November 2005

How do you tackle AIDS as an African writer/writer who happens to be African/blogger of African origin/African blogger?

This year’s theme: Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.

Now for some facts:

Still how do you deal with AIDS? Maybe by acknowledge first and foremost that AIDS is the biggest crisis my generation will ever face.

technorati tags:
AIDS|
HIV|
Africa|
Kenya

They teased and toyed with us at the official UK Olympics kit launch and now they are at it again. Jo Fenn and Jade Johnson have posed for a calendar for charity. Calendar sales will benefit charities including the Genesis Breast Cancer Appeal. As Abi Oyepitan, who had the idea for the calendar, says: “As athletes, we need to bring our personalities out.” Yes indeed ladies, yes indeed!

Guess who has replaced the bogus Kenyan flag on their website with a legit one? That’s right! And not even one word of thanks despite all my efforts argh! I should have asked for tickets.

Ha. I know several places that would be vastly improved if they installed it.
Hmmm I’m slowly turning into an old grouch.

[via: gadgetopia]

Wax on, Wax off. No more.

The official website of the 2007 Cricket World Cup was launched this week. Kenya is in Group C with New Zealand, England and Canada. Group C will be based at Saint Lucia. The website is very good except for one thing.

The proper Kenyan flag looks like this:

The Kenyan flag according to the ICC looks like this:

Have recently taken up the hobby of letter writing (yes yes I know) I sent them a quick email:

I’ll let ya’ll know if they get back to me.

World Aids Day is 6 days away on the 1st of December.
Wear your ribbons and your virtual ribbons.

Due to recent restructuring The Government of Kenya would like to invite applications from suitable candidate to fill the vacancies of Ministers of the Republic.

Note A: The Ministry of Presidential Golf Buddy has all ready been filled; in fact it was never empty.
Note B: Nobel Prize winners need not apply as we are very petty people.
Note C: You are encouraged to apply in an area you have no experience in. Doctors are directed to apply for Ministry of Finance, economists are encouraged to apply for the Ministry of Agriculture, and agriculturalists are encouraged to apply for foreign affairs.
Note D: Mavi ya Kuku on you hehehehehe!

Requirements:
1. Ability to acquire a 2000 acre shamba in three years
2. Passport with cancelled UK and USA visas
3. A banana
4. Who is your mother?

The GoK is an equal opportunity employer (although some are more equal than others).

Please forward your applications to: Lucy@recruit.statehouse.co.ke

Did someone in statehouse put a copy of the current constitution on Kibaki’s bedside table on Tuesday night? The guy seems surprised at how much power he has. Like a kid with a new toy he can not help himself and has to play with it all the time.
I can sack the cabinet?? YEEHAA.
I can prorogue parliament?? YEEHAA!
I hope he skipped the pages on emergency powers.
Kibaki has finally found his voice, his mojo, his decision making brain cells. Ahh but it is too late in the day for Kibaki to turn all decisive and strong on us. While trying to act like he is setting the agenda he is in fact reacting to it. His credibility has been undermined beyond salvation. The EA Standard reports that, “… the President was angry with his close advisors, who apparently kept him in the dark regarding the mood of the country in the run-up to the referendum in which the Government suffered a resounding defeat.”
You’ve been in the office for how long and you still do not know what the country is thinking? I mean honestly!

But as MsK, in a passionate conversation, pointed out the man had little choice, he had to do something. The only way he can emerge out of this self engineered crisis is by getting rid of all the cartoons in his cabinet. Unfortunately Kibaki seems so detached from reality I do not see that happening. I wait to be pleasantly surprised. (MsK I haven’t forgotten about our 5 bob bet!)

Let us all email our CVs to statehouse. The man wants a fresh start and fresh faces who better than us eh!

As an ordinary mwanainchi I do not have to share my political opinion or my stand on political issues with anyone. Indeed in some quarters asking a stranger how they voted is seen as equally rude as asking them how much they earn and their medical history.

However I feel that there is one group of people who have a responsibility to tell us where they stand on political issues. That group is elected representatives. In our legislative system Members of Parliament are representatives not delegates*. They are free to make up their minds on political issues. However as our representatives they have a duty to tell us where they stand on political issues. An MP can not turn around and say, “I am not telling you how I voted on this as it is a personal issue.” We cut a deal with them, they tell us what they stand for and we elect them on that basis i.e. they tell us their opinions and beliefs, we give them a job.

I am disappointed that MPs removed themselves from the national debate on the constitutional referendum by stating they are “neutral” or do not yet know which way they will vote in such an important national referendum. Agreed at the beginning of the process they may not have know which side to support but once they have the facts and information there comes a time when they, like us, have to make a decision, and we elect our leaders to make difficult decisions.

That is why I was disappointed to read that some MPs refused to tell us which side they supported in yesterday’s constitutional referendum. Even if personally I hold them in very high esteem such as our very own Nobel laureate, by keeping silent they abdicate on their responsibilities as representatives of the people.

* The difference being delegates are told how to vote by those who elect them, while representatives are left to make up their own minds. Practically however representatives can not stray too far from their constituents’ positions as they would be voted out.

Kibaki concedes defeat.
(Words in brackets are me heckling from behind my computer.)

My constituency: Butere-Mumias
Total votes cast: 21,111
Yes: 3,405 [approx 16%]
No: 16,978 [approx 80%]
Spoilt votes: 728 [approx 4%]

How did yours vote?

Well there you go. The beginning of the end of the Kibaki administration. 7 out of the 8 provinces rejected the constitution. Now that is a spanking. Whoever writes Kibaki’s biography should call it, “From Hero to Zero in 3 years”. Mixed emotions seem the order of the day:

Pride in the people of Kenya. Two elections in a row we have shown the power of the ballot. It is our vote (and not Tusker) that make us equal.

Thankfulness for a peaceful election day. Thankfulness that the police and especially the military stay well away from civilian affairs.

Anger at the president and his merry men for their stunts during the election process and in the last three years. Now watch as they concede defeat “graciously” they will try and make it look like they are doing us a favour by not plunging the country into civil war by accepting the result.

Disbelief at how detached senior ministers have become from their constituents. Is that Moi and his realpolitik ensured that ministers had to know what was going on in their own areas while under Kibaki and his “be easy” approach they have become lazy? Since Moi knew what was going on everywhere all the time you had to be aware of the situation in your own backyard to survive as a minister. Kibaki doesn’t seem to know what’s going on in statehouse leave alone the country. Survivors like Saitoti and local political Granddaddy’s like Nyachae had no idea that their constituents were totally opposed to them? Aren’t these the same people who have always stayed on step ahead by being on their toes? Or did they choose to bury their heads in the sand?

Amusement at the people of Funyula Constituency in general and those who voted at the polling station in Moody Awori Primary School in particular. At this polling station Orange got 350 votes and Banana 204. These people went to a school named after their MP, their vice president, and told him where he can stick his constitution after he spent the last year campaigning for it. Hehe!

Sadness that as I live abroad, I could not take part.

Impressed at the Electoral Commission of Kenya who did exactly what it says on the tin and organised a well run referendum. They even got the results out in 24 hours like they said they would. And let’s admit it, the idea to use oranges and banana was a pretty good brain wave.

Check out Bankelele’s interesting take, an A-Z on the referendum.

[Latest result, counting on-going. Image from the DN at 20.00 Kenya Time]

Real time referendum results from the Daily Nation referendum site and the Office Of Public Communications. [First impressions of the OPC website are good. Haven't had time to check out the content though].