- Rafiki Kenya’s superb review on places to eat, chill, and general ku-jienjoy in Nairobi. I wish more bloggers would write positively about Nairobi - so much good there, still.
- New blogs I’ve discovered/I like:
Musings of an Alien
The Gay Kenyan
- For the mamas, especially new mamas (who Google everything tehehe), this is a great resource.
Dear KP readers, I have neglected my blog lately. Sorry! Combination of kids, crazy travel schedule, getting back into the thick of work, training new nanny, and yes the fact that twitter is easier 
I need a clone…
Just came across this announcement in my in-box. Might be of interest. KARA stands for the Kenya Alliance of Residents Association - their website is quite informative.
Date: Monday, 18th May 2009
Time: 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm
Venue: Sarova Panafric Hotel (Simba Room)
Theme: Role of Civil Society in Realizing “Agenda 4”
Guests: Mr. Okong’o Omogeni, Chairman, Law Society of Kenya and Mr. Hassan Omar, Vice Chairman, Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. H.E Mr. Rob Macaire, British High Commissioner to Kenya will give opening remarks.
Entry : Members and Partners (Ksh. 100); Others (Ksh. 200)
Meal : Refreshments shall be served
Moderator : Dr. PLO Lumumba, Advocate of the High Courts of Kenya and Tanzania
My feed issues should be resolved and you shouldn’t see any spam now on your mobile browser.
The blog had been hacked by spammers.
Thank you everyone who pointed out the errors.
From Michaela Wrong:
Harper Collins have finally come up with an e-book of “It’s Our Turn to Eat”. So Kenyans can buy the PDF file, and there’s no excuse for any further piracy or bootlegging. Please pass this around on your mailing lists and post it on your websites. We’ve tried to keep the price as low as possible - you’ll see that it is a lot cheaper than the hard copy.
We’re also hoping to make this something Kenyans who don’t own credit cards can buy on M-Pesa, but at the moment that’s proving a logistical nightmare.
I’m in Nairobi for a bit and the hottest news at the moment is Karua’s resignation.
I have no doubt (and I have it on good authority) that she was indeed being frustrated in her role as Minister of Justice - apparently Gicheru has way more sway than she did with the ‘baks, however, lets be clear that this is also about positioning for the next election or any possible fallout of the coalition government. And its not about her being scared of the censure vote, she was going to win that one hands down with ODM’s support. In any event, I have to give her props for at least not complaining about the govt while drawing a fat salary and doing deals. That’s one reason why Kibaki can’t take Raila’s hissy fits seriously, he’s like “dude, can we revisit the maize and your son’s scandals first?”
I had the opportunity to chat with Karua one on one when I was in Geneva last week (I actually had a post on that pending oh well). I have to say that I was impressed with her despite myself and my preconceptions of her. She is brilliant, articulate, on point, ambitious and a straight shooter. Unlike most politicians I’ve met who thrive in trivialities when I tried to talk to them, she was engaging and seemed to enjoy the fact that I wasn’t brown-nosing her. Do I disagree with a lot of things she has said and done? Hell yes (and I’m not like totally gaga about her). But shock on me, I kinda liked her.
[An aside, has she ever been linked to a corruption scandal?]
One of the things we discussed was the issue of old fogies dominating Kenyan politics. I argued that this was one of the biggest problems with Kenyan politics. Karua shot back that this Parliament was the youngest we have ever had in Kenya, but the most corrupt by far with some of the young MPs leading the way (in her words the biggest auction house in Africa). In her view, the current Parliament was even worse then when she entered into a 1992 Parliament full of octogenarians and Moi hands. She also felt that everybody (including civil society) should drop their partisan issues, come together and push for reforms and then guys can go their merry way to fight it out for the next elections. We then discussed her website (which had been hacked a while back), mzalendo, facebook and her online strategy in general - she admitted she was clueless when it came to using the internet to campaign but that she was very aware that it was a powerful medium and that she needed to be on point.
I wish her well in her run for office, like her or not, she has the potential to be a gamechanger.
I am currently attending a workshop on lessons Kenya can learn from the South African Truth and Reconciliation process. I’m here wearing my concerned Kenyan citizen hat (otherwise my Saturday mornings are precious family time) and my Ushahidi hat…focusing mainly on the process of documentation and on how we can help ensure that information collected through the process is easily accessible. The following are quick notes I’m taking as the workshop proceeds:
- Civil society needs to start simplifying the process of Agenda 4 and of the TRJC to the ordinary mwananchi e.g. explaining the open forums and how they would work to the people, articulating the agenda to the people.
-There is a big danger that Kenyans (and not the govt) are in the its time to move on mode, growing sense that Kenyans feel agenda 4 items are pointless, the crisis is over and Annan needs to butt out. If this sentiment was from govt, that’s expected but from citizens that’s a big problem.
- Agenda 4 items really depend on a new constitution (whether we will have one is another question altogether)
- Active engagement with the media is required as the process unfolds.
- One needs to remember that the TJRC was part of a political settlement so politicians / partisan interests are necessarily part of the process and have to be managed.
- Important to remember that once the work has started, it must be finished otherwise the work of the TRC would have failed.
[I really should have been done now, but my in box is a mess, fired the nanny on my return and dealing with a semi-sick Gabi...did I say I have 10,000 things on my plate? I need a clone. STAT!]
The Geneva conference marked the first time that Waki has spoken publicly on the CIPEV (Waki) report. He was understandably measured, given the controversy surrounding his report - or as he corrected us - the Commission’s report. He reminded the audience that many recommendations were made by the Commission beyond the local tribunal that could be acted upon NOW and was disappointed that these are being ignorede.g.
- recommendations on issues around IDPs
- recommendations on addressing the sexual and gender based violence
- recommendations on police reform
He noted that the fact that they recommended a local tribunal that by-passed the criminal justice system, does not mean that the Commission had zero confidence in the judiciary as some claim…they just felt that a tribunal would be the most expedient way to deliver justice.
He said that they were deliberately bold as a Commission because they wanted to be unlike other Commissions whose recommedations disappeared into thin air. He also said that they had a responsiblity to deliver because they had reassured Kenyans who were reluctant to testify before them that something would come out of the Commission.
[A bit of goss - the Commission's secretary, George Kegoro, did an outstanding job as far as marshalling the testimony and keeping things on track].
[Back home in Joburg, and playing catch-up]
Orengo speaks:
People must remember that the accord was a ceasefire document.
- At the time the State and its organs were unable to control the situation and were also engaged in the violence. The lack of confidence in the judiciary also eliminated it was an option.
- The problem has always been the State and its nature and this still remains the same.
- They tackled the composition of Cabinet but not of government and this is problematic.
- Issue of corruption / impunity the biggest challenge
- The principles are too far removed from the process
- He urged the media to take advantage of a more open parliament to really highlight the performance/non-performance of MPs
Sally Kosgei made a brief / interesting comment on how they - a group of 6 individuals including head of National Intelligence, Army Chief - managed the transition in 2002. Apparently they had been working on Moi to prepare him psychologically to hand over power since October. In her view Kibaki/PNU were never prepared to leave no matter what the results were and the “kitchen” Cabinet reinforced this.
Following points were raised about the ICC:
- It takes long - Cambodia process started way back in 2002, that’s six years.
- The court can only handle a few perpetrators so it needs to be reserved for the big fry…what happens to middle/lower level guys?
- For many reasons (including above) it is important not to lose sight of the national process…the ICC will always be there.
- Someone made the point that the ICC process will be too detached from the average Kenya, importance of process being local with cameras in court etc. should not be underestimated.
- Someone from the ICC should speak to Kenyans about the process, they don’t want to hear from pundits (hehehe).
-Someone suggested that they should announce investigations just to make the threat real.
- Annan thinks its critical for justice to be done.
- There should be a sense of balance - not just about Eldoret, but also Kisumu, Nakuru, Naivasha, Mombasa - one side should not feel victimized.
What the ICC is saying:
- They are monitoring Kenya, O’Campo has a special adviser
- Most effective as a stick e.g. in Columbia where the threat has been used to push for local prosecutions (takes time though)
I’m tired and sleepy, but the show must go on.
I arrived in Geneva for the Annan conference on Kenya this morning and haven’t had a chance to rest…too much going on.
I’ve been invited specifically because of my role as a blogger during the post election violence - which is huge - because it means that the Kenyan blogging scene is being taken seriously as an area of influence and a source of information (yeah for bloggers!). Unfortunately, the Chatham House Rules apply to most of the sessions, so I can’t be too detailed.
I’m sure there will still be lots to report about given my peskiness. So what’s happened so far..
- Shared a cab ride with Judge Kriegler from the Kriegler Commission. Cab ride chit chat led to breakfast. Unfortunately, the Judge was tight as a clam…he must have sensed my blogging radar…hehehe. I will say he seemed super-aware of his role as a foreigner when he did his work and maybe that’s why he stopped short of doing his job kabisa, unlike Waki. Anyway, he was quite friendly, a bit condescending, and apparently very unpopular with Kenyan civil society .
- At breakfast, sighted Karua, Wangari Maathai and Wako having breakfast together. Talk about strange bedfellows.
- Ran into a number of civil society friends including Maina Kiai, who had interesting stories about interviewing for the IEC gig…his interview lasted all of six minutes and he apparently was told by a source that he’d never get the gig because he had pissed on Kikuyus while he was at KNCHR. Frontrunner is Kaparo. Seeing the civil society guys lead to me being invited to sit in on a meeting with Annan and civil society reps to hear their views on where things are one year later.
- General prognosis, things are grim. Political space is diminishing, ethnic based militias are rearming (this time with AK-47s not machetes), the people are angry and disillusioned. Several references to Madagascar and the fact that the fire next time will be class based and not ethnic based.
- Potential flashpoints: census later this year; military given what happened in Molo/El Wak can’t be presumed to be professional any more…also suspension of the Tonje rules is formenting disquiet; a police force that’s running amok.
- There’s is a sense that the political class is numb, yet there can be no movement without them because they still hold enormous sway in Kenya e.g. forests are burning on the instructions of politicians; youth in Rift Valley were ready to cause havoc if the Ruto censure had gone down.
- Quote of the morning: “Kenya does not need reform, it needs an overhaul.”
OK, gotta run and clean up and get ready for the afternoon session…next post will be on the ICC option.
Comments open for the duration of the conference…please keep it civil!
After months (years actually) of fighting it, I’ve succumbed and become an active tweep, twitterer, twit?.
It’s sort of like blogging in the early days. When it was simple and you didn’t have to over think it and worry about making your blog pretty etc.
If all goes well, I’ll be in Geneva next week for the meeting to assess the status of the coalition government. The principles have refused to attend so it will be interesting to see how things pan out.
Stay tuned for updates.
Winners get a cash prize of $5,000, lots of exposure and other support.
Via the website:
We are building a network of innovative education entrepreneurs who are focused on improving the learning of African students. We are looking for entrepreneurial African educators and organizations who are working to ensure that pupils in Africa are learning the reading, writing, math, and critical thinking skills that they need to succeed. If you are a successful and innovative teacher, administrator, or education organization, we invite you to apply.
We are focused on learning and effectiveness. We are also looking for models that can help improve national educational systems. If you use unique instructional methods, materials, or curricula, we want to know about it. And we will encourage you to take your work to the next level, to reach more students with your innovative methods.
Date: 27 March 2009
Venue: 680
Time: 9:00 - 4:00 (lunch served)
Bernard Kiirinya was a former driver with the Special Crimes Unit of the Kenya Police. He came forward with evidence of extra-judicial killings to the Kenya National Human Rights Commission. His act of whistle blowing cost him his life. Let us hope it was not in vain (although this is Kenya, where heroism is pointless).
Please read his full disturbing statement here.
Police Viol
KP readers, this statement by Philip Alston, the UN’s Special Rappoteur on Extra-Judicial Killings is a MUST READ.
Alston has just wrapped up his fact finding mission in Kenya.
Of course, the KNCHR has been on this issue for a while.
But it is still startling to see how pervasive the problem is ranging from killings because you pissed a cop in a bar to executions during the post-election violence.
Other key points:
- Wako being the epitome of impunity in Kenya
- The lack of an internal affairs unit in the Kenyan Police, so police who are culpable are expected to investigate themselves
- The shameless don’t care attitude of Ali
- The fact that the police have detailed reports of what was looted in Nyanza during the PEV but nothing on the 82 people who were killed by police bullets.
Why should you care?
Because these are the very people who are supposed to protect us. Next time the violence flares up, and at the rate Kenya is going, possibilities are it will. Will these people still be in charge?
Because these tactics are now being used to suppress peaceful protests (see my earlier posts this week).
Because, at the very least because the very next time you unknowingly pick a fight with a cop you stand a high chance of being “Mungiki’d”.
Dambisa Moyo, author of “Dead Aid” is featured in the New York Times Magazine. I’m feeling her riff on celebrities and Africa (add Nicholas Kristoff to the gag list), though I must say we as Africans are not exactly helping our cause when we do things like steal maize meant for famine relief and have Cabinets with 40 ministers funded by KENYANS.
Sigh.
Below is a report I have just read by a Bunge la Mwananchi activist. We have been urging the activists who are being harassed to document their experiences as best as they can. I have promised to make sure that what is going on in Kenya right now gets a wider audience. The report is disturbing to say the very least, not just because it shows you just how paranoid and oppressive this government is becoming, but also because it gives some insight into how the extra-judicial killings that have been in the news start off and how easy it is to be “disappeared” if you don’t have good contacts and with a Mungiki label slapped on you. Please note that it quite lengthy and very unedited.
By Gacheche Gachiki
Dear Comrades, Friends and Allies.
We take this opportunity to thank you all for your great concern and follows-ups to our illegal arrests and detention .
Yesterday morning at 9.00 am I had just been invited by my friend Ibra…as we call him for a cup of coffee in Kiamaiko , within few minutes we were joined by Ruth mumbi of Kiamaiko young women resource centre , She had a article of association for their small organisation and objectives that she needed me to read before they register , In kimaiko the biggest goat market in Nairobi there is a abundant of life with many people coming to buy goats , A friend of mine who I had helped to follow a case of his brother of extra judicial killing joined us , He had a apron coat that is uniform for workers in the slaughter houses, he informed me he had started a small joint business inside one slaughter house with four goats I encouraged him for that ,We were still with Mumbi taking coffee My comrade Ibrahim paid for the coffee and he left to collect his shoes, Another friend came his Nick name Sapare , He is great supporter of Bunge La Mwananchi debates mostly conducted at Kwa Rasta, café with a Mug of tea a place mostly Visited by members of Bunge la Mwananchi either to take a cheap meal of Madodochapati (beans served with chapatti) for Ksh30 or mug of tea that goes for ksh 5 bob last time that we were visitors to kwa Rasta was last Sunday with Keli , Mulialia odipo and Mumbi as we were visiting ongaza njia community centre in the same area for our community organizing activities and we engaged in a good debates and discussion that we had plans to improve the the Bunge La mwananchi debates in an open space within the slums , It is my friend Sapare. Who invited me in Kwa Rasta Where mostly I spend by early Sunday Morning reading the articles in Sunday Nation.
I was the first to enter as I left Sapare with Mumbi, where we were taking coffee, the two police officer were seated down like other customers, I looked for a place to seat and I ordered for a mug of tea before one officer who gave in a space for me to seat at this time I didn’t know him .Before he called the other two officers outside..in the next I minutes that place looked like hell the plastic jugs that are used to serve water to customers without any resist of arrests or provocation both water and breakings jugs were breakings in our heads with beatings and shouts of orders for us to knell down under the tables the experience we went through was very horrible and indeed cruel and I expected death to surprises as any time in that moment before the journey through Kimaiko , Ghetto slum , Huruma Mathare North Via Nairobi river bank, With beatings and torture and abuses and demands of money to buy our freedom Ksh 200,000,, The movement of young people from this informal settlement, 20 in number and those who were arrested along the route was in form of a human train. Handcuffed with Chains that have trade mark HIATTS MADE IN ENGLAND, along the route we were buddle together in a makeshift kiosk where, near St Martin Deplores church, that border Nairobi River and Mathare North Estate, to wait for any relative who might have some money to buy our freedom from the human chain train
AS we negotiated the Nairobi river banks behind Madoya slum near the river where there are big bushes and small well cultivated farms of Vegetable. We were order to stop for inspections of any illegal substance like bhang, Snuff, tobacco, or mobile phone without a receipt,
This inspection is what become our hope when it came to my turn, my Nokia 5000 cell phone was taken away and wallent Which they saw Business cards of Hon Farah Maalim , Paul Muite And Dr. willy Mutunga, Firoze Manji and Calvin Mbugua of Ongaza njia Community centre.
After Scrolling, my phone book immediately it was switched off, and they beckoned each other for a small meeting behind a concrete slab in the river bank.
After coming back to the scene of our inspection, I was separated from 12 members who we were arrested together at Kwa Rasta Café in Kiamaiko. And this time I was chained together with one young man his name Charles Macharia , who was bleeding all over his face and at first time I received an individual threat of death if I don’t cooperate to be released alone, and leave the others because of Contacts in my phone book and the business cards.But the other eleven young people demaded that I was arrested together with them and no way I can be separated from them unless death , With their demands they received serious beatings but at the end we were separated. Near a small bridge that unite Madoya slum and Mathare.
From that point my comrade was Charles Macharia and another young man who was arrested in Madoya slum him his hands were tied with cooper wires after the HIATTS chains became scarce, Macharia who we started our journey together at Kwa Rasta had received serious beating his crime is that he keep on saying he will report his matter to Human rights people about his many illegal arrests, and beatings on his hand he had a cash bail bond issued by Makadara law courts of Ksh 5000. And he could not accept to back to another police station. In his hands he had bag carrying Topex bleach detergent and Vasseline. That he hawk in small shop in Huruma Kiamaiko mostly manufactured in Light industries, along Juja road that Border Huruma and Kariobangi Noth estate
The bag was a bit heavy so I had to assist him while he was wiping blood on his face his plea to wash his blood soaked face in the Nairobi River as it was drying on his face were answered with more beatings…and more humiliation, He did request me we escape with the handcuffs but I sensed danger on that suggestion., he had plan on how to cut the England made chains in the slum called Ghetto.
From this the Bridge that join Madoya slum Mathare North , Myself and Charles Macharia and the young man tied with copper wire we walked together cursing the system and the police who had arrested as in silent…as we were taken to another direction by one police officer.
The fate of other eleven arrested kwa Rasta remained unknown to me but near the stage of route No 29/30 for Mathare north we were packed in another makeshift kiosk, for more observation, whether we can accept to buy our freedom, after one hour the next group that was separated from as was escorted to the new holding base., together with two women an and another young man by more ruthless officers.
From here Ruth mumbi using contacts of the women who was arrested trying to follow his sons she was able to trace our where about and contacted Keli Muysoka of Bunge la Mwanachi , Who then contacted Calvin and of Ongaza njia community and Hon . Paul muite and at 2pm the police could not stay longer with us in the Bush they had to take us to the nearest police station a number of people from huruma community and members of Bunge La Mwanachi had already reached at Muthaiga police station and they had started to demands our production to the nearest legal police station.live or dead.
At Muthaiga police station we were taken there by a private vechicle a Nissan from Mathare North there was more beatings again to confess we are members of Mungiki and at that time of arrests were conducting oaths, our belts shoes and valuables, were booked and were put in custody.
At around 4 pm we were called again for our details to be taken, within few minutes at Divisional criminal investigations office, is when Paul muite arrived and together with Members of Bunge La Mwanachi Geroge Nyongesa Fwaba and Calvin Mbugua with local media.
Hon. Paul Muite did request for our release with police bond, and we report to Muthaiga police station tomorrow at on 24/02/09 8 am our bonds that we are compelled to report to Muthaiga police station under section 22 of the police act Cap84. For the inspector of police to make inquiries into an alleged offence of being members of outlawed sect (Mungiki). As serious tag for exte-judicial execution…at this hour.
- Wherecamp Africa being held in Nairobi on April 4th.
- Kenyan religious leaders get their act together and tell it like it is. This is not an insignificant move, given how much influence religion/ religious leaders carry in Kenyan society. One only wishes they (the leaders) could have shown such sense in the run-up to the election.
- My new favorite Kenyan blogger.
- A report by American University on Public media 2.0
Unedited note from Philo, one of the activists arrested yesterday.
Colleagues eventually traced the three Kenyan civil society activists arrested and beaten outside Parliament buildings yesterday after a nighttime search.
Philo Ikonya was released from Gigiri Police Station last night at
about 11 pm to appear in court this morning. Fwamba N.C Fwamba spent the night in custody at Gigiri Police Station,
while Patrick Kamotho was held overnight at the Central Police
Station. All three were beaten up while in custody.
They were charged this morning at the Chief Magistrates Court
(High Court buildings Nairobi), Thursday February 19th 2009, with taking part in an unlawful assembly. The court released them of a cash bail of Ksh Ten Thousand each, which their colleagues are making arrangements to pay to facilitate their release.
KP readers, please lend your support to these brave souls who are doing the hard and important work that needs to be done to change Kenya. We might not all be able to march in the streets in protest of the numerous scandals bedeviling the country, so lets take action in other ways.
Note: The importance of logging a critical volume of messages, through multiple channels, especially internationally, cannot be underestimated. They may not result in immediate release, but they will influence the response to the habeas corpus filing tomorrow
morning. And may make all the difference to the level of physical abuse that Philo, Fwamba and Patrick suffer - or are saved from - at the hands of the police while in custody.
WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW
(1) Send a text message NOW, to Kenya’s President, Prime Minister, and Attorney General. Use the one below, or craft your own.
Mr. Kibaki / Mr. Odinga - we hold u accountable 4 police violence and illegal arrests against Philo Ikonya n other civil society activists. Release them NOW and fire Police Commissioner Ali.
To President Mwai Kibaki (via his spokesperson, Alfred Mutua):
Cellphone number + 254 721 240 443
To Prime Minister Raila Odinga
Cellphone + 254 733 620 736
Attorney General:
Amos Wako + 254 722 772 453
2) Send an email
To President Mwai Kibaki
presid…@statehousekenya.go.ke
To Prime Minister Raila Odinga
railaodi…@yahoo.com
Suggested Message:
Mr Kibaki / Mr. Odinga, I urge you to act immediately to release Philo Ikonya, Fwamba Chrispus, and Patrick Kamotho from illegal police custody. Police Commissioner Ali must be fired for presiding over
escalating police violations of civil and human rights in Kenya.
Signed: Name, Organization / Affiliation (if any), City, Country
3) If you are a Kenyan repeat steps 1) and 2) with your own MP andother parliamentarians. Contact details for Kenyan MPs at Mzalendo.
4) If you live outside Kenya, repeat steps 1) and 2), directing the texts and emails to the Kenyan Ambassador or High Commissioner in your
country. Contact details on this link:
5) If you are a foreign national living in Kenya, repeat steps 1) and 2) with the Ambassador or High Commissioner of your country in Kenya.
6) Copy to the Feedback Form on the site of the Kenyan Police Force: http://www.kenyapolice.go.ke/contactus.asp
7) Copy to Kofi Annan, in his capacity as the head of the Kenya
National Dialogue and Reconciliation Process, through his spokesman: Nasser Ega-Musa Nasser.Ega-M…@unon.org
Philo Ikonya, Fwamba FC Fwamba, and Patrick Kamotho have been beaten and arrested by police while demonstrating against lack of unga, and corruption in government at Parliament Buildings. The protests were planned to coincide with Ruto’s censure motion scheduled for today. Philo Ikonya and Fwamba FC Fwamba are currently being held at Central Police Station. The whereabouts of Patrick Kamotho are still unknown.
A report prepared by South Consulting on the implementation of the agreements from the Kenya National Dialogue and Reconciliation (KNDR) is now available on the KNDR website.
Author Unknown
Politicians of all persuasions
Strip this our land and nation.
Fortunes motivate us and keep us.
May we steal with impunity
Dodge taxes in unity;
Plenty be sourced within our dockets.
Let all politicians arise
With scams both wily and foolproof.
Eating be our earnest endeavour,
And our cake-stand of Kenya,
Heritage of plunder,
May we fight forever to perpetuate.
Let parties with one accord,
In common greed united,
Bankrupt our nation together.
May the agony of Kenya,
The fruit of our behaviour,
Remain hidden from our 2012 voters
While the absurdity of a former dictator (Moi) and two corrupt incompetents (Raila & Kibaki) helping us figure out the “Kenya We Want” in an expensive conference sinks in, lets take a moment to remind ourselves just how bad things were during the Moi years (hat tip DW!).
EDIT: Part 3 of the series is here.
- For those who took pictures with the ubiquitous Obama cutout, notice his hands were white?
- Interesting NYTimes look at Google’s venture into internet infrastructure in Kenya/Africa.
- Google local search for Nairobi launched.
- Macharia Gaitho’s op-ed on the Molo tragedy is a MUST read. Money quote: Whether super-rich or dirt-poor, Kenyans will forever be in scramble to get something for nothing…
So I have been following the news about the teachers’ strike because it is an interesting (and rare) test of the coalition government as far as a section of Kenyans saying enough is enough and demanding their dues. The government’s initial knee-jerk reaction and tear gassing of peaceful protestors suggested that it is business as usual.
The eventual deal that’s been agreed to is suspect…as usual the hardest worker gets shafted…The new salary for the lowest paid teacher will rise from Sh10,185 in July to Sh13,750 in July 2011. That of the highest paid teacher will go up from Sh44,990 to Sh120,270 in the same period. WTF?
Although the strike initally had the makings of a revival perhaps of a strong labour movement, in the end it unfortunately degenerated into a reminder on just how much damage the Moi years did to the labour movement, the squabbling between KUPPET and KNUT is just one example. There have been ramblings in some quarters about calling a general strike to express just how displeased Kenyans are with their leaders, but from where I’m sitting a general strike in Kenya is a pipe dream…the only thing that seems to extract a concerted +united effort from us nowadays is the celebration of various things - our runners, Obama, December holidays…
For a revealing and insightful analysis of the strike, this is a good read.
In a few days maybe I’ll be able to stop frothing at the mouth at the barrage of terrible headlines coming from Kenya.
Until then, something positive.
I constantly complain about the penchant for Kenyans to be permanently outraged about the state of their affairs, but then be unable to act upon their outrage with persistence and with a determination to change things and then leave it to “those people” to do the dirty work of protesting for them (the very same “those people” who we revile for being easily fooled by politicians) while they pray for things to get back to “normal.”
The folks at Bunge la Mwananchi are different. They are persistent, dogged, and speak to the core issues that the average Kenyan cares about, often with minimal resources and with constant harassment from the government.
I hope that they will one day see the fruit of their labours, and that the rest of us take a cue for them and ask ourselves what we are doing to improve the status quo of our country.
So I came across this memo to Raila today that was supposedly leaked by one of Anyang Nyong’os disgruntled juniors. The memo links Raila’s son Fidel to the missing maize. The reference to Denis is to the ODM PR guy Denis Onyango. Can’t vouch for the memo’s veracity though…it doesn’t seem like Anyang’s memo to put such incriminating stuff on paper and the typos are rather amateurish. Even if it’s fake the whispers I’ve been hearing say that it’s not far from the truth.
Courtesy of Demosh (Flickr)
Anyone have any more enlightening info.?
EDIT: This blogger has more names.
A nation of cannibals.
That is what we have become.
Experts at finishing ours and our own.
While immortalizing Obama on the other hand.
Although if Obama’s life path would have led him to Kenya, we would have finished him too.
Like we did his father.
These thoughts are inspired by the tragic death of Dr. Muiruri. Also known as Ngethu Star . A young man who had transformed his life, had worked hard to excel, made the “jump” as I often ask people to do, and was just about to enjoy the fruits of his labour.
It’s true that the he is just one of the many senseless lives that are lost in Kenya (especially of young men) on a daily basis. But his story has resonated so deeply with me and many others. Why? Maybe because I’ve done that celebratory jaunt back home , and can picture me or someone I’m with getting into a silly fight at the heng and just like that it’s over.
A confession that’s relevant.
The longest I’ve ever been away from Kenya is two years and three months. It was painful. I was notorious for finding ways to go back home right from when I left (and have the grant applications to prove it!). I’ve worked in Nairobi every year since 1998, with the exception of that long stay.
So why did I stay away for so long? Because, after I found out I’d been accepted to HLS I had this morbid fear that if I went home something bad would happen to me. Specifically, some random tragic “killed by a speeding matatu while she was on the verge of going to Harvard Law” type storo. Of course, remaining in the U.S. did guarantee my mortality but you could not convince me to go home until I at least experienced a year at HLS…so great was my fear of being cannibalized by my country. It all sounds a bit silly in retrospect, but I was determined to do what I could to ensure that a could at least taste the fruits of my hard work…and I suspect it’s a fear shared by many in the diaspora (at least we have the luxury of staying away).
Anyway, I rambling now so I’ll let the words of someone more eloquent that I am convey my thoughts.
By JUDY KIBINGE
THE SHOOTING DOWN OF A RISING STAR
L
ife has never been as cheap in Kenya as it is now.
On Friday September 12th 2008, James Muiruri Nganga wrote the following words in his blog:“With my thesis already submitted and in the hands of my examiners, I can feel that I deserve more from life. Therefore, destined for great heights and bigger things, I am now knocking on the doors of success and satisfaction . The world is now mine.”
Barely four months later, on Saturday morning, a car carrying police officers followed 29 year old Dr. James Muiruri Nganga headed home from a long night out in Crooked Q, a club in Westlands. I wonder what he and his brother might have been talking about as they headed home and as the sunlight hit their faces. Maybe they were wondering about the argument that had had them all thrown out of the club was all about. Some guy had picked a fight with James over a woman and the bouncers sensing trouble had thrown them all out. Or maybe, as the sun rose over the city, warming them, he felt just as described in his blog on November 4th 2008:
“Since being awarded the doctorate, every moment has felt like a quiet afternoon with the fresh air forming some summer saxophone note, rising and falling on a warm breeze. With jewels in my heart, it is heaven here and the light that glows inside my heart feels like the salvation that will hopefully free my soul and brighten many others.”
The drunken police inspector might have been the furthest thing from James mind as a moved to block the one James rode in. A few heated words were exchanged before the trigger happy policemen whipped out his gun, firing bullets into his head, shoulder and heart – a further two through his mouth for good measure after he collapsed onto the tarmac. Their vicious , drunken mission accomplished, the police officers sped off to report the killing of a “a mungiki bank robber” at Buru Buru police station. According to the Daily Nation, his father, Former Gatundu North MP, one of the first to arrive at MP Shah Hospital to receive the news was ” devastated by the death of his second-born son and said: “He was my life and my everything.”"
Dr. James Muiruri Nganga isn’t the first to die this way. He isn’t the first hope of the family to be cut down in a hail of police bullets. His father, harsh as this may sound, is one of maybe even hundreds right now lamenting that their child, their life, their everything was slain.
If the stories I have heard in recent times are anything to go by, this extrajudicial killing of young men is a national crisis. James may well be one of hundreds of young men who have been killed by police all over the country in recent times. In every slum and every lower income neighborhood in this city, many youth claim – should you ask - that their peers have being slain by police every day in unprecedented numbers,. Its not uncommon for a young man from the slums to tell you that all his friends are dead. If you don’t believe me, you go ask yourself. Pick a youth, any youth in Kibera, Mathare, Huruma… and ask him what he believes the biggest cause of death for young men in the slums today is, and you’ll hear it for yourselves, with your own ears. And, like James, these kids are being classified in death as criminals or mungiki’s– or both. We have to be honest with ourselves and ask: if James’ father wasn’t an ex MP, or if he wasn’t a brilliant young man with a PhD before 30 and with his whole life ahead of him, would be forgotten just as the hundreds of other bullet riddled corpses that precede him have been?
In December 2008, just a month or two after James took his PhD Viva across the ocean in Sheffield, unaware that all his dreams were soon to end, I was speaking to a Nderitu, a 32 year old youth leader in MYSA, Mathare Youth Soccer Association, whose membership extends to 18,000 youth across all of Nairobis slums. Of all his concerns about all the terrible things going on in Mathare - the drugs, the disease, the unemployment – Nderitus greatest worry was what he called the loss of a generation, and he expressed this fear with clarity and anger:
“saa hi kukienda mathare mi huona watu wanafanya campaign za Aids mingi sana but watu wa young wana die karibu kila day juu ya kushootiwa saa nashindwa tunafaa tuonge juu ya Aids ama tuongee juu ya watu kushootiwa ? maybe saa hii haituaffect lakini niko sure another ten years ndio watu wata realize weeh,kuna generation iljkikuwa wiped out.” (”if you go to Mathare right now, you’ll see people doing AIDS campaigns, but young people are dying almost everyday, being shot by the police, and I wonder, should we be talking about HIV while people are being shot? Maybe at this moment we aren’t affected, but I’m sure that in another 10 years, people will realize a whole generation was wiped out”.)
It’s true: There’s a killing spree going on. And we can only hope that James’ death will do something to stem the tide. At the top of his eloquent, passionate , honest, highly intelligent and expressive blog NGETHU STAR (http://ngethustar.blogspot.com/ ) – he being the star friom Ngethu Village - he writes: NG’ETHU STAR: From that Destined Child beneath the Stars that light the African Village along the valleys of River Chania, to the Road to Doctorate and Beyond the eagle’s heights…
Today, I feel compelled to complete that header for him as the three dots he placed after the sentence seem to demand the completion of the premature obituary he unknowingly penned. I hope he would approve of it:
NG’ETHU STAR: From that Destined Child beneath the Stars that light the African Village along the valleys of River Chania, to the Road to Doctorate and Beyond the eagle’s heights… came the brutal slaying of a dream, bringing Ngethu Star spiraling back down to earth to die in a pool of his own blood, slain by those who swore to protect him in the country he loved so much. But through his death, he has allowed others to rise and soar to eagles heights, to be saved. To live. Indeed this brilliant young man shed his blood so that others like him may live on.
That line always cracked me up in the Blazing Saddles.
Not so funny when it is your country. All indications from everyone I’m talking to is that corruption is back to Moi’s brazen levels - KPC/Triton is just the tip of the iceberg.
And what in the crazy hell is Kimunya doing back in government?
It gets worse. Julius (Baba Denis) Sunkuli is the new ambassador to China.
An aside…I’m really tempted to support the Media Bill when I read our terrible newspapers. This gem from the Standard:
Konoin MP Julius Kones says the elevation of Uhuru, who holds a degree in economics and political science from Umhurst University, US, to the Finance portfolio could trigger major realignments in PNU.
Umhurst? What exactly do newspaper editors do in Kenya.
On behalf of:
Editors: Keguro Macharia and Angus Parkinson
We lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex individuals, in a word, queers, have had the distinct un-pleasure of being told we don’t exist—in official government statements, historical documents, and contemporary statements. Well, we do.
We want Kenyan stories by Kenya-based and Kenya-born queers. About everything. We want writing about the dailyness of our lives, the good, the bad, the weird, the indifferent. If you have lived it, we want to hear about it. We especially want to reach beyond Nairobi, Mombasa, and other cities to all corners of the country. And we know the rest of Kenya, Africa, and the world wants to hear these stories as well.
Formats
We have three distinct formats. Choose what appeals to you.
1. Interviews: Tell us your story. Get in touch with us and we’ll arrange an interview. We value your time and your confidentiality. Not sure you want to meet us directly? We have phones and email and all manner of ways to make this happen.
2. Letters to Kenya: Write (or unearth) a 500-1,000-word letter. To whom? Parents, pastors, the government, best friends, former friends, present lovers, former lovers, the person you really want to tune. Get personal, get intimate. Say what you really want to say!
3. Personal narratives: Write (or unearth) a 2,500-3,000-word narrative about the dailyness of being queer. The high points, low points, the endless plateaus, the quick glances, indrawn breaths of desire, domestic thrills, sexual boredom, beginnings and endings. If you write it, we’ll consider it.All submissions should be typed, double-spaced, and submitted electronically to queerkenya@gmail.com. If you can’t type, don’t want to, or can’t get hold of an email program that functions, get in touch with us. We can help.
How You Can Contribute
1. Get the word out. Convince your friends with hidden manuscripts or stories that must be shared to un-closet them.
2. Send us encouraging emails. We need your good wishes, your fabulously good wishes.
3. Volunteer time! We need all the help we can get.
4. Take ownership. We’re editing, sure, but these are our collective stories.Important Dates
April 30, 2009: Deadline to Receive Submissions
June 30, 2009: Selected Contributors Contacted
Publication: December 2009.Questions? We’re glad to answer. Please contact us at queerkenya@gmail.com
I’ve lots of blog posts churning in my brain - the media law, one year since the election/Ushahidi, the shameless coalition “eating” (yes Raila is behind the disappearing maize), Obama’s inauguration (yeah!)…just have to find the time to write them. In the meantime, I’ll start my foray back to blogging with light posts. On the personal front, still firmly in sleepless nights zone but thankfully Gabi has adjusted very well to being a big sister. She’s started play school this week though (which she’s enjoying) and has already picked up the art of dramatic tantrums from (dare I say mannerless) playmates. Sigh.
- Obama’s Indonesian lookalike.
- Be nice to your classmates, they just might become President.
- Clay Shirky on why you shouldn’t worry about information overload.
- Mapping Kogelo. LOL at having to get permission from the chief.
Born on 29/12/08. Hefty 3.52 kgs. 
We’re all well and thankful for a wonderful start to 2009. Thanks everyone for your messages. Back to sleepless nights for me (however, nice to be a relaxed mama second time around).
Apologies for the lack of frequent posts.
Unfortunately, the trend will continue for a while.
Fortunately, it’s for a very good reason.
Baby number 2 is due in about +/- 2 weeks.
It’s been a LOONG journey, second time around. Not just because I’ve been chasing my rambunctious toddler around. There were complications in the first half and lots of stuff going on in my personal life that added to the stress. But we have made it this far, and we are doing well…now hoping and praying for a safe delivery.
Happy Holidays!
And yes I will post a picture.
Via Sukuma Kenya:
Caroline Mutoko of Kiss FM and Mwalimu Mati of Mars Group Kenya are among those who have this morning been arrested at the Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi. The two have been taken to the Langata police station. 60 other Kenyans are also being bundled into waiting police vehicles and it appears that it is planned to distribute those arrested in various police stations across the city.
The 62 are part of a larger group of Kenyans that had gone to attend the national event at the Nyayo National Stadium as we mark Jamhuri Day today and use the forum to address our leaders, making the Kenyan citizen’s grievances heard.
They were all wearing black T Shirts with the message “No Tax for MPs, No Tax for Us” which is part of the campaign being run in conjunction with Kenyans who care and university students to protest against MPs refusal to pay tax.
The black T Shirt campaign forms part of a larger campaign where Kenyans have over the past few days held demonstrations, rallies, boycotts as they are protesting against the ongoing food crisis, the escalating prices of basic commodities, the high price of fuel and the MPs culture of impunity.
The urgent help required is: legal representation, cash bail for each person arrested, tracing and visiting all the arrested at the various police stations where they have been taken, lobbying for their immediate release, and any other help you are able to render.
It would be great if other Kenyans could wear the same t-shirts in solidarity with your fellow Kenyans who are doing more than just complaining about MPs. Visit Sukuma Kenya for details on where to purchase the shirts.
UPDATE: Other activists have been released, but Mwalimu Mati and his wife Jayne Mati the directors of Marsgroup Kenya, have been charged with incitement to violence on the specific instructions of the Minister for Internal Security.
UPDATE II (Saturday); 1. Mwalimu Mati of the Media Analysis and Research Services (MARS) Group and his wife Jane remain in custody at Langata Police Station Nairobi…they have not yet been charged (at which point they could apply for bail) more than 24 hours after their detention…we are deeply concerned that the intent is to hold them for no apparent purpose up to the maximum of 48 hours.
2. Fred Odhiambo of Bunge la Wananchi was just brought to Langata Police Station from Nyayo Stadium, where he’d been detained overnight. He has been badly beaten and has just been moved to Nairobi Women’s Hospital for treatment, still in detention.
3. Four colleagues in Garissa remain in detention for simply trying to present the Provincial Commissioner with a memorandum.
WHERE TO BUY SHIRTS: Right now they are available at Mars Group offices, 1st Floor
Chevron Plaza, Limuru Road (Parklands near the Aga Khan Hospital) for Kshs 500 a shirt (the money is used to subsidize printing the shirts that can be distributed for free to those who can’t afford the shirts). I’m wondering whether someone can help them set up an online store to sell the t-shirts? Other advocacy materials including video that you can help circulate are availalbe at the Partnership for Change website.
Private criminal proceedings have been instituted before the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Nairobi against the ECK Commissioners by a KPTJ member Julius Melli as the complainant on behalf of the Republic. Case is Private Prosecution No 7 of 2008 Republic through Julius Melli versus Samuel Mutua Kivuitu & 21 others before Nairobi Chief Magistrate Gilbert Mutembei. The Chief Magistrate has admitted the 16 charges against the 22 ECK Commissioners related to the management and control of the 2007 General Elections and also issued summons for the 22 accused persons (now suspects) to appear before him for the taking of plea on Wednesday 17th of December 2008. On that 17th of December, the Magistrate will further hear the complainant’s application to be allowed to proceed with the intended prosecution on behalf of the Republic.
Civil society networks are planning to appear in court on that day - please lend your support (and blog about the hearing) if possible.
We need your support again. Last time you helped us get much needed start-up funding, now we need your help to get our next phase of growth going.
About the voting process
Voting is only open for a week beginning Monday, December 8 at 9:00am Pacific Time (U.S.) through Friday, December 12 at 5:00pm Pacific Time, and the top 15 vote-getting projects will go in front of a panel of USAID-selected judges who will determine the three winners. You must vote for at least three projects, but no more than five.
How to vote:
* You must Register and Login to the NetSquared site to participate in the Vote (please check your junk mail folder if you do not see a registration email confirmation)
* Each registered user has one (1) ballot
* You must vote for at least three (3) Projects and no more than five (5)
* All votes are weighted equally (in other words, your first choice and fifth choice have equal value)
* You can only vote for each Project once, yes that includes your own
For more information about voting, visit USAID Vote: http://netsquared.org/usaid/vote
Click here for all the details of how you can participate - from buying a t-shirt to marching in protest on Dec 12th. As the community in Kibera demonstrated, the politicians only respond when you make your voices heard clearly so please make your voices heard.
This looks like it will be a very interesting event. The organizers hope to break the myths surrounding animation in Kenya, such as it’s a “foreign art” and that you need big expensive computers to do it well. The event is expected to be “an amazing opportunity for Kenyan design geeks and animation enthusiasts to meet up, share ideas and plot on how to take over the worldwith our own animation content starting 2009!”
See the website for registration details and more information. Kudos to the Kenya Film Commission for sponsoring this.
If anyone reading this attends, please come back and report on how it went…
AOB: For more on the current state of animation in Africa, see this article.
Click here for details.
Mau Mau Research Centre and Prof. Maina wa Kinyatti cordially invite you to the launch of the Book - HISTORY OF RESISTANCE IN KENYA 1884-2002 authored by Maina wa Kinyatti on Friday 28th November 2008 between 5.30 - 7.30 pm at GOETHE-INSTITUT NAIROBI
Guest Speakers:
· Hon. James Orengo- Minister for Lands
· His Excellency Mr. Julio César Gónzález Marchante -Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Cuba
Peace Heroes is a great initiative to honor the unsung heroes during the post-election violence in Kenya (it’s also one of the groups running the alpha version of Ushahidi). The initiative is asking Kenyans to nominate “people who, during moments of crisis and violence, risked their own lives to save members of other communities,…reached out to neighbours or to those in camps, to give a helping hand…who launched peace initiatives, peace marches and [performed] symbolic acts around the country to restore the damage done and create positive change.”
While the headlines have been dominated by the perpetrators of the violence and what should happen to them, it is SO important to recognize the Kenyans who committed acts of peace…those were tough times when even the best of us found it hard to distance ourselves from the negativity…lets take the time to recognize those who in their own small way helped bring us back from the brink.
Nominate a Peace Hero today!
Gabi at 20 months, and full of storos. She’s always been a happy child and I’m thankful for that. 
Gabi 20 months
Paying your first dowry installment via the internet?
It is possible, with Mama Mikes….you HAVE to watch this video!
People are truly creative.
Two Kenyan activists Wangui Mbatia and and Ken Ochieng Onguka were arrested this morning at Jeevanjee gardens and charged this afternoon with “unlawful procession” at the Kibera Law Courts
They have been released on Kshs 20,000 cash bail.
The t-shirts were protesting the Kenyans MPs recent rejection of taxes (No taxes for MP’S - No taxes for Us’on their allowances) and the DVDs were urging Kenyans to push for the implementation of Waki. The DVDs and images of the t-shirts can be viewed at Marsgroup.
Ah Kenya, last week we had a day off to celebrate the triumph of change in America…this week we are arresting people who are peacefully advocating for change. Where is the outrage?
One of the best/most amazing things about Ushahidi has been the spirit of community that has surrounded it since its inception. We certainly wouldn’t be where we are today without the individuals who have stepped up to give generous amounts of their time and skill for no other reason other than the fact that they believe in what we are trying to build and accomplish (speaking of which, huge thanks to everyone who responded to my call for translators!).
As we work on de-bugging the alpha version and on building the archive of the Kenyan post-election crisis, we’d like to send a special shout out to two Kenyans - Wambui and Dipesh - who are helping us populate the archive by entering data from the numerous documents we have been collecting from local NGOs. We are still looking for more reports/pictures/video from that period - if you have stuff to update please enter it directly in to the legacy site or get in touch with us at: info-at-ushahidi-dot-com
After a week of scrambling we are finally going live today with an Ushahidi site dedicated to DRC. There has been quite a bit of media attention being paid to the renewed fighting in Eastern Congo and the resulting humanitarian crisis, but given the complexities of the situation we thought it would be worthwhile to try and get additional view points from people actually on the ground. For more details about the deployment, please see Erik’s post here.
At this point the site is still very much a work in progress, but we decided to go public given the urgency of the situation and fine-tune as we go along…I guess it’s becoming our trademark - rapid prototyping!
We really need your help getting the word out so that we can have robust data being submitted.
Also I’m desperate for English to French translators who are willing to help us translate incoming reports (website itself should be translated shortly). If you are interested (the workload will be light), please drop me a line - kenyanpundit-at-gmail
Like most of the rest of the world, I’m hoping that I’m waking up to a moment in history. Beyond the sheer glee of an Obama victory, there’s just the awesomeness of having been around during what will be one for the record books. During my student days I remember being wistful at times when hearing about historic leaders and historic times, and now there’s an opportunity to live it. A lot of ink has been spilled over why Obama is popular globally and just how disappointed people will be because of high expectations - I think that’s missing the larger point. Will Obama under-deliver, probably yes. But when was the last time an individual (especially that young people can relate to) inspired THE WORLD to think that things could be different and better, and that there is such a thing as a non-crappy politician?
And for those (Kenyans) who are being derisive about Kenyans trying to “own” Obama. Bah! Yes, it’s unrealistic to think that his election will change U.S. policy practically as far as Kenya goes, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Kenyans going overboard with Obama-mania and what he represents for us.
Now if only we can translate our aspirations for him to our aspirations for Kenyan leaders! Would Barack Obama have made it as a Kenyan politican (or even African) - almost certainly not…we excel in trashing intellectual, ethical, different, individuals who want to participate in public service. In Obama’s own words, “…For as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on earth is my story even possible.” Lets work to change this people.
Kudos America for doing the right thing and for reminding us that the American dream is still alive and well.