Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission chairman Isaack Hassan
The incompetence of IEBC is not about chicken gate alone; the body itself admitted that there were numerous electoral malpractices in the 2013 general elections. The Supreme Court, which is the highest court of the land despite its ruling on the presidential petition, also noted that the 2013 polls had problems.
Nothing much has been done to reform the body, and the country is now 13 months to the next general elections. The opposition has held several street protests demanding the disbandment of the current IEBC; the calls have seen the formation of Joint select committee look into concerns raised about the credibility of the electoral body.
Dilly dallying can be seen from quotas that are anti-IEBC reforms. Perception has now been created by the Chepkonga led Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) that IEBC carried the day after its chairperson Issack Hassan was cleared of any wrongdoing in the procurement of BVR kits that failed immensely during the 2013 polls. Any seriously thinking Kenyan knows that the people who benefited from the 2013 malpractices cannot support the disbandment or the current IEBC or removal of its chairperson.
Clearing Hassan is a ploy to insulate him from facing prosecution. The public cannot be fooled that only the former IEBC chief executive James Oswago is responsible for the infamous chicken gate scandal alongside other three ‘small’ accomplices the committee allowed to be prosecuted. It’s a pity that EACC has also turned to be a clearinghouse for highly connected. Oswago said that he was not allowed by EACC to complete the statement he had begun making a month ago. “Any accused person must be given time to defend himself. The EACC may be trying to divert public attention from a particular matter”, said Oswago.
The electoral environment has not changed since 2013, and it’s absurd for Hassan to celebrate and sit pretty preparing for next polls. Serious reforms are needed to secure proper elections in 2017, and the reforms must go beyond the commission. Voter registration must be seriously conducted without favouring any region and issues on technology to be used must be resolved.
Leaders of IEBC must inspire the nation, and the Hassan led commission lacks public confidence, and something must be done within the timeline. Relevant teams must put the country first and work expeditiously hard to reform the IEBC and avoid pushing back the election date which can be very expensive for the country. Change of election date extends the term of the president which can only be affected through a referendum.
It’s sad to note that time wastage through unnecessary debates between JLAC and Joint Select Committees may force the nation to push back election date. AG Githu Muigai, for instance, is asking for the 2017 poll date postponed allowing proper reconstitution of the ongoing reforms including putting in place new IEBC commissioners. The constitution is clear on the election date, August 8th, 2017.
Attempts to postpone elections will be seen as a plot by the president to extend his term which may plunge the country into more arguments. There is enough time to reform IEBC and have the next elections held as stipulated in the constitution.
DP Ruto’s Pilot, Mr Alistair Patrick Llewelyn assaulting a policewoman
For a better part of Friday, the internet went berserk following the surfacing of a coral video showing Congolese Lingala star Koffi Olumide reigning on one of his female dancers with kicks. The assaulting video grasped the internet, elicited anger with users unanimously calling for his arrest and immediate deportation.
The pressure was coming from all corners that the police has no option but to jump in. Koffi was arrested outside Citizen TV’S studios where he had attended an interview show. Later detained at JKIA police station where he spent the night. Olomide has since been deported from the country with double tragedy of permanent visa ban.
Kenyans have a peculiar habit of forgetting things as soon as they relegate from the trends. The impunity forces are aware and take advantage of the this. Earlier this year, DP Ruto’s Pilot, Mr Alistair Patrick Llewelyn was caught on tape assaulting a policewoman.
Expectedly, the video drew hostile reaction accompanied with #DeportRutoPilot, and he was taken to courts, and before we knew it, the chap was back in the skies with the same chopper under the same company.
DP Ruto’s Pilot, Mr Alistair Patrick Llewelyn(Middle) as seen back in action with him his client Lawyer Donal Kipkorir. Notice the registration of the chopper remains the same. (Pic Courtesy)
Kwale Island Development Limited, who run the helicopter 5Y-DSN, said they had terminated the services of Mr Llewelyn whom they had contracted, but they lied. Knowing nature of Kenyans, they duped us with PR statement that he was fired, bought time and sneaked him right back.
Olomide, as some have argued, didn’t survive not because Kenya has strict moral policies but because he didn’t have powerful connections in the government to cushion him. Wenjie Li a Chinese millionaire doing business in Kenya also a declared illegal immigrant by an office of the president is a good example. According to an expose done by Nyakundi, the illegal immigrant is receiving protection from aides to Interior CD Joseph Nkaiseery. The expose would later see the blogger getting police summon and arrest.
What’s so exceptional about Wenjie Li that he can’t be deported with the glaring facts that he’s in the country illegally. The culture of impunity is deeply rooted in the system, and you can nearly get away with anything as long as you have money and know people who know people. If we’re sincere in securing our borders and abiding by the law, then Wenjie Li and any other illegal immigrant should be bundled out of the country.
On Thursday the political temperatures shot high with streets buzzing with the debate sparked by Bungoma Senator and CORD’s co-principal Moses Wetangula. He had earlier in the day called out for his counterpart Raila Odinga to give up his political ambitions following his previous unsuccessful bids. Weta argued that Raila has made more than enough shots, and it’s the right time he gave up and let others like him attempt their luck.
The argument as anticipated was received with mixed reactions, Raila opponents applauded Weta for it and ran away with the story to escalated grounds. Raila’s supporters were on the other end unamused in what they say are impairing efforts by Jubilee to weaken CORD. The majority language is that Weta has been bought by Jubilee and joining likes of Ababu, the CORD rebels said to have been heavily pocketed by the monied jubilee.
While trading accusations is a political norm, I don’t see anything wrong in Wetangula calling for Raila to call off his bid. In a healthy democracy that CORD fundamentals are supposedly built on, is a good sign of maturity and free speech space. CORD supporters should take pride in having space where one is allowed to express himself and challenge the leader.
What a better time for this debate to come than now when Jubilee leadership in Central Kenya has sent a stark warning to all aspirants that vying on any party other than JAP and supporting anyone other than President Uhuru would be severely consequential. This shows the minimal democratic space within the party, exhibiting dictatorial tendencies.
By CORD having space for anyone to raise a voice and challenge the de facto leader is a good move in the right way. The times of ‘ndio baba’ Moi era politics is long gone and should never make a comeback. Presidential nominations for CORD should be fair, Raila is not the ordained candidate, the coalition’s secretariat has made it clear that the candidate would be picked through a constitutional process. Weta as a hopeful is right in fighting for his space. As an art of war, deal with the biggest threats first.
As to whether Wetangula has the muscle might to head CORD and win elections is another matter. The Senator has been fumbling with no firm position on his political future, as we had reported earlier on a Kenya Insights Weta is also eyeing the Nairobi gubernatorial seat. Close sources confide in me that he’s financially limping and would take up any attractive deal including joining Jubilee. If Ababu with all that my DNA is ODM and his blood incompatible with Jubilee shenanigans changed overnight what can stop Weta?
Talking of which politics and politicians are about securing personal interests, that’s the unwritten law, and there’s nothing wrong politicians will see in shifting allegiances as long as their interests are guaranteed. What’s wrong with joining Jubilee after all? Let Weta dance and let Raila fight for his place, and it should never be a silver plate service.
Politics is as Barack Obama would call it, silly season but in Kenya, its silliest of seasons and it would seem all year(s) long! With 2017 fast approaching all manner of games, trivia, lies and stories are being told to a bemused public. Known agents of Jubilee are standing authoritatively in CoRD press conferences waxing lyrical about political parties, communities and democracy.
This is more than ridiculous.
Ababu’s games that have been known to only but a few over the years, have progressed and now reached their crescendo and presumably climaxed. But who is this Mr Namwamba?
I love Kenyan psychology. Simple tricks are played on the unsuspecting public to hoodwink commoners and emasculate the truth. But the truth is always hiding in plain sight and people have reputations and histories.
The rumor mill in Kenya is seldom wrong, yet purveyors of impunity will lambast truth tellers and dismissively call them ‘rumor mongers’…it’s a technique well tried, tested and perfected by Moi in the KANU years who would dismiss Wangari Maathai (a great woman) as a ‘mad woman’ to the amusement and roaring laughter of wananchi at a public holiday rally.
It is through rumors that we knew Ouko had disappeared. It is through rumors we are aware Ababu was not trustworthy at the University of Nairobi and reportedly did his exams under police escort for his own safety.
During the swearing-in ceremony of early 2008, the entire Kenya was treated to pseudo comedy from a young first time MP swearing allegiance to Raila as the “elected president”, never mind Mwai Kibaki commander-in-chief was in the House, also for swearing in. Most thought “…wow what a loyal junior this one.” I watched carefully, on the face of it quite remarkable and cute but as they say time reveals everything.
The ‘establishment’ elements too have eyes and more ears, and they had taken note of this fellow. It wasn’t long before his name was all over the ‘maize scandal’ and a curious dalliance with Agriculture minister William Ruto keenly noted by all and sundry. But because politicians assume and ‘know’ that Kenyans are foolish, Ababu continued to front the ‘I am more ODM than anyone’ mask and to talk tough and to baptize himself “Generali.” And Raila allowed it.
Tinga wants to be president so bad, and is so under siege from many corners of the establishment that he’s always overwhelmed, outfoxed and in crisis. While knowing Ababu was compromised, he kept playing games with him, feeding him cookies and stroking his ego until ‘Men-in-Black’ happened on his watch. The party had been infiltrated and the take-over had to be stopped, violently and in broad daylight.
Meanwhile, Ababu had been chastised, rebuked and thrown out of the leadership of the Legal Affairs Committee in parliament and no media channel has cared to look carefully at his record and facts. Somehow he weaved his way as an ‘ODM loyalist’ and landed the plum position of chairperson Parliamentary Accounts Committee PAC a most cherished and coveted perch.
Alas, screwed up investigations ensued on sensitive topics (e.g., Hustler Jet and guess who the subject was?!) before Ababu again was bundled out in ignominy on crazy allegations of bribe taking and finger pointing in the same committee but not before going to his party leaders house to brief him on goings-on and while at it taped him secretly!
Recently, social media smoked out Ababu and mainstream media followed suit asking where is the ODM SG? Without breaking a sweat and being the liar he has proven to be the young politician quickly put out that he’s been on paternity leave, has young children and a young wife and all is honky dory.
Except that it’s not! Soon he clarified that he’s been absent because his conscience is so clear about IEBC that he doesn’t accept the unlawful methods of street demonstrations…after which he called the press to assert that he is not a cry baby, before finally declaring that he is frustrated upon realizing that his office has no powers and that the “gun he was given has no bullets!” All this, in a span of 6 weeks.
Kenyans like me are tired.
We are tired of rubbish. We abhor tribal politics and the naked manipulation, upending, blackmail and fallacy that go with it. We are well aware that our childish political culture impoverishes our people. We are tired of a lazy media that chooses to focus on Ababu carrying a mwiko and printing new tee shirts for his villagers than digging into the heart and core of issues.
Theatrics! We are tired of impunity. Of grown men, so scared like little children, unable to muster the courage to walk out of a party (any party) they fundamentally disagree with but choose to sit tight and serve two masters. We are tired of Tumbocracy masquerading as Democracy. Political players don’t care what the political parties act says, they don’t read the constitution they only want chopper rides, bags of money and big 4X4s to dazzle peasants in the constituency.
After almost 10 years, no Kenyan can identify one solid legislation crafted, drafted and advocated by Ababu Namwamba, nor any policy direction he pushed as minister or otherwise. Kenyan politics is about tricks, lies, deception and gimmicks. This must stop. Ababu is so busted. Fare thee well.
The writer is a social commentator and a governance adviser
This article expresses the author’s opinion only. The views and opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Kenya Insights or its Editors. We welcome opinion and views on topical issues. Email:[email protected]
Ababu and Raila sharing a light moment during an ODM function
By Bel Akinyi
The hypocrisy in the political corridors today in Kenya has gutted me. Someone once said, man made money and money made man mad, and this is absolute genius. Political lightweights are flying all over the ring throwing empty punches into the air, making the utmost yet vain roars.
Jubilee has made it clear that 2017 is going to be about money, they’ve set aside billions, possibly stolen from the public kitty and about or already making it rain. Malnourished politicians are streaming in for brown envelopes. Recently, New Ford Kenya dissolved their party to join Jubilee, an openly money motivated move.
To the point at hand, it’s laughable and embarrassing, insulting to natural intelligence when a once thought to be brilliant politician turned bluff of century Ababu Namwamba, deprecates and rubbish off Raila political prowess.
First, Ababu’s approach is cliché, and he’s using a script that has been used by many; get in Raila circle, stick around like a leech, gain political mileage, start rebelling, cook an excuse to bolt out, call Raila names. I mean you couldn’t shock us with anything distinctive?
Ababu has been running up and down calling Raila names, saying how undemocratic and undermining he’s been to him. Now Ababu sit down your four eyes and let me school you and jog your memory. Ababu is who he is in political scale because of Raila, and he can deny it as much as a grown person refusing ever suckling his mother’s breast.
Ababu in Statehouse when he led a group of MPs from Western to hold talks with President Uhuru and DP Ruto
We all remember the controversial swearing in where defiant Ababu declined to pay allegiance to Kibaki instead he did on Raila, and that’s when he caught the nation’s attention and when his political star in the national sky went on.
In the coalition government, Raila awarded Ababu with a ministerial post, but the man with the mouthful of Ingokho now will deny that. Ababu was awarded a lucrative committee in Parliament PAC, courtesy of Raila and he was swimming in oil, he’s said to have been paid off in millions to throw under the bus, PAC report on Ruto’s hustler’s jet that cost taxpayers millions. Ababu has enjoyed political privileges courtesy of Raila he can’t deny that.
Despite revolt from insiders and many party supporters, Raila gave Ababu a chance and was delivered ODM’s top most authoritative position and was named the Secretary General. And yet this man still grieves of having been played in ODM. I asked this before, and I’ll ask again, did Ababu want Raila to give him his lungs to feel content.
On a fair note, it’s okay if a young man as Ababu has bigger political ambitions. However, it’s more significant to play smart as in politics isn’t any standard game. Respect the rules of power, don’t punch a wall and expect the wall to get hurt.
Raila leads Ababu in the good old days
Pursue your ambitions Ababu, but don’t insult people who nurtured you, respect is paramount, in Africa, and the young are bound to respect the elders. It wouldn’t hurt or make you less of a man if you only said “Mr Odinga, I’m thankful for the time I’ve been with you, I’ve learnt a lot, and I think we no longer share identical political agendas, and it’s time for me to move on to the next phase of my political career.” It wouldn’t harm you Ababu.
By Bel Akinyi is a Political Science student at Melbourne University, Australia.
Twitter: @BelAkinyii
This article expresses the author’s opinion only. The views and opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Kenya Insights or its Editors. We welcome opinion and views on topical issues. Email:[email protected]
Protestors in Nairobi, chanting anti judicial killings slogans following murder of lawyer Willie Kimani
Lawyer Willie Kimani together with his client Josephat Mwedwa and their taxi driver Joseph Muiruri were laid to rest eventually on Saturday. Hundreds of mourners gathered to give the three heroic send off in their rural homes.
Leaders from different divisions; LSK, political, administration and civil society all had one common message, bring to an end extra judicial killings which claimed the lives of the three. The brutal murder of Willie and his company not only grabbed headlines of local media outlets but international spaces.
From Civil unions to international media terminals, the gory news caught the world in consternation even as US extrajudicial killings maimed the world. In a peculiarity mannerism, Kenyans have a tendency of forgetting things as soon as they relegate from the trending topics list.
Great scholars say insanity is the art of doing the same thing over and over and expecting to see a change. The cycle has been entirely predictable, extrajudicial executions by police are committed, in this case, a prominent case as the rest get shoved off, a public outrage sparked, the topic trends on all the key social and mainstream media platforms.
Anti Extra Judicial killings Protestors in Nairobi streets. (Photo: Getty)
Leaders drawn from across the board come out to reprobate the heinous acts, victims of brutality buried, and the hype goes with it as well. Life gets back to normal as soon as the graves are covered.
Loudmouthed MP, Moses Kuria knowing the distinctiveness of Kenyans, is on account calling for the assassination of CORD leader Raila. He went further to say, Raila’s supporters would riot for few weeks, the police would shoot dead a good number in the name of maintaining peace and before we know it, life would be back to normal.
Kuria wasn’t wrong, Kenyans have a slight recollection, we have knee-jerk reactions and forget at light speed. Now that Willie has been buried, and the calls for the stop to extrajudicial killings rented the air, where do we go next. From my point of view, we have at disposal several arbitrations to curb this menace that has steadily been robbing the country the best of its brains.
Western Financiers
The police force largely depends on foreign aid in financing their operations, US, UK, Sweden, France just to mention a few are some of the key financiers of the now killer branded force. The foreign powers gratify themselves in training, equipping and financing the force at large.
Unless the extra-judicial killings are part of their maiming agenda, the financing countries must use their powers at stake to push for the alignment of the police. Use veto powers to quash the lethal force to submission. I leave it at a comfortable point that UK, US, France and the rest have the rest to cut off, review or continue facilitating a clearly brutalising force. Their stand will and won’t be overlooked given the stakes they hold.
Police reforms
The new constitution came with the Independence Police Oversight Authority with the sole focus on streamlining the force and furnishing its face. However, the fruits are yet to materialise. Civil societies, political and interested party leaders must bury their faces in this course to ensure the transformation of the police from its perceived image to an acceptable one. Ethics, adherence to core values and respect for natural laws should be guiding lines in this agenda.
Lawyers carry the casket bearing the body of slain colleague Willie Kimani during his funeral service
A reformed police force, streamlined with discipline will go a long way in dealing with extrajudicial killings. According to reports, a reward of as little as Sh.2,000 an equivalent of $20 is given to officers who kill criminals. The unpropitious aspect here is, you’re either a perceived or real criminal. A disciplined, well-paid officer, will pause for a moment before pulling the trigger for a mere Sh.2,000.
Unfortunately, in Kenya, you stand a higher chance of raising your rank in the force given the number of criminals real or perceived that you’ve fallen. This lethal loophole is a motivational factor for rogue officers to pull the trigger continuously with the final thought of rising the tube.
Reforms should extend to the dismissal of all top security organs from Inspector General of the police, CID director all the way down in cleansing the police force. Boinnet, Muhoro and company, who have been overseeing the recent infinite illegal killings.
Disbanding the Killer unit
Brand Fire lawyer, Abdulahi Ahmednassir, recently pricked the inflated balloon exposing a relatively obvious fact that DCI’s led unit harbours the killer unit.
Dreaded Serious crimes prevention unit, flying squad under the unsmiling DCI Ndegwa Muhoro should have deeper scrutiny. Most illegal killings have been attributed to these units. Lawyers, leaders and all relevant bodies must lock in their focus in this space to ensure the ‘promotion to glory’ elements are disbanded as a measure in killing the unit and eventually the extra-judicial killings. Failure to this, the noises will reign and so will the unit, insanity.
Executive stand
When the prominent businessman Jacob was earlier in the year assassinated in what many points at the executives’ wing involvement and most recently, Willie’s murder, one thing has been common, the deafening silence from the executive.
Their silence can easily be read as a stamping signal to the extra-judicial killings. President Uhuru and Jubilee government, swore an oath to protect, uphold the constitution of Kenya and above all ensure the safety of all citizens.
DCI Muhoro, Head of Flying Squad John Kariuki when they appeared before the court
Throughout the fatal incidences, their voices are hardly audible, silence throwing many into the speculative mode. The leaders must come out of their shells to condemn these killings and Kenyans to take them into action. As top most organs in the hierarchy, they must be responsible and pull the relevant strings in dealing with this menace, and silence will only be read as an endorsement.
Tribunal Inquiries
Every time, a prominent execution takes place a tribunal is formed with negative results to show at the end. Devotion must be shown, and past enquiries reports should be made public as research basis and historical files preservation.
A general Tribune to discuss the bigger problem, extra-judicial killings, let’s look into the causes and come up with perfect solutions out, name and shame the rogue elements in the state involved in this.
As Kenyans head to the next general elections, all danger pausing aspects must be dealt with, and not a single angle left hanging given possible repercussions.
To appease the spirits of our brothers and sisters in history from JM, Mboya, Ouko, Wagalla to the Mavoko three and everyone else, who’ve been brutally murdered by hit squads, we must not relent on justice course. It must not be business as usual and wait for the poachers to pounce on their next catch for us to wake from the repose.
What solutions have the greatest potential for increasing food security? Asamoh believes critical responses to food security challenges around the world include honouring comparative advantage by growing crops well suited to local conditions, enabling open markets, supporting smallholder farmers, fostering cooperation between the public and private sectors, encouraging investment, harmonising food safety standards and reforming biofuels mandates. While focusing on long-term solutions is crucial for achieving food security, providing aid during emergency food shortages is critical as well.
Increasing production and access to food
The world will always raise the most food the most economically and in the most environmentally responsible way when farmers plant the right crops for their local climate and soils using the right technology, then trade with others for the benefit of all. If every country set a goal of food self-sufficiency, the world would have much less food. Open markets increase food security by ensuring food surpluses can reach areas of deficit. Governments need to support open markets through a fair, transparent and rules-based trading system. Trade helps create jobs, supports local economies, helps raise living standards and contributes to a more food secure global population.
To increase food security, the world needs farmers at every level of production to be successful. Providing support to smallholder farmers is essential to helping them fulfil their expanding role in feeding the hungry and fighting malnutrition. First, smallholder farmers need training in agricultural best practices and access to inputs, credit, storage and technology to increase their productivity in a sustainable way, which raises their own living standards and produces surpluses to help nourish others. Second, farmers need some form of revenue certainty. Smallholder farmers often are forced to sell at harvest when they are cash flow destitute and have limited access to real credit. Selling at depressed prices creates a cycle of discouraging further production in future years.
Farmers in developing countries need reliable markets into which to sell their crops each season and an adequate price to compensate them for their efforts and provide incentive to continue production the following year. Third, farmers need access to crop insurance and other risk management tools so they can rebound from crop failures or other growing season fluctuations. And fourth, farmers must be able to own their land and pledge it as collateral if they are expected to reinvest and raise their productivity over time.
Improvements in African agriculture will be necessary to feed the world’s growing population. Roughly 60 percent of the world’s potential cropland is in Africa, and much of that land has adequate sun, water and soil for rain-fed crop production. Despite its vast potential, Africa has the lowest agricultural productivity in the world and must import much of the food and agricultural products its people need. Increasing Africa’s agricultural production – including closing the productivity gap by supporting smallholder farmers and bringing suitable lands into production – will be essential for achieving food security across Africa and around the world.
Business-ladies selling farm products in the local market
Technology advances have increased the efficiency of the global food system, giving more people access to a wider range of safe, nutritious foods at a relatively low cost. Genetic improvements, such as drought resistance, and optimisation of inputs, such as fertiliser, help farmers improve yields while reducing waste and environmental impact. Science and technology are vital to producing more safe, affordable and nutritious food in an environmentally conscious way. High-yield agriculture allows farmers to grow more food so less land needs to be converted for production. Small- and large-scale farmers using a variety of production practices will be needed to feed a growing world.
Food Security Solutions
Farmers benefit from cooperation between the public and private sectors, enabling them to grow more food sustainably and making that food accessible to others. Civil society, governments, academia and the private sector must work together toward solutions, such as training farmers in sustainable practices, helping them invest cooperatively in storage and other infrastructure, and facilitating harvest loans.
Greater investment in agriculture by the public and private sectors also is necessary to increase global food production. A boost in funding and attention in the following key areas is needed: transportation, distribution, storage and energy infrastructure; agricultural research and development; agricultural science, extension, education and the promotion of best practices; and governance around legal and business structures to encourage private sector investment.
Focusing on the role of women farmers also is critical to achieving food security. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), women account for nearly half – 43 percent – of the world’s farmers, although their contribution to the agricultural labour force can be much higher – more than 60 percent in some countries. Yet women farmers face more severe constraints than men in accessing productive resources, markets and services. Closing the gender gap in agriculture would produce significant gains for society by increasing agricultural productivity, reducing poverty and hunger and promoting economic growth. Aid for agricultural development programs needs to more closely match the significant role women play in agricultural production.
Locals in Turkana taking away relief food from an NGO
Removing barriers
Ensuring the safety of food as it is produced and transported also is critical to achieving greater food security. To move food efficiently from where it is produced to where it is needed, predictable, science-based global food safety standards are necessary to manage risk, provide transparency and ensure accountability. Harmonising standards can help address the problem of food waste and correct the lapses, failures and gaps in food safety systems that prevent food from being safely consumed.
Reform of biofuels mandates also is necessary to help improve food security. Demand for biofuels has spurred investment in agriculture, but mandated use of biofuels creates inelastic demand and increased volatility in the food system. To help balance food, animal feed and biofuel uses of agricultural feedstocks, government policy needs to include waivers or other trigger mechanisms to lift biofuels mandates in times of stress, so that the market can direct short crops to those sectors where they are most needed.
Improving nutrition
Malnutrition imposes health, social and economic burdens on individuals, communities, businesses and governments. Increasing collaboration by the public, private and nonprofit sectors is needed to ensure people receive adequate nutrition. The Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Business Network and Global Nutrition for Growth Compact are helping focus attention and action to improve nutrition. Undernutrition increasingly co-exists with obesity, which is rising in every part of the world. Nutrition solutions are needed that improve diet and health for people across the food security spectrum, including hunger and overconsumption.
Providing emergency food aid
In cases of emergency food shortages – due to weather-related production shortfalls, natural disasters, political instability or conflict – or where markets work counter to food security for a period of time, mechanisms and programs for consumers and farmers are needed to support food security. Consumers can often be helped through income safety nets that tackle basic poverty, or more focused initiatives such as food banks and other emergency feeding programs, school feeding programs, or food voucher systems that can ensure that people have enough to eat. Farmers can be helped through crop insurance and programs that guarantee inputs for the following year. In times of dire emergency, support is needed for the World Food Programme to have flexibility in acquiring emergency food supplies.
By Reinhard Asamoh, a University of Nairobi trained Economist with interest in governance.
This article expresses the author’s opinion only. The views and opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Kenya Insights or its Editors. We welcome opinion and views on topical issues. Email: [email protected]
Kenya’s leading telecom, Safaricom is yet again on the receiving end for declining to avail crucial data that would help the investigators in Lawyer Willie Kimani’s murder probe. The Law Society of Kenya, faced with non-corporation and impediments from the telecommunication giant, has made an application at High Court to compel Safaricom to release information relevant to the investigations.
LSK had requested the company to give communication data from calls and text messages for Willie, Josephat and Joseph. In a quick rejoinder, Safaricom said that they are unable to retrieve text messages since they’re not stored me their database. This, as it sounds, a big lie, calls and messages including mobile money transfers records are stored in a database as a requirement.
Willie Kimani and company were kidnapped on the 23rd of June and allegedly held in a container (which has since been torched by unknown persons) inside Syokimau Police station. LSK requested for Safaricom to use forensic data analyses techniques to get all phone numbers that were active around the container between 12pm-4pm when it is believed the three were held inside the container.
This would be a significant breakthrough in identifying the numbers and registered details of people who held the murdered captives before taking them away for butchering. Calls that were going and incoming around the container where the three were being held could be a major opening.
Anti Extra Judicial killings Protestors in Nairobi streets. (Photo: Getty)
They were probably held at the spot shortly awaiting communication from someone or persons, and the call logs will determine the who and who. For the truth to be known entirely, Safaricom must, therefore, come out clean.
In justification, Safaricom is saying they risk losing their operations licence if they released such details to third parties, that’s the LSK. The information Safaricom is withholding could be used to nail the suspects further if the data could tie them to the location.
Also, communication details where JosephatMwendwa was always getting death threats together with Willie. Delaying to release this information is obstructing justice as Kenyans sweat day in to bring to an end the legion of extra-judicial killings.
Willie’s case is not isolation, and Safaricom is on record having refused to cooperate and release call logs for blogger Bogonko Bosire, who went missing years back and is yet to be traced up to now. During ICC cases, the prosecution too accused Safaricom of non-corporation and vehemently refusing to corporate with the court and release M-Pesa statements for President Uhuru, who was charged with being a financier to the Mungiki Sect.
Ironically, the telco says its contravention of policies to release such data to a third party, yet it’s public knowledge that at times they corporate with the police to use their database in trailing down criminals. In investigations, there’s no minor evidence, and every loophole is a big breakthrough. Safaricom should corporate with the courts and investigators principally on public interest cases like this of extrajudicial killings.
Singer Madonna Ciccone (L) poses for a photograph with Kenyan First Lady Margaret Kenyatta as she receives a “Beyond Zero” campaign technical report at State House in Nairobi, Kenya, July 4, 2016
By Nickolas Olambo
Western media has always painted Africa as a battlefield, weak, corrupt, backwards and leaving so many people unaware that the nations in Africa have functioning governments, with modernised cities, schools, hospitals, normality, thriving businesses, intelligent and capable human beings. Rwanda, for example, has been reported as war tonne when it’s one of the top growing economies in Africa.
They report only negative stories which in fact are even in their home countries just to provide their celebrities with a cause to make more money despite their careers hitting ‘menopause’. It’s senseless to reduce Africa to a mere notion of good versus evil and create a suggestion that only outsiders carry the key to solutions.
Who benefits from these celebrity activists? One may ask and it’s clear these fame beings hire expensive PR experts to sell their convictions as Daniel Drezner would tell you in “When foreign policy goes glam”, engaging in humanitarian causes clearly benefits the Clooneys, Jolie’s and Damons of the world. It provides them with access to new outlets – political talk shows or international forums – and helps polish their personal brands.
Madonna, for instance, was in Kenya, Kibera slums over the weekend reportedly to see how she could improve the lives of the residents. She is also said to have been reduced to tears when she heard a man narrate how his five-year-old daughter was raped by the neighbour. Everybody knows Madonna has championed projects in Malawi to adopt babies in the end but similar PR stunts by Western celebrities such as crying, Salma Hayek breastfeeding a baby in Sierra Leone and Angelina Jolie travelling to Iraq is annoying.
These are lame PR stunts people are used to. In 2013 members of British Pop Group, One Direction was filmed with toddlers at a hospital in Ghana, the aim of such a clip is to encourage people to donate. And true to the stereotypes before it was aired, UK papers had released images of the group in tears sitting next to sick African kids. Africa is tired of these pictures, but celebrities don’t seem to realise.
Their PR experts are doing a good job, and they have realised that Kenya is a place to be, take photos and beg for mercy. This works well because the current regime is that which enjoys taking ‘selfies’ then count and smile about the many likes they get on social media. The over glorified ‘Beyond Zero Campaign’ by the first lady Margret Kenyatta is a great initiative, and no one can deny that.
Madonna should instead identify something else to tackle not expressing her ‘willingness’ to partner with Beyond Zero Initiative to redeem her diminishing fame and image.
This celebrity adopter is full of controversies not good for Beyond Zero. It has been alleged that the children she adopted from Malawi are not orphans, sidestepping the right procedure to complete the adoption process and using her status and wealth on authorities.
Not long ago she also caused controversy when she posted a picture of her ‘white son’ Rocco and captioned it with the N word. She did that despite having two adopted black children. Apologies or no apologies, that was reckless and casting doubts if she will add any value to ‘Beyond Zero Campaign’.
There are so many good projects that in fact can’t meet their goals due to insufficient funding. Beyond Zero is not one of them so what would Madonna be there for? In fact, her pledge to work with the First Lady’s initiative comes only a few days after Melinda Gates, the co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation expressed similar interest to partner with the Beyond Zero initiative, to ensure access to quality health for Kenyan women and children.
To quote Journalist Andrew Mwenda ‘all too often, these campaigns are not about the welfare of the people they claim to be helping but act as a platform for celebrities to promote their brand to their audiences at home by exhibiting their humanity’. Madonna’s ‘Beyond Zero campaign photos’ are all over social media when she also visited Maasai Mara, why not post those pictures too for the world to see?
Most Western celebrities travel to Africa with twisted schemes other than what they publicly drive. Some are genuine in their courses but majority insincere. They rush to give ‘aid’ to ‘dying’ Africa to gain humanitarianism points and for their fans to see them as saviours or sort of. It’s all about improving their ratings and getting new Hollywood characters or awards and shoot up their sales.
Now thanks to Madonna half of the world now have a rough idea of how Kenya looks like, dirty with open running sewage. All these because of the selective pictures she flooded on her social media pages of Kibera slums, a micro fraction of Kenya to billions of her fans all over the world.
Akon with president Uhuru when he paid him a visit at Statehouse
Another celebrity whose project can only be heard in Kenya but not seen is Akon. The singer has turned into ‘a state house rat’; you can bump into him anywhere within the premises any day. His Akon Lighting Africa Project has nothing to show in the region when he is busy taking selfies with the head of state just to appear to be doing something yet he failed to turn up for shows when he was in his prime citing fake tickets and rogue promoters as his reasons. Africa has work to do, and its position should not be used to seek sympathy.
There’re more beauty and natural resources that Kenya holds than dirty pictures from Kibera, and we don’t disown that Slum is an issue, even New York, World’s top city is faced with this menace. If you’re genuine in highlighting African accounts, give the world a 3D view, don’t show the shadow and keep off the light side. Kenya or Africa is not and shouldn’t be a space for career flopping celebrities to rush in to salvage their dwindling ratings. Africa has more to offer than Poverty stricken pictures.
Police Spokesman found himself engulfed in the protesting anti judicial killings crowd, splashed with the bloody paint
By Bel Akinyi
Hypocrisy levels in my country Kenya has hit an all-time high, we have a group of special Kenyans dooming one sin and turning a blind eye on the other. It’s unfortunate that Kenya lost a gleaming mind, Willie Kimani who was more than a lawyer but a resolute advocate of human rights with the primary interest on police brutality.
In the rise of the fatal event, conniving, opportunistic, commercial, insincere activists rose from their graves to organise mother of demos countrywide to demonstrate against extra-judicial killings.
While the demos are justified and the agenda of condemning state-owned hit squad rightful, the sincerity and honesty of these money motivated bloggers is nauseating to be least.
Extra-judicial killings, for those of you history students dates back to 1963 during Kenyatta regime. Elimination was used by politicians to square scores. Moi came with unlawful detentions and extra-judicial killings as well to deal with critics.
Muslim Imams have been eliminated in what Al Jazeera and many other outlets attributes to a counter-terrorism strategy by the State. At the far North of the country, young men have been going missing only to turn up dead. Children left orphaned, mothers childless and wives widowed. This hasn’t caused enough commotion and caught the ‘activists’ attention as it has this time.
Most recently, Jacob Juma, a prominent businessman, was assassinated in what is now clear was work of the special hit squad, the now fuming, shouting their lungs out activists did nothing other than making few tweets cover up eyes.
The message sent, simple, it wasn’t okay killing Juma, and it wasn’t wrong either. What a bunch of hypocrites.
During anti-IEBC protests police brutality was caught on camera, in Nyanza police were using live bullets, estimated ten people were killed by the police, a five-year-old kid was shot by police. All these didn’t spark a protest, as usual, few tweets condemning the brutality by police.
The loud silence by these activists who’re more plastic than butt implants sent a clear message, some lives don’t matter.
On the death of Willie Kimani and the other two persons, has caused a never witnessed uproar. Civil Society and Law Society have at last woken up from slumber to realise, the killer police don’t discriminate, anyone is a target.
Protestors in Nairobi streets. (Photo: Getty)
A friend is telling me, the protests are funded by an embassy. Money is said to be a key motivation behind this latest demo. Bluff of activism.
It’s unfortunate that this debate had to come while we’re genuinely mourning the death of a human rights fighter and his two counterparts but the sickening hypocrisy needs to stop.
If you’re going to be a damn activist, then you should treat all. Equally, the only reward should come from God. Most of the great defenders in history died poor but left the rich legacy, from MLK to Malcolm X to Steve Biko even Mandela.
While families are shedding tears, briefcase, motivated cash activists are rushing to the foreign envoys in Kenya with proposals for funding, laughing all the way to the bank. Extra-judicial killings must be halted, the backstops with President Uhuru, who swore the oath to protect lives of all Kenyans. Man up and disband this terror unit.
To the scavenging activists, milking dry cows continue with your evil acts, and time will catch up, and history will judge you by your footprints. Hypocrisy is one of them.
I have deliberately left out names since this will cross with many, and if you are reading this and you’re one of them, you just got served con, now wait for another Kenyan to be killed to add something to your bank account. Rascals.
By Bel Akinyi is a Political Science student at Melbourne University, Australia.
Twitter: @BelAkinyii
ODM Party leader, Raila Odinga met the rebelling party’s Secretary General, Ababu Namwamba over allegations that he was decamping to Jubilee and discussing party issues in the media. The talks don’t seem to have mended emerging rift with some party MPs from Western region threatening to walk out.
Namwamba, for instance, has threatened to quit his post while Paul Otuoma has resigned from the vice-chairperson position but remains a member of the party. Otuoma has complained of being undermined, and Namwamba complained of being frustrated and said there are ‘critical’ issues that should be addressed.
It remains a mystery what the so-called core issues are that party officials at the positions of Namwamba or Otuoma cannot find mechanisms to resolve but instead opt to resign.
Ababu, who is Budalang’i MP, claims he joined the opposition party believing the people’s personal and national dreams would be fulfilled.
“If the goals of the population of Busia are not getting met in this party, we will make a different decision,” he said in Bukalama on Saturday.
What is surprising is their decisions to resign from their party positions and not quit the party immediately. If the party is failing on its agenda, the leadership of that party is to blame; Ababu and Otuoma make that ‘failing’ leadership.
Actual generals fight dangerous wars daily and not quit, Edwin Sifuna a stronger supporter of the Party Leader, Raila Odinga said in an interview. Sifuna, who also stated that Ababu is only a Secretary General on paper is a critic of Ababu and crew, he also added that the team has been ‘bought’ and are headed to Jubilee. There are no serious issues raised by Ababu but mere shenanigans and mind games.
Ababu, who had been criticised as an ‘absentee leader, ‘ has been missing from key CORD events including the protests to reform the current IEBC. He, however, responded that he is an independent thinker who does not believe in the party playing politics all the time.
A classic response of a rebelling politician. They become independent after using parties popular in their regions to get to parliament but never run as independent candidates. Ababu is a hustling politician who doesn’t seem to play his role in the party; before his selection as the secretary general he blackmailed the public and questioned democracy in the party after sensing stiff competition amid claims that he is a Jubilee mole.
He claims that he has been frustrated, and he wants to move where he is appreciated and tolerated. Everyone is waiting to see where he is headed, but the deputy president William Ruto has been linked to a plan by some ODM lawmakers led by Ababu to take over Julia Ojiambo’s Labour Party of Kenya. A source privy to Kenya Insights said that there’s a plan by the DP to have Luhya people decamp from ODM, join LPK and later to deal with Ruto’s URP.
As things stand now, Ababu’s role as the Secretary-General is substantially impaired as he looks headed to Jubilee where he will only be seen as a follower. On his own, he is ‘a small person’ who will only be given a party to bargain with Jubilee.
He was one time ODM’s rising star, but his image was dealt a blow when he was accused of receiving money from corrupt politicians to hide PAC (Public Accounts Committee) reports that he once chaired.
When he wanted to become the Secretary General he claimed to have been with the party since it was founded, he understood the challenges and how to deal with them but what happened after he tasted power and got hungrier for more? He is now more of ‘a political hustler’ looking for means and ways to bargain with those in the authority.
His stake in ODM cannot grant him that. One can hardly believe that the Ababu today is the same guy who once described ODM as their party that he cherished deeply. He claimed to be a battle-hardened individual (valour in a battle) in many ways especially when their victory was ‘stolen’ in 2007. Where is that man to deal with the frustrations or ‘crisis’? Instead, he’s exposing the country to cheap politics of a rebelling politician who can’t officially defect and face the music that comes it.
Today Friday the 24th of June controversial blogger Cyprian Nyakundi was arrested at Galleria by 12 CID officers for unclear reasons.
The blogger has a case in court against Safaricom Limited CEO BOB COLLYMORE. According to what we know, Nyakundi was tracked using a friend’s phone and automatic car number plate detector electronic system along the way.
Blogger Cyprian Nyakundi
Nyakundi was going to Galleria Shopping Mall and at the gate while taking a parking ticket he was called by someone nearby ”Sasa Nyakundi?” and he thought it was one of his followers but to his surprise, 12 CID Officers pounced on him and arrested him.
They took his MacBook and an iPhone 6, adding to the list of his gadgets being held without clear reasons at different Police Stations.
Safaricom CEO, Bob Collymore the latest executive to sue Blogger Nyakundi for defamation.
Civic gadflies and self-styled watchdogs in Kenya who accuse local politicians and companies are getting slapped with lawsuits. Safaricom’s current and former CEOs suing blogger Cyprian Nyakundi for defamation over articles in which he said to accuse the telecommunications giant of exploiting Kenyans is nothing but a motivating factor to him.
I have known Nyakundi for years. He is an introvert who would rather tweet a girl that he likes than talk to her in person. “[As] a personal blogger, when the only readers are you and your mother, you don’t think that someday you are going to be hearing from law offices,”
Web sites and other entities do not want to be tasked with having to weigh the facts of any situation and making a judgment call.
Therefore, most will not delete content just because a party alleges a post is false.
Most websites will, however, remove content declared false by a court, even though court orders are typically against the actual posters of the content and not the websites themselves.
In short, the court ordered removal involves obtaining a judgment against the poster of defamatory content online and then presenting the court order to the sites (or, when relevant, Google) on which the malicious content is appearing.
Of course, obtaining a judicial decision involves filing an actual lawsuit with legitimate claims and pursuing the authors of the harmful content. When a defendant is known (or can be identified and later named as a defendant), the parties might settle and each sign an agreed order, which can be presented to the court to grant the requested judgment.
Blogger Cyprian Nyakundi
Be it real-life or a Blog, controversy is one of the best way to start a debate and raise some eyeballs. Especially, when you have a new blog, and you like to get mass social media attention, a perfect controversial blog post is your best friend.
It can do wonder and might take your blog to next level. But is it that easy and is it ethical to create controversy to get attention and popularity? We will look into some of these topics below, and you can add your suggestions and ideas for creating perfect controversial posts via comments.
Nyakundi has perfected the art of blogging too well to understand each and every situation he puts himself in. Which ingredient makes a simple post a controversial one ?? Controversial blog posts are the ones that are not expected to be written.
Like say, that Facebook hasn’t yet launched the “Dislike” button and if you publish a post about “Facebook launches a dislike button” which is not at all true, but then also people will rush in to see how to use it and will only get fooled.
Not just that, you can create controversy targeting any particular product or any famous personality. Writing stuff about people that no one knows, and no one even expects it to go public are referred as “Controversial Blog Posts“.
You can pick any trending debatable topic and choose one side and create a buzz with your writing.
So basically suing Nyakundi is the same same as multiplying traffic to his blog times 1000 the regular he get per day which translates to so much money regarding Google Adsense.
Maybe Bob should have just invited it for some traditional ugali at some restaurant in town, if it worked for Raila Odinga and Moses Kuria, it doesn’t hurt to behave like an ostrich and bury your head in the sand at times.
The 8 MPs when they appeared before the Milimani Law Courts
In the heights to the arrest of now FAMOUS Pangani Six, the political temperatures were hitting high grades, and hate speech taking the toll, and tribal hatred appeared to be at its peek. While the contributing factor was IEBC, which bred other scandals, incitement, hate speech overshadowed the core factor.
It all started when Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri mobilised and led a group of youths to storm a planned Rally in Nakuru to be attended by Raila. Ngunjiri in a lethal recorded address is heard calling for the immediate evacuation of Luo community from Nakuru. He argued that the Luos in Kisumu destroyed Kikuyus properties, and so the revenge was to send Luos in Kisumu away.
Before the cloud and wind winds could settle down on Ngunjiri’s inciting speech, his Jubilee counterpart Moses Kuria and Ferdinand Waititu kilometres away in Kasarani were in full gears with tribal hatred and inciting bigotry. Moses Kuria called for the assassination of CORD leader Raila Odinga as the only option to silence the problem.
Senator Boni Khalwale offers MP Ngunjiri first aid when he nearly collapsed in the court
Combatively, legislators from the CORDside, didn’t take the claims by Kuria and Ngunjiri lightly, went ahead and delivered a warning press address calling for the immediate arrest and investigations into the claims by the Jubilee MPs. Unknown to them, the call to action to the police presser is what would, later on, land them in detention for four days.
MPs Junet Mohammed, Timothy Bosire, Florence Mutua, Johnstone Muthama and Aisha Juma from the CORD side landed themselves behind bars. At the heights, demos on Kuria’s statements were reported in different parts of the country. The temperature was hostile.
Charge sheet
As hours turned into days and the MPS faced the wrath of cold nights and deplorable conditions in the cells where they were being detained. Reconciliations, real or perceived were ongoing in the cells, the MPs from the political divides made peace with themselves, and their ties became tighter.
Tales from the cells saying, the Jubilee affiliated MPs tried in vain to reach their principals, but nothing was forthcoming. They were left on their own. Using a smuggled in the phone, the CORD MPs were constantly in touch with their leader Raila.
Surprisingly, Raila talked with the Jubilee MPs, and they made peace particularly with Kuria, who had prayed for his death. It is Raila who kept talking to them giving them encouragement to brave the cold nights. Ngunjiri, Waititu and Kuria promised to visit Raila, eat together and attend peace meetings together to preach unity.
Moses Kuria and Muthama reconciled
The magic of detentions would show more during their court hearings where the MPs were later on released on bond. At one point, Ngunjiri was near to collapsing in the courts when Senator Khalwale from the CORD side and a doctor by profession swung into action, offering him emergency aid.
In a rare occasion, CORD leader was pictured shaking hands exchanging hearty emotions with Kuria and the Jubilee MPs. On learning they had secured bond and getting released, all the 8 MPs joined hands together singing solidarity songs in the court.
Moses Kuria follows the proceedings
Demos and hostile remarks have toned down if not died off ever since. The detained MPs are singing peace songs since release. The state of tranquillity is what Kenya needed most, and if it had to take detention for it to be realised, then the end justifies the means. Even though some of the charges were crafted as analysts notes.
How long will the currently enjoyed state of sanity stay? Will this be a long term or a short term effect on the politicians embarks on their full force venom utterances? Either way, lessons learnt and that unity is possible if we drop down our differences and live together in harmony. As everything calms down, we can’t forget the realities that we have IEBC to deal with as we move ahead and other matters of national interest. Decorum in addressing all these, vital.
You can’t eat your cake and have quickly challenged in African context given how the power elites for the longest time in history have been able to control the narrative and information flow in the traditional media. It has made it possible to sell garbage wrapped nicely as candy pack. Due to their tight grip on the traditional media, the African power elites have had fields day manipulating the traditional media and having their way with whichever social fraud they commit. Simple script, if it didn’t appear on the press it didn’t happen, that’s how the shots have been called.
New age media, the internet era, has completely revolutionized information dissemination and consumption sending a distress call to the big boys. Business has ceased being usual, the horse has gone wild and not even the harshest stroke seem useful in taming. The Internet has given rise to a new breed of citizen journalism with bloggers taking center stage. The ball is no longer dribbled by the traditional media alone; the bloggers are changing the game’s dynamics.
In the recent times, bloggers in Kenya have come under radar especially those deemed critical to the government and influential figures at large. In January alone about ten bloggers were arrested amongst them Cyprian Nyakundi, Yassin Juma, Patrick Safari, Judith Akolo, Eddie Illah,Robert Alia and Dikembe Disembe
The power elites in Kenya have targeted the bloggers in major clampdown specifically those critical to the system. In a well-orchestrated manner, arrests have been flying all over in a desperate bid to gag and suffocate the information flow new order pushed by the bloggers.
Blogger Cyprian Nyakundi
When a hyena wants to eat its children, it first accuses them of smelling like goats an African proverb that captures best the technique robust system adopted in dealing with the blogging menaces. The government being unhappy with the game has resorted to intimidating cards through unwarranted arrests. Section 29 of the information and communication act of misusing licensed telecommunication gadget, the same quote across all the arrested. The government has been accused by human rights watch for hiding behind this law as they pounce on bloggers.
Article 33 of the Kenyan constitution, guarantees everyone right to freedom of expression which goes further allowing them to seek, receive or impart ideas and information. It’s, therefore, selfish for the system to be impartial to the spirit of the constitution. If anything, you only worry about scrutiny of you have a lot to hide. Why would the system and power elites be concerned about citizens seeking information if they’re not doing anything dirty?
The bloggers have threatened the livelihoods of social fraudsters, big business that was initially immune to scrutiny and exposing of their company’s ills are left shivering as bloggers actively prove to be untamed. Controversial Kenyan blogger, Cyprian Nyakundi is currently jumping from one courtroom to the other thanks to legal actions against him after exposing big business like Safaricom and BIDCO Africa. Companies that were thought to be untouchable and could move with utmost ease and impunity no longer can.
Threat to national security
Clampdown on bloggers critical of the government has been read by many as an attack on the freedom of expression and ugly bid by the system to continue controlling the information flow. More than often, bloggers have been accused of posting information seen as the threat to national security, in the right appetite of a hyena eating its kids, the hyena in this case Kenyan government has painted the bloggers as biggest threats to the national security way above terrorists slaughtering Kenyans. Begging the question, are bloggers the threat to national security in Kenya? The threat to safety is the umbrella used to gain public sympathy as the elites embark on mass lashing. Priorities should be rewritten, and issues faced head on without using bloggers as an excuse. The following according to me are the biggest threats to national security.
Corruption
Terrorism as a global scale problem has mainly hit Kenya and an apparent headache to the government. Less than four weeks ago, Al Shabaab attacked Kenya Defence Force (KDF) El Adde Camp in Somalia killing an unknown number of soldiers though preliminary state figures put it at a double figure. Corruption has facilitated terror attacks to a larger extent. Movement of weapons and terrorists in and out of the borders has been blamed on corrupt officers manning the borders. Several reports including those from UN, Justice For Journalists (JFJ) point out at a possibility of high-ranking army officials entangled in illegal sugar smuggling racket and alcohol trade in Somalia, Kismayu airport with KDF notably named as a major player.
Such selfish interests at the expense of our national security are a bigger threat than bloggers and when such issues are highlighted and questioned one is quickly named threat to national safety and risks being a visitor of the state.
Extensively, corruption in public offices, denying opportunities to deserving citizens, cutting off jobs only breeds more criminals contributing to the insecurity surge.
Incompetence
Blogger and journalist Yassin Juma were arrested just moments before he could publish information exposing incompetence issues on the El Adde attack. Yassin claims he was in contact with a source who revealed to him to have provided intelligence to the relevant agencies on the impending attack on the KDF Camp weeks before they were raided. Issues as to when the information was received, preparatory measures adopted by the commanders in readiness. It’s a sacrilege even to think about questioning the competency of the army. Westgate brought into focus some competence flaws by the KDF, but when bloggers and journalists like KTN’s Mohammed Ali raised the issues, they were quickly called out and dismissed as terrorist sympathizers. A miscalculation can lead to hundreds of deaths. Incompetence in any security force is a significant threat to the national security
Blogger Robert Alai
Marginalization
Historically, marginalization of certain communities has been evident, contributing to the growth of hostile citizenship. With the sensitivity that it comes with, many have resolved to speak about it in low tones but look to kill a bedbug, and you have to use two fingers. In unity there’s power. Marginalization on conservative and religious perspectives can be blamed on the rise of insecurity in Kenya. Citizens from the North Eastern region of the country, have for decades complained of being given second class citizens compared to what they feel others are getting. Economic marginalization that has left significant parts of it impoverished can be attributed to the rise in terrorists pile up. Most of the youths that crossed over to Somalia to join the terror group have reportedly blamed their shift on unemployment with the militia promising lavish employment opportunities. While it’s morally unjustifiable, the truth is not any far.
Gagged Media
The traditional media in Kenya is having powerful forces fingerprints stamped all over it. The information control is at its all time highest. Just last month, Daily Nation fired its editor Dennis Galava for writing an article critical of the government, this step is said to have been pushed by powerful forces from above. Galava is not the only journalist to have faced the noose, and some journalists have, and there’s a cold order in the newsrooms against inking anything critical to the system. Information is power and actively informed citizenry is the biggest threat to power masters as they become exquisitely inquisitive, alert and hindering to their manipulative ways.
Being a curious society, the more system attempt to gag the media, bloggers will continue to grow as the best alternative for unfiltered news which in turn blossoms their careers. Four weeks after the El Adde attack, the government is yet to come out and give precise figures. Meanwhile, Al-Shabaab seems to have won the war on propaganda, have released their alleged casualty numbers which they put at a 100+ number. Instead of being consistent in information flow, the government resorted to gagging the bloggers yet themselves created that void by not giving information to the public who are hungry to get the finer details. While it’s ethically immoral to post photos such as that Yassin was arrested for, it’s not in any way illegal.
Flawed communication strategy
Kenyans on Twitter recently mocked President Kenyatta on #UhuruInKenya this followed concerns about his constant foreign travels. Kenyans felt he’s barely in the country. The administrative communication team came in later to give clarifications on the need for such trips and benefits to the country. This was a too much yet too late move. The team should’ve developed a strategy consistently to give the public information on most of his trips and not waiting till the bomb goes off.
During Westgate and most recently El Adde attack, the government has proven not to be engaging best of strategies in handling the crisis situations. Too much information withholding is giving space to the Al Shabaab to propel their propaganda. Constraining the information in such a times is what gets the bloggers hitting the rail, and the enemies can take advantage to sell a spade as a big spoon. The Clear communication strategy will go a long way in fighting the war on terror.
Intimidation
Out of ten bloggers arrested, only one would eventually face charges. Most are arrested, held illegally in custody for days before being released without single charge pressed. This is a clear blueprint of intimidation on bloggers to tame their mouths but has worked the other way round. Blogger Nyakundi, who was arrested and released, after two days without any charges against him, says,”these moves are intimidating theatrics put out to try and gag the bloggers. I was asked why I’m always attacking the government and about my accomplices, this is unacceptable, we’re in a democratic country where everyone is free to support any political agenda.” Similarly, Yassin Juma was released without any charge pressed against him, and that has been the case for Robert Alai, Dikembe Disembe, Patrick Safari and the rest. The fact that no charge gets to be pressed against them is a clear indication that there’s no crime committed and the intentions for arrests are only to play scare tactic role.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery
Own up
One of the greatest minds in humanity, Aristotle said,”to avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing” Jubilee government holding the throne, must look forward to criticism. While they’re going for the bloggers as the threat to national security, real terrorists are taking advantage to restructure themselves. Criticism doesn’t equate to being unpatriotic but rather shows one’s love and concern for the country and only pointing out loopholes for the betterment. Going for bloggers and tolerating economic terrorists, corruption cartels milking the country dry is equivalent to punching the air blindly while the enemy was strategizing cocking the gun behind you.
If you can’t beat them
As Kenya moves closer to 2017 general elections, the bloggers will have let role in information flow. Coming from a violent election and memories still clear of 2007/08, the country is vulnerable. Only those with a lot to hide are threatened by the bloggers, the government or the power elites shouldn’t be worried if all their dealings are stainless. The media has the jurisdiction of being the public’s watchdog, and if it fails to play the mandate, bloggers are restructuring the game and playing that role.
Public offices and power holders must be open to scrutiny and lethal criticism. They must be put into accountability. Fighting bloggers by painting them as the threat to national security with unconstitutional charges is uncouth and backward. To completely tame the bloggers as they are deemed enemies of the state, run a clean system this, in turn, will deny fodder to the bloggers who’re now increasingly watchful. Arresting and intimidating the bloggers has proved to be ineffective and only working as a rating booster for the bloggers. The game has completely changed, and the business as usual syndrome showed the door.
The political temperatures are rapidly rising, hitting high scales as the country nears the general elections set for next year August. CORD’s weekly demos that have since been called off by the opposition to give way for dialogue ended up in reported five deaths and scores of injuries including a five-year-old boy in Kisumu. The deaths are from police bullets.
The protests attracted sharp criticisms from the government and its supporters who have branded the demos as development derailleurs. In a statement that was used as a backup to cancel the demos, National Security Advisory Committee alleged that CORD was working with President Magu86fuli and Riek Machar of South Sudan to topple the Jubilee regime.
The Tanzania President was unamused by the sentiments made by the government that a delegation was dispatched to Nairobi’s statehouse to discuss on the matter. It’s in that same week that violent protests were witnessed in parts of Nyanza where police shot dead three protesters and in Nairobi’s Mathare estate a bus belonging to a woman from the President’s community was torched.
Jubilee supporters under a leadership of MPs Moses Kuria, Maina Kamanda, Dennis Waweru and Bishop Margret Wanjiru, mobilized hundreds of youths who staged a demo taking the shell and dumping it at the Prime Minister’s office in Capitol Hill, Nairobi. The tension was high when supporters of Raila stood firm guarding the premise, and the Jubilee supporters charged to storm into Raila’S office.
Maina Kamanda
The leaders issued stern warnings promising severe repercussions on CORD supporters and their leaders should they continue with ‘destructive’ demos. “We will protect our empire at all costs, don’t awaken the silent majority,” Maina Kamanda is quoted saying.
On the 11th, Saturday, Raila held a rally in Kisumu and was marred with heat. Police were forced to shoot in the air to disperse the rowdy youths who had stormed Raila’s hotel in a bid to evict him. However, the efforts were repulsed, and he went ahead with the rally.
Later on, Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri led a group of weapon-wielding youths to disrupt Raila’s rally. The youths from the grapevines were bankrolled by the governor, Kinuthia Mbugua, and the Bahati MP.
The Bahati MP, in a recorded audio clip that went viral, is heard, calling for ejection of Luos from Nakuru. He argued that Luos in Kisumu destroyed their brothers(Kikuyu) hence they shouldn’t have space in Nakuru.
Elsewhere, in an estimated 60,000 crowd at Kasarani where celebrated and openly pro-Jubilee radio presenter for Kameme FM, Njogu Njuguna was celebrating his 15 years in service, Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria shocked the ground. In a speech he delivered in Kikuyu since the audience was entirely from Central, Kuria called for the assassination of Raila Odinga whom he terms as the country’s biggest problem.
Loosely translated Kuria said, “they want to stage a gunman tasked to murder Raila and then put the blame on me. Raila should be careful as he can still bite the bullet.” Amidst deafening cheering from the crowd, Kuria went on, “we won’t allow ourselves to be troubled by one person forever.
He can as well bite the bullet, and we bury him next Monday. His supporters will just throw stones for one week and life continues. If it’s the war that they want, it’s that they’ll get. Tell Raila he can bite the bullet.
Interestingly, the crowd at Kasarani that was loudly cheering Kuria as he delivered the assassination speech is primarily drawn from a religious background since a man of the day Njogu hosts religious shows and brands himself a man of God. The event was publicized as a prayer rally.
In a quick rejoinder, ODM MPs held a press conference where they threatened to mobilize and stage a one million match to police HQs if by Monday police would not have arrested Kuria following his remarks.
The MPS led by Suna MP, Junet Muhammed, and Timothy Bosire. They said even CORD members won’t keep silence if they feel threatened and will stand up to defend their interest’s whichever ways.
Nairobi’s ODM Chairman George Aladwa
Another ODM affiliated leader Aladwa is under police investigations following remarks he made in Kibera that should Raila’s votes are stolen in 2017, and people will have to die. As these leaders continue to spew venomous inciting, tribal hatred, warmongering speeches, their supporters are always in the background cheering.
What this is worrying is the cheers a confirmation of endorsements of such remarks. This should worry us more than what exactly is said; they speak the hearts of the majority. For Aladwa supporters they’re okay with shedding blood should Raila be rigged out and Ngunjiri’s safe with evicting Luos and so does Kuria’s happy with the assassination of RAILA.
Levels of tolerance continue to dwindle by the day, disintegration along tribal lines heightens. Kenya learned less or nothing from the 2007/8 PEV. NCIC, which CORD has dismissed as partisan and unfair in acting on hate speech, has not adequately prosecuted a single high profile hate speech case.
The war drums are getting louder and the big two, Uhuru and Raila are maintaining a resounding silence as their attack dogs continue to keep reckless stands.
We have been pitted against each other using hollow narratives and on the basis of tribe, political affiliation or social status by the 1% that continues to deprive us of a livelihood that we deserve.
It is time Politicians realized that Kenya belongs to all of us. Fear mongering between Luos and Kikuyus has always been prompted when elite Kikuyus or Luos want to reap big using their community’s name. When will Kenyans wake up?
Consider Kimani Ngunjiri the Bahati Idiot who is spewing hatred against Luos. This is why I have always told Kenyans that we have two tribes in Kenya- The poor and the rich. It is time Poor Kenyans refused to be used by nincompoops whose aim is to score political points at the expense of peace Kenyans enjoy.
Kenyans are losers because they elect people with a dark past like Ngunjiri Kimani. This Chap was recently accused of assaulting a law-enforcement officer with impunity. His gun license was later to be withdrawn after the confrontation with the lady.
What is more interesting is that the Same Mp was behind the Parliament battle where he shamelessly bit Simba Arati’s thumb. The people who voted for him are losers because the Mp has also been accused of being Uhuru’s attack dog as his constituents suffer. Sometimes you wonder whether he was voted by his people to be Uhuru’s Attack dog or deliver to his people.
All the cases mentioned above show that this is a goon masquerading as a leader. The NCIC that is headed by political rejects like Francis Ole Kaparo is toothless. Just like EACC, The nincompoops and political losers at NCIC take orders from the state house.
Photo: Mp Kimani Ngunjiri who is now wanted by the police for hate statements against Luos. The Mp was once involved in a confrontation where he assaulted a lady officer leading to his gun license withdrawal
All these Kikuyu leaders creating enmity between the Kikuyu community and Luo Community or other Kenyan communities must know that Kenyans are tired. They fear monger then loot and blame Raila. Look at the coffee sector where Old Kikuyu men plundered the industry and blamed Moi yet we all know Moi was not responsible for the collapse of the Coffee sector. The task force that was formed to come up with solutions to the ailing industry was just an avenue to loot from poor Kenyans coffers.
The enemies of the Kikuyus are fellow Kikuyus’ using Raila’s name to fear monger then Loot. Kikuyus are now the most shortchanged as they worship their tribal King Uhuru Kenyatta, who has refused to condemn the Nakuru Violence of Mungiki protests that happened in town a few days ago.
The Kenyan media has also lost it. The media should stand up with the people and preach peace after justice, but we all know that is impossible because they are busy hosting socialites as if being a socialite is an achievement. Media should also blackout petty political confrontations that may promote enmity amongst Kenyans.
We now demand that Kimani Ngunjiri be Arrested, Arraigned in court and jailed if possible. It is time revolutionary Kenyans championed for harsher laws that will deal with hatemongers like Aladwa and Kuria that was recently exposed as a hustler who goes to William Ruto begging for money instead of asking for the handouts from his master- Uhuru Kenyatta. But the Kenyatta’s won’t let any Kikuyu leader prosper, once you start having some voice and economic power, they dehorn you.
We urge President Kenyatta not to intervene as Kimani Ngunjiri faces the law even if he was speaking on his behalf. He should let his brainless barking dog face the music alone.
It all started on the 13th of October. I went to the bank only to find a notice attached to the door stating the bank is currently under receivership. At first, I thought it was probably wind up as only a month before did I fix a deposit with the bank. I have worked for no less than 35 years of my life through so many ups and downs. But none comes close to what I felt on the day that I saw the bank being placed under receivership.
A receivership in other regions of the world usually bodes well for the depositors and creditors but ‘this is Kenya’ was the first thing that struck my mind. I felt like collapsing. My family, my kids hard earnt money is locked up in IBL. What was I going to say to them? Most people have limited or no faith in the Kenyan judicial system. Justice in Kenya is something that has never been easy to achieve, in most cases it’s nonexistent. Most of my friends from around the world thought I was crazy in investing in Kenya.
At the time, I disagreed with them and went ahead to give my family a stable life. For some people like the shareholders, they deal in billions. I don’t expect even to come close to those figures in my lifetime. I was happy with what I had. God had blessed me and helped me achieve what others might deem to be nothing.
My family to this day is torn over what the Kenya’s central bank’s governor will decide in regards to the fate of our locked deposits and funds. We are simple people. We are old. We invested our money
We have never taken a cent from anyone. We spent our money to help us reach our goal which was to eventually have enough to get one house for our family. Everything has been taken away from us and all other innocent depositors in an instant. We were grateful when we got the first Sh.1M released to us, but that’s just a small portion compared to what we had in the bank. Is it right that we work so hard in our life for years only to have our money frozen away from us without any form of access to it?
We paid our taxes, obeyed his law. We always believed that the laws are there to protect us. Were we wrong? Worked hard. Saved money for old age, for giving our family a headstart only to
Imperial Bank Offices
Then get robbed. I recall the president of Kenya saying no depositor will lose a penny. That all will be fully reimbursed was he only referring to chase bank? Are imperial bank customers not people? Why isolate us? We are all people created by God. We shouldn’t be discriminating people based on their caste or nationality or color.
We, depositors, feel as if we are being discriminated against. Only three weeks to go until we learn of the way forward. Only three weeks to go until we learn of the way forward. But do you think it would be fair to announce a way forward without giving us access to at least a substantial amount of money to keep businesses, family, bills amongst other stuff going?
What have we done to deserve to wait for eight months without any meaningful access to our money? DR NJOROGE I know you know the world is following the IBL case with a keen eye but please don’t just focus on turning this into criminal proceedings that will drag on while we depositors are left to suffer. We did our part.
We fulfill all our responsibilities to the Kenyan government. We trusted the regulator to be able to sniff anything that was about to go wrong before it caused severe damage to depositors. We feel that we have been failed. We depositors are not to blame for any of this but for some reason, we are getting punished the most.
At times, I feel that you are more focused on other stuff rather than the depositors , the people that matter. Why are we depositors getting punished? Why do we feel that we are being blamed for their shareholders lack of cooperation towards CBK?
Imperial Bank board chairman Alnashir Popat is overcome with emotions during a briefing
You said you were raised up to help people. Why don’t you help us IBL depositors? We ain’t asking for anything more other than what belongs to us. Losing even 10% of our money could take more than a year or 2 to claw back. We have suffered enough. Days are getting tougher, times getting slower. It’s the month of Ramadhan. We can’t even afford to pay zakat to our old folks. People that have been dependent on us for decades. What do we say to them? We don’t know what to think anymore. Who in all of this truly wants to help us?
Who in all of this truly wants to help us? We hope it’s you Njoroge but until the end of June we won’t know. Please put yourself in our shoes just for a day and then tell us how you would have felt both mentally and emotionally. Is it right that thousands are made to suffer due to a problem that’s outside their control? We expected CBK to be cracking down on rogue bankers.
Imperial Bank Depositors demonstrating in Nairobi
Mistakes can happen and it might have slipped through their watch by accident or they might have been involved or shareholders planned everything step by step including the limiting of evidence to avoid being found guilty. Our question is how is this of any help to us? We are still suffering. The statements being released by shareholders, the media are not helping. If anything it deepens our pain even more… if you want Kenya to be great, Njoroge start by sympathizing with us.
Start by giving us access to our hard earned money. Start by ensuring we all get our money back in full if possible. But please don’t make us wait anymore than what we have been asked to wait so far. We will wait till end of June but we can’t help but fear that in Kenya people’s hope are built up only to then get crashed down. Please give us access to what was ours. Don’t punish us for the regulator and shareholders disagreements.
09 June 2015 – Peter Kenneth (PK), a 2013 General Election Presidential candidate who is thought to be yearning for the Nairobi Governorship seat has written to IEBC Chairman Isaack Hassan begging with him to vacate office.
PK urged the under-fire chairman to read the mood and know its to quit rather than keep clinging on to a losing cause.
Peter Kenneth is the latest to join the #IEBCOUT! chorus that has been speareheaded by the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD).
Here is the letter by PK.
An open letter to Issack Hassan IEBC Commissioners
“It’s time
It’s time for you to step down and let the country move forward, how many more people shall die, get injured, businesses destroyed?
There are serious doubts over IEBC’s ability to preside over a free election in this country, without the results being clouded with doubts.
It you have not noticed the political debate is no longer about whether you will leave but the mechanics of your exit and how to replace you.
Forget the politics; forget the protests-the ultimate truth is your exit is already a foregone conclusion. It is a matter of when not if.
Do the honourable thing. EXIT
Save the government the tear gas and the bullets; save the protesters the energy and tears and the country the pointless drama.
Do the honourable thing. EXIT
Put country first; The country is Greater.”
Peter Kenneth
The current IEBC office bearers has been under extreme quit calls from all quarters including the government.
Police putting off fire lit up by rioters in Kisumu during the demos
Weeks continue to pile and so has CORD’s anti-IEBC demos that have intensified and spread through the country. The standoff is over IEBC that the opposition wants bundled out, and the ruling party Jubilee is vowing with a clenched fist to retain.
In their stand, CORD says IEBC marred with integrity issues backdating to flawed 2013 elections that allegedly flocked with fraudulent stints. The chicken-gate scandal that has been haunting the Isaack Hassan led commission for the longest time with their UK counterparts serving jail time.
As clock ticks towards 2017 general election, the stakeholders i.e. CORD and Jubilee have resorted to standing their grounds despite calls for them to loosen up. Last week, the president had invited the CORD principals for a luncheon in the Statehouse where they are said to have discussed the contagious IEBC topic and struck a deal.
In a quick twirl, the Jubilee divide rubbished off claims by CORD that they had hit a deal. Further stirred confusion making CORD stage another demo having called it off a week earlier to give room for dialogue.
Demonstrators in Kisumu carry away body of one of their own shot dead by police
Demos staged countrywide would see a terminal end in Kisumu where two protestors were confirmed dead and scores injured. The number adds to the previous fatalities in the Luo Nyanza region to five, previously police had killed three people.
With the two parties maintaining stiff standpoints and the only persons landed baggage being the citizens who suffer casualties, a voice of tranquility is highly needed. It’s worth noting that, as it stands, the IEBC turmoil is way beyond constitutionality, reduced to supremacy and dick measuring battle.
Puffed ego between state who are determined to show the opposition who runs the show and has the muscles. The opposition who are hell bent to put the state on its toes with pressured demos until they give in.
But really, do we have to continue counting the dead bodies, shed more blood, watch mothers mourn their sons to wake up to the reality?
Shattered walls of Tumaini Supermarket in Kisumu by rioters
Historically, rough demos resulted not only in deaths but humanity deliberating policies. However, as one Martin Luther King, Jr. once put it, “violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem, and it merely creates new and more complicated ones.”
As a country we can’t solve IEBC impasse with violence and think it will solve it, we’re simply breeding more problems given the sensitive period we’re in heading to 2017. It is time as one the late Prof. George Saitoti once put it that it comes a time when the interest of the nation is more important than the individuals.
A pledge goes to the president and the opposition leader, call a cease-fire, let’s sober down, put aside our personal interest and put the nation ahead. Swallowing pride might be a hard one to swallow, but history will judge you right as having statesmanship spirit.
A demonstrator in Homabay
IEBC standoff will not go away, and apparently the commission has lost almost half of the country’s confidence given political dynamics. For a free and fair elections that will be acceptable and paramount to peace, an electoral commission must be seen trustworthy and of high integrity, something current group lacks.
As of my recent article on the IEBC topic, a political solution, as opposed to constitutional, will bail out the botheration. Now more than ever Mr. President and Rt. Hon, the country needs you, don’t allow a single drop of blood.
As I ink this, a kid in Kisumu has had a bullet removed from his back after being shot by a police officer who apparently opened fire in the residential areas. This young boy will never live a normal life, apart from trauma, his physical condition is bound to twist.
I watched the photos of the kid wreathing in pain and I didn’t like it, and I want to believe it disturbed you too. Gentlemen, swallowing your pride doesn’t equal weakness, leadership requires wisdom and knowing you hold livelihoods of many at your hands, sobriety is vital.
Rise above your egos and don’t abscond to the call of leadership and save the nation. Lastly, Swallow your pride occasionally, it doesn’t fatten.
