Somalia, for and against.

Capt. Munyiri's view is that there's no reason to intervene in Somalia: Al-Shabaab is a Somalian matter - an internal armed insurrection which is no concern of ours - which Kenya lacks the mandate to handle. Henry Gekonde thinks there are strong pragmatic reasons to intervene, that an intervention would have public support, and that the mandate is available if the action is an African Union matter.

Age shall not wither him

The cameras routinely catch him ill at ease, grimacing in the tropical sun as he sits slumped in an uncomfortable chair looking into the great void beyond the photographers and pretending to listen to yet another boring speech by yet another windbag politician. The photographers have grown so adept at capturing his various moods that it would seem to some that the whole point of snapping a picture of the president these days is to freeze him in one of those clumsy poses.

A picture is a story, and one can safely infer from these media images of the president that he is detached from the reality of his surroundings. And not just the immediate, literal reality around him at public events, but the encompassing reality of the country at large -- the stalled projects, the underestimated threat from the anarchy in Somalia, the rising unemployment among the young, the long list of the nation's unfulfilled dreams.

Henry Gekonde has written for the Daily Nation and the American Spectator, among others. His first piece for KI is a sharp look at Kibbs' image.

Senate Resolution on Slavery

Updates reports that the Senate of the United States has unanimously passed a formal resolution of apology apology to African Americans for historic slavery and racial discrimination. You can find full text of the resolution here. It is expected that the resolution will soon be adopted by the House of Representatives.

The Revolution in Winter

Updates reviews some of the evidence for an Ahmadinejad win -- and makes some uncomfortable Iranian-Kenyan comparisons!

Events in Iran

Farid Masrour is an Iranian philosopher. He believes that what has happened in his country is a coup; he has put together a statement explaining events and providing the evidence. You can read it here, and there's a longer Word version, with links, here.

Kiambaa debate should continue

These memories came back to me as I reflected on the fiasco that was the Kiambaa funeral service. I felt angered listening to one group of politicians give pathetic excuses for their failure to attend, and appalled by the other side's "holier than thou" stand as they hijacked the mass burial. We are a long way from reconciliation in this country.

Fr. Dolan connects his experience growing up Irish in London with our tendency to deny systematic historical injustice. A performance smoother, even, than his countryman Gabriel Byrne is capable of these days.

Son et lumière

But Prof. Wangari Mathai is the epitome of a prophet outside her home. Which is why I say, writing of the legendary African novelist Chinua Achebe that, 'a poet's accolades, supercedes the rest.' Here we pay tribute to this gallant girl.

Khainga serenades Prof. Wangari Maathai.

Catholics, the Holy Spirit and recent discontent

Observers will recall the moment when, made uncomfortable by charismatics at All Saints Cathedral, former Attorney General Charles Njonjo not so delicately averred that those interested should take a walk to the Church higher up on the hill (Nairobi Pentecostal Church) to preserve the peace.

Jesse returns to our pages.