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• Yes We Have a Deal, So What Next?

  Posted: February 28, 2008, 5:37 pm by Taabu

  
  Promptlly seizing an opportunity marks the difference between failure and true success. That is an apt message for Kibaki and Raila after signing a political deal. The hard work of reclaiming Kenyan starts now and doing it before now will go along way to re-assure the emotionally and physically wounded to on their value as Kenyans.
  
  Kibaki and Raila must seize this opportunity to show TRUE LEADERSHIP bereft of malice or dirty tricks. Past political tension and suspicion can only be address by honest and focused leadership by example and from in front. Rising above the fray will a shame ethnic purists who must also be made to appreciate the beauty and fruits of diversity over division.
  
  Kenya must turn the past crisis on its head as a launch pad to WHOLESOME and EQUITABLE prosperity for all her citizens. There would be no better befitting tribute to those who have died recently and before for justice. True, some those deaths and incarceration have been unfair and products of excesses.
  
  Unity in diversity
  Acknowledging a weakness is strength unto itself. As we wait for Annan and his team to complete his mediation work we must NOT wait to start the healing process. Let us derive utmost motivation to move on from our national pain for the last two months. Unity in diversity must be our clarion call and we must collectively vow to shun empty and chauvinistic pronouncements NOW.
  
  Humility is an irreplaceable pillar in leadership as exhibited by Kofi Annan. Kibaki and Raila must take cue and start uniting Kenya now. They would start this by jointly visiting the internally displaced people in their camps to assure them of putting structures in place within a timetable to address the root cause that is LAND.
  
  Time waits for no man and before the truth and reconciliation commission is up and running, we must not leave room for political suspicion and scheming. We have been BITTEN HARD and it is incumbent upon us a nation to dust ourselves up and showcase to the world that we appreciate their concern for Kenya. We owe it to ourselves and the future generation.
  
  Making a difference
  We have a unique opportunity to redefine Kenya. Such luck never knocks at anybody's door twice. As a Kenyan start now by doing whatever is within your powers to make a difference. Ask yourself each day what small thing you have done to any other Kenyan to his or her life better. I rest my case and over to you Kenyans.

• Breakthrough In Anan Talks Leaves Too Many Questions

  Posted: February 28, 2008, 3:31 pm by chris

  It is like the whole country has been holding it’s breath since December 30th 2007 and everybody started breathing again a few hours ago when a breakthrough in the the Anan peace talks was finally announced.
  
  “We have a deal,” Anan said capturing the drama and suspense of the moment.
  
  Wild celebrations were noted in many parts of the country including areas like Migori where or man on the ground reports, Kenyans went crazy with jubilation. As I wrote his, I still don’t have a reaction from the Rift Valley. No reports of celebrations there, at least not yet.
  
  Still the events of a few hours ago have left more questions than answers on the minds of close observers and political analysts.
  
  Interestingly one contentious issue was not addressed in the agreement. It is silent on what happens in the event that the coalition collapses. ODM were keen that the country goes to the polls in the event of the coalition collapsing. PNU were adamant that such a clause would tempt ODM mischief to break the coalition as soon as possible so as to force an election.
  
  Even the Americans on acknowledging the breakthrough were cautious and emphasized in their statement that what would matter most would be the implementation.
  
  While I do not intend to burst anybody’s bubble, there are just too many things that can still go wrong. Starting from basic questions like which ministry will go to which side. For instance the Ministry of Finance is desirable to both sides, so who will get it? There are a few other very desirable cabinet portfolios, so how will they all be divided?
  
  Not to mention the fact that it is difficult to imagine Amos Kimunya seated on the same table as William Ruto and Raila Odinga in a cabinet meeting chaired by President Kibaki and having a sober discussion. After all there has been too much venom flying between the two groups.
  
  But even before we reach there, the agreement ahs to go to parliament and the necessary bills have to be quickly passed. President Kibaki has announced the parliament will reconvene on Thursday March 6th.
  
  Kenyan politics has always been about absolute power, so will the new power sharing arrangement work? Or shall we see both sides going into the marriage with raw wounds and scores to settle? Only time will tell.
  
  P.S. Kalonzo Musyoka and ODM-K will be wiped out by the new power sharing arrangement as PNU legislators should take most of the cabinet posts. And even if Kalonzo Musyoka retains the vice presidency, that office will be more of a shell when the Prime Minister and his deputies take their seats. It looks like the miracle is about to be wiped out, forever.

• FULL TEXT OF COALITION AGREEMENT

  Posted: February 28, 2008, 1:35 pm by kalamari

  ACTING TOGETHER FOR KENYA: AGREEMENT ON THE PRINCIPLES OF PARTNERSHIP OF THE COALITION GOVERNMENT.
  
  Preamble:
  The crisis triggered by the 2007 disputed presidential election has brought to the surface deep-seated and long-standing divisions within Kenyan society. If left unaddressed, these divisions threaten the very existence of Kenya as a unified country. The Kenyan people are now looking to their leaders to ensure that their country will not be lost.
  
  Given the current situation, neither side can realistically govern the country without the other. There must be real power-sharing to move the country forward and begin the healing and reconciliation process.
  With this agreement, we are stepping forward together, as political leaders, to overcome the current crisis and to set the country on a new path. As partners in a coalition government, we commit ourselves to work together in good faith as true partners, through constant consultation and willingness to compromise.
  
  This agreement is designed to create an environment conducive to such a partnership and to build mutual trust and confidence. It is not about creating positions that reward individuals. It seeks to enable Kenya’s political leaders to look beyond partisan considerations with a view to promoting the greater interests of the nation as a whole. It provides the means to implement a coherent and far-reaching reform agenda, to address the fundamental root causes of recurrent conflict, and to create a better, more secure, more prosperous Kenya for all.To resolve the political crisis, and in the spirit of coalition and partnership, we have agreed to enact the National Accord and Reconciliation Act 2008, whose provisions have been agreed upon in their entirety by the parties hereto and a draft copy is appended hereto.
  
  Its key points are:
  * There will be a Prime Minister of the Government of Kenya, with authority to coordinate and supervise the execution of the functions and affairs of the Government of Kenya.
  
  * The Prime Minister will be an elected member of the National Assembly and the parliamentary leader of the largest party in the National Assembly, or of a coalition, if the largest party does not command a majority.
  
  * Each member of the coalition shall nominate one person from the National Assembly to be appointed a Deputy Prime Minister.
  
  * The Cabinet will consist of the President, the Vice-President, the Prime Minister, the two Deputy Prime Ministers and the other Ministers. The removal of any Minister of the coalition will be subject to consultation and concurrence in writing by the leaders.
  
  * The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers can only be removed if the National Assembly passes a motion of no confidence with a majority vote.
  
  * The composition of the coalition government will at all times take into account the principle of portfolio balance and will reflect their relative parliamentary strength.
  
  * The coalition will be dissolved if the Tenth Parliament is dissolved; or if the parties agree in writing; or if one coalition partner withdraws from the coalition.
  
  * The National Accord and Reconciliation Act shall be entrenched in the Constitution.Having agreed on the critical issues above, we will now take this process to Parliament. It will be convened at the earliest moment to enact these agreements. This will be in the form of an Act of Parliament and the necessary amendment to the Constitution.
  
  We believe by these steps we can together in the spirit of partnership bring peace and prosperity back to the people of Kenya who so richly deserve it.

• Breaking News: Deal at Last

  Posted: February 28, 2008, 9:32 am by Taabu

  Kofi Annan has just announced a POWER SHARING DEAL signed by Kibaki and Raila. Annan however failed to give further details on the same. Nonetheless he said he was confident enough to declare a DEAL. This may be the FIRE EXTINGUISHER Kenya needed after all the destructive inferno. Well, as we wait for details and the beef the bone is already there to keep teeth busy.
  
  I won't be the one to spoil the party. But being Kenyan has taught me to be armed with tons of salt on any political deal. Putting pen to paper is one thing and having the ink dry is quiet another. Hope is good for a grieving soul but reality can also shred HOPE. Kibaki still has both the yam and the knife and whatever he does with both is for us and the world to see.
  
  Real power sharing needs constitution amendments that requires two-third in parliament. Consequently ODM's fate is still at the mercy of GOODWILL from other MPs. Knowing Kenyans for what they are, well your guess is as good as mine. I just hope Annan is not being bid bye in style to escape a killing field, GOD FORBID. The precedence is there and once bitten, severally shy. Half loaf yes, but will it be snatched from our lips? Only time will tell.

• Which Way Kenya?

  Posted: February 28, 2008, 4:43 am by Phil

  Danger Ahead for Kenya: The People To Watch
  
  It is now exactly two months since Kenyans enthusiastically came out in their masses to cast ballots in favour of their preferred political leaders. What should have been a straight forward electoral process has turned out to be our worst nightmare. The general elections have polarised the country ethnically.
  
  After wasting more than 1500 lives and displacing nearly half a million others, the general elections have left many a Kenyan with deep regret as to why they even bothered to vote in the first place and many others are frustrated to the point of vowing never ever to vote again.
  
  Nairobi has now become a global VIP destination with visitors including nobel price winners, presidents, diplomats, peace-makers, etc. The Kenya crisis has also been in the headlines since December. This just goes to say how high the stakes are. Interestingly, few of these high-profile visitors have made it to State House – Mwai Kibaki’s preferred work station. Most have met Kibaki at the official Harambee House offices.
  
  On the other hand, the current political impasse shows just how powerful the so-called old order forces are in this country that claims to have been independent for nearly half a century and that which, as we have always been reminded, is a sovereign state. Threats of visa ban and asset freeze do not seem to be producing any results towards a resolution of the elections impasse.
  
  Whereas the Orange Democratic Movement led by Raila Odinga have made significant concessions in the crisis arising out of the disputed elections, the Party of National Unity led by Mwai KIbaki have made none at all - in terms of acknowledging the concerns of their rivals or even ceding executive powers. Instead, PNU has been changing positions each time they are requested to show commitment on agreed issues and in the process playing deadly political gambling with the very livelihoods of the people of Kenya – all in the name of retaining political power.
  
  Ever since the crisis started, the ODM have played their political cards much better than the PNU. To begin with, PNU forget that this crisis is all about politics and NOT about what the constitutional law says. In any case, everyone is in agreement, it is this very constitution that has led us to this hole we find ourselves in. Secondly, it is clear to all that PNU’s line-up on the mediation table is not what one would call negotiators but ‘defenders’ – no wonder they have failed to reach a compromise! Thirdly, it is PNU that is in control of state instruments and it is them who will ultimately determine whether the crisis will degenerate into anarchy or peace. Perhaps it is this state power that has made PNU become too reckless in its pronouncements and so amateurish in its dealings with people who matter in global affairs.
  
  Whether rightly or wrongly, ODM have managed to depict themselves as the victims and it appears the civil society, the press, the international community and even the majority of the Kenyan population agree that power-sharing as opposed to an MOU-type of arrangement. As a matter of fact, Kofi Annan was taken aback by PNU hardliners who accused him of siding with killers (ODM) something which clearly shocked him and that which prompted him to suspend the Serena talks and opt to engage directly with the principals.
  
  The big question is: After hastily taking oath of office on 30th December, is Mwai Kibaki truly in charge of this country or are there some unseen forces that are actually ruling this country by proxy? Who is holding our leaders hostage? Looking at the history of both ODM and PNU leaders, and the backers they had during their intensive campaign periods; it is easy to tell who between the two is lying in bed with the OLD ORDER and who has been out there advocating for CHANGE. It is also easy to tell who is sweeping historical injustices under the carpet.
  
  Although the country has returned to an uneasy calm in recent weeks, many observers opine that this has only given private militias the opportunity to re-arm because PNU and ODM are unlikely to reach an agreement and therefore matters will have to be sorted out physically.
  
  Sources now say, as a last resort, Kenya’s military is on high alert awaiting orders of deployment to contain civil strife that is sure to follow the failure of Annan’s mediation mission. A strong pointer to this was the unusual attendance of the Chief of General Staff, General Kianga, at yesterday’s meeting between Kibaki together with his PNU team and Kofi Annan with his eminent persons team. In other words, Gen. Kianga was part of the PNU team that met with Kofi Annan who is on a AU sanctioned mission to Kenya.
  
  Related:
  
  Kibaki's Game Plane: Is a Major Purge Ahead?

• Danger Ahead For Kenya: The People To Watch

  Posted: February 28, 2008, 4:26 am by chris

  I read a comment today from one of our dear readers begging for real news rather than just commentaries.
  
  I hereby oblige.
  
  Yesterday President Kibaki met with the chief of general staff, Jeremiah Kiaga, the NSIS chief Michael Gichangi, the police commissioner Maj Gen Ali and other leaders of various security related institutions in the country.
  
  That is very big news for several reasons. In fact you can interpret this information in many different ways but based on the information I have, I can only equate it to the strange incident that happened shortly after Mwai Kibaki was announced the winner of the 2007 general elections. There was suddenly heavy security presence surrounding the City Mortuary.
  
  Folks, something is about to happen and whatever it is, it is big and it involves the security of the country.
  
  My dear readers it is important that you now learn how to read the situation. Let me give you a recent example. Martha Karua and the other PNU negotiators had a press conference on Sunday. Basically it was to say that an agreement is not an agreement until it is signed. Do you remember what happened the very next day? Kenyans were very optimistic but barely a day after that press conference, the talks collapsed.
  
  Now I will make it easier for you. The following are the people whose body language you should take very careful note of.
  
  Mwai Kibaki: Beware when he fiddles with his left hand on his lap when he is seated. That means he is getting impatient or irritated or both.).
  
  Martha Karua: The pace with which she walks is very important. Quick means that she is under pressure from her boss to go ballistic and cause chaos. The whole game plan is to take Anan round in circles until the guy gives up and goes back to Ghana. But a big mistake many readers here make, Karua does not make any decisions, unlike Nicholas Biwott whom most Kenyans compare her to. She just follows instructions to the letter. Need I tell you from who?
  
  Mutula Kilonzo: Ignore him. But the wider his eyes are when he faces the camera, the more reckless the instructions that have been given to Ms Karua. But ignore what he says. Basically he always says NOTHING.
  
  Moses Wetangula: Listen carefully to what he says because it will usually be a reply to the last irritating telephone call one Mwai Kibaki received from one Condi Rice. The British these days are quiet since their last letter to Mwai Kibaki’s administration. Briefly that letter confirmed what High commissioner Wood had already said, that the position of her Majesty’s government is that they DO NOT recognize the Kibaki administration. In other words the guys are in office illegally. Period. But do be careful about the British. Those guys are deadly and they usually think through everything they do. Meaning that their failure to recognize the Kibaki government means that they have scanned the whole sum and seen the final answer, when everybody else is still working out the sum. I will say no more.
  
  Gichira Kibara: This radical hardliner lawyer, I know personally and I know him well. He is never in the public limelight. But the reason for his presence in the Anan talks is very clear to me. By the way, Gichira I have seen the comments that you have left here and also the others you have attempted to leave. You did not need to leave your name. We lived together under the same roof for almost six years, remember? Ninakujua vizuri sana.
  
  The reason for Gichira’s presence in the talks is that he represents the President’s closest advisors and carefully takes instructions from them to protect their interests and ensure that nobody does anything stupid at the talks with Anan (like give an inch of ground.)
  
  I would not be at all surprised if it was his briefing that caused the Sunday press conference. Deep inside this guy’s heart, he does not believe that the Luo community deserve to exist and if they must, he does not believe that they should come anywhere near power or leadership.
  
  The ODM guys? Ignore them. What power do they have? As a party they do NOT even control the Kalenjin warriors in the Rift Valley. Those guys take their instructions from some other radicals, I’d better not write about here. Trust me sometimes what you don’t know helps a lot in keeping you calm and sane and hopeful.
  
  As our beloved KTN TV news anchors put it the other day; the buck stops with Mwai Kibaki. He alone has the power to make an agreement happen 2 weeks ago. In my view Kibaki has not shown any leadership in his life and especially since that memorable day December 30th 2002 at Uhuru Park. And that is why we are in this mess in the first place. How I long for Moi sometimes, despite every bad thing he did.
  
  Can Kibaki show leadership now? Is it possible to teach an old dog new tricks? You be the judge.
  
  
  The groups below, you must also keep an eye on and some other characters I will talk about soon. The information below was sent to me by Sarah Kanini I don't agree with everything she says though.
  
  She said in her email;
  
  
  DO not blame Mungiki since the president is a kikuyu and the group comprises of Kikuyus, every community is at pain here in fact Luo and Luyha have more warrior groups unlike Kikuyus
  
  Kenya is at risk of plunging into a new wave of violence, despite progress in negotiations to end a political crisis, because several armed groups are mobilizing on all sides of the country's ethno-political divisions.
  
  Firearms are much less widely available in Kenya than in neighbouring countries. In the context of this article, "armed groups" include those using machetes, spears, poison arrows and clubs.
  
  Extremists and militia are preparing for new confrontation on both camps and ODM [the opposition] believes that if international mediation fails, its only protection against repression and hope for a settlement will be its capacity to raise the stakes through violence,"
  
  Kenya has a number of groups of youths claim to protect their regions,
  
  Mungiki: Kikuyu male membership is drawn mainly from some parts of Central Province .
  
  Kalenjin warriors: Well-organized community defense training forms an integral part of the graduated progress from childhood to adulthood in the seven ethnic groups collectively known as Kalenjin.
  
  Sabaot Land Defence Force: The Sabaot Land Defense Force has been blamed for most of the violence that has rocked the western district of Mt Elgon in the past two years. It was formed after claims of injustice over land allocation in a settlement scheme in the district.
  Mt Elgon conflict involves two main clans of the dominant Sabaot community - the majority Soy clan and the minority Ndorobo clan � OVER LAND
  
  Chinkororo: is the Kisii equivalent of Kalenjin warriors, and represents the armed wing of the Abagusii community, which is found in several districts in the western ethnic Luo-dominated Nyanza Province .
  
  Mulungunipa Forest Group: This little-known group is said to be based in the coastal district of Kwale
  Taliban : mainly Luo and active in Mathare, Huruma, Baba Dogo, Kariobangi North and Kariobangi South quarters of Nairobi �s Eastlands district.
  Members communicate and identify themselves via a system of secret hand signals.
  
  Baghdad Boys: Vigilantes active in Kibera , Kenya 's largest slum, whose members are drawn mostly from the Luo community, and use slingshots and knives.
  Kosovo: Another vigilante group based in Kibera, including members from the Luo and Luhya communities, using slingshots and knives
  
  Jeshi la Mzee aka Kamjesh
  Another slum-based gang specializing in extortion and protection rackets, targeting operators of public minibuses. Membership is mixed, comprising Kikuyu, Luo, Maasai, Kisii and the Luhya.

Blah blah blah

Fish cakes

Alas a fish cake.

Yet more fish cakes

Guess what ... yeah ... fish cakes.

The end of the fish cakes