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February 27, 2008
21:55
Kibaki must now answer back
From: Kenya Imagine

Tags: Kibaki

Read This Entry & More At Kenya Imagine
President Kibaki is a mysterious, inscrutable old man. That in a nutshell is why the opposition for all its boasts about its political prowess has found it impossible to beat him; resorting instead to smashing the chessboard and the pieces. It is difficult to beat an old man whose core strategy is to ignore you.

For Kenya at large, much accustomed as it is to an over-bearing head of state and government, Mwai Kibaki's presidency -for all the calls for a reduction in presidential powers- has proved to be a most introverted one. Apart from a brief series of outings in the campaign period, gone was the constancy of the powerful, omniscient, hectoring, itinerant patriarch. Instead, all that filtered down from the presidency are genially broadcasted progress reports on the growth of the economy, achievements in healthcare and in governance -much of them relayed by the Government Spokesman or the Presidential Press Service.

Read more from Wanjiru Kamau here.
21:52
Africa, and Leadership
From: Kenya Imagine

Tags: Kenyan politics

Read This Entry & More At Kenya Imagine

Is the failure in Kenya- now that we have been proved not so special- and in Africa, really a failure of leadership or this there other, perhaps justified, extenuation?

Musing through recent events, the apparent suspension of the ongoing mediation most of all, some questions are impelled on one's consciousness. Is there something (beer voucher to Ken Opalo for setting off this train of thought) to Chinua Achebe's thesis that the poverty of our leadership is the main obstacle to African progress?
Participate in this open thread here.
21:51
The Magenta Gown
From: Kenya Imagine

Tags: weddings

Read This Entry & More At Kenya Imagine

My two best friends have not yet seen photographs of this. I have been religiously hunting for all copies of the incriminating evidence with the intention of destroying them, lest the horrendous images be broadcast to the whole world.
It is bad enough that my entire clan has seen them. Beg as they may, my two friends will never get to see the evidence of such a completely and incredibly comical wardrobe malfunction of all time.

Read more from Juliet Maruru here.

17:59
Kibaki Meets Annan
From: You Missed This

Read This Entry & More At You Missed This

The following takes place in private at Harambee House between 10 am and 11 am one day after ODM called off its planned national countrywide rallies to protest the stalled political negotiations being held to resolve the disputed December general post election crisis

Annan & Mkapa: (rising politely) Good morning your Excellency….

Mkapa: (smiling, bowing slightly with outstretched hand) Shikamoo Rais Kibaki

Kibaki: (enters the room smiling) …gentlemen, sit please….Sijambo Benjamin, keti tafadhali

Annan: (sitting down) thank you sir, and thank you for agreeing to meet us so early this morning

Kibaki : thank you for the work you are doing and the support you have provided so far towards addressing the political situation in Kenya

Annan: (leaning slightly forward, speaking softly) well your excellency, that is why we are here this morning. Both negotiation teams have made almost no progress towards reaching an agreement on governance, despite the fact that they had the entire weekend to consult on their positions

Mkapa :(nodding) ndio Rais, daktari anasema ukweli

Kibaki: (turning round to face both men) a lot of progress has been made in the mediation talks and I am hopeful that a sustainable solution to this political challenge will be achieved

Annan: yes sir that is why I decided to directly engage both you and Honourable Raila Odinga personally to ensure that the talks reach a successful conclusion

Kibaki: (sounding curious) have you spoken to my friend Raila yet?

Annan: yes sir, and I was able to effectively persuade the Honourable member of your parliament to not go ahead with his earlier planned action intended for tomorrow….

Kibaki: (brightening) very good! That is why I commended you earlier my friend Ann. …..

Annan: (gently interrupting) sir, I only managed to appeal to him to postpone the planned mass action rallies until further notice….

Kibaki: (visibly taken back) postpone?

Annan: yes sir. Sir, the negotiations were at a critical stage when they stalled, and it is now urgently imperative upon both Honourable Raila and your excellency to reach a solution to the crisis at the negotiation table and not through planned street actions

Kibaki: (wearily sitting down, sighing)

Annan: Sir, as you are aware, I had set a deadline of 48-72 hours for both your party and that of Honourable Raila to agree on short term solutions to the crisis

Kibaki (nodding silently)

Annan: (continuing) the slow pace of our negotiations is due to disagreements between your negotiators and the ODMs, as well as the hardline posititons of both camps which has hampered the success of the talks.

Kibaki: (speaking slowly) its because they want me to create a prime minister position and I am prepared to do so-we shall do so, but only under the current constitution and in a coalition agreement

Annan: (leaning wearily back in his seat) yes your excellency, I understand your position

Kibaki :(speaking strongly) you know Annan my friend, there is no constitutional vacuum in the country

Annan: (nodding) yes sir, of course sir

Kibaki: (rubbing his hands together) now of course I am personally receptive to making constitutional changes that reflect the wishes of Kenyans

Suddenly a door opens and Martha Karua walks in briskly, leans over and whispers directly in Kibaki’s ear. Immediately after, she turns round and walks out without looking in the either Annan or Mkapa’s direction

Annan: (startled at the site of Karua; sweat breaks on his brow, and he takes a handkerchief out of his immaculate pocket and mops his forehead)

Mkapa: (slightly pale at the sight of Karua) are you ok Daktari? Do you want some glasses of water?

Annan: (shaking his head) no thank you Ben, I am fine, just the heat

Kibaki: (suddenly rising and walking behind a desk) gentlemen, I am afraid I have to be leaving soon but as I was saying I would like a speedy finalisation of this coalition government

Annan and Mkapa instinctively rise to their feet puzzled

Kibaki: (smiling) honourable Raila knows he can be a coalition partner under my Government even as a prime minister because the current constitution allows for this

Annan and Mkapa nod silently

Kibaki: (continuing) so, I am ready and willing to share responsibilities of my Government with ODM; please let my friend Raila know this

A door opens and Kalonzo Musyoka, Professor Sam Ongeri, Martha Karua, Mutula Kilonzo and Moses Wetangula walk single file into the room in silence. Smiling, Kalonzo walks upto Kibaki and stands by his right side looking directly at Annan and Mkapa

Annan: (thinking silently to himself….the meeting must be over)

Mkapa:(silently thinking to himself…..jeshi la mzee au nini hawa watu wa bara)

Annan: (smiling stiffly) thank you for your time your excellency

Mkapa: (smiling cheerfully) Kwaheri Rais, hamjambo wazir wa serikali

16:04
Donating Money To Presidential Candidates
From: For Love and Money

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Donating Money To Presidential Candidates

15:16
My Dream About The Next President Of Kenya
From: You Missed This

Read This Entry & More At You Missed This
By Wanjiku of Mombasa

In these days when the 1.00 pm news bulletin can change your travel plans, it seems some main characters have still not yet grasped the magnitude of the problems that may come about if the talks fail. Or maybe they just don’t care. Just last week it was almost clear we were going the power sharing way. For the sake of sanity I want to believe that is the way things will end up despite a snag here and a deadlock there. Did we expect power sharing negotiations to be smooth? I want to be optimistic that a solution will come out of the house of peace. For me what remains to be seen is whether the deal, when officially sealed, will appease ODM and PNU supporters. More so the ODM since they’re the aggrieved party. And by supporters I mean voters, not the so called hardliners and million shillings per plate dinner buyers.

For the sake of much needed hope and optimism, let us assume that Kenya shall get over this recent snag in the negotiations. But first let us acknowledge that if indeed we go the coalition way, neither Kibaki nor Raila will be what his supporters expected. After all we voted for our favorite candidate to be in full control of government. Let us also acknowledge the obvious possibility of incessant bickering in government for as long as the said coalition lasts. Even in the absence of bickering, settling into the new arrangement would be quite a distraction from the day to day running of the country. Don’t be surprised if neither half of the government delivers much for this whole term.

ODM for example will most probably be opposing the other half of government left right and center from day one. Just as well since if the power sharing deal works, Kenya will not have much of an opposition anyway. I had a domo session with a certain Kumekucha fence sitter and we agreed that Raila is a natural born oppositionist. That is not necessarily a bad thing because his opposing traits have helped expose scandals which Kenyans might never have got wind of. Some may argue that if Raila had lost the elections fairly and duly conceded, Kenya would have had the best opposition ever.

Sometimes I allow myself the luxury of dreaming a little on the wild side. Ok, a lot. Supposing we had a different president other than the two for some time as we put our act together? Go on, feel free to dream. Our strange dreams will not be signed into law any time soon. John Githongo for example? PLO Lumumba? Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi? All worthy leaders but unfortunately, this being Kenya in February 2008, anyone born within our borders will elicit the tribal debate afresh. We’re therefore looking for a tribeless president people and that can only mean one from without. I told you it was wild!

I can feel the daggers but we’re dreaming remember? Look at it this way. We cannot expect a thief to be a fair jury in his own case. Even if Kibaki tried really hard to share power, he has to cover his interests. We know for a fact that he will not step down for Raila. In short Raila will not be president and Kibaki will not be a fair president. So we need this neutral person for a short time while we put our house in order. Before he/she learns the ropes of corruption, tribalism, land grabbing and other vices that seem to be necessary qualifications for our politicians, Kenya will be mended and it will be time for him/her to go. After which we can elect a whole new bunch of leaders – preferably people who have never held public office before. And Kenya can boast another first.

9:27
Mass Protests Called Off
From: Kenyanentrepreneur.com

Tags: Kenyan PoliticsBusiness

Read This Entry & More At Kenyanentrepreneur.com
I can’t keep up with ODM’s continuous flip flopping. According to the BBC, they have now called off the planned mass protests that were to take place this Thursday. I think Kenyans are tired of the hooliganism and violence. When all is said and done, Raila Odinga should look back on history and connect his falling [...]

8:33
Kenya Re, Results & Others
From: KA-INVESTOR

Read This Entry & More At KA-INVESTOR
Kenya Re suspended for a day
Kenya Re was yesterday suspended from trading on the NSE for releasing their ‘bad’ 3rd quarter results through the press without submitting it for approval by the NSE first. This is expected to affect the share price today, which may tumble a notch lower partly due to the poor results reported and the bleak future of the industry arising from huge claims occasioned by the post election violence on businesses.

Companies’ results
Other companies that have released their results recently include Accesskenya, Barclays, Bamburi and KPLC. Watch out for very impressive 2007 results from Banks {think Equity, KCB…}

Growthfin financing SME
With Only 11% of the Kenyan population having access to formal banking and many microfince solutions not working for kenyans, FSDKenya (Financial Sector Deepening) through a project called GrowthFin has come up with innovative, tailor made financing solutions for SME’s. FSDKenya is an organization that works with key partners to facilitate access to finance for Kenya's Small and Medium sized Enterprises. This can easily be confused by GroFin which also give financial support services to Entreprenuers. GroFin is an international company, while Growthfin is just a product of FSDKenya, a local company.

Celtel vs. Safaricom
It seems Celtel has resorted to dishing out very good offers and mad-slinging Safaricom to win back their lost customer base. They are now calling themselves the ‘Best Option’, just to indicate who they are fighting against. But sincerely, I like their new Pamoja Tariff. I believe it’s the lowest ever since mobile phones stepped in to Kenya. It doesn’t come better than this.

8:00
An Open Letter to Women on How to Treat Men
From: The Displaced African

Read This Entry & More At The Displaced African

Hey,

This crush continues! Should any of my posts ever be of no value to you, let me know and I will move on……the topics are many, it is the time that is little. It is the time that is little. Sunny from Project Sunshine wrote to me and asked me to write a letter where I basically gave men tips on how to treat women. (more…)

6:33
Annan is Wasting Kenyan's Time
From: Hapa Kenya

Read This Entry & More At Hapa Kenya
Over the past few weeks, I have finally realized that I actually do not care who the Kenyan President is. I don't care whether its Kibaki, Raila or Kukobo. What I care about is justice for the many Kenyans who turned up in numbers to vote. I care about this lot regardless of the manner in which they casted their vote.

Many people on the Kibaki side are rejoicing that he ended up being the "duly elected " president but I don't believe they would be satisfied were they to be on the other side. That makes us one thing in common, Kenyans who are dissatisfied by the electoral process and consequently its results. We need justice and we need it soon. The whole Serena peace talks are a waste of Kenyan's time. Justice delayed is Justice denied. Annan and the team of eminent persons are delaying justice to the Kenyan people.

The talks are doomed to fail , one because Kibaki and his goons planned to win unfairly while the ODM did not plan to lose unfairly. As such, on a Cartesian plane Kibaki is way ahead of the ODM. They had projected all these and are not prepared to give in to whatever boardroom pressure.Martha Karua redid the government take just a day after Annan had seen the light at the end of the tunnel. That is just a sign of things to come.The PNU goons will not bulge. The army will not enter the fray as many have requested or wished.

We need our country back. Kenya was founded on the strength of struggle and as such its foundation shall only be only be reinforced through struggle. Democracy was fought for on the streets when the likes of Kibaki were enjoying cups of cappuccino on the lawns of Statehouse, in effect the only language they understand is the verbs and nouns of the streets and teargas. The likes of Martha Karua did master the same language and they in the end believed that it is the only language. Her likes do not believe in negotiations. The psychopaths that surrounds the "President" in the name of matrimonial and conjugal association believe that they are also duly elected, as such they can take none of the papers done by the negotiating team.

Annan must realize that Kenya is unique and so are the people.He must, in that realization pack his bags and go. He has had Kenyans suffering from anxiety since he landed here. His presence has increased the resolve of our detractors. The detractors have therefore regrouped and rearmed illicit groups while our people wait for a negotiated settlement. Annan has wasted Kenyans time. He must be deported by the will and the intention of Kenyan people. We must regain our country from the scoundrels that roam the corridors of Kenyan Seat. The talks have failed and Annan must leave this country so that we can go ahead with our initial solution and language that our detractors understand.

Revolt....Lets reclaim our land.

Blogged with Flock

4:55
Breaking News: ODM Demo Called Off
From: You Missed This

Read This Entry & More At You Missed This
ODM leader Raila Odinga has called off demonstrations slated for tomorrow after meeting Kofi Annan. In his quest to breathe new life to dead talks Annan is reported to be meeting Kibaki to take personal responsibility on his side to salvage Kenya.

The indefatigable Annan remain resilient in the face of PNU's pussy-footing and deceptive antics. Whether it amounts to another round of circular charades only time will tell given the lack of leadership from Kibaki's corner.

It is a national shame and unimaginable to have minister leading a negotiation team throw juvenile political tantrums in front of imminent persons. That is iron lady Martha Karua for Kenya, an epitome of Kibaki's illegitimate regime.

2:26
Words; window to the soul?
From: intricately me

Read This Entry & More At intricately me
I think words are a very dangerous tool... they are malleable, you could shape them into anything you want them to be. u could use them for the better good or for the alternative. I was telling my friend the other day that information sharing without complete knowledge is like committing a crime... to me its true... politicking and gossiping without complete information has caused some of the greatest wars in history.. and broken some of the best friendships. The worst mistakes can and have been made because of something misheard or something misread. I try to be impartial but i know that i too am very opinionated and that too is a way of spreading rumors, misinformation... But i try and i try hard not to get involved in things that are beyond my realm.

I decided to listen to people more and i realise the more you listen the more you catch those tiny nuances... things that tell you how people feel about you... I think not listening would probably have been a better idea because i got terribly hurt. I started reading this book by Dave Eggers'What is the what' and i have to admit its probably one of the better books i have read in the last few years, the first few paragraphs are captivating at least but its the way the guy describes things that drew my attention,in regards to my friends at some point he says' i lost someone very close to me and afterward i believed i could have saved him had i been a better friend to him. But everyone disappears, no matter who loves them.' That just brought it home for me... I had a really emotional moment right there. Its true he coined a phrase perfectly. Everyone does disappear....after all the years you spend letting people into your life to judge you and hurt you after a while they fizzle away and you wonder was it worth it? There is nothing i hate more then losing a friend. Ok i lie, there is nothing i hate more then finding out one of my friends isn't really genuine then after that i hate losing a friend. To me its almost like someone died the pain remains and the hollowness is vast i still naively believe in friendship i will drop everything in the blink of an eye to help an the problem with that is im always doing it but in return i get nothing. People tend to be very petty.

Anyway i digress on page 13 of this book [did i mention i just started reading it] he writes 'I am tired of this country. I am thankful for it, yes, I have cherished many aspects of it for the three years i have been here, but i am tired of the promises. I came here, four thousand of us came here, contemplating and expecting quiet. Peace and college and safety. We expected a land without war and, i suppose, a land without misery. We were giddy and impatient. We wanted it all immediately-homes,families, college, the ability to send money home, advanced degrees, and finally some influence. But for most of us, the slowness of our transition-after five years i still don't have the necessary credits to apply for a four year college-has wrought chaos. We waited ten years in Kakuma and i suppose we did not want to start all over here. We wanted the next step, and quickly. But this has not happened not in most cases, and in the interim, we have found ways to spend the time. I have held too many menial jobs, and currently work at the front desk of a health club, on the earliest possible shift, checking in members and explaining the club's benefits to prospective members. This is not glamorous, but it represents a level of stability unknown to some. Too many have fallen, too many feel they have failed. The pressure upon us, the promises we cannot keep with ourselves-these things make monsters of too many of us.' This is by far one of the most well written books i have seen in the last few years...

America has taught me alot. People are not what they seem and they are definitely not who you think they are. Everybody has a reason to be here and some are more fortunate than others but it would be nice if we remembered why we were here. There are alot of people who came to this country with nothing and from nothing and its a tremendous struggle to just stay alive but nobody seems to notice. Have we forgotten where we came from have we gotten comfortable with what is not ours. Remember it is after all the 'American' dream...emphasis on American. Do we want to let go of who we are and our dream for this? If i remember correctly when we had nothing we still had morals and God and each other so what has changed? if nothing else at least we should remember our brothers whose plight is worse than ours and help them, perhaps that might help us absolve ourselves of the sin we commit by living lavishly and spending extravagantly once we begin to forget... Its so sad!! its sad.
1:40
Kenya... still forever hopeful
From: intricately me

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I had been trying, for a long time, to influence my friends into coming to Kenya.. and my argument is always 'you will love it..! the people are peaceful the place is beautiful what more could you ask for?" but now I'm choking on those words...I was talking to one of my friends the other day, and i was raving on about how i would have never thought that we would still be fighting and he said ' it wont last long don't worry...we like money and pints too much to fight for long' I was laughing at this of course but something in his words ring true to me. I always thought Kenyans hated confrontation, was always speaking about how many tribes we had and about how we managed to somehow all live together peacefully... i thought we were a great example to other countries in Africa because we somehow managed to live and work together for the greater good and accept each other,I saw a great future for Kenya and i thought we were on the precipice of change; we were just about to become one of the most advanced countries in Africa.. but alas...

I'm sitting watching Kenya and i keep wondering what went wrong? did i just turn a blind eye to the hate? did i convince myself that Kenyans were incapable of violence of hate? because this makes me question everything i believe about my country... how could i be so wrong? I used to think that only 500 people in Kenya really knew what was going on the rest think they do but they are privy to information that isn't as accurate or as complete.. Now i really just don't know what to think.I was homesick... dying to come back to my country... my home... Now I'm not sure, i keep wondering how i can live with this hate, i keep wondering if i just never really knew the people that i spent my whole life loving. This subject is even hard to write on because describing the emotions i experience thinking about this is impossible...I'm shaken to my core and I'm so confused. I dont think i will ever understand. i have cherished my innocent childish dreams about my country and now my naivete has been shattered... which is very sad because there isn't a place i long for more...or a place i miss...Kenya represents everything to me...my dreams were born in Kenya, my thoughts shaped, my love fulfilled... was that all a sham? is there a place to come back to? are the people the same people i knew or are they hate filled animals craving revenge? i not sure i could live with people like that... im not sure i could have for all these years... i dont think Kenyans are like this at all.... I guess this is a life lesson only time will tell...

I pray for peace...but i wonder will it ever end? i hope my country is still holding her proud face up but i wonder if we can be proud of this...?

0:18
Noon Solar Bag
From: Afromusing

Tags: Gadgets

Read This Entry & More At Afromusing

This bag looks very nice. Its like the BMW/mac book Air of solar bags; beautiful, but just a tad out of reach for this blogger, as it is definitely quite expensive. Doesn’t hurt to gawk a bit though…

You can view more bags here.
Hat tip whiteafrican!
PS: My thoughts are with Kenya as always…the GV special coverage page for Kenya is back up.
Amnesty International is appealing for action today to protest Human rights violations in Kenya. You can find more information and details on how to participate.

Read the complete article at

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