Politics is unpredictable game so they say and a day in politics can be equated to a century. Nairobi Gubernatorial Race has attracted many especially from the Jubilee quarter with the three Waweru, Sonko and Sakaja being the most visible as the front runners. Though they’ve been seen walking hand in hand in their campaigns it’s no doubt that rivalry over the Jubilee ticket has been real.
Dennis Waweru who is the first to have kicked off his campaigns as early as IEBC voters registration where together with Woman Rep Mary Ng’ang’a erected billboards allover the city at a cost of Sh30M according to sources, has months later lost the plot completely.
In recent times,Waweru in line with his Kiambu cronies likes of Maina Kamanda whom he had under his wings went berserk on the rumors that Statehouse was rooting for a Wamalwa ticket. Its still clear in minds how they belched out their discomfort lamenting how an outsider as Wamalwa would be fronted for the Nairobi seat. The protests went for days and eventually cooled off following interventions by the President and assurance that nominations would be fair.
President Uhuru in a conversation with Dennis Waweru
However information gathered by Kenya Insights from a number of highly placed sources in the Jubilee Party innuendos paints as a perfect picture as to why the Banker Waweru has completely been wiped out of the race and the media.
As the squabbles ensued, Waweru sponsored some villagers to act as Kikuyu elders bundled them into a Thika Road hotel to annoint him as a community elder and also an endorsement to the Gubernatorial seat. The fake incident irked he real elders who have since denounced him for being disrespectful and ordered him to ask for forgiveness by appeasing the gods for cleansing.
But Waweru’s troubles don’t end at that, the rich banker according to information in our hold, made the political suicide move when he told off President Uhuru and the Mount Kenya mafia that he could make it without their endorsement and that Dagoreti votes are his and he has the muscles to gunner enough by himself.
Dennis Waweru told President Uhuru off to go back to Gatundu and leave Nairobi to its owners. Hon Waweru foolishly told the president that if there is any seat he (Uhuru) can give, it is the Gatundu constituency and not any other anywhere else in the country and definitely NOT Nairobi governor seat.
This was read a a a sign of disrespect to Uhuru who’s the defacto leader of the Kikuyu community and an insult to the Mount Kenya mafia who calls the shots in this game regardless.
Kenya Insights is told, Waweru has now made powerful enemies that his political future has been deemed and sealed earlier than he could’ve thought. Even during the Jubilee Party launch, he was nowhere to be seen as his counterparts enjoyed free publicity. “Waweru is a dead meat forget about him, he won’t get the gubernatorial seat, the parliamentary seat either. He’s cooked.” A source concludes to Kenya Insights.
Perhaps someone didn’t remind Waweru of the wise African saying that a child can play with his mother’s breast but not his father’s testicles.
By Nicholas Olambo
As interviews ended, Judiciary Service Commission (JSC) retreats to consider who is best fit to be the next Chief Justice of the supreme court of Kenya. The seat that fell vacant Willy Mutunga retired in june attracted 14 applicants but only 6 were shortlisted. The interviews this time did not match up to those of 2011 that saw controversial Willy Mutunga appointed the first CJ under the new law. The just concluded interviews attracted ‘jokes’ that opted out of the race after being shortlisted.
The commission failed to sit one Thursday after an applicant who had been scheduled for interview bowed out, David Waihiga. He was the second to opt out after the law student cum carpenter Andrew Kongani who did not meet the 15 years’ minimum legal experience requirement. Waihaga however opted for the position of the Supreme Court judge. There were also gambles from some quarters that all those who applied should be interviewed for the interest of transparency.
The recruitment process also saw big names such US based Kenyan Law Professor Makau Mutua, Former anti-corruption czar Aaron Ringera and Supreme Court Judge Jackton Boma Ojwang’ locked out. The decision to drop Prof Makau Mutua and Jackton Ojwang’ sparked reactions with Law Society of Kenya (LSK) putting JSC to task to explain the criteria that was used that saw more than half of the applicants not shortlisted. JSC sighted unsuitability on grounds of leadership, integrity and ethics as some of the reasons.
The recruitment process also saw big names such US based Kenyan Law Professor Makau Mutua, Former anti-corruption czar Aaron Ringera and Supreme Court Judge Jackton Boma Ojwang’ locked out. The decision to drop Prof Makau Mutua and Jackton Ojwang’ sparked reactions with Law Society of Kenya (LSK) putting JSC to task to explain the criteria that was used that saw more than half of the applicants not shortlisted. JSC sighted unsuitability on grounds of leadership, integrity and ethics as some of the reasons.
JSC had to interview the other seven in advent of the court order. The process was not rigorous as it was in 2011; the two sitting Supreme Court judges, Smokin Wanjala and Jackton Ojwang’ were subjected to the same questions which was not fair. Bubble gum questions like whether an applicant is on social media or not did not draw suitability in terms of competence, integrity, leadership and ethics. Some candidates responded to questions like they reciting poem.
JSC had to interview the other seven in advent of the court order. The process was not rigorous as it was in 2011; the two sitting Supreme Court judges, Smokin Wanjala and Jackton Ojwang’ were subjected to the same questions which was not fair. Bubble gum questions like whether an applicant is on social media or not did not draw suitability in terms of competence, integrity, leadership and ethics. Some candidates responded to questions like they reciting poem.
As the country awaits the big announcement from the JSC, the room for the public to guess is far wide with varying reasons. Considerations based on professional qualification, integrity, gender and ethnic distribution must produce the final cut. Candidates like Makau Mutua have shown that they are strong on principle, not afraid of the executive and can run the judiciary as an independent unit and are also pro reforms like the former CJ. Jackton Ojwang boasts of vast experience but he cannot keep his cool and respect for his juniors. He could also not explain the hefty legal award on Biwott case.
By Nicholas Olambo
Jubilee party launch was also the event that saw the top cream in Kenya’s music take on stage to entertain the mammoth crowd and dignitaries. There was nothing different from that list and previous events, industry is run by cartels and their seasoned bootlickers could not miss out. It was the same script as it was during Jubilee coalition campaigns, President Uhuru’s inauguration and as it is on any public holiday.
Some have become in-house cats without respect nation values. I mean the overdone theatrics by one Kevin Bahati Kioko. How would he sit his small butts on the president’s chair? These chaps who quit school and get into the entertainment industry without proper mentorship are going overboard. We can’t afford to raise a generation that doesn’t respect national symbols like the president’s chair; I have never seen The First Lady sit on it but Bahati did, stretch his legs on the stool then went ahead did the same on the DP’s chair. Gosh!! The boy went overboard.
Some have become in-house cats without respect nation values. I mean the overdone theatrics by one Kevin Bahati Kioko. How would he sit his small butts on the president’s chair? These chaps who quit school and get into the entertainment industry without proper mentorship are going overboard. We can’t afford to raise a generation that doesn’t respect national symbols like the president’s chair; I have never seen The First Lady sit on it but Bahati did, stretch his legs on the stool then went ahead did the same on the DP’s chair. Gosh!! The boy went overboard.
Politics aside, any event attended by the president should be treated as a national event. The characters lined to entertain or just address the crowd should inspire and harbor national values but what did I see, Rufftone and Ringtone! Corrupt and controversial in that order. Roy Smith Mwaita or Rufftone as he is popularly known was named in report by the county assembly of Vihiga on a Sh30 million subsidized fertilizer distribution.
Politics aside, any event attended by the president should be treated as a national event. The characters lined to entertain or just address the crowd should inspire and harbor national values but what did I see, Rufftone and Ringtone! Corrupt and controversial in that order. Roy Smith Mwaita or Rufftone as he is popularly known was named in report by the county assembly of Vihiga on a Sh30 million subsidized fertilizer distribution.
The 19 paged report by the assembly revealed that the singer received shs 180,000 during the distribution which was between March 3rd and 7th 2015. The Mungu Baba hit maker was identified by his artistic name throughout the report raising more eyebrows on the procurement and distribution. Ruff was sourced to entertain buyers and signed the deal on foolscap for three different amounts with three different signatures.
Ringtone on the other hand has the biggest share of controversy more than any gospel artiste with Bahati and Willy Paul playing way below his league.
Just last month the gospel crooner was in court to withdraw a case against a contractor he had accused of stealing from his Karen home. Not just that, the self professed former street kid has endless controversies, from his questionable flashy lifestyle, beef with MCSK to a case where he allegedly got a girl pregnant and asked her to abort. One fails to understand why hypocritical gospel artistes are always favoured, who does Ringtone inspire or what positive thing does he represent?
There so many mannered and humble gospel and secular artistes out there, who can step on national stage, entertain, educate and inspire the crowds. Eric Wainaina, Suzanna Owiyo, Juacali, Gloria Muliro just to name a few. These are individuals who crafted their art from scratch and mastered it professionally, Suzanna has been on international stage performing before the late Nelson Mandela, Wainaina has been performed in Fifa World cup opening ceremony.
This country has more to offer but event organizers have chosen to stick on the same script of whack drop outs with beg for mercy stories who can rhyme at end of every sentence, put a beat on it and then lick their boots. Artistes need to at least learn how to approach different crowds, events and know how far they can go. Bahati went too far but it’s that sad the chap does not know how far is too far. May be he can be accused based on ignorance.
By Nicholas Olambo
Ali Hassan Joho was first elected Mp for Kisauni in 2007 , he went on to serve as assistant minister in the grand coalition government then later rose to be the first governor of Mombasa County in 2013. Joho is increasing becoming very influential in ODM and national politics cementing his twin ambitions as the coast region’s kingpin and the presidency.
Joho’s efforts at the Malindi by elections emboledened his ambitions. In fact it is after the Malindi by elections that county 001’s governor got the courage to publicly declare his presidential quest in 2022. Malindi parliamentary seat fell vacant after President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed the then ODM Mp to the energy docket. President Kenyatta’s move was a ploy to penetrate into an area considered a Cord/ODM stronghold. Jubilee lost to ODM and with the kind of money that was spent in that by election, the jubilee coalition was sent back into the drawing board.
ODM candidate Willy Mtengo traunced jubilee’s Philip Charo. The win enchanced Joho and Kilifi governor’s stature at the coast as the party’s formidable assests. Joho was the chief campaigner and paymaster. He camped in Malindi for three weeks and after the victory he declared to carry on the momentum and take the ‘war’ to the doorsteps of the party rebels who were not with the people. The momentum is indeed on and the manner in which he organised the ODM party’s tenth birthday to counter jubilee’s party launch says it all. No one thought ODM event would be any big thing to talk. ‘ODM will be having a small bash at the Coast’ said the controversial MP, Moses Kuria.
Just a week after anniversay fete, Joho has planned another rally in Nairobi tomorrow in Mathare. ‘The party will hold roadshows before Mathare rally on September 18’ Joho said despite a looming battle as both ODM and Jubilee book meetings on the same ground on the same day. The idea to hold the rally in Mathare seems as a move by the party to campaign in areas where their members defected to join the recently launched Jubilee Party. Mathare Mp Stephen Kariuki who was elected on an ODM ticket is one of many Cord MPs who defected to JP.
Joho is taking the ‘war’ to the rebels’ doorsteps without mincing a word criticizing the Jubilee adminstration. He has been the loudest critic on historical injustices on land issues at the coast, most notably is the Waitiki land in Likoni. Joho has also been critical of the National government for not involving his county government whenever the President visits Mombasa.
When one may argue that we have equaly seen many young politicians who rise fast and fall. Lack of focus and ‘political hustle’ are major the attributes to fast rise and quick falls. We are living in an era where broke politicians are ‘bought’ on a daily basis, going against the will of their supporters and denting their political careers. Joho brags as being too expensive and cannot be ‘bought’ by anyone to join the wrong political camp.
He sits at the vantage point to succeed ODM Party leader Odinga. He is the deputy party leader very close to Mr Odinga enjoying love from every party’s strong hold. When he rode with Raila in the same car in Kisumu at the memory of anti-IEBC protest victims, Joho gracefully waved to the enthusiastic supporters receiving wild cheers. The manner in which he has played his cards so far places him among the top national politicians and a force to reckon with in post Uhuru era.
The Governor of Machakos County Alfred Mutua and his deputy Bernard Kiala
By Nicholas Olambo
With the new constitution came the devolution that created the governor position to head counties. Each governor appoints his deputy before presenting their documents to IEBC, the duo are then elected as a team to lead the county governments. The journey was all rosy till elections but immediately they got into office the ugly head of dirty politics came out. Somewhere along the way as senators began lining up to challenge their respective governors in the coming polls, deputy governors are also proving potential threats to the governors’ crowns.
The working relationship in a number of counties has been severely strained. Machakos governor Dr Alfred Mutua and his deputy Bernard Kyala are friends turned foes. Mutua has accused his deputy of working closely with his enemies, Senator Johnson Muthama and other Mps from the region. ‘My deputy is a traitor who is working with my enemies to plot my impeachment so that he can complete the remainder of my term’ Mutua said. The inverse is the case though; Governor Mutua has been accused of frustrating and ‘impeaching’ his deputy, locking his office, denying him his official car and having him not covered under the medical insurance package.
Kyala has since declared running against Mutua in the 2017 elections straining their relationship further. Mutual, a PR and communications expert on the other hand claims that Mr. Kyala is just a lazy individual who cannot keep up to his stamina. He brags of single handedly improving the state of roads and sinking more boreholes than any other Kamba leader since time immemorial and through his Maendeleo Chap Chap Movement he is destined to do more. Mutua ignores the ailing health sector in Machakos as a normal problem experienced in many counties across the country.
Kyala has since declared running against Mutua in the 2017 elections straining their relationship further. Mutual, a PR and communications expert on the other hand claims that Mr. Kyala is just a lazy individual who cannot keep up to his stamina. He brags of single handedly improving the state of roads and sinking more boreholes than any other Kamba leader since time immemorial and through his Maendeleo Chap Chap Movement he is destined to do more. Mutua ignores the ailing health sector in Machakos as a normal problem experienced in many counties across the country.
When its all clear that governors are selfish and their deputies are greedy, Mutua says he just did not have enough time to choose a good deputy before elections and instead blames his woes on the leadership of Wiper Party. He says the Former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka is jelous of ‘positive attention’ he is getting through his development projects because he led the community for three decades and did nothing. He further denies allegations that he has quit wiper party saying he is a card holding member.
His comments on Kalonzo can be ignored; The PR governor has history of belittling people including respectable global leaders. When he was the government spokesman in the Kibaki administration, Mutua referred to President Barrack Obama the then senator of Illinois as a small guy who was coming to traverse our beautiful country polluting the air. Obama then rose to be the president of the most powerful country on earth, United States of America when Mutua is still a governor who can’t even lead his deputy. Can he lead the people? Leadership is a team work; Mutua is not getting along with his deputy, Senator and the Women rep.
Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero and His Deputy Jonathan Mueke
If he seriously means the kind of development he is bragging of, why should he stay in a party whose leadership has been his obstruction to proper development? He denies allegations that Maendeleo Chap Chap is a party but a movement that is open anyone who shares in his development ideology to join for the good of the people. The truth is Maendeleo Chapa Chap is party whose launch at the Bomas was poorly attended making it difficult for the poor governor to use as his re-election vehicle.
In Kisumu the situation is not any different. The governor and the deputy don’t see eye to eye. This is what you get when you force two strange fellows to bed; the governor and his deputy are odd couples who were brought together to avoid party friction towards the 2013 polls. Both were eyeing the gubernatorial post through the same party, ODM, but the deputy was asked by the party chiefs to shelve her ambitions and deputize Hon. Jack Ranguma. The case of occupants of both offices not relating well has also been witnessed in Kwale, Bungoma and somehow in Nairobi.
At some point there were whispers that the relationship between Nairobi governor and his deputy Jonathan Mueke was weakening. Mueke denied the allegations even as Machakos governor said on a national television that the case in Machakos is the same in Nairobi. He also added that Mueke had considered running against Kidero at some point but he was smart. He realized that Kidero is too strong to beat and with deep pockets. His candidature against Kidero is not viable; he has no choice but to deputize him.
With the poor rapport many Kenyans can be of the option that the deputy position be abolished but I think it’s the selection criteria that should be opened for debate. When Mutua says that the governor does 98% of the work and the governor should fire and hire their deputies, I think the roles of the deputy should be entrenched in the law so that individuals cannot lock a public office and stop an elected leader from carrying out his duties.
Samwel Mushai crosses the line, Paralympics legend with three good medals to his chest.
One wouldn’t be mistaken to think that there’s no Paralympics games going on in Brazil now. With a cold media coverage and lip seal service by majority of social media users in Kenya, everything surrounding the competition has been swept under the drains.
The competition is barely days to closure and its not getting any serious headlines and social media buzz as that of the Stellar athletes whose trip was filled with fiasco stench. Does this cold treatment expose the societal double standards, isn’t it telling how we look down upon the physically challenged in the society? Isn’t it telling of inner disgusting assumption amongst other people that they’re lesser of human? Why can’t we see the athletes winning gold on front pages, why can’t we see those congratulatory messages from the President and other dignitaries flowing as they were on the Stellar athletes?
Isn’t Paralympics medals a shame or a pride to us as a nation? We must treat each other equally that sense of inclusion boosts patriotism morale. We need to motivate these athletes.
Mark you it’s the same scandalous NOCK that took the athletes to the Paralympics let’s not start imagining the obvious atrocities they’ve been subjected to and looting with zero media coverage and no one to voice for the athletes, the forest with different monkeys must be pretty on fire. Talking of Nock, it’s emerging the dirty body allocated Sh18M for Nike lots for athletes while Nike the official kits sponsor gave them out for free. Nock booked a cruise ship and hotel for President Uhuru which he didn’t attend, needless to say it’s only the Presidential Unit who arranges all the Presidents visits and not NOCK. Do I need to add that the officials behind the NOCK mismanagement are free?
So far Kenya’s Samwel Mushai Kimani has added T11 1500m gold to his 5000m title, clocking 4:03.25 for victory. Mushai is becoming a legend in the Paralympics. He has three GOLDS. Samuel and Wilson Bii had opened Kenya’s medal haul winning gold and bronze respectively in the 5,000m final last Thursday. With four medals won, Kenya sits at position 42 out of 70 nations that have so far claimed medals.
Kenya Insights celebrates these unappreciated heroes and praises them for continuing to fly the Kenyan flags high. Continue with the good work and spirit, Kenyans of great morals are with you.
Esther Passaris, aspirant for Nairobi Gubernatorial
Women and the Civic Society has been battling with the not materialising Two-Third gender policy that would see a square representation in the political sphere. In the course, the women are looking into being allocated seats sheltering under the minority gender umbrella. Critics have shut down this mentality that women should shun away from maintaining a “receive” mentality and instead bolt out, cock their firearm and go head-on with the men who are currently enjoying the upper hand.
In the current devolution government set up, of the 47 counties, none is a woman going further to show the wide gap in gender balance. Luckily, in nomination slots as a measure in fulfilling the gender balance. As of now, Esther Passaris is the only serious female contender who has expressed her interest in going for the Nairobi Gubernatorial position that is being eyed by political giants and test tube politicians. Passaris is determined to unseat the incumbent, Kidero and she doesn’t seem to be stopping at any point.
With a vector of being unique, the fierce politician has decided to go the opposite way in pursuing her political ambition by creating her party. While the rest of contestants as Johnson Sakaja, Dennis Waweru, Eugene Wamalwa are neck on the neck to clinch the Jubilee ticket and gambling with their political career given the latest restrictive party hoping law, Passaris is maintaining a relaxed posture knowing her position in her party is secured.
Passaris is currently battling to have her Harambee Democratic Party registered and did a national drive to popularise it. She is sharply against the Party Hopping rule saying it’s undemocratic and restricting. While other women are waiting for the male-dominated parliament to pass the gender rule that they’ve already shut down, great dreamers as Passaris are taking the next and necessary steps, taking. In Africa, there’s a widespread belief that power is not given it’s made.
It couldn’t have happened at a better time when Hillary Clinton is poised to be the 1st ever American President and Meckel is holding down Germany, the time is ripe for women to arm up and take these seats. Passaris also discourages the nation of silver spoon feeding that majority of the women are banking on to be awarded the positions. In a highly competitive world where women are rising to high positions diminishing the traditional norm of men dominance, women like Passaris who opt to grow a tough skin and fight for their spaces must be celebrated.
Passaris during an interview
Passaris is not new to the murky world of politics that she’s been in and continues to. On February 16th, 2008, Passaris was among three ODM councillors who expressed interest in the Nairobi’s mayoral seat. Others included Baba Dogo councillor Godfrey Majiwa, ODM vice chairperson Mugambi Imanyara. Passaris and Imanyara were both short-listed by ODM for the nomination. ODM had 36 elected councillors against PNU’s 25 and therefore had 12 nomination slots and PNU 8.
Passaris contested for the seat on the principles of bringing accountability and transparency to city hall, developing a city master plan, improving revenue collection, resolving the garbage collection problem and improving infrastructure. However, her bid for councillor for Nairobi was dealt a blow when, on February 22nd, 2008, her name was missing from a list gazetted by the then Local Government Minister Uhuru Kenyatta.
In the run up to the Embakasi by-election, she was among a host of other contenders battling it out for ODM ticket nominations. Others aspirants included Julius Were, Ishrad Sumra, Lameck Siage, Prof.Tony Wambua, ODM women league leader Jane Wangui and Norman Ochieng Ogum.
During that highly contested battle, Passaris defied all odds to capture the ODM ticket on May 11th, 2008 to run for the Embakasi Constituency by-election. And on May 26th, 2008 she was among the candidates cleared by the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) to run for the Embakasi West constituency by-election which fell vacant after local MP Mugabe Were was shot dead outside his home in Nairobi a month after taking office. Other candidates included Kalembe Ndile (Tip), Republican Liberty Party candidate Mr Zachariah Momanyi. After the final vote count on June 11th, 2008, ODM’s Esther Passaris polled 27,339 against PNU’s Ferdinand Waititu who garnered 36,536 votes. Tip’s Kalembe Ndile got 843 votes.
Nationally, the prominent women face like Martha Karua and Charity Ngilu whom majority have identified with, have taken a lukewarm position leaving the field open for Passaris to re-debut with her Nairobi bid and popularising her yet to be approved party nationwide. The country is fishing for alternative leadership, impermeable and uncompromising leadership. Nairobi is entangled in a corrupt network that is running the City Hall, with her tested leadership qualities of personally getting involved at all managerial positions and track record of fighting corruption, Passaris stands a better position in tackling the City’s problems.
Kenyan politics is unfortunately engraved on tribal dimension and Passaris is aware of that, in her recent interview with a local publication, she called out on her Tribe, Kikuyu from feeling more superior compared to other tribes simply because they’re in power by President Uhuru. Passaris who shies away from using her Muthoni name believing it cuts her out as a Kenyan and can easily be stereotyped, believes in an all inclusive system of governance, and this has set her core vision of having a Nairobi for all where everyone will be feeling entitled, despite race and tribe. Better service delivery remains her predetermined result. Tribalism is what drags the Country behind if we can delink then, we’re on the road to cohesion and prosperity.
Kodira Edmond, one of the many aspirants who’ve decided to go against the odds of popular party norm.
By Nicholas Olambo
As 2017 draws closer, political landscapes are changing every other day. Quite a number of the youths have decided to try their hands in the dirty political waters to at least stir change. They say you can’t do the same thing the same way repeatedly and expect a different result. Regions that have been in the opposition for the longest time and have experienced stunted development are shifting from the obvious. Like Magarini Mp Harrison Kombe once said ‘ we have been in the opposition for the longest time possible but gained nothing, we would rather join the government and get ‘fake’ title deeds, at least it’s something towards solving emotive land issues at the coast’.
It’s a time tested belief that being in the government comes with goodies despite the government’s role being to serve all the people from both political divides. Budding politicians launching their careers from opposition dominated areas are daring to cut against the grains, one such candidate is Joseph Edmond K’odira who is aspiring to seek the Gwassi North Ward seat on Jubilee Party ticket despite the region being pro ODM. He believes that strong winds of change are blowing; JP has already received defectors from opposition strong holds like Luo Nyanza.
It’s a time tested belief that being in the government comes with goodies despite the government’s role being to serve all the people from both political divides. Budding politicians launching their careers from opposition dominated areas are daring to cut against the grains, one such candidate is Joseph Edmond K’odira who is aspiring to seek the Gwassi North Ward seat on Jubilee Party ticket despite the region being pro ODM. He believes that strong winds of change are blowing; JP has already received defectors from opposition strong holds like Luo Nyanza.
Karachuonyo Mp James Rege announced his defection from ODM to JP during the party launch in Kasarani.
All the candidates in the race to clinch Gwassi North seat which draws more attention than any other in Suba Constituency are from the teaching profession except the incumbent Evans Dada Marieba who was elected on an ODM ticket. Millicent Nyaboke is a primary school teacher, Kennas Ongola is accounts clerk at Tonga High School and Joseph Edmond K’odira is a lecturer at Kericho Institute. All the candidates are seeking the ODM ticket except K’odira who is from the Jubilee party. He says his opponents have chosen on a party that is deemed popular in the region because they represent no fresh ideas and policies but people are ready for change and he will trounce them.
Going by ‘Turn on the Light’ slogan, K’odira’s key policies are on unity, job creation for all, optimal exploitation of natural resources, youth and women empowerment, Education for all and poverty alleviation. He believes in working with the government to improve the road networks so that the region can fully exploit its potential. ‘Despite the region being rich in fish, Gwassi hills also receive enough rainfall annually and for that reason does well in agriculture, he notes. ‘Our people have been in the opposition for a long time and we have not experienced any development changes to write home, it’s time we worked with the government and see what that can bring’ Kodira added.
Going by ‘Turn on the Light’ slogan, K’odira’s key policies are on unity, job creation for all, optimal exploitation of natural resources, youth and women empowerment, Education for all and poverty alleviation. He believes in working with the government to improve the road networks so that the region can fully exploit its potential. ‘Despite the region being rich in fish, Gwassi hills also receive enough rainfall annually and for that reason does well in agriculture, he notes. ‘Our people have been in the opposition for a long time and we have not experienced any development changes to write home, it’s time we worked with the government and see what that can bring’ Kodira added.
The reality of the situation is with the people who have the power to make their desired choice through the vote but the most paining thing in most circumstances is that people vote the party not individuals. Kenyan political parties/ outfits are majorly tribal and regional but still there are handful cases where individuals have been chosen over the party. In Kisumu for instance, having the ODM ticket makes you the ‘designate’ of the office even before elections are held but Hon. Olago Aluoch managed to clinch the Kisumu Town West parliamentary seat on Ford Kenya ticket after controversially losing the ODM ticket in a in 2013. Will K’odira the determined manage to successfully cut against the grains?
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President Uhuru and DP Ruto when they officially unveiled the new Jubilee Party in Kasarani
The national campaigns for 2017 elections officially kicked off on Saturday when ODM declared Raila as their unanimous Candidate for the presidential race and Jubilee Party killing affiliate parties into one in what was a glamour filled ceremony.
It was dance and jubilation at the well attended merger ceremony at Kasarani Stadium, more than forty defectors from opposition parties were unveiled and Jubilee aspirants took the platform to strengthen their bid. Billions splashed on the event that has major ssideshow of delegates complaining over unpaid alllowances and it being slashed from the promised Sh20,000 to Sh,3,000 to even worst cases delegates from rural being stranded.
Now that the party mode is off, time for a reality check. The merger coincided with coming into law legislation that restricts party hoping. Knowing the voting patterns, next elections will still remain a two horse race between now unveiled Jubilee Party and CORD. Candidates who will win the party tickets in respective strongholds during the nominations will have the upperhand in the General elections. The nominations in respective party’s strongholds doubles as the final election, Party advantage is key in the end ballot.
With affiliate parties now swalloed into one Jubilee Party, the nominations is a do or die for everyone. The Politicians pictured dancing and shouting their lungs out in not during the merger, could go into deep depression any minute. In the previous election where the coalitions left open for affiliate parties to nominate candidates individually, disgruntled aspirants took advantage and jumped into an affiliate party within their coalition after nomination spat out. This time things will be different, in the case of Jubilee, there won’t be any open affiliate party to run into, Party hoping also restricted by law. In street language they say sh*t about to get real.
Jubilee Party nominations are slotted for next year May,within the next remaining months, major fallouts and realignment should be anticipated. Candidates have to seriously consolidate and not make a guess about everything, this is no gambling, you lose out on the nominations, you wait for another shot in 2022, knowing the huge power appetite for the incumbents and new entrants, Plan Bs should or rather already in place.
Serious fallout in Jubilee strongholds, inevitable as the nominations will be a do or die foreach candidate. Take for an example Kiambu County where Kingpins Kabogo and Waititu are battling it out,Nairobi we have Sonko,Wanjiru,Sakaja,Waweru and Wamalwa both strong Jubilee aspirants fighting it out for the ticket, not unless a boardroom deal is inked to accommodate everyone, expect sizable noise.
We’re looking at a wave of independent candidates ahead of 2017 and scheming new parties cashing in on the developing events. In the last elections, Kalembe Ndile’s TIP maximised on the nominations fallout by selling certificates to disgruntled candidates.
Other possible scenerios ahead; there will be voter apathy in the general election because those defeated in nomination will not care to campaign for anyone hence their supporters will see no reason to go and vote. It will be the end of the road for many politicians especially if you have been a governor and now you lose in nomination. Expect candidates to spend heavily on the nomination. In worst case scenarios, look out for political assassinations as the last resort to remove stumbling blocks. Perhaps it now makes sense why Kabogo is moving around in an armoured car as if he’s in Afghanistan.
Expect 80% of sitting MPs,Governors to be sent home, this from historical voting patterns. Politicians faced with possible extinction and fallout in Jubilee Party but until then…ile le le yo
A Kenyan journalist carries a plastic replica of a camera as he participates in a protest along the streets of Nairobi, denounce the new draconian laws
In a normal society, people like Gatunda MP Moses Kuria and his Kabete counterpart Ferdinand Waititu would either be doing time in Kamiti or having sessions with the shrinks of Mathare. Their counterpart, Ababu Namwamba, would probably be a dim figure in shirtsleeves struggling to address the concerns of his poor voters down in Budalang’i.
But in Kenya, these people are superstars that strut the national stage like peacocks, thanks to the thoughtlessness of our news media, which have turned them into household names. In a country whose media is obsessed with hoisting politicians to heights above all other categories, it is not a surprise that the ignominious Kuria/Waititu duo and the politically callow Namwamba, among others, claim a place among Kenya’s famed.
To say that Kenyan media is in love with the politicians is an understatement; the country’s journalists worship the very ground on which politicians walk. Every foul-mouthed ignoramus is worth quoting, as long as they hold political office So important have media made politicians that political events and statements of nil public interest, nay of negative impact, are splashed on front pages of newspapers and covered live on Prime Time TV.
The events of mid-June are a classic example of how media engage in their beloved pastime called political melodrama. As my reader may know, Kuria and Waititu and four others were arrested for hate mongering. Any person of average intelligence would have thought that here was a case of suspected criminals being subjected to due process, with media performing the simple role of reporting and interpreting the news of their arrest and prosecution.
Ababu Namwamba and Counterpart Otuoma
But not so Kenya’s media which, as usual, decided to dramatise the dishonorable affair, in the process creating heroes and heroines out of the suspected criminals. The mere fact that the suspects were politicians was enough for editors to allocate acres of scarce space and important time to the events surrounding their arrest.
Before you get me wrong, let me explain that, at this moment in Kenya’s history, anyone spreading ethnic hate has more potential to hurt the country than a terrorist. Therefore it is quite in order for the media to focus national attention on the threats caused by hate speech. But when media abandon the real story to concentrate on sideshows simply because the personalities involved happen to be politicians, then anyone who understands the role of media in society must be worried. Ditto the comedy that was Namwamba’s abdication of his post as secretary-general of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) last month.
Well, a senior official of a big political party calling it quits in controversial circumstances certainly qualifies as significant news, but I doubt that it deserves to occupy the minds of Kenyas for days on end. There is a problem when such issue is overplayed, in the process obfuscating deserving issues and creating heroes and anti-heroes out of personalities that do not possess such qualities. To cut to the chase, Namwamba’s exit from ODM does not mean that the community to which he belongs has changed political direction, as the media would have us believe.
Exciting but meaningless Suppose it was the CEO of, say Kenya Commercial Bank, who had thrown in the towel, citing frustration from some senior quarters, would there have been such media interest as there was following Namwamba’s “grand altercation” with his party and eventual exit? Now that the season of madness is approaching, with the elections just a year away, prepare for exciting but meaningless drama that is Kenya’s political campaign as it will be brought to you by our overzealous, politics-loving journalists.
Figures provided by the same media show that the number of news media consumers has been dwindling by the day. One wonders if media have ever stopped to
ask themselves why readers and viewers are abandoning them in droves, alongside the much-valued advertisements. Well, journalists may defend themselves that politicians belong to the group of the famous. Famous people, they will say, are more interesting than regular people because they are simply better known.
Therefore, more people will read news about them. That may be the case. Indeed, some politicians, like the President, are not only famous but also hold positions that directly affect the lives of the citizens. But the question is, what is it that these “famous” or prominent people are reported doing, or saying. Is what they are reported doing significant to the public? The ideal of journalism – and this is the main reason why media are protected by the Constitution – is that media serve the public interest by putting to task the powerful to explain themselves and justify the decisions they make on behalf of the rest of society.
Ideally, journalists are expected to interrogate the behavior of the powerful on behalf of the people. Unfortunately, most of our journalists hardly do this; most are happy to simply report the theatrics on the political stage. Since Kenyan politics usually has little in terms of news value, reporters tend to focus on the conflicts and controversies, the schemes and struggles within it to make it look exciting and dramatic. This is how the likes of Kuria find themselves on page one of national newspapers.
Deliberate ploy to divert attention Journalist ought to explore and cover issues that most concern their readers and listeners, not merely relaying the drama at rallies and useless sound bites from press conferences. Some observers think that the focus by media on the frivolous and on the dramatics is a deliberate design by the middle class owners of media and the editors to divert attention from the real issues affecting society. Like religion, media can be used to intoxicate people. This is not a far-fetched accusation against a media that has, in the past, been guilty of both the sin of sensationalism and that of self-censorship, sins that have had negative implications for both the journalism and the democratic process in Kenya.
In the run-up to the 2007 election, some media were accused of sensational reporting, and contributing to the post-election conflict that followed those disputed elections. And ashamed of their contribution to the conflict, media in 2013 decided to go the way of self-censorship by downplaying potentially controversial election stories and denying Kenyans important information on the elections, also disputed. Now, with 2017 election just around the corner, media are not sure of themselves. This is why, perhaps, they are now mistaking shadows for the real things.
By Nicholas Olambo
The race to clinch the 2017 presidential seat began soon after the Supreme Court dismissed CORD’s petition case that was challenging President Kenyatta’s election. Hon. Raila Odinga respected the court’s verdict, moved on but swore to fight another day, 2017. Kenya has never ceased to be in a campaign mood from 1992, the situation has been intense from 2013 to date; from Okoa Kenya campaign, Eurobond saga, President Kenyatta’s appointments of opposition law makers to cabinet positions which always resulted into by-elections, recent calls and street protests to disband IEBC and regular tours to either woo certain regions or handle party rebellion.
Cord leader is camping in western on a five day tour, a move that is more of an offensive charm of the region to tame rebellion and keep the bloc. When Raila is busy on a campaign trail, the ruling coalition is holding a three day mega launch of their new party, Jubilee Party. The launch is all hyped up, flashy and the talk of town presented as the place to be. Five Cord governors are expected to attend alongside many members of parliament. That is clear defection right there.
Jubilee’s Party Freshly unveiled building in Pangani off Thika Road
Though one political analyst once described Raila as a politician who is not short of surprises, he has nothing left. Jubilee has exhausted any possible strategy to render Mr Odinga ‘an ordained’ opposition leader. He has never received a single vital defector from jubilee since 2013 while his foot soldiers are ‘bought’ on a daily basis, slowly creating impression in the minds of Kenyans that cord will be beaten before sunrise in the 2017 elections.
2017 is a two horse race; the moneyed jubilee is putting up a flashy battle hyped with television ads, goodies for opposition strong holds and reception of cord defectors. Odinga on the other hand is kept in his strong hold putting off rebellion fires.
The debate on cord flag bearer is also getting hotter by the day and almost tearing the coalition a part due to pressure from outside. Raila may not be the ordained flag bearer but it’s visible even for the blind to see; only Raila Odinga is strong enough to take on President Kenyatta.
His lazy co-principals are doing nothing but sitting back waiting to be endorsed by him or ‘bought’ by jubilee. Raila’s tour of western to tame rebillion should be approached as a coalition affair not an ODM affair, I mean is about time to put the Cord house in order. Kalonzo who should be Raila’s number two is doing nothing. Jubilee is not operating in that shoddy style, DP William Ruto has always put up strong fight for him and the president.
The three Cord principals appear greedy and not like minded; they claim to be equal partners when Kalonzo and Wetang’ula have not branded and marketed themselves like Raila has. Their struggles to play in top political league are completely different, Raila is known for his strong struggle for democracy and being pro reforms, Kalonzo is not. In fact Hon Charity with all her respect for Raila is not in Cord because Raila made a desperate move to make a political pact with Kalonzo whom she said is not a reformist.
CORD’s Principals Kalonzo Musyoka and Raila Odinga at the ODM’s 10years Anniversary Dinner.
Wetang’ula has no history of political struggle; he’s just a brilliant lawyer who came to the public light through Goldenberg case where he represented businessman Kamlesh Patni and later became a sycophant of the Kibaki regime which later kicked him out to seek refuge in the shades of Raila. During the Serena talks after 2007 disputed polls, Weta was a key hardliner and stubborn PNU die hard who referred to Raila’s side as losers who were to join an already functioning government of Kibaki.
Kalonzo through Daniel Manzo had earlier taken off with ODM-Kenya party for fear of nomination leaving Raila party less. He became number three in the disputed polls but joined PNU side and became Kibaki’s vice when Kenya was burning. These guys have no history of working together. Uhuru and Ruto have their pasts deeply rooted in KANU, they are Moi’s ‘political sons’; they even had a short time in ODM together during the 2005 referendum and later parted ways towards 2007 elections but got back together through ICC cases.
The ‘Enigma of Kenyan Politics’ is not so good at keeping his house together; he has been accused of sitting on the wallet and being stingy. He’s opponents are doing everything money can do to remain favourites in the coming polls. The mega jubilee launch is already flashy even before the material day, it will be sad if ODM puts a cold 10th anniversary party in Mombasa with the reports that the party leader will hosted for lunch by the county government of Mombasa. The party leader should give his delegates a lunch treatment.
Jubilee is out with branded cars, t-shirts, fliers, television and radio ads, Tuko Pamoja Towers in Pangani, that’s the direction majority of money hungry Kenyans are looking at. A sad fact, even the mainstream media is giving jubilee more airtime than cord. Kenya is a capitalist country, and that’s what cord seems not to be taking seriously.
It is common knowledge that Kenya is among the top countries in the world in Corruption matters. This evil that bedevils us has done us more harm than we can statistically quantify. From unemployment to under-employment, the Kenyan youth continues to harbor that elusive Kenyan dream, if ever, there was one. It is because of these economic upheavals that the youths engage in new frontiers to try and make ends meet.
From innovation to invention, an average Kenyan is trying through thick and thin to ensure that they can at least put a meal on the table. The new kid on the block as far as “hustling” is concerned, is Gambling. This article will try to approve or and disapprove gambling as an economic activity that is “The Next Big Thing.” Is a sport betting our new Oil??
A Wiseman once said, a fool and his money are soon parted. There has never been a time in Kenya’s history when this saying became so applicable than today. Gambling is different things to different people. The English dictionary defines it as the act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning. It includes payment of a price for a chance to win a prize.
Wilson Mizner defines gambling as ‘the sure way of getting nothing for something.’ Mizner’s definition thus, excludes existence of any direct Quid Pro Quo in gambling. Is gambling really this bad? If it is, why is it legal in Kenya? Does it have any economic benefits? Let us try to answer some of these key questions.
Before we delve into the nitty-gritty of the cost-benefit analysis of betting, let us first review why one would be interested in this activity in the first place. Psychologists have identified some of the reasons that lead to gambling as:
Desperation for money- this point is tied to the high rates of unemployment.
Since unemployed people do not have any regular source of income, they are generally, financially desperate. This desperation acts like a catalyst for them to gamble the few coins they have with the view that they will win big. After all, one of a gambling advert I see on T.V every day says…”IT IS BIG!” It is not in the gambler’s interest to doubt an alligator that has just come out of the river and reported the crocodile as sick!
Another reason for gambling is for the player to experience highs. Placing a bet and waiting for the final results of the match to know whether one has won or not, is such an enticing experience that keeps the players in some sort of stupor. Ordinarily, a person who engages in gambling based on this reason will have learnt it from peers. Gambling is generally high among youths because of peer pressure.
Supporters of gambling have advanced some key reasons in support of this industry. Some of the reasons are:
It aids in employment creation. In an economy where unemployment is officially at 25%, and unofficially at 60%, it is common sense that we need to create jobs. In this endeavor, we also need to diversify such that our jobs are not shaken by threats such as terrorism.
To this end, gambling both in casinos and on-line sports betting has created an avalanche of opportunities for the youths. In fact, Kenya boasts of 23 sports betting firms as at June 2016. These are in addition to many other casinos that have existed for decades. It is common knowledge that a lot of jobs have been created by these firms.
Ronald Karauri, Sportpesa CEO
It is a source of revenue to the government. At least 50% of our GDP is supported by government revenue in form of taxes. Gambling companies, like any other corporate, they too pay their fair share of taxes. This is a great source of revenue to the government. Other than taxes, they also pay relevant licensing fee to the relevant statutory organs, in this case, Betting Control and Licensing Board.
It is therefore reasonable to understand why the government would permit gambling activities within its jurisdiction. Macau in China, which is the largest gambling town on earth, generated Ksh. 45T in 2014. The second largest gambling city being Las Vegas, which made Ksh.6.5T. In fact, Las Vegas economy is more than 90% built on gambling. Prior to engaging in gambling, it was a mere desert with nothing to show to the world.
Looked at from the perspective of positive Economics, gambling is a good investment and a booming industry that poor countries can encourage as a way of uplifting them from poverty. This argument can be supported by the case of Las Vegas.
Whereas, the above points seem plausible, prima facie, a critical look at the gambling industry proves otherwise. The economic and social costs associated with gambling far outweigh any perceived benefits.
To start with, gambling leads to financial devastation. They say that gambling is a successful business because the house always wins. The player will generally start gambling with the aim of achieving some financial freedom. However, they never reach this level. The more one wins, the more they will gamble with the hope of winning much more.
This trend will continue till finally, they have lost all they had. At this point, one will find themselves in deep debts and financial troubles. Their gut feeling will be to further borrow and win back their bet, so the cycle will continue.
Yet another cost of gambling is job losses. Betting is like a drug. It is more dangerous than cocaine or heroin. It is addictive. The more one gambles, the more they are ensnared in this prison. Once addicted, it alters the normal functioning of the individual. Anxiety and depression will kick in and sooner rather than later, the productivity of the player at the place of work will deteriorate. The only logical end to this story will be firing of the employee who is unable to produce because of depression tendencies that have been caused addiction to gambling.
Julie Gichuru, a partner in betting firm M-Cheza affiliated to her father-in-law Samuel Gichuru entangled in KPLC multi-million heist
Studies also show that 66% of gambling addicts will engage in illegal activities to pay for their gambling debts. This therefore implies that crime rates will increase. The rate of criminal activities in a town prone to gambling is far much higher than the rate of crime in the general population. Mugging and drug abuse is higher among the betting population because of the need to get money for betting as well as trying to control anxiety and depression.
Gambling leads to a lot of family problems. Studies show that 90% of gambling addicts around the world have family issues. In the US, 65% of the couples that consist of one spouse with a gambling addiction end up divorcing. This is a social cost that positive economics overlooks.
In conclusion, we cannot deny the role played by gambling companies in Economic growth. Economic growth should not be confused with Economic development. Gambling can never help in economic development of any economy. While not overlooking the role of gambling as a growing industry especially in developing countries, it is important for us to understand that the Net Present Value of Gambling is negative. Its social and economic costs far outweigh its economic benefits. From a positive economic point of view, Betting/Gambling looks like the next economic frontier that has the ability to grow the economies of 3rd world countries. However, in social welfare economics, there is no Pareto optimality in gambling.
Finally, it is President Barack Obama who once said, “We didn’t become most prosperous country in the world just by rewarding greed and recklessness. We didn’t come this far by letting the special interest run wild. We didn’t do it just by gambling and chasing paper profits on Wall Street. We built this country by making things, by producing goods we could sell.”
The writer is a hustler with ideas that can change the world. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Finance from JKUAT.
Disclaimer: 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]
Philip Kinisu the immediate former chairman of the EACC has tendered his resignation. The career of yet another distinguished Kenyan has ended in ignominy. How many more careers must Kenya sacrifice to this ogre named the EACC after Mwau, Ringeera, Lumumba, Matemu and now Kinisu? Why does it continuously eat its own children? Should we sacrifice yet another Kenyan or do we hire a foreigner? Or is it time we did away with the EACC altogether!
President Uhuru Kenyatta has on several occasions expressed a sincere desire to fight corruption. Indeed, one of the biggest purges of corruption in government took place on his watch when several Cabinet and Principal Secretaries were fired and charged with corruption-related offences in courts of law. This was perhaps the most courageous move taken by any leader in independent Kenya. It ruffled a lot of political feathers, especially within the Jubilee coalition. The trail on official corruption however has since gone cold. Opposition sceptics now say it was a ploy to hood-wink US President Barrack Obama and Pope Francis, both of whom instructively spoke strongly against corruption during their State visits.
In taking the bull of official corruption by the horns President Kenyatta was knowingly and willingly swimming against the tide. Official corruption in Kenya is so endemic that it is graduating to being systemic. Corruption cartels often influence government tenders through powerful point-men in the political sphere. It is the proceeds of corruption, that for the most part, oil and grease the political system. There is therefore a symbiotic relationship between politics and corruption in Kenya. That is why in the past it was traditional to have a corruption mega-scam like Goldenberg and Anglo Leasing after every general election to recoup funds spent in the election campaigns.
It is a credit to the Jubilee leadership that they have not followed that course. A one-man war against corruption in Kenya was bound to invariably run into powerful headwinds due to the multiple convergent interests. It becomes even more difficult when that person is a politician seeking re-election. Hopefully we expect a more robust assault on corruption during the Presidents second and final term.
Meanwhile, we must honestly address the issue of the suitability of the EACC as it clearly isn’t functioning. The hiring and f iring of EACC chairpersons has become our favourite game of musical chairs despite it being a bottomless pit for public funds! It has become a graveyard of broken careers and will no longer be taken seriously by qualified professionals.
It has been said that Kenyans are not committed to the war on corruption and EACC appointments are merely windowdressing for the outside world. The joke now is that the person who will serve longest on the EACC chair is he/she who does absolutely nothing save reading the daily newspapers and collecting a monthly salary.
The job description is inaction. That is because any action may step on the toes of the powerful who will initiate action in Parliament or elsewhere for removal from office. This should inform us that even a foreigner would be unsuitable. T he remaining option is to abolish the office of the EACC when the constitution is next amended.
It has failed and currently only serves to drain public resources. They have not secured a single conviction of the “big fish “since the formation of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission in 1997. All their efforts have been directed mainly towards incidental or petty corruption against junior public officials.-Daudi Mwenda.
Beyond its extensive connections in Kenya’s government and political class, Safaricom also has a war chest full of cash reserves, and one of the largest advertising budgets in Kenya. You will not find the truth about Safaricom on mainstream media.
TV, radio and newspaper print editor’s cannot publish stories portraying Safaricom negatively because it is one of the media’s biggest advertiser. They risk losing a lucrative budget worth in advertising across their multiple media channels. Instead, they dance to Safaricom’s tune.
What is often buried and left out in staged media campaigns, is Safaricom’s reputation of stealing ideas from young companies, bullying and using its connections to lock out competitors? Safaricom’s monopoly has had negative ripple effects on the Kenya’s competitive landscape by locking out innovation. Ask any young computer geeks of Nairobi.
They will tell you, Mpesa, the widely used local payment system, is strictly controlled on how who and when it can be accessed. Collecting payments are limited to them, and they get to decide the rules. Complaints abound of Safaricom’s failure to offer simple APIs for tech developers and small businesses to link Mpesa payment applications to their process. For a company as big as they are, what they provide is low quality compared to industry standards. What is ideally supposed to be a natural process of applying for APIs (typically free and easy to access), is a nightmare at best.
Kariuki Marima, one of Silicon Savannah’s bright minds is frustrated and says Safaricom’s API Integration is a nightmare. Kariuki and other highly experienced developers from Banking and telecommunications admit they have not faced a more painful process than integrating to M-PESA. It is hard to believe a company with $150 million in reserves cannot develop simple, accessible APIs for Kenya’s technopreneurs.
It is no secret Safaricom has had numerous Intellectual Property cases brought against it in courts. Budding internet entrepreneurs have been victims of Safaricom’s devious tactics. Safaricom has been accused of stealing intellectual property ideas from young Kenyan companies, after luring with closed door session pitch.
Steve Ngethe came up with Manyatta rent in 2012. A mobile payment application that allowed landlords and real estate agents to aggregate rental payments. Steve got into talks with Safaricom’s Business Development Department on a potential partnership. Months later, Safaricom launched a rival product dubbed Lipa Kodi that resembled his original idea, Lipa Rent.
Faulu Kenya Microfinance Bank also had qualms with the Safaricom over its product concept, Kopa Chapaa. Faulu claimed they pitched Safaricom on the idea of a mobile money service in 2011 that would let users save, borrow loans and earn interest on their mobile phones. Faulu
“ had proposed to enter into a partnership with Safaricom to deploy a similar product and says it presented a prepared concept paper detailing how the platform was going to operate.” – business daily
Faulu Kenya’s case was heard before the High Court on December 2012. Judge Jonathan Havelock dismissed the application for an injunction by Faulu seeking to temporarily freeze the launch of M Shwari. Today, that product is and belongs to Safaricom and Commercial Bank of Africa.
Another case of Dr Dedan Maina Warui vs. Safaricom Ltd. sought an injunction against Safaricom on allegations of a breach of copyright and intellectual property. Dr Dedan claimed to have pitched Safaricom’s Enterprise Unit on the idea of a medical dispenser in March 2011. Warui had heard of Safaricom’s crooked methods. He smart enough to register his Med Dispenser concept paper with the Kenya Copyright Board as a literary work, no. CR 000712 on March 8, 2011. Safaricom later launched a similar product, Safaricom Healthcare Presence without notifying Warui. He found out through the Daily Nation newspaper and sought redress in court. Again, the High Court dismissed his application. In his ruling. Judge Gikonyo agreed that Warui concept paper was copyrightable.
These are just but a few example. Safaricom’s reputation has been soiled amongst Kenyan entrepreneurs and technologists. It is so bad, and that young companies are hesitant to take up investment rounds from the firm’s $1 million Spark Fund kitty set aside for startups.
Even large Kenyan corporations have locked horns with Safaricom over its monopolistic, anti-competitive, dishonest tactics. Airtel and Equity Bank have had over ten court battles with Safaricom over its anti-competitive behaviour. The status quo is intent on perpetuating the cash cow at whatever cost.
The latest court case in December 2015, was a spat between a payment start up BitPesa and Safaricom. BitPesa Limited and Lipisha Consortium Limited (the petitioners) took Safaricom (the respondent) to court for abruptly shutting down their services.
Mark Zuckerberg enjoying local dish of fish with ugali at local food joint, Mama Oliech
The Kenyan Mainstream Media has been criticised for none objectivity and over emphasising on irrelevant angles of stories for a real time, the ploy has once again played out in the latest visit of a prominent figure, Facebook’s Founder. The memory is still fresh in many people’s mind how the disjointed Kenyan media reported to the air visiting US pPresint of the U.S. Obama was breathing when he touched down in Nairobi previous year. His jet and security detail dominated the headlines compared to the core issues behind the visit.
Concentrating on sideshows inclines the public’s view, given the fact that majority of Kenyans consume their news via mainstream media and that they have the sole responsibility of setting the agenda, they ought to separate themselves from yellow journalism to being subjective and practice seriousness in the profession.
On his surprise tour of tech hubs in Africa, Mark Zuckerberg has made a pit stop in Nairobi. Announcing his arrival on Facebook, he described talking with entrepreneurs working out of the tech space, the iHub, and dining on ugali and tilapia with Kenya’s cabinet secretary for information and communications, Joe Mucheru. Announcing his core intent for the visit, Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page. “I’m here to meet with entrepreneurs and developers, and to learn about mobile money—where Kenya is the world leader.”
Headlines of Kenya’s mainstream media concentrating on the slideshows ;
Nairobi makes sense as Zuckerberg’s next stop. It is home to the world’s largest mobile money platform, M-Pesa, the crowdsourced disaster mapping platform Ushahidi and companies like M-Kopa, a solar company that sells power to the rural poor on credit, or Bridge International, a controversial for-profit school chain that the Facebook co-founder supports. Other Mobile Banking platforms running in Kenya includes Airtel Money, Orange Money.
Mobile money in Kenya, which allows mobile phone users to send or receive money, undergirds much of the country’s economy from banking and credit scoring to sports betting. For the first six months of this year, 1.59 trillion Kenyan shillings (about $20 million) flowed through mobile money platforms.
In nearly all leading Kenya’s mainstream outlets, they’ve emphasised on the sideshows of where the Billionaire digital entrepreneur was having his lunch his dressing code. While these are news material, they shouldn’t dominate headlines in serious journalism specs. The mainstream media is once again proving Juvenal in the line of duty. Sensationalism should be left to click baiting blogs and not the mainstream platform. Once again you’ve let us down.
Tulirogwa na nini, a common phrase amongst Kenyans on the unending craziness that we have to deal with on daily basis. Ruth Kamande, a woman who is accused of killing her boyfriend last year when she stabbed him 22 times was crowned the fairest of the inmates at Lang’ata Women’s Prison.
Ruth, who is facing murder charges for stabbing Farid Ahmed in Buruburu Estate due to a love triangle, beat 19 other contestants to win the annual Miss Langata beauty pageant in a fierce competition. While I agree that rehabilitation of inmates is recommendable, I feel awarding such class criminals is far beyond rehabilitation but more of glorifying murdered and dangerous offenders.
The event which was grassed by Chapati Forum, an organisation, affiliated to Dennis Itumbi, digital strategist to the government is going to remain as a disastrous PR move. If anything, there should be no crowning which is easily read as endorsement and celebration of these heinous crimes. As part of embracing them in the society, the peasant should be held without crowning.
Rehabilitation should be limited to family visits, training, counselling workshops. What’s the pride in crowning a narcissistic psychopath, how does this help her and the message being sent out to potential criminals? The crowning amounts to an insult to the victim’s family.
China’s Africa Strategy
Decades ago, China influence in Africa was limited. Its aid influence were highly significant and its diplomats relatively unskilled. And many Chinese were unsure about their country’s role as an International actor in the International system. In many instances, China did very little rather than defending core interest like “one China”.
Recently, However, strong economic growth , a more sophisticated generation of Chinese leaders , better scholarship from Chinese government to Africans and a domestic population more confident of china as a global actor have given China a more proactive approach in global politics.
Chinas motives are clear: they are looking for new suppliers for their industries raw materials. Its exporters want market and their governments want support in International Organizations and its propaganda to counter the US influence in the global politics. Africa is therefore a good ground for these strategies. In fact, the whole issue for the Chinese scramble is purely a resource grab. Chinese growth coupled with dwindling oil and mineral deposits is a major factor in the scramble for the African continent. China is the largest consumer of the petroleum product and natural gas and other minerals like copper, cobalt and natural gas.
Chinas motives are clear: they are looking for new suppliers for their industries raw materials. Its exporters want market and their governments want support in International Organizations and its propaganda to counter the US influence in the global politics. Africa is therefore a good ground for these strategies. In fact, the whole issue for the Chinese scramble is purely a resource grab. Chinese growth coupled with dwindling oil and mineral deposits is a major factor in the scramble for the African continent. China is the largest consumer of the petroleum product and natural gas and other minerals like copper cobalt and natural gas.
In the coming years, China domestic oil production will diminish and this might make it likely be the global consumer of such products. China has no strategic oil reserve unlike the United States. That is the reason China has a lot of interest in Nigeria, Sudan, Angola, Gabon and Kenya. China imports about 28% of its oil products and gas from Sub Sahara Africa compared to 15% of the United States.
In the coming years, China domestic oil production will diminish and this might make it likely be the global consumer of such products. China has no strategic oil reserve unlike the United States. That is the reason China has a lot of interest in Nigeria, Sudan, Angola, Gabon and Kenya. China imports about 28% of its oil products and gas from Sub Sahara Africa compared to 15% of the United States.
However, China’s Africa strategy is more than resources but also to open new markets for their products. We have seen Kenyan market flooded with sub standards goods thereby creating a crowding effect for the local goods and services. Ethiopia for example has 90% of the market composed of Chinese products.
Sadly, Chinas unparalleled competitiveness in the developed International Markets is hurting Africa’s economies especially in the textile industry. African leaders are actually treating China as a global power in the Continent.
China is determined to establish long term relationships with the Africa’s elite. These are through exchange programs like scholarship. It is therefore not surprising that Chinese language is to be taught in Kenya alongside the English language. Chinese medical doctors train African ones and provide free medical equipment to African counties. On the economic front, China has opened many investment and trade promotion centers to promote trade with the African continent. The Chinese has created special funds and have reduced bottlenecks for the Chinese investors.
This is aimed at encouraging investment among its people. China uses summits and conferences to reach the African leaders. China view Africa as a market for its arms. Chinese sale of arms to Africa is second to Russia. This is compounded by the fact they don’t lecture African countries on good governance and democracy. Chinese telecommunication giant Huawei for example has huge contracts to provide mobile services in countries like Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. President Mugabe for example refers to china “My friend number one” Just because they don’t lecture Africans on the need to inculcate democratic principles and uphold Human Rights. The same sentiments are shared by President Kagame and Omal EL Bashir of Sudan. In Africa where the rule of law often doesn’t exist, China’s state led business model could prove a disaster for a continent that is still left with fragile pseudo democracies with no strong civil societies and non-state actors to oversight the excesses of the governments.
In this fragile environment, Chinese influence could complicate democratic consolidation and good governance. Chinas unwillingness to put any conditions to its assistance to African countries could further jeopardize International efforts to promote good governance. China has always used its Veto power at the UNSC to thwart efforts meant at imposing sanctions on states that are considered rogue. Africa will therefore provide a test whether china is a world power able to exert influence beyond its borders.
There is increasing Chinese participation in the energy and resource sectors particularly in fragile states such as Sudan, Angola and DRC. This is linked to attempts by some fragile states to evade pressure by western donors and NGOs to promote more transparent and better governance. Chinese aid is growing throughout the region, particularly in recent years, and appears to be carefully targeted to complement its commercial activities, Including in fragile states.
While these major policy challenges are clear, important key knowledge gaps exist which need to be filled if policy responses are to be appropriately nuanced for Individual country circumstances. The major knowledge gaps are with regard to:
* The need for baseline studies to assess the changing future impact of China on SSA.
* Analyses of the determinants of SSA competitiveness and the steps required to enhance productivity (for example, in clothing, textiles, footwear and furniture, as well as in export-oriented food crops);
* A more thorough assessment of indirect impacts of China’s trade on SSA, facilitating the development of appropriate policies for providing special and differential treatment to low income SSA economies in global markets;
* Determining the impact of China on consumer welfare, income distribution and absolute poverty levels in SSA, through an analysis of the consumer benefits derived from cheaper imports, and the distributional implications of a switch in specialization away from labor-intensive manufactures to capital intensive commodities;
* Distinguishing generic from sub-regional and country-specific impacts, aiding the classification of different types of SSA economies;
* Identifying likely future areas of threat and opportunity;
This growing Chinese presence raises major policy challenges for SSA if the manifold opportunities are to be grasped and the threats minimized:
* It poses particular threats to the manufacturing sector. Here the outlook is not entirely bleak, but SSA countries need to take explicit steps to counter act the dangers posed to existing and future capabilities in industry.
* Although the commodity boom favors some SSA economies, it poses very severe problems of economic management. Poorly-handled, a resource boom can easily become a resource-curse. Much can be learned from the experience of other countries (including in SSA) in handling these resource booms.
* Notwithstanding the welfare gains to the poor from lower import prices, the expansion of capital-intensive mineral production and the decline of labor – intensive manufactures pose severe challenges for poverty-alleviation and income distribution. There is, moreover, the additional problem that resource-production is closely associated with violence, corruption and fragile states. Policies to ameliorate these potential adverse poverty-related impacts need to be addressed.
* Linked to this, China has actively forged closer links with fragile states and this has undermined attempts by the global community to enhance transparency and better governance. There is also emerging evidence that attempts to foster better corporate and environmental governance are also being undermined by China’s presence in some SSA countries.
* African economies are being pulled in different directions with regard to their linkages with other economies. One pressure is to sustain historical links with the EU and North America, cemented by various preferential trading agreements. Another pressure is to strengthen links with other SSA economies, particularly in southern Africa. A third pressure is to enhance links with Asia in general, and China in particular.
Scarce administrative and strategic capabilities may require SSA economies to choose how they respond to these various pulls. There are strong arguments for a concerted ‘look East’ policy.
* The key capability which SSA economies require is the development of dynamic capabilities to scan changing environments, to develop appropriate strategic responses and to implement these strategies effectively. Unless these capabilities are built – in government, in the corporate and farming sectors, and in civil society – the opportunities offered by Chinese growth may be overwhelmed by the threats which are raised. This applies particularly to emerging sectors of Chinese demand (for example, imports of food products).
The writer Is an economist by profession.
Twitter : @Asamoh_
Disclaimer: 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]
President Uhuru signs into law the interest capping bill in Statehouse.
By Philip Makokha
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.2 such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
The above text comes from the book of Matthew chapter 13. It piqued my interest because, government policies are like seed. The sower is the government- legislature, judiciary and executive. Assuming, an ordinary man immediately appeared after the seeds had started germinating, he would have been thrilled by the seeds sown on rocky ground that had sprung up quickly. I bet, he would even thank the sower.
It is human nature, to live in the present and enjoy facades, which are our daily lives. On August 24, 2016, H.E President Uhuru Kenyatta assented to the Banking amendment Act (2015) which among other things introduces interest rate ceilings and floors. In his statement after signing the law, the president says “…Upon weighing carefully all these considerations, on balance, I have assented to the Bill as presented to me. We will implement the new law, noting the difficulties that it would present, which include credit becoming unavailable to some consumers and the possible emergence of unregulated informal and exploitative lending mechanisms.
First, let us start from the very basics. Interest is the price charged on money. Since it is presented as a percentage, we refer to it as a rate. Interest rate ceilings/restrictions/caps refer to the maximum interest rate charged by the lender to the borrower. On the other hand, interest rate floor refers to the minimum interest paid on bank deposits i.e. deposit rate. The difference between the two is the SPREAD.
Ordinarily, these interest rates are driven by market forces- demand and supply. Market forces work best in a perfect competition market. This is a market where among other features; it has many buyers and sellers. Other markets are monopoly, oligopoly etc. It is not possible in practice, to find a market that is 100% its type e.g.100% perfect competition or oligopoly. Ordinarily, we characterize a market as perfect competition if the features of a pure competition dominate features of alternative market structures. Other than markets, we also need to look at different types of economies. An economy can be Command, free or mixed. Generally, Kenya is a free market economy. As to whether, the banking sector in Kenya is oligopoly or pure competition, I do not know. Theoretically however, it is a pure competition. The Kenyan economy is majorly free enterprise where an owner of capital can put it in any sector and await returns. Of course, there are regulations governing each of the sectors that an entrepreneur may venture into. These regulations are not necessarily barriers to entry.
INTEREST RATE AS PRICE FOR MONEY AND ITS DETERMINATION
Let us throw this animal called interest rate out of the window for a moment. Let us talk about and ordinary good-sugar. How is price for sugar determined? In any business transaction, there are two parties involved. The buyer (demand) and the seller (supply). The buyers want to buy at the lowest possible prices while the sellers want to sell at the highest possible price. So how is the price determined? The sellers will set a price that covers their production costs plus a mark up. The buyer wants to buy at a price that gives them value for money. In a market with only one seller and many buyers, the seller is likely to exploit the buyers while in a market with only one buyer and many sellers, the buyer is likely to benefit. In practice, there exist many buyers and sellers and therefore prices of items are determined at an equilibrium point. On a graphical presentation, this is the level where quantity demanded equals to quantity supplied. QUANTITY DEMANDED IS NOT DEMAND! The prices will generally hang in this range. The interest rate is determined in a similar manner.
BANKING IN KENYA: OLIGOPOLY OR PERFECT MARKET?
The answer to the above question depends on who you ask. Generally speaking, financial industry is a pure competition. There are many sellers and information is readily available. For example, you can easily know what Bank X charges as interest rate compared to Bank Y. Thanks to the Central bank of Kenya. Some people argue that banking industry is an oligopoly- there is a small number of sellers who control the market. To some extent, this is true. Kenya is dominated by less than 10 banks even though we have in excess of forty banks in operation. These banks, it is argued work in a cartel-like manner thereby charging unnecessarily high interest rates. What high interest rate is, am yet to understand.
WHY INTEREST RATE CEILING AND ‘FLOORS?’
Hon. Jude Njomo, having studied the cartel-like behavior of commercial banks and their high interest rates, deemed it appropriate to regulate the interest rates that banks charge in order to cushion the common man-Wanjiku. From what I gather, Wanjiku is a group of people at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Members of parliament therefore, deem it unfair and predatory for the banks to continue exploiting these members of the society. The attempt to cap interest rate is a third one since the last two decades. The other two attempts having been made by the former mp Joe Donde and Hon. Jakoyo Midiwo. The bill, now the Act addresses many things, among them interest rate capping. This is what this article is about. Many countries have tried capping interest rates including Zambia in 2013. The law has since been abolished. Around the world, approximately 76 countries have some sort of interest rate capping. Some sort because, not all interest rate capping work as the one we have enacted.
A study by Samuel Munzele Maimbo and Claudia Alejandra Henriquez Gallegos titled,
‘Interest Rate Caps around the World Still Popular, but a Blunt Instrument’ reports:
‘In this exercise, we found that the main reasons for using interest caps on loans were to protect consumers from excessive interest rates, to increase access to finance, and to make loans more affordable. Most countries regulate interest rates with the broad aim of protecting consumers, as in the case of Spain. Other countries provided more specific objectives, such as protecting the weakest parties (Portugal); shielding consumers from predatory lending and excessive interest rates (Belgium, France, the Kyrgyz Republic, Poland, the Slovak Republic, and the United Kingdom); stopping the abuses arising from too much freedom (Greece); controlling over-indebtedness (Estonia); and decreasing the risk-taking behavior of credit providers (the Netherlands). Similarly, in Thailand authorities stated that the purpose of the caps was to make finance affordable for low-income borrowers.3 Finally, Zambia’s authorities introduced the caps to mitigate the perceived risk of over indebtedness and the high cost of credit, as well as to enhance access to the underserved.
The Zambia law was abolished three months later.
WHAT INTEREST RESTRICTIONS WILL DO
There are two probable things that restricting interest rates will do. One, what the government tells us that will happen and the second happening is what economic theory supports. I will talk about both cases.
According to the government and the supporters of the law, low interest lending rates will increase access to credit by Micro, small and medium enterprises. It will also increase access to credit by families that could not afford credit facilities under a regime without the caps. This will boost productivity and ultimately improve economic growth. Jobs will be created and we shall be a few steps away from achieving a million jobs a year as promised by Jubilee. The government will also achieve greater financial inclusion rates for the Kenyan citizen.
On the other hand, interest rate floors set for saving deposits (deposit rate) will encourage a savings culture thereby ultimately, boosting our economic growth. After all, a saving economy is a growing economy. It is however, misleading to think that limiting deposit rates at 70% of CBR will encourage savings. According to the Central bank, the deposit rate as of April 2016 was 6.92% .With the new low; it will be at least 7%. I do not think a marginal increase of 0.08 will do anything to encourage savings. With the 6.92% of deposit rate, our saving rate is at a mere 1.4%. The interest rate floor will thus, have negligible effect, if any. Low lending rates encourage investment as well as consumption and both these activities are good for economic growth. By controlling deposit rates, the government will be able to arrest any inflationary pressure that would have occurred because of availability of cheap loans. Whereas these arguments are convincing, they are flawed.
However, according to economic theory, two scenarios are more likely to occur. First, availability of cheap loans will increase liquidity in the economy. The question that begs is what is the effect of an increase in money in circulation? An increase in money in circulation will automatically increase consumption. If the increase in money is not accompanied by a commensurate increase in production, as is likely to be the case in Kenya, there is likely to be inflation.
There will be too much money chasing too few goods! This inflationary pressure will lower the purchasing power of our money. The real value of our shilling will be eroded. For example, Ksh.1000 will buy less than it could have bought prior to interest rate restriction. As a result of this pressure, workers will demand more pay. This will cause industrial unrest and production will plunge further because of time wasted on pay negotiations.
If employers will agree to increase salaries, the cycle will continue. This policy therefore, creates a vicious cycle that is a zero-sum game.
The second likely event to occur according to economic theory is credit rationing. A key component of interest rate is the risk aspect. Banks generally weigh the risk profile of a client and adjust the rate accordingly before advancing a facility.
A client either has low risk profile or high risk profile. A client with a good credit history and a regular stream of income is less risky than a client who is probably borrowing for the first time. In a regime where interest rates have no upward limit, banks will accommodate the riskier client by adjusting the rates accordingly. On the other hand, if the rate has a cap, and the risk profile of a client cannot fit within this regime, the best alternative is to deny that client the facility all together.
These clients are SMEs and Wanjiku. Apparently, the very people this legislation intends to protect. From my experience, when someone wants money, the cost is not their priority. The priority is AVAILABILITY. And this is why; Shylocking is a thriving business in Kenya. This ‘locking out’ of potential borrowers, will lead to establishment of more informal lending businesses that are likely to exploit the public much more. The president notes this in his statement. Kenyans will be exploited much more by the unregulated sector of shylocks!
WHAT WORKS?
Spain is among the few countries that have a law similar to what the president assented to on August 24, 2016. Does it work? Whereas interest rates are low in Spain, studies show that it boasts of notoriously high charges. This means, what the banks cannot make through interest, they make through other charges. This is also a possibility. If these charges too, are capped, the banking industry is going to be a no-go zone for investors. Investors like to put their money where it generates the highest possible returns. Since the major role of management is to maximize shareholder value, caps limiting their ability to achieve this goal can only mean one thing: COST REDUCTION.
A huge percentage of total costs for many businesses are labour related and thus, banks may be forced to freeze hiring of new staff or reduce their workforce so as to continue making profits. Is this job creation? Banks are henceforth going to invest much more in technology and less in human labour in order to return value to shareholders.
The best alternative of handling the high interest rates would have been more of moral than legislative. For example, the government through CBK would have advised bank executives to set aside some percentage of their loan portfolio for SMEs and Wanjiku. This alternative accompanied by threats of legislation would have yielded much better results in the long run. We can think of this as setting up of EPZ in the manufacturing industry. In fact, the government could even decide to tax income generated from this portfolio at a lower rate or give it a tax holiday. This would boost credit access to the marginalized without interfering with the banks’ independence. This is more likely to stimulate economic growth and development. Controlling interest rates is sowing on a rock; the seeds will spring quickly because the soils are shallow. They will however, not live for long as they have no roots. Let’s sow in deep fertile soils. It may take long for the seeds to germinate, but when they do…they will grow to maturity and yield maybe thirty times or more of what we sow!
Finally, s I conclude, I would like to paraphrase Dr, Ndii, no amount of growling at critics is going to make foolish policy wise.
The writer Is a degree holder in Commerce, specializing in Finance from JKUAT And a hustler with ideas that can change the world. Twitter: @pcmakokha | Facebook: PC Makokha | IG: PC Makokha
Disclaimer: 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]
KTN Investigation Chief Editor, Mohammed Ali, Jicho Pevu.
The fearless and defiant KTN Investigation Senior Editor and the Pioneer of Jicho Pevu investigations series popularly known as Moha on Thursday escaped a death trap laid on him.
According toinformation gathered by Kenya Insights, the journalist had been trailed by unmarked car from CBD where he was at the I&M building all the way to Bunyala Road, Nyayo Stadium driving to the Standard Groups Hq along Mombasa road.
While the traffic stalled aroundNyayo Stadium, an assailant riding on a bike rode past Mohammed’s car pointing a gun at his window in what is a clear death scare before moving away. We’re told the masked rider warned Moha against sticking his nose too far.
This incident come only two days after the series ran a story how since the assassination of Jacob Juma reportedly by unknown assailants in motorbike, six more people linked to his death have been killed by the police under unexplainable circumstances. The defiant journalist while speaking to Kenya Insights insists he will continue with his work undeterred by whichever forces. “I’ve seen worse, I only fear God,we live once and die once” said Moha.
His assassination scare also coming at a time when his piece in extrajudicial killings is receiving massive viewership in international media, Al Jazeera. Police in Kenya according to many independent reports has been accused of conducting unlawful killings.
2017 politics is taking shape with many moneyed individuals lining up to unseat incumbents in various positions. The position of the county governor is attracting much even more than the seat of the president. Nearly all the senators are planning to trounce their respective governors; academic dwarfs have been through commercial colleges to acquire their degrees and federal retirees of the gone regimes, and last poll losers are making a massive come back.
Fred Gumo, former Westland’s MP is the newest old kid in the block brokering political deals for his tribesmen. Gumo retired in 2013, went and was forgotten till he made short headlines over the controversy that was surrounding the sale of Ex-president Moi’s stolen range rover. He is now back in full swing pushing a deal to make Water CS Eugene Wamalwa jubilee’s flag bearer for Nairobi gubernatorial race. This was ridiculous after the rude politician had called it a day, he might not have amassed enough for retirement and is now back as a political broker to get a parastatal job in return.
The former cabinet minister William Ole Ntimama whose age DP William Ruto compared to that of Vasco da Gama may be old, down but not out. He recently led a team of Maasai leaders to embrace Jubilee Party in the state house. The retired politician promised to visit all Maa speaking regions to rally support for Jubilee. Nothing is for free, and Kenya is a place where political mileage can be gained at all costs, and obviously it’s a give and take deal.
Jubilee’s Chirau Ali Mwakwere who lost his senatorial bid to Juma Boy Juma in the 2013 polls and later appointed Kenya’s envoy to Tanzania has been endorsed by ODM MPs who are not loyal to Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya. Mwakwere who has stayed away from the public eye since he was awarded the job for his loyalty has confirmed he’s in the race to be the next governor for Kwale County. If people rejected the honourable for a senatorial seat, what makes them think the electorate would trust them with a more sensitive seat like that of the governor?
In mature democracies like America candidates who are rejected in polls, concede and give the electorate a break. Senator John Mc Cain was Obama’s bitter rival, but when he was beaten in the 2008 elections he admitted and went back to his senatorial job. Kenya is different, even a candidate who knows he is apparently defeated in a contest will put the nation through lengthy court battles in the name of a petition which they eventually lose and promise to fight again in the polls to come. They become a nuisance to stay in the news and bother the state to be rewarded with a government job.
Former lands CS Charity Ngilu may be one of the strongest female political heavyweights in Kenya, but corruption has tainted her would be decorated career. Corruption allegations were at the centre of her tenure as Water Minister in the Kibaki regime to her short stint with the Jubilee administration where she worked as the minister for lands. The infamous list of EACC that had over 175 corrupt officials stamped her exit at the Ardhi House. She has blamed Jubilee administration for her woes and is now plotting a comeback through a gubernatorial position in the 2017 elections.
The former Kisumu rulam MP Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o would be expected to call it quits in the coming polls, but the ageing politician is just still not ready to call it a day in politics. Like most of his Senate colleagues, Nyong’o says he would only retire after attaining governorship. He says the incumbent Jack Ranguma has failed to spur development in the County despite receiving billions from the National Treasury. “We can’t allow such wayward governors to mess up noble concepts as devolution”. He claims to have amassed enough wealth for his retirement and self-interests are not part of his reasons to aspire to retire as a governor. He purportedly wants the people of Kisumu to enjoy the real benefits of devolution.
Like his colleagues, they realised late that resources are devolved and are at the county levels. There is nothing to control and steal at the Senate like governors do with county funds. This is the primary reason why there is a fierce battle between MPs and senators. Many governors have ‘bought’ MPs into their cahoots to pass a bill that would make it impossible for senators to run for the governorship. Greed is real in politics, and it’s funny that no governor is aspiring to be president in the next polls. They are satisfied in their positions that are attracting old guards and retirees who should find ‘a safe haven’ to retire elsewhere, not in positions where they can continue stealing from the public coffers.
