Kenyan Pundit

The nominations process for the December elections were predictably chaotic. I think the guys who’ve been force out by the bigwigs, like Dan Shikanda, will fare well in December if they were able to jump on the defection merry-go-round in good time. No three-piece voting this time around…if you are unpopular you will go home.

I found it interesting that a number of MPs who were unpopular with Mzalendo users failed to win nominations. I hope this means that we are starting to become a more and more reliable source just not of hard facts, but also of sentiment on the ground. Some examples…please take time to read the comments left by Mzalendo readers if you can…quite informative - PK Muiruri [Mzalendo profile]; Moses Sirma [Mzalendo Profile]; Patrick Ivuti [Mzalendo Profile]; Macharia Mukiri [Mzalendo Profile]; George Khaniri [Mzalendo Profile; Murungaru; Francis Kagwima; and Eric Nyamunga.

Man, I wish I was in Nairobi to cover all the hot action. The pundit in me is feeling very left out. I can only console myself with the fact that I will be there for the elections.

AOB: Hasta la Vista Dick Morris? He should have consulted the Armenians on how to avoid immigration woes.

…is slowly creeping up on KP will almost certainly be in full swing by December. Here’s a link to an interview I did this week with Joshua Wanyama of African path.

AOB: Former Clinton strategist Dick Morris is now working for ODM. Supposedly pro bono (hhmm). Seeing the words integrity and Dick Morris in one article is very oxymoronish. You can watch the announcement on Youtube.

I’m getting increasing media requests to give my opinion on the Kenyan political scene given the upcoming Kenyan elections and Mzalendo.

I’m often tempted to say that there’s no point in trying to make sense of Kenyan politicians/Kenyan politics because it is often a tramedy (tragedy+comedy). I think from now on I should just send guys this link.

I mean really.

- Hot on the heels on the lack of decent hotels in Nairobi is this piece on Paris Hilton’s trip to Rwanda. Let’s all get together and say a prayer for her to survive Africa.

- PC Magazine’s Top 100 blogs of 2007.

- Bankelele has a great post up on Nairobi town clerk - John Gakuo - I’m sure many of us can attest to the fact that Nairobi has greatly improved during his tenure…and a key bell-weather (for some of us at least!) is the ability to hang out in town and have a drink after work with no worries…and I can’t remember the last time I saw Nairobi so well lit at night.

- Mzalendo is currently piloting an effort to build content on the site by working with constituency-based journalists and citizen reporters (who write for us for a fee), check out the initial profile of Gichugu constituency.

I was interviewed by BBC Outlook about Mzalendo yesterday, the questions were great and I think the interview came out pretty well (it’s always painful to listen to myself on radio/tv though). Click here to listen, the story is at the very end.