The Changing Face of Government

The first time, Bitange Ndemo, Information and Communication PS responded to an article I had sent to the KICTANet mailing list, I could not believe it. I thought someone else was doing it on his behalf.

After all, we are used to government officers who are such strident followers of protocol that even responding to straight forward questions is a problem. Clarifying issues is for them, a tortuous task from hell. So, for me to read from a Permanent Secretary explaining how I had left out vital points or misconstrued facts was amazing. He did not condemn, only clarified. He also encouraged dialogue, invited list members to ask, and he answered promptly.

Rebecca Wanjiku impressed by PS Ndemo's accessibility to wananchi. Read the rest here.

Alert against sabotage of Raila's big day

The MP for Langata and ODM-K Presidential contender Raila Odinga has announced the date of the announcement of his vision for the country and the official launch of his bid for the Presidency.

From the elaborate planning and the effective manner of the public relations campaign, May 6^th 2007 promises to be truly an epic day in the history of modern Kenyan political campaign tactics, involving both live TV and Radio broadcasts. It is with this in mind that I feel obliged to offer a word of caution to his presidential bid team and Kenyans concerning this eagerly awaited day.

Anduru Owang writes on Raila's big manifesto launch and the possibility that it may be used to instigate propaganda against the Langata mp. Read the rest here.

What is irrevocable cannot be revoked

Could we be on the verge of cracking the Anglo-Leasing case? Over the last two weeks, MPs have twice discussed the irrevocable promissory notes issued to the fictitious credit providers associated with the 18 contracts.

And now the Daily Nation reports that the Ministry of Finance has contracted Price Waterhouse Coopers, who over the past few months have been engaged in forensic inquiries into the 18 so called Anglo Leasing type contract. My instinct, suspicious fellow that I am is to call this a clever diversion away from the real problem. That serious people are beginning to ask serious questions about the irrevocable promissory notes issued by the Government of Kenya to the tune of Ksh 56.33 billion, to fictitious credit providers. The PWC contract is in my view a red herring that should worry Kenyans for several reasons.

Mwalimu Mati, formerly of Transparency International reviews the case of the irrevocable promissory notes that the Kenya govt. signed over in the 18 anglo-leasing related cases. Read the rest here.

The Agony of Rape

“Why is my stomach aching, I am feeling so bad, why mum, why?” Jane asked as she got off the vehicle.

Jane is eight; she was raped at the Ngomongo village in Kiambu. I met her yesterday, she was being taken back to Kiambu District hospital for a further check up on her condition. Her mother could not explain to the little girl why she was in so much pain. The little girl herself cannot even tell whether the pain is in her stomach or in her private parts, it’s all too much for her and she looks dazed.

To add to all her trauma, Jane is mentally challenged. This the consequence of an attack of pneumonia when she was five. Her mother says her life has never been the same since.

Rebecca Wanjiru recounts the rape of a child, and lack of legal protection. Read and comment here.

Glorifying the Inglorious

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why some of the vices we stand on the roof tops to discourage are the very ones we contentedly sit down to watch on TV (to our detriment, no doubt)?

We grin, laugh, smile and purse our lips when we watch steamy love scenes and passionate kissing courtesy of the manifold soap operas that grace our sets. What would prevent a teenager from experimenting with what they watch? During the day we rebuke immorality, promiscuity and other such ‘vices'; In the evening it is served hot (on TV) for us to savour and join in the fray.

Richard Mbuthia on the vices that we allow into our homes, via the tv. Read and comment here.

Kenyans; our Own Worst Enemies

Ask Kenyans what kind of leaders they want in government and they will tell you precisely - almost in unison:

Those who will create good jobs, construct smooth highways, make education affordable, reduce crime and stem corruption. The latter is especially important because achieving it makes the preceding expectations possible. It therefore, makes sense for Kenyans to speak out against graft, and they do so every day - loudly.

Ombuya Okong'o, " Let's advocate patience, one of the most important African values. (Haraka haina baraka). It takes weeks or even months for a person bitten once by a dog to heal; a country left in the hands of hyenas for four decades will take at least that many years to recover."

Read more.

After Kibaki

One consequence of the unraveling of the contract that held the NARC-K conglomeration together was the freeing up of Mwai Kibaki to run for a second term as President. Some uncharitable cynics may say this was the plan all along. Many more will not care either way; it has after all been a relatively benign presidency. On a broad scale of factors things are looking up. The economy is riding a comely wave, big business is humming nicely and even a stock market in the midst of a corrective run manages to reflect a confidence in the future.

[...]

Wambugu P on the immediate future of Kenya's politics, especially the personalities of NARC-K and ODM. Read more here.

Inside Africa's Guantánamo

This is the most lawless war of our generation. All wars of aggression lack legitimacy, but no conflict in recent memory has witnessed such mounting layers of illegality as the current one in Somalia.

Violations of the UN charter and of international humanitarian law are regrettably commonplace in our age, and they abound in the carnage that the world is allowing to unfold in Mogadishu, but this war has in addition explicitly violated two UN security council resolutions. To complete the picture, one of these resolutions contravenes the charter itself.

Salim Lone on why the current situation in Somalia is a suspension of all international law and supporting the Transitional Government demands violence and atrocities because there is no other way it can be kept in power atrocities against the Somalia people. Read more here.

Good Apples, Rotten Oranges

One immediate consequence of the victory of the NARC coalition was a somewhat infantile perception, even among Kenya's literati that the electoral victory was a moral one. We were taught that the KANU monster had been slain and that Kenyans had been freed from oppression. Those were heady highly unbwogable times. Only the very bravest masochist would now contemplate Martha Karua doing a jig on a Kisumu stage daring the world to bwogo her. Yes, such things are only possible in the deadly kiangazi of December and the New Year, more severe than ever when the nation is infected with campaign fever. So it was that the pronunciations went forth on the wires, the old man had to be defeated (he was not standing of course, but why bother with details).

[......]

Vitalis Oyudo on the, " Infallible DP versus the poor mortals, does ODM-K stand a chance in the propaganda battle?" Read more as Oyudo discusses Kenyans, accountability and public office and the different standards we hold them by.

Good Money After Bad

Ah, a probe. This time one from PriceWaterhouse Coopers, a team of experts on a two-month long mission to find out exactly what happened in the Anglo-Leasing scandal.

The Nation announces the new effort as a contract to enable the Treasury to investigate the principal players either remotely or directly linked to the Anglo-Leasing scandal. The news report also declares that the government intends to decide on the basis of the audit whether or not the 20 or so Anglo-Leasing type contract should be discontinued.

Now for a bit of fun and games,with helicopter and weapons experts! A little drama for the news shows, and a diverting if not riveting issue to direct our attention away from the recent bad press the government has been getting. Doubting-Thomases beware of subliminal messages and pronouncements of a deep seated hatred for corruption, a zero-tolerance, from the Mhe. Alfred Mutua.

Vitalis Oyudo on the Anglo-leasing investigation and Kenya's banana republic.

Equitable banking

In the last year, Equity Bank has grown from a small, hardly heard of establishment to a large bank that is in many ways leading the market and causing something of a revolution in the banking sector. Tribute must be paid to the vision and resilience of the Muranga farmers who came together to moot the community building society idea and to the leadership of Peter Munga and his successors. This vision that targets the small depositors is now leading rival banks like Barclays and Standard Chartered to rethink their evaluation of the lower end of the market.

Equity's persistent efforts have proved that there is black ink at the bottom of the rung. In the event, the customer has benefited as even proud Barclays has been compelled to slash its banking costs and accede to the forces of banking democratization, a path previously shunned and left as scraps for the likes of Equity.

Peter Ndiangui, " It is in this field that market-share in the banking sector will be decided. Even if they do not come out as market leaders, these institutions have done a sterling job for the Kenyan consumer and deserve credit for their continued efforts to democratize banking."

Read more.

Hyping up the Law

The Commissioner of the Kenya Police, taking a break from a campaign to bring peace to our streets has made it an offence to be disrespectful towards the President.

The Commissioner's statement was targeted at our politicians, who even the deafest Kenyan must concede comprise people who would do us a national favour by forever holding their peace. This spirit of national reticence however must best extend to Vigilance House for if the Commissioner knows anything, he should know that his was the sort of empty talk that is best suited for politicians, not for civil servants of office as high as his.

Amir Ibrahim on the Kenya Police, "Even greater is the danger that the Kenya Police are portrayed as being anti-politicians, or pro-government. It is this more than anything that the Police Commissioner should worry about."

Read the rest here.

Why I Will Not Vote for Kibaki

Later this year, the President will for one of the few times in his tenure as head of state consider the instruction of our constitution. He will dissolve parliament and call an election. In response, under the fierce December sun, Kenyans will go into a frenzied dance and infused with a sense of mission, political debate in the country will take on an even higher pitch as rival camps debate how best to steer this 'great' nation into the First World. The ritual and the circus surrounding it will be brought to a flourish in the marking of small pieces of paper in an arcane ritual that lends us an illusory sense of empowerment. Later still we will be treated to a flourish of a finish with the announcement of a winner, who if opinion polls are anything to go by, should be Emilio Mwai Kibaki.

Stephen Wanyama, " To give an incumbent credit for reforms and improvements he was only completing or for the outcomes of policies that precede him is perhaps the practice throughout the world of voting nations. In our particular case, it is also incredibly irresponsible, for it forgives and blesses the lackadaisical manner in which the country has been run since 2002."

Will you vote for Kibaki? Join the debate here.

Mungiki-- the video

Members of the Mungiki sect were back in the public arena again last week. As is often the case, their encounter with the public was not a pleasant one.

In the most recent news, the group has been in the spotlight for run-ins with other tribe based gangs, with matatu touts and with the Kenya Police. Comprising hundreds, some say up to two million youths from the Mount Kenya region, the movement claims to be against the western slant of Kenyan society. It seeks its inspiration from traditional religion and the ways of the Agikuyu ancestors.

kenyaImagine's editorial team has acquired a video showing the terror this gang has brought to wananchi. (allow time for the video to buffer)

The Kenyan Film Industry

Last month Nigerian films made a sweep at the African Movie Academy Awards. Incidentally, only one film from Kenya was nominated, Voice in the Bin for Best Film.

A quick glance at the nominees shows that Nigerians had the most number of nominees in any category. Nigerian films have become increasingly popular in Kenya and the rest of Africa.

Every street corner has hundreds of these films-- a dime a dozen. When I first watched them I was amused by the Nigerian character. However, the charm soon wore off and the yelling and juju-filled stories only irritate me. There are not too many African films to write home about, however, Totsi from a few years ago comes to mind as a great story.

Read as Amina Mohamed urges the Kenyans to produce better films.

HPV, Cervical Cancer and Sex

I was once informed that cancers have no known cause. As such, HPV -the Human Papillomavirus could not cause cancer. This is the common perception, reality is different.

What is a Cancer? Simply put, it is an invasive growth. One which in most cases originates from the epithelium and that can metastasize to other areas of the body. Cells within the body continue dividing, at times at an alarming rate, when normally they should not.

Patience Wanga discusses HPV and its relation to cervical cancer, and a vaccine to ward it off.

The Evil Servant

Every Kenyan home with a little bit of money to spare will have at least one house-servant. They are not as a profession, the most respected Kenyans.

"Mum!!! You need to get rid of Sam! He burnt my new top again!!!"

"Stop it Angie, you should learn to get along with Sam..." "But mum..." "Not another word Angie..."

Angie does not hate her house help, she detests him. For all she knows he is the cause of all the problems in her home. Four years after his employment Sam has gone from the deferential, ‘yes, madam' or ‘yes, sir' to a series of ‘waits! ‘not nows!' ‘noes' or sometimes even no answer at all and all this is to his employer Angie's mother. Still he would not utter a defiant word or dither for a second with her father for fathers will not abide such nonsense from anyone.

Charity Kivuli on house servants who turn family members against each other. "Most of the trouble is little issues discussed at home, blurted out to the public and blamed on Angie."

Abortion and morality

I always thought I was pretty certain about my views on politics. In the modern world, I find I am firmly with the European left.

I am green, anti-gun, pro- gay rights, anti-war, pro-free trade, anti-racism, anti- capital punishment, pro-Palestinian, anti-nationalism, anti-fiat money, anti-privatisation, anti- fascism -civilised in a word. Every position discursive and not intuitive, my escutcheon unblotched by superstition. I bore all those badges you could proudly wear to a good university on the European mainland, maybe even on Albion but more and more certainly not in the USA. I needed to be persuaded by reason and history, not by the threat of displeasing the sky-god or a fiery hell or sleeping ancestors.

John Ogot on why his stance on abortion has changed. Read more on his interesting journey here.

The Don Imus Show; and us

Lots of feathers were ruffled in the USA, and loud aggressive twittering was heared in branches of the US media forest, due to some radio comments which we will not quote or reproduce verbatim here.

Not because we would fear to offend the readers (offence can be good and necessary, and purposefully aimed offence is often meritorious, unlike inadvertent or just careless offence), but because we see no such merit in handling a verbal turd for the fifth or tenth time; you only get dirty hands from it.

Alexander Eichener discusses the Imus incident in America offering a reflection on Kenyan popular culture.

Soothing the Creases of Loneliness

"Somebody" remarked to me last month that we, modern people, throw sex around too much. However grammatically incorrect this ‘terminological inexactitude' is; the truth behind it was undeniable. It is no thing at all for two people to meet, in a club, at the zoo, or while snorkeling, and end up boot-knocking, bed-rocking, waxing it and rubbing down in less than half an hour.

In fact it's probably more of a surprise to hear that a couple has been dating 3 months and have not in fact done the dirty deed.

Read more as Chiedza Mangiza discusses, " Whichever way it goes, for men and women, sex can cause a false sense of intimacy. And that's the real danger of easy sex (plus all those nasty VDs)."

The Standard: Outlandish Everyday!

Every time a Kenyan journalist spends a stint in police detention, the whole of Nairobi goes crazy.

Fellow newsmen and women rush to Ground Zero to show solidarity. Human rights organizations and other groups come out of the woodwork, for a chance to exhibit what they claim is their undaunted support and commitment to the cause of democracy. Politicians, some with questionable human rights records, abandon their activities and run to the police station for the photo opportunity. The more dramatic they act, the higher the likelihood of their pictures ending up on the front page. They scream at and scold police officers, who in most cases are only following orders. They kick the gates open in clear violation of the protocol they demand the government use in summoning the press. They try any and everything that would earn them notoriety in the press - anything.

Edwin Okong'o criticizes the Standard Newspapers, on what he cites as irresponsible journalism.

Hanging Shame

The very public humiliation and death of Saddam Hussein, brought to our homes the barbaric reality of the death penalty.

While there are those around the world who saw the sentence and its carrying out as just comeuppance for a man who was a reviled dictator, his hands dripping with blood, the majority opinion was disgusted at the sheer cruelty of the act. It is true that we have not in Kenya had any legal hangings since 1987 ,but we have in the last seven years sentenced an increasing number of convicted felons to death.

There is a worldwide movement against the death penalty with most nations favouring a permanent excision of such laws on the grounds that they are archaic, cruel and often unjust. Ought Kenya to follow suit?

Join the debate here.

Free the Standard Presses

Kenyans, basking in the so genannte expansion of Press freedoms gained after the revolution of 2002 will hardly pay any attention to the increasing tightening of the screw on the Standard Group and its employees. Likely many of us already retain an animus against the East African Standard, the worn phrase being that it is a tabloid, given to an obsessive publication of untruths and hyperbole that is unbecoming for a newspaper of its influence or size. There will be a schadenfreude in many quarters as financial pressure is brought to bear on the Standard, especially among its competitors but the pain that is now the Standard's will soon be shared by all Kenya.

Amir Ibrahim, "We ignore the plight of the Standard at our peril; an unfettered Press is the very cornerstone of democratic government." Read more here.

Birth-Control Blunders

It is said that annually around the world, one out of every three pregnancies is unintended and therefore unplanned. While no contraceptive is 100% foolproof, human error accounts for the majority of these ‘oops' pregnancies and it is possible with a little foresight to protect oneself against them. Usually the mishap is obvious; the condom slipped, you forgot to use it or you got carried away and didn't bother. But just as often the unfortunate woman is left wondering "How did this happen".The answer is that a large number of can make a birth-control method less effective. Here are some of the lesser known birth control slip-ups, and how to sidestep them.

Patience Wanga advices women on taking birth control measures.

Church, not for me

I decided today to make an appearance at my local church after a year away. I expected to receive a welcome like... "Hey! Long time, where have you been?", but no one seemed to acknowledge me.

In the front row was my cousin Ted, in choir uniform! I stood in awe as he approached the front with the rest to lead the choir. Then a flashback hits me! This is the same cousin whom last week I met in a bar in Mombasa, very drunk with a group of football players harassing women. Two days ago Ted came home with Lucy whom he introduced to me as his girlfriend. They spent the night at my place and left the next morning. As he closed his eyes, so engulfed in Holiness and his hands in the air, I asked myself if what I was seeing was real. Suddenly Ted spots me, I could see the embarrassment in his face, but I ignored him and sang along.

Read here as Charity Kivuli describes the hypocrisy of organized Christianity.

My Kenyan Son, Listen to the Wisdom of Years

My son, I am now an old woman,I feel the ancestors beckoning to me,My heart is punctured and frayed,My body: old and frail. In the years I have been around, I've learnt so much 'bout the world, I feel the time is ripe, To share with you my arsenal. In recent months, I've been watching you, Watching you keenly; watching with eyes of steel, My eyes have not slumbered in my watch, My guard has not dropped in my sentry. My son, I am afraid of what I see; I am afraid of what I dream; I am afraid of what I see in your eyes; I am afraid of your zest and vim. My son, I am afraid, The more I think of what you are doing, The more I age past my age, The more people comment on how old I look.

Interesting narration by Richard Mbuthia, as an old woman advises her grandson on social issues.

Cane and School: are they still blood brothers?

When I was in school back in the eighties, the cane was the trademark of any 'proper' school. In other words, cane and school were twin brothers

When I was in Standard Four, for instance, my Mathematics teacher world 'burst' into class, a nyahunyo (Maasai whip made from car tyres) dangling under his arm and he would menacingly cry out, "Stand up...Tables!" This was a signal that we were to start reciting the Mathematical multiplication tables. Anyone showing signs of not knowing what was going on would be descended upon by his whip. I was a victim of the swish of his whip almost everyday: numbers and mathematical signs were as Greek (!) to me. We got used to such treatment and never at one time thought that our rights (what were children's rights at that time - they were gathering dust in the United Nations books) were being infringed on.

Read more as Richard Mbuthia hopes that the ban on corporal punishment in schools is not lifted.

Positive Developments on the Corruption Front

Most Kenyans, at least those who know something about most things, will have greeted the appointment of Richard Leakey to the headship of the local Transparency International Chapter with skepticism.

Kenyans may also look at the mainstream Kenyan media and its abdication of its duty as the public watchman and despair. The newspapers, the radio stations and the television stations have taken such strident biased positions that the mwananchi would be better served paying little attention to its fictions.

Such Kenyans would be encouraged then to know that no matter how poor a job Leakey does at TI, or how compromised he is seen to be from the start or what Transparency International now stands for, it having gained a reputation for being kinder to the government than the government's own agencies; there are now other guardians of the public purse.
The new organization set up around former TI head Mwalimu Mati is one of these. Mars Kenya which runs a website that tracks and catalogs governance and corruption issues.

The team at Mars Kenya has proved to be more responsive than your average Kenyan organization, responding to email and showing an all around better grasp of Kenyan issues than the average Kenyan organization. In addition to the information on their website, the organization also publishes books that seek to hold the government accountable to the public. Among these is one on an Anglo-Leasing type contract worth 39 million US$ surrounding the VSAT project at Postal Corporation of Kenya while another one of these highlights the mystery of the missing irrevocable Promissory Notes given to Anglo Leasing and Finance Limited by the Government of Kenya.

Read more on this from kenyaImagine's Stephen Wanyama.

A Grimm Tale

As fairytales go, this one has all the ingredients for a compelling classic. A foreign prince, king's daughter, swords (guns) drawn, a wicked step-mother, senseless courage and the promise of a wedding.

In order to pass this piece by this paper's usually hawkish editors, I guess I must qualify my opening statement. The Armenian star of this tale is only allegedly related to the Armenian Prime Minister, and the palace has disowned the king's daughter. The wicked step-mother is much loved by most but the rest of it is pretty real, although coming in a period when we are already overloaded with the tragedy on Mt. Elgon and the clamour for minimum constitutional reforms, it is a tad rich.

Tim Norwood, "The chronology may be a little off, there may be a distinct hint of levity, the details may be dodgy and Artur is neither planning a roundtable nor pulling swords out of rocks. Still it sounds like a fairytale, and the only real thing is my wish that it would all go away."

Somalia: Calling on Europe

The Iraq war continues to spiral out of control, the year leading up to its fourth anniversary this week the deadliest so far.

Unless a political solution is sought, the destructive toll in lives is destined to reach an astounding one million in the next year, since it was already 650,000 a year ago according to the Johns Hopkins University study.

The world has also never been so unstable or threatened. With Somalia invaded, the world and our region are even more so, with four countries now occupied, all of them Muslim. Once a war deepens, positions become entrenched and finding a peaceful exit becomes harder by the day.

Peace and human rights advocates in Kenya must therefore take the lead in emphasizing the need for a democratic, inclusive government devoid of the rampaging warlords rather than support the current aggression. We must lead this campaign because we are next door and directly involved, and the whole region could be engulfed by this crisis, as Ambassador Bethuel Kiplagat emphasized on Monday in these pages, although he advocated use of force as the way to end the resistance.

More on this from Salim Lone here.

Silent Genocide

As I watched "Agenda Kenya" yesterday on a local television, it suddenly downed on me that perhaps as a nation we are yet to grasp the enormity and the seriousness of the situation prevailing in Mt Elgon and Bungoma areas in Western Kenya.

With no official statement as of yet from the Government one cannot preclude complicity. With one stark word I state its "Genocide"- on our own backyard!

Collins Mbalo on the Mt. Elgon clashes, " As we will settle down to sleep tonight, it pains to realize that thousands of fellow Kenyans will not enjoy the luxury of peaceful sleep. They will not sleep in the comfort of their homes but in fear and with the knowledge their country is not doing enough in their behalf."

Kenyan Philanthropy

Many of the first Kenyans who first traveled abroad to study went back home to join their fellows bring to reality the vision of a just and free newly independent Kenya.

What has followed has been a different wave of Kenyans leaving the country for a variety of reasons, some political, economic and cultural refugees, however, many Kenyans have moved in pursuit of higher education and professional training. During the university riot days many families and villages that could afford to sent their children to study out in the West.

Kenya Imagine's Nekessa interviews the President of the Delaware Kenya Association on what their role as the Diaspora.

Somalia's Islamic Courts offer way out

The violence on the streets of Mogadishu looks like a return to the hellish anarchy of the 1990s, but in that darkness is a reason to hope.

Even as former prime ministers and ministers met with senior Somali intellectuals and activists to plan on regaining control of the country from the invading Ethiopian army, the Islamic Courts Union's former foreign secretary Ibrahim Addou indicated in an interview that the Courts were no longer seeking to put themselves back into power. This dramatic step could potentially offer a way out of a horrendous and brutal conflict which Pope Benedict was compelled to highlight in his Easter message.

"The leadership of the Islamic Courts Union is intact, and a number of them are in Somalia battling Ethiopian occupation forces," said Prof. Addou, who was also the Courts' Chief Negotiator. "But our goal is not to reconstitute ourselves as a government. Somalia is under occupation and needs a broad-based movement in which all contending forces committed to regaining our sovereignty should work together."

More on this discussion with Salim Lone here.

Jesus is dead, long live the Church

Two thousand years ago, a roving Jewish teacher, the kind that was quite common in that day was nailed to a cross by the Romans on charges of sedition.

The story, at least according to the Bible goes that he was sold off to the Romans by the priestly class in Jerusalem whose grip over the minds of the people he threatened. He could have extricated himself from this trap, but gave himself up to his tormentors partly in fulfillment of an ancient prophecy and partly as a redemptory act of love for all mankind shackled by the irons of sin to death and despair.

Read more: Violet Nishimisi "The Christian Church is growing, the pews are filling up, Sunday prayers are full of song (and dance), collection baskets are straining with money, but Jesus is dead. Long live the Church."

ODM-K council to select Presidential Candidate

After months of haggling over what system was best suited for choosing its Presidential candidate to face Mwai Kibaki later this year, the ODM seem to be considering the idea of selection over election.

This controversial decision is the subject of our poll this week , you may vote on the bottom left of the homepage. We ask in our poll whether our readers prefer this system which some in ODM-K are claiming will ensure that the candidate who wins the party's blessing is one who can actually beat the incumbent, and do so by a wide margin.

Click here to share with other Kenyans what you think about the Kenyan presidential elections polls, and ODM-K's quest for a presidential candidate.

Mt. Elgon-- the Ogiek clashes

Are Ogiek lesser Kenyans?

Kenyans in the Diaspora, who will cry for the Ogiek? Is their blood so useless it needs to water the ground?

This needs to be the test for Kibaki's presidency. Clashes should have ended with Mr. Moi, it is shameful that Kenya still goes through such barbarism.

Patience Wamba makes a passionate plea to Kenyans to speak out on the clashes in the Mt. Elgon area.

Spiritual Direction

A very warm greeting to all of you who are marking the feast of Pasaka. Across the world Christians will be attending services commemorating Christ's final hours of suffering on the cross.

The lesson will doubtlessly center on the idea of the ultimate sacrifice that Christ made so that God would wash away our sins forever and we would have everlasting life in the Kingdom to come.

How do we manage our spiritual lives to take full account of His sacrifice. I will look for inspiration to the words of St Francis of Assisi who was speaking to a fellow brother about "Perfect Joy" . He said that it could not come from created things or fame or honors, nor even from prophecies and miracles. It could only come from self-denial and humiliations suffered in imitation of Jesus who suffered so much for everyone.

Don Wainaina on Easter.

Kenya a Tiger without Stripes?

A recent article in the New York Times cites 'good things happening in Kenya' and has also been quoted by Kenyan mainstream media.

Kenya has been in excitement mode, anticipating the coming of the fiber optic link to the world, hoping for the cost of communication to come down drastically so that Kenya can cash in on the call centre business currently dominated by India. One reason given for this is that Kenyan speak better English.

Kamale T urges Kenya to aim higher than call centres.

Money Talks: Louder Than Ever

One of the reasons democracy was invented was to ensure that all the citizens of a state had equal say in the decision making process; the poor cobbler had as much say in the conduct of the state as the wealthiest land-owner.

That this is a utopian fantasy is best illustrated by the example of the latest news from the America, the home of world's 'oldest democracy.' To witness the obsessive attention given to the amount and the origin of the money raised by respective candidates, and the way this is spun as indicative of their chances at the national election is to see democracy on its death bed. The power of the lobby groups in raising these colossal sums, and the inevitable payback shows clearly the extensive webs that greed and money can weave.

Vitalis Oyudo on the influence of money in politics.

Obama wins this round

The first round results of the road to the White House 08’ are in and Hillary Clinton is the apparent winner…or is she?

Hillary Clinton posted a total of $36 million for the first quarter, far beyond what any of the other candidates from either party have been able to raise. She has set all kinds of records and many pundits have openly declared her the first quarter winner, at least as far as the war chest is concerned. We have to go beyond the face value of $36 million however, to properly evaluate these results.

Dave Nyambati analyzes the latest in the race to America's presidency.

Poverty and AIDS

Bosibori Ndemo's article of the 19^th of February got me thinking about the reality of HIV-AIDS and the power of the media in shaping our perceptions on disease.

The dominant view is that the high prevalence rates in Africa are caused by the nature of sexual behaviour there. This view excludes other important factors such as poverty and biological factors. However only the most prejudiced would choose to ignore the fact that HIV has only a 1% prevalence rate in permissive American society, but reach 25% in Africa. Partner exchange rates and unprotected sex have no reason to be higher in Africa than anywhere else. The charge that it is sexual behaviour that sets African infection rates apart has not been made, but it is implicit in an HIV combat strategy that has the ABC doctrine at its core.

Stephen Wanyama links the AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa with poverty advocating for improved health care and nutrition across Africa.

Guantanamo Military Prison - and right to a fair trial

Darfur, Rwanda, the Israel-Palestine skirmishes and Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba capturing international attention with little response are evidence that the 21st Century is not a better place to live in after all.

The 21st Century has seen an increase in situations where executive arms of various governments have embraced a systematic denigration of judicial systems and processes established over centuries-- systems which were meant to curtail the inefficiencies, abuses and shortfalls of imperfect humans.

Collins Mbalo discusses the war on terror and the lack thereof of individual's right to a fair trial.

The lion and the fox

Love him or hate him the MP for Lang'ata and ODM-K Presidential Candidate is the man most able to animate Kenyan political society today. He may be in a far-off tour of Minneapolis making pronouncements on the stock exchange, or innocently attending his son's wedding party, contemplating a visit to London, being anointed by a local shaman or simply playing with his new toy; either way Kenya never seems to tire of him.

Vicious, unrelenting, concerted, often manic even; Kenya's media, online and offline have arrogated to themselves the role of deciding for Kenyans not just who to vote for, but also what to think, what to see and worst of all what to feel. When Raila or wider still any ODM-K candidate is the subject of the day's carving the knives seem to come out even sharper, ever readier. Slaves to their masters and their basest instincts, large swathes of the media have sought not to inform Kenyans, but instead to whip their passions into such frenzies as preclude any meaningful analysis of the candidates and party positions in this the run up to the second elections since the ouster of KANU.

Amir Ibrahim challenges the ODM-K leadership to step up and take on the national stage on national issues.

Kenya Police Destroy Forensic Evidence

A few years ago then President of Kenya Daniel Arap Moi set ablaze thousands of elephant tusks simply to demonstrate to the international community that he was committed to the war against wildlife poaching in Kenya and Africa.

Although the donor community may have been impressed, it is not clear whether this single action deterred the poachers from continuing with the trade. Suffice it to say there was evidence that top government officials were indeed the fuel behind this lucrative trade.

Recently the Kenya government was at it again, but this time the Kenya Police torched thousands of guns comprising the bulky AK 47 and pistols of all calibers. It was reported that these guns had been seized from criminals who were either killed or arrested in various incidents. What was not clear was how many lives these guns had claimed.

George Nyangewso has more to say.... . Read here...