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May 16, 2008
1:35
Interesting Goings-on In ODM
From: You Missed This

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Yesterday an anonymous reader asked: “………Phil, I posed some questions to you and Chris, but you ignored me. Anyway, now Ruto is throwing the spanner in the works. Phil, what is going on in ODM????”

Well, well….here is an interesting piece from the The People on Sunday. It has so far not been denied by ODM Secretary General Anyang Nyongo, neither has the ODM Spokesman Salim Lone said anything. I do not want to be the one to speculate, but since we know powerful people within ODM (and PNU) read this blog religiously, there you are.

Isahakia Sabotaging Raila: The Man Odm Wants Out

Recent media reports (The People On Sunday May 4, 2008) about a fierce war by officers at the Premier’s office barely scratch the bottom of what is really at stake for Raila Odinga and ODM.

The man drawing discontent in the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is Dr. Mohammed Isahakia, erstwhile head of the ODM Presidential Campaign Secretariat, former director of National Museums of Kenya and former Permanent Secretary (PS) whom Moi sacked severally under controversial circumstances and now the re-invented boss at the critical PM’s office.

He is the only PS in the history of civil service re-appointed to public office while still facing misuse of office allegations in court in addition to being past retirement age. He is such a persona that his support base (Muslims) and party (ODM) fraternity do not want him near any decision–making but the Prime Minister is weighed down with him.

He is also the “enemy within” that party bigwigs and strategists tag for spirited sabotage manoeuvres of the ODM electioneering campaigns, misuse of campaign funds, fiasco in cabinet portfolio balance in power-sharing negotiations and short-changing in public service appointments, but who has been planted on the PM as his closest minder.

Recent reports of infighting within the PM’s office and disquiet within ODM hierarchy is but a tip of the iceberg as the PM faces credibility questions from his own party. Members of the Pentagon, cabinet ministers and large pools of professional support groups cite lack of integrity by officers in his office. Prime Minister Raila Odinga is indeed in danger of squandering an image build over the years as a man after real change in governance.

Premier’s Office in Disarray

The recent squabble might seem to be between Dr. Isahakia and Raila’s close political aide, the Secretary of Administration at the PM’s office, Mr. Caroli Omondi; but the gulf runs much deeper. On the PM’s instruction, Mr. Omondi wrote to the Justice Aaron Ringera-headed KACC asking for a brief on the controversially alleged handover of Grand Regency Hotel by Kamlesh Patni, of the Goldenberg infamy. Mr. Omondi, a lawyer and ODM liaison officer at the on-going Serena Mediation talks signed off as the “Chief of Staff” for the PM.

Apparently upset that Raila had overlooked him in “protocol”, Dr. Isahakia is said to have appealed to newfound confidante - the Head of Civil Service Mr. Francis Muthaura - to put the record straight on the pecking order at the PM’s office. Motivating Isahakia was the desire to spite the PM amidst suspicion that the PM is already overwhelmed by appeals to cut him loose. In an offhand rude putdown to Raila and Omondi, Muthaura - in the now-famous insolent manner he has come to treat the PM - did not let his buddy down; he was least bothered with courtesies and official channels.

He contemptuously let fly through the media his disdain for Raila; Muthaura was categorical that no one will bother with a reply since government structures had no “chief of staff” and only Dr. Isahakia could author such requests. This is despite the letter downright stating that “I have been directed by the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister…” Insubordination is the strategy to Muthaura has chosen to let the PM know his place.

The relationship between Muthaura and Dr. Isahakia is intriguing and a source of great anxiety within ODM. In the heat of disagreements over portfolio balance, the two were used as point’s men by President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila respectively in heated correspondence, when one-on-one meetings failed. Dr. Isahakia was the errand boy for ODM on “portfolio balance” in meetings with Muthaura for PNU. It through these engagements that the two developed a conspiratorial working rapport.

The Saboteur

Back to ODM portfolio balance negotiations, a red flag was first raised when media leaks begun to portray ODM as constantly conceding on its “irreducible minimum” in portfolio balance. Sources say that “coincidences were too many” when approved “portfolio balance” presentations to PNU were concisely substituted with new ones once in the hands of Isahakia.

“It was baffling. For instance, the strategists would work on a document and fine tune it for presentation. But between Isahakia’s offices for the PM’s approval, the document would acquire different proposals. Of course the PM would assume that the changes were by the strategy team as it had been presented to him!” said a distraught official. He cited the leak that portrayed ODM ceding Foreign Affairs, Internal Security and Finance to PNU even before any discussion was held as a fake document that was traced back to an Isahakia sidekick at Pentagon House.

It was determined that Isahakia had been “turned” in espionage to ensure a favourable deal for PNU because he was “too compromised” by his past. In his mole role, Isahakia was/has strategically been placed to feed Raila with misinformation. Henceforth Isahakia would not meet alone with Muthaura. He would be shadowed by Mr. Caroli Omondi, Dalmas Otieno and Amukowa Anagwe.

However, Isahakia would pull a first one; he recruited Dalmas Otieno and Amukowa Anagwe into his confidence. At Sagana where ‘portfolio balance’ was agreed only Isahakia and Muthaura and the two principals were present. It is noteworthy that not even the highest decision-making organ – Pentagon - at ODM was aware of Sagana. Subsequently Isahakia would evade ‘his tails’ in meetings with his new-found villain Muthaura to fine tune the agreement and finalise appointments to cabinet and civil service that has became the source of fury in ODM.

“It is uncanny how Isahakia connived to meet alone with Muthaura and agree on PS allotments and then tell a tall story as already plotted by them to the PM”, said an ODM MP.

Plot to Fix Raila’s Reputation

In a much Isahakia’s positioning is a source of ire, diehard supporters of the PM fear that it is an insidious long-term PNU plot to politically fix Raila. To begin with among the presidential candidates, it only the Raila Odinga who presented himself as “Mr. Clean” and on behalf ODM promised to fight corruption. In the campaigns, Raila would scold opponents as representing “business as usual” in reference to their alleged corrupt backgrounds in public perception.

“It comes as shocking and alarming to supporters that the PM has within his office people with stained and dubious reputations”, said a professional from Nyanza.

Supporters are worried that apart from Isahakia himself, the latter in complicity with Muthaura is busy recruiting into PM’s office wheeler dealer Tony Gachoka as a Senior Assistant Secretary for protocol and a Major Idris who left the armed forces procurement department under a dubious cloud as a Deputy Secretary. This is being done without following laid down procedures indicating the length head of public service, Muthuara is prepared to prop up his friend and go to have PNU-friendly insiders around the PM.

Most of PM’s close confidants are lost for words that their interventions to have the PM cut loose Dr. Isahakia have hit a brick wall. Dr. Isahakia continues to call the shots even as he continues, according to ODM insiders, “to mislead the PM into PNU traps at every corner”. It is in this light that Raila is said to be quietly shifting political responsibilities to Mr. Omondi prompting Isahakia to wage insurgency in cohorts with Muthaura.

“We sincerely do not know where the Captain got this man and why”, said an irate ODM Pentagon member when asked about Isahakia’s recruitment as campaign head adding he found the PS “lazy, manipulative and inopportune”. “He confessed to me that he knew nothing about managing campaigns and proved it”, he said.

“I can tell you the man is incapable of writing a simple memo”, said a former minister whose sentiments were supported by a member of ODM strategy team who had to re-draft “juvenile” memos from Isahakia.

“We don’t know this man’

However, insiders told us that Dr. Isahakia as the ODM Presidential Campaign Secretariat head was part of the deal in the contentious and debilitating “Muslim MOU” authored by NAMLEF, the Muslims lobby group that was at the centre of the debate during that 2007 campaigns. In the course of the campaigns, however, it transpired Dr. Isahakia abandoned the Muslim agenda and became a material broker for vested interests in the party nominations, especially Muslim parliamentary constituencies. Furthermore, the source claimed, campaign funds released to the area never reached the intended beneficiaries. They cite a case of Ksh.1m meant for a coordinator who only received Ksh200, 000 from Dr. Isahakia.

“He is responsible for the fiasco that saw us loose ground in North Eastern to PNU as he substituted strategic parliamentary candidates with his cronies in the area for some consideration. Somehow, most of his recommended candidates lost to PNU”, said a party strategist from the region who sought anonymity.

As if these were not enough, the Muslim community feels short-changed in the recent PS appointment by ODM which led to a delegation that asked the PM to fire his PS. Sources in NAMLEF say that Dr. Isahakia colluded with PNU to ensure that names for ODM Muslim appointees to PS positions, like the those from other regions, were replaced by PNU appointees.

Players in the on-going saga who fear that there is a larger PNU plot to isolate the PM from his support bases point out that PNU is already using its manipulation of PS appointments to its advantage in ODM support areas. “I can tell you that other than one Secretary, none of those PSs with Muslim names are ODM supporters”, said an NAMLEF official.

The story is the same everywhere; Kanu is busy taunting ODM in Rift Valley since all PS appointees are its supporters to the chagrin of ODM Kalenjin professionals. In Western, ODM was even upstaged by ODM-K and Ford-Kenya where they got one PS each to none for ODM! In addition, Kibaki retained his previous appointees.

More recently, there are unconfirmed reports circulating among Muslims that ODM cabinet and PS positions were “bought” for as much as Ksh30 million and Ksh20, 000 respectively.

‘Dirty Hands’

The insinuation of dirtied hands at the PM’s office goes back to the campaigns. The issue of misappropriation of campaign funds is not new. At the height of the campaigns, the media cited conflict of interest in the award of tenders at Orange House, the party headquarters. To date, the party secretariat has not accounted for the millions that aspirants on the ODM ticket paid as nominations fees.

What did not attract media attention; however, were the goings-on at the Presidential Campaign Secretariat headquarters then based at Dr. Isahakia’s private office at Titan House near Yahya Centre. Information now sipping out reveals that despite public perception that ODM was a well-funded machine; the presidential campaign had to operate from hand-to-mouth most of December as cartels at the secretariat under Dr. Isahakia’s command siphoned off millions in procurement deals that nearly derailed the campaign.

“You had the ‘Isahakia boys’ inflate transport, publicity and security procurements while major needs were left bleeding for want of money. Their trick was to ensure that the logistics for members of Pentagon campaigns teams were well executed to blindside them from seeing the sabotage from within”, we were told by a regional coordinator from Rift Valley.

He said Isahakia dillydallied with the roll-out for recruitment and training programmes for presidential agents in an act that many saw as sabotage. At the intervention of the strategy team, this task was personally delegated to Mr. Omondi by the presidential candidate. It is no wonder campaign tuff wars have been extended to the PM’s office.

Fraudulent deals

Another case darkens the clouds over Isahakia are revelations about an internal opinion poll that cost Ksh6 million. A member of the media team based at Raila’s private offices at Raila Odinga Centre (ROC) House in the Upper Hill area of Nairobi revealed that Isahakia recruited a former Kanu insider and PS Dr. Jeremiah Ngeno and made him “head of technical services”.

Dr. Ngeno was meant to be answerable to the high powered strategy team based at Rainbow House in Kawangware but never shared any information with it, choosing instead to chain himself at Isahakia’s Titan office. It turned out that Dr. Ngeno never carried out any field work for the opinion poll. Instead, our source said, the couple (Isahakia and Dr. Ngeno) teamed up with Dr. Simbili current PS Planning ministry at the PM’s office, and used rehashed data from the national sampling agency from the ministry.

The strategy team that used to advice on itinerary was shut out when it demanded to see the protocol for the poll, samples of questionnaires and tabulations. After evading the team’s demands Dr. Ngeno would secretly present “polling results” to the ODM candidate which was used to map out his campaign itinerary in the final days of the campaign. This ensured that the campaign was diverted into investing resources and time in useless trips to regions that had little added value. The heightened poll results showed PNU winning and thus panicked ODM into frantic campaigns.

Too late it would be discovered that in fact Dr. Isahakia, Dr. Ngeno and Dr. Sambili actually used poll results earlier commissioned by PNU through the Ministry of Planning under Dr. Sambili’s direction to mislead the ODM campaign. All this time, just like it would happen during the post-election negotiations with Isahakia, that time the candidate would be presented with a fait accompli that Dr. Ngeno was an emissary of the strategy team.

“Sack this man’

“At one time, people just got fed-up and told the Captain to fire Isahakia if he expected a win”, said a volunteer who worked at Rainbow House in the ODM strategy team.

“However, to our dismay almost all senior staff at the secretariat were fired except Isahakia”, the volunteer said addicting that the PS’s management style by deception and double-dealing has served him well, and that “you do not get into a dog-fight with Isahakia and win”.

Today, Dr. Sambili having been retained as PS Ministry of Planning in the Premier’s Office is working closely with Dr. Ngeno on harmonising party manifestoes for the Grand Coalition Government.

A minister whom Isahakia have worked under in the public service says that “yeye ni mutu wa kukupotosha” (he misleads you) and then pretends to be the one solving the problem.

“Isahakia uses bad-mouthing to the boss as a potent weapon. He has succeeded in isolating the PM from his trusted teams”, said a former PS now an ODM MP referring to the dismissal of long-serving Raila aides during the campaign ostensibly due to financial misappropriation. It is said Isahakia has mastered the art of passing the buck to his subordinates. He would set people up by goading them into a deal and then rush to “report”.

In this way Isahakia is said to have managed to get rid of former Raila PA Dave Arunga, and Head of Campaign Finance and ODM party secretary general Tony Chege. This was after he had instigated fallout between Raila’s personal assistant Serah Elderkin on one hand and Raila’s daughter Rosemary Akinyi who was the deputy to Director of Communications Kibisu-Kabatesi on the other. The latter two had questioned the opaque use of publicity money.

The bad blood between Isahakia and the strategy team, many whose names were dropped from PS appointments must be seen in this context. To completely obliterate the team’s central role in advising the Premier, Isahakia is lobbying that it be deployed to the party as departmental directors. Indeed, a source confirms that there is a plot to close Pentagon House, which is an important symbol for ODM.

Indeed, the PM is now surrounded by gatekeepers who are Isahakia cohorts. Information indicates that Isahakia is currently up in arms against a new structure in the PM’s office that donors have agreed to support. That the recent snide accusations that foreigners are “babysitting” the PM by PNU are part of his counter attack strategy so as not to lose influence on the PM.

Check out Kasarani.com, a new way to meet and keep in touch with Kenyans worldwide. You can even start your own blog on Kasarani! Click here to go to Kasarani.com now
May 15, 2008
12:57
Of Pretence and Betrayal
From: You Missed This

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The Grand Coalition Government is one political animal that is too big for its nest. The truth is that the PNU-ODM marriage of convenience ended immediately it was consummated. Kibaki had his face on the pact but his heart and intentions still lie elsewhere despite spirited pronouncements to the contrary. He was dragged into the pact by both international and local pressure.

Kenya is in EXTRAORDINARY state which needs EXTRAORDINARY leadership which Kibaki cannot offer. His apologists still shamelessly deride protesters who forced the THIEF to relent as uncivilized. Well, only myopia can sanitize fidelity to a skewed law. Kenyans are ahead of the THIEVES and PNU’s call to turn to the courts was a script delivered straight from political scoundrels.

Fraudulent company
Kibaki’s fraudulent mantra has loyal students in Mugabe and the junta in Burma. These are dinosaurs whose political relevance starts and ends with their marionette nature. Mugabe the independence hero was to Zimbabweans what Kibaki was to Kenyans in 2002. As soon as Kenyans delivered Kibaki to State House after two unsuccessful bids before, he embarked on unparalleled mission to TRIBALIZE Kenya than never seen before.

So here we are a country crying for leadership but our tears is being mocked by a scoundrel ruling by proxy and cronies. Well, sitting on a fraudulent pedestal denies you any trace of moral authority to govern. And no CEO leaves his subordinates to run the show downhill without lifting a finger. It is even worse when the very subordinates are privy to your soft underbelly. Only a miracle can have people pulling in different directions move in the same direction.

Kibaki's bane is traceable to his archaic mindset moulded in nostalgia of the 1950s. We belong to different generation and IMPUNITY and utter contempt of Kenyatta's time will be resisted with all the might and sweat. Kenyans demonstrated their might on December 27 last year only for the THIEF-IN-CHIEF to trash their democratic and birth right with all the bravado and impunity by stealing elections. Well, gloating you can but the time to account for collective and individual misdeeds is nigh. It is only a matter of when and not if.

Air force man's crazy mzungu woman fantasy led to tragedy

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4:22
The Real Culprits
From: You Missed This

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Guest Post By Sam O. Okello

Fellow Kenyans,

The other day I heard Martha Karua speak eloquently in support of Kalonzo Musyoka's contention that those who committed crimes against humanity during the horrible weeks after the stolen elections must be punished. I fully agree with these two characters, but only if everybody is indeed punished. I don't need to go over the manner in which the election was stolen. The arrogance and impunity speaks for itself. What Kenyans need to remember, before we embark on the administration of justice, is that there are levels of responsibility in the manner in which events unfolded. Here is my list of the levels.

1. President Kibaki. This man, back in 2002, was elected by Kenyans to unite the nation. His presidency brought Kenya tribal hatred, an economy skewed against the poor and an election that he refused to concede. Now, the reason Kibaki should face punishment before anybody else is...he was the head of state. He was the one whose security apparatus presided over the killing and maiming of innocent Kenyans. Had he chosen to walk away after losing the elections, nobody would have died. For him to now turn around and blame others for the mess he orchestrated tells us a lot about this man's character. What a shameless goon!

2. Samuel Kivuitu. This man presided over a sham election. He knew that Kibaki had lost the election and yet went ahead to declare him the winner. Did Kivuitu hope that Kenyans would just fold up and accept a stolen election? And just how much was he paid to swing the thing Kibaki's way? It's my contention that had Kivuitu not accepted a bribe, and had he not called the election for Kibaki, Kenyans would not have needlessly died. For him to still occupy the chairmanship of the ECK speaks to what kind of a man he is. How dumb!

3. John Michuki. This man was in charge of internal security. He led the police force in brutalizing Kenyans, killing men women and children. If it can be proved that he coordinated efforts with the Mungiki, then indeed this is the man who killed Kenyans. He is responsible for the atrocities the forces committed against Kenyans. For him to sit out there and pretend he is innocent makes a mockery of the judicial system in Kenya. Idiot.

4. Uhuru Kenyatta. I watched this man in Nakuru at the height of the election violence. He was on a track, ostensibly on a mission to bring peace to Nakuru. But his body language spoke about his true intentions. He was in Nakuru to cheer the murderous Mungiki on. What does he know about the Mungiki? What does he know about how the election theft was planned? What made him insist he was going to be in government several months before the elections? To the extent that Kenyans died, Uhuru Kenyatta cannot escape blame for helping orchestrate the game plan that led to the death of Kenyans.

5. General Ali. The police commissioner is a man I pity. It's now clear that he so deplored the tactics employed by the Kibaki people that he resigned. But he was marched back to work. He catches blame because as the man who is responsible for the actions of his officers, he should have stopped their murderous campaign. If he feared for his life, like I'm aware he was, he should have fled the country. Honor is a great thing, General.

Guys, that's my list. Now, I know there will be people who ask why Ruto's name doesn't make my list. It's for the same reason I leave out the Mungiki and the Kalenjin warriors who raided an Eldoret church and fought like hell to drive out the invading Mungiki. What I'm saying is that The Mungiki and The Kalenjin warriors were responding to events that were planned by the five culprits I mentioned above. Did you expect the Kalenjin warriors to sit by and watch the wholesale slaughter of their children and wives? Did you expect the Mungiki to watch as their community in the diaspora was decimated by the rest of Kenya? I don't think so. These brave boys all fought to protect their people...even if they did it for the wrong reasons. By fighting like they did, they fought other people's wars. They fought a war planned by Kibaki's people.

So when the time comes to punish the evil people, we must start with Kibaki and go down the chain. This situation where the people who planned the evil are excused and the small man who valiantly fought to defend himself is blamed will not stand. It may now, but as sure as the sun sets in the east, it will only breed more discontent and will bring us the next implosion.

Is anybody listening?

If you are, here is my proposal. Punish Kibaki and his team, the people who led us down this path, or let the boys in prisons across Kenya go. We will not allow the fat cats to dump their foolishness on the small man. And to the small man, the time has come to think of Kenya in different terms. Aren't we tired of fighting the wars of these tycoons? Why do we kill each other for them?

I ask the Mungiki leadership, the young Luos around the world, the Kalenjin warriors, the youthful Luhya Brigade and the Coastal Vijana to rethink their political and economic situation. Maybe the time has come to worry about a future beyond these people. Maybe Luke Mboya is right to ask for a shift in our thinking. Maybe only younger leaders will save us.

Terrible secrets from rich Asian households

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May 14, 2008
14:44
Sanity Behind Balanced Success
From: You Missed This

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11:46
Breaking News: Cabinet Minister's Son Killed In Crazy Freak Accident
From: You Missed This

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News just in is that the son of a prominent politician and cabinet minister in the grand coalition government was killed just a few hours ago in a crazy freak accident.

The 23 year old lad was killed by a falling helicopter that hit him and then dragged him several meters before finally trapping him under the intense heat of the burning fuselage. Apart from the 3 occupants of the helicopter who were all killed, the young Kenyan was the only person on the ground killed.

Eyewitnesses say that the victim was not able to hear the falling helicopter because he was listening to music on stereo earphones. Apparently he had just stepped out for a walk.

The accident occurred in Cranbrook BC, Canada.

The dead Kenyan was identified as Isaiah Otieno (23) who was a student at the College of the Rockies. Isaiah is believed to be the son of cabinet minister Dalmas Otieno. As you read this the parents are said to be making hasty arrangements to fly out to Canada from Kenya. My sources in Kenya close to the family say that he is the son of one of the politician's younger wives.

What are the chances of being hit by a falling helicopter? One in 10 million? It is for this reason that there is no doubt that tongues will be wagging overtime in Nyanza with all sorts of mambo jumbo conspiracy stuff and superstitious theories. How insensitive Kenyans can be sometimes.

I take this opportunity on behalf of myself and all Kumekuchans to communicate our deep and sincere condolences to the family and friends of this young Kenyan who no doubt had a lot of promise before him. Our prayers go out to those who were close to him at this time of shock, disbelief and inconsolable grief.

Read the full story HERE

A recent photo of the late Isaiah Otieno
6:26
Kimunya's Budget: Daylight Robbery?
From: You Missed This

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Following recent comments on this blog about skewed national resource allocation and suggestions to bloggers to send-in proposals to Treasury which they feel might be included into the forthcoming government financial year budget, the following is reposted here at Kumekucha for the benefit of the many Kenyan citizens and tax payers who visit this blog. This is an opportunity for patriotic citizens to show that they can also, in their own small way, play a constitutionally given role in shaping the destiny of this country.

NOTICE ON PROPOSALS FOR THE BUDGET FOR F/Y 2008/2009

This article was first published at Bungle La Mwananchi.

Mwananchi 2008/9 Budget-Put your Thumprint!

Bunge La Mwananchi proposes that the Government's budget should be balanced at 60:40 where 60% is development and 40% recurrent expenditures.

Kenya's 2008/9 budget year (commencing 15th June, 2008) is almost here!

Bunge La Mwananchi (Kenya People's Parliament ) is working on delivering a MWANANCHI BUDGET before Hon. Amos Kimunya gives us the GRAND POLITICAL BUDGET.

In this regard, we are currently studying previous years' budgets to identify trends and priorities in Government expenditures so as to bring those areas into sharp focus. Bunge La Mwananchi proposes that the Government's budget should be balanced at 60:40 where 60% is development and 40% recurrent expenditures.

Let me give you a sneak preview of some of the things we are discovering:

For the last 5 years, the State House budget allocation for transport has been as follows:

Firstly, State House is said to have 149 official cars. This is not easy to establish, but for argument's sake we will work with the figure of 149 cars. Further, each car is budgeted to consume 114 litres of fuel per day. Surely, besides maybe the President's Limousine, there is no car in Kenya that has the tank capacity of over 100 litres of fuel. Even further investigation reveals that all that is required to account for the 114 litres of fuel used per day, is for one to produce a receipt for that amount of litres from any petrol station. A rather dubious accounting mechanism that raises alot of questions in any self respecting audit. To qualify that, the account's receipt doesnot show the automated fuel pump's reading.

Taking it further, we will recall that in the last 5 years, save for the Referendum and the General Election which were ostensibly not Government affairs but political parties affairs, President Kibaki did not travel from State House much. If you do some quick math of amount of fuel allocated over that period of time (149 cars X 114 litres of fuel per car per day X 365 days X 5 years) you will arrive at a whooping 30,999,450 litres of fuel. Take it a step further and translate that into shillings at an average of 65/= per litre... K.Shs. 2,014,964,250. Yes, it is over K.Shs. 2 billion...

And that is only one area of one government department's expenditure. A literal tip of the iceberg. You would be shocked if you dug deeper into other departments and contextualized the findings!

The billion shilling question is, where did all this fuel really go? Who might have spent the EXTRA money and on what?

Fellow Kenyans and friends of Kenya, we must not allow this kind of loop holes in the management of our taxes and resources to go on unchallenged. General save face statements from the Finance Minister in assessing past financial years must no longer be accepted unaudited. Bunge La Mwananchi urges you to consider looking at our previous budgets, especially the last 5 years and find out areas where we should expose the Government's fraudulent expenditures so that we can identify mis-allocated resources and earmark priority areas in which to put to use the "recovered" money in developing Kenya.

Bunge La Mwananchi envisages an adjusted and practical budget that results in the national Constituency Development Fund (CDF) receiving a boost of as much K.Shs. 200 billion for the 2008/9 financial year and thereby allow each constituency to receive at least KSh. 1 billion for constituency

We urge you to study the previous budgets, make your proposals and leave your thumbprint on the 2008/9 budget. Let us also utilize Bunge La Mwananchi website www.bulamwa.co.ke discussion forums to further deliberations.

In the setting the agenda for our leaders,

George Nyongesa
Bunge La Mwananchi
+254 720 451 235
www.bulamwa.co.ke
May 13, 2008
18:33
Raise the Bar, Expose Kibaki’s Incompetence
From: You Missed This

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Reverse logic has an uncanny tendency to look rosy and smell sweet yet underneath lies its potent poison. Take Kenya as a country and the dearth of leadership offered by pretenders to leadership as personified by one DECEPTIVE and INCOMPETENT Mwai Kibaki. Supporters of Kibaki can only succeed in offering his spineless apology by hanging on Raila’s every move. Kibaki’s loyalists live in self denial exemplified by their readiness to catch political cold anytime Raila sneezes.

Juvenile pride of comparing your dad’s hypothetical prowess with others is best and safe inside your skull until it is exposed for what it is. Kenyans have a president whose every move smells nothing but INEPTITUDE and incompetence. But tell that to Kibaki's loud-mouthed choir boys and girls and the only magic wand their hand can wave is comparative logic disguised as cleverly-clothed epithets that iss meant to gloss over the DECEPTIVE ways of their sorry face for a human being.

There are leaders and LEANERS. Our THIEF-IN-CHIEF Kibaki definitely belongs to the later category. Emilio’s supporters unwittingly subscribe to what the Germans call schadenfreude - that evil little pleasure you draw from your competitor’s slip (imagined or real) with the prime objective of covering your personal inadequacies. Theirs is akin to American Republicans rejoicing in the raunchy revelations about Bill Clinton and his favourite intern Monica Lewinsky.

Commanding deranged spouse
Often shallow criticisms of Raila among Kibaki’s loyalists amounts to lesser minds reducing a superior competitor to their level and promptly beating her with the primitive experience. Examples abound of schadenfreude among spectators of sport displayed overtly or covertly. Just ask any Chelsea or Arsenal fun what ails Manchester United and your cup will be left overflowing with litany of fictional inadequacies dressed as pseudo facts. The singular reason being poorly clothed envy –comeuppance, the great medicine for our own ills.

No great leader ever led by proxy nor innuendos. Reactionaries are best known for their gaffes and least for their creativity. Being proactive is an alien doctrine in their arsenal of vices. You cannot claim leadership of a country when your backyard is exclusively commanded by a deranged spouse who cannot be rehabilitated by the best doctors at Mathare mental facility.

Give Raila all the Roman Holidays (English version of Schadenfreude) you wish but the truth remains your idol for THEFT extraordinaire won’t smell any fresher. He may hide his LETHAL INADEQUACIES in such catchy buzzwords as delegation but none of that will sanitize his incompetence.

Even from her deathbed, she was determined to snatch away her best friend's husband

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9:10
Raila's Eventful Homecoming Bash: What Would He Have Done Different?
From: You Missed This

Read This Entry & More At You Missed This
By Kumekucha Correspondent
Although I admire Prime Minister Raila Odinga for the selfless role he played in widening the democratic space in Kenya, championing the cause of the voiceless and the statesmanship he showed when President Kibaki stole an election victory from him, his just-concluded homecoming party in Kisumu failed to address pertinent issues that directly affect his own people.

Judging by the furious reactions that greet any comments perceived by his fanatical supporters to be negative, I’m aware that what I’ll say here will not be sweet music to them. But that is democracy. As much as Raila’s supporters are entitled to their own views, they should in the same breadth respect alternative views – whether they agree with them or not.

Raila’s home-coming party was of major significant. He was the second person after Mzee Jomo Kenyatta to occupy the post of PM. Raila is a man who has selflessly fought for democracy for the Kenya people. He has been detained for a total of eight years by retired President Moi. Raila has spent more years of his political career in the Opposition than in the Government. And he won the hearts of many Kenyans and the international community when President Kibaki shamelessly stole the presidency from him in the last December 27 General Election and he humbled himself to the lesser post of PM for the sake of the Kenyan people and the nation.

The new PM deserved the home-coming bash. However, Raila home-coming parties on Saturday and Sunday largely dwelt on raw politics and self-glorification. Matters that directly affect millions of lives in the Luo Nyanza - development and economy, education, the shameful poverty, the untapped fishing industry that is Lake Victoria’s goldmine for Luos, the need to tone down high-voltage politics by the residents of Nyanza and go back to their farms and businesses to uplift their living standards, etc etc – took a back seat. The home-coming parties were turned into a hero-worshipping affair and Raila loved it.

Being a PM with executive powers and with the majority MPs in Parliament, Raila wasted a good opportunity over the weekend for he failed to explain to his people how they will benefit from the Coalition Government he laboured so hard to put in place. Had I been in Raila’s position, I would have seized the occasion to tell my people my vision for uplifting the economy of Nyanza and the pathetic living standards in the region.

Kenyans watched Raila on TV being at pains to explain to his supporters which of his MPs got which ministry portfolio. That’s fine. But he should have gone ahead and explained what benefits his people were going to reap by having the region represented in key decisions of the coalition government.

Had I been Raila, I would have told the huge crowd that turned up to fete him that I would convene a meeting of political leaders, professionals and top brains from the region to come up with a blue-print of turning around the economy of the region for the benefit of the common man. Raila must realise that his supporters can’t feed on raw politics from January to December year in year out.

It’s a known fact that Nyanza region – especially Luo Nyanza – lags behind in development despite producing some of Kenya top brains. The region has been neglected by successive post-independence governments and this has been linked to the abrasive kind of politics played by leaders from the region.

I liked Raila’s plea to his supporters to change their long-held mentality of being in the Opposition and know that they were now firmly in the Government. Since Kenya attained independence in 1964, Luo Nyanza has been the bedrock of Kenya’s Opposition and this has impacted negatively in the economic development of the region.

Together with Thika, Luo Nyanza has the highest rate of HIV/AIDs infections in the country. Apart from individual performances by students, Luo Nyanza scores poorly in overall performance in national examinations. After Kenya attained independence, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta’s rallying call to his own Kikuyu community was that they should go back to their farms. He also spoke about hard work every time he took the podium to address his people. Luo Nyanza needs water supply, good infrastructure, industries etc.

Instead of sitting down and mourning about neglect, leaders of this region should sit down and chart the way forward for their community. This should have been the focus of Raila’s key note address to his people.

How will the Luo community or other communities benefit from their MP flying the flag? It’s time it dawned on Kenyans who abandon their daily chores at the expense of politics that the real beneficiary of ministerial and public service appointments are the individuals and their immediate family, and sometimes a few of friends and sycophants.

The thousands who turned up at the home-coming parties should reflect on what they personally achieved after braving the scotching sun to give Raila a hero’s welcome, crown him a Luo elder and listen to empty political speeches. Next time an MP or a Cabinet Minister or the PM holds such a bash, the people who will attend should tell the politician that: “we are happy you have realised your political dreams, but now tell us how we, as your loyal supporters, are going to benefit from the job we fought so hard for you to get.”

The benefits of the public offices held by the MPs should trickle down to the common man just in the same way the MPs keeps demands that the benefits realised by the Government trickled down to the common man. It’s not a question of MPs bursting their bellies with food while the people who fought for them to get the plum jobs die of shameful poverty.

Unless Raila dwells less on being glorified like a semi-god and focuses more on real issues that affect his subjects in Luo Nyanza and the rest of Kenya, he’ll realise when its too late that he is on a self-destruction path.
Crazy goodbye for dumped byfriend who loved too much

Even from her deathbed, she was determined to snatch away her best friend's husband

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May 12, 2008
22:28
Equity Bank in Raila's Hometown
From: You Missed This

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Bondo, right? On it's way to Busia. You decided to miss this. Raila presided over its opening, or so I read. There was even a photo of him and Dr Mwangi of said Equity looking at an ATM machine. Wakenya tumeanza kutoka huko kunaitwa mbali.

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16:07
Thanking The Stone Throwers and Road Barricaders
From: You Missed This

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While totally leaving out the panga wielding head and limb decapitators, looters of radios and bread, title deeded land displacers, arsonists and everyone else who aimed a rock at anyone else other than the riot police or military, I too think it's about time we thank and congratulate the thousands of Kenyans who jammed the streets in protest of the stolen vote.
Were it not for these aggrieved folks who take their vote very seriously, we would be living in greater agony and misery today. While we cannot yet tell whether their sacrifices will bare true fruits of change, we must continue to tip our hats to them every time we pass them on the streets. Yes fellas, that's where they still are, on the streets; jobless, disillusioned and anxiously waiting for expeditious change.
When some of you thought the poll date was a public holiday for eating roasted poultry, some jobless fella from Kariobangi was sweating profusely while queuing under the sun waiting to exercise his most important democratic right.
When some of you crawled under your mahogany king sized beds at the sound of a gun shot, a hungry warrior of democracy from Kibera was hauling a fist sized rock at the protectors of the status quo i.e. the police.
When some of you sat on plush comfortable sofa sets watching with glee as Kibaki stole the vote on HD TV, some hapless jamaa was receiving a thorough thrashing by GSU officers on the very grounds of KICC under the cover of darkness brought about by a very convenient power blackout.
When some of you, secure in foreign lands, shed crocodile tears to appease yourselves, some youngsters were busy tearing down the railway lines that feed Uganda, a country led by a supporter of despots.
You see, civil disobedience and public expression of anger at political excesses are some of the cornerstones of democracy. Kenyans must be free to shout their lungs out and vent until their heads explode…at every opportunity. Violence and anarchy directed at fellow citizens solely because of their opposing political persuasion must be discouraged by all means, however, it must be encouraged if directed towards emerging despotic regimes conjured up in the lush backyard of one big white house on State House Road. To say no to such wild backyard shenanigans safeguards the legacy of all those who sacrificed their lives for a better Kenya. Yes folks, Kenya does have heroes. To have accepted the topping up of vote results at KICC without throwing a few stones here and there would have confined their deaths to vain.
I know most of you subscribe to the peaceful principals of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King…but truth be told, even the Dalai Lama himself could have caught a bullet in the corridors of State House during those tumultuous weeks. We all witnessed the shabby treatment meted out on some international visitors of goodwill. The creativity of some phrases used to terrify the ambassadors of peace still baffles me today. People like Desmond Tutu technically fled the country vowing never to return. Now, here's a man of God who's been running away from apartheid's rubber bullets for many years... only to visit Kenya in peace and be forced to sprint past the JKIA terminals like a cat on fire towards his emergency one way flight back to South Africa. Wasn't peace given a chance?
The frankness of the matter is that violence eventually breeds peace. Whether or not this is the type of peace we envisioned is a debate for another day. At times it feels like some of our warriors of democracy died so that a few monkeys can become ministers.

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10:09
Why Did The Media Give Raila Incident a Blackout?
From: You Missed This

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Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s homecoming over the weekend was quite an event.

It started off as a very colorful affair. Even our very own Phil briefly reported from Kisumu as the festivities were kicking off. And then suddenly it is like somebody switched the lights off. Everything went quiet. Even the usually brave KTN went silent over what really happened in Kisumu on Saturday. Although the group newspaper, The Standard tried to tell a little of the story.

Actually the shocking events that transpired in Kisumu were perhaps the most significant political development since December last year when Mwai Kibaki in the face of defeat made a decision to steal the elections.

For the first time in his long political career, Raila Amolo Odinga was jeered and there were even very audible boos from the charged crowd as he spoke. And all this was happening right in the heart of Kisumu. Analysts including this blogger watched in disbelief as Raila struggled through what should have been a comfortable victory homecoming speech. Many times he fell back into Dholuo in an effort to win back the charged crowd and sway them to his way of thinking.

Interestingly it had earlier been announced that the guest of honour at the ceremony would be President Kibaki. It was just as well that he did not turn up, because judging from the mood of the people, things would have been very nasty for him.

Many people spoke and it seemed that the more anti-Kibaki a speaker was, the more the crowd liked them. Charity Ngilu for instance received a rousing welcome when she stepped up to mikes to make her speech. In fact the cheers were wilder than what even Raila himself received when he stood up to speak. Agriculture minister and ODM kingpin William Ruto ran into problems during his brief remarks when he mentioned President Kibaki’s name. He was trying to talk about the partnership between Raila and Kibaki. The people shouted him down until he was forced to withdraw the president’s name from his utterances. At one point the razor sharp Ruto told the crowd jokingly; Munataka nifutwe (do you people want me to be sacked?)

When Raila Odinga stood up and also started talking about the partnership with President Kibaki and PNU he was for the first time, since he was born, shouted down by the massive crowd right in Kisumu, his own hometown where he is supposed to have near-fanatical support.

Raila was at pains again the next day in his Bondo home trying to explain why it was important to work with PNU.

This blogger has taken some time since Saturday to make contact with various sources on the ground and especially those who were at the meeting on Saturday. What they have told me has shocked me beyond belief.

They say that the people are very determined that Kisumu will have nothing to do with President Kibaki and PNU. In fact sources in Luo Nyanza went as far as bluntly saying that Raila may not have a political future if he continues supporting and defending PNU. They add that the people are very angered that Raila should speak to them as if nothing happened in Kisumu. As if hundreds of people did not lose their lives. In fact it is now emerging that apart from shooting protestors, people dressed in police uniform also drowned some protestors in the waters of Lake Victoria. It looks like the idea was to ensure that there were no bodies found to raise the body count of the dead in the Kisumu fracas shortly after the disputed elections. People are saying those wounds are still too raw for them to contemplate Raila working with President Kibaki or PNU.

Interestingly in another incident President Kibaki himself was jeered by people from his own Kikuyu community at the Eldoret stadium during his joint visit to IDPs with Prime Minister Raila Odinga about 2 weeks ago.

Analysts are now saying that the most dangerous thing about the current coalition government is the fact that the two main leaders have angered their troops to such an extent that they can no longer count on full backing and support from their loyalists on the ground. That in itself is very scary indeed.

To make matters worse there is a looming crisis the country is about to face which will make matters a lot more uglier.

Impeccable sources have informed Kumekucha that most experts on the Kenyan economy concur that the economy will not recover from the post election troubles. Folks what we are about to see in our dear country is suffering on a scale that has never been witnessed before. More details of what to expect in Kenya over the next few months are in my raw notes.

Already the danger signals are there. Inflation has officially hit the 26% mark (although experts say that in reality it is well over 30%.)

Actually it does not take a genius to realize that the country’s economic recovery is very unlikely indeed. The country’s breadbasket has literally disappeared and the IDP problem is rapidly escalating into a very serious crisis indeed. Meaning that it will take a long time to restore normal flow of food crops from the Rift Valley.

Tourism seems to be in even bigger problems. The world economy is slowly slipping into the kind of depression that is unprecedented and tourist number are likely to be very badly hit let alone traffic to a country that many still do not consider to be too safe.

Nobody can predict what the full political impact of all this will be, but Raila Odinga reception in Kisumu last Saturday was just another sign of things to come.
Girl's creative goodbye as she dumps boyfriend
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May 10, 2008
19:43
The Legacy of a Deceptive, Shameless President
From: You Missed This

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Portfolio and protocol fiascoes have jointly given birth to a bouncing bonding baby. And Kibaki took the opportunity to read the riot act during the delivery of this new kid on the political block. The naked truth remains the fact that all his platitudes and hollow high sounding orders are all premised on DECEPTION. Unless old Emilio subscribes to the adage of set a thief to catch a thief.

Reading warning against grand corruption and Kibaki on the same sentence can only leave you raking your head for sanity. This is one SHAMELESS face and soul who epitomizes grand THEFT so much so that appearing to condemn the same vice amounts to unwittingly placing his own head on the chopping block. No sane parent would dare lead his kids by example and from in front laden with lies. But then this is Kenya ruled by a dinosaur whose model of leadership is packaged exclusively with IMPUNITY and utter contempt for his citizens.

They say your soul is the engine on which your community rides. Kibaki has roped his tribesmen, both old and young, to sing in praise of his birthday suit as a marvellous and unparalleled piece of fabric. The homeboy mentality has been internalized so much so that the rest of Kenyans are considered mere appendages populating this geographical entity called Kenya. Domination is the underlying script and primitive wealth accumulation makes its lyrics. Woe unto you who dare point this unpleasant fact out for you risk having your face plastered in all shapes and forms of bigoted vitriol.

Keeping trusted company
Selective application of the law is the genesis of social and legal decadence. The THIEF-IN-CHIEF’s warning ministers to shun grand corruption while he is squarely perched on a fraudulent pedestal is the height of moral shamelessness. But then who cares when you have a faithful and cheering gang sharing similar dicta. Kenya's Janjaweed president is ridding high on his devilish horse and enjoying right company.

No wonder Samuel Kivuitu can afford to consign thousands of lesser Kenyans to their early graves secure in the knowledge that Kibaki won’t dare compare the pot and the kettle’s bottom. The good work tooled in deception of all shades must continue. But not for long given the present Kenya with her resilient and informed population. Believe whatever strokes your ego because beliefs just like opinions are free but only facts remain sacred.

PS: Speaking of JANJAWEED, ati Avgrant who? There are LEADERS and LEANERS. We are the CHAMPIONS AGAIN, mtado? Moscow here we come in 10 days. Woe unto anything Chelsea-YES WE CAN. CR=Golden boot=Best goal of the year (Screamer vs Portsmouth)=Fans player of the year=Players' player of the year=Sports writers' player of the year again. Wake me up when Moscow arrives.

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6:48
Tribalism is a State of Mind
From: You Missed This

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I lost my uncle last week so I had to travel for the burial (which took place on Wednesday, 7th May). Being the first born of my uncle’s elder brother it behooved me to attend, however far I was.

My uncle lived at Ongata Rongai and he was a former production manager at Bomas of Kenya.

I arrived a day before the burial and found the burial committee praying in the main house. The leader of the prayers was a luo woman. After the prayers she encouraged the children of the deceased to know that they are not alone or should not consider themselves as out and lost; But that they had a shoulder to cry on.

It was a time charged with so much emotion. After the luo woman, there stood another luo woman and thereafter a luhya man, each saying things of utter import during that trying time for the family.

As I sat listening and thinking, I was mesmerised by the beauty of it all (the pain of losing my uncle notwithstanding!). Never before had I thought that I would ever see Kikuyus and Luos working towards a common goal, hand in hand and peacefully.

Some of these luos and luhyas worked under my uncle at Bomas. They heaped praise upon praise on my deceased uncle saying how good he’d been blah…blah…blah..

When the committee was through with its business, most people went outside. I was left in the main house talking to my cousins. In mid-conversation, a bespectacled old man (in his sixties) came to where I was and extended his stiff hand. I took it and responded to his greeting.

He sat down next to me and asked whether I was the cousin who lived in (…!…). I answered in the affirmative.

He told me that his first name was George (and a luo from Nyanza). He added that he had travelled all the way from Nyanza to attend the burial of his friend, my uncle.

He told me the far that he and my uncle had come. I was mesmerised at how fondly he described their friendship. Throughout the talk, I did not detect any trace of hypocrisy in George.

On Wednesday we travelled to Kikuyu country (a certain part of Murang’a) for the burial.

The Catechist who led the burial ceremony was a luhya. He simply amazed me when he decided to use both Kikuyu and Kiswahili in the leading of the service. His Kikuyu is so good that he could pass for a Kikuyu who was born in Luhyaland!

On the bus to Nairobi, after the burial, my mind was abuzz.

Does the “cure” to tribalism and tribal hatred lie in pulling down the stereotypes that we have of others? (The thought that screams out loud saying that this is what I think you are and nothing, whatsoever, can change me to think otherwise! )

Honestly, the present state of affairs is not the kind of environment I would like my children to grow up in. But what can I (we) do?

I am confused…

P.S. Kumekucha is mentioned at Kenya Imagine

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May 09, 2008
12:33
Kibaki's Impending Billion Shilling IDP Resettlement Crisis.
From: You Missed This

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Kibaki has been telling us that his government has set aside billions upon billions of Kenyan shillings for the purposes of resettling IDPs. Fat checks will be distributed to a segment of our population who were suddenly and violently impoverished in the aftermath of a stolen election, jealousy, historical injustices, land issues, war mongering etc. The recipients of these monies may use it to rebuild their lives, homes and businesses.

Any astute Kenyan citizen privy to the daily unending struggles being relived in IDP camps must agree that it is indeed prudent to financially assist our fellow brothers and sisters achieve some kind of pre-election normalcy. It is such welfare programs that identify progressive governments. It is in fact the duty of any government to ensure and protect the sanctity and continuity of life after natural and man-made calamities. All humane taxpayers must support and approve the endeavor to save our little innocent girls from the rape and mayhem associated with life in the IDP camps scattered all over the country.

Now back to Kenya. Sadly, most of us are currently preoccupied with arguments of whether or not IDPs should be welcomed back to their homes without local consultations. What of the sanctity of title deeds? Historical injustices? So who are IDKs? Constant security? These are all important questions that must be debated, however, we are neglecting the one billion dollar question that is bound to alienate our displaced folks to perpetuity.

The way I see it, while land and death are extremely emotional issues, neither is more explosive than money. Yes folks, money is the common denominator. We may have a government with progressive ideas but I wonder how progressive the minds of it's citizens really are. A time is coming when the fat checks will start trickling down to the freshly resettled neighbors. Now we all agree that 99.9% of the IDPs are GEMA related. Even if the other 0.1% got double doses of IDP cash, the perception among other Kenyans is obvious.

My intention is not to excite emotions, rather it is to prepare you for the coming years of increased resentment. Stories of how Kibaki stole the elections with intentions of pumping billions upon billions of taxpayer monies to Kikuyus will never end….especially if this money is used wisely to further increase the domination of the economy. People will easily forget the burning of citizen in churches and instead dwell on the brand new shiny mabati roofs spotting the Rift Valley scenery. For understandable security reasons, tribal gated communities may even prop up in some areas. Of course there are other underlying issues, such as why the money should go through Equity Bank or who will steal what at what time.

Picture this: For assorted reasons, Kiptanui violently evicts his neighbor Kamau, taking over his partially burnt house and land. A couple of months down the line, Kiptanui is arrested and jailed as Kamau is resettled and given enough money to put up a semi permanent home with shiny mabati roofs. The remaining cash is used to educate Kamau's children and possibly start a prosperous matatu business. In the meantime, the Mungiki leader is released as Kiptanui continues to rot in prison. While in prison, Kiptanui's wife secures a housemaid job in Kamau's prosperous household. Here, she is made to eat while seated on the kitchen floor as she's reminded of the evils of her husband and the fact that her kids cannot afford education. Time goes by and the police believe that Kiptanui has learnt his lesson. He's then released. A few weeks later Kiptanui and Kamau meet at the market and in the spirit of coalition, they hug and pretend to forget past injustices. It's obvious that Kiptanui is twenty times worse off financially while Kamau, despite loosing a few relatives, is ten times richer. Naturally, as Kiptanui sits on a stool under his leaky grass thatched hut, he sharpens his arrows in readiness for the next opportunity. This time, he'll take over a mabati roofed house. Kamau on the other hand keeps vigil armed with an arsenal of the best firearms money can buy. Having been given a second chance at life, he's well aware a third one will never come.

Now multiply that story by about a million times. Is it possible to permanently appease both Kamau and Kiptanui? Is Kibaki (and Raila) expected to provide guidance and can he do so with gusto?

It's my sincere hope that we choose the progressive way and allow our friends to be resettled in peace.

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May 08, 2008
14:54
IDPs Doing Commerce With Their Misery
From: You Missed This

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It came as no surprise to see IDPs camping in Nakuru showground demanding compensation as a prerequisite to returning their homes. And why not? This lot are well aware they are in safe company. They are merely joining in the grand rape of Kenyans secure in the knowledge that IMPUNITY and DECEPTION are two vices that define the present regime as personified by the THIEF-IN-CHIEF. At least the IDPs are honest by not pulling wool over our faces in their being readiness to sell their soul to the highest bidder.
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See also; Shocking link between quick Grand Regency sale to Libyans and elections 2007
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Deception disguised as commerce is a sure recipe to communal friction and even war. Morality is an alien virtue to a people singularly and uniquely defined by their shamelessness to auction their hearts for the right pieces of silver. Just join the DECEPTIVE dots and you won’t fail to see why other Kenyans are in no mood to entertain a cohort hell bent on making hay at the rumours of sun’s rays.

Truth has an uncanny tendency to taste stale to scoundrels and liars. They readily denigrate this time-tested virtue as sounding like a stuck record. Fortunately TRUTH NEVER MUTATE. Instead it dutifully turns bounces back to hit the faces of the few who have traces of element of shame. Pursuit of wealth at whatever cost while ridding roughshod on the backs of others makes THIEVES shamelessly brand their victims as lesser bread of entrepreneurs. The calculative lot will promptly brand any genuine complaints directed at them as noise from lazy and jealous masses. No wonder they had no qualms tagging a whole country not sharing their deceptive ways as practitioners of DOMO theatrics.

By resorting to bandage solutions, Kibaki and PNU are simply caving in to immense pressure to settle their voting block. Meanwhile they remain oblivious of the fact that there are unwittingly postponing a problem instead of confronting it head on. The power of the gun may succeed in intimidating a people but it cannot cultivate peace needed to co-exist. The 30 or so police stations will soon be host to hungry policemen cutting a deplorable picture of starving hoard of cops. To this abrasive gang the sight of policemen guarding grass at Uhuru Park for weeks on end was not embarrassing enough. All the choreographed and forced resettlement is one poison that is assured to generate more hate, anger, resentment and bitterness.

Killing spouse for insurance cover
The unpleasant truth remains the fact that SETTLER and HOST communities is an idea that can only be wished away by fools. Hon James Orengo told it as it is without blinkers or sugar coating it. His call only amplified the general feeling in the wider Rift Valley. Predictably he was condemned by those who would wish to have the cancer mutate on its own as it slowly kills the patient by instalment without any diagnosis. The willing-buyer willing-seller banter is an old song bereft of any danceable lyrics.

The IDPs stake on compensation is akin to a spouse readiness to kill his/her partner with the eye singularly trained on insurance cover. Kenyans have been serially taken to these murderous rides before. But not any more and selective application of the law won’t wash this time round. The cure lies in accepting the fact that Kenya belongs to all Kenyans and no single community can lord over others. The medication is EQUITABLE distribution of our resources.

Those who derive pleasure in BANDAGE solutions will readily and predictably reduce this truism to ethnic bashing. But refusing to measure up and instead reducing a challenge to your lower level and consequently beat it by experience is the epitome of reverse logic. Indulge and bring it on.

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8:28
Kibaki’s Re-election Campaign Bribe Behind the Hurried Secret Sale of Grand Regency to Libya
From: You Missed This

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KUMEKUCHA RED HOT EXCLUSIVE

Fresh details which emerged today regarding the secret and hurried plans by President Kibaki to sell off the landmark Grand Regency Hotel to a Libyan company revealed the grand corruption that riddled PNU campaigns in the December 27 General Election.

It emerged that the sale revolves around a secret Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) President Kibaki signed with Libya’s President Muammar Gaddafi during a three-day visit to Libya last June as part of his global plans the raise funds to run his re-election.

Libyan Leader Muammar Qaddafi with President Mwai Kibaki when he bade him farewell after his three day visit in Sirte, Libya.
President Kibaki had lost favour in the traditional Western friends of Kenya and his following at home had taken a nose-dive due to his poor leadership and his involvement in the Anglo Leasing Scandal and he was desperately looking for alternative sources of raising campaign funds.

Libya came in handy – but with a heavy price. President Gaddafi required a substantial control of Kenya’s wealth in order to bail out President Kibaki who was facing the biggest test of his political career in the December 27 polls.

During the begging mission, the two presidents “negotiated” and agreed on an MoU that has a direct bearing in the sorry state of affairs regarding the Grand Regency Hotel. Titled "Agreement on Promotion Guarantee and Protection On Investment," the MoU was signed by Kenya's then Minister for Trade, Dr Mukhisa Kituyi, and Dr Ali Elisaue, Secretary General of Libya's General People's Committee for the Economy and Investment.

According to Kibaki’s close aides privy to the MoU deal and the subsequent take over of the hotel by the Government, the purchase of the hotel – a symbol of greed, theft and grand corruption which was the hallmark of President Moi regime - was among six projects that the Libyans had expressed interest in when the President visited the oil-rich North African country between June 4 and 6 2007.

In exchange of signing the lucrative MoU with Libyans, President Kibaki received an unspecified amount of money to fund his presidential re-election campaigns.

Interestingly, Kibaki was committing himself to sell the hotel to a group comprising Libyan investors trading as Libyan Arab African Investment Company even before the Government wrestled the ownership of the prestigious Nairobi landmark from the architect of the infamous Goldenberg scandal, Mr Kamlesh Pattni.

The MoU was part of President Kibaki’s strategy to raise funds for his re-election campaign. Other major presidential candidates Mr Raila Odinga and Mr Kalonzo Musyoka did similar missions abroad to raise funds for their campaigns. It’s not known how much funds each of the three candidates raised.

Reports indicate Mr Odinga also signed secret MoUs with foreign firms and individuals which he promised to honour if he trounced President Kibaki and formed the Government. Locally, Mr Odinga signed other controversial MoUs like the one he did with a section of Muslims. But the most shocking MoU relate to the unfolding saga of how President Kibaki shamelessly traded with public resources to win funds to run his PNU campaigns.

According to Kibaki’s aides, President Kibaki and his delegation promised to sell the hotel to the Libyan investors at Sh2.5 billion, yet this was the price set by the Central Bank Kenya 15 years ago. Financial market analysts say the hotel is today valued at Sh7 billion.

Last month’s stage-managed handover of the hotel to the Government by Mr Pattni left many questions unanswered.

Receiving the hotel on behalf of the Government was Mr Justice Aaron Ringera, the head of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission, and Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya, Prof Njuguna Ndung’u, showered Mr Pattni with platitudes “for his selfless gesture”. A beaming Mr Ringera described it a first in the war of asset recovery.

On his part, Mr Pattni talked of surrendering the hotel in exchange of amnesty from further prosecution regarding the plunder of CBK’s coffers under the close watch of retired President Moi. The plunder of CBK and other state coffers under the watchful eye of Mr Moi almost drove Kenya into the knees and rendered more Kenyans poorer.

In a strange twist of events, Attorney-general Amos Wako said he was not consulted in the surrender deal raising questions on why the chief legal adviser to the Government was kept in the dark.

When reports emerged that the five-star, which has been at the centre of furious legal battles between CBK and Mr Pattni for 15 years, had secretly been sold to Libyan investors, Prof Ndung’u, Mr Ringera and Finance minister Amos Kimunya swiftly issued denials. Mr Kimunya claimed the hotel will be sold within a month through auction.

Mr Kimunya has perfected the art of making cheap lies on camera ever since he became President Kibaki’s top confidant. He kept on giving disjointed and incoherent answers when journalists cornered him in regard to the secret Grand Regency deal.

The question that has bogged the minds of many Kenyans in the last one month is: Why was are the content of the deal entered between Mr Pattni and the Government being kept a secret and why was the Government in such a hurry to sell the hotel before advertising it in public?

It emerged today that the secret negotiations with Mr Pattni and the subsequent hurried plans by President Kibaki’s cronies to dispose off the hotel emanated from the intense pressure President Kibaki has been getting from his Libyan counterpart to honour the June MoU (Kibaki has a bad reputation of honouring MoUs bearing in mind he shamelessly trashed a power-sharing MoU he signed with Mr Raila Odinga before he propelled him to State House in 2002 General Election).

The only fruits the Libyans have reaped from the MoU deal is the acquisition of all Mobil petrol stations in Kenya by Oilibya. President Kibaki is yet to honour the other lucrative part of the deal which earned him handsome funds for his PNU campaigns.

According to reliable information from Kibaki’s aides, President Gaddafi started becoming uneasy with the slow pace his Kenyan counterpart was moving at in implementing the deal in February and that’s why he dispatched a top Libyan Government official to Kenya purportedly to “talk” to President Kibaki and Mr Odinga to strike a political deal to end the political and security crisis that was sparked off by President Kibaki’s stealing of an election victory from Mr Odinga.

It was during the meeting with the Libyan official at State House Nairobi that President Kibaki agreed to meet President Gaddafi when he visited Kampala in March.

The meeting between President Mwai Kibaki and the Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi took place on the evening of May 19. According to a PPS dispatch to newsrooms, the two leaders held bilateral consultation “to review the status and progress of the implementation of the agreed framework of co-operation between the two countries which was signed in Sirte during President Kibaki's visit to Libya mid last year.”

It did not occur to Kenyans at the time what the diplomatic PPS dispatch meant. Kumekucha can today authoritatively reveal that President Kibaki travelled to Kampala because the Libyan president was exerting pressure on him to honour the MoU which they signed in exchange for funds for his PNU campaigns.

It is worthy noting that President Kibaki flew to Kampala in the thick of a political stalemate back at home to meet President Gaddafi who was in Kampala to commission a new mosque. President Gaddafi was on official visit to Kampala on the invitation of President Museveni. Who had invited Kibaki and what was his mission in Kampala?

It has emerged that President Kibaki promised President Gaddafi he would do his best to honour the pact and this is what has triggered a furry of high-profile activities regarding the Grand Regency.

It has emerged that the CBK chief and his KACC counterpart had to literally beg Mr Pattni to agree to surrender his hotel to the state and hence the praises the two showed on a man the Bosire Commission of Inquiry into the Goldenberg Scandal described as Kenya’s Number One Conman.

Our sources disclosed that President Kibaki’s joy of making Mr Pattni surrender the hotel were cut short when an Indian company fronted by internationally-renowned wealthy tycoons, which had already moved into Kenya and placing itself in a strategic position to buy the hotel when it was put to the hammer, sent an unsolicited bid to Mr Kimunya with an offer exceeding Sh2.5billion by far.

The Indian company, through Conman Pattni, had been following the secret negotiations and they swung the unsolicited bid when Mr Pattni sealed the deal with Mr Ringera and Prof Njuguna. According to plan, the secret deal between President Kibaki and President Gaddafi regarding the Grand Regency would have been sealed as soon as Mr Pattni gave in and handed over the hotel.

But the unsolicited entry into the Grand Regency buying bid by the India firm and the sudden attention Kenyan media had shown on the Libyan sole bid, jolted Mr Kimunya and President Kibaki since they feared the exposure of the scandal of how they secretly sold off the hotel without any public bid while there was another bidder offering a higher amount.

Matters were worsened when some Treasury officials, serving the interests of the Indian firm, leaked to the Kenyan media the secret plans to sell off Grand Regency to the Libyan firm without any public bid. The Press went to town with the story.

This forced President Kibaki to order Mr Kimunya to urgently contact Dr Elisaue and Libyan Arab African Investment Company to explain to them the new developments and ask them to raise their bid slightly higher than the amount being offered by the Indian firm.

We established that the Libyan firm had grudgingly accepted to raise their bid but the Indian firm, which boasts of the fifth richest man in the world, Mr Mukesh Ambani, who early last month partnered with an Arabian real estate firm, Arrow Webtex, to form Delta Resources Limited, is not willing to give up the hotel and has promised to fight on.

As Kibaki was promising to sell off the Grand Regency to the Libyian firm, little did he know that the Indian firm had arrived in Nairobi and it had placed itself in a strategic position to bid for the hotel when it is put to hammer.

The Indian firm had already bought a huge parking lot next to Grand Regency at a cost of Sh1.4 billion from the National Social Security Fund in anticipation for the expansion of the hotel if it managed to seize its ownership.

The company has also reportedly bought another parking lot between Barclays Plaza and Nyati House, where it plans to build a number of top-end hotel and shopping malls, creating a “city within a city” around the hotel complete with modern shopping centres, casinos and other entertainment services.

That’s how the stakes are so high for the Indian firm and it’s unlikely they will let go their quest to own the hotel, which was built by Mr Pattni using CBK loot, in order to please President Kibaki and his preferred Libyan firm.

Interestingly, the Kibaki Tena website, a State House-backed lobby group spearheading President Kibaki’s re-election drive, mentions about the visit President Kibaki did to Libya last June. However, the story posted on the website only dwells on the trade packs President Kibaki and the Libyan leader signed but doesn’t mention the funds he received for his PNU campaigns.

The Indian firm’s shocking entry into the Grand Regency purchase bid has given President Kibaki and his lieutenants sleepless nights and it remains to be seen how they will overcome the issue of the campaign funds justify they received from Libya if the hotel goes to other buyers.

Dr Kituyi who signed the MoU on behalf of President Kibaki was a trusted lieutenant of the president but he was sent packing from Parliament by his Kimilili constituents and he is rotting in the political cold. His docket was taken by Mr Uhuru Kenyatta, a foe-turned loyalist of Kibaki. But the question is: Why has Uhuru vanished from the public limelight since the Grand Regency scandal started unfolding and the trade pact that promised to sell off the hotel to Libya lies squarely in his docket? Is he in Libya or India trying doing Kibaki’s errands to contain the Grand Regency scandal?

Surprisingly, all the key figures handling the Grand Regency saga (President Kibaki, Uhuru, Kimunya, Prof Njuguna and Mr Ringera) have one thing in common: the Mt Kenya link. Libyans have firmly set their eyes on the oil and petroleum industry in Kenya and it’s no surprise that another Mt Kenya figure and key ally of President Kibaki, Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi, was present in Libya during the MoU signing.

Under the MoU, President Kibaki committed Kenya into granting an exclusive trade pact to Libya, making Tripoli "most favoured nation" status - making it possible for Libyan companies to start at an advantage over investors when competing for lucrative contracts.

The irony is that Mr Ringera, who earns a whopping Sh2.5million from tax payers plus other lucrative perks to fight high-level graft, is the man at the centre of legalising the Kibaki-sponsored Grand Regency scandal. Instead of doing his job and catching all the thieves in the Grand Coalition Government (there are a good number corrupt political heavyweights in PNU, ODM, ODM-K, KANU and in other parties) and in the civil service, Mr Ringera has chosen to go after the small fish like traffic policemen and junior civil servants who take small bribes from Kenyans who are struggling to rise from the yokes of poverty.

Why should Kenyan’s continue paying huge salaries to Mr Ringera and his staff and pumping billions into the KACC drain every year for no work done and to commit serious acts of legitimising Kibaki-made scandals like the Anglo Leasing and the Grand Regency Scandal?

KACC under Mr Ringera has taken civil servants to court for single sourcing or awarding contracts to companies without offering public bids. Why is the Libyan deal an exception?

We now know why Kibaki stole the election to remain in power for another five years.
Other stories published in Kumekucha today;
Party of the year: Raila's homecoming bash

How long can the grand coalition "marriage" survive?

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Party of the Year: Raila’s Homecoming
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The Kibaki succession soap opera is expected to move a notch higher this weekend when ODM captain and the man many people widely believe defeated Kibaki at the presidential poll, Raila Odinga, heads to Nyanza and Western Provinces to host a series of significant events at his rural homes in Nyanza in celebrating his homecoming.

According to sources privy to the arrangements, the ODM has laid down elaborate plans for Raila’s homecoming ceremony expected to run for the entire coming weekend from May 10 to 12, culminating with putting in an appearance at the home of the Minister for Fisheries Development, Mr. Paul Otuoma in Funyula, Western province. The guest list reads like who-is-who in Kenya’s political and business circles. The entire ODM pentagon, the party’s NEC, the yet to be disbanded presidential campaign team and a distinguished mix of local and overseas visitors are expected to grace the occasion including the flamboyant Ukambani politican John Harun Mwau. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the Guest of Honour will be none other than Pr

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