Items by chris

You Missed This

• Fishy Business With The IDPs: Why The Mad Rush?

  Posted: May 6, 2008, 2:23 pm by chris

  One of the reasons why politicians in Kenya and indeed most readers in this blog can never understand or empathize with Kenya’s Internally displaced persons has to do with understanding the emotion of fear.

  Let me illustrate this to you in a bit more detail. I was still only a young child barely 4 years old when we used to live in Isiolo with my parents. Even now some memories of that house are still etched firmly on my mind. Our house was right next to the bush where on at least two sides of the strong fence we had no neighbor but the thicket as far as the eye could see. I still remember looking out of the sitting room window on most evenings and seeing the clear silhouette of an elephant. I kid you not.

  Now one of the best kept state secrets of Kenya was unfolding in Isiolo at that time and it was the Shifta bandit menace. One day, when my father was not around and we were only in the house with my mum and kid brother and the house help, a very fierce gun fight broke out right outside our house at about 7pm in the evening. Our mum huddled me and my brother into a large wardrobe in our kids bedroom and she joined us there as she locked it on the inside as best as she could. The gun battle went on outside for hours and hours. Mercifully that was one of the few gun fights that the Shifta appear to have lost to the Kenyan security personnel otherwise this blog would never have existed and I would not be here today. The Shiftas in those days did not take any hostages. I must have had an inkling, even at that tender age that all was not well because I am told that I threw up inside that stuffy cupboard. To be honest that part I do not remember. But I remember falling asleep in there as endless gun shots continued to ring out all over our compound.

  But apparently I was very brave because years later, my dad told me that they were in the police mess less than 100 metres from our house when the firing started and one the civilians taking cover inside some large cupboard was terrified. So much so that soon the floor appeared to be water logged only for everybody to discover that the man had urinated on himself.

  Fear is not a pretty emotion but just imagine for a moment that that is the chief emotion amongst most of the IDPs idling away in camps. The memories of the terrible terrible things that happened to them barely 4 months ago are still very fresh on their minds.

  And then to make matters worse the government is very determined that the IDPs should go back to the place which for them still has very scary memories. Many watched their loved ones being killed. Others watched as their mothers, wives and sisters were savagely raped in front of their very own eyes by people they thought they knew well.

  But the Kibaki government does not really care. All they want is for the IDPs to go back to their farms. So the big mystery is why would people still in so much fear want to go back to a place that has crazy and fearful memories for them? The truth is that the government is forcing people to go back. And the details of exactly how they are doing this is extremely disturbing to say the least (see my latest raw notes for the full story).

  For starters it is a human rights violation to force IDPs to go back to their homes against their will and indeed better judgment. One just needs to carefully observe how the politicians are behaving over this IDP issue to realize that there is something very wrong here.

  Last weekend Lands Minister James Orengo while addressing a meeting in the Rift Valley suggested that the IDPs be settled elsewhere other than the Rift Valley. That remark has drawn the fire of many Central province MPs who have said that Orengo was wrong as a cabinet minister to say what he said. They have vowed that the IDPs MUST be re-settled in the Rift Valley.

  The truth is that it is not too hard for the government to find land elsewhere in the country to settle these suffering brothers and sisters of ours, other than the Rift Valley where the bitter truth is that they will never be safe. They can be given land exactly the size of what thye lost in the Rift valley, or if the land is less fertile, something larger. The truth is that there are vast tracts of idle, undeveloped land all over the country.

  Why should President Kibaki and his cronies rush to re-settle the IDPs without addressing the core issues that led to their displacement in the first place, as Rift Valley MPs have requested so many times? Are we not just postponing the inevitable, namely another painful eviction in the near future? What about the scars and memories the IDPs have of those farms that they are being asked to go back to? I am well aware of the fact that history bores most of my readers in this blog, but studying the history of how most of the IDPs ended up being settled in the Rift Valley will help anybody solve the mystery of why the government is in such a mad rush to get the IDPs back on their farms (I tackle this issue in great detail in my latest raw notes.)

  Folks we could be triggering off trouble in the Rift Valley re-settling the IDPs so quickly and without addressing the core problems. And even the issue of having police protection is not quite reassuring enough. As one victim put it; they were living right next to a police station but that did not stop them being attacked and were forcibly evicted off their land.

  
  She visited lover in servant quarters leaving husband in bed
  
  Check out Kasarani.com, a new way to meet and keep in touch with Kenyans worldwide. You can even start your own blog on Kasarani! Click here to go to Kasarani.com now
  

• Huyo Ametupa Mbao versus Conservative Kenyan Ideas

  Posted: May 5, 2008, 3:27 pm by chris

  I am a crazy one when an idea gets hold of me. One thing that happens is that I really get excited about it and discouraging me becomes impossible.

  The truth is that time and again in my life I have pressed on with a number of “crazy ideas that will never work” that have ended up not doing too badly. A good example is this very blog. “One of his crazy ideas that never work, huyo ametupa mbao” somebody who thinks they know me too well quipped about it.

  -----------------

  Also posted in the last few minutes;
  

  The good thing about the fat donkey Kenya MPs

  ------------------

  But that one is a storo for another day. Today I will focus on the drama around my house construction project high in the hills somewhere in Ukambani where my ancestors come from.

  From my few travels here and there, I had been inspired to think out of the box when it came to construction. By some stroke of very good luck I got a fundi who was receptive to my “crazy ideas”.

  Now usually where I come from, to construct a house you either need to make bricks (there is plenty of good material all over the place to make some really nice bricks) or you get stones from elsewhere. And yet there is plenty of stone everywhere you look. It is a great menace and if people had the means they would probably pay you to get it off their shambas. But nobody had ever thought of it as building material.

  I was advised not to dare use “those funny stones” for the foundation of my small shack otherwise it would collapse for sure. But when I met up with my fundi and dug the foundation, that is exactly what we used. Somebody even asked me if I had ever constructed a house before. When I said “no”, they gave me some friendly advice. They suggested that I start with a small toilet on the outside first and then later I could come to my shack. That one stung me and made me even more determined.

  Let me spare you the details and cut a long story short.

  The house still stands today, 16 years later. It doesn’t even have a single crack anywhere on any wall. It is a small house that I hope to expand into a nice country cabin one day. I have this most spectacular view of the valley below and into the distance towards what must be Thika. Just breath-taking. Imagine sipping morning tea while taking in a view like that.

  But the construction did not go without mishaps. My ideas worked great until we got to the roof. I wanted to use stone and cement on the roof in a way that I had seen done elsewhere. In fact my construction site became a local tourist attraction as people came to see me fail. Finally the roof did not work out and I was forced to use conventional roofing material. But I have not given up. These days we have the Internet and when I get back there some day, I will Google how to construct a roof with stones and cement.

  So why am I telling you guys all this?

  It is because our beloved country is in a deep hole country and sinking deeper by the day. And the only thing that can save us are some radical brand new ideas.

  The only problem is that Kenyans are too conservative for them. Way too conservative. Most Kenyans can’t even think out of the box when writing a mere job application. Too risky, they will tell you. But wise people tell us, no risk no gain.

  Personally I believe that only some very radical ideas can save us now. Pussy-footing will just have us going round and round in circles when the people are really suffering and I can assure you the boiling point for them is way too close.

  Here are some of the radical ideas I believe can go a long way in helping us save our beloved country.

  1. Pass legislation to bar folks from standing for any political office in a constituency within their home province.
  2. Pass a law to rotate the presidency around different tribes in Kenya for the next 50 years. That means that once your tribe has seen the presidency, no candidate from that tribe can stand again for the next 50 years. The years can be reduced to a minimum of 30 years.
  3. Reduce the presidential and parliamentary term to 4 years from 5
  4. Making it law that the president and vice president are never the same gender. So if the president is a man the vice president MUST be a woman.
  5. Parliament should be at least 50% women.
  6. Punish the crime of rape with castration and enforce the law kabisa. Also enforce the law on wife-beaters and increase the jail term considerably for all men who are involved in any kind of violence against women.
  7. Move army headquarters from Nairobi to El-Wak and have strong military presence where it will help most—close to our porous borders where guns and all sorts of harmful things cross into the country at will.
  8. Build massive solar and wind powered electricity generation plants in the North Eastern province to help counter the major world energy crisis that is coming.
  9. Create massive programs to directly address the idle youth and unemployment. For example food-for-work and higher-education-for-work. This where people work on massive farms and the produce they grow is sold to finance their stay there as they learn how they can be able to sustain themselves as farmers or in small-scale business when they leave the camp and others come in for the same program. Same system can also be used to help the poor access higher education or those who did not make it through the conventional system to have another shot at a professional career.
  10. Shift government head offices for everything from Nairobi to Nakuru, Parliament to Kisumu, main State House where cabinet meetings will be held should be Mombasa. Prime Ministers official residence and office should be Nyeri (if we don’t have a PM that is where the VP should operate from.)
  11. Make it a criminal offense to discriminate against anybody along tribal or gender lines.
  12. Give major tax concessions to businesses that are most active in creating gainful employment.

  Gym instructor has his way with attractive young Dubai-based man's girl friend

• Lies, Lies

  Posted: May 3, 2008, 9:45 pm by chris

  My great concern for the motherland just now is how lies and pure fiction peddled as the truth have dominated and taken over public affairs in the country, even as we hurtle towards the most serious crisis ever seen in these shores since the beginning of life itself.

  That crisis, unless checked will include widespread famine, hunger and very hard financial times for ordinary Kenyans.

  It is not news to any Kenyan that Dr Alfred Mutua regularly tells lies in public in the name of practicing Public Relations. The training I have in public relations tells me that lies is NOT PR and will always catch up with you sooner rather than later and when it does nothing you do will be effective.

  Shortly before the coalition cabinet was announced, Dr Mutua with cameras rolling and a straight face, told us that the extra ministries would definitely not be of budgetary concern. The reason he gave made me double up in stitches of laughter. What made the whole scene so comical is that some reporters (who shall remain nameless) were busy taking down notes and hanging on his every word, looking serious and attentive.

  Dr Mutua said that what would happen is that existing departments previously clustered together would be split to create the new ministries and those departments still had their old budgets intact. So the huge cabinet would make very little difference to government expenditure.

  Now last week a worried looking Finance Minister, Amos Kimunya admitted that the government was in great difficulty financing its’ expenditure which includes the new colossal cabinet. And as if that was not enough, Baba Jimmy himself, he of duly elected president fame, told angry workers at Uhuru Park that things were “not good” financially in the country. But that was a bitter pill for workers to swallow because the colossal cabinet is a serious cash guzzler and trimming it down to size can go a long way in helping afford salary increments for the lowest cadre of workers who are already going hungry on a regular basis, let alone starting to put aside cash to purchase food to deal with the coming famine. Let us not even talk about subsidizing food prices so that ordinary folk can afford to put food on the table. By the way ask yourself a simple question. If people who have jobs are going hungry, what about the jobless?

  On the ground all the signs are there that this government is pretty broke. In fact it is now rather clear that had the Safaricom IPO not happened when it did the chaps at Treasury would be sweating a lot more than they are right now. But one thing I can assure you, they are still already in a cold sweat.

  But Dr Alfred Mutua is not the only person in the Kenyan government to peddle lies on a regular basis. Mr Kimunya himself told us shortly before the grand coalition government was unveiled that the country would NOT be affected much by the post election crisis. Again any fool would have realized that the country’s bread basked bore the brunt of the violence, so how could the economy be barely affected? In fact as you read this, there are those who are predicting that the Kenyan economy will never recover in a long time. That is a view that is bound to gather currency in the weeks and months to come.

  Then today Police Commissioner Maj Gen Ali came out with both barrels blazingto deny any involvement of the police department in the execution of Mungiki suspects. I am well aware of the sentiments of most readers of this blog who favor extra-judicial killings and believe that it is the only way of dealing with the murderous gang. But surely Kenyans deserve the truth on such a serious matter.

  But then all these lies are hardly surprising are they? After all this government is headed by a man who won a single province decisively and lost 6 very decisively and yet insists to this day that he won the presidential elections. Not to mention the lesser liar but nevertheless still a liar in the ODM party which promised a new beginning and swore that they would do things differently and then went and appointed dinosaurs William Ole Ntimama and Fidelis Fred “slapped a woman returning officer” Gumo to the cabinet. Those appointments were a huge statement proving that we were told a lot of lies during the campaign period.

  I am not naïve and I know that politicians the world over tell fibs on a regular basis. In fact there are those who define politics as the art of being able to tell lies with a straight face. If this is true then surely there is no hope for Mother Kenya.

  Why Kikuyu women have always had a terrible weakness for Luhya men
  

• Moody Awori Snubs Kalonzo Committee

  Posted: April 30, 2008, 3:11 pm by chris

  Samuel Kivuitu continues to provoke Kenyans says ECK is ready to run byelections
  
  Former Vice President Moody Awori knows a lot about the prisons department, after all it was his pet project during his tenure as the second highest authority in the land.
  
  In declining his appointment today by new VP Kalonzo Musyoka to chair a committee to look into the Prisons crisis, the former VP made it very clear that there was no need for such a committee. He pointed out that a detailed strategic report was already available that addressed virtually all the grievances of the prison wardens and all that is required urgently is implementation.
  
  This is the second person in as many days to decline to take their seats in Kalonzo Musyoka's committee. Just yesterday former Prisons boss Abraham Kamakil also politely refused to take up his appointment to the Kalonzo probe team.
  
  It is amazing how a presidential candidate of the recently concluded general election who had promised the people change and new leadership is falling back on old and tired ways of dealing with problems which will surely not work this time. (See my raw notes this week to discover some shocking facts from Kalonzo Musyoka's past and present).
  
  The whole strategy behind these committees and commissions of enquiries has been to reward a politician's croonies with plum jobs at the expense of the tax payer. So despite the fact that Moody Awori produced a strategic plan, it seems that Kalonzo's committee will repeat the task and his predecessor too, while no action at all is taken.
  
  However if this is what Kalonzo has in mind, he had better think again, because the wardens are serious and their plight needs to be addressed and addressed immediately, forming committees to tell the minister the obvious is just a waste of public funds.
  
  As this blogger has said here before, this is clearly a problem that the VP is not capable of handling and this is becoming clearer by the day. The sad thing now is that the country may end up being thrown into yet another serious crisis by the time Kalonzo's blundering hand is through with this.
  
  Angry husband allows wife to keep boyfriend

• So The Kenya Police Has An Execution Squad...

  Posted: April 29, 2008, 11:04 am by chris

  "...And most Kenyans don't think it is a big deal. Hehehehe ...but not for long, mark my words... not for long"

  When Kumekucha last week exclusively revealed how the wife of jailed Mungiki leader was raped and executed and those behind it, some readers who commented on the story reacted in the characteristic Kenyan style of dismissing things at the face value without weighing the underlying facts.

  Just before the dust settled on the grisly killing of Virginia Nyakio, the wife of the outlawed sect’s jailed spiritual leader Maina Njenga, and her driver, Mr George Njoroge, Maj Gen Mohamed Hussein Ali’s killing machine struck again just yesterday (Monday) afternoon.

  The latest victims, Mr Charles Ndungu Wagaca, the chairman of the Kenya National Youth Alliance (KNYA), and his driver, Mr Naftali Irungu, died in a hail of police bullets on the Nairobi-Naivasha highway near Uplands.

  Mr Wagaca was a brother of Nyakio, the wife of the outlawed sect’s jailed spiritual leader Maina Njenga, whose execution, plotted by Maj Gen Ali’s newly-formed Eagle Squad, early this month sparked riots by Mungiki adherents in Nairobi, Central and Rift Valley provinces.

  You can read the Kumekucha exclusive on how Nyakio was executed HERE

  Kumekucha wishes to reiterate here that it does not condone or support in any way the activities of the dreaded Mungiki sect or its political wing, the Kenya National Youth Alliance (KNYA), or any other person bent in breaking the laws of our beloved country – be it criminals, the political establishment, security agencies or any other individual. The Law of the Land makes all of us equal and those who bend it should be severely punished as per that law.

  Our concern, hinged on sanctity of human life regardless on who is involved, is the primitive way the Kenyan police, under the stewardship of Maj Gen Mohamed Hussein Ali, have chosen to transact official business in the recent years under the guise of fighting run-away crime.

  The Kenya Police is part of the disciplined forces and its officers, right from their commissioner down to the constable, are supposed to uphold the rule of law and not to resort to the rule of the jungle. Under Maj Gen Ali, the Kenya Police has killed more Kenyans – whether criminals or innocent – than the combined tenures of post-independent police commissioners.

  The way the Kenya Police has been conducting its business since Maj Gen Ali was appointed commissioner begs serious fundamental human rights questions - What is the difference between the police now and the criminal gangs they are mandated by law to apprehend?

  For readers who might not be in the picture, the only way Maj Gen Ali seems to have perfected under the guise of fighting crime is rounding up suspects – both real and imaginary – and executing them in gangland-style. The police are only one wing of the criminal justice system. What’s the use of having courts, the AG’s office, prisons, lawyers, the prosecution etc if Maj Gen Ali’s kind of policing was to be tolerated in our civilised society? It means the police can declare you a criminal and execute you with impunity!

  The police declined to take responsibility after Monday’s killing of Mr Wagaca and his driver. If Maj Gen Ali thinks that his actions and those of his officers are within the law, why doesn’t he take responsibility to such executions? Why wouldn’t he take responsibility for the killing of more than 4,000 youths who were rounded up from their homes by his officers and executed without a trace of their bodies last year? Why can’t he take responsibility for the primitive killing of Nyakio and her driver if he believes he was operating within the law? Aren’t these acts of extreme cowardice from a man entrusted in the security of 33 million Kenyans?

  Kumekucha has established beyond any reasonable doubt that Monday’s executions in full public view were carried out by the Eagle Squad, an elite unit that was recently formed by Maj Gen Ali to replace the Kwekwe Squad. In keeping with their tradition of covering up the evils and acts of gross abuse human rights by Maj Gen Ali, the mainstream media – TV stations, radio stations and newspapers – opted not to directly tell their views, listeners and readers that the executions were carried out by the police. Why? Because Maj Gen Ali is in bed with a cross-section of top media managers – which was facilitated by his girlfriend and proprietor of Kameme FM, Ms Rose Kimotho.

  A man who witnessed the executions could not describe it better: He told journalists the killers identified themselves as police and that ‘‘they looked like thugs.’’ Why should a disciplined security agency want to disguise itself like criminal gangs?

  There is no doubt that Maj Gen Ali has a firm grip on the media in Kenya and he has a free hand to dictate the crime and security news, most of which are distorted, Kenyans and the world get from the Kenyan press.

  On the executions, crime journalists have happily reported the lies from Police Headquarters suggesting that the killings were carried out by rival Mungiki gangs as a result of a leadership split in the sect. What nonsense is that!

  Responsible journalists all over the world owe their loyalty to their readers, listeners and viewers and not to the news-makers and interested groups. Responsible journalists don’t just publish or air any lies just because it has been said by a news-maker. They owe their readers and listeners the truth and not cheap lies aimed at diverting public attention.

  Before Monday’s killings, people close to the slain victims told journalists that they were being trailed by police vehicles. So, why have journalists let the police off the hook?

  A farmer who witnessed the killings from his farm said he approached the crime scene and the killers identified themselves as the police. When a journalist asked him how they looked like, he said: “They looked like ordinary thugs but were confident ... they seemed very happy after accomplishing the mission.”

  Why should a disciplined force stoop so low and behave like highway robbers? Kumekucha has previously reported how members of the Eagle Squad camouflage themselves like Mungiki. They kill Mungiki-style and they use car hire vehicles instead of police cars.

  The earlier it dawns on Kibaki’s Administration that Maj Gen Ali was a liability to his Government the better. Security agencies worldwide invest heavily in intelligence gathering to pre-empt crimes before they are committed. But Maj Gen Ali’s poor leadership has killed vital agencies like the CID, which was once rated second in Africa, and the police have been left to do the chasing after criminals have done their act and taken off.

  In a desperate move to appease his political godfathers and to be seen to be working very hard, Maj Gen Ali has perfected what he knows best – the power of the gun. Thanks to Maj Gen Ali, morgues and the entire funeral industry across Nairobi, Central and Rift Valley provinces have been doing a booming business while wild animals in Ngong Forest and Tana River crocodiles have never had a shortage of nyama za binadamu!

  Guns alone will never end crimes from our streets, highways and homes. The police in Kenya have been killing robbery suspects for more than a decade and this has not driven criminals off the streets or deterred new ones. In the same argument, if last year’s executions of more than 4,000 youths was effective to wipe out Mungiki, we would not have seen any of their members blockading roads the other day.

  The elimination of mungiki and other organised criminal gangs from Kenya requires a more intelligent approach rather than the chest-thumping tactics employed by the military-minded Maj Gen Ali.

  Instead of perfecting the art of gangland executions and killing the institutions he found in the Kenya Police in a desperate attempt to undermine his would-be successors, Maj Gen Ali should use the top brains in the force to come up with a long-term strategy to gather intelligence and pre-empt crimes.

  Where else in the world would the police be caught napping like what happened early this month when Mungiki criminal gangs staged a massive protest in Nairobi, Central and Rift Valley province paralysing road transport and other businesses for a whole week? Had that happened in countries with visionary political leadership, Maj Gen Ali, NSIS Director General Brig Michael Gichangi, AP Commandant Kinuthia Mbugua and other heads of key security agencies would have been sent packing that very morning.

  As long as we have a visionless president and who is in office on the account of stolen presidency, Maj Gen can sit pretty tight in his posh office and carry on with his evil acts of painting Kenya red with human blood of real and imaginary enemies. Maj Gen Ali can take solace in the face that we have a president who runs the country on an auto-cue leadership similar to the art pilots use to fly planes. Kibaki hears and sees no evils. He just wanted to be president of the Republic of Kenya and he achieved his life-time political dreams.

  Maj Gen Ali should lead a civilised police force not a band of serial killers under the guise of fighting crime. It’s time human rights groups applied pressure on the international community to have Maj Gen Ali charged at the International Court with Crimes Against Humanity.
  
  Kumekucha's shopping list
  1 GB flashdisk at only Kshs 900

• Dark Past Of The Man Expected To Handle Prison Warden’s Crisis

  Posted: April 28, 2008, 1:37 pm by chris

  Can Kalonzo Handle Catastropic Prison Warden’s Strike As Gunshots Are Heard Inside Kamiti Maximum Security Prison?

  It is very normal in Kenya for people not to ask too many questions about a politicians’ past. As long as they are bwana kubwa nothing else seems to matter. For instance while covering a confidential report for my subscribers on the subject; The Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka that Kenyans don’t know in this week’s raw notes, this blogger was reminded of the bizarre circumstances under which Kalonzo first entered parliament.

  The facts are that the immediate former MP for Mwingi North was killed under very mysterious circumstances that have never been explained to this day.

  It happened in the 1980s when the then area MP Peter Manandu was shot dead in a bar by a rogue administration policeman under some very strange and yet to be explained circumstances.

  The now deceased, Mulu Mutisya is said to have traveled all the way to Mwingi and met Musyoka, then a young lawyer who was trying into make inroads into politics. Mutisya was impressed by the young man's demeanor and his patience even for someone illiterate as Mutisya who never saw the inside of a classroom.

  It is said that prior to the by elections that followed, Mutisya informed Musyoka that one had to seek supernatural protection from witchdoctors so as to avoid being bewitched by rivals during political campaigns. Musyoka understood this only too well partly because of his father’s occupation (more details available in my raw notes this week).

  This is now the same man who has to deal with perhaps the biggest crisis to hit Kenyan armed security personnel in the history of these shores. Kalonzo as Vice President has the home affairs docket which covers the prisons department. This is certainly not going to be as easy as jostling to be seen as the second most powerful man in the land.

  Already a committee he appointed headed by former Vice President Moody Awori to probe into the warden’s complaints has been rejected by the striking wardens. The wardens are threatening to free criminals on Wednesday if their grievances will not have been addressed by then.

  As you read this, the latest reports indicate that gun shot fire has been heard outside Kamiti Maximum Security prison earlier today and GSU personnel have been dispatched and took their positions surrounding the prison.

  There are a number of factors that make this crisis extraordinarily dangerous and a threat to the very internal security of the nation.

  Firstly armed security forces never go on strike. Just like you can never say that the Kenyan military has gone on strike. The correct word to be used here is “mutiny.” Fellow Kenyans what we have in our hands now is a mutiny within a section of our armed security personnel.

  Secondly thanks mainly to modern technology and things like the cell phone the wardens have managed to organize a countrywide mutiny, meaning that virtually every prison in the land has been affected. The seriousness of this rebellion amongst our armed prison forces is not something that can be overstated.

  News just in as I was completing this post is that the government has bowed to the demands of the wardens. In a statement issued by Musyoka himself from his Jogoo house office moments ago, the VP accepted virtually all the demands of the wardens. This includes a kshs 10,000 payment for their work during the elections, a kshs 5,000 risk allowance as well as a Kshs 5,000 medical allowance.

  It will be interesting to see how this story develops because some senior prison wardens were arrested yesterday after being tricked into attending a crisis meeting in Nairobi, instead CID officers pounced and arrested them at venue of the meeting. In fact already 9 of the officers have appeared in court this morning and the rest are still being held at Muthaiga Police station. It is likely that the 9 officers will be charged with mutiny which is punishable by a jail term not exceeding 10 years.

  It is widely expected that all the other prison wardens in solidarity with their arrested colleagues may not go back to work until their leaders are released and the charges dropped.

  All in all this is a deadly situation that could easily plunge the entire country, still bleeding from a stolen election, into total chaos. Not to mention the fact that the government is a little cash-strapped just now.

  I will keep you updated about developments as they unfold.

  Did woman pay for scratch cards with sex?

• Kalonzo Or Raila: Who Is The Boss?

  Posted: April 25, 2008, 1:49 pm by chris

  Question remains even as protocol issue is resolved

  The protocol mess has been resolved today and the procedure now is that Raila invites the VP to speak first. The VP sits down when he is done and then Raila invites the president to speak. Hii Kenya yetu kweli!

  But yesterday is a day that remains etched on the minds of many Kenyans. As one commentator pointed out here it was a scene straight out of a comedy. Even Walter Mongare and his Redykulass comedy trio would not have done it better (with KJ as Kalonzo, Njuguna as Kibaki and Mongare as Raila).

  Three of the most powerful men in Kenya hurdled together and getting in each others way as they walked and as the cameras rolled and flashed.

  Methinks Kalonzo was trying to strike a pose with his lifted hand. What did he keep on pointing at all the time with his right hand? I also think that Kalonzo rushed to be at Kibaki’s right hand side to give Kenyans that all important symbolic message.

  The actions of a man always betrays his thinking. And this man called Kalonzo has blood on his hands no matter what angle you look at things from. The money he received from London included handing over votes to Kibaki in the concluded flawed elections. Has anybody attempted to explain President Kibaki’s sudden popularity in Ukambani when the community had their own candidate?

  Politics aside, if Kalonzo had a heart, over 4,000 of our innocent dear brothers and sisters, now departed would have been with us today and that is a fact. Without Kalonzo, it would not have been possible for PNU to rig the presidential elections, the gap would have been just too wide.

  And again for those still blind with ethnicity, Kalonzo displayed his true character yesterday. Kindly note that the three leaders were not going for a homecoming party. Nay, they were going to visit some displaced Kenyans who have gone through the kind of suffering you and I cannot even begin to imagine. A couple of these guys have committed suicide and yesterday one of them in the Naivasha camp killed his wife and left his mother-in-law for dead before fleeing. He is still at large. Fellow Kenyans try and understand that this IDP thing is not the joke Kalnzo Musyoka and others thinks it is.

  So who is whose boss? The constitution says that Kalonzo is. The peace accord which was entrenched into the same constitution says that Raila and Kibaki are equal partners.

  But frankly who cares as long as Kalonzo Musyoka stops his hypocritical ways. Interestingly in this week’s raw notes I present some interesting facts that proves exactly what kind of witchdoctor-visiting character the hypocritical VP is. Surely what did Kenyans do to deserve Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka?

  Introducing Africa's most loved Agony Aunt: Aunty Joan answers a question about a woman's love
  

• Sam Okello On The Traitor

  Posted: April 25, 2008, 5:30 am by chris

  By Sam Okello
  
  Fellow Kenyans, Each generation of Kenyans has had to put up with a traitor. Ours is Kalonzo Musyoka. But unlike the traitors of the past, men who wielded enormous power and wore mean faces and behaved as if their shit smelled more perfumy than ours because they shopped at exclusive chains, this Musyoka guy wears a sweet face, drops the name of God at every chance and points an accusing finger at people who dare take on a sweet guy like him. Why can't Kenyans see a savior in me, he wonders. What Kalonzo does not realize is that Kenyans don't wear blinders. People see him a lot differently than his wife tells him he looks. When we look at the man who shamelessly took the VP seat while Kenya was literally burning, what people see is Judas incarnate. What we see is a man who has never bothered to explain why he met President Moi at Kabarak just months before the election. Was it just about strategy? Some money that was collected in London tell a different story. But that's a matter for another time. Indeed, what Kenyans see in Kalonzo is a man who has no principles whatsoever. When he said, months before the vote, that it was his party's policy to be in the government...then he went ahead to cast his lot with the PNU, did he have premonition that the PNU would form the government? How could he have been so categorical about an ify situation? Seems to me he was part of the scheme that was going to deny the Hon Odinga the presidency at any cost. But what Kalonzo may have not counted on was that by shortchanging Raila, he was actually shortchanging Kenyans and the move was going to backfire spectacularly. Because what he was essentially doing was helping Kibaki and Moi tell Kenyans that their votes amounted to mavi ya kuku. Then yesterday you saw him trying very hard to upstage the Prime Minister at the Northern Rift function. In his flawed calculations, this tragic figure sees himself as a more important man than Raila. For a man like him, the fact that he came a distant third to Kibaki and Raila means nothing. For him all that matters is where he is going. If he has to trample on our core decency and climb on our backs to get to the top, so be it. But now the time has come to tell this man in his face that he is the reason Kenya is where she is. The elections were stolen with his knowledge. He blessed the scheme to deny Raila the presidency so that he'd be awarded the vice presidency. He urged the electoral commission to read deeply flawed results because they were in keeping with the agreement he'd entered into with Kibaki and Moi and all the forces bent on denying Kenyans their democratic rights. He was the man with thirty pieces of silver in his hand. When history is written, Kalonzo must take his place alongside the sons and daughters of Kenya our nation would have been better off if they'd not been born.

• What Ails The NSIS?

  Posted: April 24, 2008, 3:52 am by chris

  Last Sunday, the Sunday Nation carried a fascinating article based on an interview with a retired NSIS operative.

  The questions posed by that article remain mostly unanswered. The main one is how could the country slip into such serious tribal clashes with no advance warning from the country’s intelligence services? And even more recently, how could the Mungiki move in and take over the entire country for almost a week, virtually bringing business to a standstill in some areas.

  Surely, is it not true that our intelligence services (reputed to be the best in the region) were sleeping on the job? Why else have we gotten ourselves into such a mess since last December with no advance warning of any sort as events after event continue to unfold? The implication here would be that the country’s national security could be at risk if our intelligence services are so sloppy and incompetent.

  Actually the answer to that question is a little more complex than it may appear at first sight.

  The most important point to take careful note of is the fact that there is a huge difference between gathering intelligence information and processing it. Incidentally processing information is given a lot of emphasis by British security and this is one of the reasons why that country’s intelligence services are considered to be among the best in the world.

  Indeed as information technology has taken over our lives, what many who gather information have quickly found out is that it is easy to be overwhelmed with too much information or information overflow which makes processing even more challenging and a nightmare in many cases.

  There are those who strongly believe that the biggest weakness we seem to have with our local intelligence community at the moment has a lot more to do with the processing of the information rather than the gathering. Competent processing is usually linked much more to experience rather than just training and also deep knowledge of the country. However many times it boils down to gut feeling which again is developed over time. It is common knowledge that the NSIS is still a very new outfit with very well educated but inexperienced hands running the show.

  However my personal view is that the problem is not so much with the country’s intelligence units as it is with those who need to make decisions. While information can be gathered and submitted and maybe even correctly processed, decisions as to what needs to be done is mostly left to politicians and bureaucrats with political interests to look after.

  For example NSIS information in the run up to the general elections last year, predicted a near-landslide victory for the Orange Democratic party. This information was known within the agency and caused it split the intelligence community right down the middle when the controversial results were released by the ECK amid allegations that some personnel in the organization were used to help skew the results in favor of a certain candidate.

  But maybe the biggest judgment call last December emerged from the fact the person heading the intelligence unit had their better judgment clouded because of their tribe. Michael Gichangi hails from the house of Mumbi and it is abundantly clear that he completely underestimated the possible reaction of the vast majority of Kenyans to a stolen election like many of his kinsmen did. If truth be told many Kikuyus still do nt understand what the problem is and lean heavily on the assumption that the whole violence was heavily financed by somebody. Because of that misjudgment there are over 4,000 Kenyans who are no longer with us today and have gone to meet their maker. In my raw notes this week I discuss what Gichangi is said to have advised the president to do to ward off a possible court injunction over the stolen elections from ODM.

  Even more recently police commissioner Maj Gen Hussein Ali received intelligence reports indicating that Mungiki were planning to go on the rampage. Ali totally rubbished that report based on the vicious bloodletting that went on last year to purge the proscribed group. He was wrong of course and that is why the police were taken completely by surprise.

  
  

  Passionately in love with her best friend's husband
  

  
  The 5 most popular stories in Kumekucha over the last 24 hours
  
  

  1. How Maina Njenga's wife was raped and murdered
  

  2. IDP's are pawns in political game
  
  3. Sexual secrets of the Maasai tribe
  
  4. Bizarre condition has kept beautiful woman from sex
  

  5. Jeff Koinange's K24 and what most Kenyans think
  
  

• Kumekucha Red Hot Exclusive: How Maina Njenga's Wife Died

  Posted: April 22, 2008, 10:23 am by chris

  EXCLUSIVE: Maj Gen Ali’s Link to Execution of Mungiki Leader’s wife
  
  Fresh details emerged today how the wife of jailed Mungiki leader Maina Njenga was brutally murdered and the involvement of a new elite squad directly answerable to police commissioner Mohamed Hussein Ali.
  
  It emerged that Ms Virginia Nyakio’s execution was plotted by an elite squad codenamed The Eagle, which was recently formed by Maj Gen Ali to replace the disbanded Kwekwe Squad. Just like Kwekwe, the Eagle Squad is directly answerable to Maj Gen Ali and it was formed to exclusively hunt down members of the dreaded Mungiki sect.
  
  Police officers who spoke on condition they would not be named for security reasons said Nyakio was seized by members of the Eagle Squad in Nairobi on suspicion she had taken over the leadership of Mungiki on behalf of her husband, who is serving his jail term at the Naivasha Maximum Security Prison after he was convicted for being in possession of an unlawful gun and bhang.
  
  They said the Eagle Squad interrogated the woman on the activities of the outlawed sect and how much money she had in her bank account. The police claim they had received information that Mungiki members were still channelling part of the cash they extorted from public service vehicles and businesses, mostly in Nairobi Central and Rift Valley provinces, to Mr Njenga’s wife.
  
  Afterwards, the officers said, Ms Nyakio was tricked to call her driver, Mr George Njoroge, to meet pick her in a certain location in Nairobi. The officers from the elite unit ordered her not to betray she was under arrest when making the call and they promised to release her if she cooperated.
  
  She believed the officers and obeyed their instructions. The officers then accompanied Ms Nyakio to the meeting place and seized Mr Njoroge. They then proceeded to the bank and ordered Ms Nyakio to withdraw all the cash she had in her account. The account was reportedly holding more than Sh5million. It’s unclear what became of the seized cash since it has triggered bad blood in the squad, with junior officers accusing their head of pocketing all of it.
  
  The officers who spoke to us said Ms Nyakio and Mr Njoroge were later taken to a forest in Kajiado District where the driver was told how the woman had betrayed him. The police tricked him they would release him if he carried out their orders which required him to...
  
  Story Updated at 5:32 PM Kenyan time
  I have seen some of the comments and I have raised the questions with my sources. Here is what they had to say; It's not illegal to withdraw Sh5million, all you have to do is make the arrangements to do so. The undercover cops attached to the elite squads use all sorts of tactics to achieve what they want, "we cannot say more," they said. They then posed, if 5,000 youths vanished just like that last year after being arrested by cops in the full presence of their wives and family members, what is the big deal with a signatory to an account being forced to withdraw Sh5 million under duress? The reason those elite squads operate discreetly is for them to achieve the results their bosses want.
  
  Read on
  
  
  Wayward Nairobi husband taught a lesson by neighbor's wife whom he desired

• Recent Nairobi Star Article That Mentioned Kumekucha

  Posted: April 21, 2008, 4:32 pm by chris

  Kenyan bloggers: Digital activists or deadly propagandists?

  By Grace Kerongo

  Kenya’s Hitler! Exclusive: Secret plot for a coup! Military take over! No peace, no justice! Kill all the election thieves! Calling for a civil war! These were some of the many headlines on Kenyan blogs right after the elections last year. The period saw blogs segmenting into three major groups, the ODMer’s (die hard ODM supporters), the PNU bloggers and the impartial/ neutral bloggers – who were very rare.

  I got in touch with the cream of the Kenyan bloggers and this is what they had to say.

  You Missed This: kumekucha.blogspot.com

  Of all the controversial blogs, Kumekucha takes the trophy. The blogger behind it couldn’t reveal his name or where he is based for security reasons, but only said, “I earn a living writing for other websites all over the world.”

  He went ahead to explain what his blog is about.

  “Since inception Kumekucha's main subject has been politics with a bias towards a reform agenda.”

  He added, “We have been very fortunate to break numerous stories on Kumekucha. I say "we" because these days it is a team effort. I do it together with a team of dedicated writers spread all over the world on more than three continents.”
  Some of their ‘scoops’ include the rape saga involving a famous Kenyan journalist.

  “We were also the first to tell the world that Kalonzo Musyoka would be appointed Vice President. We also warned the world about the secret "bedroom swearing in" that was going to happen last year about six hours before it happened.”

  He was quick to defend the blog against propaganda claims.

  “I must admit that our big problem has been the comments (posted on the blog) from readers … some hate comments published in Kumekucha came from people who were upset, especially after the elections. But don't forget that with such a huge readership Kumekucha tends to mirror exactly what is going on the ground including what people are saying and feeling.”

  He clarified that the team of writers (who post articles on the blog) comes from both sides of the political divide as well as very neutral persons who call themselves "horseless".”

  At a time when blogs were segmented into two, pro-government and pro-opposition, Kumekucha was seen as staunchly ODM, a claim that was hotly denied.

  “We are a pro-reform blog. We usually look like we are leaning towards the political party we think is most likely to deliver change. The truth is, we hold nobody's brief except that of the ordinary folk of Kenya, the voiceless masses if you like.”

  The ride for the Kumekucha blogger has not being smooth. “I receive threats all the time. That is why I take my personal security very seriously.”

  On being regulated he said, “Governments are eager to regulate blogs and web sites. In a few years I am sure there will be all sorts of laws. It is never safe to blog from within the borders of one's own country.”

  Kenyan Diaspora Pro-democracy Movement: geraldbaraza.blogspot.com

  Gerald Baraza is a student and Officer in charge of Special Projects at the Grand Valley State University in Michigan. He runs the blog geraldbaraza.blogspot.com.

  His was the first to post: “Kenya has a new President: Hon.Raila Amolo Odinga!”

  He also claims that he predicted Kalonzo Musyoka’s move to join the government as VP days before Kalonzo accepted the appointment.

  Baraza accepted that some bloggers spewed vitriol during the post election period.

  “It is very true! Blogs were used to spread propaganda. Some of it is very cheap and misleading.”

  As a staunch ODM supporter, Baraza was accused by his blog readers of “spreading hatred”. To this he said, “I stand for justice. I stand for democracy and I stand for the truth. Like any other peace-loving and law-abiding Kenyan, I only spoke out against the election malpractices and those who were behind them. I have a right as a Kenyan to express my opinion and that is what I did.”

  Due to his straight shooting and liberal writing, Baraza received threats via email.

  “My relatives and friends from Kenya and Europe called me and advised me to stop blogging because according to them, I was putting my life and the lives of my relatives at risk. My answer to them was that everything has a cost. If my life or that of a dear one was going to be taken because of me standing up for justice and democracy in Kenya, so be it.”

  Several of his American friends also advised him to stop using his real name.

  Unlike most bloggers, Baraza chose to reveal his identity on the blog because, “I have not committed any crime. I have nothing to hide. If anything, I am aspiring to contest in Nambale in 2012 so I can’t be hiding when I am a potential Member of Parliament.”

  Other bloggers’ take on politics and censorship

  Kenyan Entrepreneur.

  The kenyanentrepreneur.com focuses on small internet businesses, and frequently writes about business and economics in Africa and Kenya in particular.

  “I was accused of being a counter-propagandist site for the Kibaki government, but I didn't view it that way. I think people on both sides of this crisis were very passionate about the issues and the blogs gave them the space to express those passions in a very real and honest way. This is not propaganda. I was one of the few blogs that took a pro-Kibaki stance early on and I think people who were not used to hearing that side of the story may have taken offense at some of my viewpoints. However, those who were pro-Kibaki appreciated the balance that my blog provided and they gravitated towards it.”

  What an African woman thinks
  Whatanafricanwomanthinks.blogspot.com was seen by many as a neutral entity, far removed from the sectarian madness that griped the blogosphere. “Political temperatures ran extremely high and there were definitely those who crossed the line,” she says. “I tried to position myself as pro-Kenya, which wasn't easy, I admit.”

  Girl in the meadow: sylkwan.blogspot.com

  A Nairobi lawyer simply known as Shiroh owned the blog. She was a staunch Government supporter during the post election crisis. As a practicing lawyer Shiroh says it would be impossible for a politician to sue for defamation. “I guess they can, if they can get the identity of the blogger. The thing is, how you would they establish who publishes the blog? This is something one can delete anytime.”

  The Displaced Kenyan

  Mwangi runs displacedkenyan.com, he is based in Melbourne, Australia. His blog was created during the post election violence but he steered clear of politics.

  “The blogsphere definitely spread some hate, the place where hate was simply unavoidable was Mashada and Kumekucha. I fully understand why Kobia (Mashada owner) had to shut the place down for a while, it all got a bit too much.”

  “There was a beautiful outpouring of love and support from sites such as Ushahidi.com, Mama Mikes, Operation Save Brian, IHaveNoTribe.com amongst others all came out of this tragedy. In addition to that, a lot of bloggers were willing to step up and talk about things like tribalism, class, wealth disparity and other issues that are really at the core of the crisis.”

  The rancorous chatter is still going in most blogs, which is made possible by the illusion of an impenetrable alias. One question though: if blogging reveals a blogger’s honest opinion, what does that say about the quality of citizenry in Kenya and the Diaspora?

  Straying husband taught a lesson by his wife and another woman
  

• Was Otieno Kajwang Just Too Delighted To Be A Cabinet Minister?

  Posted: April 20, 2008, 3:07 pm by chris

  Anybody who listened to ODM MP for Mbita Otieno Kajwang telling the press about events surrounding his recent appointment as immigration minister in the overcrowded grand coalition cabinet, would have been left deeply disgusted, whatever side of the political divide they belong.

  The man is a major embarrassment to his party and party leader, let alone the good long suffering constituents of Mbita who were very determined to get rid of the man this time. But somehow he was bailed out by Prime Minister Raila Odinga. The value of people like James Orengo I would understand. But what exactly is the value of Otieno Kajwang to ODM and Raila, apart from being able to sing Bado Mapambano quite well? Many have forgotten that this man stole client’s money and was struck off the lawyer’s roll meaning that he can no longer practice law in Kenya. Is that the kind of character you would feel comfortable with in such a powerful public position? In fact my latest raw notes reveals what his aides were up to even before his appointment.

  Watching Kajwang’s recent antics in full view of the press also proves to anybody who previously doubted that a cabinet appointment does not help the ordinary folk of Kenya, rather it is more of a valued personal reward to any politician.

  Hon Kajwang could not hide his joy and was bursting out in loud laughter every few seconds even as the cameras rolled.

  The monologue with the press went something like this;

  “When we received the news I was with my wife. We were in the bedroom (loud laughter from the shocked press and himself).

  We did not know whether I would be appointed or not and we were lying low just in case, watching.

  We did a jig [with his wife in the bedroom]

  The new minister for immigration then went to the phone and called some junior officer in full view of the press.

  “Hello this is honorable Kajwang….

  This is Honorable Otieno Kajwang your new minister here. I just wanted to confirm that you are on duty working.”

  He again laughed loudly and in glee before settling on his swivel chair and swinging from side to side like a kid that has just been given a new toy.

  Honestly I almost threw up.

  Adulterous boss taught a lesson

• Prime Minister 24

  Posted: April 18, 2008, 10:33 am by chris

  Raila’s first 24 hours in office give a taste of things to come

  I am a great fan of the action TV series 24.

  To me it is more than a great storyline and edge of seat suspense. It is an inspiration that helps me remember that in our modern world of today technology makes it possible to get so many things done within a brief 24 hour period.

  Before I say what I want to say today let me make it clear that I am NOT an ODM activist or anything like that. In fact I have some interesting information on a corrupt ODM minister within the grand coalition government about to start doing their thing.

  But whatever anybody may want to call me, I like to praise good things that I see and even in real life my friends will tell you that I am blunt and I do not hesitate to say things as they are and I will not shy from discussing any topic.

  Raila’s first 24 hours in office as Prime Minister have been nothing short of admirable. After the swearing-in ceremony yesterday, Raila held a special thanksgiving party to celebrate his appointment at the Intercontinental hotel. Many people from government were present. But the most notable was Amos “the stock exchange is not a fish market” Kimunya and Vice president Kalonzo Musyoka. Also in attendance was former UN secretary general Koffi Anan.

  On the same evening that the celebration was being held, a chap called Njuguna Gitau Njunguna announced to everybody’s relief that the Mungiki reign of terror had come to an end. As you read this all attacks have ceased and peace has returned to the country. Businesses that have been shut for several days all over Central province are now open and happily transaction biashara. The Nuguna chap credited their decision to adabdoning the terror campaign to the Prime Minister. In fact several days ago a source deep within ODM had told me that the PM intended to negotiate with Mungiki and address their grivienaces. Naturally there are those who would not agree with the idea of negotiating with terrorists (because that is what the Mungiki chaps are) but certainly you can not argue with the fact that we have a prime minister who gets results.

  To cap off the Prime Minister’s first 24 hours in office, members of the opposition MDC party in Zimbabwe came calling to see Raila Odinga. They are keen for Kenya to intervene in the political deadlock in that country. Speaking to the press they said they were sure that Kenyans knew exactly what they felt having gone through a very similar situation recently. The prime minister on his part promised to do everything in his power to help Zimbabwe out of its current political problems. Raila also urged President Robert Mugabe to follow the example of President Kibaki.

  And all that in the first 24 hours in office.

  Need I say more? It seems that we were all wrong and the political direction that the country will take from now on is going to be very different indeed from what even Kumekucha expected.

  Part 2 of the true story of a woman who found romance and happiness at 42
  

• Breaking News: Mungiki Call Off Terror Attacks

  Posted: April 17, 2008, 3:57 pm by chris

  Njuguna Gitau Njuguna Says That They Are Answering Calls For Peace From The Prime Minister
  
  News That I have just received indicates that the Kenya National Youth Alliance has this evening announced an end to their national terror campaign called to protest the killing of the wife of their jailed leader Maina Njenga.
  
  The really shocking part of the statement called in to the media by the groups' infamous spokesman Njuguna Gitau Njuguna was that the group has made the decision to call off their protests in honor of Prime Minister Raila Odinga's appeal for peace. Sources indicate that Raila Odinga who was sworn in as prime minister earlier today has entered into dialogue with the group.
  
  
  Njuguna appealed to matatu owners to return their vehicles to the road tomorrow morning (Kenyan time) without fear assuring them that there will now be peace.
  
  Earlier today two more public transport vehicles were burnt in Nairobi's Dagoretti area. Meanwhile a serious fuel shortage loomed when Mungiki adherents distributed leaflets daring lorry drivers to try and deliver fuel to a major fuel depot in Nairobi's Industrial area. The leaflets warned that any lorry seen carrying fuel in the area would be torched.
  
  Yesterday as a result of Mungiki terror a curfew was imposed in Othaya and Nyeri.
  
  However it is now expected that after the strange statement this evening, all will be well and Nairobians who have had to contend with the virtual crippling of the public transport system can now go back to some sense of normalcy.
  
  
  Love blossoms into the most unlikely couple

• As Kenyans Continue With Their Petty Tribal Squabbles…

  Posted: April 17, 2008, 11:44 am by chris

  Wanjiku Tells Us Why the Kikuyu Are Deeply Ashamed Of Mungiki
  
  
  I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. Ecc 9:11
  
  Why Tom Mboya’s shadow still looms larger than ever across the country and in the US
  
  
  
  

  History is clearly about to made in the United States as Kumekucha predicts that against all odds, Senator Barack Obama will win the democratic party nomination for president and go on to win the presidential race in November.

  The amazing thing is that it would never have happened without the help of the two gentlemen seen in the photograph above who eventually ended up being both victims of an assassin’s bullet. It was the famous airlifts of the 60s initiated by Tom Mboya with the help of the then president John F. Kennedy that landed senator Barack Obama’s late father in the United States as a student. The rest as they say is history.

  If TJ were to come back today and be told the amazing story leading up to the White House that started right at his door step, the most likely reaction would be for him to chuckle in that affectionate sincere way those close to him knew. But there is no doubt that he would have been utterly amazed at what his humble airlifts had done for the entire continent.

  The really bizarre thing about all these developments concerning senator Obama is the fact that while the rest of Africa celebrates the fact that a man fathered by an indigenous African born in humble surroundings at the heart of Africa, is about to ascend to the most powerful office in the whole world, in Kenya support for the senator is split along tribal lines. For example while Kenyans living in Kisumu cannot get enough of Obama whom they consider to be one of them, many in Central province in the very same country would prefer a Hillary Clinton win for the democratic party and the presidency of the United States, not because they like wazungus but simply because of the part of the country where Senator Obama’s father came from. In other words there are too many Kenyans who do not look at the Senator as of Kenyan descent but instead as a man whose father was a Mujaruo.

  That is how far down Kenyans have sunk, folks.

  And yet if Obama were to be elected president the entire continent would benefit greatly. Not because President Obama would concentrate on Africa. Far from it, he will be kept busy serving the good people of America who will have elected him. But Africa will benefit because for the first time in history the occupant of that high office will be somebody who understands Africa extremely well.

  Or let me put it in another way. He will surely be the only president of the United States ever who slept on a couch in a low class Nairobi estate at his step sister’s place in an effort to fully understand his roots. Many in the Kenyan cabinet have not had any such experience.

  Let’s get our senses back, dear Kenyans before it is too late.

  Oh, and about the scripture from the Bible that I quote above, it is the verse yours truly used in sending an appeal to the senator through his site to stand for the Presidency of the United States at a time when he looked like he had little chance of going anywhere with such a campaign.

  P.S. The Grand coalition cabinet was sworn in today at State House Nairobi after which they were all invited for lunch by the president. In public they are all talking about service delivery and addressing the problems of unemployment, but in private the usual things are happening. Last week a bizarre incident happened where an aide to one of the cabinet ministers affiliated to the ODM side of the grand colaition was going around soliciting for information on how to supply some particular highly technical products and services to a certain minister. Almost four days later on Sunday, my source could not believe their ears when the very individual was named to that very ministry his aides were seeking supply information on. What does that tell you? Simply that the same old supply games are being played in the government ministries, only this time the problem has been multiplied by a staggering 41 cabinet portfolios.

  Love blossoms into the most unlikely couple

• Mungiki Cripple City Transport System

  Posted: April 16, 2008, 7:13 am by chris

  Nairobians worry how they will get home this evening after work
  
  Last night I reported that sources close to the police had informed me that the Mungiki problem was getting worse.
  
  News trickling in this morning has shown exactly what was meant. In the most daring attack yet, Mungiki youths pounced on the Nairobi CBD firing in the air and causing fear and panic amongst commuters waiting for public transport back home.
  
  The attack met its' objectives as matatus vanished leaving tens of thousands stranded in the city centre. The few matatus that were brave enough to stay on started charging fares as high as Kshs 150 to Kshs 300 for trips to various city estates.
  
  Mercifully the crack GSU unit moved in quickly and restored security as the Mungiki youths melted into the night. As you read this there is a very serious commuter transport problem in Nairobi which has been made worse by the fact that Commuter train services were suspended on Tuesday after two trains were derailed by Mungiki youths on Monday.
  
  Police moved in and helped ferry most stranded commuters home in an exercise where they were assisted by a few army lorries.
  
  It is now clear that the well co-ordinated Mungiki attacks are set to continue for sometime in the country as a spokesman of the Kenya Youth Alliance said in an interview with the K24 TV station on Monday.
  
  Interestingly in a function this morning involving the two deputy premiers, Uhuru Kenyatta refused to make any comments about the Mungiki terror currently being unleashed countrywide. Uhuru was handing over the Local government docket to ODM's Musalia Mudavadi who is deputy premier and also the new local government ministry. Interestingly this was a ministry where his late father Moses Sabstone Mudamba Mudavadi served in for many years under several Moi administrations.
  
  Who is behind this fresh Mungiki attacks and what is the real motive? But even as long suffering Nairobians and indeed Kenyans puzzle over that question, it is clear that the new guerrilla tacticsnow being employed by the group have been well thought out and will continue to cause lots of chaos in the country for weeks and maybe even months to come.
  
  I am following some useful leads and will bring you more background posts on this worrying trends as soon as I have some solid information in my hands.
  
  P.S. Former powerful Coast PC in the Kenyatta era and the man who was crucial in preventing the country from ending up in the hands of powerful Kenyattta kitchen cabinet members and their Ngoroko militia, Eliud Mahihu died quietly yesterday Morning at Nairobi hospital. Mahihu's action enabled the then Vice President Daniel arap Moi to peacefully take over the reigns of power after Kenyatta's death. By some divine intervention, the night Kenyatta died was the only night in over 10 years that Mbiyu Koinange was not at Kenyatta's side. Koinange was linked to the Ngoroko plot meant to grab power and stop Moi from ascending to power.
  
  P.S. 2 A group of 60 back bencher MPs are seeking to push through a proposal to have a grand opposition created in the 10th parliament to counter the huge grand coalition government. Very clever way of postioning oneself for victory and bigger things in the next elections which most Kenyans believe will happen within the next 2 years at the very latest.
  
  Childless Riruta housewife welcomes man into her house who claimed that he "would open the way."

• Mungiki Terror Spreads To The Second Day

  Posted: April 15, 2008, 4:36 pm by chris

  My apologies to Kumekucha readers who have been waiting all day for this post. I have been chasing all day, concrete information on this worrying Mungiki violence that entered its’ second day in many parts of Kenya today.

  The Rift Valley Railways has earlier today suspended commuter train services after two of their trains were derailed yesterday. All in all 3 people were killed on this second day of violence. One was a watchman in Ngara who tried to run away when the Mungiki struck a car garage and burnt several cars.

  In Nairobi’s Ngummo estate (not far from the Kibera slums) a commuter bus belonging to KBS was burnt this morning. Muranga town remain a ghost town with most businesses refusing to open citing threats from Mungiki adherents to remain closed or else…

  The police are being very secretive, but insider sources have just told Kumekucha that “things have gotten worse tonight” no further details could be given.

  There is something here very strange unfolding in Kenyan politics before our very eyes.

  The first and extremely worrying thing about both yesterday’s and today’s Mungiki attacks countrywide is simply this. It did not take 24 hours for the whole sick operation to be planned. The truth is that it must have taken days and most likely weeks to plan it. This leads us to the second important clue, the timing which is very important in unraveling the whole mystery. The attacks started the day after the grand coalition cabinet was announced. Meaning that the whole thing was planned and organized and then the whole countrywide Mungiki organization waited for the order to move. It seems they got it on Sunday night.

  This in itself is extremely scary. More so because it is rather obvious that the estimated 1.5 million youths countrywide are taking instructions from somebody with vested interests in Kenyan politics as sensitive and deadly as it is at the moment. (You can find out more about the identity of that person and their motives from my raw notes this week.)

  In an exclusive interview on Jeff Koinange’s K24 TV station yesterday a spokesperson for Mungiki interviewed deep in a secret location that seems to be a hideout of sorts said that the group intends “to keep the fire burning” until justice is done. He also said that the group has 1.5 million registered members countrywide. That is without cpounting the sympathizers.

  The spokesman who was not wearing a mask and identified himself as Njunguna Gitau Njunguna also said that Maina Njenga’s wife would not be buried until the husband is released to attend the funeral “even if it takes 5 years” for this to happen.

  Njuguna denied that the group he was representing, the Kenya National Youth Alliance had anything to do with the proscribed Mungiki. That is because this Njuguna fellow is no fool—the Mungiki group is proscribed which means it is illegal even to associate with it. However it is quite clear that Mungiki has now mutated into the Kenya National Youth Alliance. Njunguna said that the organization he represented was a registered political party and that Mungiki was finished by extra-judicial killings ordered by former internal security minister John Michuki.

  Folks, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it seems the much talked about second wave of violence has started, albeit in a very different manner from what most people expected. This time what is being used are clever guerilla tactics where the Mungiki emerge (usually in the early hours of the morning) cause chaos and then vanish into thin air, leaving police to harass and arrest mostly the victims rather than the perpetrators.

  The bottom line is that violence seems to have taken over as the most powerful political tool in the country and it would seem that this Mungiki uprising is aimed at reversing all the gains that may have been made by ODM after the widespread violence of early this year mainly in vast, mostly fertile Rift Valley.

  The Mungiki attacks are not up hazard, but well planned, intricately executed and carefully targeted. The truth is that the public transport system in Nairobi is now virtually at a stand still and many workers are finding it increasingly difficult to get to work.

  
  How a woman desperate to conceive braved a deadly snake that helped her get pregnant

• Political Games Being Played In New Cabinet

  Posted: April 14, 2008, 9:48 am by chris

  Also Published by Kumekucha Today
  
  Latest Updates on the ongoing Mungiki violence countrywide
  Sam Okello on the new grand coalition government
  On Raila and circumcision
  
  
  Kenyans finally have a cabinet in place. However nobody has popped the champagne yet. In fact what is rapidly emerging amongst most Kenyans all over the world is deep exhaustion when it comes to Kenyan politics these days. Very telling was the fact that the wild celebrations that one would have expected from Kisumu did NOT happen.

  Just thinking about the twists and turns in Kenyan politics since last December makes many Kenyans feel very tired. But as our very own mwalimu likes to say; na bado.

  One of two things will happen next. Either Ali Baba and his 41 thieves will eat in bliss and you will not hear a sound because when thieves know too much about each other, they fear each other. Or alternatively we are about to be treated to endless squabbling, turf wars and all sorts of clownish activity. Most analysts agree that there is no option “C”

  Sigh. Just thinking about it makes even me feel very tired.

  There are a few things that have clearly emerged from the coalition cabinet named yesterday. For instance, the dominance of Kenyan politics by one tribe continues. There is no doubt that the Prime Minister’s office will wield immense powers despite what skeptics say. That means that the deputy Prime Ministers will be fairly powerful people and will no doubt overshadow even the vice presidency which has just become an even weaker office that it was previously. It beats logic how the president of Kenya can hail from the Kikuyu tribe and then have one of the deputy prime ministers hail from the same tribe. That does not augur well for the country, period. It is instructive that all the front runners for deputy premiership from PNU were from that single tribe. In fact this is the big weakness with PNU that many people have not seen. The memories of Kenyans are indeed very short. Everybody seems to have forgotten that...
  
  Read more
  
  

  How snake was used in attempt to make barren woman give birth

• Sam Okello On The New Grand Coalition Cabinet

  Posted: April 14, 2008, 9:40 am by chris

  Latest on ongoing Mungiki violence

  
  

  
  Fellow Kenyans,

  Yesterday marked an important milestone in the nation's history. It marked the end of the 2007 elections. We finally have a government that President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga have weaved together to help heal the deep wounds a sham electoral process opened up in our country. As this new government gets down to business, there will be people who gloat about PNU retaining the plum ministries. There will be those who complain about the ODM having absorbed a further body blow after being robbed of victory at the polls. Such gloating by the PNU supporters and complaints by the ODM supporters are understandable.

  But they are also childish and misplaced.

  The point here is that Kenya must move forward. The Prime Minister has accepted a government that by any measure is grossly bloated, and one he would never have constituted, so that the nation is freed from the intransigence of the men and women who have allowed themselves to think Kenya can't do without them. By accepting this government, the Prime Minister has passed through a very dark tunnel with us and brought us to the other side safely. That's what statesmanship is all about.

  But the work is just beginning. At this point there are three crucial issues that need urgent attention:

  1. Our brothers and sisters in the camps (IDPs) need to be settled urgently. It shames us when our fellow countrymen sleep in tents and beg for food within our borders. As a matter of urgency, let's move swiftly to settle our people and close the camps.

  2. We must act with speed to disband the Electoral Commission of Kenya and replace it with one that brings together men and women of character. It would indeed be immoral for the current discredited body to be allowed to conduct another election. Mr. Kivuitu and his team represent men and women who have disgraced themselves and betrayed the Kenyan people. They deserve no part in shaping the future of our nation.

  3. Finally, there's the matter of the constitution. And though I mention this third, it is critical to understand that this is the most important assignment the new government is going to confront. Changing the constitution, and making it reflect the hopes and dreams of the Kenyan people, will require wisdom, patience and tolerance of the kind usually displayed by statesmen. Those who will cling to a tribal agenda, who will champion the narrow interests of certain communities, will be doing a grave diservice to the nation. Because at the end of the day, the three issues will form the basis for how we judge the conduct of the government and those we elected to represent us in Parliament.

  It is my hope that should the PNU, ODM and ODM-Kenya officials work hard to deal with the three issues mentioned above, we will move foward in harmony and face future elections without fear. If we don't start the work right away, we will be stunned by how fast time rolls by. Then we'll have created room for those who scheme evil to come in and derail our democracy further.

  That would be sad.

  For Love of Country,
  Sam Okello

  
  

• Breaking News: Violence Erupts In Mungiki Strongholds

  Posted: April 14, 2008, 4:27 am by chris

  As you read this, police are battling Mungiki rioters in parts of Nairobi as tensions rise in Naivasha where roads have been blocked.
  
  It is reported that 4 cars have been torched in Pipeline estate as bon fires have been lit in Dandora, Kayole, Zimmerman and Naivasha Road. All those are areas where the influence of the outlawed Mungiki sect is very high.
  
  My sources on the ground in Naivasha tell me that tensions are very high in the town and the road to Nairobi was still blocked as I spoke to my informant a few minutes ago.
  
  It is believed that the violence has to do with protests against the death of jailed Mungiki leader Maina Njenga's wife last week. Her body and that of the driver were found damped after they were reported to have been carjacked. Relatives say that they were tortured badly, but do not give details of what signs on the body led them to this conclusion.
  
  Clearly that was no ordinary car jacking and killing. I am now following a few leads to determine what may have happened. Could somebody have been trying to provoke the Mungiki to violence for political reasons?
  
  On Saturday the Mbagathi area (adjacent to the Kibera slums) was brought to a standstill as wailing women protested the killing of Mrs Njenga.
  
  I will update this post the minute I get any further information.
  
  Update at 11:18 Kenyan Time
  Reports are trickling in of skirmishes in Nakuru and Nyahururu. I have no further information at this time because we got cut off with my informant just as we were starting our conversation. I will update you as soon as I am able to re-establish contact. However, again these are areas with strong Mungiki following.
  
  It is also becoming abundantly clear that the Mungiki trouble was deliberately triggered off by somebody for political reasons. Get details in my raw notes this week (scroll to the bottom of the linked page to see how you can get my raw notes today)
  
  
  Update at 2:10PM Kenyan Time
  9 people have been killed so far countrywide as a result of what appears to have been very well co-ordinated Mungiki attacks targeting many major towns across the country. Attacks have so far been reported in Eldoret, Naivasha, Nakuru, Nyahururu, Othaya and Gatundu amongst other places. In Nairobi most major estates have been affected and transport affected for many Nairobians trying to get to work.
  
  In Gatundu 3 people were brutally and mercilessly killed. A demonstration by a youth group in the town earlier today demanded the immediate release of Njenga so that he can bury his wife. As police dispersed the rowdy mob 3 people were shot and are believed to be seriously injured but in hospital.
  
  Police spokesman Eric "Rambo Movie" Kiraithe called a press conference earlier today to ask Kenyans to remain calm because the situation was under control and the police had made numerous arrests.
  
  P.S. In unrelated news, The Nairobi Star has today published a major feature on blogs where Kumekucha has prominently been mention.
  
  How snake was used in an attempt to make barren woman give birth
  

• Breaking News: Kibaki Names Grand Coalition Cabinet

  Posted: April 13, 2008, 11:18 am by chris

  I am still working on the list nobody else has divided PNU and ODM Ministers but I am trying to and here is what I have so far -Kumekucha
  
  President Kibaki has just named the grand coalition cabinet which consists of a 41 members excluding the President and the AG.
  
  
  
  Prime Minister
  Raila Amolo Odinga
  
  
  Vice President and Minister for Home affairs
  Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka
  
  
  
  PNU
  
  1. Deputy Prime Minister and minister for Trade
  Uhuru Kenyatta
  
  
  2. Minister Of State Office of the President Incharge of provincial administration and Internal security
  George Saitoti
  
  3. Minister Of State Office of the President Incharge of Defence
  Yusuf Haji
  
  4. Minister of Finance
  Amos Kimunya
  
  5. Minister of foreign affairs
  Moses Wetangula
  
  6. Minister of Justice, national cohesion and constitutional affairs
  Martha Karua
  
  7. Minister of forestry and wildlife
  Noah Wekesa
  
  8. Minister of Transport
  Chirau Ali Makwere
  
  9. Minister of Information and communication
  Samuel Poghiso
  
  10. Minister of Energy
  Kiraitu Murungi
  
  11. Minister of environment and mineral resources
  John Michuki
  
  12. Minister Of special programmes
  Dr. Naomi Namsi Shabani
  
  13. Minister of Housing
  Peter Soita Shitanda
  
  14. Minister for Nairobi metropolitan development
  Mutula Kilonzo
  
  15. Minister of Education
  Prof Sam Ongeri
  
  16. Minister of Gender and Children Affairs
  Esther Murugi Mathenge.
  
  17. Minister of East African Community
  Amarson Kingi Jeffah
  
  18. Minister of Public Health and Sanitation
  Beth Mugo
  
  19. Minister of Labour
  John Kiyonga Munyes
  
  
  ODM
  
  1. Deputy Prime Minister and minister of Local government
  Musalia Mudavadi
  
  2. Minister Of State Office of the President Incharge of Immigration
  Otieno Kajwang
  
  3. Minister Of State Office of the President Incharge of National heritage and culture
  William Ole Ntimama
  
  4. Minister Of State Office of the President Incharge of Public Service
  Dalmas Otieno
  
  5. Minister of Roads
  Kipkalya Kones
  
  6. Minister of Agriculture
  William Ruto
  
  7. Minister of Co-operative development
  Joseph Nyagah
  
  8. Minister of Industrialization
  Henry Kosgey
  
  9. Minister of Tourism
  Najib Balala
  
  10. Minister of Lands
  James Orengo
  
  11. Minister of Regional development authorities
  Fred Gumo
  
  12. Minister of Water and Irrigation
  Charity Ngilu
  
  13. Minister of Public Works
  Chris Obure
  
  14. Minister of Higher Education science and technology
  Sally Kosgei
  
  15. Minister of Medical Services
  Peter Anyang Nyong'o
  
  16. Minister of Northern Kenya and other arid lands
  Ibrahim Mohamed
  
  17. Minister of Livestock Development
  Mohamed Abdi Kuti
  
  18. Minister of Fisheries
  Paul Nyongesa Otuoma
  
  19. Ministry of Youth and Sports
  Dr. Helen Jepkemoi Sambili
  
  20. Minister Of State Office of the President Incharge Planning, national development and vision 2030
  Wycliffe Ambetsa Oparanya

• PNU Makes Its First Move In Grand Anti-ODM Dirty Tricks

  Posted: April 11, 2008, 8:39 am by chris

  KACC Asks Mudavadi To Explain Kshs 10 Million Woodley House

  The move that PNU masde this morning has been expected for months now. Those who have been regular readers of this blog will know that in the run up to the failed elections of last year and with dwindling support from Western province, this blogger was reliably informed that Musalia Mudavadi’s file was being looked at with blackmail being high on the minds of PNU operatives then.

  One thing Kenyans should not forget about the duly elected president is that he has never made a decisive decision in his life. He always moves and hesitates a million times before finally making his move very late when the very effectiveness it may have had has been completely diluted. The Mudvadi issue is no exception because this writer is very much aware that it has been in the works now for a long time. Just the way William Ruto’s is still in the works.

  Now after weeks of intimidating Musalia Mudavadi, the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission which is best known for prosecuting traffic policemen for taking Kshs 50 from matatu touts, has this morning moved to the high court to compel Mudavadi to appear before it to disclose how he acquired a Woodley house valued at Kshs 10 million which is in his name.

  With that single move PNU have hit right at the heart of ODM in a strategy that is meant to create cracks of disunity within the ODM pentagon top brass of the party. It is yet another classic example of how justice in Kenya is so selective. The game is really very simple. Any ODM Pentagon member who dares to lift a finger will be told; “File yako pia tunangali.” (We are also looking into your file).

  Interestingly in all the suspect deals that Mudavadi may have been involved in the past, those involving retired President Moi have been very conveniently ignored and the one chosen is a mere Kshs 10 million house in Woodley. Indeed it is the same reason that has helped William Ruto avoid harassment from KACC because most of his deals during the Kanu days involved Mama na Baba President Moi (now retired). President Moi, a close advisor of the duly elected president is obviously being protected and the idea is to keep his name out of the limelight as much as possible as his assets around the world are moved.

  Also ignored by KACC are numerous personalities at the heart of PNU starting with a well known cowboy...
  
  Read more
  
  

  Why Kenyan women can never compete with hip swinging Tanzanian beauties

  Could somebody be listening in to your cell phone conversations?
  
  
  STATEMENT ON CURRENT IMPASSE BY SALIM LONE, ODM DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

• Most Kenyans Want Fresh Elections

  Posted: April 10, 2008, 3:27 am by chris

  Poll shows that 94% want fresh presidential polls
  
  A reader here made a suggestion recently that amazed me. Before I tell you why it shocked me let me tell you what the suggestion was.
  
  That retired President Daniel arap Moi be brought back to run an interim government to prepare the country for fresh general elections.
  
  WOW!
  
  Okay the fact that fresh elections is the only way to solve Kenya's problems right now is no longer in doubt. Even a vast number of Kenyans are beginning to see that. The KTN news at 9 pm carried out a live SMS poll last night asking Kenyans if they favored a repeat of the presidential elections. An amazing 94% of the respondents said YES and only a paltry 6% said NO. I can authoritatively tell you that on the ground Kenyans are more than a little fed up at the circus that has been going on since the beginning of the year and want fresh presidential elections to sort out this crisis once and for all.
  
  Having said that, everybody knows that President Kibaki and PNU do NOT want a repeat of the presidential poll for obvious reasons. But it really is only a matter of time before Kenyans go to the polls. The reason is simple. Two provinces cannot hold out against the remaining SIX provinces for too long. Mark my words.
  
  Currently PNU strategists may look very clever but when history is written they will be viewed as fools for the simple reason that had they agreed to share power equally with ODM the President would have in all likelihood completed his 5 year term (which he is very determined to do even if it is at great cost to human life). However since that did not happen, they will lose even that 50% of the power and most analysts agree that there is no way the current government can survive beyond the next 12 months. Military and security might or no military and security might.
  
  Back to the Moi suggestion. The reason it amazed me so, is that it is now settled in the hearts of a vast majority of Kenyans that President Moi was a much better leader than President Kibaki. In other words the bitter truth (for some) but nevertheless the truth is that for the last 5 years or so, we have had NO leadership in the country. Mwai Kibaki is NOT a leader and time and again he has failed to show any leadership. All his rabid supporters have no genuine solid arguments to prove his leadership qualities except the fact that he comes from the same tribe as they do.
  
  I find the Moi suggestion absolutely fascinating for several reasons. To start with Mwai Kibaki's chief adviser at the moment is none other than retired President Moi. Secondly Moi has to go down in history as one of the most corrupt African leaders ever. I mean the guy used to accept cash taken to him in brief cases. The testimony of Paul Kamlesh Pattni and that of Ketan Somaia has proved this beyond any reasonable doubt. Amongst the many evils Moi did, one of the worst was to literally destroy the Coffee industry with the sole motive of neutralizing the economic might of the Kikuyu tribe whom he was always terrified of. So the entire country suffered massive losses of income and jobs so that Moi could deal with the Kikuyus. For the record it didn't quite work the way Moi wanted it to. Instead of rushing to kneel before Moi (Baba na Mama) the industrious house of Mumbi quickly shifted to the horticultural industry and ended up making even more cash directly exporting their products all over Europe and beyond.
  
  But despite all that, a sizable number of Kenyans obviously miss Moi badly at the moment. Politics is just amazing folks, is it not?
  
  Still in my view the reader who made the comment was thinking in the right direction. What Kenyans need to urgently do at the moment, as painful as it will be, is to get rid of all leaders that have a fanatical following on either side of the political divide. That means President Kibaki, who is fanatically supported by the Kikuyu and a few of their Mount Kenya cousins and sadly the winner of last year's presidential elections, Hon Raila Odinga. The you have to add William Ruto to that list. Most faithful readers of this blog are fanatical Raila and Ruto supporters. And I agree it will be a great injustice to deny Raila a chance to get back the residency he genuinely won last December. However my plea to them is that Kenya is bigger than all of us, including those politicians we love so much.
  
  I am well aware that fanatical supporters of these individuals I have just mentioned are already seeing red and will probably not get to read this paragraph which explains the solid reasons for my suggestion. The truth is that it would be suicidal to go back to the polls with both Kibaki and Raila running for president. It will NOT heal the country. Instead it will just open up old wounds. What we need are candidates who are able to garner support across the current political divide.
  
  But even before that there is the tricky question of an interim government to run things and prepare the country for elections. That government needs to be very neutral and acceptable to both sides. Actually there is no alternative but to seek help from outside. I want to suggest what may sound ridiculous and is certainly not in the beloved constitution, but is the quickest way that the country can prepare for fresh elections.
  
  A way must be found to constitute an interim government made up of eminent persons from Africa whose main task will be to police a free and fair election. This group should get the blessings of the African Union. Interestingly the AU at the moment is split right down the middle with some countries like Uganda fanatically supporting Kibaki, while others like Tanzania and Rwanda are with Raila Odinga and ODM.
  
  Thank you for reading my pipe dreams. But I hasten to add that plenty of pipe dreams I have written about in this blog have become reality. I have a funny feeling that this one too will join the list.
  
  
  News Just In: Transition
  Jeremiah Nyagah, father of ODM pentagon member and nominated MP Joseph Nyagah, is dead. He died this morning at Aga Khan Hospital. He was also the father of the immediate former Kamukunji MP Norman Nyagah.
  
  Jeremiah Nyagah was in the original Legco 8 of 1958 (actually the first Kenyan Africans to be elected to the National assembly). He will be remembered as a man whose main fault was that he was too decent for Kenya's dirty, selfish and cut-throat politics.
  
  Great mystery: Why did Kenyan husband disappear in Tanzania?
  
  Which line is more secure against eavesdroppers? Safaricom or Celtel?
  
  The cheapest 5 star beach hotel off the Indian Ocean

• We Are Ready For Fresh Elections, PNU Now Says

  Posted: April 9, 2008, 8:28 am by chris

  And Why Kibaki Must Go NOW

  The question on the minds of worried Kenyans now is whether the violence that has broken out in the country is spreading or it is just pockets of resistance that will easily be contained?

  Reports reaching this blogger indicate that protests and skirmishes have so far been reported in Nairobi’s Kibera slums, Kipkelion (near Kericho) and in Kisumu. However all have been contained quickly and successful only that in Kibera the railway line that cuts through East And Central Africa’s largest slum was once again destroyed by rioting mobs. Still, at the time of writing this post, tensions remained high in most of Rift Valley.

  Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki, blundering, lame duck "duly elected" president of Kenya still living in the 60s. Under him Kenya has limped from one crisis to another since 2003.
  

  But the biggest surprise came out of the tough talking PNU and affiliate parties parliamentary group meeting yesterday. The MPs emerged from their meeting vowing to fully support the president even if the worst came to the worst and he dissolved parliament and called for fresh elections.

  Of course PNU were bluffing and the truth is that a fresh general election is the last thing President Kibaki wants. But Kenyans will also remember that not too long ago, the last thing President Kibaki wanted were the Anan-brokered peace talks. But they still happened did they not? And shortly after he had sent his ministers to say that those coming to broker peace were coming all that way for a cup of tea. My take is that I will be surprised if Kenyans do not go back to the polls within the next 12 months. But more on that later.

  Obviously the game being played by PNU is one of bravado because the call for fresh elections from ODM is hitting where it hurts most.

  The biggest problem president Kibaki would face (if he was even eligible to run again) would be from his own Kikuyu community. The truth is that these dear fellow Kenyans, our brothers and sisters have suffered greatly in IDP camps. But to add insult to injury politicians have taken to mentioning IDPs in recent times with only political mileage being the motive. There is nothing that can be more cruel and insensitive.

  Nobody has lifted a finger to help alleviate their pain and suffering. In fact the IDPs problem has exposed our political class for who they really are and most of that blame must lie squarely on the door step of one Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki. Indeed it should be very clear now that what is ailing Kenya most terribly now is a disease, nay a fatal disease called Mwai Kibaki. Any Kenyan who is honest with themselves irrespective of what tribe they come from will quickly admit that if Mwai Kibaki were to leave office today the country would quickly get out of every crisis facing her today.

  Let us completely forget our tribal affiliations for one minute and analyse the Kibaki presidency soberly and how the country has limped from one crisis to another...
  
  Read more
  
  
  Terrible and very sad secret caused beautiful Kenyan woman to lose every man who ever loved her
  
  How secure are your Safaricom/Celtel cell phone conversations?
  
  Kenyan charged with murder in the US: Kwani he didn't know what DNA evidence can do?

• What Kibaki is Planning?

  Posted: April 8, 2008, 8:34 am by chris

  In politics the unspoken is usually more important than what has been said and the hidden cards constantly being played under the table and out of site by politicians always have a much bigger impact than what can be seen

  ODM has been having a parliamentary group and national Executive council meeting to discuss the cabinet crisis. The meeting has been going on at the Orange House headquarters of the ODM all morning.

  Separately PNU and it’s affiliate parties are having a meeting at KICC being chaired by the Vice president and official leader of government business Kalonzo Musyoka. The agenda of that meeting is to also discuss the cabinet crisis.

  President Kibaki is expected at his Harambee house office any minute now to chair a cabinet meeting.

  The message to ordinary Kenyans should be clear. PNU have a plan and it seems that ODM has got wind of it and are desperately trying to figure out the best way to frustrate that PNU plan in the works.

  The question is; what is PNU’s plan?

  In all likelihood it seems that what PNU and President Kibaki have been planning all along is on how to take over government for themselves and without anybody looking over their shoulders. So it seems that in the political chess game that was being played out, Kibaki shouted last night in private; CHECKMATE!!

  In all likelihood and based on information from my sources, chances are very high that PNU is about to make a drastic and major move very soon. The ODM high command seem to know what it is but are not talking, at least not to the press.

  Meanwhile Raila has said that ODM will not go back for any more negotiations with PNU until the two parties can agree on one interpretation of the Anan acts and what a grand coalition government means.

  Keep your eyes on the news coming out of Kenya and on this space.

  P.S. Everybody seems to have missed a remark made yesterday by President Kibaki towards the end of his speech. He assured Kenyans that the government is “still working” even as it tries to find a solution to the cabinet crisis. In other words he was saying that there is already a government in place. Some including this blogger would argue that that government he was talking about and especially the half cabinet, is illegal because it contravenes the recently passed Anan talks legislation. But while all this circus and hoodwinking of the public is going on, Kibaki is still President and very much in power.

  P.S. 2: The events of the next few weeks will force Kenyans to rethink very deeply many basic issues that have to do with freedom and democracy. My good friend Marianne Briner emailed me an interesting piece about freedom. I hereby reproduce it below;

  Freedom - in the old meaning of the word - depended upon a give and take and a moral sense of what was right or wrong for its preservation.
  
  Today, however, our civilization has become so complicated, our values so warped, political pressure on government so great, that freedom has become an illusion for ordinary people. Freedom is now only a word repeated parrot fashion by our leaders as they rush from making one new law to making another.

  
  It seems that today's society is unaware that freedom's existence depends on the readiness to take risks. If risks are chained, freedom dies.
  
  Freedom was once governed in this country by common sense - just as behaviour was governed by conscience. Laws were then limited to guarding the frame-work of freedom and these laws were respected - just as the rules of behaviour were respected. Of course there were abuses, but the offenders had to risk the moral condemnation of their comrades, an intangible punishment which hurt.
  
  Today there is no such condemnation. We have become instead bemused by cynicism, and by the overwhelming mass of legislation which - although enacted in the name of freedom – isin fact eroding it.

  
  Freedom is no longer synonymous with fair play for the conscientious.
  
  The laws have become so extensive and complicated that only the few can understand them and so liberty - as our fathers knew it - is fading away. We can no longer follow our dreams. We need no longer reach for the stars because there will be no reward in reaching them.
  

  And then there are those who have died sacrificing their lives for the freedom of their beloved country. They died also for those of us who wish to live in a free and fair society - in a new Kenya where everybody - regardless of tribes and ethnic background - can live as equal individuals and have the possibility to follow his own way of life within a framework of commonsense laws and conventions.
  
  Let's all fight to reach this common goal: a peaceful Kenya ruled by a legally elected Government which is willing to take over the responsibility to 'care' for its people, in the truest sense of this word.

  Who is listening in to your cell phone conversations, Kenyans?
  
  Naomi Campbell allegedly spat at policeman and could get 6 months in jail if found guilty
  
  Paper Bag (juala) causes young girl a serious infection, guess how it got inside her...

• Cabinet Crisis Drama In Writing

  Posted: April 8, 2008, 4:26 am by chris

  Here is a glimpse of the cabinet crisis drama in writing.....
  
  

  7^th April 2008

  His Excellency Mwai Kibaki, CGH, MP

  President of the Republic of Kenya

  Office of the President,

  P.O. Box 30510,

  NAIROBI

  Your Excellency,

  RE: FORMATION OF THE GRAND COALITION GOVERNMENT

  The meeting yesterday adjourned to allow for consultations until this afternoon, after you declined further discussions on portfolio balance and instead insisted on your proposed allocation of ministries.

  Our party is deeply concerned that the stalemate over the formation of the Grand Coalition Government is increasing uncertainty and anxiety in the country. It is also escalating the mistrust that we as leaders were expected to eliminate by the establishment of the Grand Coalition.

  The National Accord and Reconciliation Act is already in force. It must be understood that ODM and PNU are equal partners in the Grand Coalition. The failure to form the Grand Coalition Government is in fact a continuing breach of the Act and the Constitution.

  We have always acted in good faith and conveyed to Your Excellency that the Grand Coalition would be one government. The positions PNU is staking claim to imply that we are forming a government with two cabinets. On the contrary, this is a Grand Coalition of two equal partners sharing executive power on a 50-50 basis.

  It is becoming clear to our party that your side is reluctant to honour the spirit and principles of the National Accord and Reconciliation Act. I therefore wish to let you know that the following issues must be resolved in the course of our further consultations on the formation of the Government:

  1. The Current Cabinet

  The current cabinet should be dissolved to allow for the formation of a fresh Cabinet in accordance with the Act.

  1. Portfolio Balance

  Although we reluctantly conceded to an enlarged cabinet against the wishes of Kenyans, our party now maintains that the Grand Coalition Cabinet should not exceed 34 ministries. Allocations of portfolios must be based on the agreement of 3^rd April 2008 in which we agreed that the PNU side nominates appointments in the Finance and Security portfolios and in return, ODM would nominate Ministers to the following portfolios:

  · Local Government

  · Foreign Affairs

  · Transport

  · Energy

  · Cabinet Affairs

  It is important I reiterate that the above represents and remains our Party’s irreducible minimum position. We attach hereto, for your ease of reference, the full ODM Portfolio Balance List, which was delivered to you last Friday.

  1. Structure and Organization of Government

  The following must also be agreed upon in advance:

  · An acceptable classification of ministries;

  · A clear definition of the roles and responsibilities of the Office of the Prime Minister;

  · The structure and orga