Kenyan Pundit

Recent blog finds

Ory Okolloh — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:57:56 +0000

EDIT: broken links fixed

Have come up across some gems recently that I need to share (and yes I should get back to blogging myself, I know, I know).

- Mo’dernity Mo’problems

- Solo Kinshasa

- This is Africa

TJRC Kenya is hiring

Ory Okolloh — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 07:31:21 +0000

[EDIT - Link is fixed].

The Truth and Justice Reconciliation Commission is hiring. See TJRC-positions_BW for details.

Closing date for applications January 25th.

Another resource to help understand the draft Constitution

Ory Okolloh — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:44:17 +0000

CRECO and others have helped together this helpful breakdown of what’s contained in the draft constitution – changes, principles behind the changes etc.

DC People – Githongo speaks at CSIS

Ory Okolloh — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:45:03 +0000

Prospects for Political Reform in Kenya

a discussion with

John Githongo

Kenyan anti-corruption campaigner

moderated by

William M. Bellamy

Director of the ACSS and former ambassador to Kenya

Friday, December 18, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

B1 Conference Room

Center for Strategic and International Studies

1800 K Street, NW Washington DC

Fresh from a six-month tour of Kenya, John Githongo will offer his insights into the political, electoral and constitutional reform process in his country and gauge prospects for stability in the run-up to presidential elections in 2011.

Please RSVP promptly to the CSIS Africa Program at africa@csis.org as space is limited.

Generation Firimbi – Theater in the Park

Ory Okolloh — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:58:44 +0000

When: December 12th and 13th, 2009

Where: August 7 Memorial Park near Railways

What: “We are presenting a piece of work Generation Firimbi that will redefine theatre in East Africa. The project dubbed Theatre in the Park is a new non conventional theatre production. The production is a devised work on generation Firimbi (Whistles). This is a generation that fights so hard for so long to replace the filth and muck that has been a norm in third world Africa. There is a sigh of relief with the feeling of the dawn of a new world and signals of the determination to end these practices.

The joy and hope for a better tomorrow is however short-lived. This generation had learned how to win but had not learned how to keep. The trusted became greedy and selfish. They sold our land. They ate for it was their turn. They killed our hope. They killed our sun. However, when the generation regained their hope they decided not to let them, not enjoy their turn, not take our victory from us, and not kill our sun, this time they learnt how to keep even if it meant living a lonely life. They will learn how to keep at whatever cost even if it meant death to blow whistles. They might not live to witness the new dawn, but they will do it for posterity and the echoes of their whistles will bear fruits someday. ONE DAY! This is a devised piece of work from two books based on a story in Kenya and that of Nigeria. It’s Our Turn to Eat by Michela Wrong & Africa Kills Her Sun by Ken Saro-Wiwa.“

Illustrated version of the harmonized draft constitution

Ory Okolloh — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:19:09 +0000

This illustrated version of the draft constitution is actually very helpful in helping understand the proposed changes. Kudos to Njeri Gakonyo for putting it together.

On rape during the PEV

Ory Okolloh — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:14:22 +0000

DNA Testing Services Kenya has sent a curious letter to O’Campo / the ICC arguing that Kibaki, Odinga, Anyang Nyong’o, Elizabeth Ongoro, Mugabe Were & Major General Ali Mohammed are not culpable for mass rape incidents in Nairobi during the post-election violence period (an estimated 40,500 women and children were raped country-wide), because they have evidence that no one particular community was targeted in Nairobi when the rapes were being committed. Therefore, their argument goes, politicians /government officials who had control over those areas could not be culpable because the rapes targeted all communities – they use the Rwanda genocide case PROSECUTOR V. JEAN PAUL AKAYESU (ICTR-96-4-T) to support their case.

Beyond the fact that their legal argument is incorrect…Akayesu was found guilty of rape as genocide which would not be the argument in Kenya (argument would be rape as a crime against humanity) and for rape to qualify as a crime against humanity, you need to prove that it was widespread and systematic, that fact no ethnic group was targeted does not defeat the case…I’m curious about:

- the decision to come to the defense of those select individuals, shouldn’t DNA Testing and Nairobi Women’s Hospital (where many victims in Nairobi sought assistance) be at minimum advocates for truth-telling and not for exculpation?

- since DNA testing/Nairobi Women’s Hospital are the holders of critical DNA evidence would their bias (as is revealed in the letter) affect their cooperation with the ICC?

- this points to the perennial problem of poor government testing facilities when it comes to sexual assault cases in Kenya (all crime really), private companies like DNA Testing are filling the gap but at what cost to justice?

Resources on the RED Campaign

Ory Okolloh — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:35:21 +0000

For those who were asking more resources on the RED Campaign (hat tip @shailjapatel for some of the links):

- Representations of African Women and AIDS in Bono’s Product Red

- Two of its major brands, Apple and Dell, are leading buyers of illegally mined cassiterite, copper, cobalt, tantalum, tin, from the DRC.

- It’s all about Return on Investment.

- And the wiki entry on Project Red.

Internet as a candidate for Nobel Prize?

Ory Okolloh — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:05:18 +0000

Interesting idea.

Davos Global Agenda Council on the Future of Africa

Ory Okolloh — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:21:00 +0000

I’m the newest and I suspect the youngest member of the Davos Council on the Future of Africa. I’m headed to Dubai for my first meeting as a Council member. It’s a terrific honor – other members include Mo Ibrahim , Sam Jonah, Graca Machel, Maria Ramos, Obiageli Ezekwesili, Christopher Khaemba, Nkosana Moyo, and Salim Ahmed Salim.

I have long argued that forums like Davos and G-20 need to be listening to the future of Africa and not the old guard or the Bonos. Looks like all my noise-making paid off

I am not sure how long I will last on the Council because I will err on the side of being open about my role on the Council and the Council itself, and because I feel that they have been cautious/tentative so far as far their activities given the massive leverage the current members have…but then maybe again it’s the nature of the beast…Davos lends itself more to discussion than action, I think.

In any event, it’s a great honor and I hope I will be able to do my best to represent an often unheard voice.