Quick Hits Feb 5
- The ban on live media broadcasts has been lifted. I’m really finding hard to see what it achieved….wouldn’t it just have been easier to go after individual broadcasters who were inciting violence if that was the main concern?
- Haiya, I thought this story was just another nai-rumor when it was doing the SMS rounds. I’ll start taking rumors a bit more seriously now 
I can confirm that Murage was indeed given marching orders by Lucy for taking it upon himself to negotiate with Kufour on behalf of State House (when the ‘baks was still dithering) and then injecting himself into the World Bank / Colin Bruce memo fiasco.
- I was being interviewed a couple days ago about my hardline stance on my crappy local coverage of the crisis in Kenya has been, I still think the coverage has been crappy but I’m reminded of some exceptions – I hear K24 has been doing a good job of at least reporting on the facts and going a bit deeper, I also acknowledge that it might be difficult for local journalists (vs. international journalists) to report from some areas depending on their ethnicity.
- Why is Jirongo the only one doing this? And yes, I am surprised to see Jirongo stepping up…Kenyan politics is strange that way. That “we can’t go back to our people without a message on how things will be resolved” excuse is bullshit. I’ve heard/read several stories over the last few days about how lives have been saved and temperatures cooled just by talking to people. Uhuru was in Kikuyu and Tigoni cooling temperatures, which were very hot over the weekend (although he’s also doing other shady things which will be blogged about at some point…the goings on in Kenya are really just exasperating). Can these MPs get out of Serena and go talk to their constituents? Maybe if Serena / Nakumatt Junction was attacked, or teargassed? I’m working hard on getting contact info for the new Parliament up on Mzalendo over the next few days so that people can petition them directly for action. Not sure it will help much but every little bit counts.
- As I reported before, David Kobia has shut down the Mashada forums due to all the hate speech that was going on there. He is instead redirecting Mashada users to a great new initiative, I Have No Tribe – where people are posting their thoughts on tribe and what it means to them.
- The tough road ahead when this is all over.
Finally, this quote has been repeated in lots of places: “Let Annan do his bit but there’s going to be no resolution. The clashes will continue,” a youth manning a roadblock near the town, who gave his name as Lefty, told the agency. This is what worries me…the politicians have unleashed something that might be impossible to quell. It’s easy for us to sit and pontificate and ask how can they, but we are missing something. Two must reads on the role of Lefty/the youth, their long persistent disenfranchisement, and the dangerous sense of empowerment they are getting from killing and burning with impunity are here and here.
Quite a good analysis. I have heard even some journalists are being evicted from places. I know for example a journalist from the Standard group who had to come to Nairobi from Nyeri just because of the paper’s stand. She however divulges very interesting stories of how the journalists were being used to cultivate hatred among tribes.
We cannot have justice on the streets; that is what is my contention. Now we will quell the war but we will still be left with Mungiki & other militias. This was very extremely unnecessary no matter what anyone says.
Lucy is a mad woman who as Imanyara said deserves to be in a mental hosp. but thats not even a story any more.
Some Nyeri Mps also went round the town asking guys not to chase the so called foreigners in their places and managed to at least resettle some people. It is disheartening to watch people of the same country disintegrate.
Kenya Nchi Yetu – Charity Party
Saturday 1st March, 8 pm, Oelschlägerstr. 61, Krefeld (Germany)
DJs Kenyan/African music, acrobatic show, food, drinks etc.
Ticket 8,- €
Children are the innocent victims of the violent clashes in Kenya. This event is to help the German-Kenyan non-profit organisation “Badilika e.V.” increase the support for these helpless children through feeding programmes and basic education.
Organisers/more info (German and English): http://www.badilika.org featuring http://www.mombasa-online.com
Mr. Imanyara’s experience drives home what is wrong.. too much power in incompetent hands. Sometimes I wonder if Kibaki really recovered from his stroke.
We can all be happy about the lift of the BAN on the media but in order to forestall a repeat of that kind of BAN what are we really going to do?Someone has to account for that dark duration of ignorance(to conceal dark operations ?)when a lot of machete purchase was carried out by a government minister.
Are we going to courts that not even our “duly” elected leaders have faith in?Are confronting Lucy/Michuki/Ndemo/Phogishio etc etc…what are we really going to do?You never know when a worse snake is going to bite you once you RATTLE one DO YOU?I don’t.
I heard the Imanyara story from the horse’s mouth the day it happened.
Its true, despite the PPS attempting to lie to the public it never happened. This govt cannot be trusted, they’d lie Kibaki is called Kibaki if it would help them achieve a twisted goal they wanted.
The first lady is an embarassment to the whole country. A first lady should be the example of grace and respect and should almost be a mother to the nation. Instead we have someone who treats statehouse like her own house and displays such lack of respect for even those we have elected to represent us. She is not the president and shouldn’t be allowed to control things as she does!
Allan, that woman is sick, I mean really sick. Instead of addressing her mental health issues, she is paraded around. I really wonder if Kibaki is not incapiciated somehow. I mean Lucy did not become this way last night, her behaviour has been there, it is just that she is not monitored, and provided with the help that she desperately needs.
I am also beginning to wonder the presidents mental capacity. For some reason , Kibaki seems zoned out from all that is going on around him, even in his own boma. How on any given day would he let his wife run around in her pj’s hurling insults at Honorable Members? Very disturbing. I really think someone needs to evaluate her….. as in seriously.
The LUcy imanyara incident shows how we have a craxy bunch of people governing our country, for just a minute or second what would happen if First USA lady slapped one of the senetors:twisted: The act is such an embarrassment, but it still bothers me why the internation big dogs cannot come out and call a spade a spade, the presidency was stolen and everybody knows that?? If they are truly concerned about democracy in Africa, then they should call a spade a spade and find a way to resolve this instead of using the knife that cuts both sides.
S
I think the ban on the media achieved precisely what its designers wanted: to create a situation of fear & uncertainty to prevent a proper response to the election theft, thereby helping entrench the illegitimate “government.” If it formented chaos and violence and led to a “few” deaths here and there as a result of people acting on (sometimes unfounded) rumors, then so be it–that’s a small price to pay for all the benefits those in power are enjoying and are willing to kill to protect. Prior to the now infamous “rambo style” killer cop captured live by TV cameras and broadcast all over the world, nobody took opposition claims of extra-judicial killings seriously; can you imagine what other kinds of evil things happened outside the glare of the media?
Folks, the feeling of our young people being disenfranchised is so deep and has it’s roots in tribalism. A friend sent me this podcast. How will we ever regain the trust of our youth? http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/docarchive/doc_20080131-0906.mp3
If ODM was born out of a desire for change then they should let PNU win this battle. The support for ODM was based on two major interrelated factors:one, the promise to fundamentally alter the current constitutional, political and economic order in a manner that would insure economic prosperity and political participation for the greatest possible number of Kenyans, and two, the legitimate perception that its leadership was committed and capable of delivering that change.
Now, suppose ODM was to forego the presidency but in return drive a hard bargain that would require the passage of laws effecting a majority of those changes? ODM would be viewed as having stepped back for the sake of the country; a major publicity coup for ODM and an opening for PNU to save face.
In this scenario, the power sharing, creation of a prime minister position and re-run would be dropped from the agenda. In return, PNU would guarantee the passage of laws based on the bomas draft regarding government structure (e.g number of ministers) the legislature, the judiciary, the bureaucracy and devolution of powers within two months. (Assumption of familiarity with the bomas draft for all.)
In addition to the above, changes that would require parliamentary approval for appointment to certain positions in the military GSU, intelligence and national police force would be made.
If these changes were effected (with the corresponding resignations of those currently employed in these positions) then ODM will have achieved a great part of its reason for being.
Of course the byproduct of this would be a Kibaki-Lucy co presidency. But, it will be easier to live with because the ability of that presidency to wreak havoc on Kenyans unfettered would end. The PNU coaltion would crumble without the promise of governmental goodies. ODM would gain greater gratitude from Kenyans and definitely go on to win the next election. ODM would probably win the next six contests based on just the bringer of democracy and liberation moniker.
Of course, my ideas or open to interpretation, disputation, expansion and debate. My lack of divine powers denies me the ability to set this idea in stone.
@Wafula, holding my breath waiting for what you have just said to happen. ODM and esp R.O knows this was his best shot at presidency; he finds it hard to let it go.