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Transcript of webchat with US Ambassador to Kenya

January 21, 2009 in Issues, Kenya, Politics by Mentalacrobatics | 3 comments

Update 1: Official Transcript now avaliable. (Thanks Mark).

At 15.00 local time on January 21 2009 the United States Ambassador to Kenya Michael E. Ranneberger hosted a webchat (online discussion) with Kenyan citizens on topics of interest in Kenyan-U.S. relations. Here is the transcript:

Webchat Moderator (Mark): Welcome to today’s webchat! We are glad you are with us. Ambassador Ranneberger will begin answering your questions at the top of the hour.

Webchat Moderator (Mark): We are taking your questions now. Our first question comes from Justus ole Ndutu Narok

Justus ole Ndutu Narok 2: Now that the American people have elected their first ever African-American President, are we likely to see more African-Americans being elected to this office in future?

Ambassador Ranneberger: Yes, I believe we will. The election of Barak Obama demonstrates how far the United States has traveled to build and strengthen democratic institutions. The U.S. presidential election was clearly decided on the basis of the issues, not on the basis of race. President Obama received support from a broad cross- section of American voters. His election also reflects the impact which the civil rights movement has had in transforming the United States. Democracy is, however, always a work in progress and much more remains to be accomplished.

brigid koskei 2: brigid koskei from Kenya. the political party system in America not only favors the majority but also the minoority.it also ensures that political leaders are not only in officeas a result of support from a specific race or tribe but leaders with right qualifications and those who merit those position. Does the Kenyan political party support this? if not what can be done to ensure theres a suitable and fair party system?

Ambassador Ranneberger: You are right about the American political party system. Political parties in the U.S. have developed over a period of more than 200 years. The parties nurture talent and enable individuals to run for office on the basis of merit. Although our political parties are well-developed, there are still a number of issues which must be addressed, including the ways in which parties and candidates finance political campaigns. In Kenya political parties are not as developed. First, there are too many parties (over 100), and many of these are tiny, personality-center “briefcase parties.” Second, corruption has a negative impact on political party development in Kenya. Third, many parties are based on ethnic affiliations rather than on issues. Development of more effective issue-focused political parties is very important to the future of democracy in Kenya. We are working to foster more effective political parties focused on issues. This is part of a broader effort to strengthen democratic institutions.

omweba shadrack- moi university 2: obama says, “…those from largest capital to smallest villages(Kogelo/Nairobi) will feel him…” Through your embassy how will you make Nairobi(Kenya) reform its institutions especially parliament hence feel Obama’s effect as he promised now that you are our big brother? Asks Omweba S.M a Political Science Student from Moi university ( Kenya.)

Ambassador Ranneberger: Even before the inauguration of President Obama, we were working to support reforms. As you know, during the post-election crisis, the U.S. intervened to press for formation of the coalition government. That government committed itself to carry out an agenda for fundamental reform. While there are many reforms, constitutional revision, establishing an independent electoral commission, and formation of the Special Tribunal to try perpetrators of post-election violence, and fighting corruption are among the most important. We have made clear to the leadership of the coalition government that the partnership between the U.S. and Kenya is based on shared democratic values and, therefore, on implementation of the reform agenda. Parliament must play its role to support implementation of the reforms. I also want to emphasize, however, that the Kenyan people have a most important role to play. Although the U.S. helped on formation of the coalition government, it was the fact that the Kenyan people spoke out and insisted on a political solution that was the most important factor in resolving the crisis. The Kenyan people did this directly, and through the media, civil society, religious groups, and the private sector. It is important that the Kenyan people now insist upon implementation of the reform agenda.

Aaron cheruiyot 2: well yesterday president Obama moved from his usual hope speeches to one full of pragmatic demands both for his government and the citizens of the US. For us in kenya, after his inpiration we are faced with the enormous task of getting things rollong in our own country. where do you think is the place for us to start especially the youth?

Ambassador Ranneberger: I believe that the inauguration of President Obama will inspire young people in Kenya to be more active in political life. Despite the fact that there are now many younger Kenyans in Parliament, I do not regard them as really the voice of the young people of Kenya. It seems to be that genuine youth leadership has not really emerged yet. The young people of Kenya has the advantage of being relatively well education. I believe that young people should become more active in forming and participating in civil society organizations, and in speaking out peacefully through the media. Young people should be asking their Members of Parliament and the coalition leadership hard questions about why the reform process has not moved more quickly and about why more is not being done against corruption. Young people should take advantage of new technology, like the internet, to communicate, and to promote activism. Young people can also insist on the reform of political parties so that young people can participate more transparently. We will support these efforts.

Jeremiah – Kenya: Dear Mr Ambassador – I have read your bio about your career with the State department. With the new administration are you going to stay on in Kenya or will you be moving to another position?

Ambassador Ranneberger: It is always up to a new President to determine whether an Ambassador remains in his position. We serve at the pleasure of the President. As a career, professional diplomat, I am non-partisan and strongly committed to advancing the policies of the United States regardless of who is President.

Tuikeny from Nairobi: Bearing in mind that Obama’s ancestral home is kenya, does the America’s Embassy have any plan to encourage, support and boost tourism through initiatives like cultural activities in Kogelo and its neighbourhood?

Ambassador Ranneberger: In the wake of the post-election crisis, the Embassy has been working to boost American tourism to Kenya. We have no specific plans to become involved with Obama’s ancestral home. How that is handled is strictly up to the Obama family members in Kenya. It will be important to respect their privacy and their decisions regarding to what extent they might or might not want to become involved with tourism promotion.

Daudi: Good afternoon Ambassador. There is no mention of Africa on the White House Foreign Policy agenda page: http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/foreign_policy/ indicating that perhaps Africa is not a priority for the new Obama administration. Can you share any information you have on the Obama’s administration foreign policy agenda for Africa?

Ambassador Ranneberger: During the political campaign, Obama and his team made clear the importance they attach to U.S. policy in Africa. There has been strong bi-partisan support from Democrats and Republicans for programs like the PEPFAR anti-HIV/AIDS program, for promotion of democracy, for resolution of conflicts, for education, and for other programs as well. I am sure that the new Administration will give appropriate attention and priority to African issues. The U.S. greatly values its partnership and friendship with Kenya and with other countries on the continent. We will continue to support these and remain engaged with the people of Africa to promote their well-being.

Kamene Mutua – Machakos, Kenya: You were instrumental in encouraging power sharing at the begining of last year at the height of post-election violence. What is your take on the coalition government so far?

Ambassador Ranneberger: Thank you for your kind words. I believe that establishment of the coalition government was the best option to end the post-election crisis. I have talked extensively with President Kibaki and Prime Minister Odinga, and they have assured me of their commitment to carry out the reform agenda. I believe that they will do this. We will insist upon this, but the clear message they are hearing from the Kenyan people will also help push the reform agenda forward. At the same time, this will not be an easy process. There are vested interests on both sides who do not want to see the reform agenda fully implemented. It is important that the Kenyan people continue to make clear to the President and Prime Minister the importance of moving forward quickly to implement the reforms (particularly establishment of an independent electoral commission, establishment of the Special Tribunal to try perpetrators of post-election violence, and constitutional reform) and the urgent need to end corruption. The vested interests want reform that will be merely window dressing. President Kibaki and Prime Minister Odinga need the support of the Kenyan people to carry out real reforms that will begin a process of fundamental change. Largely because of the faith I have in the Kenyan people, I remain positive about the coalition government, and am optimistic that Kenya will move ahead to strengthen democratic institutions.

Nekesa: Good Afternoon Mr. Ambassador. As I’m sure you’re well aware the USA under 20 team has qualified for the Junior World Rugby Trophy to be held in Kenya this year. Do you plan to attend this tournament?

Ambassador Ranneberger: Nekesa: Unfortunately, I don’t know much about Rugby, but I am excited by the prospect that a U.S. team may participate in the tournament here. Kenya is well-known for its athletes, yet another dimension of this great country.

Webchat Moderator (Mark): Thanks for joining everyone. We hope you will understand that the Ambassador tried to address as many of your questions as possible during the 60 minutes allotted for today’s webchat. The Q/A portion of today’s webchat is now closed.

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Ask the United States Ambassador

January 21, 2009 in Issues, Kenya, Politics by Mentalacrobatics | 2 comments

January 21 webchat with Ambassador Michael E. Ranneberger

Time: 15.00 Kenya time
Location: This webchat will take place at http://statedept.connectsolutions.com/nairobi.
Procedure: No registration is needed. Simply choose “Enter as a Guest,” type in your preferred screen name and join the discussion.

Press release follows:

The enduring friendship between the United States and Kenya is a testament to the commitment the two countries share to democracy, liberty and free markets.

On Wednesday, January 21, 2009, at 7 a.m. EST (12:00 GMT), U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger will host an online discussion with Kenyan citizens on topics of interest in Kenyan-U.S. relations. The ambassador will be available in real time to take comments and answer questions.

Michael E. Ranneberger has had a long and meritorious career with the State Department, spanning more than 20 years. He was sworn in as the new U.S. ambassador to Kenya on July 31, 2006. His previous assignments have been in Sudan and Mali, and he has also served as the Africa Bureau’s principal deputy assistant secretary and as the coordinator for Cuban affairs. He has worked in South America during periods of conflict and has worked to support human rights activists and to develop independent civil societies in South American nations.

This webchat will take place at http://statedept.connectsolutions.com/nairobi. No registration is needed. Simply choose “Enter as a Guest,” type in your preferred screen name and join the discussion.

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Day of The Obama

January 20, 2009 in Africa, Human Rights, Kenya, Politics by Mentalacrobatics | 5 comments

Random thoughts on Obama’s Inauguration

Name one thing you would like Barak Obama to do once he is president of the United States of America. This is the question, or variations of it, that I have been asked, mainly by the international media, over and over again these past couple of weeks. They are eager for “the view from the Kenyan street” you see.

As the day when Obama does become president has drawn closer my answer has changed a couple of times. From the philosophical – Obama does not need to do anything more, what he has achieved so far is revolutionary. The vaguely idealist – a deal on trade would be brilliant. To humouring my inner conspiracy theorist – Obama needs to tell us the truth about the American lab where the AIDS virus was invented.

As today, Inauguration Day, got closer my mind kept going back to my good friend and blogger extraordinaire Sami Ben Gharbia and a Twitter update he posted on Oct 9th, 2008. Sami’s Tweet said:

I’m sick of the Obama’s myth of change and of the dream that the US will finally stop its support for “soft” dictators

I agree completely. Soft dictators – those who are convenient allies to the powers that be on the international scene while destroying liberty at home (see Mubarak, H; Zenawi, M; arap Moi, D) are the scourge of the Continent. If Obama’s administration drops the United State’s moral, financial and military support for soft dictators then we’d know the man is serious about change (and I’d be able to convince Sami that having a Kenyan in the White House is a good thing).

Prayer

Barak Obama must be the most prayed for politician ever. Throughout the past two years all over Kenya there have been prayer for Obama. My Nigerian and Ghanaian friends tell me that the same has been happening in their countries. Many African American churches and the wider evangelical movement have had frequent days of prayers for Obama.

When the announcement came through on the international news networks that he had secured enough Electoral College votes to win the US presidency I could hear Christian songs of praise, sung by the West African women who had been having an all night prayer virgil as the results were coming in, flowing from the flat above. Not to be outdone Kenyan MPs decided to hold a prayer meeting in Uhuru Park in the middle of Nairobi.

Even those who do not like Obama very much, for example bitter right wing bloggers, have been busy urging prayers for Obama (although their prayers seem to be of the sour-grapes-he-better-not-mess-up-all-the-good-work-Bush43-has-done variety, but they still count.) When you have Kenyan MPs and bitter rightwing bloggers all praying for you then you are probably the most prayed for politician ever.

The prayers did not stop with electoral victory. Since he ascended from being a candidate for the presidency to President-Elect the prayers – at least in Kenya – seem to have intensified.

Before the election the prayers were for electoral victory, immediately following the election the prayers were of thanksgiving for the victory. The intense prayers that have taken over since then are prayers of safety. Over and over again I hear passionate almost desperate prayers for Obama’s safety. That those who want to physical hurt and even kill him, his wife, their children and extended family do not succeed.

There is a sense of real and immediate danger on behalf of Obama flowing through Africa and when Africans feel danger they pray! Most of the questions I have fielded on issues surrounding Obama in the past few weeks have focused on the Secret Service because people are interested in who is protecting him and how good they are. (Very bleeding good, is my standard reply, I wouldn’t mess around with the USSS if I were you.)

This fear for the safety of Obama is strange in that it seems to have an expiry date. There seems a conviction that once he takes the oath of office he will be fine and no one would be allowed to kill him. But while he is just President-Elect he is still in danger! That is one reason some people have taken the afternoon off today in Kenya today – not just to watch the build up to the inauguration which is at 20.00 local time – but to pray for Obama’s safety in these final moments before he raises his hand and takes that oath.

Asides

Aside 1: If, as rumoured, the Boys Choir of Kenya included Jambo Bwana in their repertoire during International Conservation Caucus Foundation Inauguration Gala as threatened, I will personally cancel all their passports! Please no no no. Not Jambo Bwana. Please! Hopefully it was just a bad rumour!

Aside 2: You would think that with all the Obama parties taking place across Kenya today someone would have hosted one of these, “No Bush Left Behind” bashes somewhere. Instead all we have are boring drinks with “traditional” food (a.k.a Nyam Chom na Tusker). Shave the Date would have been a lot more interesting.

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Commissioner of Police – Kenya is NOT a police state

July 8, 2008 in Human Rights, Kenya, Politics by Mentalacrobatics | No comments

Now That Amos Kimunya Has Resigned -Release Our Civil Society Colleagues

To the Commissioner of Police and the Government of Kenya:

We demand the unconditional release of our patriotic colleagues in the civil society who were brutally manhandled and arrested this morning as they exercised their constitutional rights to demand the resignation of Amos Kimunya as Finance Minister.

Their right to freedom of peaceable assembly was brutally violated by members of the Kenya Police. We demand their unconditional release for they have committed no crime. The Police officers who directed the assault on Ann Njogu and her colleagues must be subjected to appropriate discipline by the Commissioner of Police.

Kenya is not a Police State and Kenyans will not surrender their constitutional freedoms or their right to complain against wrongdoing, or to speak against grand corruption and impunity.

The arrested members of the civil society must be released.

In any event the man they were protesting against, former Finance Minister Amos Kimunya has resigned his office and stepped aside to facilitate investigations into the subject matter of the protest of civil society. In the spirit of a transparent enquiry into the role played by numerous public officers and institutions in the grand corruption saga that is the Grand Regency Hotel ‘handover’ and sale, it is morally and legally right that no one should be punished for speaking out for the Kenyan people in their time of need.

July 8th 2008 Mwalimu Mati www.marsgroupkenya.org

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Kimunya:Death Certificate (temporary)

July 8, 2008 in Kenya, Politics by Mentalacrobatics | 1 comment

Patient: Amos Muhinga Kimunya
Occupation: Member of Parliament for Kipipiri Constituency
Previous positions held: Minister of Finance, Kenya
Notable quote: “I would rather die than resign.”
Cause of death: Death by Hubris

What Amos Kimunya did not tell you about the budget

June 24, 2008 in Kenya, Politics by Mentalacrobatics | 5 comments

The Kenyan government, like most governments around the world, is well versed in the art of deploying and utilising smokescreens. As the name implies the purpose of the smokescreen is to hide something from view or atleast divert attention away from an issue or subject that the government would rather was not noticed, leave alone discussed or debated at all. These smokescreens come in various forms but they all share some of the same characteristics.

For example the smokescreens usually contain something completely ridiculous which leads us to wonder what planet members of our government come from. This was the favoured tactic of the Moi regime. Here is an example. Did you notice how when there was a negative and potential very damaging story about the government dominating the news agenda one of Moi’s ministers would stand up and give a speech in which he would make some ridiculous claim? My favourite one was that Kenya was about to bid to host the Olympics. Predictably we would all get outraged and froth at the mouth and spend the next month partaking in debates with our friends and colleagues, remarking to each other that there are other priorities for the government to focus on, we would chuckle at the idea of the creaking Kenyan infrastructure being asked to host such a large event, and we would write articles to display our intellectual fortitude informing the minister that Olympics are hosted by CITIES not COUNTRIES so Kenya could not bid for the Olympics but Nairobi could. Of course by the time we had exhausted all this energy we would have forgotten what issue we were discussing before the minister made his ridiculous statement. And as we laughed all the way to our bars and coffee shops content that we were smarter than our ministers, our self proclaimed Professor of Politics was laughing at our constant ability to be played.

More recently we have seen another smokescreen deployed occasionally. When difficult questions started surfacing about what we now call “Anglo-Leasing type contracts” the First Lady would go out and do something totally ridiculous, such as raid a private party at the World Bank country director’s house in her pyjamas. When the questions about corruption would not stop the First Lady would either storm a police station and demand the cops arrest somebody or storm a media house by herself in the dead of the night and proceed to slap reporters – an act that is 110% guaranteed to dominate the media’s new agenda. Where was Kibaki, we would ask, why didn’t State House intervene when the First Lady’s security detail first reported her irrational and illegal actions?

Well maybe State House did not intervene because they had just deployed their smokescreen. And soon afterwards whispers about medication being deliberately withheld from the First Lady to ensure her irrational behaviour continues started to surface. These days whenever the First Lady does something outrageous I check the newspapers from the previous week to try and figure out what they are trying to hide.

In June 2008 we have been thrown yet another smokescreen, this time by the Minister of Finance, Amos Kimunya. This smokescreen, brilliant deployed it must be said, centres around Budget and the issue of whether Members’ of Parliament should pay tax on their salaries and allowances. Of course they should. That is obvious and indeed it is ridiculous that in 2008 we can still debate this. Of course Members’ of Parliament should pay tax on their salaries and allowances. Predictably many MPs are resisting all attempts to pay tax and that is the debate that has dominated the Kenyan news agenda in the past couple of weeks.

This debate about MPs and taxation is a smokescreen which Mwalimu Mati the CEO of MARS Group Kenya has exposed with his usually thoroughness. If MPs paid tax the Treasury would save between Ksh. 600 million and Ksh. 700 million. That is good money. However, Kimunya’s latest budget is full of waste, which runs into the HUNDREDS of BILLIONS of shillings. And that is even better money. And all this is probably going to pass unscrutinzed by a parliament full of MPS whose only point of concern in this Budget is whether or not they are to be taxed.

Please download [pdf 48 kb] , read, blog and circulate widely Mati’s article. You can download [pdf 48kb] it here.

Some shocking statistcs:

  1. Last year the Government of Kenya budget for entertainment of its guests amounted to Ksh 5.7 million per day for EVERY day of the year.
  2. The Governemnet of Kenya spends Ksh 3.995 billion on rents per annum and only receives Ksh 239.368 million per year from property income and rent.
  3. Last year, the Government of Kenya spent over Ksh 6.7 million per day every day of the year on foreign travel. This is set to increase in this budget.
  4. Did you know that State House Nairobi has 149 cars? Did you know that this year Minister of Finance wants to buy Ksh 73 million more worth of cars for State House? Did you know that last year a similar amount of money was spent on cars at State House? Did you know that the Government budget for cars for 2008 has gone up by 1 billion shillings, even as public attention is consumed by the debate on MP’s allowances?

    5. And the best one

  5. Every year the Minister of Finance presents lump sum budgets for the National Security Intelligence Services, the Armed Forces and the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission. This year their collective budgets will pass the Ksh 47 billion mark – and yet they will be no debate on the budget items in them because the Minister of Finance has helpfully provided none.

Ksh. 47 BILLION!

Kenyans let us demand that our MPs accept that they have a duty to pay taxes but let us not allow this debate on MPs allowances to distract us from the bigger picture. Do not be fooled by the smokescreen! Demand equally that your MP take his or her constitutional responsibility seriously and scrutinise Amos Kimunya’s ridiculous Budget.

Please download [pdf 48 kbs], read, blog, and circulate widely Mati’s article. You can download it here [pdf 48kb].

Mungiki and hypocrisy

April 17, 2008 in Human Rights, Kenya, Politics by Mentalacrobatics | 5 comments

The world did not come to a crashing halt at the beginning of March 2008. This would not be significant if it were not that in January and February 2008 many people in Kenya wrote, spoke and acted so irresponsibly that I could only conclude that they expected the world to come to a halt or at least to go through some great cosmic ctrl-alt-del sequence which would result in collective memory loss leading us all to forget what they said, wrote, did. But the world did not come to an end at the beginning of March 2008 and as I said at the beginning of the year, many people would look back at their words and actions and wish that the world would forget. Not so.

I have just driven down Ngong Road, in the heart of Nairobi, at noon on a Thursday and the road is practically empty. You may remember that this is not the first time this year that roads in Nairobi are clear of traffic, and perhaps more significantly, clear of any public transport, in the middle of the day. We have been here before. But this time it is different and this difference is what highlights the hypocrisy in Kenya today, which will make many people wish that Kenyans would forget their irresponsible words and actions.

This week Kenya is suffering (again) under the actions of the barbaric Mungiki militia. An illegal group whose preferred modus operandi includes, but is not restricted, to beheadings, forced female circumcision, public transport and rent extortion.

Mungiki has been around for a while (for some background information please read Kenyan Pundit’s post which links articles on Mungiki) and the group has been influential for a while. For example you could ask anybody who was student at JKUAT during the time of the 2002 Kenyan general election about the role played by Mungiki in Uhuru Kenyatta’s presidential campaign and you will hear some interesting stories. (JKUAT lies on the road between Nairobi and Uhuru’s constituency).

I remember driving up to JKUAT in August 2002 when election fever was rising to pick a friend who was studying there and driving into the heart of one of Uhuru’s roadside campaign rallies where Mungiki provided the “security”. They had completely taken over the whole road from Githurai to Thika and to say they were intimidating is to say the least.

What I like about Mungiki (and this is perhaps their only positive characteristic) is that in the reaction to their latest activities Mungiki helps expose the hypocrisy in Kenyan society today.

Take as a first example the reaction of the Kenyan police. In the past three months we have seen first hand and up close the brutality of the Kenya Police towards Kenya citizens who were trying to march peacefully and legally towards Uhuru Park in protest against having their votes stolen. Even non partisan groups were unable to march. A women’s peace group which had organised authorization from the Minister of Internal Security, from the Provincial Administration and had informed the police, were greeted with a ring of police officers telling them their peace match had been cancelled at the last minute when they were just about to set off.

Time and time again Kibera would be ringed by heavily armed police and you would be lucky to make it on to Ngong Road leave alone get anywhere near town. I recorded a show down between the police and ODM supporters in Hurlingham where an army of police officers was deployed to ensure that ODM supporters get nowhere near the city centre. Similar shows of force by the police were deployed on Thika Road and Jogoo Road as the police moved swiftly to ensure that all major roads into the city were in their control. The same occurred in cities and towns across Kenya.

How time changes things. Two months ago Ngong Road was empty because of a heavy police presence and their indiscriminate use of force (including live bullets). Today Ngong Road is empty as Public Service Vehicle owners withdraw their vehicles from the streets because the police cannot stop the Mungiki thugs who demand over 90% of each vehicles earning and burn your matatu/bus if you refuse to comply. You could say that in both cases the police are responsible for empty streets.

In a sentence: two months ago Ngong Road was empty due to a large police presence, this week Ngong Road is empty because the police is conspicuously absent.

Why is it then that the same police force that cracked down on the peaceful protests in the past couple of months are reluctant to take on a group that has openly challenged them to armed warfare?

I do not buy the popular opinion of the day that Mungiki caught the police napping, that the police had no idea what was about to happen. Come on now. Security analysts reveal on TV that the police received calls as early as 5am from members of the public who had seen Mungiki members begin their activities of destruction, 10am the police were yet to respond. This is the same police force that sent lorries packed with police in riot gear into Kibera on Saturday when a rumor went around that perhaps some people were considering starting a demonstration to protest at the lack of a power sharing agreement.

Internal Security Permanent Secretary, Mr Cyrus Gituai, told The Standard that the police had expected Mungiki to strike on Monday at 6am, but instead went on the rampage at 3am, three hours earlier.

So the police decided to stay in bed until 5am or what? Come on now.

These double standards are by no means restricted to the police.

For instance, why is it that some bloggers/commentators who were complaining about the post election violence in general and the inconvenience of disrupted public transport in particular, were largely silent on the violence Mungiki perpetrated BEFORE the elections and are silent on the violence and disruption perpetrated by the same thugs this week? Why is it that those same people who were cursing Raila for not controlling the thugs in Rift Valley are now silent? Have you noticed how the responsibility for the violence two months ago was laid squarely in Raila’s lap individually, “Kenya is burning”, we were told, “because Raila is power hungry”. I wait to hear where they will appropriate blame this time round but I suspect they will remain silent or those who do speak out will blame, “the entire political class” which of course includes Raila. That is the duplicity that Mungiki exposes.

That is not to say that the political class is not implicated as well.

Why are politicians who have been screaming (rightly) that the police should get to the bottom of the post election violence are now screaming that the police should “negotiate” with Mungiki? Why not extend this call for negotiations to include other militia groups such as the Saboti Land Defence Force for example?

Why is that politicians who were quick to call for the annihilation of any protestors in Rift Valley and Nyanza are now going to great lengths to explain that Mungiki rises out of a disadvantage upbringing. Aren’t many of the youth who rampaged against the government in Rift Valley disadvantaged as well? If Mungiki revolts because it is up against the wall with nothing to lose doesn’t this extend to youth from other communities? Why call for the arrest of youth in Rift Valley with no mention of their grievances yet call for negotiations with Mungiki and demand that the police investigate their grievances?

Lastly, why are those who cheered when the army moved against the Saboti Land Defence Force not calling for the army to deployed against Mungiki? If indiscriminate killing is seen as viable method to bring about peace in the Mt. Elgon region why is not also being practised in Kibaki’s hometown which has been under attack by Mungiki?

I will let you draw your own conclusions to these questions. The duplicity and hypocrisy displayed on this would be laughable if it was not so serious. What we do know is that when Mungiki falls there will be tremors all the way to the top of Kibaki’s administration according to the BBC. (To be fair I should mention that Kibaki’s Court Jester issued a statement in response to the BBC report.

Statesmanship

April 15, 2008 in Africa, Human Rights, Kenya, Politics by Mentalacrobatics | 8 comments

A while ago the East African blogosphere was rocked with controversy that began when a Kenyan blogger called the Tanzania president, Jakaya Kikwete, a “dumb-ass bitch”. Some Tanzanian bloggers took exception to this insult and stated so in their blogs. In return some Kenyan bloggers took exception to the Tanzanian bloggers taking exception and the KenyaUnlimited aggregator was full of posts quoting Voltaire (which was bizarre in itself as surely someone who complains about your insult has as much right to be heard as you do with your original insult).

Throughout the year as I continued to interact with Tanzanian bloggers I came to learn that a significant number of them (Tanzanian bloggers) do not have much confidence in Kikwete and many of them view his presidency, to put it politely, as a disaster, especially when they reflected on his economic policies.

This raised a number of questions in my mind.

Firstly, if these Tanzanian bloggers are not at all impressed with Kikwete’s presidency why did they take such strong exception to an insult lobbed his way by an insignificant and inarticulate Kenyan blogger?

Secondly, why did the Kenyan blogosphere find it so hard to understand why the Tanzanian bloggers were outraged by an insult to their president?

Is it because Kenyans have thicker skin, are mentally stronger and are used to verbal sparing and thus can roll with the punches?

Perhaps.

Is it because Tanzanians are more eloquent, more mature and civilised and thus will not stand for insults?

Perhaps.

My understanding of why these two siblings, Kenyans and Tanzanians, could disagree so fundamentally on this issue can be summed up in one word.

Statesmanship.

In a sentence: the history and tradition of statesmanship within the Tanzanian ruling elite, and the complete lack of statesmanship within the Kenyan ruling elite.

At the risk of launching a Platonic argument of gigantic dimensions let me define it thus (quoting Wikipedia);

To rule or have political power called for a specialized knowledge. The statesman was one who possesses this special knowledge of how to rule justly and well and to have the best interests of the citizens at heart.

As Kenyans I believe we find it hard to understand the notion of statesmanship, as it implies that those in the political elite in Kenya should be driven to implement policies that have the best interests of the citizens of Kenya at heart.

How can we understand this when the Kibaki government claimed it did not have enough money to build the 500,000 homes it promised in its election manifesto of 2002 yet somehow managed to find USD 12m to spend on new cars (enough to send 25,000 children to school for eight years)?

How can we understand this when the Moi regime fleeced the country of at least US $600 million in less than three years in what we now call the Goldenberg Scandal?

How can we understand this when the extended Kenyatta family alone owns an estimated 500,000 acres — approximately the size of Nyanza Province — according to estimates by independent surveyors and Ministry of Lands officials, making them the senior members of what Michael Mundia Kamau, inspirationally, calls the KenMoiKib Farm?

Our three presidents to date have failed the statesmanship test and failed it badly. Even Jomo Kenyatta, whom increasingly seems to be loved more by non-Kenyans than Kenyans in much the same way that love for THE Emperor seems to grow the further you get away from Ethiopia, is no longer spared. I can even go as far as stating that if you stand on any street corner in central Nairobi and shouted in a loud voice, “Kibaki/Moi/Kenyatta is a dumb-ass bitch” you would be ignored at the worst but probably be applauded by one or two people. Now imagine standing at the corner of a street in Dar-es-salaam and shouting “Nyerere is a dumb-ass bitch”. If you managed to get out alive and made it to Nairobi I would probably finish you off myself and I am Kenyan. Why?

Nyerere was a Statesman.

True his economic policies may not have been the best but here was a man who was big enough to know that the presidency in itself did not make him who he was. Here was a man big enough to walk away into retirement to sit under his tree in his shamba and enjoy his family. Here was a man who understood that the most powerful thing he could do was to give up power.

The greatest disservice Kenyatta did to Kenya was dying in office, during the election of 1975 when it was clear he was no longer the force he used to be he could have choose to step aside and step into greatness. He did not, 3 years later he was dead, and this in turn gave birth to the president-for-life syndrome which manifests itself today in Moi still aching for power after 25 years in StateHouse and which made Kibaki think he would be failure if he had lost his presidency in the general election 3 months ago despite a career in politics of over 40 years.

How can you be a megalomaniac in Tanzania when Nyerere was not? How can you claim the presidency as your birth right in Tanzania when the father of the nation walked away for it to give room to others?

This is what the Kenyan blogosphere failed to understand at the time. That while Tanzanians may not be too impressed with their current president, they are VERY proud of their institution of Presidency.

Of course statesmanship is not restricted to men. One of the most enduring images of the Kenyan post-election crisis was of Grace Machel during a tour of Internal Displaced People camps hugging a woman closely, whispering words of comfort as the woman wept and wept. Here was Grace Machel, the freedom fighter, former minister, and campaigner for children and for human rights, reaching out and bringing some humanity to IDP camps. Where was Kenya’s grossly overpaid First Lady at the time? Busy slapping Members of Parliament who had the audacity to suggest that her husband should get serious about sharing power. There are many things you can call Lucy Kibaki but not even the most rabid Kibaki supporter would call her a statesman. On the other side of the coin, you just try calling Graca Machel a dumb-ass bitch and see where that leaves you.

While the eyes of the nation were focused to Kofi Annan who lead the team of Eminent Person conducting the mediation in Kenya following the post election violence, the rest of team of eminent persons was often over looked, Graca Machel and Benjamin Mkapa. Mkapa is a Tanzanian diplomat and like Nyerere a former Tanzanian president. You see people; there IS life after Statehouse. Here is man who was President for 10 years, handed over at the end of his term and is now a Statesman who helped us resolve our election disputes, happy to sit in the background and immerse himself in the nitty gritty while the world’s media focused on Annan. That is an example that our political elite should be following. How many countries do you think would welcome Kibaki or Moi to help mediate their election disputes? Not many, unless they were planning on, “doing a Kibaki”.

On Sunday before Kibaki read out the list of his new bloated and grossly immoral cabinet he had the audacity, the AUDACITY, to stand there and brag to Kenyans about the “statesmanship and sacrifice” the political elite had displayed. Kibaki seriously needs to be reconnected with reality. Shuttling between Statehouse and State Lodges, hiding behind his security detail, and pushing Kenya to the edge is NOT statesmanship leave alone sacrifice. He also said the new cabinet, “underscores our nation’s leadership to put the collective needs of the country above everything else.” Is there anyone who thinks a bloated government and expensive cabinet is what our country needs? Mwalimu Mati writes on exactly why this is a disaster.

As Kenyans we have to address this issues quickly. Statesmanship is not an option. Statesmanship is vital for a healthy African society. Statesmanship is African to its very core. Without Statesmen we will not progress.

The power of sport

February 13, 2008 in Beautiful game, Kenya, Politics by Mentalacrobatics | 4 comments

Congratulations to the Pharaohs Kings of Africa once again after beating Cameroon 1-0 in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations.

I was lucky to have the pleasure, for the first time, of watching the final of a major football tournament in one of the countries that was contesting that final. It was not planned, it was a complete fluke as I just happened to be in transit in Cairo between Istanbul and Nairobi. My six hours in transit coincided with the match. I walked around Cairo International Airport looking for a TV screen that was not showing the usual airport advertising pap and for a while I was scared that I would miss the game. How ridiculous that would that have been. Luckily sanity prevailed and most of the screens switched over to Accra as soon business began at the Ohene Djan stadium. Before kick off the airport staff were all polite and diplomatic when I asked, cheekily, if they would support Cameroon. Once the match began it was another story. Shouts, screams, hands in the air, fists shaken at TV screens. Yes indeed, football at its most passionate.

While I was watching the game I was struck again by the immense power of sport. Especially at international level. To put it plainly I sincerely believe that if Kenya had qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations and had done well in the tournament the violence that rocked Kenya would not have been intense as it was. Imagine a commanding Luhya player (the captain naturally) a towering midfield destroyer, passing the ball to Luo player, the creative and flamboyant midfield maestro, passing the ball to a lanky but lethal Kalenjin striker, who blasts in the winning goal cheered by his Kikuyu goalkeeper. The unity the players would have to show on the pitch to be successful would serve as a constant and real reminder of the unity Kenyans would have to show off the pitch to be successful.

This is not just sentimental hogwash. in the run up to the 2006 World Cup with Ivory Coast bleeding from civil war Drogba fell on his knees live on TV and sent out an emotional appeal for the warring factions to lay down their arms. It would be naive to claim that Drogba’s gesture ended the civil war. It would be equally naive to pretend that Drogba’s gesture did not have any effect at all. “All the players hated what was happening to our country and reaching the World Cup was the perfect emotional wave on which to ride.” Togo and Angola qualifying for the same World Cup in German helped heal both nations after decades of civil war. Beyond Africa as well there are numerous examples of the power of sport to unite a nation. Remember how the then new country of Croatia, which gained independence only 7 years earlier, played excellent football to reach the semi finals of the World Cup in France 1998 uniting their country in a sense of pride? Or how much the symbolism North and South Korea marching together at the opening ceremony of the Asian Games (although they did not compete in joint teams) meant to their people?

Sport and especially team sport is a democratic and universal symbol of nationhood which becomes even more important in a country like Kenya where most of the other symbols of nationhood are inaccessible to ordinary citizens.

Two weeks ago a special friend invited me to watch a preseason rugby friendly between the University of Nairobi’s Mean Machine RFC and Mwamba RFC, one of Kenya’s oldest rugby clubs. As with most preseason games the match was a relaxed affair played in a lively spirit. After the game the players from both sides gathered in the centre of the pitch and knelt together in prayer.


Mean Machine and Mwamba

This is a regular ritual conducted at the end of many rugby games. This time, however, it was wonderful to see the symbolism of a united Kenya across ethnic, religious, economic, political lines.

Click here for a larger image.

Moi is not our saviour

January 29, 2008 in Election07, Kenya, Politics by Mentalacrobatics | 9 comments

Once again the whole country has stopped as people gather around TV screens and radios. The last time this happened we were engrossed in the first session of the 10th parliament. This time we all waiting to see a press conference called by Kofi Annan’s mediation team at which both Raila Odinga and Mwai Kibaki are expected to attend. (Thankfully the Official Government Spokesman and his police counterpart, those two reliable beacons of information to some – misinformation to the rest of us, are not scheduled to make an appearance.)

I am watching this from a building which (illegally) overlooks the Department of Defence headquarters on one side and overlooks Nairobi Hospital on another side. It feels right, therefore, to comment on Kenya’s former dictator, Commander –In-Chief of the Armed Forces and President Daniel arap Moi who is lying in one of the beds in the private VIP wing of Nairobi hospital with a needle sticking out of his hand admitted, we were reliably informed by his personal physician yesterday, because of lower back pain.

The chaos that has erupted in Kenya in the past four weeks has some misguided souls crying out for a return to the dark days of Moi’s rule. This would have never happened under Moi, they say, things would have been better under Moi, they cry, Moi should save us, they plead. What nonsense!

Are these the only two options available to Kenyans today? To live under a dictator or, on the other hand, to live in fear as the country burns under an illegitimate president? Are these the only two options? Was this the choice presented to us when we stood for hours to vote in December? NO. Sometimes I wish we had a team of rugby props who could go around the country grab people by the shoulders and shake some sense into them! One of the great victories of the 2007 Kenyan election was the complete and total rejection by the electorate in Rift Valley of Moi’s plans to build a dynasty as each one of his three sons who vied for a parliamentary seat was defeated at the polls. Going back to the dark days of the Moi dictatorship is not an option that should even be entertained. What is wrong with people? This is almost as bad as those crazy (and thankful increasingly isolated) black voices in South Africa who yearn for a return to apartheid. How we as Kenyans used to laugh at that logic, well look who is laughing now.

To be fair it has become increasingly clear that Moi had a much stronger grip on the country than Kibaki ever did. Kibaki’s cheerleaders praised this as part of their boss’ “hands off” style of government. The only problem is that it did not end at hands off, if anything Kibaki’s style of government should be called a “Brain Off” style of government.

The current chaos in Kenya was not triggered because of a failure of democracy; it was triggered by a selfish bunch of arrogant politicians who feel that they have the divine right to rule at any cost and thus trample all over our democracy. If democracy had been respected we would not be where we are now. Do NOT blame democracy for our troubles, blame those who are trying to trample it and thus follow in the footsteps of the lonely and frail man who lies in a hospital not far away from here.

That sad and increasingly pathetic man is not our saviour.

Official spokesmen not reliable sources of information

January 28, 2008 in Blogs, Election07, Politics by Mentalacrobatics | 4 comments

Sometimes it feels sweet to be right. Other times it sucks to be right.

In June last year I was heavily criticised for writing a blog post with the title “Suicide Bomber Hits Nairobi” when downtown Nairobi was rocked by an explosion. I had sourced that information from a Reuters report which quoted a policeman saying that the explosion looked like the work of a suicide bomber.

The criticism I received focused on my use of the words “suicide bomber” and centred on the argument that it was irresponsible for me to report the explosion as a bombing until the police had released a statement. I wrote a post titled, “In Defence of Bloggers” in which I argued that in Kenya currently it is COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS to sit around and wait for a statement from the police or indeed from the government. Where was the official police statement on the Mount Elgon clashes and where was the official police statement on the Mungiki beheadings I wondered at the time? I argued that the Official Government Spokesman and Official Police Spokesman are not reliable sources of information. This was obvious to me then, it is obvious to all now.

Kenyan TV has shown clips of young men being gunned down by police and the police spokesman states that he believes the clips have been manipulated to look like something out of “Rambo”. The country is burning and the official Government spokesman went on TV to say that there are a “few skirmishes here and there.”

I am attending a media conference on Wednesday where I will speak on behalf on bloggers and believe me I will repeat that bloggers are the ultimate source of primary information in Kenya today.

And despite my argument being proved right by time (after all those who led the criticism against me then are now leading the insults against the official spokesmen) I wish that we had a mature political system where at least the police would realise that they work not for a single political party or regime. But that they work for the country.

Sometimes it sucks to be right.

Carrot and stick

January 28, 2008 in Election07, Kenya, Politics by Mentalacrobatics | 6 comments

Carrot and stick is an idiom used to refer to the act of rewarding good behavior and punishing bad behavior. The carrot represents the edible reward, while the stick refers to a punishing switch.

Since the crisis in Kenya exploded a steady stream of prominent Africans has flown into town to try and help kick start talks between the Odinga and Kibaki camps and to help the peace efforts.

My favourite Nobel laureate, Desmond Tutu, arrived and tried to use his considerable moral authority with not much success.

Four retired African Heads of State Former Mozambican President Joachim Chissano, former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda, former Tanzania President Benjamin Mkapa and former Botwana president Ketimire Masire came to “stand with Kenyan people in times of need” but they too did not have much success and were snubbed by Kibaki.

Up next was a serving head of state. President Kuffor of Ghana arrived in his capacity as head of the African Union to have a go and was instead insulted when the Kibaki’s official spokesman announced that Kuffor had come just to drink a cup of tea with his age mate Kibaki and two ministers, Internal Security Minister Saitoti and Transport Minister Michuki, announced at a press conference that they felt his trip was a waste of time.

Then came former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, Kuffor’s fellow country man from Ghana. Suddenly things started moving. Kibaki and Raila meet face to face for the first time since the election, and shook hands in public promising to sit down and talk. Negotiation teams have been announced and perhaps most remarkably considering the treatment his predecessors have had in the past few weeks, Annan has complete access to Kibaki seeing him whenever he needs to.

So what does Annan have that Tutu, Chissano, Kaunda, Mkapa, Masire and Kuffor did not have? Why does Kibaki have to listen to Annan when he ignored the rest and even let his team insult them? Why does Kibaki have to even meet Annan? Simply because he has too, he does not have a choice.

This is why. Having seen Tutu, Chissano, Kanuda, Mkapa, Masire and Kuffor fail Annan did not want to suffer the same fate. He certainly would not stand for being insulted in public like his president was. Annan was already on his way to Kenya when news of Kuffor shabby treatment at the hands of Kibaki’s team came out and he quickly developed a very convenient “flu” which allowed him to postpone his trip to Kenya.

Annan learnt from the rest how entrenched in their relative positions the political camps in Kenya were and how difficult it was to see Kibaki. Annan learnt quickly that there was no point in travelling to Kenya unless he carried with him the threat of sanctions. To put it simply he had to be able to force Kibaki and Raila to meet and talk, he had to have complete access to both Kibaki and Raila and he had to ensure that whatever he said they took very seriously. They would have no option but to talk to him and Kibaki especially would have to realise that this was not business as usual.

In the last 15 – 20 years ever since the environment became sexy and climate change and global warming shot up to the top of the political agenda there has been a concentrated effort to move the United Nations Environmental Programme and United Nations Habitat headquarters from Nairobi. Many European countries want it, the BRIC countries all want it, and many believe that if it was moved to the UN headquarters in New York the environment would feature prominently in international policy. Basically it is all about money. Successive Kenyan governments have always argued that as UNEP is the only UN agency headquartered in a developing country it would send a negative signal to move it from Nairobi. Successive Kenyan governments have also argued that Kenya is an oasis of peace in a troubled region and it was important for the UN to have an international headquarters here.

One major sanction that Kofi Annan brought with him was the threat to move UNEP and UN Habitat headquarters out of Nairobi, within THE NEXT SIX MONTHS! Not next year, not in the distance future, but by July! Non essential UN staff in Nairobi (as well as many diplomatic staff) have not reported back to work and have in effect been on holiday since the week before Christmas. All agencies have contingency plans to evacuate their offices and to make moves permanent. This was not an empty threat from Annan and I bet it is the number one reason Kibaki agreed to meet Raila.

They would not take the carrot offered by Tutu and Kuffor, so Annan swung a stick.

Silver linings: Kenya Election 2007

January 16, 2008 in Election07, Kenya, Politics by Mentalacrobatics | 31 comments

Every cloud has a silver lining, the saying goes. Tuesday afternoon the dark cloud of an illegitimate presidency in Kenya revealed its silver lining. Democracy hit back hard as Kenya’s 10th parliament convened for the first time. As a proud Kenyan patriot I was pleased that there were no punches thrown in parliament, no unseeingly scenes of honourable members doing what some call pulling a South Korea. It was all very civilised, everybody addressing each other as honourable member this, honourable member that. As a political scientist it was the most drama I have watch in a long time, so many issues to discuss. Rather than deliver a blow by blow account let me highlight a couple of issues I felt were important.

The situation we have in Kenya as it stands is that we have a president who does not have control of parliament. This would not be a big problem if we had a presidential style of government as in the United States where the president and congress regularly come from different parties and those institutions are designed to work separately. However, what we have in Kenya is a ridiculous deformed hybrid of a presidential and parliamentary style of government, where we have an executive president, who is also a member of the legislature and has the right to vote in the legislature and is dependant on it for his agenda to go through, yet sits separate from other members of parliament and is treated as an respected outsider from most proceedings, does not have to justify his actions to parliament and can largely ignore it or bend it to his will as a rubber stamp.

This deformed hybrid of government worked perfectly (from a presidential point of view) up to now as the president has always had control of parliament through his political party. In 2008 we have a situation where the strongest political force in the country, ODM, is not only completely opposed to the president but also considers him illegitimate.

This is not news, ever since Kibaki claimed the presidency he knew that he had fewer members of parliament that those opposed to him. What has been extraordinary to observe in the days since Kibaki rushed to his swearing in ceremony, is that Kibaki has acted like he can simply ignore ODM. Isolated in StateHouse he has acted like he does not have to deal with ODM. Well during the first session of parliament on Tuesday reality hit. For the first time since the election Kibaki came face to face with a group of people who not only think he is illegitimate and stole the election, but also have real power to set up an alternative political power structure. This was shown when ODM managed to get their candidate for Speaker of Parliament, Kenneth Marende, elected over Kibaki’s choice, the former incumbent, Francis Ole Kaparo.

ODM controlling parliament sets up some very interesting and indeed ridiculous scenarios. Kibaki gets to appoint a cabinet and that cabinet has to work through parliament. Yet the majority in parliament is completely opposed to Kibaki’s policies and will do whatever it can to wreck them. Kibaki, if he was thinking straight, could have overcome this by appointing ODM MPs to key cabinet positions. Instead he chose to ignore ODM all together in a move that made no political sense. ODM due to their strength in numbers will control all parliamentary committees. In another ridiculous scenario, some powerful parliamentary committees have a majority of seats reserved for the opposition in an attempt to prevent the largest political party in parliament from dominating all proceedings.

Of course the largest political party in parliament is usually the president’s party. This time however ODM is both the largest political party in parliament AND at the same time is the opposition and therefore, now have the opportunity to completely dominate all aspects of parliament’s proceedings and undermine Kibaki’s agenda. They do not have the two thirds majority required for a vote of no confidence, however, they can, for example, vote down the budget. Then what would Kibaki do? Or they can introduce a private members bill which states that anybody appointed a minister immediately looses 90% of his parliamentary salary. This is not as far fetched as you think. After all today we saw attempts by ODM to have the oath MPs have to take as they are sworn in as unconstitutional! We shall see how this plays out. If you didn’t know why we need a new constitution before then hopefully this political mess has opened your eyes to why we do.

Another aspect of this political situation in the country is that every political move, even when it seems spontaneous and obvious, is calculated. For example, take ODM’s strategy of asking the Speaker to rule the oath MPs have to take during their swearing in as unconstitutional as the MPs have to swear allegiance to the presidency as well as the country and the constitution. It was pretty obvious from the beginning that this Point of Order had no chance of succeeding for a whole variety of reasons and ODM must have known that. So why push it? Perhaps because it gives the new ODM backed Speaker of the House the opportunity to display his impartiality by ruling against ODM in his first ruling?

What I have found completely irritating in the proceedings of today and the past two weeks is Kibaki’s camp continual insistence that, the law or tradition even, be respected at all times. This from a team that continuously broke “little” laws when they felt those laws did not matter much. One example, the law of Kenya states that there shall be no campaigning the day before an election. Basically this law is designed to allow the electorate to vote in peace. It is not the most significant law but it is important. The evening before the country was due to vote in the Constitutional Referendum i.e. well within the final 24 hours, Kibaki went on TV to give an address carried live by the national broadcaster urging Kenyans to vote for his new proposed constitution. A clear and blatant breaking of the law by the person whose team is now shouting obey the law. When you hear ministers who were part of a government that has repeated tried to muzzle the press by amongst other things sending in paramilitary terror squads and burning presses, continuously insist that everyone else must obey the law or take matters to court you can’t help but snort in disgust.

These are the same clowns who were using state resources against the law, mainly vehicles and helicopters, in the just concluded campaigns who are now shouting that the law must be obey. We used to be told a story as children warning against adopting cute little lion cubs. The moral of the story; little lions become big lions and big lions kill. If you were wondering what the story teller was talking about well here is a 21st century adaptation; people who break little laws, will have no problems breaking big laws. Those who ignore a “small” law banning campaigning in the last 24 hours today, steal a “big” election tomorrow.

During the debate in parliament today speaker after speaker on Kibaki’s side urged that tradition be respected. Yet this is the same Kibaki who completely ignored tradition and unilaterally appointed Electoral Commission of Kenya commissioners just two months ago without consulting the opposition ignoring a tradition which was established during the reform talks of 1997 and from which Kibaki directly benefited as a member of the then opposition.

This habit of breaking the law when it suits them and ignoring traditions when it suits them means that there is no way ODM will trust anything Kibaki’s administration will say. This would not matter if Kibaki controlled parliament. Then he could just continue with his policy to ignore ODM. But since he does not and since ODM can claim the mandate of the people, as the have more MPs, it matters a lot.

Many of us who worked tirelessly in the past year urging people to vote ensuring them that their vote matters, that their vote is their voice and that all votes are equal have been completely deflated in the past two weeks. What do you tell someone who voted for the first time and then sees his vote disregarded in blatant rigging? I have been expecting many of the younger voters to come and express their anger at me for getting their hopes up that their vote was as powerful as anyone else’s vote. Instead what I have seen is very encouraging; people are engaged in the political process as never before. For example, earlier on Tuesday a group of youth were busy calculating how many votes you need to be elected Speaker of parliament. At petrol stations you hear debates about whether Nominated MPs are nominated before or after the speaker is elected, people come up to me and ask if there is anything that can prevent Kibaki from stealing all the Nominated MP positions for his own party in defiance of tradition which states the nominated positions are given out in proportion to the number of seats won, and the most requested document request I receive by email these days is for the Constitution. Tuesday’s parliamentary proceedings were broadcast live on TV and the whole country was watching and taking note. When Marende was elected speaker we could hear shouts of celebration from Kibera and Kawangware. This engagement is not exclusive to the middle class. It looks like stealing an election is a fantastic way to get the public engaged in civic education. Now that is a massive silver lining!

(It is now 01.00 and Members of Parliament are still being sworn in? Why the heck don’t these guys start their business day at 09.00 like the rest of the professional world (or at 6am like many of their constituents do)? Don’t worry, Kibaki snuck out a while ago and is probably tucked into bed enjoy a long nights sleep after a hard 5 hour working day.

Kibaki names new cabinet: Kenya Election 2007

January 8, 2008 in Election07, Kenya, Politics by Mentalacrobatics | 17 comments

Kibaki just named a new cabinet on KBC TV – well part of cabinet anyway.

Highlights

Vice President: Stephen Kalonzo
Michuki downgraded to Transport

I expect the full list will be posted here soon.

Video: Kenyans talking with GSU – Kenya Election 2007

January 5, 2008 in Election07, Kenya, Politics, Video by Mentalacrobatics | 7 comments

I managed to capture a few short video clips of Kenyans talking to the GSU during the confrontation at Hurlingham. This clip shows Charity Ngilu asking the officer in charge why the rally is not allowed to continue. It is a bit shaky and ends mid sentence but at least it shows some sort of dialogue.

For those who have asked, the pictures on the original post and this clip were all taken by me at around the same time. Feel free to use them on your blogs and websites under the terms of the Creative Commons license.

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