Afro Articles - Article Marketing Directory | FREE Content

Search:

Jerry Okungu's Articles


War Crimes	Economic Growth
Human Rights	Political Corruption
Kenya	Terrorism & Fanaticism
Transportation	Celebrities
Pop Culture	Local Government
African Insights	The African Union
Africa News	Africa
Press Releases

Display Category|Title|Newest|Oldest

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.
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
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.
A tribute to our fallen soldiers of peace.
This piece is dedicated to my friend of thirty years, Dr. Bonaya Godana and his comrades who perished with him in an air crash in Marsabit. The Godana I knew was an intellectual of no mean repute yet he was never mesmerised by his achievements or academic credentials. He remained just Godana, our Godana.
A two pronged revolution in the offing - Regime change will be led by women youth
Forget about the violent 1982 uprising that went nowhere except to cause mayhem for a few hours. Forget about the Rainbow People Power that threw KANU out of power but failed to manage power. Forget about Kiraitu Murungi's promise to shake every corner of this republic with his Banana movement that never was. Forget about the Orange revolution that took home the Referendum prize in late 2005 but failed to figure out what to do with it after victory. What is in the offing will be like no other...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Barack Obama loves Luos but please let him be American and do his work as an American Senator!
As much as the clamour to meet Obama among the Luos was understandable, the desire itself was as misplaced as every Kalenjin demanding to meet President Moi during his presidency on the basis that he was a fellow Kalenjin.
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.
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.
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.
Believe it or not, Martha Karua may just be the right minister to fight corruption
Like her or hate her, Minister Martha Karua is probably one of the most decisive and action oriented members of the Kibaki government today. Sometimes I am tempted to believe that she is the only independent-minded person left in the Kibaki cabinet after the December 2005 reshuffles.
Blind and reckless patriotism is dangerous for our country and world peace
Because of patriotism, Americans were ruled by the fear of Communism for half a century from McCarthyism mania of the 1950s up to the end of the 1980s. Because of patriotism, the Klu Klux Clan terrorised Black people in America for centuries. They wanted to keep America White. The same mentality informed the apartheid reign of terror in South Africa for close to a century. Need we forget Adolf Hilter's pure race mentality that made him send all manner of other races to the gallows and and slaughter six million Jews in the Second World War?
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.
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.
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?
Catholic Bishops and President Kibaki's stand on the Constitution is not surprising
Kenyans must be really tired of endless lies, betrayals and hypocrisy from our moral gatekeepers. For how long must we sit and watch the church and state conspire to fool and ridicule our intelligence? What use is it for a leader of the church to conspire against its flock, not once but twice in one year and still expect believers to remain followers of their teachings?
Changing faces and fortunes in the Kibaki Administration
There is a new political party in Kenya called Narc-Kenya. This is a very interesting development on the political scene considering that the party's first name is really not a name but an acronym of sorts. In essence, if one were to care to spell out Narc Kenya's full name, it would sound something like this; National Rainbow Coalition of Kenya.
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?
Could the Isinya declaration spell doom for the NARC Kenya bandwagon?
Patriotism and political ambitions are good things. They are the engines on which political wheels turn. As patriotism propels the frontline solders to hit their heads against any oncoming blockade, the might of their enemies not withstanding, their personal ambitions urge them to go on fighting in expectation of the spoils of war, should they claim victory.
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.
Despite past blunders, Kenyan Members of Parliament have still failed to read the mood of the nation!
What exactly does this nation need to do to get the message across to its law makers? Are these men and women capable of hearing and seeing the obvious? What language can we speak so that they can understand that we are no longer just disgusted but also embarrassed by their behaviour?
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.
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 ........
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.
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.
Endless National Tragedies in Kenya
The fourteen prominent Kenyans who died last week were not the first and neither will they be the last to perish in senseless accidents that need not occur in this day and age.
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.
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.
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.
Foreign media does not have to report Africa positively. That is the reponsibility of the African Journalist!
And the beat goes on and on as usual and as expected. Every media conference one attends anywhere in Africa, it is the same old song over and over again; that Western media is biased against the continent; that it depicts the continent in the most despicable way possible; what with pictures of misery, ethnic civil wars, famine, violence, poverty and corruption; no one can see any hope for Africa through the lenses of the Western camera.
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.
Governance and Ethics: The challenge of many African governments and their institutions
Are governance, ethics and moral rectitude the bane of our problems at the national and continental level? Why has Africa become the killing field of all manner of good initiatives? Why is it that when we start a new initiative like the EAC, NEPAD, IGAD, APRM or the African Development Bank, it gains more currency outside Africa faster than it does at home?
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.
Has Kenya become a nation of hecklers?
Why is it that every time there is a new initiative to jumpstart the constitution review, we all stand up and start jumping and kicking in all directions? Have we become a nation that can only thrive in chaos? Where is the guided and tamed intellectualism that should inform such important discussions like the constitution review?
Has Kenya specialized in creating scandals and fiascos at the expense of solving them
Is the Justice Department up to the task or are we manufacturing punishable crimes at a faster rate?
Has the Media in Kenya lost direction and sense of responsibility?
The media may not think so much about this headline but Hon. Mutahi Kagwe, the Minister for Information and Communication, and many more Kenyans like him think so. Those many Kenyans can count me among them. I am one of those people in this country who, for the past two weeks have been wondering aloud whether these accusations leveled against the media may as well have some grain of truth in them.
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.
How popular is Daniel Arap Moi in Kenya today?
Daniel Arap Moi is causing problems for the ODM-Kenya because he loves Kanu more. He loves Kanu more because Kanu helped him rule this country with an iron-fist, and plunder the resources of this country to its bones for his personal gain.
How secure are we Kenyans within our borders and from external enemies?
I saw that poor widow in Busia talking at her husband's funeral. She was daring enough to point an accusing finger at Vice President Moody Awori along with other government officials seated at a VIP tent. Her anger was not misplaced and neither was she alone. Fourteen other families were going through the same motions, wondering aloud why their loved ones and bread winners had to die such senseless deaths.
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.
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 .....
In all these anti-corruption merry-go-rounds the only losers are the Kenyan Taxpayers
The roots of official corruption in Kenya are deeper than we think. The struggle against official corruption has become a class struggle. The higher you are in the echelons of power whether past or present, the better the chances you have of getting away with corruption- officially in a court of law!
In modern day geopolitical power play, small and powerless nations are on their own
A few years ago, Kenya led the IGAD to find an African solution to an African problem in Somalia and Sudan. She did it with relative success. Although the Somalia peace accord is faltering, there is urgent need for Africa to keep trying. Being on a permanent war mode with one another will never help any of them. The world has become a global village and mutual coexistence is the order of the day.
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.
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 ......
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!
Is press freedom under threat in Kenya?
The unprecedented press freedom which has been hailed as an example to the whole of Africa if not the entire world is definitely under threat if the events of the last two months are anything to go by. This time round, it would look like not only are nosy reporters under threat. The very media houses that employ hundreds of journalists along with a couple of thousands of correspondents, newspaper vendors, distributors and advertising agencies are under siege too.
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.
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.
Issues the forthcoming EAC summit should deal with expeditiously
Another East African Community Summit is here with us. Once more all roads will be leading to the Arusha International Conference Centre in Tanzania with pomp and glory. As expected, large motorcades preceded by technical committees and the Council of Ministers, will spell out the direction the Community will take in the next few years.
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 ...
John Garang: A Year Later
Most Sudanese I talked to, even expatriates who have lived in Juba for the last year and more seemed to share her view; that the mystery of Garang's death; his behaviour in the last few days before he met his death beg more questions than answers.
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.
Kenya Government Caught With Pants Down!
What does it feel like to be the President of Kenya during the Kibaki regime? How painful it must be to wake up every morning only to be met by screaming unfriendly newspaper headlines, hostile talk-show programmes on every FM station, not to mention equalling devastating television headlines the night before about this scandal, that scam and this sleaze allegedly committed by your various cadre of generals and your extended family members! It must be a painful period for Kenya's third pr
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.
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.
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.
Kenya on the international spotlight
Perhaps one of the biggest tests of democratic practice is for political leaders to be ready to practice competitive politics by selling their ideologies and their leadership beliefs to their electorate, and expect to be voted into office on the basis of the popularity of their ideas and visions.
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?
Kenya urgently needs a tough sexual offences law
Let our MPs accept one fact; we cannot kill this Bill because of our past cultural practices which we ourselves have discarded. The truth is we have a serious problem in society. Young lives are being destroyed for lack of an appropriate law to deal with the problem. We have no reason to justify the death of a Bill that seeks to protect infants, children and the aged from barbaric sexual attacks. In this society the strong must provide security for the weak if we have to remain civilized.
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?
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.
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.
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.
Kibaki, Kikwete and Museveni spelt it out for the rest of Africa
They may not be the best that the African continent has today in terms of leadership, but they are certainly the most acceptable in terms of nurturing regional cooperation. This is the single most plausible reason we will have to listen to them no matter how much we disagree with them on a lot of domestic issues back in our home countries.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Of national prayers and Kenyans' self inflicted sufferings
Yes, the week before it was one of wailing, mourning and burials; and costly burials at that. The amount of public funds used on burying the fourteen gallant Kenyans who perished in a plane crash in Marsabit a few days earlier demonstrated that this country has endless resources to alleviate poverty and lawlessness if only there was the will to do so from our governors.
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.
Of Raila Odinga, Mercenaries and the Kenya Government
There are two ways of looking at this intricate situation. Either Raila is a chronic liar that this government can no longer take seriously or, the CID Director is a pathetic and incompetent public servant that has no business being trusted with the security of this country.
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!
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.
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, ...
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.
President Abdoulaye Wade's constant bashing of NEPAD
President Wade of Senegal has been complaining about NEPAD's ineffectiveness for the last two years. Now, if one has no background information why Wade talks like that at every opportunity about NEPAD, one can make many grave mistakes in a public debate.
President Kibaki of Kenya must not let East Africa down
Judging by the mood and excitement at the new Federation Anthem, it is possible that East Africans are finally coming to terms with the real possibility of one East African nation. The lyrics of the national anthem told it all.
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.
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.
Salim Amin's A24 TV channel must succeed because there is no other choice
As much as the Americans and the British feel obliged to influence world opinion through their own media, the Arabs, united under Islam and threatened by the invasion of Western culture, military power and the imposition of Western brand of democracy on their soil; they have reason enough to establish on an ideological basis, their equivalent of BBC World and CNN because as Muslims and Arabs, they are at war with the Western Alliance.

[1] [2]

Site Home

Article Categories

More Search Options

Site Map

Submit Articles

Top Authors

Most Recent Articles