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Wabunge.com

May 16, 2012
1:24
Liquid Gold ... Truly Gold
» ‎ Wabunge.com

An indescribable wash of excitement gripped the country when Tullow Oil Company announced that they had made a find on oil deposits in Turkana. The people in particular had something to be proud of. The place once thought to be hopeless now had the attention of the entire country. Then the excitement ended and in came worry, anxiety and uncertainty.

A number of writers have alluded to the fact that with the corruption rot that has almost become characteristic of Kenya, the oil find may be more of a curse than a gift of good tidings. While you cannot blame them seeing the never ending impunity saga, we must appreciate that the new constitution envisioned the discovery of oil and other minerals and put in sufficient measures to protect the interests of the various interested parties.

Do the people of Turkana then have any rights to the land in which the oil deposits were found in the constitution and can those rights be protected?

First, the land in Turkana is Public Land by virtue of Article 62(1)(f) which states that public land is all minerals and mineral oils as defined by law.

Article 60(1)(c) provides that Land in Kenya shall be held in a manner that is in accordance with the principle of sustainable and productive management of resources.

The constitution the provides under Article 62(3) that public land such as that in Turkana shall vest in and be held by the national government in trust for the people of Kenya and shall be administered
on their behalf by the National Land Commission. This means that the people can hold the government accountable for acts of use and disposal (sell) of the land.

The law then provides that public land will not be used and/or disposed of except where there is an Act of Parliament (sub-law) that specifies the nature of that use/disposal.

The state may also under Article 66(1) regulate the use of any land in the interest of public order. This ensures that even though exploitation maybe left to outside parties, their work will be closely
monitored by the authorities.

The law provides for ratification of a right or grant of concession by a person or the Government for the exploitation of any natural resource in Kenya. This Article 71 provision means that before anyone
is allowed to exploit the Turkana Oil, they will undergo a proper vetting process to verify their suitability for the job.

Finally, the state shall, under Article 69(1) ensure sustainable exploitation, utilization, management and conservation of natural resources and, perhaps key on the mind of Turkana people, ensure the equitable sharing of accruing benefits.

So, yes the Turkana people have certain rights over the land with the oil deposits and those rights are sufficiently protected in the Constitution. The ball rests with the people mandated with its implementation.
May 14, 2012
23:44
Salad Oil
» ‎ Wabunge.com

Are we all going to sit and watch grand corruption take centre stage in our country and mainly our politics? Most recently we have been hit by the NHIF scandal, our very own Salad oil Scandal that happened in the USA back in the sixties.

The Salad Oil scandal happened when banks for the Allied Crude Vegetable Oil Company granted it a substantial line of credit demanding its vegetable oil as collateral. Cargo ships carrying the company's salad oil were subject to inspection in order to ensure that Allied Crude Vegetable Oil was delivering its finished product. The company discovered that it could circumvent the inspection process and stretch its vegetable oil output by filling the tanks with water.

In the corruption perception index Kenya is Ranked 144 out of 159.Kenyans have accepted corruption as a way of life and we only talk about it or are distressed when it is broadcasted in the mainstream media. For how long will these trends subsist?

We never have access to any of the findings from the commission of inquiry set up. This is done on purpose because the leaders are all in on it and that is why they are always fighting hard to maintain their positions. Our politicians are a breed of seasoned campaigners; they will start campaigning as soon as they are sworn into office. Let us not forget it is an expensive venture, so how do they sustain a spirited fight for five years?

A presidential candidate such as Ole Kiyiapi is seeking to raise Ksh 360 Million for his successful presidential campaigns. He is probably the only candidate who has declared a budget and indicated his likely source of funding. The rest are getting funds from the government where they worked and dramatically quit to pursue their presidential bids. Voting for them again is like letting the proverbial Wolf watch over our sheep.

They shall steal as long as we reinstate. I would love to see all the political parties audited and declarations made on their source of funding because accountability should start at the party level before it is replicated at the point of serving the nation.
May 11, 2012
5:44
CDF hullabaloo
» ‎ Wabunge.com

Does being a good handler of CDF make one good presidential material? Is it an MP’s job to handle CDF? Should we even be having CDF in the first place?

Here is the thing, CDF is a BAD idea. Why? MPs say they passed a law creating CDF because:

a. the central budget was always being embezzled.
b. some regions were being marginalised in favour of others.
c. the people at the grassroots should decide how to spend their taxes.

Are these sound reasons?

The government is mainly funded through taxation. The minister of finance receives budgets from ministries on how they intend to spend the taxes (which are still in our pockets). This budget is then read in parliament and the MPs go through it with a fine tooth comb. Later, if amendments have been made to their satisfaction, the MPs pass a bill that allows the government to spend money as per the budget for the next fiscal year.

During the fiscal year, the MPs are charged with monitoring closely all government expenditure and putting to task any minister who uses funds in contradiction to the budget.

In light of this, how can an MP CONSENT to government spending then later say his region is being marginalised? The parliamentary hansard holds no record of any MP protesting the budget on grounds that his constituency is being marginalised in annual budgetary allocations.

Point one down.

Also, how can MPs say the central budget is being embezzled yet they are the WATCHMEN who are empowered to call the ministers to account over their spending at any given time?

If they admit they cannot monitor a central budget, how will they monitor it when it is fragmented into 200 plus pieces?

Point two down.

Thirdly, the people at the grassroots have minimal or zero understanding of MACRO economics. How then can they be entrusted with MICRO economic planning in the hope that it will collectively achieve macroeconomic development? How will they know when they are being given the classrooms and cattle dips they need at EXORBTANT prices? Won’t they be too busy cheering the MP to notice inflated building costs?

Also, why pool the taxes into an amount that can do sizeable macroeconomic projects, and then split it up into amounts that can do no substantial good? Why favour disjointed projects over coordinated national ones?

Point three down.

There being no good reason for creating CDF, why should MPs, whose main job is to make laws, be judged based on CDF use?

Shouldn’t they be judged as per the laws they have contributed to making?

Or their performance in monitoring the public coffers?
Or their innovativeness in reducing public expenditure while increasing pubic service?
Or their contribution towards strengthening Kenya’s position in the global market?

Yet here we are applauding them for making and upholding a poor law and even swearing to reward them with the presidency.
May 09, 2012
12:27
With Love, From France
» ‎ Wabunge.com

If they can do it, we can do it.

For those still not in the loop, France has a new CEO. Its official, after the presidential run-off, the new President Elect is Socialist Francois Hollande. This particular presidential run-off was nothing short of historic. For the first time in 17 years a United for Popular Movement candidate; in our case, Nicolas Sarkozy lost to a Socialist candidate-Francoise Hollande.

The Constitution of Kenya now provides that there shall be a presidential run-off to determine who the country's next chief executive officer will be in the case that the first poll does not clearly produce a 50% plus 1 winner; something in the forecast of many political analysts.

Kenya can and essentially should learn a great deal and borrow heavily from how the French carried out these particular polls and generally from the style of politics exhibited therein.

Track records! Track records! Track records! I have previously written on this topic on this platform. In the case of France, one of the factors that led to the decline in popularity of Nicholas Sarkozy and by extension of the UPM was the fact that their track record was not all that impressive. Former Monsieur le President Sarkozy's term was marred with problems. It was during his rule that France faced a financial crisis, a debt crisis, recession, austerity measures and problems related to the Arab spring of unrest. His marriage to singer/model Carla Bruni also did not go down very well with the French people.

Almost contradicting lesson one, is the fact that we learn that experience may not be everything. While in 2007, Sarkozy was favoured to take over presidency from Jacques Chirac on the notion that he was
richly experienced in the French style of politics through his having holding several cabinet and mayoral positions, in 2012 France went the complete opposite way, choosing to embrace something new in the person of Francois Hollande.

A small leak will sink a great ship. The Swahili people say, “usipoziba ufa, utajenga ukuta” (If you don’t seal a crack you’ll end up building an entire wall). The French people had problems with the way their country was being run in the overall and they chose to do something about it. They changed the system. Though not certain of how this will work for them, they took the risk instead of sticking it out with the old 17 year old system that clearly did not make them all that happy.

The most commendable thing though that was part of this run off was the show of unity between Sarkozy and Hollande and especially the speed and the grace with which Sarkozy conceded defeat. His speech left him endeared in many people's hearts and if never before, he then earned the status of a true statesman.

Lessons for Kenya as we approach the General Elections - track records are important, experience may not be everything and if its broken, fix it, a change after all, is as good as a rest.
May 08, 2012
11:13
Pupihood Quandry
» ‎ Wabunge.com

The recent cancellation of the Limuru 2b meeting sent a somewhat chilling message to the nation. The rebirth of the dreaded Mungiki sect and the ascension to more prominence of Maina Njenga. This man, a self declared spiritual leader of his newly formed ‘church’, Hope Evangelical Ministry, will cause a big headache to the political class. He has a very large following from millions of hopeless disillusioned youth who would go to war just to advance his ambition. He has indicated a very keen interest in politics of the land and now wants to move from being a hired gun to a member of the legislature. Due to this smoldering ambition he has fallen out with leaders from central Kenya where he draws a large cut up of his support.

Maina’s followers and those of the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) all have one thing in common - poverty. There is unity in purpose in whatever they are doing and years of neglect on the youth of this country is slowly coming to bite the government on their rears. One can argue that the demands by MRC are unreasonable and illegitimate, but it’s easier to point fingers than empathize. Years of subsequent oppression and neglect is now being felt, landless squatters in their own land for years on end. North Eastern and the upper Rift regions are also other areas where calls for secession cannot be questioned.

Then you wonder why the government acts surprised when groups of discontent youth rally behind formidable individuals and start employing cruder than life methods to get attention and, hopefully, a solution. The youth the world over are constantly being exploited and the governments resort to extensive bloody massacres to repress them.

The solution- for a nation to thrive, the most energetic of its populace have got to be content and attended to. They demand a lot of attention at this stage of their lives and this has never changed even when Jesus was walking on this earth, that’s why he had twelve youth and millions of others spreading the Gospel. I am not for any secession or personality cults but the next government needs to pay attention to the youth and stop prevarications every time there is a youth dissension.
May 04, 2012
5:47
Power to SOME People
» ‎ Wabunge.com

These are the words of a presidential hopeful before the 2007 elections.

‘The private sector must be promoted as the engine for more efficient wealth-creation, while ensuring equity in the distribution of the wealth generated by our efforts.

My government will concentrate on creating a favourable environment for the private sector to prosper.

Under a clear privatisation policy, government will quickly exit from profitable and well-managed companies and cede ownership to the Kenyan people.

My government will only intervene in enterprises where public effort is required for restructuring, and eventually privatising, or by providing seed capital in investments that are needed, but where the risk-reward ratio is too high for the private sector alone.

Where such intervention is necessary, my government will exit at maturity of the investment.’

If indeed politics is macroeconomics, how would this candidate accrue such tremendous support after making this speech? Doesn’t the above excerpt betray a very poor and oppressive macroeconomic policy?

Here’s why: the government owns nothing. It only holds it in trust what belongs to the citizens.

If all the government ‘owns’ belongs to us, how can the candidate then say that ‘his government’ will ‘quickly exit from profitable and well-managed companies and CEDE OWNERSHIP TO THE KENYAN PEOPLE’??? Cede ownership to us for what we already own?

By ‘going public’ and selling shares in an ‘Initial ‘Public’ Offer (I.P.O)’, government businesses are technically not ‘ceding ownership to the Kenyan people’. More precisely, they are ceding ownership to SOME of the Kenyan people; they are being PRIVATISED!

Now why would anyone vote for a person who intends to sell our collective property to a few of us? Or better yet, what is the reason for selling this property?

If we say the reason is that the government has a poor management record, then should the candidate be promising us better management or disposing of our businesses?

If we say the reason is ‘good management and profit’, why would we want to sell off a business that is making us money? Funny enough, the latter reason is given here….

There are those who argue that a government should not engage in business due to ‘bureaucracy and corruption’. How so? Don’t WE design our governments and say how they should run? Is it humanly impossible for us to design efficient and transparent governments? Aren’t we the same ones who design efficient and transparent private businesses?

If the government does not run businesses and earn its expenses, won’t it rely entirely on its citizens for funding? Are we sure we want our taxes to meet expenses the government would have met for itself?

Lastly, how can a government ensure equitable use of public resources once they are in private (profit driven) hands? Won’t the ‘resourced’ citizens have a larger say in influencing government policy over resource use, especially if that government relies entirely on them for funding?

When a few citizens control government policy and fund its implementation, are we in a democracy or a corporatocracy?
May 02, 2012
12:36
The Balancing Act
» ‎ Wabunge.com

My friend Dennis, who is not exactly a political enthusiast, asked me the other day if we can divorce politics from mainstream media and just have our local media focus on business and entertainment. That would have been the ideal scenario for him. My answer was that everything is driven by and has its legal foundation in politics; it is politics in mainstream Media that has led to the New York Times lasting 116 years.

More relevant to us in Kenya is the interrelationship between the media and politics. You cannot alienate one from the other. Each is each other's main source and sometimes they are used interchangeably. Without each other, they almost cannot exist.

The Media is therefore a huge contributing factor to the peace and stability of this country. It also can be the cause of great destruction. A country is literally a reflection of what its media stands for. For example in January 2008, one of the main fuelling factors of the unrest in Kenya was negative utterances towards ethnicity made by and in mainstream Media.

The secret lies in the perfect balance between media criticism and appreciation. Politically successful countries almost always have a happy media with a strong independent base. Take the US and the UK for example. Kenya on the other hand is sometimes too hard on its media. Politicians are always trying to gag the media, a practice upheld by the former regime in an array of some superiority complex, forgetting that they are nothing without the media.

The Media on the other hand has sometimes gone a bit overboard perhaps excited about the new concept of press freedom. They should never forget that they, not the politicians, hold this country together. Accountability, Upholding of Ethical Standards, a Unity Agenda and Integrity should be at the core of every media and every platform that uses information to reach out to the general public especially now that we are headed for the General Elections. The media has the power to turn 2008 to 2030 with just the power of the written, spoken or visual word.

As for the Kenyan public, the Dennises and such, it is our duty to give credit where it is due. Let’s appreciate our Media for the tireless effort they are putting in to unify this country. It is by all means an uphill task and just like any other, faults are bound to appear. Let’s save the criticism for when it is absolutely necessary, that is little sacrifice for so much good.
April 30, 2012
4:58
Water is Death
» ‎ Wabunge.com

We’re all familiar with the old adage “Water is Life” but unfortunately for the residents of Nyando and Magarini the opposite is true. Recent reports have the death toll of flood victims in the country in the tens with more than 1,000 people now displaced due to floods that have been caused by the recent heavy rains pounding the country.

The recurring question of the government’s activities in regard to alleviating the devastation of floods in the country arises again. German genius Albert Einstein once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” I wish our government was insane, because that would mean they are actually doing something about the situation or at least trying to. Sadly, this is not the case because there have been no reports of any efforts to execute strategies that will either harvest the water or reduce the damage that the floods bring.

Odd that there are no efforts to stop a disaster which everyone in the country can see coming from a mile away. We all know that the rain causes floods in specific regions in the country and people’s lives are lost every year due to these rains but the government has made no effort to control these disasters. Are they waiting for global warming to solve the problem for them? Or do they simply not care because they are not losing loved ones in the floods? Whatever the case, this approach is unacceptable.

Surely, measures to control burst river dams and harvest rain water cannot be more expensive than running a political campaign to be the areas MP in the next elections. I’d really like to see the affected area MPs comments (or promises) when they seek votes in their respective regions.

This is a recurring theme that we need to cull immediately. First we have a drought then too much water then we have too much milk followed by a shortage. Vote for an MP who will be proactive and not reactive.
April 27, 2012
6:13
Transport 4: Regulation
» ‎ Wabunge.com

The fact of the matter is that we have placed our public transport system, the very circulation of our country’s business life blood, into the hands of vigilante groups. Then we attempt to regulate these fragmented militias using punitive law as enforced by a semi autonomous traffic police department.

This creates a situation whereby the vigilante groups attempt to break every law in their pursuit of maximum profit, the police and law makers attempt to dish out the harshest punishment to the offenders in pursuit of some sanity; and the two parties compromise by splitting the illegal profits in the form of bribes.

What would happen if instead of designing punitive laws, we focused on designing regulatory law that would encourage compliance by matatu operators rather than seeking to punish offences.

Picture this;

With the demographic studies that arise from proper urban planning, it is easy to know the volume of people and goods moving in any given direction at any given time using public transport. The government can then OWN ALL PUBLIC TRANSPORT ROUTES and lease them out to private service providers who prove themselves capable to handle the movement of these volumes of goods and people.

Such leases shall be won through competitive tenders where the private service providers sign a performance contract to provide public transport for a given route for a given time. These performance contracts bind the transport firms to give reliable, safe transport at a given price to the public: failure to which their contract is revoked, a performance bond is paid to the government by an insurance company and the contract is awarded to another provider.

The service providers need not be enormous corporations but can be the vigilante groups we currently have; only that now they shall be organized into SACCOs that pool together individual matatu owners into a single body. This body shall regulate ALL the members’ compliance to regulatory law by carrying out regular inspections of both members and their vehicles BEFORE they are allowed onto the road for a day’s work.

To avoid corruption, these regular inspections can be simultaneously carried out by representatives of the SACCO, the police and the commuter’s association of a given route. The three groups will also have route prefects to ensure matatu crews behave on the road.

This means that a police officer who spots a non-compliant vehicle and/or its crew has to issue a ticket that will be settled by the COMPANY in court. Such a ticket will put the three groups of inspectors and their prefects on the spot since company that regularly breaches the law can have its contract terminated.

Now with a matatu sector that is regulated by the operators, the police and the commuters simultaneously, how will corruption, road anarchy or carnage be possible?
April 25, 2012
13:34
It's Still Anyone's Game
» ‎ Wabunge.com

Musalia Mudavadi's announcement that he was ditching the Orange Democratic Movement for some nondescript political party had been a speculated by many, for a long time and the official news gave political analysts fodder for their trade. Instead of focussing on the Mudavadi exodus, many analysts were solely squared on trying to guess who would succeed Musalia as Prime Minister Raila Odinga's right hand man.

Most people think a fit replacement would be someone from within the ODM camp and from the Luhya community. There are a number of Luhya ODM party members, most of whom are no less of a liability to Tinga than Mudavadi was.

Nothing profound or jaw dropping came out of Musalia Mudavadi as deputy party leader or as deputy Prime Minister. Even then, most analysts still believe in finding his clone for a replacement.

I think otherwise.

The days of tribal block voting are long gone and only the Central and Luo Nyanza regions in Kenya still do it and will do it in 2012. Dynasty politics is still the trend in these two regions. It is, however, anyone's playing field in the remaining eight.

I see the 2012 elections going into a second run off because of this.

Kenyans want change and are ready for it. It is no longer a tribal affair and the presidency is anyone's for the taking. Very few Kenyans are willing to rally behind a candidate solely because (s)he is "mtu wao".

What Kenya needs is a president whose key agenda is to ensure the implementation of the constitution. With that everything else falls into place.

It doesn't matter then who Raila Odinga replaces Musalia with or where they come from. A Luhya running mate after all does not guarantee the 4 million Western Kenya votes; it never has, and never will.

The fact is that the person with the best campaign will most probably win and may the best man win.
April 24, 2012
16:06
My Inaudible Twopence Worth
» ‎ Wabunge.com

The long anticipated move by the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Musalia Mudavadi was finally made this past weekend. The cards are on the table and for all those who thought it was a bluff can cash in their chips. This move brings sharp focus on the level of open space and democracy in ODM. The party has a reform based outlook but its constitution’s draconian clauses undermine any possible room for reforms. The party constitution has Raila Odinga written all over it; because even though he may have not personally drafted it his henchmen did and are implementing these clauses to the detriment of any would be opposition and ambitious party members who may want to run for the top Job on the party ticket. Therefore chastising all of Mudavadi’s efforts, turning it into what the Swahilis would call “mbio za sakafuni”. (Running on the roof finishes at the edge).

The big question and speculation by pundits the country over is the next move for these two antagonists. My thoughts are that the PM will want to come out of this jubilant in all possible ways and save face for his bid and party. Now the tenterhooks deeply stuck in his back through the five years, firstly resuscitating and carrying Musalia are out of him. This man Odinga the head honcho and super strategist will pick a running mate that will give him a Nationalistic appeal.

Already in his political speeches he has branded the other side of the divide as being tribal. For the DPM his next move is under the microscope though I don’t think it will bring him to the fore as a serious contestant for the house on the hill. His best chance was in ODM if only he got that ticket like I had suggested in an earlier article. He was a compromise candidate and would have served as a unifying leader based on his less divisive outlook. The focus however is on the PM who I would not be surprised if he picked a woman for a running mate to appeal to the electorate of the nation. For Lazarus alias Mudavadi, his is a thin line to tread on untill further notice.
April 23, 2012
1:29
Priorities Skewed
» ‎ Wabunge.com

I’m going to start this article by outlining a disclaimer that I am not targeting any particular media company or trying to single out any political act that has occurred in the last week. I say this because frankly I am sick and tired of the amount of coverage that some political goings on receive in the media.

I think we’d struggle to find a newspaper last week that didn’t have the story of Mudavadi’s exit from ODM as the cover story. In addition to that, this story occupied the first issue in the news on almost every local prime time news show in the country. This in the same week that there were human rights violations in Limuru, Titanium mining news in Kwale and the shooting of a woman and her two children by police in Dandora.

Really? Is Mudavadi’s choice of political party more of a news item than these incidences? Granted he has gathered a large amount of political clout but is this how we place our priorities. Our MPs may as well be our gods at this rate.

The sad part about this is the fact that the media is only partially to blame for this bias. The media only aims to improve their ratings when they present the news, and the only way to do that is to give to the viewers (or readers) what they want. Which means it is us as the consumers of the media who determine what’s most important to us.

This love for our MPs every move is borderline sycophancy. Who cares about which party he is going to? Isn’t it more important to question what his ideals are? What has he done in the positions he has held the last five years? Why is it that these acts he has done do not warrant as much attention as a switch to another party?

We need to get our priorities right. By all means, scrutinize the career of your potential MPs but do so only for the sake of making sure that when you cast your vote, it’s for someone who you share ideals with and who is going to be able to deliver on their promises. Do not spend your time turning a blind eye to what’s going on around you only to be a pawn in their games.

Ever wondered who designs laws for our transport system, or whether they are designed at all or they are just ‘made’ in parliament? Doesn’t the focus of such law seem to be on punishing offenders rather than regulating the transport system? Isn’t it clear from the above questions that the main issue is poor regulation not lax enforcement of law… isn’t the issue poorly designed law?

Or maybe we have never sat down and wondered what well-designed law actually looks like. Well, here is our chance to sit down and wonder…and touch base with our findings and calculations later…
April 20, 2012
1:22
Transport 2: Questions Questions
» ‎ Wabunge.com

There is this story of an expatriate who took a taxi from the airport to his hotel in Nairobi and on the way there he saw some people in town standing in the rain in a line.

Expatriate: ‘Hey, what’s up with those guys queuing in the rain?’
Cab Driver: ‘They are waiting for public transport to go home’.
Expatriate: Can’t they queue elsewhere away from the rain?’
Cab Driver: ‘No, that’s their designated spot’.
Expatriate: In the rain?!? Well. I guess then the bus is going to come soon, isn’t it? ’
Cab Driver: ‘They actually don’t know when the bus will come, or whether it will come at all. Worse still, they don’t know how much they will be charged….’
Expatriate: ‘Ha! Funny! Can’t they go take a train instead then?’
Cab Driver: ‘Hahaha! You should see the train station when it rains!’.

Ever experienced a ‘police traffic police crackdown on matatus/ errant motorists’ on the only day of the week when you have a morning meeting? Ever woken up late only to hear matatu operators are on strike protesting ‘police harassment’?

Ever wondered how a matatu slows down to pick passengers on a LEGALLY DESIGNATED STOP on the side of a three-lane highway?

Ever wondered how a matatu stop is LEGALLY DESIGNATED to be in the middle of a roundabout, yet the law clearly states vehicles should not stop, wait or change lanes while complying a roundabout? How will the vehicles get in the roundabout without doing so? How exactly can passengers get to the matatus in the middle of the said roundabout without causing vehicles to stop, wait or change lanes?

Ever wondered whether goods and humans should be ferried in the same matatu, or would you not mind wearing a suit for a meeting and sitting next to a woman carrying a bag of onions?

Ever asked yourself whether it is not an abuse of human rights for adults to scramble for matatus alongside school children, pregnant women, the aged, the handicapped, the sick etc.?

Ever wondered how a person who is green to the city is supposed to know what matatu route goes where, how to connect from one route to the other and how much fare shall be charged? Ever wondered who decides those fares and what mathematics they use?

Ever wondered who designs laws for our transport system, or whether they are designed at all or they are just ‘made’ in parliament? Doesn’t the focus of such law seem to be on punishing offenders rather than regulating the transport system? Isn’t it clear from the above questions that the main issue is poor regulation not lax enforcement of law… isn’t the issue poorly designed law?

Or maybe we have never sat down and wondered what well-designed law actually looks like. Well, here is our chance to sit down and wonder…and touch base with our findings and calculations later…
1:22
Transport 3: Questions Questions
» ‎ Wabunge.com

There is this story of an expatriate who took a taxi from the airport to his hotel in Nairobi and on the way there he saw some people in town standing in the rain in a line.

Expatriate: ‘Hey, what’s up with those guys queuing in the rain?’
Cab Driver: ‘They are waiting for public transport to go home’.
Expatriate: Can’t they queue elsewhere away from the rain?’
Cab Driver: ‘No, that’s their designated spot’.
Expatriate: In the rain?!? Well. I guess then the bus is going to come soon, isn’t it? ’
Cab Driver: ‘They actually don’t know when the bus will come, or whether it will come at all. Worse still, they don’t know how much they will be charged….’
Expatriate: ‘Ha! Funny! Can’t they go take a train instead then?’
Cab Driver: ‘Hahaha! You should see the train station when it rains!’.

Ever experienced a ‘police traffic police crackdown on matatus/ errant motorists’ on the only day of the week when you have a morning meeting? Ever woken up late only to hear matatu operators are on strike protesting ‘police harassment’?

Ever wondered how a matatu slows down to pick passengers on a LEGALLY DESIGNATED STOP on the side of a three-lane highway?

Ever wondered how a matatu stop is LEGALLY DESIGNATED to be in the middle of a roundabout, yet the law clearly states vehicles should not stop, wait or change lanes while complying a roundabout? How will the vehicles get in the roundabout without doing so? How exactly can passengers get to the matatus in the middle of the said roundabout without causing vehicles to stop, wait or change lanes?

Ever wondered whether goods and humans should be ferried in the same matatu, or would you not mind wearing a suit for a meeting and sitting next to a woman carrying a bag of onions?

Ever asked yourself whether it is not an abuse of human rights for adults to scramble for matatus alongside school children, pregnant women, the aged, the handicapped, the sick etc.?

Ever wondered how a person who is green to the city is supposed to know what matatu route goes where, how to connect from one route to the other and how much fare shall be charged? Ever wondered who decides those fares and what mathematics they use?

Ever wondered who designs laws for our transport system, or whether they are designed at all or they are just ‘made’ in parliament? Doesn’t the focus of such law seem to be on punishing offenders rather than regulating the transport system? Isn’t it clear from the above questions that the main issue is poor regulation not lax enforcement of law… isn’t the issue poorly designed law?

Or maybe we have never sat down and wondered what well-designed law actually looks like. Well, here is our chance to sit down and wonder…and touch base with our findings and calculations later…
April 17, 2012
13:38
Word of Thought to the Mainstream Media
» ‎ Wabunge.com

The road to cohesion and integration in our country is a long and tedious one and partly impeded by the main stream media. I’m not part of the great circus called blame game but the media has to take responsibility for brain washing Kenyans through broadcasting material that is not always necessary but populist and at times inflamatory.We can all climb on the tallest plinth and make noise about the tribal alliances but we forget who brings us pictures of these meetings. Many forward thinking Kenyans on the now popular modern day toothless bulldog (social media) have been barking.

They are seeking for a media blackout on leaders who promote tribal and retrogressive politics. This however is a tall order because the same said leaders own the media houses and will manipulate them to their favor. It’s not an alien phenomena the world over to have media houses that “favor” certain parties. This bias is very apparent to the masses but it cannot be questioned as much because the said economies are liberalized and embrace entrepreneurial spirit. However, in the western world it is not very prominent unlike back home where we get to watch the daily activities of these leaders ranging from where they went for the Sunday mass to what political rally they attended. By doing so, the masses get brainwashed and their way of thinking becomes narrowed down to the options broadcasted to them.

For instance why is it that a certain TV station would broadcast live the GEMA meeting in Limuru. We all know who the owners are and the politicians behind them. It is unqualified disrespect of the constitution when individual and organizations are granted the right to express themselves freely then turn on the citizenry and start broadcasting partisan news and information. If it is not so hard why not slap a media blackout on such politicians. Then again it the same old story of the piper and humming to his prominent tunes till our graves.
1:38
The Story of Our Lives
» ‎ Wabunge.com

It is often said that it is good to learn from experience but even better to learn from the experience of others.

The former regime in its oppressive nature forced a number of Kenyans who were set on liberating the country to go into exile. One such person is the world acclaimed Literature Scholar and Author, Professor Micere Githae Mugo. The lecturer at the University of Syracuse came back home, though not for the first time since going into exile in the 1980s, and honoured the Kenyan people by giving a public lecture at the University of Nairobi's main campus.

Her life story is nothing less of an intrigue. From growing up in the 1950s at a time when a state of emergency was declared to going into exile after Moi took power, you can expect nothing less.

Prof. Micere Mugo was kind enough to share the lessons she has learnt over time through a recollection of her own life- The stories of our lives. Some of the important lessons we can pick up as the youth include;

- It is important to let go of the Kenyan culture of making gods out of politicians. Prof. Mugo spoke of the earlier times when tyranny was the order of the day, when Kenyans would create deities of their
superiors and no one would question or reproach them. If Kenya is to forge ahead and achieve its vision, this culture should be completely wiped out.

The new constitution provides for equality for all but that equality has to be claimed. This was especially directed at women and the youth. With that also, she urged her audience to define themselves instead of letting others define who they are. She also spoke of the need to disregard stereotypes. The youth in Kenya can achieve anything they set their minds to and age should not be a discouraging factor from fore fronting matters of democracy and governance.

It is of paramount importance for Kenyans to learn to recognize systems rather than victimize individuals. It will not serve much if the problem is not nipped in the bud. What Kenya needs is a complete overhaul of the systems. We should do away with generalizations such as the common 'our politicians have failed us'. Individuals who, however, do not fit lock and key into the vision of this country and who promote, in this day and age, imperialism and negative capitalism MUST be voted out.

There is nothing wrong with taking pride in one's tribe, heritage and culture, after all, it what makes us who we are. Ethnicity MUST however be positive as the effects of negative ethnicity we know only too
well. Prof. Micere Mugo urged her audience to use the constitution as a tool to create cohesion and she further challenged them to embrace the spirit of Pan-Africanism and to think not only of the welfare of
Kenya, but also that of the greater East African Community.

Finally, she urged the youth to speak out and to seek knowledge even from their indigenous sites. Writing and speaking from the heart of her mind, she said, "To be a scholar and not to be able to link what you are learning to the struggles of the people around you makes you irrelevant."
April 16, 2012
3:23
Help from USA (3)
» ‎ Wabunge.com

In this final article commenting on the ongoing trend of the USA coming to aid of countries facing some form of conflict, I’d like to focus this article on their involvement of the KONY 2012 campaign. As reported in the video that became a viral sensation last year, the USA have sent a handful of troops to aid the Ugandan military in tracking down and capturing Kony.

There are two things I’ve noticed in this campaign that I’d like clarified. Firstly, is it really that hard to catch this man? Last year, the US sent a small team of military personnel to capture and assassinate Osama Bin Laden. A team that managed to kill a man who was trained by the CIA in an operation that lasted under 40 minutes. If they wanted to capture Kony, we’d have that story sorted before the week was over.

The second thing I’d like to highlight is how long the campaign has been running. As shown in the video, this group has been educating people on the actions of Kony in Uganda for over 2 years. My query is not on the time it took to finally get some attention, but the coincidence of this time being around the same time that oil got discovered in Uganda around October of 2011.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to create a forced connection by clutching at straws that may actually be unrelated... the timing could be purely coincidence, the same way it was pure coincidence that Libya faced an uprising around the time that Maummar Gaddafi was considering trading oil using the local currency instead of using dollars as is the current norm.

This seems like a minor issue until you consider the ramifications of actually using foreign exchange the way it’s actually supposed to be used. Gaddafi raised a good point when he questioned why people buy oil in dollars when the dollar has a value against the Libyan Dinar. If by any chance this occurred, can you imagine the uprising in the Middle East when every country selling oil used their own currency; the dollar’s value would crumble almost overnight.

I may have flown off the track there a bit but if there’s anything you’ll take away from this series of articles is my request to be vigilant of the aid we may receive if, God forbid, we face another Post Election Violence situation next year. Vote for Peace people, or the peace will be brought to us by force.
April 13, 2012
3:29
Transport 2
» ‎ Wabunge.com

‘You know what (insert name of preferred TV journalist), I visited (insert name of preferred foreign city) and was surprised that there is no jam! Traffic flows smoothly because they have wide roads in their decentralized cities! They also have these (insert name of preferred mode of public transport) that works very well. I think that is what Nairobi needs: wide roads, decentralization and (a different form of expensive urban transport) to decongest!’

Firstly, is Nairobi congested? It has an estimated day population of 4 million people; Beijing has 14 million and Tokyo 36 million. If Beijing and Tokyo can do urban planning to accommodate these large numbers, how does our puny 4 million pose a problem? So, are we congested or disorganized?

Secondly, is decentralization logical economically? Our ‘city’ is already small yet we want to compare ourselves with cities that fragment into boroughs that hold populations similar to our 4 million.

Let’s use the common analogy that the city is a body, the CBD is its heart, the roads are its veins and business is its life blood. Now, would it make sense to pump in more or less business/life blood to the heart? Why should we have multiple small hearts (decentralization) instead of one big heart? Better yet, would you rather own a shop in a small ‘decentralized’ shopping center or own one in the vibrant heart of a centralized CBD?

Thirdly, the issue is not that everyone causes ‘congestion’ as they ‘fight’ to get to the CBD. The issue is they OUGHT to get to the CBD but the planners seem to have not anticipated their movement. The clearest indication of this is when planners place ‘prime land’ closest to the CBD (like Upperhill, Lavington etc) and low cost accommodation farther away (Syokimau, Githurai etc). Now the people who can drive and whose cars occupy the most road space are placed closest to the desired destination while those who commute/cycle/walk and who occupy the least road space are placed farthest. How is that logical?

Fourth, if the above skewed allocation of land is done, how will expanding of roads help? More road space means more cars can be bought to occupy it. Thika , Jogoo and Ngong road were expanded around 15 years ago and we are expanding them again. What would have happened if we had instead invested in revamping the public transport so that people preferred commuting to driving? How much road space would we have saved? Would we then need to expand the roads?

Fifth, notice that the public transport we would have revamped to entice even top brass commuters need not have been any of the fancy modes that we see abroad. We already have roads, we already have buses: why not start with those? After we have perfected those, then we can move to the fancier trams and subways…

It appears then that if we organize Nairobi’s public transport and plan its movement well, we shall automatically ‘decongest’ it while simultaneously increasing its size…definitely something to aim for!
April 12, 2012
4:16
A Metaphor for Change
» ‎ Wabunge.com

With the wake of our second liberation that came about with the NARC/Rainbow alliance the democratic space has opened up and we have made great leaps and bounds towards democratization and liberalization in many spheres of our society. The new constitution (2010) being a major milestone and landmark. With it, we now have a powerful parliament and powers formerly vested on the executive have been somewhat diluted and allocated to the National assembly.

The idea being these are the custodians of the people’s interest and should therefore scrutinize all activities that impinge on the citizenry directly or indirectly. Therefore it will be interesting to see how Kenyans poll when it comes to electing the governors and senators. The purpose of having a devolved government, according to section Chapter 11 section I, is to promote democratic and accountable exercise of power. Part I subsection (b) goes on further to emphasize that the devolved government shall give powers to the electorate so as to have self-governance and enhance participation in matters on national issues that affect them. This is why I think Kenyans cannot afford to go wrong with this particular new lease of life.

County government officials should therefore be persons who will definitely promote the interest of the people. Because the purpose of these new structures is to ensure that community oriented developments are implemented or seen to be implemented. A county like Nairobi which I consider being very urbanized and its populace is well conscious, cannot afford to go wrong with the officials they elect. It’s time for people to set an example for the country at large on how affairs should be run based on priority and well funneled policies.

The people of Nairobi, I believe, are least interested in any tribal affiliations. This is because their problems are almost the same. Main point being, even though the country fails in electing a president with a national outlook and agenda, let us not fail at the county level and set an example and a message to everyone in the country that we can elect leaders based on policies and issues and the tribe is Kenya because charity begins at home for all of us.
4:16
A Metaphor for Change
» ‎ Wabunge.com

With the wake of our second liberation that came about with the NARC/Rainbow alliance the democratic space has opened up and we have made great leaps and bounds towards democratization and liberalization in many spheres of our society. The new constitution (2010) being a major milestone and landmark. With it, we now have a powerful parliament and powers formerly vested on the executive have been somewhat diluted and allocated to the National assembly.

The idea being these are the custodians of the people’s interest and should therefore scrutinize all activities that impinge on the citizenry directly or indirectly. Therefore it will be interesting to see how Kenyans poll when it comes to electing the governors and senators. The purpose of having a devolved government, according to section Chapter 11 section I, is to promote democratic and accountable exercise of power. Part I subsection (b) goes on further to emphasize that the devolved government shall give powers to the electorate so as to have self-governance and enhance participation in matters on national issues that affect them. This is why I think Kenyans cannot afford to go wrong with this particular new lease of life.

County government officials should therefore be persons who will definitely promote the interest of the people. Because the purpose of these new structures is to ensure that community oriented developments are implemented or seen to be implemented. A county like Nairobi which I consider being very urbanized and its populace is well conscious, cannot afford to go wrong with the officials they elect. It’s time for people to set an example for the country at large on how affairs should be run based on priority and well funneled policies.

The people of Nairobi, I believe, are least interested in any tribal affiliations. This is because their problems are almost the same. Main point being, even though the country fails in electing a president with a national outlook and agenda, let us not fail at the county level and set an example and a message to everyone in the country that we can elect leaders based on policies and issues and the tribe is Kenya because charity begins at home for all of us.
April 11, 2012
11:55
Where there's Smoke, there's Fire.
» ‎ Wabunge.com

It really is that simple.

If the news doing rounds in Kenyan media the past couple of days could be summarized into two words, they would be Jakoyo Midiwo and sadly having nothing to do with his consumer protection bill or his gig as government chief whip.

Just yesterday, the Gem Member of Parliament, accompanied by his Orange Democratic Movement mates; Ministers Prof. Sam Ongeri and James Orengo, appeared at the C.I.D headquaters in Nairobi for a grilling session.

The genesis of the whole debacle was allegations Jakoyo Midiwo made at a political rally. He, over the weekend rally, claimed that Prime Minister Raila Odinga's life was in danger and that he had reason to believe that there was a plot to eliminate the premier. This was said in the presence of a number of ODM members of parliament including Raila himself who chose not to speak on the matter when he took to the podium.

The summons to the CID headquaters for questioning on the order of the Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko was in the least, necessary. As expected, the matter had elicited all manner of reaction from the Kenyan public. Some said it was a ploy by ODM to capitalise on the
possibility of a sympathy vote while others saw it as political sycophancy on the part of Midiwo.

I think we should take the matter seriously.

In Kenya, transition to power, fearless advocacy and political stardom have been weathered down in the past by assassinations. The 60s, 70s, 80s and even 00s were marked by the loss of great leaders through these assassinations. Victims included the likes of Pio Gama Pinto, Robert Ouko, JM Kariuki and even Father Kaiser.

These leaders all at one point claimed that their lives were in danger and taking those sentiments lightly led to the inevitable.

Jakoyo Midiwo's claims may be farfetched, sensational, marred by cheap politics and even inaccurate but the fact is that Raila Odinga has the right to have his life protected under the bill of rights as provided for in chapter 4 of our constitution.

If this cannot be done then woe unto the common mwananchi.
April 10, 2012
12:15
The 8 misRULES of Kenyan Politcal Power
» ‎ Wabunge.com

The following strategies have been used by Kenyan politicians since pre-independence days. Several decades down the line, the strategies are still in use albeit sparsely because well, some have been in power from then, but it is time that new tactics are thought up.

Misrule #1: ITS ALL IN A (PROMINENT FAMILY) NAME
A good number of the current sitting Members of Parliament got in through this. Some are descendants of the powerful senior chiefs of the pre-colonial times, some are children, brother & sisters and close relatives of former and sitting MPs while some rose to power by virtue of their having married into these families. Noteworthy are the Prime Minister and his two Deputies.
This is a strategy that is dying a quick death in the current Kenyan society. While dynasty politics works for some countries, the new Kenya does not uphold riding on one's family name.

Misrule #2: MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND
Gone are the days when the person with the most money would win an election. The campaign style of the 70s the 80s and the 90s where hopefuls would dish out 50 shilling notes and matchboxes is quickly being phased out. With time, campaigns will be entirely issue based with debates and primaries as is the format in the US.

Misrule #3: A LITTLE WHITE LIE NEVER HURT ANYBODY
The days of an uninformed Kenya are gone. The new nation is one of people who know their rights and their responsibilities. Politicians who hoped to sail through by dealing the propaganda card just got served.

Misrule #4: ELIMINATE THY OPPONENT
Characteristic of the Kenyatta and early Moi days and though they hardly ever happen, the political assassinations are a definite fail. Kenya will not stand to lose another Pio Gama Pinto, J.M. Kariuki or Robert Ouko, not with the new dispensation.

Misrule #5: A FRIEND IN NEED IS A FRIEND INDEED
Seen as recently as in the last cabinet reshuffle, this is a scheme where one rewards their allies with complete disregard to their suitability for holding public office. The constitution has put in checks and balances mechanisms for this. The timeline for riding on this strategy has expired.

Misrule #6: ANOINTED ONE
Practiced by outgoing leaders; it has happened in the past that anointed one would have an easy rise to power. Not anymore. Enfranchised Kenyans through civic education are realizing the value of that one single vote that they hold and the importance of making decisions independent of any external influence, especially political.

Misrule #7: MY TRIBE, OUR TRIBE
"our people are being targeted" -not anymore. It’s time for everyone to stand for themselves and not to bring their personal cultural and religious matters to play out their political woes.

And finally...

Misrule #8: HE WHO PAYS THE PIPER CALLS THE TUNE
The vetting of the IEBC commissioners was the downfall of this tactic. After separating the wheat from the chaff and getting poll masters who stand for integrity, transparency and accountability, any aspirants that had banked on playing this card should consider their plan B.
April 04, 2012
23:56
Track Records
» ‎ Wabunge.com

It is that season again when Members of Parliament make that once in five years retreat to their home constituencies. This is the time Waheshimiwa actually physically attend all functions that they are invited to regardless of the smallness of the host of such function.

Waheshimiwa are on a roll making all manner of promises to their constituents in a bid to convince them to vote them back in. Someone once said that the art of being a politician involves making the haves feel secure in their status quo and making the have nots believe that somehow he will get them to the level of the haves. Since time immemorial, many a Member of Parliament have attempted to make this happen but since it has been virtually impossible, it has remained that these individuals make the same promises election season in, election season out and because the hopes of both classes of citizens remain the same, the Members of Parliament consequently retain their seats.

The constitution provides the minimum requirements for one to be eligible to be voted into public office. The constitution covers at length the aspects of
nationality, age and integrity. That covers first time contenders.

Is there and should there be a benchmark for second timers?

Track records will come in handy for that. It is imperative that any Member of Parliament that wants to retain his seat for a second or third term prove his worth by his track record. Tom Peters gave a formula of success. He said it is better to underpromise and over deliver than to overpromise and underdeliver which is the norm.

I was at a funeral where the area Member of Parliament graced the event. It is sad that when giving his speech his only achievement was that he had built a nursery school for one million shillings. Just that, while his counterparts have completed major projects.

Such a character shouldn't go near the August House for anything in the world.
April 03, 2012
0:51
Strategy or Anarchy?
» ‎ Wabunge.com

The recent cabinet reshuffle in our country has been compared to the German Nazis Night of Long knives. Where Hitler decided to purge Germany of Nazi leaders whose heads had swollen and thought they could question him or even oppose him while still in the Nazi Party. Hitler also moved to eliminate other opposition parties so that by around 1933 Germany had been converted to a one party state.

Though comparing the two may seem a tad bit mellow dramatic, the undertone is the same. It is all about asserting of one’s authority and ensuring party loyalists are adequately rewarded while the ones with the long horns are either disbudded or completely chopped off.

The reshuffle was lawful and serves to show us how anarchist our former constitution was. The implications of the reshuffle are all going to be seen in due time, but for now Raila looks set to launch his bid for presidency. To put wind to the sail he has already appointed the team to spearhead his lifelong dream of tenancy at the house on the Hill.

What cards does he have left on the table? I believe the Raila should keep Mudavadi very close to him. As it is, he looks like an island only surrounded by Luo Nyanza leaders and two members of the now disintegrated pentagon. But this man is still the man we love to hate and sadly he is still the man to beat if our pollsters are genuine professionals.

The reshuffle serves to show how much of a strategist the PM is. Just the other week Uhuru Kenyatta was endorsed by leaders from the Mount Kenya region for presidency. In a bid to flex his muscles he had to move some dominoes and tip others. This resulted in some casualties who are still licking their wounds but they brought it upon themselves. Balala should know never to bite anything that bites back.
April 01, 2012
22:44
Help from USA (2)
» ‎ Wabunge.com

In my previous article, Help From USA, i mentioned an ongoing trend of military support from the US that is give to countries with an aim to produce a result that eventually benefits the US themselves. As a follow up to that article I'd like to look at media bias in relation to this phenomenon.

It is no surprise that the most widely watched international news channels are owned by western super power states. Nor is it a surprise that these same media stations suddenly forget to cover the post operation effects of any military aid given by the USA.

Think about it. What’s happening in Iraq right now? While you ponder that, consider a more recent event; the assassination of Muammar Gaddafi. What’s happening in Libya at this moment? There’s close to nothing on the news covering the results of the effects of ousting the dictator. How about Iraq? You only ever hear about America planning to withdraw their troops.

What I’d really like to see on the news would be a comparison of the lives of the people on the ground before the US intervention and after. Are they really living better lives? It’s bad enough that thousands of bystanders are internally displaced by the conflict and others killed by stray bullets and bombs that were not intended for them. But right now, what have they gained? Loss of loved ones, a destroyed infrastructure that will take years to rebuild and sudden poverty are the end results.

I’m willing to bet that if you offered the citizens of these ‘aided’ countries the option of continuing life under a dictator that singlehandedly made the nation a success or poverty and strife...they’d choose the dictator but this is not the argument I wish to make today. The media bias is too evident on this front as they are used to gather support around the globe for a cause that otherwise would not last 5 min in front of a rational panel. Once the goal has been achieved and the opinion of the masses is irrelevant, there is suddenly a blackout of coverage and the suffering of the people fades into a distant thought.

I bring up this media bias coverage as the sensational KONY 2012 campaign continues to gather steam. If you love your fellow Ugandans, DO NOT support ‘help’ from the US.
March 30, 2012
13:46
Oil Oil Oil
» ‎ Wabunge.com

Kenya has struck oil in the arid north! The way I see it, we have two alternatives in how to use this discovery for our good.

There is the ‘free market’ way where we let supply, demand and financial muscle determine what happens with oil revenues and there is the ‘central planning approach’ where we use government to strategize how to use the oil money.

The free market approach is unpredictable and therefore hard to discuss. The guy with the most money determines what everyone else will do…. he can invest it in building a Dubai in Turkana, or he can siphon the oil and use the returns elsewhere leaving Turkana more barren than he found it. It’s his money, sue him!

In contrast, here is what the government can do. Turkana happens to be an ideal land for human settlement because if we relocate our cities to the arid north, we free up the fertile areas for water catchment forests, wildlife and farming. How do we entice people to relocate?

Using oil…or more precisely, the THOUGHT of oil. It is this thought, not the actual oil, that attracts prospectors…and the good money they pay for licenses can be used for the enticing…

To avoid profiteers, the government can be the sole seller of prospecting licenses to oil explorers. This ensures only serious firms buy them at government controlled friendly prices. It also ensures that they have to complete their jobs first to make profit since they can’t sell the license to a third party and cash in.

A license costing 500 million shillings can fund around 20 ecofriendly earth dams at 25million shillings each. The Turkana can build these using a food for work program. A 10 million shilling dam supports a hundred families and their livestock plus grows hundreds of fruit trees and other crops. Bigger and more dams can support urbanity and its agroforestry if coupled with fossil water use.

Having sorted the water, the government can then go to the main attraction of Turkana, GREEN ENERGY. The government can attract solar and wind power companies to invest in Turkana by leasing out the vast tracts of land cheaply. The best part being these green energy sources can be incorporated into human settlement so they do not occupy exclusive land.

With cheap green energy and water, the government can then lease out land cheaply to industries that will then attract human settlement. The human settlement will generate waste, which will generate methane that will add to the green energy.

So without even touching the oil, Turkana will have been transformed into a major metropolis! A simple eco friendly plan that ends poverty by ensuring equitable access to some of the main building blocks of an economy; which in this case are land, labour and energy.
March 28, 2012
3:16
Two Principals 1 - 0 Wanjiku
» ‎ Wabunge.com

Article 10 (2) (c) of the constitution provides that Kenya's national values include good governance, integrity, transparency and accountability. It seems however that that was too much to ask from those at the helm of our country's leadership.

Early this week the president, after consultations with the prime minister announced through the presidential press service, a cabinet reshuffle. It has been a while since we have been treated to one of those and even though they do not cause tension and dread like those of the Moi days, they still are anticipated with worry and anxiety.

Then came the announcement; and they were loaded with disappointment and loss of the little faith I had left in the coalition government. This is because I failed to see the rationale behind some of those movements and I read outright mala fide in some sackings and new appointments.

Unless it was by random computer, or lucky dip selection one Eugene Ludovic Wamalwa couldn't have ended up heading the Justice and Legal Affairs docket. Eugene, though a lawyer, has done nothing for the law of this country in comparison to someone of such repute as his predecessor, Mutula Kilonzo.

Eugene Wamalwa does not inspire trust in me and members of the legal fraternity and neither does he inspire any confidence in Kenyans if the opinion polls are anything to go by. It is clear that Mutula was moved for taking a hardliner stand on the ICC matter and someone is of the poorly informed opinion that Wamalwa may come to the rescue of his G7 mates.

The silver lining here is that the education sector will surely gain.

The swapping of ministers from one ministry to another produced equally unimpressive results. Take the case of the movement of Professor Sam Ongeri from the Education to the Foreign Affairs ministry. Yes, the man has been an ambassador before, but at the moment, he does not personify my ideal minister for Foreign Affairs, someone who in my view should be youthful and enthusiastic.

Same goes with the movement of Chirau Mwakwere from big ministry to big ministry even with constant dropping of ratings.

Then there is the hiring of Jamleck Kamau as minister for Nairobi Metropolitan Development- the poorest performing ministry last year according to the recently released Government performance report. If indeed reform was the drive here they would've hired someone with experience and more importantly the Midas touch.

The elephant in the room is however the sacking of the former tourism don, Najib Balala. A clearly politically motivated move by Raila Odinga who had lost a loyal guardman from the coast province. Though he was replaced by another coast province MP in Voi's Danson Mwazo, Raila can officially kiss a huge chunk of the coastal vote goodbye.

According to Article 73 (2) (a) of the constitution, the guiding principles for leadership and integrity include selection on the basis of competence and suitability and under 73 (2) (d) leadership will be accountable to the public for its decisions and actions.

If this was a game of chess against Kenyans, the two principals would have called out "checkmate".
March 27, 2012
1:56
The 'Mbwa Kali' Generation
» ‎ Wabunge.com

The leaders of the 10th parliament are certain that the ‘idiots’ will still vote for them to represent them in the next parliament (11th). Their conviction is very ubiquitous based on their conduct. They do not need your mandate or blessing. This is why we are idiots. A group of GEMA leaders sat down in Limuru and endorsed son of Jommo as their preferred presidential candidate. The ‘leaders’ represent Kenyans from the Central region of Kenya namely the Gikuyu, Embu, Meru and Akamba who are mainly from the Mt Kenya Region.

Here is why I do not support any of what these leaders are doing; They are playing retrogressive politics that was used by politicians of old Kenya. Not that they are any different. What they are doing is polarizing the country yet again along Tribal lines. Tribalism has always been there but now it is being rubbed in our faces.

Being from one of the aforementioned tribes I do not know at what point in my life I abdicated my civic responsibility and rested it on a particular group of corrupt and very opportunistic leaders. This is a case of putting the Cart before the Horse. For one, none of these leaders are guaranteed to be in parliament yet they are forming alliances based on the assumption that they will still be calling the shots. I, for one, believe that the leaders who attended the GEMA meeting are all criminals because they are promoting divisive politics and Mzalendo Kibunja should not spare the rod.

This is not the time to be calling out Kenyans and aligning them according to their tribes. It is time to unite people and not to be seen as uniting us. Kenyans over the time have been the metaphoric Mbwa Kali but once you open the gate you find nothing of the sort. Let us be vigilant and stand up for what we feel and know is right. Let the mavultures know scavenging after all is their forte, and we love fresh prey (ideas).
March 26, 2012
12:22
Help from USA
» ‎ Wabunge.com

With our past experience with elections and their co-relation to violence between tribes and rival parties, I silently pray that we do not face such a situation again. However, that is only one of my fears. Another major fear is getting into a situation like the 2007/8 Post Election Violence AND THEN America decides to send troops to 'help us'.

GOD FORBID!

The last few countries America has 'helped' with military action have greatly suffered. Most recently, the Syrian people are receiving non-lethal aid from the US (let's see how that goes); Libyans now have no idea on how to move forward after 'help' from the US as American forces brought down entire towns with bombs; Iraq is a shell of its former prosperous self after the US realized there are no 'Weapons of Mass Distruction' to find in the country.

You may think all this 'help' is a coincidence but you're wrong. Going as far back as Vietnam, the US has had the same modus operandi for years. Select a country that will benefit them economically, create tension (if the tension is already there they just add fuel to the fire), send in troops to 'help' and basically take over either physically, or by forcing their ideals on the recipient country.

Question; who said everyone needs democracy? Under Gadaffi, the Libyan people were living good lives (definitely better than ours) with benefits such as; a per capita income in the country of more than US $11,000, the fifth-highest in Africa, while the Human Development Index became the highest in Africa and greater than that of Saudi Arabia; the country's literacy rate rose from 10% to 90%, life expectancy rose from 57 to 77 years, equal rights were established for women and black people; and welfare systems were introduced that allowed access to free education, free healthcare, and financial assistance for housing. I would not mind that life one bit but the US decided that all of those benefits mean nothing if you don’t have democracy. Correct me if I’m wrong but I’ve never seen a poor person on the street ask me if I had some spare democracy.

This is the first in a series of articles I will write on help from the US. I think their next target is Uganda via KONY 2012 but I’m hoping it’s just me being paranoid.
March 23, 2012
11:02
Transport
» ‎ Wabunge.com

We all agree the Hon. John Michuki (R.I.P) did a good job. Probably what we don’t agree on is exactly what good job he did…so much so that he has been regarded as a legend by some, a myth by others and a diligent public servant by others. At this point let’s keep the peace and not say ‘he was merely the ceremonial minister at the top of a ministry that was determined to perform anyway’ etc …

As far as transport goes, and in my honest opinion, Michuki did a very good job in step one (of a possible fifty or so) towards sustainable reform. I credit him with the REMOVAL OF ANONYMITY IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR. That sounds much underrated compared to ‘HE TAMED THE MATATU MENACE’….but I’ll explain why it is the more accurate description.

Under the new government, the new Transport Licensing Board:

     1. removed route anonymity by reaffirming already existing routes and listing new ones.

     2. removed vehicle anonymity by registering all PSVs

     3. removed all PSV crew anonymity but registering all employers and employees in the sector; taking their fingerprints, police records, providing them with uniforms and ID badges.

     4. removed passenger anonymity by making sure every passenger was seated, buckled up and paying full fare.

Now why exactly is removal of anonymity vital? Simply because, crime exists when the criminal has the slightest notion they shall not be recognized. Without anonymity, the marked crew cannot use their marked vehicles to disobey a marked route and commit folly. Similarly, a marked passenger cannot flout traffic rules or refuse to pay full fare. Also, all passengers paying that full fare have to have a good business reason for travelling. Meaning no petty offender can grab a free ride into town, join other petty offenders to form an anonymous crowd and disturb the peace anymore.

Kudos is in order for T.L.B.

Now is that all it takes to ‘reform the public transport sector’? Some say yes, and suggest that all that is remaining is to impose heavy fines on the offenders. In which case what happens if the fine is less than the profit one gets by breaking the law? Shall we increase the penalty? Then what happens if we increase it and then it makes more business sense to give a bribe than face the penalty?

More importantly though, can a yellow line, uniforms, a speed governor and seat belts ease traffic congestion? Even if we throw in some substantial road expansion, will the traffic ease?

What more should be done? Should we expand the roads some more? Should we invest in underground transport? Should we decentralize the CBD?
March 22, 2012
1:04
This Too Shall Pass
» ‎ Wabunge.com

Why oh why do we make such a fuss over such a trivial issue? In the words of Special Prosecuter Patrick Kiage, on the day, whatever day, the sun will surely rise, and with the same sureity it will set, and by that time whatever intended activity will have been done.
The never ending debate on the election date is now becoming an earsore. This is especially because we give so much audience to the people who are least interested in achieving greater good for Kenya- the politicians.

Why the particular date is causing a stir is saddening. Worse still is the criticism the IEBC has faced since announcing the 4th March 2013 date.

The High Court constitutional interpretation on the matter, a ruling delivered by the three judge bench of the Honourable Justices Isaac Lenaola, David Majanja and Mumbi Ngugi was very clear on the matter.

The elections would be held in december if the coalition government is dissolved through an agreement in writing by the two principals, the elections could also be held sixty(60) days after the expiration of the term of the coalition government or on a date set by the IEBC upon such expiry.

The first option is unlikely to happen. There is no political goodwill towards this evidenced by the two principals' conflicting opinion on the ideal date to go to the polls. A section of parliamentarians are also propagating the idea that the dissolution of the coalition government does not mean the dissolution of parliament.

The most logical time to have the elections would have to be in 2013 and all the IEBC did was to save us the agony of guessing dates. They also insist that only then will they be ready to carry out the exercise effectively and i believe we owe it to ourselves to listen to them.

Kenyans and especially the youth should realize that laws are not made at public gatherings, funerals and press briefings, that sentiments by the political class should be taken as such and not more. Those that feel aggrieved are quite aware that they can challenge the decision in court but since they know that their matters would probably hold no water, they use all manner of petiness like the school curriculum and the planting season to raise tensions among the wananchi-from which they will hopefully benefit.

Lets not lose sight of what is important, for whether it is in 2012, 2013 or whenever, the elections will still be held. So what if Kibaki stays in office till May 2013? He will eventually leave office and besides his sticking around has proven to be a good thing before.
March 21, 2012
0:33
A Hungry Nation...
» ‎ Wabunge.com

“The milk crisis in Kenya has deepened further with the reduction of producer prices by between Sh2 and Sh3 per liter, a move that will hurt the earnings of millions of farmers whose output got a lift from the ongoing long rains. Consumers will also pay more for the produce after the milk processor withdrew a discount offer that came in the form of free packets of milk and enlarged packaging from 500 ml to 550 ml.”

That was the situation two years back. We were warned about the situation going to get dire in the Years to come, unless the Capacity was enhanced at the government owned KCC. Now we are bearing the full brunt of these words foretold by a soothsayer of some kind. Milk supply has been hit by an acute shortage and now not only are Kenyans forced to consume powder milk but also long life milk like we are some arid country. Milk is not our problem, what the government needs to do is to give preferential treatment to what really matters to the people. Implement and execute or seem to execute their projects with some resemblance of fortitude.

It does not make sense focusing on infrastructural growth yet we have hungry a nation. We need to see the same level of gusto and zeal employed in other levels of our economy if at all we are to achieve the vision 2030.Take a look at the proposed TATU city project. It is a proposed city due for construction on farming land. Then you begin to wonder how serious the government of the day is about food security.

This year farmers in the North Rift region registered bumper harvests from their maize fields. The National Cereals and Produce Board gave farmers very uncompetitive prices forcing them to turn to middlemen who exploited them to the very last bit. Then out of the blue, with the same situation still looming over us, the government still imported maize. We all forget such situations as soon as we have our next plate of Ugali. We let the government get away with too many unscrupulous deals. Let’s remember also "Better ride on an ass that carries me, than on a horse that throws me.
March 16, 2012
11:07
Building Environment
» ‎ Wabunge.com

Imagine the glorious moment when the architectural plans of your project are ready, the finances are sorted and you are ready to pounce on the site and build it!

Then you submit the plans to City Hall for approval and realize not everyone in there shares your enthusiasm or urgency. Plus despite your taxes paying their salaries, they also want you to ‘persuade’ them to do their job…. Shoddy projects that openly flout building regulations are approved, as your very compliant one seems to have numerous minute mistakes that can’t be ‘allowed to just slide’… Frustrating, isn’t it?

You say ‘this happens because the people regulating building are uneducated and greedy’. Well, yes and no.

Regarding education, very competent professionals occupy the office of Director of City Planning and other related offices. The greed part is also debatable, since all bribes have a giver and a receiver. Some bribes are demanded but most are offered; especially by greedy developers who want to build in excess of allowed densities.

A good built environment depends more on the design of the approval process than on the people controlling it, because people are fallible. A poorly designed process heightens this fallibility while a well-designed process retards it. We should design a process that is so transparent and orderly only a genius will be able to exploit it for personal gain. And such a genius would deserve our applause….

Such a model seems to be possible if we put governance under the responsibility not of professionals but of professional bodies. This means that whoever is given office in the government bodies is still subject to disciplinary action by the relevant professional body he is registered under.

Imagine what would happen if the minister for infrastructure is asked to explain abuse of office by the Civil Engineers’ professional body or face de-registration as an engineer resulting in demotion as a minister.

Regarding the built environment, the Ministries of Planning, Housing, Roads, Infrastructure etc and City Hall can be put under professional bodies concerned with construction. As luck would have it, there exists an Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK), a SINGLE umbrella body covering architects, landscape architects, engineers, quantity surveyors and planners.

Now, if AAK used its members to take over City Hall, every official in the development approval chain would be closely monitored using name and registration number. Any abuse of office or neglect of duty would be easily detected and severely punished.
To ensure members participate, AAK would divide them into groups that would take over City Hall on a rotational basis. This would ensure no officials would have the security of tenure to abuse office or victimize others. The members would also be charged with design of government policy and engagement of the public in the same. This would make sure everyone knows how the government intends to use our taxes at all times.

It would be impossible not to progress economically if all ministries were under the control of professional bodies. Why don’t we go ahead and implement this then?
March 15, 2012
5:50
The Underdog
» ‎ Wabunge.com

What our country needs at the moment is a leader who will unify Kenyans. Not to sound cliché like the leaders do but we actually need to start the long process of healing for our Nation. Unity will only come from a leader who is the metaphoric underdog. That person for me is Musalia Mudavadi. Yes, I said it, Reason being; the current “big wigs” have too much desperation in their quest to lead the nation.

On one side we have an alliance born out of misery. The drowning man clutching to every last straw.Raila Odinga on the other hand has wanted this position more than Ruto and Uhuru combined. His cronies in the party are already crafting ways on how to impede Musalia’s presidential bid by pulling the party’s constitution card out of nowhere. What I really don’t get is why they would let Musalia traverse the country gunning support for his bid only to drop the bombshell about the constitution.

I always advise, choose wisely what ass you have decided to kiss, because the wage of this sin could lead to demeaning consequences. That is my advice to the Orengos and Anyang Nyongo who brought up the constitutional ‘technicality’. Musalia’s tact has been very strategic, sticking his guns out for the PM but slowly realizing he can go it alone. This is where he pulls away from the rest of the pack.

I think he is a unifying factor even though he is from a major tribe because he is not as desperate as the others. And Kenyans in some quarters prefer him to any other candidate. It seems more realistic for him to take over. The political undertones in Raila’s speeches about The Hague are very disgraceful. For instance if Ruto is found guilty of any crimes, those crimes committed were for the sake of his then party leader and now he has started nibbling at the hand that fed him.

Once a strong follower, now he forsakes him at his time of need tossing banter at every chance he gets. This is very conniving of him and earns him very little trust. Though we don’t know what Musalia did with the cemetery money he is a logical compromise. I am not writing of the PKs, Iron Lady, and Tuju…. I am just sounding a realistic shot.
March 14, 2012
0:32
Statesmen: The New Breed
» ‎ Wabunge.com

The old guns have always made people believe that the Kenyan youth lack some basic abilities and capabilities. They have over the years and through generations managed to brainwash Kenyans' including youths' minds into believing that the Kenyan youth are unable to take initiative, to take charge of things and ultimately to make decisions that may alter their lives for the better.

On the flipside, and posing as a tug of war, the Kenyan youth have set out to prove themselves. Many a youth have adopted resilience in their pursuit to get involved.

This being an election period, a number of able youth have declared in running for political office both at national and county level, others have joined political parties and are actively running campaigns while others have started various initiatives aimed at providing civic education to the Kenyan people.

Once bitten twice shy..

Over the past weekend, the social networking site twitter was abuzz with tweets from Kenyan youth. The genesis of the matter was a misreporting by Atlanta-based international news broadcaster CNN on the blasts that rocked the Machakos country bus station in Nairobi. The tweets that went under the hashtag #someonetellCNN were the kind of stuff that the arab uprising was made of.

In a what is becoming an increasingly popular show of unity, Kenyan youth who make up majority of kenyans on twitter fiercely sought an apology from the network for claiming that the country had erupted into violence.

The outrage over the David Mckenzie reporting was justifiable. After what the country witnessed in 2008 following the disputed elections, no reasonable person would want to see it happen again or even anyone allude to the possibility of it happening again.

The appreciation of the work the Kenya defence forces are doing to protect our borders further compounds the point that Kenyan youth have risen and actually know what they want and what they stand for.

That the #someonetellCNN tweets evolved from people seeking an apology to people talking about what they love about Kenya was a breath of fresh air.

It is undeniable then that only good things are in store for this country. The youth of Kenya are undeniably a bunch of statesmen; persons who think of the next generation, not politicians who think just of the next election.
March 13, 2012
10:45
Why You Should Be Grateful To An Old Woman In Mathare
» ‎ Wabunge.com

A 9 year old with a gun on him. It is not a big deal either, he will transport it from point A to point B and get paid 20 shillings for it. Welcome to the heart of Mathare slums and welcome to life as Bobo* knew it until a few weeks ago when Mama Mercy of Good Samaritan Children’s home rescued him. Bobo is one among many children at the home, each with a unique story. Grim stories, stories that seemed hopeless.

In dark days men need hope. Hope reinforces the will to do, to live, to soldier on. Remove hope and what then is there to live for? A man with no hope is a dangerous man; to his society, to himself.

Three days ago, mama Mercy rescued an abandoned child. An unwanted child. Loved by no one. Left to fend for itself on the streets. Left to die for all anyone cares. Just another hopeless soul wandering about.

Tomorrow our ears and eyes will be satisfying our curiosity for the news. Newspapers, radios and other media will be awash with news of this crime and that other social ill. Hardly any of us will take a minute to wonder what motivated the perpetrator...

Bertrand Russel in Political Ideals writes, “ The aim of politics should be to make the lives of individuals as good as possible. (...).The problem of politics is to adjust the relations of human beings in such a way that each severally may have as much of good in his existence as possible.”

We need poltical solutions that put as much good into the existence of each individual as possible. I additionally agree with Bertrand that the first deliberation should be on what we consider good in the individual life. How then can that then be provided?

It is an inescapable truth that a hopeless existence anywhere is at the very least, a danger to all existence everywhere. Let us think about it some time.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Mama Mercy for restoring hope in the lives of these children under her loving care. Love is a powerful way to restore hope. These children know someone cares. Someone loves them, and that alone may be enough to give them hope. A glimmer of hope in any individual anywhere is something we can all find a reason to be grateful for.
March 09, 2012
11:02
How to Hate
» ‎ Wabunge.com

The young politicians in Kenya are all over the place forming alliances as the old folk are busy seated on the fence. They are taking over the country through people’s hearts, where there is hardly any more room. Unlike you old folk who took over our country through our heads. You played with the minds of the citizens of this country, just because you had acquired western education and they didn’t. So you brought them this alien monster called democracy.

It was a Monster because suddenly we were gripped with this strange fear. “Democracy,” We started to believe if we didn’t see democracy then why not elevate him/her/it to angel status. We lived with it and then you elite folk took over the government .Steadily, in acrimony, started fitting into the white man’s suspenders. Not only did the attire change, conduct was also compromised. This we did not see until you started fighting for communal supremacy then leaders pitted against one another. Once an ally now branded foes.

Then you started telling us that our brothers from the other side were inferior to us. Those of us who had been born out of our colonial master’s illicit relations believed we were better. When election time came, and their leaders won, since we were better, we had to revolt and uproot them out of our system.

So fighting became the norm and subsequent elections would bring violence. We would always fight each other on the basis of propaganda, filthy rumors, redundant ideas, all these propagated by our ‘leaders’. We are still waiting to fight some more. But now you enter through our hardened hearts. Hearts molded in fear, paranoia, through your undesirably philanthropic words. You promised my granny, promised my father, promising me, “That road to the market would be constructed”. Until now nothing has been done. But your mouth, filled with putrid words masked in French mouth wash-bought by the taxpayer- still draws us to you. We sit, listen and there are no policies being uttered. Only words of anger and revenge. But we are slowly learning how to keep the enemy closer by the day……Careful not to sell our souls to the devil.
March 07, 2012
0:26
Expert Propaganda
» ‎ Wabunge.com

A wise man named Lenin once said that believing is good but checking is even better.

The promulgation of the constitution brought about a new crop of Kenyan citizens who we continually referred to as 'constitutional experts'. These were mostly practitioners in the legal fraternity, political scientists and social sciences experts. These persons were mandated with the task of scrutinizing and interpreting and giving guidance on contentious clauses of the legal document to the public. Although Kenyans were encouraged to read the constitution and understand it from a personal perspective, the input of such experts was crucial.

Seated in a lecture facilitated by such an expert, i came to fully understand and appreciate the government's insistence on kenyans reading and understanding the documents for themselves.

With much flagrance and sensationalism, this expert deviated from his subject designate and proceeded to give his audience of more than two hundred people his two cents on the dilemma that is the fate of provincial administration now that the counties have come in.

After declaring that his father was a PC-already indicating of a biased opinion, he went on to spread the worst propaganda I ever heard.
The least shocking of what he gave as the demerits of having county administration was the fact that for the county governors and officials to move around the country, they will need to apply for transit visas and to seek the approval of the host county in doing so.

While many in the audience dismissed those sentiments for what they were, it is worrying to imagine what kind of propaganda is doing rounds out there especially as we gear towards the general elections where innocent Kenyans are being duped into subscribing to baseless schools of thought.

The mantle is then on the government to curb this vice. Reforms are inevitable and the authorities should untiringly and relentlessly work towards creating a new social order.

Otherwise a more intellectual and classier version of the 2008 PEV is staring right at us.
March 06, 2012
1:10
Land Ecology 3
» ‎ Wabunge.com

‘The government cannot resettle IDP’s because it doesn’t have enough money to buy land to relocate them.’ That is a satisfactory explanation to most Kenyans until they do some basic analysis…. for instance:

1. If the government is funded by ALL of us, then anything the government owns is owned by ALL of us.

2. How can a government say it lacks enough funds from its citizen to buy land from some of its citizens to settle another portion of its citizens within its own boundaries?

3. How, when and why did land communally owned by all of us through the government get to be sold to some of us? Were we consulted before this sale was done? How come our taxes have to be used to buy back this land we once owned communally from some of us who now claim to own it privately?

4. Why is the government still selling government land to private owners? Is a consensus arrived at with all citizens before any sales are done?

Notice we haven’t even asked how come the IDP’s are landless within their own country, a question that leans more towards economics than it does towards tribal politics.

The land allocation proposed earlier where plants get the prime land, animals get the good land and humans get the worst land cannot be implemented if humans are allowed to trade in land. How exactly did this land trade begin?

In the Kikuyu culture, a man could walk out of his father’s homestead and go clear land for farming in the bush (githaka). He thus acquired ‘ithaka’ rights to free usage of that land. However, farming duties were gender based. Though the man owned the land, he needed a wife and children to complete the farming cycle. He therefore could never sell the land. He could only lease it out to squatter farmers (ahoi) temporarily after which it reverted to his clan.

Then along came the British who told the African that all land belonged to the queen, and he had to relocate to the Rift Valley to get employed in the white owned farms. These peoples who were removed from their ancestral land were the first IDP’s in Kenya and their resettlement is still pending.

At independence, the Kenyan government was given a loan by the British government to help the African citizens to buy their own land from the colonialists who were relocating to England. Private ownership of land was thus introduced among a people struggling with resettling IDP’s and the visionaries of the time embraced it with both hands and sold it to the citizens.

It’s a pity we still insist on trading in land that s already ours. Small wonder then that we still fight over it, that we still cannot use it an eco-friendly way, that the government has to use our money to buy it from us (ridiculous as that sounds), and that there are Kenyans hurdled in sub human conditions as land lies idle in their own country.

How can this be solved?
March 05, 2012
4:40
The Media has Sold Us Out
» ‎ Wabunge.com

“Wikileaks reveals Raila wanted ICC” screamed the headline (The People, February 20, 2012). The publication points to a Wikileaks dispatch titled “A/S Carson and Senior Director Garvin’s meeting with the PM”. In the said meeting, Raila is reported to have advocated for a hybrid idea to have a local tribunal to deal with the “small fish” while the top guns would be tried at The Hague.
The most significant part of this story, as far as the country is concerned, is not the story itself, but the publications in which it was not a headline not run at all. And that would be, ALL THE OTHER NEWSPAPERS. Surely, one need not be a seasoned editor to know that this was one of if not the biggest story that day. Why did no other publication bother to report this news?
Relatedly, exactly a year ago (in February, 2012), another leaked cable implicated the Odinga and Kibaki families in the maize scandal. The said leaked cable claimed that Prime Minister Raila Odinga attempted to suspend former Agriculture Minister William Ruto to divert attention from his family’s involvement in the Ksh2 billion maize scam.
This scandal too was in my opinion under-whelmingly reported by the mainstream media. It was swept under the carpet, so to speak. This was ostensibly to protect the Presidency and the Premiership.
I am not suggesting that news should be sensationalized. But I certainly am concerned when news this big is by and large blanked out of the national debate. It is an election year and voters have a right to know all the relevant details there are to know about the candidates who are up on offer.
I am inclined to believe that “news” is no longer news but a new propaganda arm of special interest. I see no good reason not to conclude that the media has sold us (Kenya) out.
March 02, 2012
7:16
Land Ecology 2
» ‎ Wabunge.com

‘Bachelor of Land Economics’ is a curious course at the University of Nairobi which trains ‘experts’ who advise humans on how best to use land. Having earlier established that land belongs to all species, one would expect that this course would demand in-depth training in ecology for all its pupils. Shock! No ecology is taught!

How can the ‘experts’ we trust to advise us on the best use of land not be trained to appreciate the undeniable importance of the coexistence of species?

Worse still, these ‘experts’ are trained to put the human species first in all their calculations. This inevitably ingrains into their subconscious the doctrine of ‘speciesism’, where man justifies his discrimination against all other species using skewed logic and greed.

A clear illustration of speciesism is ‘land reclamation’. Here, humans ‘reclaim’ land that is ‘otherwise unsuitable’ and make it ‘suitable for human use’. This happens in total disregard to other species already occupying that ‘otherwise unsuitable’ land, the part those species play in the ecosystem and that they would be rendered homeless once that land is made ‘suitable for human use’.

Another clear illustration of speciesism is when humans insist on calculating the ‘value’ of land based on ‘how much the (human) market is willing to pay for it’. This formula inevitably ends up equating land value with price, whilst the true value of land is measured in the lives it can sustainably support in the ecosystem. This is an important point that deserves to be repeated….the unit of land value is LIVES, not SHILLINGS!

The ‘land economists’ raise a very valid counter argument against this solid flow of ‘ecological economics’. Their argument states that if land economics has to obey ecology, then man is doomed! He is the only species in the entire ecosystem without an allotted habitat! He is nature’s default trespasser! Everywhere he turns he is inevitably invading the allotted habitat of another species!

Why should man observe ecology after the ecosystem has dealt him such an unfair blow? Why should he befriend an ecosystem that promises to spit him out if he defies any of its strict commands?

Ecological economics ably tackles this query first by dividing species according to their ‘ecological relevance’ and allotting them land thus:

1. Plants make their own food. They decay into humus and feed other plants. They also feed animals. So they deserve the best land.

2. Animals feed plants through their excreta and their carcasses. They also feed each other. They therefore deserve the second best land
3. Man feeds neither plants nor animals but eats both. He denies plants his excreta, preferring to decompose it under anaerobic conditions then dumping pathogenic mixture into the ecosystem. He also tries to deny the ecosystem his corpses by preserving them or burying them in almost impervious containers. Selfish humans deserve the worst land, if any.

So, how does this scathing self analysis by humans affect the land tenure of a country? If applied, can it avert drought, disease, homelessness, land wars etc?
‘Bachelor of Land Economics’ is a curious course at the University of Nairobi which trains ‘experts’ who
advise humans on how best to use land. Having earlier established that land belongs to all species, one
would expect that this course would demand in-depth training in ecology for all its pupils. Shock! No
ecology is taught!

How can the ‘experts’ we trust to advise us on the best use of land not be trained to appreciate the
undeniable importance of the coexistence of species?

Worse still, these ‘experts’ are trained to put the human species first in all their calculations. This
inevitably ingrains into their subconscious the doctrine of ‘speciesism’, where man justifies his
discrimination against all other species using skewed logic and greed.

A clear illustration of speciesism is ‘land reclamation’. Here, humans ‘reclaim’ land that is ‘otherwise
unsuitable’ and make it ‘suitable for human use’. This happens in total disregard to other species already
occupying that ‘otherwise unsuitable’ land, the part those species play in the ecosystem and that they
would be rendered homeless once that land is made ‘suitable for human use’.

Another clear illustration of speciesism is when humans insist on calculating the ‘value’ of land based
on ‘how much the (human) market is willing to pay for it’. This formula inevitably ends up equating land
value with price, whilst the true value of land is measured in the lives it can sustainably support in the
ecosystem. This is an important point that deserves to be repeated….the unit of land value is LIVES, not
SHILLINGS!

The ‘land economists’ raise a very valid counter argument against this solid flow of ‘ecological
economics’. Their argument states that if land economics has to obey ecology, then man is doomed! He
is the only species in the entire ecosystem without an allotted habitat! He is nature’s default trespasser!
Everywhere he turns he is inevitably invading the allotted habitat of another species!

Why should man observe ecology after the ecosystem has dealt him such an unfair blow? Why should
he befriend an ecosystem that promises to spit him out if he defies any of its strict commands?

Ecological economics ably tackles this query first by dividing species according to their ‘ecological
relevance’ and allotting them land thus:

1. Plants make their own food. They decay into humus and feed other plants. They also feed animals. So
they deserve the best land.

2. Animals feed plants through their excreta and their carcasses. They also feed each other. They
therefore deserve the second best land

3. Man feeds neither plants nor animals but eats both. He denies plants his excreta, preferring
to decompose it under anaerobic conditions then dumping pathogenic mixture into the

ecosystem. He also tries to deny the ecosystem his corpses by preserving them or burying them
in almost impervious containers. Selfish humans deserve the worst land, if any.

So, how does this scathing self analysis by humans affect the land tenure of a country? If
applied, can it avert drought, disease, homelessness, land wars etc?
March 01, 2012
0:45
Cracking the Whip
» ‎ Wabunge.com

The past few days our nation has lost patriarchs and real sons of Kenya; people who served this country selflessly. To put this into perspective let’s try and understand what true leadership is.
True leadership is made not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. Good leaders develop through a never ending process of self-study, education, training, and experience. Therefore we need to question the candidates based on their manifestos and policies. A popular topic right now in our country is the dilemma of whether or not to phase out the fourteen-seater matatus. This issue is what our leaders will use to push the envelope just to win the votes of the matatu operators.
We often get swayed by politics of the day at the expense of the bigger picture. We have to really delve into issue oriented politics and policy implementation. One famous columnist stated that Kenya has laws. The problem is always the implementation of these lovely drafted policies. Case in point is after Michuki left the Transport Ministry. The now famously known “Michuki rules” were not met in true spirit when it came to implementation. Also his fervent clean up of the Nairobi River is also a pale shadow of when Michuki was at the Helm.
A related issue is that of the constitutional implementation process. The pace at which bills are taking to be implemented is not as rosy as we thought it would be. Who does the buck stop with? At times we are quick to point fingers at the leaders only falling short of realizing we elevated them to that position of power and authority. Only for them to get to parliament and start number games and the unending power struggles. So as we go on with our daily lives we need to ask ourselves; Do we need firm leaders who crack the whip? Or, do we need tougher laws? My take for now the former is much more realistic and practical in our developing economy.
February 28, 2012
23:49
UTUMISHI KWA BOURGEOISIE
» ‎ Wabunge.com

Jawaharlal Nehru said "Democracy is governance by discussion but it starts working when people stop talking."

The Kenyan civil law process provides for warrants of arrest leading to commital to civil jail, against an individual once a court of law has established the need and given the order for such. This is provided for under the Civil Procedure Code Cap 285,Laws of Kenya.

The basic principles governing warrants of arrest under both civil and criminal law in this country provide that such warrants should be executed on the person to whom they are intended as soon as is possible. This should be done in person.
In cases where the person is not traceable for some reason, it is sufficient to place the warrant of arrest at an easily visible location of the person's last known residence. For example, sticking a notice of a warrant of arrest on the gate or main door to the house of a defendant (in the case of a civil dispute) will amount to effective execution of the warrant.

Enter Rosanna Pluda Moi vs. Phillip Moi. The court has issued a warrant of arrest for the son of retired president Moi for failure to paying a Kshs. 250000 upkeep and maintenance to his estranged ex wife Rosanna Pluda Moi.

Mr. Moi in his mitigation pleaded with the court not to commit him to civil jail as this will be a contravention to his constitutional rights. While i find this a mockery of the court, i am appalled by the disgusting display of impunity by our boys in blue- the Kenya Police.

The seniors at the Muthaiga Police Station have reportedly delegated the matter to their juniors for what is obviously an attempt at avoiding any friction with the high and mighty.

The "Utumishi Kwa Wote" slogan once again fails to live up to its hype because while the police have the legal mandate to use reasonable force to see to it that the execution is effected, they choose to do the opposite -nothing.

Well, with the ongoing reforms in the police force, people have started moving away from the Nehru talking to working but to see a reverse of the rot, Kenya needs a miracle.

Such miracle may lie in positive dictatorship.
23:49
UTUMISHI KWA BOURGEOISIE
» ‎ Wabunge.com

Jawaharlal Nehru said "Democracy is governance by discussion but it starts working when people stop talking."

The Kenyan civil law process provides for warrants of arrest leading to commital to civil jail, against an individual once a court of law has established the need and given the order for such. This is provided for under the Civil Procedure Code Cap 285,Laws of Kenya.

The basic principles governing warrants of arrest under both civil and criminal law in this country provide that such warrants should be executed on the person to whom they are intended as soon as is possible. This should be done in person.
In cases where the person is not traceable for some reason, it is sufficient to place the warrant of arrest at an easily visible location of the person's last known residence. For example, sticking a notice of a warrant of arrest on the gate or main door to the house of a defendant (in the case of a civil dispute) will amount to effective execution of the warrant.

Enter Rosanna Pluda Moi vs. Phillip Moi. The court has issued a warrant of arrest for the son of retired president Moi for failure to paying a Kshs. 250000 upkeep and maintenance to his estranged ex wife Rosanna Pluda Moi.

Mr. Moi in his mitigation pleaded with the court not to commit him to civil jail as this will be a contravention to his constitutional rights. While i find this a mockery of the court, i am appalled by the disgusting display of impunity by our boys in blue- the Kenya Police.

The seniors at the Muthaiga Police Station have reportedly delegated the matter to their juniors for what is obviously an attempt at avoiding any friction with the high and mighty.

The "Utumishi Kwa Wote" slogan once again fails to live up to its hype because while the police have the legal mandate to use reasonable force to see to it that the execution is effected, they choose to do the opposite -nothing.

Well, with the ongoing reforms in the police force, people have started moving away from the Nehru talking to working but to see a reverse of the rot, Kenya needs a miracle.

Such miracle may lie in positive dictatorship.
February 27, 2012
23:39
Game Changer
» ‎ Wabunge.com

Who is going to be our next president, it is anyone’s guess but exceptional wisdom is required from us the voters, as we need to seek the man or woman with the brightest ideas moving forward. Kenyans are hungry for change and instant gratification. They want someone who will come in and make them wealthier overnight. Personally I want that too, but in reality progress takes time, it’s all about the person with the best plan and clear cut time frames on achieving those plans, which will give that candidate credibility in my opinion.

Today in the morning around 8 am, it took me less than fifteen minutes to get to museum hill from Uchumi off thika road, where Nakumatt thika road used to stand a few years back. It just amazed me how a stretch of road on rush hour times, used to take on average 2 to 3 hours, can all of a sudden reduce exponentially, in terms of the time now spent on that road. Lets face it when construction was ongoing it was an unpleasant experience, but we can clearly see the fruits of the many inconveniences we were subjected to and you must admit, it was worth it.

Progress is painful and a progressive leader will need to be ready to take a lot of heat, because by nature the best and greatest things take time. The game changer this time around is that there is no clear front runner. Probably for the first time there are no two or three clear cut elite individuals but anyone can and any party can win the next general election. Scary as it might sound, it is also the best time for us to look for a leader who can take the heat of transforming Kenya from the continuous loop of being almost great to being the greatest country on the continent.

That will mean someone making a lot of uncomfortable decisions in the short term but with long term benefits. We already have a real life analogy we can draw up on, the Thika Road Super Highway, which was a nightmare of a road during construction. But now as the road nears completion, it’s a no brainer that the potential positive impact will be astronomic. Our next president might have to subject us to some uncomfortable policy directives, but right now is there anyone who is brave enough to sell such a proposition in their campaign right now, that is the question.
February 24, 2012
16:58
Land Ecology
» ‎ Wabunge.com

History teaches that the Maumau fought for ‘ithaka na wiyathi’, which roughly translated means ‘land rights and self governance’. This should make us ask several questions:

1. What is land? Who owns it? How did they come to own it?
2. Why do we fight over it? Isn’t it ours by virtue of being born on it? What rights do we enjoy over it?
3. How much is it worth? Who determines this worth and what formulae are used?

Supposing we took a risk and thought outside conventional knowledge? Supposing we attempted to answer these questions by saying:

1. Land is the heritage of ALL species in the ecosystem. They all need each other to survive and so none has a greater right over the land than the other.

2. Land cannot therefore BELONG to any species. All we can have is the RIGHT TO USE land, but never own it.

3. If we cannot own it, we cannot SELL it, we can only TRANSFER the RIGHTS TO USE it.

4. Since land is the sustaining medium of the ecosystem, we cannot VALUE it unless we consider the livelihood of other species using that land.

This non-conventional thinking sounds outlandish. However, simple observation shows us that if we were to use land in an ecologically friendly way, we would fit into the ecosystem and in turn it would take care of us. Conversely, if we were to choose to abuse land, the ecosystem treats us as our bodies would treat a foreign object. It becomes hostile towards us and ejects us before we put the other species in the family in further danger.

Simple observation further shows that man is the only species that pollutes the ecosystem. He too is the only species that imagines it has sole ownership of land, the sole privilege of transferring this ownership through intra-species sale and the supreme privilege of deciding how land is used.

So far, how are these assumptions of defiance to the ecosystem working out for us?

Conventional knowledge, for example as taught in the ‘Bachelor of Land Economics’, teaches that land is a product, that it can be sold and used to the ‘maximum economic (read monetary) benefit’ of the human. The sad part is ONLY HUMANS appreciate money; the rest of the ecosystem doesn’t care what money is.

So on one hand we have the very established but recent human monetary system and on the other hand we have the supreme unyielding ecosystem. In this battle, shall we as a species chose money over our ecosystem or shall we mold our monetary system until it fits into our ecosystem?

It would be rather stranger for any species to choose expulsion from the ecosystem, especially if that species boasts it has the largest reasoning capacity. This then should be the beginning of a new economic order that fits all decisions into ecology…. shall we embark on the adventure of designing this?
8:35
Land Ecology
» ‎ Wabunge.com

History teaches that the Maumau fought for ‘ithaka na wiyathi’, which roughly translated means ‘land rights and self governance’. This should make us ask several questions:

1. What is land? Who owns it? How did they come to own it?
2. Why do we fight over it? Isn’t it ours by virtue of being born on it? What rights do we enjoy over it?
3. How much is it worth? Who determines this worth and what formulae are used?

Supposing we took a risk and thought outside conventional knowledge? Supposing we attempted to answer these questions by saying:

1. Land is the heritage of ALL species in the ecosystem. They all need each other to survive and so none has a greater right over the land than the other.

2. Land cannot therefore BELONG to any species. All we can have is the RIGHT TO USE land, but never own it.

3. If we cannot own it, we cannot SELL it, we can only TRANSFER the RIGHTS TO USE it.

4. Since land is the sustaining medium of the ecosystem, we cannot VALUE it unless we consider the livelihood of other species using that land.

This non-conventional thinking sounds outlandish. However, simple observation shows us that if we were to use land in an ecologically friendly way, we would fit into the ecosystem and in turn it would take care of us. Conversely, if we were to choose to abuse land, the ecosystem treats us as our bodies would treat a foreign object. It becomes hostile towards us and ejects us before we put the other species in the family in further danger.

Simple observation further shows that man is the only species that pollutes the ecosystem. He too is the only species that imagines it has sole ownership of land, the sole privilege of transferring this ownership through intra-species sale and the supreme privilege of deciding how land is used.

So far, how are these assumptions of defiance to the ecosystem working out for us?

Conventional knowledge, for example as taught in the ‘Bachelor of Land Economics’, teaches that land is a product, that it can be sold and used to the ‘maximum economic (read monetary) benefit’ of the human. The sad part is ONLY HUMANS appreciate money; the rest of the ecosystem doesn’t care what money is.

So on one hand we have the very established but recent human monetary system and on the other hand we have the supreme unyielding ecosystem. In this battle, shall we as a species chose money over our ecosystem or shall we mold our monetary system until it fits into our ecosystem?

It would be rather stranger for any species to choose expulsion from the ecosystem, especially if that species boasts it has the largest reasoning capacity. This then should be the beginning of a new economic order that fits all decisions into ecology…. shall we embark on the adventure of designing this?
February 23, 2012
10:32
A Mystery Wrapped in a Riddle inside an Enigma
» ‎ Wabunge.com

Winston Churchill’s famous quote is the heading of today’s article. He said this when asked to describe Marshal Joseph Stalin leader of the Soviet Union, during the post dam conference after the fall of Germany towards the end of World War 2. President Kibaki is a great mystery like Stalin but of the good and maybe this is debatable, of the pure kind. In fact a couple of weeks ago, we all saw his soft side when a girl child explained her ordeal during an equity foundation function. We all saw our President cry, it was very moving. It actually reminded me of the phrase that only the truly strong are not afraid to show their emotions. Compare that with the man who dropped the Iron curtain over Europe (another of Churchill’s phrases) Joseph Stalin, a pure brute and one of the worst dictators of the industrial era, a mystery of the worst kind.

The most sought after political commodity in Kenya right now is President Kibaki’s endorsement. Whoever gets it irrespective of his or her community will probably have the best short at winning the next general election. Say what you want to say about our president, without a doubt he will go down in history as the man who set Kenya on the right path, on a growth trajectory, with numerous structural/economic and constitutional changes. The post election violence will always be one of those things that shouldn’t have happened under his watch, that withstanding I still believe he remains the ultimate King Maker in the coming election.

Who he will choose as his successor or more politically correctly, have his endorsement, not even Lucy knows. Kibaki is not a man to show his hand, call it wisdom or simply the Machiavellian schemer in him, who knows the value and power of silence. Many people are waiting anxiously and I have a feeling the revelation will shock and confound a lot of people. And when it happens, the incumbent President will be smiling all the way into retirement.

Finally I would like to take this opportunity to remember the Late John Michuki, a great Kenyan, a man who tamed the most unruly transport sub sector (matatu sector) single handedly. Without a doubt the greatest transport minister and one of the best administrators Kenya has ever had. Rest in Peace Honorable Sir.
February 22, 2012
22:10
Politics with Principles: A Tribute to John Njoroge Michuki (1932-2012)
» ‎ Wabunge.com

While we cannot and may never understand death, it is prudent that we learn from it. In the words of Charlie Chan, Death is the one appointment that we all must keep and for which no time is set.The passing on of the immediate former minister for environment is indeed a big blow to Kenya.
John Njoroge Michuki was born to Chief Michuki wa Kagwi of Kangema Division of Murang'a County and his 45th wife Mariana Wanjiru. Chief Michuki passed on when the minister was only seven years old. With the succession wrangles characteristic of big families, Michuki's mother made away with very little but her determination to give her son an education saw her enroll him in a nearby primary school.

Michuki however dropped out after a year due to financial constraints. Not being one to be deterred by adversity, John Michuki did menial jobs and went back to school scoring impressive grades that saw him attend the best schools from Nyeri High to Mang'u High School for his A levels; where he was school captain, to Worcester College of Oxford University on Government Scholarship

In his capacities as a civil servant and later a politician, he exemplified what true leadership is. It did not matter what docket he was handling, he would constantly top the list of best performed ministers in the Kibaki government, this diligence and efficacy saw him move from ministry to ministry in a musical chairs form.

I will forever remember Michuki for his work as Internal Security Minister where true to his no-nonesense approach to work, symbolic of a seasoned administrator, tamed the menace that was the outlawed Mungiki Sect.

I salute John Michuki for his work in reforming the transport sector. The 'Michuki Rules' are the sole reason why today, a PSV user like myself has more in transit rights than a sack of potatoes.

John Michuki was also an astute businessman. As the proprietor of the 5 star Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club, a cluster of exquisite victorian style buildings set on a 200 acre piece of land, Michuki carved a niche for himself in the hospitality Industry. He also had interests in other sectors of the economy such as finance and agriculture.

What then was the secret to the political success of this man whose name in Maasai translates to "no turning back?" As his former collegaues eulogised him in parliament, many spoke of a friendly, kind, candid, firm, resolute, resilient and consistent man. The secret then lies in such strong principles. That is what it forever will be about.

John Michuki is truly irreplaceable, but we can try. In one of his last conversations with Hon. William Kabogo, he stated that the country is now in the hands of young people and young people should be careful with what they do. We should remember these words as we approach the general elections.

In true Michuki style, we should go for people who do things and not those who wait for things to be done, shun the annointees and go for selfmades. Anyone can pay for school but none can buy class.
0:22
It's a man eat man society
» ‎ Wabunge.com

There was so much hope lingering in Kenyans’ hearts around the 27th of August 2010 following the promulgation of the Constitution. Anti-graft czars and advocates of zero tolerance on corruption were particularly excited about the embedding of ethical and integrity provisions into the legal document under chapter six.
Fast forward to February2012 and I would not claim that there is much positivity about things as was the case two years ago. Take for example the matter of the now stalled, and justifiably so, Judges and Magistrates vetting process.
The process, given force of law and legitimacy under the Vetting of Judges and Magistrates Bill of 2011 was supposed to start next Tuesday, the 14th of February 2012. Due however to a pending court matter filed by a Law Student, one Dennis Mugambi, the matter has been stayed for 21 days pending hearing and determination of the matter that is before the court of appeal.
The Court of Appeal bench of Justices Emmanuel Okubasu, Alnashir Visram and David Maranga ordered the stay of the process for 21 days following an appeal against an order quashed by the High Court, challenging the legality of the entire process.
The appeal’s main cry is that the process will be unfair to the judicial officers who won’t have time to prepare themselves for the process and that the decisions of the board which will be binding on the judicial officers set to face vetting may need to be appealed.
While that may not be an issue seeing the level of competency exhibited by the vetting panel which includes eminent judicial personalities from all over Africa, my main concern is with the provision that provides for the vetting to be done in private i.e. away from the public eye and participation.
The explanation of the board for this through its Chair, Mr. Sharad Rao is that the Vetting Bill does not provide for Public participation. The country is still going through a transition period with the new constitution and all these provisions on vetting of public officers to ensure their suitability to continue in office. The confidence of Kenyans has to be earned through making these processes open to the public and transparent. Doing things in private is a bad idea at the stage at which the country is, also the Kenyan citizens are the largest stakeholders of the judiciary and locking them out of the process would be unfair.
One of the principals of equity holds that justice must not only be done but must be seen to have been done. I believe having a clause providing for public participation in the process is such a minor thing that would be easily done if there was political goodwill in this country, lack of which will see us wait an eternity to realize our vision 2030 dreams.
It then remains that the mantle is on us to ensure the next crop of leaders have at least the political goodwill to ensure the implementation of the constitution, vote wisely.. or it shall remain a man eat man society.
February 21, 2012
0:47
All Kenyans are equal...or are they?
» ‎ Wabunge.com

The suspension of the DCJ Nancy Baraza was a very popular move by the Commander in chief who was practising his presidential powers vested in him by the constitution. According to article 168(5) of the constitution a judge of a superior court may be removed from office for gross misconduct or misbehavior. The aggrieved party one Ms. Rebecca Kerubo claimed that she was assaulted and threatened by the DCJ.The president having read the mood of the country decided to settle on this populist move coming in the wake of the confirmation of charges of the now ‘Ocampo four’ by the ICC presiding judges. Two out of the four are the president’s henchmen namely Francis Muthaura and Uhuru Kenyatta, and there is increasing pressure from the other divide of the collision to have them suspended from holding public office. ODM with its increasing pressure and claims of not being consulted is a clear tactic to ensure assassination of one William Ruto’s and Uhuru Kenyatta’s political careers now that one of their own Henry Kosgey has been exonerated from any wrong doing. They subscribe to the Mutula translation of section 6 of the constitution which is that the two cannot vie for the presidency of this country or hold any public office with pending court cases regardless of the assumption of innocent till proven guilty. However this principle should and cannot override the intentions and spirit of the constitution. Article 6 talks about leadership and integrity and eligibility of persons vying for leadership positions.

It is a very precise strategy that ODM is sending a clear signal that they want the twosome party cut short, to ensure a very smooth transition by the premier into the president’s ram shackled shoes. ODM has everything to loose if the UK and Ruto join forces. So the fact that there is a team being formed to analyze the ICC ruling is already throwing a spanner in the gauntlet attracting superfluous attention from PNU’s noisy neighbors. They read mischief with this move and want the Hague proceedings to run unparalleled.

The constitution is meant to be upheld at all cost and certain provisions should not be waivered to suit whoever it is. It is with this regard that I think as a matter of personal dignity on one side and most important public interest on the other hand, which upholds the social contract that preexists with the promulgation of the new constitution, that Uhuru and Muthaura should step aside. Their continued stay in office erodes the legitimacy of the government actions. The rule of law cannot be emasculated at any cost because that sends a clear signal of dejecting the existence of constitutionally conceived institutions such as the judiciary. The real panacea to our country’s entire predicament is having a free and independent judiciary. That’s the rule of law….
0:47
All Kenyans are equal...or are they?
» ‎ Wabunge.com

The suspension of the DCJ Nancy Baraza was a very popular move by the Commander in chief who was practising his presidential powers vested in him by the constitution. According to article 168(5) of the constitution a judge of a superior court may be removed from office for gross misconduct or misbehavior. The aggrieved party one Ms. Rebecca Kerubo claimed that she was assaulted and threatened by the DCJ.The president having read the mood of the country decided to settle on this populist move coming in the wake of the confirmation of charges of the now ‘Ocampo four’ by the ICC presiding judges. Two out of the four are the president’s henchmen namely Francis Muthaura and Uhuru Kenyatta, and there is increasing pressure from the other divide of the collision to have them suspended from holding public office. ODM with its increasing pressure and claims of not being consulted is a clear tactic to ensure assassination of one William Ruto’s and Uhuru Kenyatta’s political careers now that one of their own Henry Kosgey has been exonerated from any wrong doing. They subscribe to the Mutula translation of section 6 of the constitution which is that the two cannot vie for the presidency of this country or hold any public office with pending court cases regardless of the assumption of innocent till proven guilty. However this principle should and cannot override the intentions and spirit of the constitution. Article 6 talks about leadership and integrity and eligibility of persons vying for leadership positions.

It is a very precise strategy that ODM is sending a clear signal that they want the twosome party cut short, to ensure a very smooth transition by the premier into the president’s ram shackled shoes. ODM has everything to loose if the UK and Ruto join forces. So the fact that there is a team being formed to analyze the ICC ruling is already throwing a spanner in the gauntlet attracting superfluous attention from PNU’s noisy neighbors. They read mischief with this move and want the Hague proceedings to run unparalleled.

The constitution is meant to be upheld at all cost and certain provisions should not be waivered to suit whoever it is. It is with this regard that I think as a matter of personal dignity on one side and most important public interest on the other hand, which upholds the social contract that preexists with the promulgation of the new constitution, that Uhuru and Muthaura should step aside. Their continued stay in office erodes the legitimacy of the government actions. The rule of law cannot be emasculated at any cost because that sends a clear signal of dejecting the existence of constitutionally conceived institutions such as the judiciary. The real panacea to our country’s entire predicament is having a free and independent judiciary. That’s the rule of law….
0:47
All Kenyans are equal...or are they?
» ‎ Wabunge.com

The suspension of the DCJ Nancy Baraza was a very popular move by the Commander in chief who was practising his presidential powers vested in him by the constitution. According to article 168(5) of the constitution a judge of a superior court may be removed from office for gross misconduct or misbehavior. The aggrieved party one Ms. Rebecca Kerubo claimed that she was assaulted and threatened by the DCJ.The president having read the mood of the country decided to settle on this populist move coming in the wake of the confirmation of charges of the now ‘Ocampo four’ by the ICC presiding judges. Two out of the four are the president’s henchmen namely Francis Muthaura and Uhuru Kenyatta, and there is increasing pressure from the other divide of the collision to have them suspended from holding public office. ODM with its increasing pressure and claims of not being consulted is a clear tactic to ensure assassination of one William Ruto’s and Uhuru Kenyatta’s political careers now that one of their own Henry Kosgey has been exonerated from any wrong doing. They subscribe to the Mutula translation of section 6 of the constitution which is that the two cannot vie for the presidency of this country or hold any public office with pending court cases regardless of the assumption of innocent till proven guilty. However this principle should and cannot override the intentions and spirit of the constitution. Article 6 talks about leadership and integrity and eligibility of persons vying for leadership positions.

It is a very precise strategy that ODM is sending a clear signal that they want the twosome party cut short, to ensure a very smooth transition by the premier into the president’s ram shackled shoes. ODM has everything to loose if the UK and Ruto join forces. So the fact that there is a team being formed to analyze the ICC ruling is already throwing a spanner in the gauntlet attracting superfluous attention from PNU’s noisy neighbors. They read mischief with this move and want the Hague proceedings to run unparalleled.

The constitution is meant to be upheld at all cost and certain provisions should not be waivered to suit whoever it is. It is with this regard that I think as a matter of personal dignity on one side and most important public interest on the other hand, which upholds the social contract that preexists with the promulgation of the new constitution, that Uhuru and Muthaura should step aside. Their continued stay in office erodes the legitimacy of the government actions. The rule of law cannot be emasculated at any cost because that sends a clear signal of dejecting the existence of constitutionally conceived institutions such as the judiciary. The real panacea to our country’s entire predicament is having a free and independent judiciary. That’s the rule of law….
February 20, 2012
0:28
The Political Circus Goes On
» ‎ Wabunge.com

Germany's president, Christian Wulf, resigned Friday (17th February) after a string of allegations of abuse of office. Germany would give their right arm to have a true African hard-man at their helm. I mean, am sure the world craves leaders who stay putt through any allegations. The throngs of singing crowds that exalt Kenyan politicians who remain firmly in office regardless of any accusations, must be wondering what sort of absurdity must have crept into Christian's mind that he deemed the accusations made him unfit to hold public office. I mean, who needs integrity to legitimately hold office as a leader? Take that and choke on envy, world.

Meanwhile, the ODM have cobbled together a bunch of fellows to form a squad they call the Rapid Response Team or some name of the sort. You are forgiven for chuckling. What a silly name to give a bunch of old beer-bellied fellows whose “mission” is to talk to another beer-bellied fellow on the behest of yet another beer bellied fellow. Good gracious, Rapid Response Team conjures up images of agent Dana Scully and agent Fox Mulder leading a group of elite S.W.A.T. team members. Forget the name, the sorriest bit is that the team has been constituted to subvert internal party democracy, at a time you thought Raila should be trying to paint himself as not a dictator.

Finally, you may recall that when a Roman General was awarded a Triumph, a slave stood behind them whispering, “You are just a man” in their ear. To round up our weeks political circus, the Hague pair must quite feel like Roman Generals about to be awarded a Triumph. They feel like the presidency is so near, they could just reach over and grab it, but here is this lowly slave in the form of a Justice Minister continuously whispering in their ear, “You're not allowed to stand…”

Enjoy the circus fellas.
February 19, 2012
22:59
The Evictions and the story of a place called Mouseland
» ‎ Wabunge.com

A story is told of a place called Mouseland. In this place, there lived mice who every few years would line up to vote. First they voted for big fat black cats and then they found out how hard life was. The mice wanted change, so they voted in white cats, but life still remained hard. They even tried half white half black cats. And they called it a coalition. The problem was never the color of the cats. The point is they were CATS. And cats will naturally look after cats and not mice.

As the demolition of houses continues across the country, I could not help remembering the story of Mouseland. One old lady, in grief, said words that rang with eternal wisdom. "This is Kenya and we are Kenyans, where else are we supposed to go?" was the thrust of her cry which I am keen to echo. That someone can be born into a country and be destitute while another born into the same country sits on thousands of acres of land with the only distinguishing factor being the accident of which family they were born into is to me an injustice that needs correcting. This earth was formed NOT by anyone. We ALL without exception found it here without having played ANY part in its formation. How then can an honest man sit claim to 1,000 acres of land and claim it his while his brother remains a homeless slave in his own country? It is my firm belief that every single citizen born into this country should be settled on a piece of it with no further qualification needed than proof of citizenry.

Herein comes the story of Mouseland. The lawmakers that should foresee the realisation of this fundamental right are the very ones who own these thousands of acres that should be expropriated to the citizenry. How then can they be trusted to enact laws that will benefit the mice?

In the story of Mouseland, one mouse stood forth with an idea, “Look fellows, why do we keep electing a government made up of cats? Why don't we elect a government made up of mice?”

The cats were furious. They called the little mouse a communist. So they put him in jail.

But here is the message. You can lock up a mouse or a man but you can't lock up an idea! You have a right to be settled on a piece of YOUR country.
December 29, 2011
9:46
Calm before the Storm
» ‎ Wabunge.com

It’s an interesting week, especially for those of us who are still working during the holidays, no traffic, no rush, its almost like being on leave at work, not very busy. Also on the political front it seems things are a bit quiet, no accusations and counter accusations, no major debates as parliament is in recess, and the major political contenders for the highest office in the land seem to be taking it easy.

All of this will end next week as people gear up for a critical year next year. Politics is soft more than hard, in the sense that it is more emotional rather than facts and figures. This is not a phenomenon present only in Kenya, its everywhere, that is why you find people will believe in absurdity in the name of my ‘political base supports this’, even when the argument is counter intuitive, take the climate change issue that some political parties especially in the far right conservative circles still think is all hot air.

Here at home next year the absurdity will revolve around the so called ‘our man or woman’, we know it even before it happens, and we know more so that we are emotionally attached to those who represent our cultural or ethnic group, a very hard thing to change even with a strong integration commission currently at work. The disclaimer here is to be self aware of our own internal biases and try and look at the cold hard facts of who will be the best candidate, ideal President, Governor and County representative and MP for you, soft and emotional issues aside, that in itself will be very difficult.

The wisest thing to do is not to put your hopes on a candidate who promises instant change. A candidate who says all our problems will disappear if you elect them is a liar, change, lasting change is slow. Put your money on the candidate who sells the reality concept, that development is hard and it needs a combined effort of politicians and us, the people. Beware, the storm is coming, politicians are going to appeal to your emotional side, your soft side, hopefully we will be better prepared to vote for the best candidates, and look at the hard side with reason.
November 23, 2011
8:34
Delusions of Grandeur and Generation Why
» ‎ Wabunge.com

I would love to be asked a question by someone way older than myself probably 50 years of age or older ’Do generation Y’s have a problem?’ ‘Absolutely’ that would be my answer, but I would go further and add that we are not the problem, but we do have a problem. Having a problem is not such a bad thing, and our problem is not entirely unique. In high school I remember one of my teachers complaining about how we always want explanations, explanations, explanations, it used to drive her nuts.
The thing is Generation Y’s don’t buy in easily to the old school principles, for instance those who are older say that before you can earn the big bucks, you need to struggle and suffer, but we ask the question why. Another common one is before you can make money you need to struggle and suffer and we still ask why. Also before you can get to positions of leadership we need to suffer and struggle but as you guessed it we ask why.
Interesting statistics coming out say that one in five people suffer from delusions of grandeur which is basically the feeling that you are limitless, just like in the movie. This affliction is not necessarily bad, it is an important component of being driven and self motivated in order to become like the next Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg or the late Steve Jobs. The thing is our problem is we think greatness will be achieved simply by technology that we forget the human element and good old fashioned hard work.
Progress as historians have joked is about lazy people finding easier ways of doing things. Generation Y’s are kings and queens of this concept. Chances are some people have it easy, they are naturally good at coding and math, so creating platforms like Facebook is not such a difficult thing. The majority of us who struggled with school on the other hand, we seriously need to stop thinking greatness will come to us easily. Whether we like it or not, whether we think its old fashioned, the truth is hard work is still relevant whether we understand it or not and even if we keep asking the question why.
November 22, 2011
8:53
A Case for Televised Live County and National Debates
» ‎ Wabunge.com

Have you ever had to make a presentation to a panel or a group of people who are experts in the field in which your presentation is based? Those are tough customers, for instance in graduate school you could be making a finance presentation to bankers and accountants, there is no way in which you can wiggle your way out until your presentation makes sense. You need to be prepared and if you are not they will eat you alive. The best thing about it is, if they do eat you alive, it is not such a bad thing, because you get a chance to learn. People who know the subject matter or if those present are authorities on the subject matter they will criticize you and also give you their take on it, address the grey areas if you will. And in the end everyone benefits.
Now when it comes to Kenyan politics, nearly every adult Kenyan is an expert, it does not matter what level an individual is at, the problems that face us are as clear as day for everyone to see. It surprises most Kenyans and me especially when you hear Kenyan politicians talking about building roads, hospitals and schools. Those things are necessities silly, those are basics that need to be done and that is nothing to brag about. Politicians saying we built schools, I brought electricity to this area, we built a school, well congratulations you did what you were supposed to. Even the superhighway for all its fun fare, super highways started being built in the 50’s in the US to counter the soviet threat by providing as many exit routes to all American citizens, so we are 60 years late in that regard.
On behalf of most Kenyans I can say that themes like vision 2030 are not as inspirational as they should be. If you were to tell us that by the year 2030, we plan to make Kenya the most developed country in the continent that is Kenya relative to all our neighbors, Kenya relative to the economic powerhouses that is South Africa, North Africa and Nigeria, now that is something that personally I can believe in and work hard to achieve it in my own small way. Making Kenya a Middle income nation is not as inspirational as saying Kenya will be the number one country in Africa, in my view.
So the issue of live debates to be watched by Kenyans, what are the advantages? For one we will put aspiring candidates on the spot when they tell us about there responsibilities like building schools and such. Those things are basic. We want higher level thinking and ideas; we want policies that will inspire and more importantly steps that will be taken to achieve those policies. We need to put these people on the spot and let them fry in their own juices, this time we want to be inspired but more importantly with an action plan.
November 21, 2011
16:25
The Gap
» ‎ Wabunge.com

I would not understand who in their right mind would like to be the Chief Executive Officer of Kenya. Let’s call a spade a spade and not a big spoon; you know things are thick when the people in charge of holding our very fabric of society are striking. First it was the teachers, this being a recurring theme the last 20 years. Then we had the Lecturers strike and they got sorted out despite a lot of acrimony. That was last week, now in less than 2 weeks time our doctors, who in the first place are less than the international requirement ratio of doctors to people. Now they threaten to go on strike. Now this is what I call a national nightmare.
I have this theory, somewhere along the line; don’t know the date, but somewhere things stopped functioning right in this country. You know in life, like in accounting, pardon the forced parallel but it has to made, there are debits and credits to everything. You can’t steal without there being a counter effect, a loss made. What happened is that in Kenya there are very well documented gaps; huge gaps and those gaps will not go away just by wishful thinking.
For all the good work that is being done by the current administration the fact of the matter still remains they are paying for past mistakes made by previous administrations. I seriously know that the two principles for all their imperfections, they would both want to put Kenya on the map and sort out all our problems. The economist in Kibaki and the reformer in Raila would want to see teachers, lectures and doctors paid their dues according to international standards, that I am certain. The only problem is the gaps that exist, the fact that we have heavy external and internal debt, a bloated civil service, a bloated cabinet and a greedy august house and a leadership culture that is based on self enrichment. Those are hard gaps to erase. The fact that for years contracts were awarded and paid with no work done, all this is coming to bite us in the nether regions.
So who in their right mind would want to have a job that would require them to solve the multiplicity of problems that we face as Kenyans. Politicians get elected to solve problems. Kenyans are not joking they want these things solved, Kenyans do not care what happened yesterday, it is today that they are interested in. Kenyans do not care about 2030, that will sort itself out, they want near to immediate term results, that my friends is a big miracle to ask for. The gap will not disappear; the recurrent expenditure will not get smaller, the gap exists, something has to fill it, right policy is easier to write than implement. Its more than courage that is required, it takes more than patriotism and heart. What is needed is a huge collective effort, a combination of all those factors. There is no doubting the complexity that is inherent in the gap, an outstanding team of men and women are urgently needed, men and women who can translate the narrative to all Kenyans educated and uneducated, and lead a collective effort. That is our only hope.
November 18, 2011
17:08
I thought I was out
» ‎ Wabunge.com

It’s debatable, what constitutes the greatest Hollywood one liner in film history. Most agree it has to be Clark Gable’s immortal line in gone in the wind, when he tells the she devil Scarlet O’Hara played by Vivian Leigh ‘frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.’ When it comes to cult classics, Al pacino is regarded as the king of one liner’s. If you have watched Scarface am sure you all remember the classic line ‘meet my little friend’ as he pulls out a mother of a gun/bazooka. The one line that is most memorable for me on the other hand is also said by Al Pacino in Godfather 3 ‘I thought I was out, but they push me back in’.
Godfather, the book by Mario Puzo was a novel I read when I was still in High school and I was fascinated, not by the criminality but by the concept of Omerta, the honor code of silence. The essence of the movie and of the story is that crime, in the end, does not pay. If you have watched till Godfather 3, you see that Michael longs to be recognized in legitimate business, but he just cannot shake off his past. In the end it comes to haunt him with the death of his daughter and his eventual demise, old, decrepit and sad.
Sometimes I just want to stop commenting and writing on the state of Kenyan politics. I feel so drained with it all; the hits just keep on coming. Then on other day’s things seem to be fine and I feel Kenya will be ok, things are good. There are so many times I have told myself I will stop writing blogs. Then just like Michael Corleone, ‘I thought I was out, but the state of Kenyan politics just pushes me back in’. It seems I will be writing articles and commenting on Kenyan politics for a long time to come.
November 15, 2011
16:43
Opportunistic Ignorance
» ‎ Wabunge.com

It happens a lot; politicians take advantage of their constituent’s naivety and end up pulling unbelievable policies right in front of them, feeling nothing. For instance the constant rise in fuel costs, how can it be constantly going up. Since the inception of ERC, has the cost of fuel ever gone down? What really is the mandate of the so called Energy Regulatory Commission? In my view the cost of fuel right now is just not justified.

Sure we can mount an Arab spring, call it an African spring, go to the street and protest like Wall Street protestors, sure we can take that route. But I believe there is a better way, a far more effective way, a way that guarantees results, and it is simple, it is all about looking and eagerly searching for value through value candidates.

What is value? What gives something value? Without being overly philosophical, it is what you are willing to pay to attain something, you could call it a need, or a certain possession, or even a trait. And there is a price to get it. That is something fundamental to remember. So what makes an individual a value candidate? Is it where he comes from, this is without a doubt the most flawed assumption there is.

A value candidate is one who delivers constant improvement in the lives of his or her constituents, nothing more, nothing less, anyone who does not do this, does not deserve your vote, no sir.

The honest truth is politicians will always take advantage of our ignorance, unless you the enlightened challenge the assumptions put forth. Does a value candidate have to be from your community, does he or she have to be part of some political dynasty or be part of some political elite? There is value in your vote, be wise, let our spring be based on bringing in value in the next election cycle.
November 11, 2011
17:07
What a Day!
» ‎ Wabunge.com

Today is once in a millennia day, 11/11/11; the religious fundamentalists and other extreme right wing groups will all have theories on the significance of this day. In the day of an ordinary Kenyan, does today have any significance, well it can have. The silent majority who do not really care what day today is are probably going on about their business just like any other day.

For an aspiring politician, today is the best day to start a political campaign, starting 11/11/11 and ending 12/12/12. Having a sensational campaign is one of the best ways to win an election especially if you lack the necessary experience. Hype has carried a lot of people through; remember the rainbow revolution of NARC, the so called YOTE YA WEZEKANA BILA MOI and I AM UNBWOGABLE. Or the iconic CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN. My goodness, those were exciting times. The wave of euphoria is a powerful one.

The reality though is that everyday can be significant if you let it. Or it can be just another day at the office or school or wherever. We who are young have a tendency to think that great things will be accomplished quickly and all that is needed is one day to make it to the mountain top. We look at leadership like something that will sort itself out, we are young and we think like the Jay Z song, we will be forever young and so we do not make the necessary preparation.

The truth is we need to pay the price everyday by being involved in the political process. It might mean airing an opinion via this forum or other forums out there. Taking interest in what is going on in parliament, and listening between the lines to what politicians are actually saying and actually doing. That will help you find the difference or disconnect that will enable you to challenge them one day. One day sooner than you think, the day will come, when you will need to mount that challenge. It may not have a catchy date like today, but the day cometh, sooner rather than later.
November 10, 2011
16:17
Nilikuwepo Na Nitakuwepo
» ‎ Wabunge.com

Am not taking anything away from the good people of brand Kenya, they have been outstanding. Creating an awareness of why we need to be part of building and loving Kenya is highly commendable, and they deserve a collective pat on the back from all of us. What I want to emphasize is the fact that most of us, city folks especially, have been ostracized for being well, city folks. People say city folks are spoilt, cerelac raised, soft; they speak funny and so on and so forth. The truth is, city folks are the most loyal Kenyans out there and I will explain why.

One thing that city folks have especially those born and raised in Nairobi is you find yourself in a melting pot from the very beginning. Taking an example from my own personal life, I am not lying about this; I did not understand the concept of tribalism. Sure I knew about tribes, but so what. In fact even when I was 14 in boarding school, a friend of mine said pepies, instead of babies. People had a riot laughing, personally I just didn’t get it, and I thought it was just a normal slip of the tongue, rather than a regional identifier. In fact I didn’t quite get the whole concept of tribalism not till I saw its danger during the 2007 elections.

Was I living in a bubble you may ask, maybe, but my best friend at the time was not from my tribe. The girls I liked at the time were not from my tribe. More than half the people I knew outside my family circle were not from my tribe. What I am saying is as a city kid growing up; I was as Kenyan as can be. During the 2007 elections, I just didn’t get the hate.

In essence what I am saying is, for once those of us who grew up in a multicultural city setting, with multicultural and multiracial friends have something positive that other Kenyans do not have. We have a big part to play, in championing the cause of nitakuwepo. After all, tulikuwepo, before the madness of 2007, its part of what we truly are, now and always.
November 09, 2011
16:42
REALPOLITIK
» ‎ Wabunge.com

According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, this is politics based on practical and material factors rather than a theoretical or ethical objective. It’s basically two German words combined, Real meaning actual and Politik meaning politics, its first known use was in 1914. I have a confession; I am a fan of real politics, not what we see on the campaign trail or on the news or read in the papers.

Historians talk about something called the advantages of backwardness. In the inspirational archeological/ historical book written by Stanford Professor Ian Morris, he explains that throughout history there are societies that were considered backward. Their neighbors on the other hand were developed, so what happened was the less developed societies learned what the more developed societies did in order to succeed. Not only did they succeed but they ended up surpassing their more developed neighbors. A prime example being the hilly flanks being overtaken by Mesopotamia.

Kenya is backward to a certain regard, our politics is not based on so called ideology and that is not such a bad thing. Politicians can adapt to the real issues on the ground, the only problem is the issues in the past have been based on self enrichment on the part of politicians. If politicians can focus on enrichment of their constituents as already provided structurally by the new constitution, then Kenya can be as great as the United States of America. Given the new constitution is heavily borrowed from the American constitution. Or even if we as Kenyans discover the advantages of backwardness, we can use Realpolitik to be an even greater democracy than the US.

What am looking forward to, is that one day, hopefully in the next election cycle, is that we as young people will be directly involved in the political decision making process. And make Kenya the greatest democracy in the world.
November 08, 2011
17:18
Who’s Got It?
» ‎ Wabunge.com

Jim Goodnight the CEO of SAS the company widely regarded as the best place to work in America is a man mountain. At 6 feet 4 inches, he has presence and is widely recognized as one of the best fortune 500 leaders. What do you think gives a leader presence? Is it his height; is it how good looking or attractive she is? Is it her intellectual capacity or family connections? One thing is for certain, presence helps, being tall or attractive or wealthy does add to your credibility as a leader, a very subjective thing, and you may ask why.

Malcolm Gladwell author of the eye opening book Outliers talks in depth about leadership qualities. He says that the taller you are the better chances you stand to be a leader. He also mentions the fallacy of that, and calls the Warren Harding error. Mr. Harding is one of the past US presidents and the reason he got elected was purely because he looked presidential. His presidency was a failure.

So what kinds of personality do Kenyans seem to be attracted to, to find presidential or electable? The answer to most, they may not like to admit it, is wealth. No doubt about it, it is a healthy measure, because financial success if legitimate does mean a certain level of organizational capacity inherent in the wealthy individual. The problem is, do we ever do background checks to those we elect? Will the newly constituted Independent Electoral Commission apply the chapter on leadership as outlined in the new constitution?

Those are questions that we may not be able to answer at this time, but let’s remember that not everyone is a Jim Goodnight, just because they are tall and have presence, they will automatically make great leaders. Or worse because they are rich or part of some elite club. The most important disclaimer is to watch for the Harding error.
November 07, 2011
17:03
State of War
» ‎ Wabunge.com

In times of war prepare for peace. We are at war, how long, no one knows, but a secure Somalia is a better Kenya. Kenya is not distinct in this regard, there are so many countries in the world that are at a constant state of war and still thrive as democracies, and war is the norm, its part of their government policy and budget. The largest democracy and most powerful country in the world is a prime example of this. The US has a whole industry based on war, the famous Military Industrial Complex as named by President Eisenhower during his farewell address. The positive thing about this war is that we have a professional military. Our military knows Somalia inside and out, our military actually knows Eastern Africa inside and out. They are trained to fight against aggression from outside our borders and so we can all take confidence in that. They truly know our neighbors, it’s part of the job and they have had forty plus years to prepare. No one messes with Kenya, in this region at least. What is worrying is having a transitional government at a time of war. Will the war be over before the next general election? Will policy change, will we seek to be dovish and resort to round table talks with the enemy. Or will the unthinkable happen; will we still need Kibaki to guide the war council if a runoff is called? Will we pull a Roosevelt? Roosevelt during the great depression and world war two stayed in office for a record 4 terms. Everyone is hoping we will have a smooth election with no irregularities especially during war; because there is certain madness in times of war. Interesting and unexpected things may happen. Old Emilio might be the biggest beneficiary.
October 28, 2011
13:17
Delaying the Inevitable
» ‎ Wabunge.com

I was listening to the radio the other day, it was capital in the morning and Ray was talking about how politicians are seeking to push the election date from August to December. Just a slight deviation here, the reason why I love capital in the morning is because of Mr. Chris Foot and Ray. Chris in my opinion is probably the wittiest and smartest man on Kenyan Radio and together with Ray; they both manage to teach something new, every time. It’s not a hard thing for me to love listening to their show, because personally I am a moderate liberal. I do not criticize government just for the sake of criticizing government, or just to look good, I give credit where it is due and criticize whenever justified.

Back to ray, she was asking the question of whether elections being held in August or December would make a difference. She even pointed out the reason why August would be ideal. In her view, in December you have the holidays. I mean lets face it, you have had a crazy year and probably December is the only time you have free license to unwind with family and friends.

I agree with ray completely. The only thing in my view that our politicians in the august house have done, is look power hungry, which to the electorate is a not a very re electable quality. Politicians are a rare breed, before they become politicians, they are one of us, but once they get into elected office something happens, they change, downwards, judgment wise rather than upwards unfortunately.

The man I cannot understand is Dr. Githu Muigai, our Attorney General. He gave a reason why the election date should be moved forward, he called it preparation. He said that preparation is needed to conduct a credible election and the time between now and august is not sufficient. I am sorry professor but I just don’t buy it. The constitution of course can be amended, but if the real reason for the amendment is for politicians to have more time to re launch their political campaigns, well they are in for a surprise. I have a feeing Kenyans are fed up.
October 27, 2011
14:14
Gaddafi
» ‎ Wabunge.com

I recieved an email earlier today defending Gaddafi, and I thought I might share it with all of you. It stated a few interesting points.

1. There is no electricity bill in Libya; electricity is free for all its citizens.

2. There is no interest on loans, banks in Libya are state-owned and loans given to all its citizens at 0% interest by law.

3. Home considered a human right in Libya – Gaddafi vowed that his parents would not get a house until everyone in Libya had a home. Gaddafi’s father has died while him, his wife and his mother are still living in a tent.

4. All newlyweds in Libya receive $60,000 Dinar (US$50,000) by the government to buy their first apartment so to help start up the family.

5. Education and medical treatments are free in Libya. Before Gaddafi only 25% of Libyans are literate. Today the figure is 83%.

6. Should Libyans want to take up farming career, they would receive farming land, a farming house, equipments, seeds and livestock to kick-start their farms – all for free.

7. If Libyans cannot find the education or medical facilities they need in Libya, the government funds them to go abroad for it – not only free but they get US$2,300/mth accommodation and car allowance.

8. In Libya, if a Libyan buys a car, the government subsidized 50% of the price.

9. The price of petrol in Libya is $0.14 per liter.

10. Libya has no external debt and its reserves amount to $150 billion – now frozen globally.

11. If a Libyan is unable to get employment after graduation the state would pay the average salary of the profession as if he or she is employed until employment is found.

12. A portion of Libyan oil sale is, credited directly to the bank accounts of all Libyan citizens.

13. A mother who gave birth to a child receive US$5,000

14. 40 loaves of bread in Libya costs $ 0.15

15. 25% of Libyans have a university degree

16. Gaddafi carried out the world’s largest irrigation project, known as the Great Man-Made River project, to make water readily available throughout the desert country.

Which other dictator has done much good to his people?

The email ends there but it just proves to show that people do not care much about kindness, kindness is a fickle thing. What people want is freedom to determine their own destinies and their own representatives. It doesn’t matter how well or what good you have done, what matters is the collective right of suffrage. The right to vote is of essence, and that in my view what the people of Libya yearned for.
May 08, 2011
20:12
Microsoft Word Code test
» ‎ Wabunge.com

It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using 'Content here, content here', making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for 'lorem ipsum' will uncover many web sites still in their infancy. Various versions have evolved over the years, sometimes by accident, sometimes on purpose (injected humour and the like).

Table test

image test

Where does it come from?

Contrary to popular belief, Lorem Ipsum is not simply random text. It has roots in a piece of classical Latin literature from 45 BC, making it over 2000 years old. Richard McClintock, a Latin professor at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, looked up one of the more obscure Latin words, consectetur, from a Lorem Ipsum passage, and going through the cites of the word in classical literature, discovered the undoubtable source.

Lorem Ipsum comes from sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum" (The Extremes of Good and Evil) by Cicero, written in 45 BC. This book is a treatise on the theory of ethics, very popular during the Renaissance. The first line of Lorem Ipsum, "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet..", comes from a line in section 1.10.32
April 05, 2011
20:26
Lost Immunity
» ‎ Wabunge.com

Finally, we can say it seems substance is taking over. Today in the papers, one of the major stories is on those who have applied for the positions of Chief Justice, Deputy Chief Justice, Attorney General and Director of Public Prosecutions. This is a monumental step in the right direction, but some may be asking themselves what is the big deal anyway?

Using an example from popular culture, in the Christopher Nolan epic the Dark Knight, Harvey Dent was the District Attorney of Gotham City. He was a fearless defender of the law, so much so that Batman, who plays the main protagonist in the movie, almost opted for retirement because Harvey Dent was doing his job. Of course the sociopath, The Joker had other ideas, and Harvey Dent did eventually lose his mind. Still the point remains that for a brief moment in the film, Batman was convinced that the law was sufficient and law and order could prevail without his assistance.

Kenya is not Gotham city, but our Judiciary has been as ineffective, and we have yearned for a fearless protector, just like Harvey Dent was in the beginning of the Dark Knight film. The new Constitution guarantees that the most qualified and impartial candidates are the ones to be appointed to the most powerful positions in the Judiciary.

Our only fear though, is our politicians. We hope that they do not turn out to be like The Joker, and antagonize the whole process. So that finally the law can apply to everyone, and that the law will seize to grant immunity to the few well connected and powerful individuals. We need to have confidence that we are all governed by the same law. That is the only way true democracy will thrive in this country in my view.
April 04, 2011
18:40
The Hiatus is Over
» ‎ Wabunge.com

Most people prefer not to be involved, they say politics is too dirty, it's not for me, I cant make a difference, I cant change anything, my vote wont count, I will not vote. It's natural to feel that way, to be frustrated, to be cynical about the whole political process, especially now that the political debate seems to be centered more on the Ocampo six, than on implementation of the new constitution. And maybe most of you may have now reached the point where they do not care and choose not to care.

Just like you, I decided not to care, I decided to take a hiatus, because like many of you I thought I cannot make a difference. I was not watching news, I was not reading the papers, I completely switched off from everything that related to politics, I simply stopped giving a damn about it all.

Then something weird happened, there was an uprising in MENA (Middle East and North Africa). Was it started by a political party? Was it started by a coalition of parties? No, it was started by one man, an ordinary man who decided enough is enough, he sacrificed himself, and set a chain reaction of global proportions.

It hit me like a bus, all that is needed is an individual, to stir up the conscious of the masses. Immediately my hiatus ended in January, because I realized the individual is powerful and hence we all matter. Anyone can make a difference, so simple yet so true. The cornerstone of democracy is the individual, that is you and me. I hope we can all start caring again, because the truth is we have our destiny in our own hands.
18:20
Remember
» ‎ Wabunge.com

It’s important for all of you current and aspiring politicians to remember, that this time around, continuity in making a career out of politics, will be cut short, if you fail to deliver. Five years is a very short time, some are about to learn that lesson, very soon as in like next year soon. It’s pretty basic, what we want. We want Jobs, education and Health care provision.

When it comes to jobs its simple, as the famous economist John Maynard Keynes pointed out, that during times of massive unemployment it is the Governments key role to create jobs for the unemployed. How you as a politician or political party will do that, is your problem not ours, all we want is jobs. So don’t tell us you will create five hundred thousand jobs, instead invite us or make available to us five hundred thousand job interviews, then we will know you are serious.

Education again it’s simple by improving the quality everywhere with double focus on Math and Sciences. We talk about industrialization, vision 2030, like it will happen miraculously. How will we do it without key engineers and physicists to come up with new complex innovations to compete with other industrialized Nations? Vision 2030 in my view will remain a pipe dream, so Math and science clinics should be available everywhere so that the interest in these two very important subjects can be heightened in our young ones, for they are the key to the success of vision 2030.

Health care provision we could say, keep doing what you are doing, universal coverage is a right, everyone should have quality and available, free of charge healthcare. Our taxes are sufficient to undertake this venture, so prudent fiscal management is all that is needed, so that the huge amount of money being collected by the taxman can be channeled positively into this key area.

After all is said and done, take notes, document your accomplishments in these three areas, by stating your contribution in your county or in the country as a whole through legislation supported or past due to your support. Do this and it’s guaranteed that you will have a long career in the new political environment that will be created under our new constitution.
17:23
Potpourri
» ‎ Wabunge.com

So, out of curiosity what makes you a Kenyan? Our National Anthem is very poetic, ‘May we dwell in unity, Peace and liberty’ but still it does not answer the question of who we are. Another line that sends shivers is ‘In common bond united Build this our nation together’. Our whole anthem of course is beautiful and strikes a nerve, but who are we really?

America is home of the brave and land of the free, while the French proudly can claim viva la France, long live France. While the English have God Save the Queen. But for us, seriously what really binds us and what is our sense of identity?

We need to know what being a Kenyan means and that can only happen with a leader who can truly bring out a collective value that can be shared by all tribes and races who live in this great land.

Being Kenyan could mean a character trait, for instance being known for our hardworking nature, just the way Germans are known for their engineering prowess and efficiency. Being Kenyan could mean having a certain underlying value like a great sense of humor or wit, just like the way the Japanese are known for their resilience. We need a leader to bring it out.

For instance President Kennedy, brought out the spirit of adventure that characterizes the scientific leadership the US has over the world, even now the US still sets the bar in innovation, which was inspired by JFK’s vision of landing a man on the moon.

Jobs and the economy are important, but we need to elect, as our next president, an individual who will inspire in us our very own Kenyan sense of identity and once we have a sense of a shared Kenyan destiny, our lives as Kenyans will improve. And the history of most of the great countries today is testament to that.
March 23, 2011
12:01
Lincolnesque
» ‎ Wabunge.com

Usage: “A Lincolnesque leader is confident enough to be humble—to not feel the need to bluster or dominate, but to be sufficiently sure of ones own judgment and self worth, to really listen and not be threatened by contrary advice”. Taken from Evan Thomas and Richard Wolffe; Lincoln’s Obama; Newsweek (New York); Nov 24, 2008.
The word Lincolnesque is taken after the great 16th President of the United States Abraham Lincoln, and its hard and unfortunate that few Kenyan leaders can be seen as being Lincolnian. Barak Obama is the closest thing to being a Lincolnian leader because of some similarities. For instance Obama like Lincoln, hired his biggest political adversary, the person he was fighting for the presidential nomination, the inspirational Hilary Clinton. While Lincoln hired as well his party’s most popular presidential nominee candidate, who he beat to clinch the presidential nomination, the highly charismatic, The Honorable William Henry Seward.
The difference between Lincoln and Obama is also as clear as day. Lincoln was a Republican, Obama is a democrat. This rings true to what the eastern mystics taught millennia ago ‘seek not to be like the masters, but rather seek what they sought’ Obama was and in my view still is inspired by the leadership lessons from Lincoln. Still he believes in the democratic cause and as such he has not tried to be exactly like Lincoln. If he did, he would have been a republican.
Closer to home, we are not looking for an Obama or a Lincoln, but rather we are looking for leaders to rise above their egos and embrace differences for the greater good. For the love of the union like Lincoln, to choose to work with the most talented despite previous differences like Obama did by choosing Hilary as Secretary of state. That kind of maturity is what we need to see, a leader who is above tribe, a leader who is confident in himself, in the face of opposition and challenge, to work with those who are different, even more talented than they are, for the greater good of Kenya. A Lincolnesque leader is who we are looking for, is who we will vote for.
February 27, 2011
22:12
Coalition's Third Anniversary
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