Kofi Annan once lamented “The Lord had the wonderful advantage of being able to work alone”. When asked why, after five years at the UN had he not implement organizational reform, he quipped on, “God created the universe in sevens days”.
Kenya's universe has yet to take shape. It's day 15 and the cabal of tribal gods are still bickering about the basics; will it be water as the key ingredient for life or will it be air? Should man have free will or be zombies. Should laws be two tier? That defined for the “cabal” and heirs therein and that of mwananchi? If any? Should echoes of song and sycophancy vibrate to the drumbeats of power or should man dictate the song & drumbeat of power? Kenya's universe is fast receding into a vortex of liquid nonsense as each god asserts claim to the unforeseen order.
Could it be Presidential or Parliamentary order? The gods cannot decide who sits at the throne. Should they pick straws from the clasp of their deceptive peers? Whilst they agitate & ingratiate themselves with false gallantry, Kenya disappears; it’s fabric, its identity, its swagger, its hopes, its color, its humor: Day 15 is up. The gods have receded to scheme and plot for day 16. How long? Why? At what cost?
Here comes Musyoka or its it Ruto; perhaps Raila or Gideon the golden child. Uhuru the anointed one
Hold on, is it really unforeseen? Throw in an AG whom in 18yrs has produced NO results. We know him more for nolle prosequi than anything else and a CJ deeply rooted in nepotism, tribalism, cronyism and a stinking aloofness only found in medieval cultures. Tell me, can one distinguish between Mungiki & Serikali? That line is so blurred one might be confused for the other. Njenga & Kibaki both lead mobs/gangs, as we all know it; a murderous ethnic cartel & an ineffective administration trooping with sycophants and radical elements whose immediate response to criticism is a volley of cacophonic choruses of political Idiotunes. This government needs to grow up!
Tumechoka!
The daily deluge of insignificant gallivanting between priorities has Kenyan’s wondering where this ghastly soap opera ends. Majority of Kenyans are busy working to put food on their table. In 20 years, we just might be importing everything we need; from underwear to sukuma-wiki given the current trend. Those in the know, well-connected or moneyed are busy making hay while this nonsense government lasts. Come in a new regime under the status quo and it will be more of the same, be it Kalonzo, Raila, Uhuru or Ruto for that matter. Moi’s regime was no different nor was Kenyatta’s. At least one can say under Moi, Government hospitals were built, Stadiums in tow and we even managed to host the All African Games (African Olympics). UNEP made Kenya its home and somehow we survived the Nyati house dungeons while Kibaki was his Vice President and Kalonzo his Wentagula-type spokesman. Is the same crop of folks whom we expect to deliver a New Constitution? Are we kidding ourselves? You know it’s tragic when one compares two rotten apples or the lesser of two evils, literally!
Kenya has a long way to go. While Ghana passes us by with a purposeful objective to improve the life of its citizens, we are busy bickering about what constitutes life and how many more days we need to create “our world”. Its day 15, time is up. It’s time to stand up; for those men or women with a vision might just skip this generation and opportunity to make it right. Bonny Khalwale just might be the man of the hour but then again, I doubt that a man of many wives is the Kenyan we seek (I certainly wound not want my daughter as the second or fifth wife of so & so). He is nonetheless a ray of hope and a promise of a new type of leader. There are along the corridors of Parliament a voiceless few whose dedication to Country is long term.
Identify your own and seek to forward your thoughts about the Kenya we want through forums, Bunge emails etcetera. For they too need equitable & tangible support before they take on a system that for decades has glorified ineptness and swallowed up lone rangers or self righteous crusaders. It’s not about tribe; it’s about economic empowerment, whichever way one gets it. Tribalism is the common denominator that naturally opens the door in that endeavor but so is social class and clout. The revolving door of hopelessness must at some point be mired by a breeze of hope.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Kenya's Future: Vested interests at risk
Well connected power-brokers are consolidating their stranglehold on political commitments made by MP's whose campaigns were dependent on these deep pockets; a gamble with the devil. It is therefore no surprise that barely 8 Months on, Kenya is still reeling from the consequences of the 2007 Presidential vote. Political will has been compromised and is susceptible to vested interests.
So powerful are these forces that Kibaki's re-installment as the President for another 5yrs irrespective of the subsequent fallout, was practically out of the President's will and fortitude. In its place, a well connected clique masqueraded as advisers and in-effect orchestrated a civil coup. That is water under the bridge. This fact is well know inside both PNU, ODM & ODM-K camps and God forbid such parties are exposed.
Nothing on Kenya's political scene occurs by happenstance as forewarned by the NSIS in a circular that did rounds within the intelligence community around the globe prior to the 2007 vote. It was therefore a foregone conclusion that powers that be and their cohorts would ensure that this circular never saw the light of day in the public domain. In addition, the consolidation of the security apparatus became critical, and we witnessed the movement of such forces to probable flash-points, the Opposition strongholds and the resultant ban on Media Live transmission.
The Mainstream media is now under siege by major stock holders, the vested interests and a conflict of interest that feeds to serve, not its journalistic role, but spin. Redundancy has become a common theme in the media lately and one wonders why old news becomes new news despite its obvious lack of staying power or devoid of relevant content but, alas, inflammatory rhetoric from politicians.
This is all to apparent to a keen observer that the intent is to scuttle the constitutional review process. This Document in-effect will and intends to sideline power-brokers & GK insiders. It is after all people driven a defining revelation that Thomas Jefferson was quick to point out and eradicate in writing the American Constitution in stating, "In matters of Power, let no more be heard of confidence in men, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution." Mischief it seems is Kenya's bane as is best perfected by politicians who are time and again compromised by vested interests devoid of any checks and balances that would otherwise protect the citizens from the medieval alignment and refuge in tribes.
To move beyond this point, it is perhaps now or never that this past Tuesday, Martha Karua set the ball rolling on yet another path to a new constitution. And that brings us to this point. Martha Karua's declaration that she would vie for the Presidency must be taken seriously and frankly, most don't ascribe to that possibility given the preserve of the same structure in government.
Karua might just indeed get her wish; as a Ceremonial President. The powers that be will attempt to position her as the candidate of the Gikuyu and the person to blame for Kibaki's 2007 fiasco. Read above, again. Karua has more in common with the opposition, from ideals to their disdain of the old guard. She is and has proven to be a Loyal surrogate at the time of need. One not need look further than the roles she played to ensure that Kibaki retains the Presidency during the mediation, as a rule of law, not as an individual with vested interests. Let's not confuse the two.
Kenya's presidency as we know will cease to exist with Kibaki. It is ironical that the very institution that has defined Kenya for better or worse, the bloodletting, ethnicity the corruption, has been subjected to a lame-duck Presidency as power-brokers and vested interests realign to recall favors owed. Such is the turbulence that imperative issues of IDP's, Land & the much anticipated Constitution are increasingly challenged not by Politicians, but by those who bankrolled their reelection or hoisting to the national stage. Karua is immune to this and in as much as many are quick to throw spanners at her ambition, one only needs to revisit the violence to understand that Kenya is far from healed.
The Constitution will realign the Executive and shift it to Parliament and hence the all Executive Prime Minister. Given this reality, the party with Majority seats as defined by the new political parties bill of 2008, its very likely ODM will occupy this office assuming all factors remain the same. This is apparent to NSIS and GK hallways hence the growing Statue of Raila, the current occupant. This realignment will in-effect pave the way for Karua as President. Africa's 2nd Democratically elected female President, a milestone that Karua and Raila can both achieve with relative ease and this fact alone has shaken-up the power-brokers that re-installed Kibaki. Kibaki on the other hand has nothing to loose other than cement his legacy. Issues of his ill health is spin and although he is indeed old, he remains committed to 2 protagonist who are currently ensuring his legacy remains intact; how odd is that, a pair of strange bedfellows in Raila & Karua
So powerful are these forces that Kibaki's re-installment as the President for another 5yrs irrespective of the subsequent fallout, was practically out of the President's will and fortitude. In its place, a well connected clique masqueraded as advisers and in-effect orchestrated a civil coup. That is water under the bridge. This fact is well know inside both PNU, ODM & ODM-K camps and God forbid such parties are exposed.
Nothing on Kenya's political scene occurs by happenstance as forewarned by the NSIS in a circular that did rounds within the intelligence community around the globe prior to the 2007 vote. It was therefore a foregone conclusion that powers that be and their cohorts would ensure that this circular never saw the light of day in the public domain. In addition, the consolidation of the security apparatus became critical, and we witnessed the movement of such forces to probable flash-points, the Opposition strongholds and the resultant ban on Media Live transmission.
The Mainstream media is now under siege by major stock holders, the vested interests and a conflict of interest that feeds to serve, not its journalistic role, but spin. Redundancy has become a common theme in the media lately and one wonders why old news becomes new news despite its obvious lack of staying power or devoid of relevant content but, alas, inflammatory rhetoric from politicians.
This is all to apparent to a keen observer that the intent is to scuttle the constitutional review process. This Document in-effect will and intends to sideline power-brokers & GK insiders. It is after all people driven a defining revelation that Thomas Jefferson was quick to point out and eradicate in writing the American Constitution in stating, "In matters of Power, let no more be heard of confidence in men, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution." Mischief it seems is Kenya's bane as is best perfected by politicians who are time and again compromised by vested interests devoid of any checks and balances that would otherwise protect the citizens from the medieval alignment and refuge in tribes.
To move beyond this point, it is perhaps now or never that this past Tuesday, Martha Karua set the ball rolling on yet another path to a new constitution. And that brings us to this point. Martha Karua's declaration that she would vie for the Presidency must be taken seriously and frankly, most don't ascribe to that possibility given the preserve of the same structure in government.
Karua might just indeed get her wish; as a Ceremonial President. The powers that be will attempt to position her as the candidate of the Gikuyu and the person to blame for Kibaki's 2007 fiasco. Read above, again. Karua has more in common with the opposition, from ideals to their disdain of the old guard. She is and has proven to be a Loyal surrogate at the time of need. One not need look further than the roles she played to ensure that Kibaki retains the Presidency during the mediation, as a rule of law, not as an individual with vested interests. Let's not confuse the two.
Kenya's presidency as we know will cease to exist with Kibaki. It is ironical that the very institution that has defined Kenya for better or worse, the bloodletting, ethnicity the corruption, has been subjected to a lame-duck Presidency as power-brokers and vested interests realign to recall favors owed. Such is the turbulence that imperative issues of IDP's, Land & the much anticipated Constitution are increasingly challenged not by Politicians, but by those who bankrolled their reelection or hoisting to the national stage. Karua is immune to this and in as much as many are quick to throw spanners at her ambition, one only needs to revisit the violence to understand that Kenya is far from healed.
The Constitution will realign the Executive and shift it to Parliament and hence the all Executive Prime Minister. Given this reality, the party with Majority seats as defined by the new political parties bill of 2008, its very likely ODM will occupy this office assuming all factors remain the same. This is apparent to NSIS and GK hallways hence the growing Statue of Raila, the current occupant. This realignment will in-effect pave the way for Karua as President. Africa's 2nd Democratically elected female President, a milestone that Karua and Raila can both achieve with relative ease and this fact alone has shaken-up the power-brokers that re-installed Kibaki. Kibaki on the other hand has nothing to loose other than cement his legacy. Issues of his ill health is spin and although he is indeed old, he remains committed to 2 protagonist who are currently ensuring his legacy remains intact; how odd is that, a pair of strange bedfellows in Raila & Karua
Sunday, June 29, 2008
It ain’t over until the malnourished citizen reigns
Disillusion and mixed priorities
It’s easy to forget that Kenya is but a third world country. Political debate has evolved to aloof posturing, irrelevant home comings and talk-down politics that snare at recipient citizens as mortal fools. While many still languish in IDP camps, resigned to inadequate management of healthcare, pension infrastructure and the manipulation of the currency every instant an IPO is offered on the NSE, the Kalonzo’s of Kenya (virtually all MP’s) are busy crisscrossing the barren Country promising and pontificating resolution politics. All we get in return is a baked forehead at political rallies, crusted lips and a soar throat on an empty belly and little else other than the sideshow that accompanies these morons.
State of the state
Kenya’s state of the state is well known and to review it here would amount to similar intrigues generated by Kenya’s sudden awareness, as if. Let’s distinguish the genuine effort to go beyond simple rhetoric of unity and peace from taking an ideological position against Zimbabwe while our own actions provided Mugabe with a blueprint on how to simply wrestle the Presidency from the Tsvangarai. To that effect Wetangula is not only the “moron in chief” busy painting a façade of Kenya’s astute foreign policy irrespective of our structural failures & travails that the “Thief in Chief” ignores conveniently or wantonly exploits to further the cause of the old guard and a select few. Kenyans must agitate forward and demand action; not tomorrow or the day after but yesterday. The Media must play an active and responsible role in reporting what is fact and simply ignore calls to fortify the charge to 2012. I doubt they will.
Politicians
We certainly cannot gage the political will to offer Kenya a new constitution nor how sincere efforts to finally resolve this issue lie with the thugs in office. The Thief in Chief must be subjected to pressure and inundated with rebuke from all angles to ensure that our children will no longer have to deal with this menace that has lived with us for as long as the Country has been around. It is a foolish indulgence to continue plunder knowing full well one does not live forever and granted, tax payers money has been lost and as the trend goes, as is the case with Grand Regency illegal sale, will continue to be lost, it is invariable a matter of time before the Country implodes. Political will is, sadly, the only sure way to ensure that Kenya becomes whole as perceived by Anyang Nyongo’s vision 2030. Yes, it was Anyang Nyongo’s vision.
Substance
Underestimate the will of Kenyan’s to be resolute is a grave albeit unavoidable aloofness that comes with being elected to Parliament. It seem to me substance stays behind when MP’s take their oath and pledge to deliver half truths, see Kimunya, nor solutions to roadside pledges during their campaigns. MP’s have proven time and again to be a useless lot of bloated idealist who border on insanity with little or no substance at the end of their terms only to come back and haunt the exchequer for back-pay amounting to Kshs.1/2 Billion. What a deathblow masterstroke that guarantees diversionary politics.
What we must do
All Kibaki has to do is look around. All Kimunya and the Karuas of Kenya have to do is listen and all the Uhuru’s & Moi’s have to do is give back land that was ill acquired or forfeited during the families reign at our household. Kenya is ours and we will take it back.
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