitan Coast and Kalenjins. If we stretch our imaginations, we can put Uhuru and Nyagah in the same basket under Gema while we lump together Musalia Mudavadi and Julia Ojiambo under the greater Luhya fraternity. Leaving Balala out for lack of clear tribal identity, we can then assume that the contest for the presidency in the ODM- K will be between Gema, Luos, Luhyas, Kambas and Kalenjins.
Waruinge, Pattni & other criminals are creations of Kenya's dysfunctional judicial system
In the present Kenya, the police can shoot an innocent person, call him the "most wanted criminal," and the matter ends there; no inquest, no investigations; case closed. Only in Kenya can one murder a prominent politician and get away with with it as long as one is on the right side of the political power of the day. Only in Kenya can one loot the treasury dry and then reward himself with the chairmanship of a political party!
Does the current Kenyan Parliament deserve to exist?
Kenya's 9th Parliament is a spectacle to behold in more ways than one. It is an institution that defies any logical description. Whichever way you want to look at it, it is a baffle and a mystery from every angle. The problem with Kenya's 9th Parliament is the problem with the current Speaker who, for several years under the Moi regime allowed Kanu to flout parliamentary rules without raising a finger. When other political parties followed suit, he realized he had set a precedent ........
The changing face of the East African Community
Now that the celebrations are over after admitting the latest additions to the East African Community, serious reflections, soul searching and head scratching must follow to make the expanded community work. Along with the benefits of an expanded market and promising social and economic activity, will come serious challenges that must be tackled urgently by the region's present governors and policy makers if the community has to work.
Kenya: A Classic Case of a Nation Stuck in The Mud!
This week's fresh encounter with the State Police in the era of President Kibaki was a stark reminder that we are not yet out of the woods. Our past sad history of police brutality, state terror and human rights violations have come back to haunt us. If we didn't have these scenes as frequently in the last four years, it was a lull before a storm.
Kudos to the East African Community
There are a million reasons why the people of East Africa should celebrate the entry of Rwanda and Burundi into the East African Community. Some of these reasons are definitely economic while others are political and cultural. All of these reasons are pretty important for the economic, social and political survival of the region in an era where mergers in the corporate world and integration among nations are the order of the day.
Kenya Politics in Turmoil
The year 2006 will go down in Kenya's political history as the year that Kenya killed democracy. It will also be remembered as the year of shame when political thuggery, treachery, deceit and con-manship held sway! For how else can anybody explain the shameful act that embarrassed the whole nation at the East African Community?
Is the madness of Kenya's political squables spreading into the East African Community
What started as the usual domestic political wrangling among political parties has now taken new and damaging dimensions that will leave all parties bruised and looking silly in the eyes of East Africans. Kenyans have finally imported their most unwanted product in to the region; political wrangling.
Interesting comparative CDF figures in Nyando District
Modern communication facilities especially the internet has made it impossible to horde information; at least not to everybody. This is what I learnt from a little known website I came across just the other week. Kanoassociation.com led me to several GK sites that tell how CDF funds have been allocated and spent per province and constituency.
To: Jo-Kano in the Diaspora
Whether we come from Ayweyo, Kakola, Kabonyo, Kamagaga, Kakmiye, Kamsua, Kanyipola, Kobura, Kochogo, Kimira, Kolwa, Wawidhi, Wang'aya, Watombori, Sidho, Koguta or Olasi, we are the same family. Therefore the welfare of Kano clans back in Nyanza should be our main concern whether we live in Kenya or not.
The Beauty and Shame of Kenya's Constituency Development Fund - CDF
Perhaps the beauty of the CDF has been lost in the shameless management structure that the Act put in place at its inception. The Act was ill- conceived when it gave sitting MPs the power and glory to mismanage it. Gory tales coming out of nearly 70% of all constituencies attest to gross mismanagement, theft, fraud and sheer shameless misuse and misappropriation of this public fund.
The saga of having a new Constitution in Kenya, in an election year
The amazing thing about Kenyans is that they are very poor students of history; even history that is as recent as two or three years. Sometimes our optimism goes beyond natural expectations; making us repeat the most obvious silly mistakes in our life time.
Nyanza politicians must learn to see beyond self interest
When we elect our Members of Parliament to represent us in the National Assembly, we expect them to have risen in vision beyond clan and village politics. We expect their voices of reason to be heard at the national level on national issues. We expect them to think Kenyan.
Where are our leaders when Kenyans are hacked to death in our slums & villages?
What is happening in Kenya today is not only shameful to our country but painful too. While I condemn the silence of our elected leaders, I get this impression that the Mungiki army has grown in leaps and bounds only compared to the Islamic Courts in Somalia. The kind of arrogance and daring with which they extort cash from residents of Mathare with impunity indicates that they have formed a parallel government to that of President Kibaki complete with their own taxation system.
Can the East African Economic Integration be sustained without a central political authority?
What makes big markets like the USA, India, China, Russia and Nigeria work? All these economies enjoy the comfort of a single authority. Power has to emanate from a single source with clear rules and guidelines on how to exercise them. If the centre is working and holding, the rest will work.
Should the East African Federation be fast-tracked or allowed to go stage by stage?
Fast tracking the East African Federation may take two scenarios concurrently. One is to carry on with the three processes of the Customs Union, the Common Market and the Monetary Union concurrently rather than step by step. This way the time to complete the processes may considerably be shortened to bring forward the fourth stage which is the political federation. The other scenario is where all those three stages are running concurrently.
Tanzanians - Brutally honest about their feelings toward the East African Federation
Some Tanzanians claim that the idea of fast-tracking the political federation may itself have negative impact on Tanzanians because it is likely to water down the Community spirit in some parts of East Africa particularly in their country.
Be careful ODM members: You haven't crossed the river yet!
Let me give ODM presidential candidates one unsolicited advice. It is one thing to aspire to be president of Kenya and another ball game to win the elections. It is one thing to clamor to be nominated presidential candidate and quite another to conduct a successful campaign and actually win even if one had tones and tones of cash to do it.
The East African Political Federation: This is the time!
Past experiments with colonial East African Common Services and the post colonial East African Community nurtured more brotherliness than it caused friction amongst us. What destroyed us was petty political ideologies that emanated from outside. These ideologies forced our political leaders to drift apart at our own expense.
Before we hang the Steadman Pollsters, may be there is something they know that Kenyans don't!
The season of heated political debate is with us again, thanks to the ever controversial Steadman Opinion polls. And one wonders why the very papers that keep on carrying the Steadman results cannot commission more research organizations to carry out the same.
Is ODM-KENYA capable of causing an Orange Revolution in Kenya?
If President Kibaki and is keen on running for a second term, he should defect to ODM Kenya today, not tomorrow!
What it means for a public officer to receive a protest note from members of the public
The plot thickens for Justice Aaron Ringera, Kenya's Anti-Corruption Chief. Dark clouds and forces of evil have conspired to end his career at Integrity House before his first tenure is over. The Kenyan public is baying for his blood. While they choke under the weight of grand official corruption, Aaron Ringera is smiling all the way to the bank, thanks to their endless taxes that must sustain his opulent life. Yes, Kenyans must continue experimenting with political leadership until cows come ho
Why can't the world see the obvious -- That Abdullahi Yusuf cannot manage Somalia?
Any attempts to force Yusuf on Somalis will be a sure catalyst for a bloodbath of unimaginable proportions. Africa certainly does not need another Iraq or Afghanistan on its soil.
24 hrs of a Kenyan refugee in Somalia - Finding friends in unlikely quarters!
May be it is high time the international community paid more attention to the aspirations of the Islamic Courts Union and their counterparts in Somaliland up North. These two breakaway groups have restored meaningful security into their areas of control in the former United Republic of Somalia
Shirikisho La Africa Ya Mashariki .....
Shirikisho La Africa Ya Mashariki ...Where shall we find great men & women of East Africa to lead us to the promised land?

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