Madness Is …
08
January
Inviting your rival for mediated talks on a possible coalition government on Friday and then even before putting the phone down proceeding to name your cabinet and the important portfolios on Tuesday.
Can someone check that the Presidential Garage is opened BEFORE the presidential limousine’s engine is started?
Or is Kibaki out of his DOGGONE MIND?!
How the FUZZ can this possibly help matters any?
This is tantamount to eating a man’s lunch, inviting him to dinner to appease him some and then proceeding to eat the dinner before he gets there!!!
One would think that a modicum of sense in the Kibaki administration would last longer than a Brazilian in a British tube station. How wrong one would be! I’d start making sanity comparisons to shithouse rats but the rats are objecting
1. shaqattac
(5 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Your class, your caste, your country, sect, your name or your tribe
There’s people always dying trying to keep them alive
There’s bodies decomposing in containers tonight
In an abandoned building where
The squatters made a mural of a Maasai girl
With fifteen cans of spray paint and a chemical swirl
She’s standing in the ashes at the end of the world
Four winds blowing through her hair
But when great Satan’s gone, the whore of State House
She just can’t sustain the pressure where it’s placed
She caves
The Bible’s blind, the Torah’s deaf, the Koran’s mute
If you burn them all together you get close to the truth still
They are pouring over Sanskrit on the ivy league moons
While shadows lengthen in the sun
Cast all the school and meditation built to soften the times
And hold us at the center while the spiral unwinds
It’s knocking over fences, crossing
Four winds, cry until it comes
And it’s the sum of man
Slouching towards Nairobi
A heart just can’t contain all of that empty space
It breaks, it breaks, it breaks
Well, I went back by rented Cadillac and company jet
Like a newly orphaned refugee, retracing my steps
All the way to Kisumu to commune with the dead
They said, “You’d better look alive”
And I was off to old Eldy where a genocide sleeps
In the black hills, the bad lands, the calloused west
I buried my ballast, I made my peace
With four winds, levelling the escarpments of the great valley
But when great Satan’s gone, the whore of State house,
She just can’t remain with all that outer space
She breaks, she breaks, she caves, she caves.
2. shaqattac
(5 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
The man has totally gone mad. This is not possible, I feel like throwing up. Kenyans of all tribes should unite to kick these vultures out.
No kikuyu can say now that he or she supports Kibaki, I don’t think it is humanely possible. This man has gone too far. He doesnt give a shit about all the kikuyus who have been killed and who are going to be killed. This man doesnt want peace, he wants to destroy kenya! And all kenyans regardless of tribe will suffer. We should all unite to reject these senile sleazy bastards who are living on extra time but are so bent on destroying our futures.
3. OBAMBLA
(3 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Kibaki is telling those who are opposed to him that he intends to rule by force, and that he is able to stay the course, and will ride out this storm. He has already precvented all their rallies, and infact is telling the opposition that he is in charge here, and there is nothing they can do about it. By announcing this right before kuffor comes in, he is pretty much telling everyone what he has decided. Let thos who die , die, because kibaki is the newest african tyrant on the block. mezeni wembe. that is what kibaki is telling the world.
4. Kirima
(58 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Amazed, speechless, bamboozled.
Yaani absolutely no fresh faces or new names at all. what was the point of rejecting 70% of the old lot for him to just select from the remainder we didn’t throw out while he waits to nominate the geezers we threw out (I suspect!)
No youth, No brilliance, no change its totally uninspiring!!!
5. aegeus
(79 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
my jaw hit the floor, and is still resident there, when i heard the news…
6. brutha-man
(2 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
the country has to function
7. Half n Half
(9 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
I refuse to talk anymore there is nothing left to say
8. nguye
(1 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
just seen Martha Karua on Al Jazeera saying the press were responsible for saying Kufour there for mediation….
Father help me please, what is going on?
9. Magaidi
(42 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Memo to Kibaki - If you call yourself a leader and look over your shoulder and nobody’s following you, then you’re just taking a walk!
10. acolyte
(171 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Talk about giving with one hand and taking with another. Why the need for talks when Kibz has shown he isn’t listening. Plus the recycling of old MPs is just plain pathetic.
The new Kenya…backwards ever, forward never!
11. mo#
(14 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
i had refused to believe kibaki was a dictator…….. UNTILL NOW !!!!
i swear tumerudi siku za nyayo …….
12. abelian
(53 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
true dat! this guy is screwing up with every move he makes
13. Grace
(1 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
What I find really sad is that this announcement does not surprise me. Everything Kibaki and co have done since the election (and even before) have shown such blatant disrespect for us Kenyans and a belief that we can do nothing to stop him.
I do not think he is mad, that is to provide him with an excuse for his behavior, and I refuse to provide him with any excuses for essentially being a dictator.
14. msaniixl
(73 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Clearly the leadership has Kenyans best interest at heart…Disgusting
15. Ahmed
(2 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
While people have been complaining that he favoured his Kikuyu tribesmen in the last 5 years, he did it again. First, he told Kenyans that he doesn’t care what they think of him. Secondly, he appointed all the old fossils who survive the electoral machet of Kenyans. Thirdly, he has given all the important ministries to his Kikuyu tribesmen.
1. President-Mt. Kenya
2. Finance-Mt-Kenya
3. Roads, public works-Mt. Kenya
4. Energy-Mt.Kenya
5. Local Govt-Mt.Kenya
6. Justice/Constitutional affairs-Mt.Kenya
7. Internal security-Mt.Kenya
That’s Kibaki the nationalist for you. What remains now are departments like youth, regional development and housing. Nothing else. That’s Kibaki for you.
16. The.Hanyee
(5 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
I was sooo waiting for this to get posted!
Mwai has acted with utter contempt and disregard to the fact that we are in the process of walking of a volatile shithole and then he ups and does this…why the flying shytes didn’t he wait till at least next week? Talk of taking a rancid crap on someone’s face!
Same old goons, and especially that good-for-nothing clusterfuck Chirau Mwakwere…
Brutha-Man, the country has “functioned” bila Ministers for almost a week, so I guess it wasn’t too much to wait for another week.
The imbecility ante just got raised…and then some…
17. renee
(5 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
we should not be surprised..KANU has managed to come back to power clothed as PNU…lakini those new ministers should not celebrate too loudly…they better remember that KANU/PNU gives on TV and fires on radio at lunchtime….
18. alienmist
(53 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
I knew the tribal hypersensitives would spot the tiny detail of three Kiuks and zero Luos…
I despair!!
19. Carol
(17 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Mi sina mengi ya kuongezea!
What else can a humble Kenyan say?
Once our leaders will stop being greedy,tutasonga mbele for now “will you please haer the pleads of your sheep ‘Your Exelency, EGH’ The President?Just look at the past week it should humble you”.
This is worse than tribalsm,the word is madness,the degree is high!
20. Carol
(17 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Mi sina mengi ya kuongezea!
What else can a humble Kenyan say?
Once our leaders will stop being greedy,tutasonga mbele for now “will you please haer the pleads of your sheep ‘Your Exelency, EGH’ The President?Just look at the past week it should humble you”.
This is worse than tribalism,the word is madness,the degree is high!
21. Ahmed
(2 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Alienmist,
Do you think there are 6 Kikuyus and one Meru occupying the mother ministries or 3? And why do you run to Luos? A Somali like me can see it and I don’t need to be a Kyuk bred with hatred to Luos like you to know the basics of justice. I have Kenya to lose, not a tribe to lose. Stone Age tribal pussyfooting is long gone boy.
22. alienmist
(53 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Ahmed:
Why do you think I am hater? I am not, I was just making a point that with the tribal hypersensitive Kenya this cabinet is bound to bring problems…
I am all for peace my friend
23. sunshine
(3 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
i imagine that Kibaki saw that he has nothing to bring to the table for negotiations and decided that he rather stir up tempers by naming the cabinet and thus prevent any negotioations from taking place.
24. abelian
(53 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
toiyoi,
What makes you think the new divisions will get rid of tribalism? They would still fall into the same tribal divisions plaguing Kenya today.
I see you took care to make sure you had coast well divided because of the port… Kenya can only survive the way it is at the moment..
We are too poor and underdeveloped to divide ourselves into mini states. The solution is to make tribe non-significant there is no other way
25. JM
(4 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
Mr. Kibaki and company…you have cause so much pain and anguish to Kenyans and still continue to parade your arrogance and lord over us. nature has a way of righting society’s wrongs… what goes around never fails to comes around.
26. JM
(4 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
until the philosophy which holds one clique superior and the masses inferior… is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned
Until there are no longer first-class and second class citizens of our nation
Until the ethnic background of a Kenyan is of no more significance than the texture of his hair
Until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to tribe
Until that day, the dream of a lasting resolution to this conflict… and the rule of national morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained
Until the ignoble and greedy regimes that holds all Kenyans in subhuman bondage, have been kicked out and replaced
Until bigotry and prejudice and malicious and inhuman self-interest have been replaced by understanding and tolerance and good-will
Until all Kenyans stand and speak as free beings, equal in the eyes of all men, as they are in the eyes of Heaven
Until that day, the Kenyan nation will not know peace. Kenyans will continue to fight for our rights and we know that we shall win, as we are confident in the victory of GOOD over EVIL.
(These Words (edited to suit context) were uttered by Haile Selassie I at a UN conference in 1963. They were popularised by Bob Marley in his song War/No more trouble).
27. magothe
(2 Comments) | January 8th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
nice to see the balanced views above.
so should the nation await the great Raila to appear at the table before we can start functioning? kwani you’ve stayed at home all this time?
lets get back to work guys and leave the politicians to those who practice it…
28. L
(3 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 12:09 am
ok now i think PNU MP’s and ODM MPs need to talk coz its quite obvious kibaki is not a man to do business with.
its also quite unfortunate that former heads of state from africa an dthe US ambassador have toured
the clash hit areas wheras neither kibaki nor Raila nor the MPS from the afflicted areas have even bothered to speak appeal for calm nor visited those areas. its truly a sad day. i getting some hope now i have no hope - i need to start planning how to evacuate my family.
29. D
(4 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 12:23 am
I cannot wait for Parliament to convene on Monday. It will be interesting. I wish I could be a fly on the wall.
Ok, so a cabinet has been named. We can argue till we are blue in the face. I am not happy about it but it has been done. WHAT NOW? Kenyans like being reactive instead of proactive. That is why people are just looting, raping and killing. Grandstanding on TV (both sides are guilty of this while parts of the country burns)
As Kenyans, we have to step back and try to predict what will happen. Do any of us, realistically, think Kibaki will just step down? I think not!!! Mobs will continue to riot not realizing that they are hurting themselves. I don’t care what happened in the country.. VIOLENCE IS NEVER THE ANSWER!
What happens next is key. Raila will refuse to meet until his conditions are met. Also, we will have to see what the international community does?
30. D
(4 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 12:30 am
Kenya has serious problems to solve. Tribalism is not the most important problem. We have a serious problem with economics, class and land ownership and our institutions. If tribalism is the problem, where isn’t there fighting in the suburbs of the major towns? Guys of all tribes have been hitting the bars the last few days discussing what has happened. Kenyans do not hate each other like that. It is the frustrations of what people see to be economic marginalization.
The rioting has been concentrated in the slums. The poor (economics) have nothing to lose. Kenya has a huge divide between the rich and poor. In Rift, guys are angry after the way land was alloted during the early years after independence.
Our institutions have failed us. The courts cannot be trusted and that is a shame. People treated the Constitution like it was a joke. These are things, as Kenyans, that we need to solve NOW!
31. Kigano
(4 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 2:44 am
There will be no further comment from me. I feel very frustrated with Kibaki that anything I write can not effectively express my emotions. If I was in Kenya now I would show it with my actions and the end result would not be very good.
32. Anyango
(1 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 4:56 am
All I can say is that I am sad to be from this country. I cannot even hold my head up like I used to. Kibaki has single handed destroyed Kenya. I do not think it matter to him what goes on in Kenya as it is the poor people that have been affected. No words can express my concerns. I did not realise how much Luos are not wanted in Kenya. I have always been in the middle ground but I have forced to choose sides. Very sad to see what is going on.
33. Dynamic
(1 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 5:06 am
Family,
Kenya’s military is Kibaki’s most important tool. Provided he has Kenya’s military wrapped around his finger, he knows we’ll do nothing but dance to his beats no matter the noise we make.
I’m thinking- if we can figure out a means to reconnect our men and women back to their consciences and reconsider that we have an entire country and lives at stake, we could strip the gov’t of it’s power overnight and make our voices heard.
But then again I doubt this would happen for they’d be biting the hand that feeds them. Regardless, this is a moment in our history that require men of honour and integrity. I wish our military men had such, instead of just being robots marching to those mutha#$%&s orders. I bet they’d shoot their mothers if ordered to.
D.
34. Kivulu
(4 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 5:38 am
Much ado about nothing. The appointments are purely geared toward a possible poll re-run. With Kalonzo as VP, Mzee Baks hopes to bag the 800,000 votes Kalonzo got and therefore beat Raila legally this time.
What do we expect from our “leaders,” selfishness is paramount. Please people, see through the smoke screen being put up by politicians, this is about post-mediation. Kwaheri, John Kufuor.
35. Ali
(14 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 6:02 am
Kibaki is an enemy of Kenya.
While voting for Kibaki was not a crime, at this point anybody who supports Kibaki in anyway, shape, or form is also an enemy of Kenya. Kikuyu or not. People are dying and they dont care.
Lets call a thief by his name- A thief! Not a president not a man just a thief.
36. joe
(76 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 6:30 am
i cant believe that some kenyans still think kibaki will resign or accept a re run or run off its sad - kibaki is in this to the bitter end - he has not given any indication that he is stepping down kufuor is here for tea then he goes back home . odm should snap out of denial
kalonzo being appointed vp is not a run off ploy/plan it is a 2012 exit strategy .you guys are disappointing me . i forgot you are the same obama is my cousin types
37. Clement
(2 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 8:32 am
Kibaki is confused.
38. Chrenyan
(122 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Now, is Raila expected to attend talks to haggle over whether he can be the Minister for Livestock and Fisheries or not? Heaven help us all.
What surprises me is that Kibaki can still surprise me. He was dishonest in the matter of the MoU. He did not act on Anglo Leasing, despite knowing about it, until Githongo blew the whistle. A quick perusal of the Githongo report will show that Kibaki was well aware of what was going on long before any of us were. He has done zilch about the Kroll report, and in fact allied himself with the mega-thieves implicated therein. He may have stolen a Presidential election. He has ignored the plight of his own people in the aftermath. He has used the country’s police and military to quash ODM’s attempts to demonstrate. Then he names a cabinet that completely excludes any of the 100 MP’s from ODM, after saying he is willing to sit with Raila to discuss a “coalition government”, and I am surprised?
You fool, Chrenyan, fool!
39. Jose
(19 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 10:07 am
I find it hard to believe that we are still bashing Kibaki and/or Raila. The crisis in Kenya goes deeper than this flawed election.
It is decades of the entire political class, going back to independence, lording it over the people. It is also ignorance, poverty and tribalism lashing out after years of being swept under the rug.
So as people bash Kibaki, let’s remember that this instability is not really about him or Raila for that matter. It’s about flawed social, economic and political institutions that have let the country down.
40. SP
(1 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
As tragic as it is the way you put it you can’t help but laugh at the situation - love your blog
41. Jose
(19 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Ali,
I’m still not convinced that someone would kill and burn his neighbour in the name of right and wrong. You seem to be saying that. Such a killer has deeper hatred and issues. If so, then that is the height of immorality and hypocrisy.
You also seem to imply that the Kikuyu tribe have stolen the election. It is that kind of myopic, ethnic generalisation that is causing this country its problems. Kibaki has stolen. Kibaki. Him and his cronies. Not the Kikuyu nation. By your logic, ALL Luos are rioters and looters, seeing how Kisumu was looted and torched by certain Luo persons. In any event, some of the largest sufferers of the North Rift violence are the Kikuyus. if you asked them what they feel about Kibaki’s “win”, I wonder what they would say…
I appreciate the need to vent anger after this shambolic elections, but let’s desist from baseless ethnic generalisations.
42. Quest
(1 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Kibaki has finally shown us his intentions. He was not keen to being a just leader and electing a “clean hands cabinet” but to show us he is the one who holds the power! Sadly, we kenyans are out here killing each other and we let the thief go scot free! To add salt to injury Kibaki tells us that anyone found breaking the law will be prosecuted! Very ironical who broke which law?!
Its unbelieveble that he wants Raila to still sit at a negotiating table and haggle for the crumbs he left at the table!!He might just as well name the whole GEMA cabinate.
Lastly, where are the pastors who called Raila a devil worshipper? Kibaki has sacrificed Kenyans and Kalonzo surely was not christian when he happily accepted the Vp jobo. If God is still there ad this is happening, Kenyans should ask themselves why such evil can persist despite our prayers. I am embarrassed. Najivunia kuwa mkenya?? Yeah right!
43. Shiroh
(31 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
We have to move on
44. What Next for Kenya
(3 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Its such a sad state of affairs, how can Kibaki do this? Clearly this is far from democratic. Something needs to be done, perhaps its time for people to return to the streets.
45. modoathii
(12 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
i’m shocked. i’m pissed. i’m ashamed. i’m…i’m…bila words. clearly we don’t matter. and evidently, neither does what we want. demon-cracy indeed!
46. Ja-dear
(3 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Cry, my beloved country. I stopped watching the news when I heard that the old man had named half his cabinet. I was caught in the middle of all this. For a 12/13 yr old boy come to your car with a boulder and demand money before he lets you drive on is madness. I told him as much. It is madness when all this is happening yet the powers that be do nothing to condemn it all. Our leaders have failed us. I cannot brag that I have a solution. I don’t know what to do any more. I’m numb from the rage I feel inside.
Is this mediation going to be meaningful? Did Emilio care about the repercussions of his actions? Does he really care about what is happening around us? Do you think your actions will drive him to do anything? Does he even have a heart.
Lucy must be somewhere with the silly grin on his face screaming ‘I told you we’d be back’. I am sad to be a Kenyan.
47. Ja-dear
(3 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Cry, my beloved country. I stopped watching the news when I heard that the old man had named half his cabinet. I was caught in the middle of all this. For a 12/13 yr old boy come to your car with a boulder and demand money before he lets you drive on is madness. I told him as much. It is madness when all this is happening yet the powers that be do nothing to condemn it all. Our leaders have failed us. I cannot brag that I have a solution. I don’t know what to do any more. I’m numb from the rage I feel inside.
Is this mediation going to be meaningful? Did Emilio care about the repercussions of his actions? Does he really care about what is happening around us? Do you think your actions will drive him to do anything? Does he even have a heart.
Lucy must be somewhere with the silly grin on her face screaming ‘I told you we’d be back’. I am sad to be a Kenyan.
48. mudskippah
(14 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
I voted PNU. Because Kenya was developing economically for the first time in eons and because I don’t think change happens abruptly, it is a process and I wanted the momentum to continue. After all, 2012 is only 5 years away and then it would be time, according to me, to change gear and move faster.
Now I am not so sure. I want a re-run, but what way will I vote?
Yet, somehow, ODM has never convinced me they are or will be different. I’m fed up with Kibaki and company. It’s just that I’m not sure it’s much change when I replace them with Ruto, Okemo, Mudavadi.
I’ll vote ODM in round 2. If it’s the same old shit I’ll… I don’t know what.
For now, Kibaki’s Kifua tactics versus Raila’s Kifua tactics are crushing innocent Kenyans in the middle. F*ing politics.
49. kax
(1 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
i guess we should have seen it when Ubako and his gang let in the hawkers back to the streets of nairobi and told matatu crew they don’t have to wear uniforms… there is no low they will not sink to get or hold on to power. i hope am wrong on that one.
my head hangs in shame.
50. mudskippah
(14 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
“Dear Kikuyus, next time you become victims of crime in Kenya, remember you supported that.” -Ali
“ODM are just looking for any excuse to massacre kyuks. Let them be careful of what they wish for.” -Frank
I am Kenyan. I am also a Kikuyu. I am not ashamed. Sentiments like those echoed by Ali and Frank are the reason we (all Kenyans, regardless) are deep in this latrine. Give us a break, shouts I.
To hell with short-sighted bigotry and generalizations that expand these dangerous fissures in our society. The one thing we need to burn in this country is tribalism. That word has never sounded so ugly.
51. Esther
(7 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Cry my beloved country! When I heard about the cabinet appointments, I cried for my country. Even if Kibaki knew he had no intentions of going through with a mediation effort and was merely going to have tea with Kufour (silly Alfred Mutua’s words!) he could have at least pretended to be for the mediation idea - after all politics is to a great extent about managing public perceptions. Then his cabinet looks like nyayo’s: Sam Ongeri, Noah Wekesa, George Saitoti, Pogishio, Musyoka, Wetangula, … unbelieveable! If these guys were unable to do jack for Kenya during nyayo’s time, pray tell, what has changed that will suddenly make them achievers? However, as ‘M’ said in an earlier blog, what we have lost here is our voice. We are no longer a democracy but back to nyayo style autocracy. The years of fighting for multi party democracy by Shikuku, Rubia, Matiba and Raila have gone down the drain. Of course Kibz was in government during these times in the 90’s and only formed DP when the hard work had been done by others. Kibz pledged to review the constitution if re-elected: I highly doubt that he will do so. After all, thats what he promised in 2002 and did not do it. Even after the referendum, he just adopted a ‘hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil’ stance.But why should he change the constitution when the one we have now after a lot of tampering by nyayo allows for what we see happening now consolidating IMMENSE powers in the presidency without appropriate checks and balances by other arms of government? I agree we need to move on, but not without changes to our institutions, we will be having these discussions again soon. As one of the 3 arms of governement, the judiciary is supposed to provide some check and balance against excesss of the executive and legislature. But the executive is solely responsible for appointing high court and court of appeal judges so they owe their allegiance to the executive. Why can’t the appointment of these judges be based on some specific, measureable, achievable, transparent score? No wonder the judiciary was voted as one of the 3 most corrupt institutions in kenya. merit does not work. Why can’t the civil service be separate from the machinations of the executive so that the incumbent in state house does not use the civil service as a means to ‘reward’ those who are singing the party tune well and ‘punish/sack’ those who represent tribes considered to be stubborn? the civil service is financed by all kenyan tax-payers and should be accountable to all. One does not even aspire to a career in the civil service becasue there is no professionalism there. Yes, we achieved 6% economic growth but this was not translated to the people at the grass roots in a way that made sense to them and secondly, we do not have strong insititutions to ensure the sustainability of this growth. If i have a roads construction company, government contracts wil be awarded to me on the basis of which tribe i am in.. so what for 6% economic growth.. why can’t contrcts be awarded on the basis of merit? By the way I am neither Kikuyu nor Luo nor Kamba nor Kisii nor Somali. My tribe is immaterial to the situation at hand. I am just a Kenyan who loves my country very much but nowadays hangs my head in shame in Uganda where I live and work because everyone here is literally laughing at us but more so because I a mourn the dying of democracy in my motherland. God save Kenya.
52. udi
(71 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
when people like Ali open their mouth, it makes me realize if the sane ones have that mentality, then when will we expect politicians to stop acting like baboons. I dont even care anymore about ODM, PNU or GNU. Just someone first adress the ethnic cleansing in Rift Valley. coz that violence is not poll related. Those guys received warningss before elections to leave the area.
53. Mutumia
(56 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
I want to vomit at some of the sentiments expressed. We have real problems with the economy (60b. KSh. lost), 500+ people dead, the future and present of Kenya’s democracy, the state of our nation and the list goes on and on.
And we choose instead to focus on whether the ones paying the price should be based on whether one shrubs their R/L’s or their S/SHs or their B/Ps?!!! Really?!!!
We have grown problems and they require grown solutions- not this puerile, infantile tribal bashing. Shame on you Ali and shame on you Joe.
54. Kivulu
(4 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
People forgive me for being at it again. Some people here are already seeing through the smoke and smog being emitted by EMK and RAO. Lets face it the real people who fought MO1 are gone, nay, irrelevant. The same KANU thieves are on both sides of the equation. EMK has become like MO1,and Kenya is going to the dogs. Fives years of -5% “growth (6% GDP growth - 11% inflation), leaves lots of Kenyans unemployed.Now this election sham. Pray we are stuck for years to come.
Look at it this way, Liberia after Taylor still has Taylor’s buddies in government. Ha, Ha, Ha…
Anyone who thinks RAO will be better than EMK, think again.
As for EMK, Alzheimer’s is setting in, he is a useless bum. Here is the mathematical proof
ODM = Raila, Ruto, Ngilu, Nyaga, Balala, Kosgey, Mudavadi, etc
PNU = Baks, Me-Chuki, Karua, Watengula, Uhush, etc
KANU (Mo1) = Raila, Ruto, Mudavadi, Baks, Me-Chuki,Watengula
Therefore: ODM=PNU=KANU
Kenyans need to lower their expectations for the next 50 yrs.
55. abelian
(53 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Kivulu:
True dat! it time for the next stage in our political evolution, vote in leaders of substance. People here easily forget that Raila once worked with Moi to deny the then opposition votes.. Kibaki was a long time VP to Moi..
Time for new blood
56. JM
(4 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
KENYA: It’s the economy, stupid not “tribalism”)
09 Jan 2008 16:16:49 GMT
Reuters/ AlertNet
The wave of violence that engulfed Kenya after the presidential election has been widely described as tribal or ethnic in nature. But analysts in the east African country point to basic economics as the true cause of the unrest.
Widespread violence and a humanitarian crisis were triggered by the 30 December announcement that incumbent Mwai Kibaki had won a hotly contested presidential poll amid opposition claims of rigging and international observers’ reports of serious irregularities in the vote-tallying process.
“In the urban areas, there was a lot of senseless burning and looting, which was people taking out their economic grievances during a leadership vacuum. They just let loose and attacked any targets, burning their neighbours’ houses, regardless of whether they are PNU [Party of National Unity, Kibaki's party] or ODM [Orange Democratic Movement, the opposition],” Macharia Gaitho, a political columnist, told IRIN.
While specific ethnic groups - there are more than 40 in Kenya - were targeted during the violence, the tensions that led to such clashes were not the result of ethnicity per se, but, according an editorial in the Sunday Nation newspaper, an almost inevitable consequence of the country’s economic system: “Kenya practises a brutal, inhuman brand of capitalism that encourages a fierce competition for survival, wealth and power. Those who can’t compete successfully are allowed to live like animals in slums.”
Inequality pervasive
In Nairobi, more than 60 percent of the population live in slums, some of which lie a stone’s throw away from the city’s most luxurious houses. According to a report (Pulling Apart: Facts and Figures on Inequality in Kenya) by the Nairobi-based Society for International Development (SID), Kenya is the 10th most unequal country in the world in terms of wealth disparities. Of Africa’s 54 states, it is the fifth most unequal. The 2004 report, using UN Development Programme figures, states that Kenya’s richest earn 56 times more than its poorest: the top 10 percent of the population controls 42 percent of the country’s wealth, while the bottom 10 percent own 0.76 percent.
Inequality pervades every aspect of Kenyans’ lives, according to the report, citing enormous disparities – both in the capital and at national level - in almost every sphere of life: income; access to education, water and health; life expectancy; and prevalence of HIV/AIDS. A person born in the western Nyanza province, the bedrock of ODM support, can expect to die 16 years younger than a fellow citizen in Central province, Kibaki’s home turf. Child immunisation rates in Nyanza are less than half those in Central.
Another impoverished region is North Eastern province. While almost every child in Central attends primary school, only one in three does in North Eastern. More than nine out of very 10 women in North Eastern have no education at all. In Central, the proportion is less than 3 percent. In these two provinces, there is one doctor for 120,000 and 20,000 respectively.
Kibaki’s role
Critics of Kibaki, who came to power in 2002, accuse his government of failing to address this inequality and of focusing instead on the economic growth seen over the past five years. Before he came to power on a wave of euphoria and hope after 24 years of rule under the autocratic Daniel arap Moi, Kenya’s growth stood at minus 1.6 percent. In 2007, it reached 5.5 percent and before the elections was predicted to hit 7 percent in 2008. This growth has been concentrated in the service sector, with banks, tourism and communications companies making big profits. Prices of shares and property have also soared. But rather than trickling down to the worst off, this boom appears to have been very selective in its beneficiaries while the poor have seen the purchasing power of their shilling shrink. Before Kibaki came to power, “we used to buy sugar for 45 shillings”, Agnes Naliaka, a long-term resident of Nairobi’s Kawangware slum, told IRIN. “Now it’s 65 shillings. A kilo of cooking fat was 50 shillings. Now it’s over 100 shillings,” she said, adding that rents in the slum had doubled over the past five years. For David Ndii, executive director of the Kenya Leadership Institute, “the Kibaki government has been very cavalier about the treatment of the poor. Hawkers’ stalls were demolished and they were not given any alternatives. Economic policies have not been pro-poor. This growth has been biased in favour of profits as opposed to translated into jobs.”
Fast growth “When a poor economy starts to grow very fast like Kenya did, levels of inequality rise,” MJ Gitau, a SID programme officer and contributor to the inequality report, told IRIN. “You need assets and property rights to participate in economic production and exchange. Only a few have assets, are educated, able to save and invest, to take advantage of the high growth rates of the last few years. Those who have, get more. Those who do not, lose the little they have,” Gitau explained. Ethnicity came into play during the election violence because of the widespread perception that those who fared best under Kibaki were his own Kikuyu group, the country’s largest, which dominated politics and the economy both under his administration and that of founding president Jomo Kenyatta.
However, Kibaki’s party says poverty levels have fallen from 56 to 46 percent, lifting some two million people out of abject poverty, and that more than 1.8 million jobs were created during his first five-year term.
“Our country is shining once again and I have ever bigger plans for the development of the country during my second term. We are changing people’s lives for the better,” Kibaki declared two weeks before polling day.
That is not how many Kenyans see it.
“People reacted like they did because they were hoping for change [after the 2002 election]. Kibaki came and promised many things which he didn’t do,” said Agnes of Kawangware slum.
Let down
Kenya’s youth in particular, who make up a majority of the population - and of those who rioted - feel the most let down. Improved education gave them hope of a better life than their parents’, hope that was dashed, according to Kwamchetsi Makokha of Nairobi-based communications consultancy Form and Content. “Under colonialism, it was almost a slave labour system which grew up in the early days of the coffee estates. After independence [in 1963], the white master was simply replaced by the black master. A lot of young people who got a bit of education could not see themselves working for pittances as farm labourers. They started drifting to the cities where the opportunities are not enough to accommodate all of them. You have this massive influx of people who just can’t find work,” he told IRIN.
Nor can they find a political voice, he added. “The common Kenyan citizen who does not have money or property does not have a say in how Kenya is organised. They never have. It’s always been about what car you drive, where you live, and then you have more rights than other people.”
Another ingredient in this combustible mix is corruption, which Kibaki pledged to eradicate but which under his rule, according to analyst and author Gerard Prunier, “reached new heights, matching some of the excesses of the Moi years”.
Observers hope that the explosion of anger and violence Kenya has witnessed over the past week will shake the country’s political leaders into resolving not only the row over who one the election and how power should be shared but also the country’s deep inequalities. “If anything positive is to come out of this electoral stalemate and the criminal destruction that has visited it, one hopes it will have served as a wake-up call to all Kenyans that the yawning gap between the middle class and the poor is a powder keg just waiting to explode with the most grave consequence,” warned columnist Washington Akumu in the Nation.
© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.IRINnews.org
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/0abaa83dacd4b1243d3fe0b6406a08b8.htm
57. toiyoi
(99 Comments) | January 9th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Whatever else kibaki does is pretense:
(i)He knew he was gonna lose
(ii)He DECIDED a long time ago he was gonna steal and there was “nothing you girls gonna do about it” (sorry girls)
(iii)He WILL NOT step down( a thief steals to keep, not give back. Only one with a BIGGER GUN can cause a thief to release what he has stolen)
(iv)He WILL NOT have ODM (esp RAO, Ruto) in his pseudo government, except for perhaps bribed or greedy ODM MPs (who people should treat as traitors and ought to be ..)
(v)He does not care what happens to “mavi ya kuku” and “wampubavu” kenyans (including the average kyuks-they are just his donkey to ride on)
-see, 4 external presidents come to console the RV people, Kibaki is busy seeping Yellow Tail at state House. Not even crocodile tears of comfort, nada). But then again, he is a Mungiki, and a Mungiki does not have remorse or heart.
ONLY the people can save themselves from Kibaki. ODM may not, being pressurized by international hypocrites to “embrace peace” and such gibberish by people who themselves are not embracing peace in Iraq, etc.
Ultimately, history 101. People decide their own destiny. History teachers us this. Those who wait for someone to do it for them, or who, in seeing death and suffering, are quick to cry “peace, peace” shall wait a long time for their salvation or end up being the door mat of others such as Kibaki, myChuki.
58. Ali
(14 Comments) | January 10th, 2008 at 12:53 am
KIVULU:
You have made some real points. I have always told people that this politicians ARE all the same KANU recycles.
However i am still mad at the daylight robbery event staged by Kibaki on the night of october 30th at KICC. I am not upset because i support Raila but i am upset because the people were taken for a ride . I am upset because Kibaki showed us that he thinks , we the common people are just fools, Thats why he had the balls to pull such a ridiculous move.
my argument is Kenyans as a people, regardless of tribal affiliation must and should stand up and defend truth-whenever its established, at all cost. I have been very disappointed by some Citizen of Kenya for their inability to defend truth. A thief is a thief and should not be tolerated at any level of our society. We cannot
stone and prosecute common thieves and defend big thieves.
How will Kibaki even begin to fight corruption when he has just committed the highest level of corruption possible in the country?
We all must work together and uphold true moral standards. We cannot conveniently choose which type of theft we find acceptable. Our society is already full of thieves aty every level because we tolerate this kind of non-sense by Kibaki.
59. Njoroge
(2 Comments) | January 10th, 2008 at 1:09 am
Anyone who knows the easiest way to become a Ghanian citizen? Anyone? Someone….just anyone please help me out! I am damn tied of this kenyan mess. I accept Ghanian citizenship at any cost. Please help me out. For kibaki and Raila B*S*! I’m out as soon as the citizenship works out for me. I am tired to be Kenyan. Kwaheri nilio wapenda! My head can’t fuction straight. I can’t even type any sense no more. Oh Lord Why? Why? Why? Why? Lord, please Help me out.
60. alexander
(3 Comments) | January 10th, 2008 at 2:20 am
Ati you guys are shocked!!!
Wait and see what happens to the 12 nominated MP slots that were part of IPPG.
61. abelian
(53 Comments) | January 10th, 2008 at 2:55 am
yenyewe Kibaki must be senile or something, or maybe we are just looking at Mr Hyde… unbelievable.
We however must maintain peace at all costs
62. abelian
(53 Comments) | January 10th, 2008 at 2:56 am
yenyewe Kibaki must be demented or something, or maybe we are just looking at Mr Hyde… unbelievable.
We however must maintain peace at all costs
63. Ali
(14 Comments) | January 10th, 2008 at 3:36 am
What is democracy? Maybe thats the question we need to ask. What is the meaning of democracy.?
Joseph Stalin once said-”The outcome of elections are never decided by those who vote, elections are always decided BY THOSE WHO COUNT THE VOTES.”
64. arap sei
(1 Comments) | January 10th, 2008 at 3:43 am
65. Ishara
(16 Comments) | January 10th, 2008 at 4:48 am
@ arap sei,
A state sponsored assasination is no hardship to order, wananchi got a glimpse into this particular abyss under Moi….nor as Kenyans know are all traces and evidence of it’s use difficult to eliminate, one by one by one until there is no one left to testify about the chain of events that unfolded.
However, as much as it may gall individuals like you, there aren’t any secrets worth keeping in this nation called Kenya that wananchi do not or will not know all about right about the time they’re classified as secret (yes, it is that bad!).
Added to which elimination of an individual in a leadership position by way of assasination is a two way street as many nations have learnt to their cost….any one can be gotten to, so I wouldn’t be in any rush to consider your idea a solution to all the individuals considered to be a ‘problem’.
Your idea of the ‘problem’ individual is yours. I have mine, others have theirs…..pursuing this argument to it’s proper conclusion, where does that leave us?
Exactly.
66. Ali
(14 Comments) | January 10th, 2008 at 5:41 am
Dear arap sei.
Kibaki is a thief, therefore he is not the right guy to bring an end to the violencve in rift valley.
67. Arap Kibenei
(1 Comments) | January 10th, 2008 at 6:28 am
68. Jose
(19 Comments) | January 10th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Arap Sei,
You have shown us that you know how Israel works. You have shown us that you have some facts. You have read all the books there are to read on the Mossad. Good on you. You are bright and number 1. in fact we give you a gold star for your knowledge!
But keep your divisive, inciting and spiteful drivel to yourself. Kill Ruto indeed! It’s this kind of talk and thought that has us in this pit that we are in, and instead of stoking tribal flames hiding behind some fake lame-ass Kalenjin alias, we should be using every forum to scream, plead and demand for peace and reconciliation in our motherland.
I can tell you are clearly outside the country, ensconced in some Western capital as you type your hate mail, and are not directly affected by the s**t we are going thru in the country.
I guess you have a green card or whatever it is called, so you have options. For the rest of us, Kenya is the only home we have, and we will be damned if idiots like yourself poison our home.
Same for Arap Kibinei. Nobody cares whether you and your ilk are real warriors or not. It is the so called real warriors that have the country on fire now, and a fat load of good it is doing us.
I guess there is freedom of speech as a fundamental right, but that does not give anyone the right to stoke ethnic flames or to call for the killing of a leader in the country. If only you idiots would look at what happened in Rwanda between 91 and 94, you would desist from your chest-thumping.
Kenya is on fire, and what our country needs is real men and real women to stand up and heal the wounds. Kenya does not need short-sighted ethno-centric perspectives. Keep those to yourselves!
Long live our multi-ethnic, multi-racial KENYA!
69. Esther
(7 Comments) | January 10th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
One of the most profound truths about human rights - the right to life, assembly, speech, movement, etc, each right carries with it an obligation. You are free to excercise any of your rights but only in so far as in doing so you do not infringe on any of mine. If, for example, in the process of excercising your right to life you violate my right to movement, then houston, we have a problem! There is so much analysis in all international meida about the unravelling of kenya but one common thread i find in most of these analyses is Economics and Institutional Reforms: allowing the 3 arms of government to operate independently and reduce the power amassed in the presidency in kenya. I particularly find the argument put across by Charles Onyango-Obbo as very interesting. I recomeend that you read it - specially (Arap Kibenei. As I am not particularly astute at things like attacheing links, you can read it on http://www.monitor.co.ug (opinions section - title of article is ‘Every plot of African land has the devil in it’.
http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/Charles_Onyango_Obbo/Every_plot_of_African_land_has_the_devil_in_it.shtml
70. Esther
(7 Comments) | January 10th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
My take on the ethnicity angle, especially seeing as i am from a minority community, is that we need to embrace the diversity that is kenya. I do not advocate for Majimboism but I suppose some sort of devolution of power and economic growth is necesary.
I would love to see a kenya where each city is able to sustain the people the people who are born and bred around it so that all the young people do not have to troop to Nai to look for nonexistent jobs and live in the slums. Nyanza has lots of sugar plantations but our sugar industry is one of the most bedivilled in the agricultural sector. What happened to the rice paddies in Ahero? Why are the people who live around river Nyando flooded out of their homes year in year out? Has any of you driven from Kisumu to Nakuru? Its the most atrocious track in the country yet its one of two feeder routes into the great lakes region (Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, eastern DRC) and not just a road that passes through ‘opposition zones’. Why does Tanzania’s fishing industry and exports to the EU surpass ours yet they get their stock from the same Lake Vic as we do? Why are there no ‘beach’ hotels r tourism activites around Lake Vic? Having lived in Uganda for 6 years, I can tell you that there’s a lot that can be done in this regard.
When the Kalenjin runners win all the marathons across the world, we all hold our heads up high as Kenyans when our flag is raised and the anthem sang. In Dec it was reported in the media that brea prices have risen to 35 bob per loaf becasue the bakeries are now importing wheat… what happened to all those sheat farms in Kitale and other parts of the Rift Valley? What happened to all the cottonfarms and ginneries in the RiftValley that supplied Rivatex with some of the best cotton in Africa, second only to Egyptian cotton?
Arguably, in most busineses across the country and indeed in corporate Kenya, the central kenya face is very prominent. But we forget that the minority Asian community has also played a crucial role in our industrial and commercial growth. Companies like Panpaper based in Webuye are unfortunately now scaling down operations.
Nobody ever remembers to talk about all the Nyanza people represented in academic Kenya: in our research institutions (KEMRI, KEFRI, KETRI, ICIPE, ILRI, ETC). All those who are in the univerisities and schools training the young minds to go out and build a better Kenya. All those who teach in universities across Southern Africa becasue they could never get a hearing at home as they were considered to be from the ‘opposition’ zone of the country.
With the revival of KMC, goat hreders in some of the semi arid areas of the country now have an outlet for their animals and a means to earn an honest living. I read somewhere some time ago that while we have not yet hit black gold in kenya, we do have economically viable amounts of bitumen in the mandera region. As bitumen is one of the key components of raod construction, I imagine that we should be able to bring down the cost considerably and make it easier to have good roads across the countyr. Theres also talk of economically viable amounts of coal in some of the drier Kamba territories that could be use, for example, for electricity generation.
What happened to all the sisal and orange plantations around Voi?
My question is: WHY CANT WE LEARN TO EMBRACE THE DIVERSITY OF OUR NATION BOTH IN TERMS OF NATURAL AND HUMAN RESOURCES? Variety is the spice of life. We cannot all be doctors, lawyers, teachers, economists, engineers, etc. but irrespective of our god given talents, we are all a link in the chain. So if the kalenjin are good warriors, lets use that skill for the betterment of kenya in general rather than some ulterior objectives. Also, no man can live as an island. We need to harness our individual strengths so as to minimise our individual weaknesses.
Finally, the well educated kenyans who write in blogs like this one shy away from taking an active part in the day to day affairs of the country. We don’t all have to get ino politics but maybe we need more of the commentaries i read here appearing in our daily papers, in think tanks across kenya. The saying that the pen is mightier than the sword still holds true. I live in the hope that springs eternal that sooner rather than later we as kenyans will learn to live and love one another and use our individual strenghts for the betterment of all.
71. Ali
(14 Comments) | January 10th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Esther,
Well said.
72. Ken
(1 Comments) | January 10th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
I am just passed, I feel betrayed by Kibaki, if this is left to stand it is the end for Democracy in the region, next he will change the constitution to be able to run for a third term …wait and see!!
73. janam
(1 Comments) | January 10th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Its done,so Kenya mourn!!!
74. Ali
(14 Comments) | January 12th, 2008 at 2:40 am
Dear Kenyans,
Mwai Kibaki is just a middle man WORKING for big money cooperations overseas.He could careless about Kikuyus except for those he appoints to head military, police, ministries etc. He does that ,not because he likes his Kikuyu people rather because he can depend on tribal loyalty to consolidate power.Otherwise, if he cared for Kikuyus as much as they care about him, he would be trying to negotiate with others to restore all the 250,000 plus displaced Kikuyus country wide. Biggest losers thus far is Kikuyus.
Kenyans need to rise up against this type of theft and confront the Karao, and arme and gsu elements that keep Kibaki in power.Kikuyus are not the enemies of Kenya.Kikuyus, no matter how arrogant Kibaki’s presidency make them feel, are Africans just as the rest of us. We and Kikuyu people are one.The reaction of Kenyans against Kikuyus is foolish and senseless .
For one, Kibaki is just an employee of foreign investors. and his ministers, karua , michuki, etc are just scavengers eating foreign investors left overs.
It is stupid for us to fight each other because the middleman is not from our particular tribe. Kibaki won because he presented the least threat to thieves who have been raping Kenya since existence .The thieves, both local and abroad, could not afford a change of leadership,Odinga had just taken the government and Safaricom, the countries cellphone service provider, to court over their intention to give back the 20% shares that Kenya owned.Clearly Raila was not good for business.He also had promised to go after all of Kenyans stolen money.A lot of foreign investors were worried about him. Kenya needs to remain as it is or worse for the big money makers to continue making their money.Kibaki proved reliable.
Kibaki has been “trained’ at the job since 1963. He was a minister in the government of our first thief , Jomo Kenyatta. He was the vice thief of our second thief, Daniel arap Moi and now he finally graduated to be the chief thief himself.
I have been to Othaya recently, the place is absolute poverty.Chokoras are everywhere in Nyeri. The most he can do for Kikuyus is perharps build better roads in their area, just like the thief Moi did in Eldoret.Besides that , he has nothing to offer Kikuyus or Kenyans. Any Kikuyu defending Kibaki is only doing so for bragging rights. Just to be able to say that the president is a Kikuyu. This is not a reason to fight against a whole country for.Kikuyus struggle just as hard in the so called Kibaki’s “5% economic growth”.
This guy is not worth our blood. or our relationship with each other. The guy is not worth Kenya.
Lets not be fooled by decisions of a few into hating each other.Behind Kibaki their is the power of cooperate world and lobbyist