Items by Ken

AfriCommons Blog

• Oil and Security in Kenya (updated)

  Posted: May 7, 2012, 1:43 am by Ken

  Ratio Magazine, “Kenya Oil Find:  Good News?”: Turkana has just become a lot riskier: It is already a marginal, underdeveloped area with relatively high insecurity. If the recent clashes in Isiolo, underreported and often glossed over as inter-ethnic cattle rustling, … Continue reading →

• U.S./Somaliland relationship continues to mature as U.S. leads donor delegation on preparation for municipal elections

  Posted: May 7, 2012, 3:04 am by Ken

  The key focus in current Somaliland politics is the municipal elections set to be held soon.  The National Election Commission reports being close to readiness, having (with some significant dispute) determined six additional parties to compete with the established three … Continue reading →

• Democracy and Competiting Objectives: "We need you to back us up"

  Posted: May 4, 2012, 9:24 am by Ken

  Reblogged from AfriCommons Blog: I also had a senior military officer, a general, say to me, “It really doesn’t help us when you all don’t come out and criticize sort of half-hearted democratic elections. You tell us ‘Democracy, Democracy’; then … Continue reading →

• “Land Conflict and Distributive Politics in Kenya” (or “What to Expect When We’re Expecting an Election”?)

  Posted: May 3, 2012, 9:11 pm by Ken

  Dr. Catherine Boone at the University of Texas has a timely and important new paper just out from the African Studies Review that I highly recommend in this election season: Abstract: This paper argues that even with the incorporation of land … Continue reading →

• Part Ten–FOIA Documents from Kenya’s 2007 Election–Ranneberger at the ECK: “[M]uch can happen between the casting of votes and final tabulation of ballots and it did”

  Posted: May 1, 2012, 8:28 am by Ken

  Another document released to me from my FOIA request to the State Department for documentation of the State Department observation of the Kenyan election, is a cable from Ambassador Ranneberger from January 2, 2008 reflecting what he witnessed at the … Continue reading →

• Nuts and Bolts of the American-Kenyan relationship . . . .

  Posted: April 28, 2012, 6:03 am by Ken

  A release today from the State Department: Assistant Secretary of State Thomas M. Countryman welcomes a senior-level Kenyan delegation to Washington, D.C. from April 30 – May 5, 2012 for a Legal-Regulatory Implementation Workshop on Strategic Trade Controls and Border … Continue reading →

• Observations from the IFES Kenyan Election Event in Washington

  Posted: April 24, 2012, 8:24 am by Ken

  The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has the video up from their program last week in Washington with Kenyan IEBC Chairman Ahmed Issack Hassan and IFES Country Director Michael Yard. I found the program very useful and want to … Continue reading →

• Normally quiet American ambassador speaks out to condemn police repression amid rising ethnic/political tensions in Kenya

  Posted: April 21, 2012, 8:10 pm by Ken

  Having marked a year in the post this week, U.S. Ambassador Scott Gration has generally “kept his powder dry” in terms of availing himself of the Kenyan media to speak out on the Kenyan issues of the day and exhort … Continue reading →

• Reuters: IEBC touts ICT solutions for Kenya vote tally

  Posted: April 17, 2012, 7:36 pm by Ken

  Ahmed Hassan is making the rounds to explain the new Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission’s plans for a better tallying and reporting process in the upcoming election.  From Reuters today, under the headline “ICC trials main threat to Kenyan polls”, … Continue reading →

• “Competition for Military Superiority” between Uganda and Kenya not a sign of political maturity

  Posted: April 9, 2012, 12:38 am by Ken

    The Daily Nation reports on new data on Ugandan and Kenyan defense spending from SIPRI, “Arms race hots up in East Africa”: Competition for military superiority in the East African Community has seen Uganda’s arms expenditure surpass Kenya’s for … Continue reading →

• [Updated] New Book Recommendation: Monitoring Democracy

  Posted: March 30, 2012, 1:00 am by Ken

  UPDATE:  See “Election Monitoring:  Power, Limits and Risks” an “Expert Markets and Democracy Brief” at the Council on Foreign Relations website, including discussion of the 1992 and 2007 IRI observations in Kenya. Monitoring Democracy: When International Election Observation Works and … Continue reading →

• “LRA nutures the next generation of child soldiers”–IRIN story from the DRC

  Posted: March 27, 2012, 5:17 am by Ken

  I thought I should note a very interesting story today from IRIN, the news service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. FARADJE, 26 March 2012 (IRIN) – The dilemma for Atati Faustin, 13, from Faradje in … Continue reading →

• Kenya: Today’s Presidential Announcement of Tullow Oil Drilling Find in Turkana (several weeks ago) Coincides with News of Major Cabinet Shakeup

  Posted: March 26, 2012, 11:17 pm by Ken

  “Kenya Strikes Oil in Turkana”, Capital FM NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 26 – After years of prospecting, Kenya has finally made a breakthrough by striking oil in Turkana County in the north, with focus now shifting to exploring its commercial viability. The … Continue reading →

• March 24: International Day for the “Right to the Truth” and the Kenyan TJRC

  Posted: March 24, 2012, 4:18 pm by Ken

  Continue reading →

• Part Nine–New Kenya FOIA Documents: What Narrative Was the State Department’s Africa Bureau Offering the Media While Kenyans Were Voting? And Why?

  Posted: March 22, 2012, 2:26 am by Ken

  In my last post in this series, Part Eight, I noted my frustration that the Africa Bureau after roughly 30 months had, in response to my 2009 FOIA request, provided none of the actual documentation from the large-scale 2007 Kenyan … Continue reading →

• “KONY2012″: Bigger than “Out of Africa”, and probably better

  Posted: March 19, 2012, 6:47 am by Ken

  More than a week ago I promised my daughter a post about KONY2012.  Seeing as how I changed her life by moving her to Kenya for the seventh grade four years ago I allowed that this was a reasonable request, … Continue reading →

• Video from yesterday’s CSIS program on USAID’s Development Innovation Ventures program–James Long discusses election monitoring work

  Posted: March 15, 2012, 3:29 pm by Ken

  Featuring: Maura O’ Neil, Chief Innovation Officer and Senior Counselor to the Administrator, USAID Thomas A. Khalil, Deputy Director for Policy, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Senior Advisor for Science, Technology and Innovation, National Economic Council … Continue reading →

• Tariff Tussles–those bales of used clothes and the Kenyan economy

  Posted: March 13, 2012, 10:00 pm by Ken

  Sometimes an unheralded item in Nairobi’s business press tells a larger story of policy, politics and economics in Kenya.  Until the 1990s import of used clothing was banned in Kenya.  With liberalization, it was allowed, along with other cloth imports.  … Continue reading →

• A third year has gone by since the murders of Kenyan civil rights activists Oscar Kingara and J.P. Oulu

  Posted: March 13, 2012, 4:31 am by Ken

  From March 2011::Five Years After the Kenyan Government’s Raid on the Standard and Two Years After the Oscar Foundation Murders, Impunity Reigns and a “Local Tribunal” for Post Election Violence Remains a Pipe Dream As I have previously written, I … Continue reading →

• Economist’s Boabob Blog features UCSD work on “smart” election monitoring

  Posted: March 1, 2012, 5:21 am by Ken

  More great work to fight election fraud from my former colleagues on the USAID/UCSD/IRI Kenya exit poll, Clark Gibson and James Long: “African elections:  How to save votes” COULD smartphones help reduce electoral fraud in Africa and in other regions? … Continue reading →

• The Michuki Rule

  Posted: February 22, 2012, 12:21 am by Ken

  Much is being said and written about John Michuki with his passing this week.  The best I have read so far is here from Charles Onyango-Obbo: “Michuki was the bad guys’ good guy, and he was not afraid to take … Continue reading →

• Part Eight–new Kenya FOIA documents: Diplomacy vs. Assistance Revisited or “Why Observe Elections if We Don’t Tell People What We See?”

  Posted: February 18, 2012, 8:32 pm by Ken

  We are in full swing now in the 2012/13 presidential campaign in Kenya, but unfortunately there remains much confusion, misunderstanding and simple lack of awareness over what actually happened in the 2007 election.  I have gotten a couple of additional … Continue reading →

• State Department to Kabila on DRC Presidential Election: “Nevermind”?

  Posted: February 15, 2012, 4:30 pm by Ken

  The State Department issued a Valentines evening statement on the “ongoing” electoral “process” in the DRC.  Hard to know what the point of this is.  Perhaps it is simply an example of the maxim “if you don’t have anything nice … Continue reading →

• Orange Democracy, Exit Polls and Egypt

  Posted: February 11, 2012, 5:23 pm by Ken

  Kansas City Star–Commentary:  Egypt’s Democracy Falters (special to the McClatchy papers): .  .  .  . But it is no surprise that hard line authoritarian rulers have suspicion and disdain for U.S.-backed democratic movements. The Ukraine’s Orange Revolution in 2004 might … Continue reading →

• A “Must Read” on the “Egyptian Circus” from South Africa’s Daily Maverick: “A dangerous habit, spreading of democracy”

  Posted: February 9, 2012, 3:51 pm by Ken

  This piece from the Daily Maverick‘s J. Brooks Spector is the most detailed and explanatory coverage I have run across on the Egyptian charges against the international and local NGO employees.  Do read the whole thing, but here is an … Continue reading →

• What about democracy in Djibouti?

  Posted: February 7, 2012, 7:57 am by Ken

  Just asking . . . in light of the “Egyptian Circus” noted in my last post. Perhaps you will recall that in March of last year Djibouti ordered the U.S. funded election observation mission led by Democracy International out of … Continue reading →

• Egyptian Circus

  Posted: February 6, 2012, 4:36 pm by Ken

  From the Washington Post story reporting the announced intent to prosecute Americans working for IRI, NDI and Freedom House: Pro-democracy groups have worked openly in Egypt for years, although the government has long refused to grant them operating licenses. The … Continue reading →

• Early handicapping in Kenya’s presidential campaign

  Posted: February 2, 2012, 6:15 am by Ken

  David Throup, in a commentary up on the Center for Strategic and International Studies website, handicaps the impact of the ICC charges on the Kenyan presidential campaign.  In a nutshell, Throup posits that Raila gets elected easily if Uhuru and … Continue reading →

• Time to move on a decision on Uhuru and Ruto eligibility to run for president . . .

  Posted: January 30, 2012, 5:41 am by Ken

  The slow grind of the cumbersome ICC process has finally reached the point now, four years after the post-election violence, that charges should be “confirmed” against Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto. And of course the suspects have appealed this preliminary … Continue reading →

• Rescue of kidnapped aid workers in Somalia highlights Camp Lemonier, Djiboutti

  Posted: January 26, 2012, 5:39 am by Ken

  “Djiboutti Outpost Behind Somalia Rescue is Part of New Defense Strategy”, Thom Shanker, New York Times: . . . “Djibouti is the central location for continuing the effort against terrorism,” Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said during a visit to … Continue reading →

• Another sad tale of why it IS hard to support democracy from inside the Beltway in Washington . . .

  Posted: January 25, 2012, 8:02 am by Ken

  “Democracy Digest” from the National Endowment of Democracy reports on a perplexing problem that anyone who is interested in democracy support or promotion should give some serious attention to: . . . But as President Barack Obama was telling the … Continue reading →

• ICC Confirms Charges Against Four (Ruto, Sang, Kenyatta, Muthaura)–Drops Cases Against Two (Kosgey, Ali)

  Posted: January 23, 2012, 2:00 pm by Ken

  The 4 and 2 split is consistent with speculation I was hearing last fall at the African Studies Association, but not necessarily with the right defendants confirmed. or dismissed. It will be very interesting to see how various elements of … Continue reading →

• Justice, the ICC and Kenyan Politics

  Posted: January 23, 2012, 2:13 am by Ken

  Reblogged from Opalo's weblog: A panel of judges at the ICC will issue their ruling tomorrow afternoon on whether or not six accused Kenyans will stand trial. The six include two declared presidential candidates. Either way the ruling will have … Continue reading →

• BREAKING– “International Colbert Institute” to join America’s Arsenal of Democracy NGOs

  Posted: January 21, 2012, 7:16 pm by Ken

  Dateline Ocean Springs, MS, USA:  The AfriCommons Blog learned today of plans to form the International Colbert Institute, a new INGO (Individual Non-Governmental Organization). The mission of the International Colbert Institute (“ICI”), will be to promote freedom, democracy, the American … Continue reading →

• “War, Guns and Votes”? What will be the impact of Kenya’s war with Al Shabaab on the 2012/13 election?

  Posted: January 18, 2012, 5:07 pm by Ken

  AfriCommons, on Flickr After three months it is now quite clear, if it wasn’t always, that Kenya’s military offensive against Al Shabaab across the border and into the Jubbaland region will be of indefinite duration rather than any type of … Continue reading →

• Cajun Diaspora

  Posted: January 18, 2012, 9:21 am by Ken

  “Cajun Crawfish Invading Africa” from National Geographic news via Africa Files: It’s a far cry from Cajun country, but a U.S. crayfish used in Southern cooking is now eating its way across Africa, scientists say.  Without any native predators to … Continue reading →

• Friday the 13th Ruling: No Kenyan Election Until 2013 Unless Gov’t Dissolved First says High Court

  Posted: January 13, 2012, 9:54 pm by Ken

  Here is the story from KBC: A three  judge bench Friday ruled that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) sets the date for the general election. In a one hour ruling by constitutional court judges Isaac lenaola, David Majanja … Continue reading →

• More Kenyan-U.S. Diplomatic History: Kenyatta’s health and succession; status of whites; military assistance

  Posted: January 12, 2012, 4:42 pm by Ken

  For those of us who would still like to have a better understanding of what went wrong with the last Kenyan election, and how to do better this year, it’s worth taking advantage of the passage of time (and the … Continue reading →

• Preparations for Kenyan Election Kick-Off With Start of Multi-Step Process to Set Constituencies and Boundaries

  Posted: January 9, 2012, 9:00 pm by Ken

    From Wambui Ndonga on Capital FM: NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 9 – Kenyans have the next 21 days to submit their views on a preliminary report proposing the review of electoral boundaries that was launched on Monday by the Independent … Continue reading →

• U.S. and other Western donors support review of election irregularities in DRC–offer technical assistance

  Posted: December 15, 2011, 9:22 am by Ken

  The U.S. appears to have paid attention and avoided the pitfall of glossing over the questions about the election. BBC reports on remarks by the U.S. Ambassador: But the results’ credibility has been criticised by the EU, the Carter Center and other election monitors. The US ambassador to the country said there had been several [...]

• So what does the history of Kenya’s military and GSU from the Kenyatta era mean now going into the 2012 elections?

  Posted: December 14, 2011, 5:01 pm by Ken

  So what does the history of Kenya’s military and GSU from the Kenyatta era, as discussed in my last post, mean today heading into the 2012 elections?  Please take time to read a presentation from Jerry Okungu from a UNDP conference in South Africa over the weekend posted at his Africa News Online blog.  I worked [...]

• History–Kenyatta, the Kenyan military and GSU; origins of U.S. military assistance

  Posted: December 13, 2011, 9:18 am by Ken

  From 1975 intelligence briefing for President Gerald Ford’s Nation Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft: 2. Nairobi has traditionally maintained one of the smaller armies in sub-Saharan Africa, (see table). The Kenyan leaders — especially President Kenyatta — have not wanted a large standing army. Tribal considerations have been a major factor in this decision. The army [...]

• Carter Center calls it as they see it in DRC

  Posted: December 11, 2011, 7:30 am by Ken

  Release from Carter Center: DRC Presidential Election Results Lack Credibility The Carter Center finds the provisional presidential election results announced by the Independent National Election Commission (CENI) on Dec. 9 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to lack credibility. CENI results point to the re-election of incumbent President Joseph Kabila with 49 percent of [...]

• DRC: “We have to debunk the idea that it is peace versus transparent elections. The idea that lousy elections are going to bring peace is madness.”

  Posted: December 5, 2011, 4:56 am by Ken

  “Congo Opposition Rejects Early Poll Results,” Financial Times [It is a bad sign that "the money quote" is anonymous]: .  .  .  . According to the latest partial results, Mr Kabila is winning most support from the mining-rich Katanga province, his stronghold. Some observers have questioned the use of an unaudited voter registration system, which [...]

• Catching up on Somalia and Somaliland

  Posted: December 3, 2011, 10:02 pm by Ken

  Kenya’s military objectives in Somalia remain unclear, with the idea now floated that Kenya is satisfied with whatever has been done to date and has no need to seek to capture Kismayu after all.  As far as Kenya itself is concerned, Somalia just isn’t legitimately the most important priority, and I agree with the perspective [...]

• “Tribute to Dr. Peter Oriare: Media Scholar of Great Repute” and a friend to me, to the International Republican Institute, and to Americans who believe in democracy

  Posted: November 25, 2011, 10:27 pm by Ken

  “Tribute to Dr. Peter Oriare, Media Scholar of Great Repute” “University of Nairobi mourns committed teacher” My friend, Dr. Peter Oriare, was in his own way one of those who got hurt because of the election misconduct in 2007. and  I was very sad to hear on my return from Washington that while I was [...]

• The challenge for the West in Kenya’s 2012 election–and how we can learn and do better this time

  Posted: November 22, 2011, 11:21 pm by Ken

  I just returned from a few days at the annual conference of the African Studies Association, held in Washington this year.  This gave me the chance to hear presentations by and informally rub elbows with some of the most knowledgeable experts on Kenya and African democracy and governance from a variety of places and institutions [...]

• What Kenya did for democracy in Ghana . . . and a “must see” movie

  Posted: November 15, 2011, 10:14 pm by Ken

  The Africa Center for Strategic Studies has published last week its “Special Report No. 1,” an extensive analysis of “Africa and the Arab Spring:  A New Era of Democratic Expectations” by a blue ribbon group of experts.  As the title suggests, the basic conclusion is that the environment in Sub-Saharan Africa has been and will [...]

• Inter-faith peace efforts in North Eastern Province after Garissa church attack

  Posted: November 15, 2011, 7:58 am by Ken

  There are encouraging signs that Kenyans are sticking together in spite of the tensions associated with the Al Shabaab conflict: Nairobi, Kenya (ENInews). After grenade attacks on a church in northern Kenya blamed on Islamic extremists, religious leaders said they were redoubling inter-faith peace efforts. At the same time, about 100 kilometers away, Christian relief [...]

• A little Kenyan-American history: Kissinger, Waiyaki, Kibaki–getting the F5s, safaris and slums

  Posted: November 13, 2011, 6:06 pm by Ken

  A priceless bit of diplomatic history, from October 1, 1975, U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger meets with Kenyan Foreign Minister Waiyaki  at the U.S. United Nations Mission in New York.  You just have to read it: The Secretary: It is good to see you here. Foreign Minister Waiyaki: We are enjoying ourselves very much. [...]

• Upcoming: Panel on challenges to independent media in East Africa

  Posted: November 12, 2011, 3:15 am by Ken

  For readers in the Washington area, Tuesday morning from 10:00 – 11:30am, the Center for International Media Assistance, the National Endowment for Democracy Africa Program and the Solidarity Center will be hosting a roundtable discussion entitled “Independent Media in East Africa: Democratic Pillar in Peril?”  Looks like an interesting event with a distinguished panel: New [...]

• Are we watching the early stages of a broader conflict in the Greater Horn of Africa?

  Posted: November 9, 2011, 4:44 pm by Ken

  Now that Kenya has initiated a full-fledged ground war in Southern Somalia, the obvious and necessary question becomes “what are the near term unintended consequences?”. It is hard to be too clear about what is “unintended” because Kenya’s intentions, on either the military or the political side, are not altogether clear in the first place, [...]

• And a key scholarly book to study on the 2007 Kenyan elections . . .

  Posted: November 9, 2011, 5:19 am by Ken

  Karuti Kanyinga and Duncan Okello, eds. Tensions and Reversals in Democratic Transitions:  The Kenya 2007 General Elections. Nairobi:  Society for International Development, in conjunction with the Institute for Development Studies, University of Nairobi, 2010.  709 pp. Notes.  Paper. Reviewed by Frank Holmquist of Hampshire College in the African Studies Review, Volume 54, No. 2: This [...]

• THE Book on Recent Kenyan Politics to Read in 2011

  Posted: November 7, 2011, 4:47 pm by Ken

  The Politics of Betrayal; Diary of a Kenyan Legislator by former journalist and MP Joe Khamisi was published early this year and made a big stir in Nairobi with portions being serialized in The Nation.  Khamisi is definitely not your average politician in that he got a journalism degree from the University of Maryland, worked [...]

• Happy Birthday to USAID and Walter Cronkite

  Posted: November 4, 2011, 5:35 am by Ken

  USAID turned 50 today.  The agency began in the first year of the Kennedy Presidency and has been an important part of his legacy and a symbol perhaps of American optimism and hopeful leadership in development.  It was a product of those years between Sputnik and Vietnam when America felt challenged, but seems to have [...]

• If Raila Odinga wants to be elected the next President of Kenya, he should expect to be evaluated on his performance as Prime Minister

  Posted: October 30, 2011, 4:51 am by Ken

  Personally, from everything I knew professionally in “real time” in Kenya during the last presidential campaign and its aftermath, and everything I have learned since, I am of the opinion that Odinga would have been the President but for the manipulation of the vote totals as ultimately reported.  The lack of any actual investigation of [...]

• Exciting Opportunity for American Somali and Swahili speakers

  Posted: October 27, 2011, 8:30 am by Ken

  A reader called my attention to a  government program that might be a real benefit to some of you: Do any readers speak Balochi, Dari, Pashto, Farsi, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Arabic, Mandarin, Swahili, Somali, Igbo, Hausa, or Turkish?  If so, the US government offers a great opportunity. English for Heritage Language Speakers is government scholarship, [...]

• U.S. not participating in Kenyan offensive in Somalia, says State Department

  Posted: October 26, 2011, 5:24 pm by Ken

  Contradicting the previous reports from Kenyan military spokesmen, the U.S. responded yesterday as reported by the Voice of America: The United States has denied taking part in Kenya’s operation against al-Shabab militants in southern Somalia. A U.S. State Department release said Tuesday that the U.S. has helped Kenya build its border defense capacity for years, [...]

• U.S. Drones and TFG Join in Kenyan Offensive; Embassy Warns Americans in Kenya

  Posted: October 22, 2011, 12:22 am by Ken

  From the Daily Nation: Al Shabaab militants were on the back foot on Saturday evening as they faced heavy bombardment from multiple fronts from a combined force of Kenyan troops, US drones, African Union peacekeepers and Transitional Federal Government fighters. Reports from the battlefront indicated that Kenyan troops were advancing towards four al Shabaab-controlled towns [...]

• Will Kenyan Military Engagement in Southern Somalia Disrupt Kenyan Reforms?

  Posted: October 18, 2011, 3:36 pm by Ken

  Readers will undoubtedly be following the news of the Kenyan military moving to challenge al-Shabaab well across the border in southern Somalia.  I don’t feel that I have anything particularly profound to add to what is readily available on the direct events, but I did want to suggest some questions that need to be considered [...]

• Ugandan Parliament Votes to Suspend Oil Deals on Corruption Charges

  Posted: October 12, 2011, 7:41 am by Ken

  BBC News is reporting that the Ugandan parliament has asserted its independence by acting to freeze new oil agreements after bribery allegations are brought forward by an MP: Uganda’s parliament has voted to suspend all new deals in the oil sector following claims that government ministers took multi-million dollar bribes. MP Gerald Karuhanga said in [...]

• A Warning Re-visited . . .

  Posted: October 12, 2011, 5:19 am by Ken

  Daily Nation:  “British envoy warns of election crisis” This was a headline from mid-June, almost four months ago. Uncertainty over the date of the next General Election and lack of a substantive electoral body could expose the country to chaos. This was the message of British high commissioner Rob Macaire to the principals and MPs [...]

• Kenyan Supreme Court to begin hearings to determine next election date; preparations lag

  Posted: October 11, 2011, 9:53 am by Ken

  Although the Supreme Court is set to begin preliminary hearings Tuesday on the question of the interpretation of the new constitution to determine the proper date for the first general election, the Cabinet with substantial support among MPs will seek to move its bill in Parliament to amend the constitution to set elections in December [...]

• East Africa ranks fourth of five regions in 2011 Mo Ibrahim Foundation Governance Rankings–Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya each move up from 2010

  Posted: October 11, 2011, 8:42 am by Ken

  2011 Governance Rankings for East Africa Rank (of 53-followed by raw score) 4th Seychelles 73 13th Tanzania 58 20th Uganda 55 23rd Kenya 53 25th Rwanda 52 29th Djibouti 49 31st Comoros 47 34th Ethiopia 46 37th Burundi 45 47th Eritrea 35 48th Sudan 33 53rd Somalia 8 Here is a link to a summary [...]

• Famine Aid for Somalia/Horn of Africa this morning

  Posted: October 3, 2011, 6:43 am by Ken

  This morning at church, on a beautiful, sunny, cool day in coastal Mississippi, we had a “packing event” for international food aid for Somalia through the group “Stop Hunger Now”.  We also donated $5,000 through special offerings collected by our youth.  We have done these events before, but our minister was aware of this crisis [...]

• “Diplomats do Development”–we might have meant well, but we obviously were not very serious

  Posted: October 1, 2011, 12:02 am by Ken

  {Editorial Note–10-11-11:  I haven’t read the book and I’m not endorsing the idea of people writing books and blogs about their current employment–my point here is to note the example of the distinction between diplomatic and developmental priorities and to vent my frustration at the impact of our endeavors in Iraq over the past eight+ [...]

• What Wangari Maathai had to say during the Post Election Violence

  Posted: September 28, 2011, 8:18 am by Ken

  Interview on NPR’s Tell Me More, January 17, 2008, “Nobel Laureate Explains Kenya’s Battle for Peace”: Dr. MAATHAI: I believe that out what we are experiencing is the reason that I lost the seat. Since the year 2003, I’ve been trying to tell our side of the government that it is very important to accommodate [...]

• Will Kenyan ICC defendants ever become “too hot to touch” for the U.S. and other Western players in Kenya? If so, when?

  Posted: September 22, 2011, 4:38 pm by Ken

  With the second round of “confirmation” hearings underway in the Hague for the charges against “the Ocampo Six” this week and next, the U.S. and other Western “donors” and supporters of Kenya’s Grand Coalition Government are confronted with the spectacle of Kenya’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister in the dock facing charges of egregious [...]

• Kenya shilling continues to fall after hitting record low; food prices continue to rise

  Posted: September 21, 2011, 4:55 pm by Ken

  Economic conditions remain far more challenging in Kenya in the pre-election period than they were in 2006-2007, as policy makers struggle to respond to another 20 percent decline in the Kenya Shilling versus the dollar this year.  Business Daily reports “Kenya shilling falls to 97.20 against dollar”: At an emergency meeting last week, the Central [...]

• Part Seven–one more FOIA cable

  Posted: September 10, 2011, 1:17 am by Ken

  The last of the five State Department cables released to.me last month regarding the USAID Kenyan exit poll is from February 21, 2008. This is the cable with some redactions. I suppose all of this may be out on the internet anyway via Wikileaks, but as I have noted previously I am not able to [...]

• Part Seven–One last FOIA cable on the 2007 Exit Poll

  Posted: September 10, 2011, 9:08 pm by Ken

  See the previous posts in this series:  Part One, Two , Three , Four, Five, and Six. The last of the five State Department cables released to me last month regarding the USAID Kenyan exit poll is from February 21, 2008.  This is the cable with some redaction.  I suppose all of this may be [...]

• David Axe on “America’s Somalia Experiment”–a timely reminder of policy in the Horn of Africa in 2007-08

  Posted: September 8, 2011, 10:30 am by Ken

  David Axe on “America’s Somalia Experiment”  this week in The Diplomat: The complex US-led intervention in Somalia, a decade in the making, represents offshore balancing at its most potent and urgent. The Libyan rebellion was outside the United States’ core interests. For Washington, intervening in Libya was optional. But Somalia, a failed state since 1991 [...]

• Museveni defends Gaddafi while inflation soars in Uganda

  Posted: September 3, 2011, 7:30 am by Ken

  Museveni reiterated his defense of Gaddafi this week in The Daily Monitor: President Museveni has reiterated his criticism of the West and attacked Nato for disorganising a friend, whose 42-year rule faces a humbling end. Speaking at the annual Muslims Iftar dinner at State House, Entebbe on Saturday, Mr Museveni addressed himself on two fundamental [...]

• ICC “Confirmation” hearings begin for Ruto, Kosgey and Sang

  Posted: September 1, 2011, 5:05 pm by Ken

  A good way to keep up with the proceedings is through the website ICC Kenya Monitor. The website includes a “watch now” link for the live proceedings using Microsoft Player, detailed daily summaries and various links and resources. Keep in mind that rulings are not expected until late this year as to whether the charges [...]

• “The Queen of Khat”, Somaliland, and the Future of Agricultural Trade?

  Posted: August 31, 2011, 4:04 pm by Ken

  A “must read” this morning on culture, trade and agriculture in the Horn of Africa, from Phillip Hedemann in Die Welt translated at Worldcrunch–read the whole thing, but here are some excerpts: For many Africans khat is a stimulant drug that also stills hunger pangs. But the world’s biggest seller of khat doesn’t fit the [...]

• Part Six–What did the U.S. Ambassador report to Washington the day after the Kenyan election?

  Posted: August 30, 2011, 9:53 am by Ken

  See the previous posts in this series:  Part One, Two , Three , Four and Five.   There were additional machinations with the Ambassador’s approach to IRI up through election day that I think raised legitimate concern about what his objectives and intentions were in regard to the election, as reflected in my complaint to [...]

• Part Five–Lessons from the 2007 elections and the new FOIA cables

  Posted: August 26, 2011, 9:30 pm by Ken

  Getting back to the narrative, I also remember Tuesday, December 18, 2007, the date that Ranneberger wrote the second of the cables that I received recently received through a 2009 FOIA request. That morning’s Standard featured a big, full page exclusive interview with Ambassador Ranneberger, nine days before the election.  For me this article was [...]

• IRIN Africa | KENYA: “Perfect storm” brewing among urban poor | Kenya | Children | East African Food Crisis | Economy | Food Security | Urban Risk

  Posted: August 23, 2011, 6:53 am by Ken

  IRIN Africa | KENYA: “Perfect storm” brewing among urban poor | Kenya | Children | East African Food Crisis | Economy | Food Security | Urban Risk.

• Part Four–Lessons from the 2007 Kenyan Election and new FOIA cables

  Posted: August 22, 2011, 9:55 pm by Ken

  See Part One, Two and Three of this series. Also see Election Observation–Diplomacy or Assistance? The fourth cable I received last weekend under the Freedom of Information Act was a lengthy unclassified report from Monday, December 24 entitled “Kenya on the Eve of National Elections”.  The most noteworthy items are the Kibera issue discussed in [...]

• Gaddafi and Museveni

  Posted: August 22, 2011, 3:50 am by Ken

  Gaddafi and Museveni

• Lessons from the 2007 Kenyan election and the new FOIA cables–Part Three

  Posted: August 19, 2011, 10:06 am by Ken

  Before doing more narrative of events in 2007 I want to take stock of the significance of various pieces of new information from the newly released pre-election cables I have written about so far. Personally I am naturally gratified to finally get the first cable where Ambassador Ranneberger himself refers to the exit poll as [...]

• Lessons from 2007 and New FOIA Cables–Part Two

  Posted: August 17, 2011, 8:45 am by Ken

  Continued . . . So on Saturday afternoon, December 15, 2007, I drove to the embassy residence in Muthaiga and was served tea by a woman from the house staff (a/k/a “The Help”?) while waiting a few moments for the Ambassador.  I had understood from IRI’s president that Ranneberger was going to talk to me [...]

• Lessons for Kenya’s 2012 Election from the Truth Trickling Out About 2007–New Cables From FOIA

  Posted: August 16, 2011, 7:34 am by Ken

  The time for Kenya’s general elections under the new constitution will be August, although there remains some uncertainty on the date of the first election for “the second republic.”  See “The Election Date not Clearly Spelt Out” by Yash Ghai and Jill Ghai in The Star.  Regardless, the point is that elections are in a [...]

• Piracy Update: attacks spread south as South Africa signs pacts with Kenya, Tanzania and increases in West Africa, too

  Posted: August 12, 2011, 2:31 pm by Ken

  “SADC should act strongly against pirates” from the Institute for Security Studies: The lack of prey and the constant attention of the international fleet participating in Operation Atlanta​ are forcing pirates to move their operations south, towards areas outside the operational arena of the international fleet. Acts of piracy are also increasingly occurring further away [...]

• Enough: Menkhaus on Somali Famine–Somaliland, al-Shabaab and TFG

  Posted: August 9, 2011, 5:58 am by Ken

  Here are excerpts from  “Q&A:  Somalia Expert Ken Menkhaus on the Famine”, at the “Enough Said” blog (h/t to AidNews) How are independently governed areas like Somaliland and Puntland faring? I understand the crisis hasn’t been as severe in those areas, but it’s interesting to consider how governance factors in to either prevention or response [...]

• Let them eat cake . . .

  Posted: August 7, 2011, 1:20 am by Ken

  From the “Corridors of Power” feature in Nairobi’s The Star: Caddies at Muthaiga Golf Club have reportedly appealed to the club management to rescind their decision to suspend Ugali from the menu. Our mole tells us that the attendants who carry golf clubs for players have been begging to have the staple food reinstated on [...]

• Meanwhile, aside from the famine, business is moving . . .

  Posted: August 6, 2011, 5:16 am by Ken

  The latest on financing for the latest iteration of the Rift Valley Railroad, from “African Capital Markets News”:  a mix of public and well-connected private entities will have various debt and equity investments going forward: The International Finance Corporation (www.ifc.org) and 6 leading international finance institutions provided $164 million in financing to Rift Valley Railways [...]

• News in the News

  Posted: August 4, 2011, 4:26 pm by Ken

  One more player is coming to the East African media marketplace. Al Jazeera to open Swahili service (Daily Maverick): This is big news for the East African media market, which is already the most vigorous in Africa, and is a huge step for the Qatar-based news outlet. Al Jazeera’s rise to prominence has been meteoric. [...]

• Horn of Africa Famine Updates

  Posted: August 3, 2011, 9:26 am by Ken

• “Partnerdship”

  Posted: July 29, 2011, 3:58 pm by Ken

  Who says the State Department doesn’t have a sense of humor? INSIDE THE BELTWAY Open Government Partnerdship WASHINGTON, DC, July 12 – The U.S. hosted the first high-level meeting of The Open Government Partnership (OGP), a new international initiative aimed at securing concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, increase civic participation and fight corruption. [...]

• Assessing Progress Toward Democracy in Francophone Africa | United States Institute of Peace

  Posted: July 28, 2011, 5:30 am by Ken

  Assessing Progress Toward Democracy in Francophone Africa | United States Institute of Peace. Webcast 2pm Washington (Eastern Daylight) Time, Thursday, July 28:  www.usip.org/webcast  

• Uganda’s Independent features CSIS report on risk of instability with NRM decline, Museveni succession

  Posted: July 24, 2011, 9:10 pm by Ken

  “American Group Predicts Instability Over Succession”  Independent(Kampala) July 22: Election year 2016 will be a turning point for Uganda, according to a report by the powerful American policy solutions provider, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). As a sign of likely instability, the June 30 report notes that “the NRM is on a [...]

• Ongoing East African Food Crisis Continues to Worsen

  Posted: July 22, 2011, 3:01 pm by Ken

  “Famine in East Africa: A Catastrophe in the Making,” Der Speigel: Eastern Africa is baking under a merciless sun; the last two rainy seasons have brought no precipitation at all. It is said to be the worst drought since 1950. And hunger comes at its the heels. In Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti, and Uganda, people [...]

• “Incredible Shrinking Kibera”–a lesson that should inspire humility in Western capitals

  Posted: July 13, 2011, 8:36 am by Ken

  When we see popular uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya that no one in the United States or the West more generally seems to have anticipated we ought naturally to be drawn to some soul searching about how much we really know about societies and countries in Africa–and how what we do know gets filtered [...]

• Independence Day–Secretary Clinton’s Congratulations to the Republic of South Sudan

  Posted: July 9, 2011, 4:06 pm by Ken

  Secretary of State Washington, DC July 9, 2011 I am delighted to join President Obama in congratulating the Republic of South Sudan on its independence today. The realization of this historic day is a testament to the tireless efforts of the people of South Sudan in their search for peace. We commend South Sudan’s current [...]

• Cornelius Vanderbilt’s Second Wife and Somalia’s New Prime Minister

  Posted: July 9, 2011, 6:05 am by Ken

  A little item from this week’s alumni news in my e-mail: Alumnus named prime minister of SomaliaThe New York Times—Alumnus Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, MA’88, who holds a master’s degree in economics from Vanderbilt, has been appointed the new prime minister of Somalia. Full story » Vanderbilt is not as well known for producing African leaders, [...]

• Somaliland’s President Silanyo Official Guest for Saturday’s South Sudan Independence Ceremony

  Posted: July 7, 2011, 6:48 am by Ken

  HARGEISA (SomalilandPress)—President Ahmed Siilaanyo received an official invitation from the president of South Sudan Salva Kiir to attend the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of South Sudan on the 9th of July, 2011. South Sudan is set to become the 54th nation in the African continent after long fought civil against Northern Sudan’s rule [...]

• Southern Kordofan “sliding inexorably toward war”; Malaysia has got democracy down pat

  Posted: July 1, 2011, 8:31 am by Ken

  Jeffrey Gettleman reports from Southern Kordofan: Despite an agreement signed only days ago to bring peace to this part of central Sudan, it seems to be sliding inexorably toward war. Young men here in the Nuba Mountains are being mobilized into militias, marching into the hills to train. All the cars in this area, including [...]

• Does KSh4,500 for a bag of maize approach a “tipping point”?

  Posted: June 29, 2011, 3:47 pm by Ken

  There are a lot of good things happening in Kenya that are helping to lay the groundwork for a positive future.   Right now, however, the combination of the plummeting shilling and high inflation focused especially on basic food items and other household necessities, along with an especially severe regional drought is causing suffering and raises [...]

• Catching Up on Kenyan Politics–Three Related Big Developments on Reform

  Posted: June 22, 2011, 5:22 am by Ken

  The past three months or so have been especially busy for me and I have to apologize for having to let go of my past practice of at least noting most of the major headlines in Kenyan politics on a current basis.  Likewise, what I have posted has been more heavily weighted toward quotes and [...]

• Wycliffe Muga: Tobiko Is Not Fit To Hold DPP Position

  Posted: June 21, 2011, 6:33 am by Ken

  I was surprised to learn, quite recently, that Uganda has a Ministry of Ethics and Integrity. It reminded me of a Tanzania-based expatriate I once met who assured me that her work was in advising a Tanzanian Ministry with an equally improbable name: the ‘Ministry of Beekeeping’ (I have since learned, incidentally, that this may [...]

• Former U.S. Diplomat Calls for Military Action Against Sudan Over Abyei and South Kordofan

  Posted: June 17, 2011, 4:55 pm by Ken

  The situation in Sudan seems to continue to worsen.  Aside from the tragic consequences in Sudan, another round of war there does not bode well for reform in Kenya and Uganda, especially in regard to the upcoming Kenyan election. From the Sudan Tribune at allAfrica.com, “Former U.S. Envoy calls for Military Action Against Country”: A [...]

• UK Cuts Education Aid Once Again in Lastest Round on Kenyan Education Scandals

  Posted: June 15, 2011, 7:57 am by Ken

  Update, June 16: The Irish Times reports that the U.K. will “push hard” for return of its share of stolen education aid funds. The country’s finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta said the names of officials investigated had been given to the police, but analysts said the chances of prosecutions were low. “Handing over reports to the [...]

• Ethiopian Mediation for Somaliland-Puntland Border Dispute

  Posted: June 13, 2011, 9:14 am by Ken

  Hiiraan Online reports: Regional authorities of Somaliland and Puntland are meeting in Ethiopia amid a longstanding dispute that worsened the security situation of the two breakaway regions over the past few years. An Ethiopian embassy official in Somaliland Mr. Berhia Tesfie, said that leaders of the two regions have reached a preliminary agreement to discuss [...]

• Key New Report from AFRICOG on Kenyan Privatization Ahead of 2012 Election

  Posted: June 9, 2011, 9:57 pm by Ken

  AFRICOG, the African Centre for Open Government, in Nairobi has released “Deliberate Loopholes” an extensive report on the the privitization/divestiture of Telkom Kenya and Safaricom.  Just as the Safaricom deal went through just before the 2007 election in spite of ODM litigation to block it, new deals are coming with the 2012 election approaching, including [...]

• “Book Bitings”–Some Thoughts on “Fighting For Darfur; Public Action and the Stuggle to Stop Genocide” by Rebecca Hamilton

  Posted: June 8, 2011, 9:48 am by Ken

  June 9 update, ht Africa Files:  Human Rights Watch Report–”As South Split Looms, Abuses Grow in Darfur”. I will join with many others in recommending Rebecca Hamilton’s Fighting for Darfur as well worth buying and reading for anyone interested in American policy in Africa, citizen activism in the West as a foreign policy input, genocide [...]

• Observations about the Kenyan and American Presidential Cycle for 2012

  Posted: June 4, 2011, 9:22 pm by Ken

  -Four years ago I was just moving to Nairobi.  The “Housing Bubble” was still inflated, along with the broader “Finance Bubble”.   The Bush Administration had become deeply controversial and substantially unpopular, in particular because of Iraq, along with some of the whole Jack Abramoff/Tom Delay scenario in Congress that helped the Democrats retake the House [...]

• U.S. Rachets Up Pressure on Kenyan “Drug Kingpins”

  Posted: June 2, 2011, 4:14 pm by Ken

  The White House released its designation of seven individuals, including two Kenyans, to Congress as appropriate for sanctions as “foreign drug kingpins”, including Kilome MP John Harun Mwau (Sultan Hamud, Eastern Province–on the way from Mombasa to Nairobi) and another Kenyan. This follows the delivery to Attorney General Wako earlier this year of a dossier [...]

• ICC Rules against Government of Kenya’s Move to Block Prosecutions

  Posted: May 30, 2011, 10:00 pm by Ken

  The ICC has today announced its ruling that two cases against the “Ocampo Six” post election violence defendants should proceed. The Kenyan government failed to persuade the judges that the defendants face similar legal jeopardy in the Kenyan justice system. The government has essentially reversed its previous commitment to cooperate with the ICC since Ocampo [...]

• Khalwale Re-takes His Seat in Ikolomani–Tribal and Presidential Implications?

  Posted: May 24, 2011, 8:04 am by Ken

  “The Bull Fighter Dr. Bonny Khalwale gored his way to parliament after emerging victorious in the completed Ikolomani parliamentary by-election with provisional results indicating to have won by 13208 votes against his rival Benard Shinali 10702 and 293 votes for Kizito . . .” reports West FM. Here is a Friday, May 30 editorial from [...]

• Re-match in Ikolomani by-election Monday tests current state of Kenya’s politics (updated)

  Posted: May 23, 2011, 7:44 am by Ken

  Update–follow local coverage at West FM here.  With some exceptions, voting seems to have proceeded peacefully. Monday’s by-election in Ikolomani, Western Province, will be a key test for both the election authorities and for law enforcement, as well as for future political stature in Western heading into the 2012 campaign. “Security beefed up in Ikolomani” [...]

• Africa Bureau announces vision to revitalize AGOA

  Posted: May 21, 2011, 9:23 pm by Ken

  Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson at CSIS from African Press Organization (APO): While AGOA has achieved a certain amount of success, it has not solved Africa’s challenges and the region has not experienced a genuine economic revolution. Africa also continues to struggle to compete in an increasingly competitive global economy. For these reasons I [...]

• Somaliland Turns 20 Today–Legal Next Year?

  Posted: May 18, 2011, 7:05 pm by Ken

  More and more, Somaliland is being “discovered” in the media, and is attracting more interest and attention from international investors and businesses, and international organizations. As progress has been made in the south militarily against Al-Shabaab, but the TFG continues to face extensive institutional uncertainty, the time is surely approaching for other nations to start [...]

• CSIS Event: Thursday, May 19th – Investing in Africa’s Emerging Markets, with MCC CEO Daniel Yohannes

  Posted: May 18, 2011, 8:59 am by Ken

  On the Road to the 2011 G8 Summit: Investing in Africa’s Emerging Markets Daniel Yohannes, CEO, Millennium Challenge Corporation Thursday, May 19, 2011 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM CSIS 1800 K. St. NW Washington, DC 20006 Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 850 million people, and according to the United Nations, that number is estimated to [...]

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Fish cakes

Alas a fish cake.

Yet more fish cakes

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

The end of the fish cakes