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Jerry Okungu's Articles in Kenya

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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.
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.
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 .....
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

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