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• Civic Response Required To End The Violence Now!

  Posted: February 4, 2008, 1:35 am by Phil

  These is one of the articles the Citizens' Pathway Group (CPG) have developed and shared with the politicians and the (Kofi Annan) negotiatiotion teams. Any Kenyan can join CPG. The middle class in Kenya have been accused of sitting on the fence. Please make a contribution.

  The Citizens’ Pathway Group (CPG) is a multi-ethnic and independent group of Kenyans united in our hopes and future aspirations for Kenya. As Kenyans, we view ourselves as a people that are able to earn and uphold our pride of place among nations as a sovereign and remarkable country of outstanding people enjoying a high quality of life.

  Since 29^th December 2007, we have seen our hopes and aspirations dwindle by the day as our leaders appear completely inured to the death, disruption and suffering that has engulfed our country. We have pleaded with them to put aside their self-interests and focus on the greater good - our welfare – the citizens of Kenya, the welfare of their supporters. Those pleas have fallen on deaf ears. As a result, we are now in a crisis that threatens to completely breakup the Kenya we know today as violence escalates and the State seemingly incapable of protecting its citizens. We still have leaders who will not heed the calls to end this violence and we continue to wonder why?

  Don’t our leaders live in this country? Do they watch television and read newspapers? Are they immune to the sight of mobs hacking their fellow citizens to death? Are they not moved by mothers and children being burnt to death in the places they went to seek refuge? Don’t they lose sleep at night over this calamity?

  What is wrong with our leaders? Why do they continue to speak so insensitively and arrogantly? Is it because they remain unaffected by the chaos? Is it because their children don’t sleep hungry and are still able to go to school while those of many citizens are caught up in camps unsure where the next meal will come from or whether they will ever go to school again? Whether they will be alive tomorrow? Do our leaders believe that their status protects them from a further breakdown of law and order? Do they think that they are safe? Do they believe that their wealth or the money stashed away in some foreign country will save them? If this is what they believe, then they do not really understand the level that the current crisis could escalate to if not decisively dealt with. They need to revisit the scenarios published by the Institute of Economic Affairs in 2000 titled, Kenya at the crossroads: Scenarios for our future at www.kenyascenarios.org/stories/stories.html. The Maendeleo-turned-El Nino Scenario will bring home to our leaders the reality of the situation we are in.

  As Citizens, we must take the responsibility to end the violence now. And why is this civic response best placed to end the violence? Because the police cannot cover every nook and cranny of the country where the violence is occurring. Because we are the ones who are suffering and in turn causing others even greater pain through our acts of revenge and counter violence. We are the ones who pick up a rungu, a stone, a panga, bows and arrows and other weapons against our fellow citizens. Parents have shamed themselves in the eyes of their children as they financed and encouraged the violence, set upon their neighbours, killing them, chasing them away and destroying that which they have worked for all their lives. Children have shamed themselves in the eyes of their parents and the entire community through the barbaric acts committed in the streets, on road-blocks, in the slums, major urban areas, and in far flung villages! We have shamed ourselves in the eyes of our neighbours and the entire world by failing to rise against these injustices in righteous indignition as a citizenry and bring the mayhem to an immediate end. None of us can hold our heads up high anymore, we are disgraced as a people, now being referred to as examples of what should not happen to other parts of the continent.

  We must bring all this to a stop and restore our pride of place as a country, as a people! The violence must end now before it takes all of us down! For it does have the potential to get far worse and take us to a point that would take generations to address let alone recover. That is why all of us must be united in our civic duty to end the anarchy now!

  Let us take the lead as citizens to bring an end to this violence. Let us determine today that no other person will be injured, killed or displaced from their home. Let us determine today that there will be no further destruction of property, no further burning of houses, farms and business premises! Let us determine today that we, as individuals, will not cause another person to suffer any loss, of life or property. Let us determine today that the only images that will appear on TV screens and in newspapers are those of reconciliation, healing and hope! Inside each one of us is the power to do right. The power to overcome evil with virtue, morality and justice. We all know it is within us, we just need to be honest to ourselves and heed our conscience. Let each one of us make a commitment today to make our own small contribution to end this violence and participate in efforts to establish a lasting peace and human dignity in our country. In the end, you will find that, what you considered to be a small contribution will make the difference as to what kind of future you and I are able to enjoy.

  We still believe that that future will be bright. We still believe that we will be able to live in a secure, democratic, prosperous and just society FOR ALL. Not just some, but all Kenyans. But the violence must stop.

  Our leaders have so far failed us in safeguarding this vision. They have failed in the primary duty of any leader worth the name – that of promoting the welfare of their supporters, of every citizen in our land. Instead, they continue to be insensitive in their speech and omissions. They continue to put conditions before ending the violence even as more lives are lost or disrupted and properties destroyed. But all is not lost: our leaders still have an opportunity to redeem themselves. They too can decide today to end the violence. They too can decide that this is not the time for political games which are costing peoples lives. They too can decide to go out and reach out to their supporters and genuinely urge them to end the violence. They too can contribute to an early political settlement that will create the environment for addressing the deep-rooted issues that have led us to this tragedy. This is not the time for double speak and duplicity, it is the time for a true commitment to put our differences aside and confront the monster of violence that has reared its head across the country. Our leaders must determine to demonstrate a new level of integrity as they call for an end to the violence. They must say it and mean it, in all languages!

  Whether our politicians heed our call or not, we as citizens must decide to BE THE LEADERS in ending the violence and contributing to lasting peace. Let us demonstrate that we are not pawns to be manipulated at every turn. As we wait for the truth to be established and justice to be done, let us seek forgiveness from those we have offended, those who we have deeply hurt and denied the opportunity to lead a dignified life. Let us also forgive those who have offended us, hurt us, killed those who are dear to us and destroyed our entire life’s work. Let each one of us determine that we shall not spread another hate message and instead embrace each other with love, irrespective of our ethnicity or political persuasion. Let us restore calm so that we can have an environment that can enable us to address the constitutional framework, poverty and inequality, distribution of national resources, poor leadership, weak institutions, corruption and impunity, the very deep-rooted land question, and a deliberate process to gain a deep understanding of our history and the injustices that remain unresolved. Ending the violence does not mean we ignore these fundamental issues. It means we create conditions that unite us and bring our collective abilities and energies together to comprehensively deal with these issues and hold those we have put in positions of responsibility to account.

  But for now, let us all focus on ending the violence. Let it stop. For our sake and that of our children, let it stop.
  
  Send an e-mail to The Citizens Pathway Group: citizensolution(at)gmail.com
  
  Related Articles:
  Supporting The Peace Agenda: A Citizens Pathway

• How Kibaki Rigged 1969 Parliamentary Elections In The Same Way

  Posted: February 4, 2008, 12:54 am by chris

  …As Gitobu Imanyara emerges to sue serial slapping first lady for recent attack at State House
  
  
  Jael Mbogo was a parliamentary candidate in Nairobi’s then Bahati constituency in 1969 and she recently explained to a British newspaper in great detail how she was rigged out of that parliamentary seat.
  
  The amazing thing is that the manner in which it was done bears striking resemblance top how the presidential elections was rigged late last year plunging the country in chaos. And guess who the candidate she was standing against was? Yep, one Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki.
  
  Much as I am a great admirer of Tom Mboya, one of the big mistakes he made was to drive all the way to Makerere University from Nairobi in his VW Beetle to fetch one Mwai Kibaki, then an economics lecturer at that university to become Kanu’s first executive officer. Kibaki learnt a lot of his politics from Tom Mboya but by the time the 1969 general elections were held, Mboya was dead, assassinated by Kibaki’s inner circle and his close friend Kibaki was carrying on life as if nothing had happened.
  
  But it seems that the voters knew about this betrayal and firmly voted against Kibaki. Mbogo told the Obserever that she was so far ahead in the early vote tallying that the BBC went ahead and announced that a young woman had defeated a government minister for the Bahati seat. It was not to be. In circumstances that are remarkably similar to what happened in December, the results for Bahati were delayed for several days as GSU officers surrounded the vote counting centre. When those results were finally announced, Mwai Kibaki had won by a razor-thin margin.
  
  Jael Mbogo who is now a civil rights activist told the Observer; 'Kibaki stalled the result, and then robbed me of victory. Because he looks so holy, people are still asking if he really was capable of stealing this election. What I say is "Of course, he has done it before".
  
  Read the Observer story here
  http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2251523,00.html
  
  Meanwhile Gitobu Imanyara emerged yesterday after days in hiding to announce to the Kenyan press that he was suing serial slapper Lucy Kibaki for attacking him at State House. Imanyara who is now also a member of parliament, says that because of Mrs Kibaki’s short stature her “slaps and blows” did not reach the tall legislator. Interestingly at one point rumors had it that Imanyara had been injured very badly from the incident that he had been hospitalized. One sensational version even said that he had died.
  
  Imanyara also says that he had decided not to take any action because former president Mwai Kibaki called him and apologized over the incident.
  
  Imanyara told the attentive journalists that the reason why the First Lady was so upset was because he was handling the case of the KTN journalist whom the First Lady assaulted in 2006.
  
  “Nobody takes the first lady to court and nobody gets away with it,” Mrs Kibaki is said to have screamed at Imanyara.
  
  Imanyara says that the first lady was indecently dressed when she attacked him. He did not give clear details as to what exactly he meant.

• Kibaki Team Now Clones Kumekucha Site As Long List Of Dirty Tricks Continue

  Posted: February 4, 2008, 12:48 am by chris

  If people can steal a presidential election without caring about the consequences, what else will they NOT do?
  
  For a long time now, there have been several attempts to hack into the Kumekucha site. By the grace of God all have failed. Now supporters of Mwai Kibaki have gone and cloned the Kumekucha site, producing an almost exact replica of this site which will easily fool many Kenyans into believing that the contents there have been penned by the real Kumekucha.
  
  It is now very easy to see the counter propaganda being peddled by Mwai Kibaki supporters. The latest is the ridiculous and insensitive story that ODM are killing their own MPs. Interestingly the site’s address is almost similar to Kumekucha’s except that there is an “s” at the end. The site has even already been indexed by Google.
  
  View the site here;
  
  http:kumekuchas.blogspot.com
  
  The thinking that went behind this dirty trick is the same that rules Kenya today. For instance despite the killings continuing unabated, the hurriedly sworn in and constituted “government” has said that the country does not need a peace keeping force. Yet it is crystal clear that the police are overwhelmed and divided along tribal lines. Even our disciplined military are very suspect.
  
  Still whether opposition leader Raila Odinga has appealed for foreign peacekeeping troops from either the UN or AU. Looking at the volatile situation the country is in and the continued dirty tricks being planned by some Kibaki supporters, it will be difficult for Kenya to avoid foreign peace keepers in the country. Let us wait and see, shall we?

• Truth and Reconcilaition With Justice

  Posted: February 4, 2008, 2:24 pm by Taabu

  
  Kofi Annan appear to have his hands on Kenya's pulse by aptly recommending a truth and reconciliation commission. That is an idea which is long overdue given our history of MISRULE. But to spoil the party comes the honest and brutal question: can Kibaki walk the talk given this history? Only time will tell but I must hasten to add that you don't have to be a genius nor a sooth sayer to see where we are headed -deadlock.
  
  Annan may be through with the easy part. His cleverly crafted his peace agenda by prioritizing on less controversial issues first. Coming to agreement on sorting out the violence and finding a satisfactory humanitarian response to tens of thousands of maimed and displaced Kenyans is the easy part.
  
  The crux of the matter lies in the next tackling the POLITICAL DIMENSION to the crisis. And that will definitely mark the point of departures among the hitherto agreeing negotiators from both camps. The naked and unpleasant truth is that Kibaki is simply buying time and fooling the world with motions bereft of no meaningful movement politically or otherwise.
  
  Let us be REAL for once and accept the bitter truth that nobody risks his/her reputation by sacrificing hundreds of lives only to STEAL an election and give the voters back their rights. More so if the thief holds the monopoly of force. Add this to the tribal cabal waiting in the wings for any trace of opportunity to strike Kenya
  dead so as to scavenge on the resulting carcass disguised as INDUSTRY.
  
  Well planned electoral theft
  Make no mistake, the ELECTORAL THEFT didn't just happen. Kibaki knew what was awaiting him by close of polling stations on December 27, 2007. He had all the time since referendum to plan with the help of supremacists and old hands from previous regimes. The NSIS had all the facts and the campaigns were just decoys like the 6% economic growth to pull wool over our eyes as the RAPISTS schemed for the ultimate attack on our rights.
  
  The non verbal language and the speeches from Kibaki give him away. His colonial model of RULERSHIP can fly but he has his fingers on both the trigger and extinguisher. You know as well as I do which option he prefers to hold dear. ti Kibaki's government is open to anything that FALLS WITHIN KENYA'S CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK. What a refreshing and innovative yet obstructive conditions? Lies and deception have never come so beutifully painted.
  
  Kibaki is doing very well by exporting his brand of deception. He must have felt sweet telling other leaders in Ethiopia that he believes he won the election fairly and all the trouble since the election has been stirred up by the opposition. Nobody has ever collectively abused his audience with such balderdash knowing who wields the guns and power.
  
  Poor Annan
  I don't envy Bw Annan any inch. He may be having all his heart in the process but I am also very certain he cannot reconcile his efforts to the reality staring him in the eye. Heavy international pressure yes, but not for how long with Chad smouldering already up north. Already Annan has ruled election re-run out of the equation. Kofi fears conducting a re-election will results in more violence. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that either side would accept the outcome of a second presidential poll. The former UN boss is already neck-deep in this murk.
  
  There is no manual to contain a national uprising. Kibaki never saw it coming and he will resort to any CRUDE TOOLS (including Mungiki of course) he can lay his hands on to maintain the status quo. Call me a pessimist if you please but Kenya's problem lie squarely on her weak deep-seated institutional foundation. Kibaki and his cronies don't have what it takes to shape Kenya.
  
  Either way Kibaki is not baking his cake and feasting on it. The die is cast and Kenyans are out in both flesh and blood to reclaim their birth right. Kibaki's apologists can fly their sectarian kite all the much they want oblivious of the fact that the leash has snapped and the phantom remains rudderless in the sky. We value our backs too, no more ridding on them. Politico-economic justice no less.

• Sunday Doodles ‘Attacked’

  Posted: February 4, 2008, 11:57 am by ritch

  Yesterday I posted a piece here that was exceedingly censured and trashed as being “irrelevant”. Read it here Shun Laziness at the Workplace.
  
  I reproduce some of the comments below and accompany them with my thoughts (in bold) about the ‘points’ raised in each piece:
  
  q Anonymous said: Ritch, you have the right message but giving it at the wrong time. Which people are you telling not to be slack, the 500,000 who are homeless and have lost their properties? The hundreds who have lost their jobs because they are the “wrong” tribe? The ones who have several people to bury? The landlords whose tenants have taken off due to insecurity? The drivers whose vehicles have been burnt? The industrialists whose premises, machines and stocks have been broken, burnt or vandalized? The Pastors whose churches have been burnt with ashes of humans still in? The hoteliers who have to close the hotels and send away thousands of workers? This is not the time to tell Kenyans to work hard. It is the time to bring about justice, peace and reconciliation; it is about restoring faith in the Kenyan voter. It is about setting up a new constitution that will seal all loopholes for thieves and ensure fairness, dignity, transparency and patriotism. Since you have turned spiritual today, please read Ecclesiastes 3, the whole chapter. It says: For everything there is a time and a season; a time to cry and a time to laugh; a time to build and a time to pull down; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing etc. In Kenya, it is now the time to put wrong things right. It is time for wrong doers to ask for forgiveness. It is time for thieves to return what they have stolen and pay back four-fold Zacchaeus’ style (Luke 19)
  
  Anonymous, thank you for painting for us the stark, grave reality on the ground. I believe things are even graver than this. My heart goes out to each of these Kenyan brothers, sisters, children, mothers and fathers of mine. But, going back to your response, I think you got me wrong. You say that there is a time for everything, yes there is. Diligence and industry are to be employed in each of the “time for everything”. Slothfulness, slackness and complacency cannot be allowed to thrive even when things are ‘major’. You fail to realize that I am also telling the people in power, people whom we have mandated to fight our cause, not to be slack but to employ diligence in their everyday duties. The obverse side of the coin speaks volumes, anon!
  
  q Wanjiku – Mombasa said: I spend the cream of my time in the office on the net. That is 8 – 9 in the morning when I am freshest. And yes, mostly on Kumekucha. And a few minutes before I retire to bed. Therefore I stand accused as a thief of employer’s time. But I do deliver on work. Or so I hope.
  
  Wanjiku, let me believe that you are not on the net during “the cream your time” at the expense of something more immediate concerning your job. Anyway, keep it Kumekucha and, I believe, you’ll never regret using “the cream of your time” reading pieces here.
  
  q Anonymous said: Ritch, I love your message, best so far here on Kumekucha…
  
  Anon, I’m rather flattered by the adulation. Thank you and keep it here!
  
  Anonymous said: Ritch, well put. But in view of the prevailing circumstances, your message is ABSOLUTELY IRRELEVANT!!
  
  Anon, variety is the spice of life. And if you read the piece well you will see that I have not tried to touch on the prevailing circumstance. So, what is irrelevant? The gist of the piece? And to whom is it irrelevant? Slackness and slothfulness have never helped anyone. At the end of the day people want food on their tables from their very jobs. How people conduct themselves at their stations of work has a direct impact on their very livelihoods. So, what is irrelevant?
  
  q Taabu said: Ritch, nice one albeit preaching to the bereaved. The message is apt and useful but doesn’t serve its purpose. Going religious is good for a burdened soul but is also escapist. Turning your back to problems at your doorsteps amounts to seeking the presidency via deception ya kupita kati kati. Kenyans remain unrivalled in the field of clever deception – panda utavuna. Realists call it escapism and the faint-hearted call it exhaling, where do you belong and what do you mean? Just curious.
  
  Taabu, my bro, I think the first thing you should have said was “what do you mean?” instead of it coming at the very end. Anyway, Taabu, there is no problem I have turned my back to. You are a witness of how I feel about the whole shooting match (the situation in Kenya) from my writings here and, more so, from our discourses elsewhere. I am neither an escapist nor an “exhaler” (whatever that is supposed to mean). Taabu, there is more to life than meets the eye.
  
  And, with that, I rest my case…
  
  Sincerely Yours,
  Ritch (the Doodler).

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Fish cakes

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Yet more fish cakes

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The end of the fish cakes