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Kenya Imagine

• April 16, 2007
• 19:12

  Cane and School: are they still blood brothers?

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine

  Tags:  KNUT  

  
  When I was in school back in the eighties, the cane was the trademark of any 'proper' school. In other words, cane and school were twin brothers

  When I was in Standard Four, for instance, my Mathematics teacher world 'burst' into class, a nyahunyo (Maasai whip made from car tyres) dangling under his arm and he would menacingly cry out, "Stand up...Tables!" This was a signal that we were to start reciting the Mathematical multiplication tables. Anyone showing signs of not knowing what was going on would be descended upon by his whip. I was a victim of the swish of his whip almost everyday: numbers and mathematical signs were as Greek (!) to me. We got used to such treatment and never at one time thought that our rights (what were children's rights at that time - they were gathering dust in the United Nations books) were being infringed on.
  

  Read more as Richard Mbuthia hopes that the ban on corporal punishment in schools is not lifted.
  

  
  

• April 15, 2007
• 1:01

  Positive Developments on the Corruption Front

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine

  Tags:  corruption  

  Most Kenyans, at least those who know something about most things, will have greeted the appointment of Richard Leakey to the headship of the local Transparency International Chapter with skepticism.
  
  Kenyans may also look at the mainstream Kenyan media and its abdication of its duty as the public watchman and despair. The newspapers, the radio stations and the television stations have taken such strident biased positions that the mwananchi would be better served paying little attention to its fictions.
  
  Such Kenyans would be encouraged then to know that no matter how poor a job Leakey does at TI, or how compromised he is seen to be from the start or what Transparency International now stands for, it having gained a reputation for being kinder to the government than the government's own agencies; there are now other guardians of the public purse.
  The new organization set up around former TI head Mwalimu Mati is one of these. Mars Kenya which runs a website that tracks and catalogs governance and corruption issues.
  
  The team at Mars Kenya has proved to be more responsive than your average Kenyan organization, responding to email and showing an all around better grasp of Kenyan issues than the average Kenyan organization. In addition to the information on their website, the organization also publishes books that seek to hold the government accountable to the public. Among these is one on an Anglo-Leasing type contract worth 39 million US$ surrounding the VSAT project at Postal Corporation of Kenya while another one of these highlights the mystery of the missing irrevocable Promissory Notes given to Anglo Leasing and Finance Limited by the Government of Kenya.
  
  Read more on this from kenyaImagine's Stephen Wanyama.
• April 13, 2007
• 19:50

  A Grimm Tale

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine

  Tags:  Armenian brothers  

  
  As fairytales go, this one has all the ingredients for a compelling classic. A foreign prince, king's daughter, swords (guns) drawn, a wicked step-mother, senseless courage and the promise of a wedding.

  In order to pass this piece by this paper's usually hawkish editors, I guess I must qualify my opening statement. The Armenian star of this tale is only allegedly related to the Armenian Prime Minister, and the palace has disowned the king's daughter. The wicked step-mother is much loved by most but the rest of it is pretty real, although coming in a period when we are already overloaded with the tragedy on Mt. Elgon and the clamour for minimum constitutional reforms, it is a tad rich.
  

  Tim Norwood, "The chronology may be a little off, there may be a distinct hint of levity, the details may be dodgy and Artur is neither planning a roundtable nor pulling swords out of rocks. Still it sounds like a fairytale, and the only real thing is my wish that it would all go away."

• April 12, 2007
• 22:11

  Somalia: Calling on Europe

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine

  Tags:  Somalia  

  The Iraq war continues to spiral out of control, the year leading up to its fourth anniversary this week the deadliest so far.
  
  Unless a political solution is sought, the destructive toll in lives is destined to reach an astounding one million in the next year, since it was already 650,000 a year ago according to the Johns Hopkins University study.
  
  The world has also never been so unstable or threatened. With Somalia invaded, the world and our region are even more so, with four countries now occupied, all of them Muslim. Once a war deepens, positions become entrenched and finding a peaceful exit becomes harder by the day.
  
  Peace and human rights advocates in Kenya must therefore take the lead in emphasizing the need for a democratic, inclusive government devoid of the rampaging warlords rather than support the current aggression. We must lead this campaign because we are next door and directly involved, and the whole region could be engulfed by this crisis, as Ambassador Bethuel Kiplagat emphasized on Monday in these pages, although he advocated use of force as the way to end the resistance.
  
  More on this from Salim Lone here.
• 11:55

  Silent Genocide

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  As I watched "Agenda Kenya" yesterday on a local television, it suddenly downed on me that perhaps as a nation we are yet to grasp the enormity and the seriousness of the situation prevailing in Mt Elgon and Bungoma areas in Western Kenya.

  With no official statement as of yet from the Government one cannot preclude complicity. With one stark word I state its "Genocide"- on our own backyard!
  

  Collins Mbalo on the Mt. Elgon clashes, " As we will settle down to sleep tonight, it pains to realize that thousands of fellow Kenyans will not enjoy the luxury of peaceful sleep. They will not sleep in the comfort of their homes but in fear and with the knowledge their country is not doing enough in their behalf."

• 10:48

  Kenyan Philanthropy

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  
  Many of the first Kenyans who first traveled abroad to study went back home to join their fellows bring to reality the vision of a just and free newly independent Kenya.

  What has followed has been a different wave of Kenyans leaving the country for a variety of reasons, some political, economic and cultural refugees, however, many Kenyans have moved in pursuit of higher education and professional training. During the university riot days many families and villages that could afford to sent their children to study out in the West.

  Kenya Imagine's Nekessa interviews the President of the Delaware Kenya Association on what their role as the Diaspora.
• April 11, 2007
• 23:56

  Somalia's Islamic Courts offer way out

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  The violence on the streets of Mogadishu looks like a return to the hellish anarchy of the 1990s, but in that darkness is a reason to hope.
  
  Even as former prime ministers and ministers met with senior Somali intellectuals and activists to plan on regaining control of the country from the invading Ethiopian army, the Islamic Courts Union's former foreign secretary Ibrahim Addou indicated in an interview that the Courts were no longer seeking to put themselves back into power. This dramatic step could potentially offer a way out of a horrendous and brutal conflict which Pope Benedict was compelled to highlight in his Easter message.
  
  "The leadership of the Islamic Courts Union is intact, and a number of them are in Somalia battling Ethiopian occupation forces," said Prof. Addou, who was also the Courts' Chief Negotiator. "But our goal is not to reconstitute ourselves as a government. Somalia is under occupation and needs a broad-based movement in which all contending forces committed to regaining our sovereignty should work together."
  
  More on this discussion with Salim Lone here.
• 16:04

  Jesus is dead, long live the Church

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  Two thousand years ago, a roving Jewish teacher, the kind that was quite common in that day was nailed to a cross by the Romans on charges of sedition.

  The story, at least according to the Bible goes that he was sold off to the Romans by the priestly class in Jerusalem whose grip over the minds of the people he threatened. He could have extricated himself from this trap, but gave himself up to his tormentors partly in fulfillment of an ancient prophecy and partly as a redemptory act of love for all mankind shackled by the irons of sin to death and despair.
  

  Read more: Violet Nishimisi "The Christian Church is growing, the pews are filling up, Sunday prayers are full of song (and dance), collection baskets are straining with money, but Jesus is dead. Long live the Church."

• April 10, 2007
• 22:50

  ODM-K council to select Presidential Candidate

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  
  After months of haggling over what system was best suited for choosing its Presidential candidate to face Mwai Kibaki later this year, the ODM seem to be considering the idea of selection over election.
  
  This controversial decision is the subject of our poll this week , you may vote on the bottom left of the homepage. We ask in our poll whether our readers prefer this system which some in ODM-K are claiming will ensure that the candidate who wins the party's blessing is one who can actually beat the incumbent, and do so by a wide margin.
  
  Click here to share with other Kenyans what you think about the Kenyan presidential elections polls, and ODM-K's quest for a presidential candidate.
  
• 8:02

  Mt. Elgon-- the Ogiek clashes

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  Are Ogiek lesser Kenyans?
  
  Kenyans in the Diaspora, who will cry for the Ogiek? Is their blood so useless it needs to water the ground?
  
  This needs to be the test for Kibaki's presidency. Clashes should have ended with Mr. Moi, it is shameful that Kenya still goes through such barbarism.
  
  Patience Wamba makes a passionate plea to Kenyans to speak out on the clashes in the Mt. Elgon area.
• April 07, 2007
• 23:45

  Spiritual Direction

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  A very warm greeting to all of you who are marking the feast of Pasaka. Across the world Christians will be attending services commemorating Christ's final hours of suffering on the cross.

  The lesson will doubtlessly center on the idea of the ultimate sacrifice that Christ made so that God would wash away our sins forever and we would have everlasting life in the Kingdom to come.
  

  How do we manage our spiritual lives to take full account of His sacrifice. I will look for inspiration to the words of St Francis of Assisi who was speaking to a fellow brother about "Perfect Joy" . He said that it could not come from created things or fame or honors, nor even from prophecies and miracles. It could only come from self-denial and humiliations suffered in imitation of Jesus who suffered so much for everyone.

  Don Wainaina on Easter.
  

• 13:14

  Kenya a Tiger without Stripes?

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  A recent article in the New York Times cites 'good things happening in Kenya' and has also been quoted by Kenyan mainstream media.
  
  Kenya has been in excitement mode, anticipating the coming of the fiber optic link to the world, hoping for the cost of communication to come down drastically so that Kenya can cash in on the call centre business currently dominated by India. One reason given for this is that Kenyan speak better English.
  
  Kamale T urges Kenya to aim higher than call centres.
• April 06, 2007
• 13:48

  Let Nyachae Rest in Peace

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  
  The Kenyan Minister for Roads and Public Works, Simeon Nyachae, the kingpin of Gusii politics, announced Wednesday that he’ll quit this year after more than half a century in the game.

  Cheers to that! The minister is said to have mentored many a leader from Gusii. Just like "echae," the tea he is named for, and a crop Abagusii are so depended on for their livelihood, his name dressed the highlands, though not always in a positive way. Many may remember "amachuma," the old man's militia that terrorized his opposition, especially after he fell out with former President Daniel arap Moi. His foul mouth is another trait that will linger over Gusii, long after he is gone.
  

  Ombuya Okong'o on the reluctance of some Mp's to accept Nyachae's resignation.
  

• April 05, 2007
• 21:25

  Money Talks: Louder Than Ever

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  One of the reasons democracy was invented was to ensure that all the citizens of a state had equal say in the decision making process; the poor cobbler had as much say in the conduct of the state as the wealthiest land-owner.

  That this is a utopian fantasy is best illustrated by the example of the latest news from the America, the home of world's 'oldest democracy.' To witness the obsessive attention given to the amount and the origin of the money raised by respective candidates, and the way this is spun as indicative of their chances at the national election is to see democracy on its death bed. The power of the lobby groups in raising these colossal sums, and the inevitable payback shows clearly the extensive webs that greed and money can weave.
  

  Vitalis Oyudo on the influence of money in politics.
• 7:45

  Obama wins this round

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  The first round results of the road to the White House 08’ are in and Hillary Clinton is the apparent winner…or is she?

  Hillary Clinton posted a total of $36 million for the first quarter, far beyond what any of the other candidates from either party have been able to raise. She has set all kinds of records and many pundits have openly declared her the first quarter winner, at least as far as the war chest is concerned. We have to go beyond the face value of $36 million however, to properly evaluate these results.
  

  Dave Nyambati analyzes the latest in the race to America's presidency.
  

• April 04, 2007
• 22:25

  Poverty and AIDS

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  
  

  Bosibori Ndemo's article of the 19^th of February got me thinking about the reality of HIV-AIDS and the power of the media in shaping our perceptions on disease.
  
  The dominant view is that the high prevalence rates in Africa are caused by the nature of sexual behaviour there. This view excludes other important factors such as poverty and biological factors. However only the most prejudiced would choose to ignore the fact that HIV has only a 1% prevalence rate in permissive American society, but reach 25% in Africa. Partner exchange rates and unprotected sex have no reason to be higher in Africa than anywhere else. The charge that it is sexual behaviour that sets African infection rates apart has not been made, but it is implicit in an HIV combat strategy that has the ABC doctrine at its core.

  
  Stephen Wanyama links the AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa with poverty advocating for improved health care and nutrition across Africa.
• 18:44

  Guantanamo Military Prison - and right to a fair trial

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  
  Darfur, Rwanda, the Israel-Palestine skirmishes and Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba capturing international attention with little response are evidence that the 21st Century is not a better place to live in after all.
  
  The 21st Century has seen an increase in situations where executive arms of various governments have embraced a systematic denigration of judicial systems and processes established over centuries-- systems which were meant to curtail the inefficiencies, abuses and shortfalls of imperfect humans.
  
  Collins Mbalo discusses the war on terror and the lack thereof of individual's right to a fair trial.
• April 03, 2007
• 12:57

  The lion and the fox

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  Love him or hate him the MP for Lang'ata and ODM-K Presidential Candidate is the man most able to animate Kenyan political society today. He may be in a far-off tour of Minneapolis making pronouncements on the stock exchange, or innocently attending his son's wedding party, contemplating a visit to London, being anointed by a local shaman or simply playing with his new toy; either way Kenya never seems to tire of him.
  
  Vicious, unrelenting, concerted, often manic even; Kenya's media, online and offline have arrogated to themselves the role of deciding for Kenyans not just who to vote for, but also what to think, what to see and worst of all what to feel. When Raila or wider still any ODM-K candidate is the subject of the day's carving the knives seem to come out even sharper, ever readier. Slaves to their masters and their basest instincts, large swathes of the media have sought not to inform Kenyans, but instead to whip their passions into such frenzies as preclude any meaningful analysis of the candidates and party positions in this the run up to the second elections since the ouster of KANU.
  
  Amir Ibrahim challenges the ODM-K leadership to step up and take on the national stage on national issues.
• April 02, 2007
• 9:52

  Kenya Police Destroy Forensic Evidence

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  
  A few years ago then President of Kenya Daniel Arap Moi set ablaze thousands of elephant tusks simply to demonstrate to the international community that he was committed to the war against wildlife poaching in Kenya and Africa.

  Although the donor community may have been impressed, it is not clear whether this single action deterred the poachers from continuing with the trade. Suffice it to say there was evidence that top government officials were indeed the fuel behind this lucrative trade.
  
  Recently the Kenya government was at it again, but this time the Kenya Police torched thousands of guns comprising the bulky AK 47 and pistols of all calibers. It was reported that these guns had been seized from criminals who were either killed or arrested in various incidents. What was not clear was how many lives these guns had claimed.

  George Nyangewso has more to say.... . Read here...
  

• March 30, 2007
• 18:16

  Why rush the East African political federation?

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine

  Are we ready for political federation with the nations and the people of East Africa?

  You now read that the EAC is designing an East African flag and anthem. Are these little issues important in the grand scheme of things? Had we not better first concentrate on improving the governance structures and service delivery mechanisms within our individual component states first before attempting an experiment of this magnitude? The little we have going in the Customs Union is not by itself streamlined, and neither is the manner of our treatment of our Rwandese, Burundian, Tanzanian and Ugandan brothers consistent with what would be expected from nations on the track to political federation.

  Have we realy resolved any of the grievances that led to the dissolution of the first such experiment? We are including the Rwandese and the Burundians too, how far will the borders go, and what criterion if any are we basing accession on. Finally, given that our leaders have not worked anywhere to popularise a move into political federation, is there any chance that we will be convinced when even they do not seem to be?
  

  What do you think?
  

• March 29, 2007
• 19:11

  Excuse Me!

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  
  Last Sunday marked 200 years since the abolition of slavery by an act of the British Parliament.
  
  To mark the event many writers around the globe suddenly remembered that they were black and that society; i.e. Western society owed them all sorts of reparations and apologies for the horrors of the slave trade, and of colonisation. More dangerously, they have sought to explain the troubles facing black families and black society as a whole as a legacy of slavery. The violence, the crime often internecine, the gangs, the ghetto culture all of it, is the curse of slavery.
  
  Annette Keino on the history of slavery on the world's Black populace,: As a black person who works hard for everything that I have, who struggles every day against institutional racism and historic disadvantage, I believe I much better off not thinking that I am congenitally disadvantaged as well, thank you very much."
• 6:06

  Only bold action in Somalia will avert chaos

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  
  When Ethiopian troops invaded Somalia last December, John Githong'o from his Oxford redoubt "prayed that the gates of hell have not been opened in the region as a result of this intervention." Three months later, John's fears of a nightmare scenario still cannot be ruled out, as evidenced by the revolting desecration on Mogadishu's streets of dead Somali and Ethiopian soldiers' bodies, followed by the downing of the plane supporting the African Union peace-keepers.
  
  Salim Lone, " If the US wishes to avoid another protracted crisis which also has the potential to destabilise its allies in the region, it should bring in theUnited Nations, which would name a senior Special Representative who would head a new political mission in Somalia, to which the AU peace-keepers would be subordinate. Somalis would need to be convinced that this is a genuine attempt by non-interested parties to create a broad-based governing coalition."
• 1:11

  Investors' loss is tenants' gain as Kenyan property cools

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  
  The high-end real-estate market boom in Kenya may not be sustainable but it has a significant and beneficial effect on the lower (rent) end of the market. As the real-estate market in Kenya started humming over 4 years ago many wondered what was fueling the boom and how long it would last. Several factors have been at play, including the high demand for housing fueled by the surge in resources from diaspora Kenyans and global liquidity. Even then the market has been biased towards residential properties; specifically high cost apartment blocks to such an extent that it has not only over-supplied, but also overshot potential consumption in that segment.
  
  Peter Ndiangui's take on Kenya's real estate industry.
• March 28, 2007
• 18:37

  Political capital from bashing Kenya?

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  
  Imagine yourself as a presidential candidate in the Kenyan general elections. You are invited as a keynote speaker in a meeting comprising of university students -drawn from all Tanzanian universities- at the University of Dar es Salaam.

  What will you tell these students? Will you use the forum to campaign for presidency?
  

  Rodgers Akombe wonders why Kenyan politicians do not dwell on issues, instead engage in irrelevant bashing of each other. After all, couldn't we discuss the East Africa Federation, political and economic integration.
  

• March 26, 2007
• 8:59

  Is Kenya ready for the East African Federation?

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine

  Are we ready for political federation with the nations and the people of East Africa?

  You now read that the EAC is designing an East African flag and anthem. Are these little issues important in the grand scheme of things? Had we not better first concentrate on improving the governance structures and service delivery mechanisms within our individual component states first before attempting an experiment of this magnitude? The little we have going in the Customs Union is not by itself streamlined, and neither is the manner of our treatment of our Rwandese, Burundian, Tanzanian and Ugandan brothers consistent with what would be expected from nations on the track to political federation.

  
  What do you think?
• March 25, 2007
• 9:33

  Kimunya Attempts to woo Kenyan Diaspora

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  Amos Kimunya, Finance Minister and head of the delegation promoting investments in Kenya, no doubt well aware of this case, deliberately ignored questions regarding the hostile investment climate, bureaucratic thuggery, and the hostile take-over of investment ideas. In a flash, the whole trip became an exercise in futility, a waste of tax payer resources. Kimunya and company had come to the USA to explain how the government has made it easy to invest in Kenya. Refusing to address such a specific case is exactly how not to court investors, this is the stuff of investor nightmares.
  
  That the Finance Minister was not interested in dialogue was also proved by his failure to grasp the conceptual benefits of -dual citizenship with regard to investments that was well articulated by Mkawasi Mcharo, (President Kenya Community Abroad-KCA). A citizen of both the USA and Kenya for example, enjoying local status in both countries is unencumbered in his investments by laws decreeing specific local shareholding. This is especially important in heavily regulated sectors like the telecommunications one. The dismissive attitude of the Minister, summarized as- it took the same path as the Wako draft and died- is extremely unhelpful if Kenyans abroad are to take a greater part in nation-building. If the Ministry of Finance is serious about promoting investments by Kenyans abroad it must soon integrate calls for dual citizenship into the minimum constitution reforms that Kibaki has agreed to support?
  
  Job Obonyo analyzes the Finance Minister's investment visit to Washington DC.
• March 24, 2007
• 15:17

  The Hummer and Raila

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  
  
  You have to wonder about the man Raila Odinga, his powerful mouth and the way his finger itches for the self-destruct button.
  
  Raila has been around the world on a number of trips popularising ODM-K ,popularising himself if you asked me. That though is neither here nor there. What has been reported is that apart from addressing Kenyans in the diaspora about his party, the elections and his plan for Kenya, he has been involved in a major fund-raising drive for his campaign. Someone in KANU I hear is pretty miffed that the funds so raised were for Raila Odinga l'homme and not for ODM-K! Kenyan politics one must admit, takes the carrot.
  
  Kamale T, "Raila is prone to making political blunders,but this is one that will follow him for a long while yet."
• March 22, 2007
• 9:53

  Women and Shoes!

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  I am sure a lot of women can identify with me when I say, 'I own about forty pairs of shoes but only ever wear three of them.'
  
  It is not unusual to see women strut along in very uncomfortable shoes that they can barely stand in. Women have historically worn uncomfortable shoes. For the past two hundred years they have been stuck in heel-cracking,toe-pinching shoes, inflicting agony in the name of aesthetics.
  
  A self-confessed altocalciphile (heel fetishist),I have often wondered what drives me against my better senses to put myself through these lofty motions. At the end of the day all I gain is corns and searing backache, but I can tell you that while am up there I feel like am flying. At least until I hit earth again and then its pain and promises of never buying another pair of ridiculous heels ever again. Still I must confess that I know I cant wait to get my first pair of Manolo Blahniks who once said, 'When a woman asks me what I think of high-heels, I tell them to try a pair. If they can't see the magic then they should stick to Reeboks.'
  
  Emily Nyasiebi gives a historical account of shoes, women and their postion in society.
  
  Picture: An Andre Perugia heel
• March 21, 2007
• 14:09

  Cadavers and Kenyan Doctors

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  Last night as I half dozed watching ‘Patch Adams' the movie, my significant other, a faithful reader of the Kenyan e-dailies, asked why Kenyans were reluctant to donate dead bodies for research.
  I did not read the article, but it got me thinking.
  
  Is Kenya training enough doctors? Dr. Julius Ogeng'o , Chair of Human Anatomy at the University of Nairobi's School of Medicine claims the lack of cadaver donation is having a huge negative impact on training. But is this the sole reason? Or is it our scapegoat, ‘brain drain' at it again. From my point of view, the brain drain is not a viable reason. It is a rare thing to meet Kenyan medical doctors out here. So far in the 5 states I have toured, I have only met one orthodontist and one chiropractor. I am not sure the latter is even considered a proper doctor in Jamhuri.
  
  Patience Wanga wonders if our culture of revering the dead is getting in the way of doctors' training.
• 1:29

  Economic effects of global warming in Africa

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  Global warming took center stage in Kenya a few months ago as the United Nation Environmental Program (UNEP) held its Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) conference in Kenya.
  
  The delegates who attended the meeting came back with the same conclusion they have in the past; we should aim at reducing the carbon dioxide emissions. The human carbon foot print.
  
  There are several arguments in the global warming story, there are those who insist that the carbon dioxide and the burning of the fossil fuels is casing the earth to become a warmer place. Then there are those who insist that the earth warming up is a natural trend, a cycle through which the earth naturally goes through, it just happens that we are warming up and have been warming up for the last 1000 years. Then there are those who believe that the warming is related to the sun’s activity, the lack thereof.
  
  Brian Mogaka on the environment and economic growth or lack thereof in Africa.
• March 20, 2007
• 20:19

  Kenyan Tea

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  Kenyans seem to drink a lot of tea, as everybody's own daily experience seems to corroborate; astonishingly however, the objective consumption statistics disprove this subjective impression.

  The aim of Kenyan tea producers therefore is to raise internal consumption (several expensive advertisement campaigns have been conducted to this effect, with only modest immediate success), and to make additional gains by offering good-quality packaged tea (as tea-bags or as loose leaf) with a recognizable brand name, instead of having cheap anonymous bulk ware tea degraded through the notorious Mombasa auction (which is the pure textbook definition of a "cartel" if there ever was one). The present buzzword in the Kenyan tea sector is "value addition". Rather unsurprisingly, it is most popularly used by those who know nothing about intrinsic value factors of tea in the first place. The more general the blather about value addition, special teas, diversification, the less the speaker usually has an idea what actually could and should be done with tea in order to create real value.
  

  Interesting article by Alexander Eichener on Kenyan tea and KETEPA, and a new brand of tea- Jani.
  

• 2:46

  Kenya's Cricket Heroes

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  
  Later today (20th March) a team from Kenya will go out to do battle against a far more experienced side in something of a David vs Goliath style clash.
  
  Kenya are undoubtedly the under-dogs but they are led by legendary Captain Steve Tikolo. New Zealand will not have an easy ride.
  The ICC World Cup is here once again- is it really 4 years?-and the boys from team Kenya did a great job in an emphatic victory over Canada in their opening match of the competition. True to form Captain Steve Tikolo led from the front and by example in a fine display of a team working as a single unit. The team came to the World Cup fresh from victory at the World Cricket League tournament held in Nairobi between 29 January and 7 February this year. Kenya recorded good wins against Bermuda, The Netherlands, Ireland and Canada before beating Scotland in the final. Don Wainaina on Kenya's best sports team, and an appeal to Cricket Kenya to popularise the sport.
• 1:26

  Get yourself a gun?

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  Follow and participate in discussion on arming Kenyans.
  
  Should firearms licensing procedures in Kenya be reworked and streamlined - and how? Together with the imagery of burning illegal guns in Uhuru park, government has announced its intention for still sterner penalties on firearms possesion, and has revoked all temporary permits. How should the future procedures for a firearms certificate and temporary permit look like? What do you think?
  
  
• March 16, 2007
• 9:15

  Intransparency of Annual Graft Report

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  Photo: Reports indicate that corruption in Kenya has increased, although according to wananchi actions like the one above are on the decrease.
  

  The exponential ranking of Kenya' on Transparency International's world corruption index since year 2000 to 2006 ,raises questions on the credibility of their annual reports.

  One wonders if this is a fair and true representation of the state of affairs in the country. Could there be some underlying influences bent on denigrating the current Kenyan government?

  Since its accesion to power the relationship with the anti-graft body has been a matter for glaring controversy. To rank Kenya from index rating 42 in 2000 to 142 in 2006 (with rating 145 being most the corrupt), indicates a stark 338% increase which by necessity must be attributed to some explainable cause and would be felt by a staggering majority of the citizenry.

  
  Read as Collins Mbalo and others discuss the legitimacy of transparency international's corruption index.
• March 15, 2007
• 14:21

  The 'Other' Election

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  With all the drama already unfolding in the 2007 election campaigns, it may be hard to conceive that Kenyans are still diverting a lot of attention to that other election just less than two years away: The 2008 American presidential elections.

  The picture has changed somewhat since late 2006, but generally there have not been any major surprises. Among the Democrats, an AP-AOL January poll showed Hillary Clinton in the lead with 38%; followed by Obama with 21%, then Al Gore with 14% and John Edwards with 10%. The rest are in the single digits and not considered serious challengers.

  Obama's gain on Hillary has come primarily from Blacks and young voters. In his nationwide campaign, thousands of young people have attended his rallies - rallies that have drawn far larger crowds than any of the other presidential contenders in both parties -, which shows his growing pull on the youth. He has also made headway among Blacks, with the latest polls showing there an almost even split with Hillary but almost no support whatsoever for other Democrats. It is however important to point out that it is very difficult to effectively poll Blacks who constitute 12% of the American population.
  

  Dave Nyambati writes on why he thinks Obama is the best candidate for the US 2008 elections.
  

• March 14, 2007
• 22:53

  Undecided voter; war on corruption

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  I have been keenly following the candidates for the 2008 Presidential election, trying to find one who is the most outspoken and sincere about fighting corruption.
  

  I am looking for a candidate with a genuine track record of fighting against corruption, whether or not they were successful.

  The chain reaction effect of corruption starts at the highest level of government, and then trickles down to the local public service providers. The most fundamental result of corruption is poverty. Another word for poverty is "shortage". In my case it is the Shortage of Government support - evident in the deteriorating healthcare facilities, transportation network, lack of observance of justice to the poor... and the list goes on. My heart bleeds at the knowledge of our poverty stricken brothers and sisters back in Kenya, who toil from dawn to dusk trying to earn a sufficient living to provide food and shelter for their families. While this is happening a few select individuals are sitting on billions of shillings that were/are diverted from reaching rural development projects which were meant to alleviate the suffering of those who are struggling to get the most basic needs.
  

  Andrew Bomett seeks answers from our presidential candidates. None, so far, has a combative strategy in eradicating corruption which Bomett feels is one of the biggest issues facing development in Kenya.
  

• 3:17

  Women, merit and public office in Kenya

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  Photo: Feminist (n): powerful, compassionate, balance woman
  Some time in the past few weeks, President Kibaki appointed Prof Ndung'u as Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya replacing Jacinta Mwatela who had been serving in an acting role.
  

  I have watched silently as this controversial decision was analysed, based either on a pro, anti-government dichotomy or louder still seen as part of an insidious plot hatched to gather the Agikuyu community and cronies of the President to all the powerful positions of government.

  I have a wholly different take on the matter, one I feel particularly compelled to speak out on as a woman. Now, it is expected more and more every day that the educated African woman be an iconoclast, loudly crashing through the barriers that her paternalistic society places in her way, and causing trouble even where there should not be any. Such a woman is seen as an agitator against a peaceful and coherent society and an importer of dangerous foreign values.
  
  Angela Wairimu on affirmative action in public office in Kenya.
• March 12, 2007
• 22:33

  Societal connivance in road carnage

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  Above: Matatu on a Kenyan road
  
  This is an indictment of Abagusii for murdering five members of a family, earlier this week. More importantly, it is an indictment of the police, who knew that the carnage was imminent.

  The week began with news from my home district, Nyamira, that several people had died in a gory matatu accident. Five of them were from a little village outside the town, where I was born. The report sent me back to the summer of last year, when, after 12 years in the United States, I returned home.
  

  Ombuya E. Okong'o criticizes the Kisii community in its failure to embrace road safety, and what he says is their continued support of the police corruption on Gusii roads.
  
• 11:44

  Raila: The Glue that Holds ODM-K

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  Caption: Raila with his team at a fundraising.
  
  Through-out history at historical turning points, there emerge dominant, influential figures who command respect, generate fear and veneration and exert close to mythical power over their fellows.

  This power results in his or her word acquiring an element of a command, not to be disobeyed.
  []
  Although a lot has been said and written about the collapsed ODM-K leaders’ trip to London; no one has paid close attention to what seems obvious. Before Raila left Kenya for his tour of the United States of America, there was no rift in ODM-K over the trip. In fact, it is fair to say that Kenyans had not heard of this trip until Kalonzo Musyoka announced it at his rally in Kakamega on Thursday, March 1st, 2007.

  Read Miguna Miguna's assertion on Raila's leadership prowess. Following is very interesting debate on the merits of Miguna's argument by kenya imagine readers.

• March 08, 2007
• 7:25

  International Women's Day

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  I am moved to tears as these women sing for my colleagues and I. By the look, some of them are my age mates though in their own words ‘we are from two different worlds'.

  They perceive me as one from Kenya and themselves as just people. Maybe it's because of my complexion or my jeans and t-shirt. They are all dressed in long flowing diras and a head gear. I sport a cap. Most of them have a child on their back swith a few others around; they tell us that most of them have six to seven children. They probably can tell I haven't given birth. They do not sit near the men, in fact most had to ask for permission to meet us.

  

  These are women from the northern part of Kenya. Married at a very young age, denied opportunities because there it is a man's world. My colleagues and I talk to them and get to hear their issues. They include lack of income generating projects, water, insecurity, discrimination and violence both sexual and physical.
  
  Follow Purity Kagwiria as she talks about her challenges working with disenfranchised women, and the importance of the women's movement.
• March 07, 2007
• 22:39

  New man at CBK helm

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  Nairobi is teeming with opinion that is dismissive of the newly appointed governor of the Central Bank, characterizing him as deficient of ‘real banking experience'.
  
  
  As is compulsory in our country, a lot of the rejection of Prof. Ndung'u is hinged on the thought that the governor needed to come from another 'tribe'. Let's ignore those sentiments and focus instead on the theory that the Central Bank Governor needs to have a history in the banking industry. This line of thought by banking executives is upon close scrutiny totally baseless.
  
  Read as Peter Ndiangui highlights the functions of the Central Bank arguing that Prof Ndung'u is well-qualified to do his job. Others argue that Pres Kibaki should have sort members of other tribes to lead CBK.
• March 06, 2007
• 7:51

  MP's for Sale!!

   » ‎ Kenya Imagine
  From face value, the story carried by Standard (March 5^th, 07) looks innocent. It appears to be just another one of the gazillion political stories in the Kenyan media.

  The original Lancaster House in 1945
  
  It is only after you look at the content critically that you are hit with the unethical and risky games that our MPs are playing with the future of our country.The Standard tells us that MPs allied to ODM will visit London on a bonding mission. Their bonding session will be presided over by 10 UK MPs. While in London, Kenyan MPs will hold a dinner event for ‘investors' with an entry fee ranging between £100 and £1,000.
  

  Rodgers Akombe takes a critical look at our MP's visit to Lancaster House and the implications this might have on Wanjiku and Otieno.