Others must follow Kimunya's "lead"

Although the resignation of Amos Kimunya from the Finance ministry was not a voluntary one, but to resign Kimunya did. The vote of no-confidence passed by the National Assembly against the then Finance minister might not have done the trick to have forced him out of office per se, but that vote was crucial at least started the fire that was perhaps difficult to put out. My take is that the Kipiriri MP was forced to quit from that pivot cabinet docket as he wasn’t about to give the fight to retain his position. Kenyans will always remember the, ‘he would rather die than resign’ statement Kimunya gave at the comfort of his Kipiriri backyard.

Now with Kimunya gone, the train wreck should not stop there. Other heads must roll. All individuals associated with the Grand Regency Hotel scandal should resign, voluntary or otherwise. The Central Bank of Kenya governor Prof. Njuguna Ndung’u should be the next person to be shown the door as it appears he still clinging to his position. Before he gave evidence to the parliamentary committee investigating the hotel saga, the other individual that would have been compelled to quit, or step aside, would have been the National Security Intelligence Services Director General Brig-Gen Michael Gichangi.

Unlike Kimunya, who had no respect for the parliament of which he was a member, the spy chief respects the country’s laws and the supremacy of the legislative branch, went before the Parliamentary Committee on Finance, Planning, Trade and Tourism, where he was grilled and voluntarily gave evidence that pertains to the sale of the Nairobi’s prestigious hotel. He could have refused citing security privileged or something to the effect. But he didn’t.

It is interesting to note that Gichangi told the committee that his office wrote to all relevant offices, arguing the holders of those offices against the sale, which he noted contravened the Public Procurement and Disposal Act and the Privitisation Act. Imagine, a spy chief remind ‘relevant offices’ of the contravening of an important law in the disposal of a public property.

With his tangible evidence in tow, the NSIS chief apparently wrote to Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, the Finance Minister Amos Kimunya and Attorney General Amos Wako. Funny how things turn out, it now emerges that Raila, Musyoka and Wako were all aware of the impeding sale of the hotel and the objection Mr. Gichangi had on the impending deal. My question to the so called ‘relevant persons’, what action did any one of them (individually or jointly) do to assist in stopping the sale?

Thank you Gichangi, and kudos for your candid and condor in this matter and for your leadership. It is sad that this diligent and honest civil servant was being fried in the media and none of these individuals came to his defence. Politicians instead were trying to protect and shield one of their own, Kimunya.

With Gichangi evidence, it now seems unlikely that Kimunya will return to the Finance docket if he were to make a comeback to the cabinet. This is despite the fact that the president did not name a substitutive minister to handle the docket by appointing the Environment and Mineral Resources minister John Michuki on acting capacity.

Boldly speaking Ndung’u must be compelled to resign or President Kibaki should fire him like yesterday. The Attorney General has not denied the allegations that he met with the lawyers representing the controversial buyer of the hotel seven times. If this is true, then Wako also must step aside, until his name is cleared.

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Public confused?

When it comes to the Grand Regency Hotel scandal the public is confused. They have lots of questions. Kenyans need to know how much did the following individuals, Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and Attorney General Amos Wako knew about the Grand Regency Hotel deal.

Did individual or individuals some people miss their cut in this deal as being the reason why Amos Kimunya has so far been the only causality of this scandal? Would Kenyans have known about this scandal (if it is scam) had all those concerned been given their fair cuts of deal? I am not pointing accusing finger to anyone here. I am just asking questions that are in the minds of many Kenyans.

The Prime Minister’s statement he issued in Parliament was not as comprehensive as it should have been. Before he issued the statement the Prime Minister acted as if he didn’t know anything about this sale, hence the quick set up of a committee comprising of his Administrative Secretary, KACC chief Aaron Ringera, AG Amos Wako, Lands Minister James Orengo and Nairobi Development Minister Mutula Kilonzo.

In his ministerial statement Raila, while acknowledging an eight-page undated and unsigned typed document from the CBK governor Njunguna Ndung’u, he never mentioned the official communication he received from Brig-Gen Michael Gichangi. Raila claims he knew about the deal after the deal was already done, but Gichangi says he wrote to Raila amongst others relevant officials before the deal was done.

How about you Mr. Vice President? You are acting as if you are holier than thou. You are pretending, at least in the eyes of the public, as if you are the voice of reason in defending Kimunya, but apparently you knew a lot more about this deal all along than you have admitted in public. In fact the VP has not said anything when it comes to this scandal. Although Musyoka is positioning himself for the run for presidency and do not want to alienate the crucial Central province voters, but in certain times, he needs to show leadership and statesmanship.

Mr. A.G Amos Wako. Another one pretending as if the sale was news to him. According to the grapevine Wako knew about this impeding sale, even if he was not informed officially by Central Bank of Kenya. He must have known about the deal though Gichangi’s letter. And let us not forget, because he has yet to deny, Wako met the lawyers of the infamous Libyan investment company seven times. One wonders, what they were discussing in those seven meetings even if those meetings lasted just one hour each.

I am confused. What is going one in Kenya? And if I am confused, imagine an ordinary Kenyan. After Gichangi’s evidence to the Parliamentary Committee on Finance, Planning, Trade and Tourism, perhaps Kenya need appreciate the comments of the former Finance minister when he told those people who are commenting on this issue that they don’t know what they are talking about. In fact Kimunya went to the extent to saying Kenyans should praise him for the job well done instead of condemning him.

Let us hope that the Justice (rtd) Majid Cockar-led commission appointed by the president will shade light in this matter. All those implicated must be fired or resigned, that includes Raila Odinga for that matter.

This culture of corruption like tribalism is a threat to us

Commentary & Analysis

Updated on: Sunday, July 06, 2008

Story by: BOLD SCRIPTS with OMAR ALI

Just like tribalism, corruption cannot be eradicated in Kenya. Those in the position of power have no moral desire to do so because they themselves want to acquire the wealth through whatever means for their families.
In addition there is no deterrent effect to stop corruption just like there is none to eradicate tribalism. Corruption has already become part of our culture so to speak.

It starts from the top in boardrooms and tickles its way down to the main street. That is why, the lowest individuals on the street such as the Traffic Police Officer or police manning a road-block will always demand “kitu kidogo” because they know it is our culture. Talk of culture of corruption. Take for instance, the two former first families of the Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel arap Moi who are today two of the wealthiest families in the Eastern Africa region and yet both Kenyatta and Moi are known to have came from humble beginnings. Where did they get such wealth?

A question comes; from whom did the Kenyatta family purchase the huge tracts of lands they own at the Coast and elsewhere in the country? How about the Moi family? Let us leave the first families, perhaps you give them a pass and say they patriarchs were heads of states. There are families of former “powerful” provincial commissioners and district commissioners, from both the Kenyatta and Moi regimes, who are so wealthy one wonders how did they acquired such wealth if it was not through corrupt means.

I remember a story of a court battle involving an estate of a former PC hailing from Rift Valley (who was deceased), the fight involved a staggering Sh100 million.

How could a PC’s estate be worth Sh100 million? From the PCs and DCs, we have former ministers, assistant ministers and other senior government bureaucrats who are today millionaires and billionaires all through questionable means – read corruption. I don’t want to name names, some of them have since legitimizes their wealth and are now referred and o considered successfully businessmen and women.

We have Pattni who came from nowhere and become a billionaire through the help of cabinet ministers and senior government officials, who also benefited and acquired the wealth together. In the Goldenberg scandal Kenyans did not see anyone going to prison and or payback the public funds that were stolen. The Anglo Leasing scandal came and went, there were individuals who benefited financially from the scam and no one went to prison or asked to payback the public funds. There are individuals who are known to have fraudulently acquired public land worth Sh100 million from a government agency and were trying to sale the same property to the same government agency they stole from; et al. The list is endless.

It is from this backdrop that the Finance Minister Amos Kimunya thought what could really happen to him with the questionable and equally suspicious secret sale of the Nairobi’s prestigious Grand Regency Hotel. Perhaps, he thought that others who have preceded him have not paid any prize for being corrupt and as the “prince of impunity” and the fact that he is untouchable there is nothing that will happen to him. The National Assembly on Wednesday in a censure motion passed a very symbolic vote of no-confidence against the Finance minister, but sadly the Constitution is silent on what should happen next to the minister. President Mwai Kibaki is not duty-bound by any parliamentary action to fire Kimunya.

The honourable thing for the Kipiriri MP to do is perhaps to resign from his ministerial office and continue to serve his constituents from the backbench. Of course in a perfect world, the Minister should also resign his parliamentary seat, but that will never happen, and yes I said it never happen. This column believes that it was in bad taste for the legislators to issue ultimatum to President Mwai Kibaki to fire Kimunya. Cabinet Ministers everywhere serve at the pleasure of the head of state or head of government as the case may be. But one thing is for sure, Kimunya’s tenure at the Treasury, should Kibaki decide to retain him, will not be same again.

He will not command any respect from any quarters other than that from his family, friends and relatives. The public through streets demonstrations in Nairobi and Mombasa and through their elected representatives have now lost confidence in him, so is the international community watching through their diplomatic representations.
Boldly speaking, corruption like tribalism will and cannot be eradicated. It has become our sub-culture. Look at all those who are defending Kimunya, they are all from the Mt Kenya region. God save Kenya!

http://www.kenyatimesonline.com/content.asp?catid=5&articleId=1410

Why all this anti-Mwakwere agenda by the media?

Minister Mwakwere

Since the era of the John Michuki when he headed the Ministry of Transport, Kenyans were erroneously made to associate the Ministry’s core duty and responsibility to be that of supervising the Matutu industry. First and foremost, there is a need for everyone to understand and appreciate the fact that the supervision of the matatu menace is not the core duty of the Ministry of Transport alone. In addition, for the most efficient management of the Matatu industry requires the work of at least three ministries — a tripartite factor. The Ministry of Transport is responsible for the formulation of transport rules and regulations.

Next comes in the Provincial Administration and National Security docket for effective traffic police law enforcement of those rules and regulations. The then Roads and Public Works portfolio is crucial because it is this Ministry’s responsibility to building and maintaining the roads. Transport Minister Chirau Mwakwere’s achievements are underestimated because the Matuga MP does not go out of his way to publicize them. The excellent work being done by the Ministry under his watch is not being highlighted by the local media because it will paint the Minister positively.

When admirable work is done by this docket under its various departments, agencies and parastatals, the media always go at every length to give credit to the individuals heading those departments, agencies and parastatals and totally ignoring the Minister. But when censure is to be made on the Ministry, then that blame is heaped on the Minister in a form of banner headlines. Take the case of the multi-billion shillings airports expansions at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Moi International, and Kisumu Airport. We hardly see the Minister given credit.
Even bigger strides have been achieved at the Mombasa port. Kenya Ports Authority recently announced the completion of the automation of waterfront cargo operations at the Mombasa port. This waterfront project, according the KPA, kicked off in 2006 and was developed at a cost of Sh200 million and is now complete. But we don’t read this accomplishment being credited to the Minister for Transport. But when other Ministers speak only on their intensions, when they just think of something they intend to do in their respective ministries, the public is showered with the news of these Ministers “intentions” as if they have already achieved what they intend to do.

In fact in some extreme instances, the media even ignore real breaking news that positively reflects the Mwakwere, steal his thunder and in a biased move give it to one of their darlings. An excellent example of stealing the thunder was a story in one of the local dailies titled; “Raila reaps more goodies for Kenya.” The story read in part: “Prime Minister Raila Odinga reaped more goodies for Kenya during his American trip when he signed an agreement that opens the route for Kenya Airways direct flights to the US.

Raila and American Secretary of Transport Mary Peters signed the US-Kenya Open Skies Agreement for direct flights for airlines from both countries…Raila signed the agreement with Peters just a day after the approval by congressmen, agencies and key US financiers to endorse Sh5.8 billion funding for rehabilitation following post-election violence.” The fact of the matter is that if you remove Raila’s name, the rest is true. Sadly, with a hidden agenda, the particular daily gave the unsuspecting public a total fabrication of facts; Prime Minister Raila did not sign the agreement with the US Transportation Secretary Mary Peters.

Our Transport Minister Mwakwere did, because by law only the Transport Minister can sign such an agreement. But another daily had a photo that clearly showed Ms Peters and Mwakwere signing the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (Basa), also known as US-Kenya Open Skies Agreement that will provide for direct flights for airlines from both countries. This Open Skies Agreement was not just an agreement secured and signed during Raila’s three day visit to the US as the newspaper would like us to believe.

It was a project that the Narc government’s Ministry of Transport (yes, under Mwakwere) has been working on for sometime. As attested by Mwakwere who noted: “It’s been a long process of negotiations.” Earlier in the year then newly appointed Transport Permanent Secretary Abdulrazaq Adan was in the US to tie up the final touches and set the ground for the official signing by the two countries’ ministers.

With every European country demanding Kenyans in transit (through their respective airports) obtain transit visas, this Open Skies Agreement which will start direct flights between the two countries will come along way in alleviating this hassle of obtaining visas and of course the cost of getting it. But the story made it appear that, it was only PM Raila who brought goodies to Kenya during his three day visit to the US; as opposed to have been the work of Mwakwere who was responsible for the Open Skies agreement. It is one thing to love to hate a politician or politicians, but it is completely another when media people change facts to suit their hidden agenda.

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Updated on: Sunday, June 29, 2008

Story by: OMAR ALI

Come clean on Grand Regency deal, Mr Kimunya

Minister Kimunya

Since it has emerged that the sale of the Grand Regency Hotel, was in fact a deal discussed between President Mwai Kibaki and Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi, there should be less cause for alarm. That is if it is true what the Finance Minister Amos Kimunya is telling Kenyans now. My only issue with the sale of the hotel to the Libyans is in the manner of which the Finance Minister handled the matter.
Kimunya is a very brilliant individual but he has not been forthright with his fellow legislators and the public. Kimunya, kept on insisting that the hotel had not been sold. In addition, he has been seen to be behaving arrogantly. I think the reason Kimunya is very arrogant is the fact that the Kipiriri MP is very young and holding a very powerful ministry with immense powers. In addition he has the ears and the attention of the President and thinks he is untouchable.

He is so egotistical such that you would think that anything that pertains to the Finance Ministry belongs to him personally or his family and not the government. If the sale of the hotel was sealed during President Kibaki’s visit to Libya, as Kimunya is now trying to tell Kenyans, then I have no doubt that there was no corruption involved. My question comes, why hide the matter not only to the public but even to the Lands Minister James Orengo or the Parliamentary Finance, Tourism and Trade committee members.

What is the point of having parliamentary committees that can and are ignored by ministers as they deem fit. It is highly possible that, may be in a quid pro quo (something for something) our Government agreed to the sale of the prestigious five star hotel in exchange for cheap crude oil from the North African nation and the much needed investments. Kenyans should have been told of this arrangement once the sale deal was sealed.
And as long as there was no suspicion of corruption or under the table deals there would have been no problem. Now it is hard to tell Kenyans that there was no corruption in this deal because it smells corruption of the highest order. Although there may be no corruption involved in this transaction, but the Government cannot blame individuals such as Chris Okemo, the chairman of parliamentary committee on Finance, Tourism and Trade and others like Richard Leakey for suspecting corruption in this sale.

Boldly speaking, I can say that it is the condescending attitude of Kimunya that failed the Government and no one else. He is behaving worse than some former president Daniel arap Moi era ministers who thought they were above everyone if not the laws. Kimunya better be aware that in this day and age no one is invulnerable no matter how close one might think is close to the powers that be.

omarahmedali@gmail.com

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Commentary & Analysis

Updated on: Sunday, June 29, 2008

Story by: OMAR ALI

Let ministers take cue from Kibaki, Raila

While launching the country’s development roadmap, christened Vision 2030, President Mwai Kibaki paid glowing tribute to Prime Minister Raila Odinga on agreeing to take the country to a manageable way. The Head of State expressed confidence that the future of the Grand Coalition Government he is leading was bright.
It was excellent news for Kenyans. At the same function, Prime Minister Raila Odinga challenged the Grand Coalition Government ministers to end squabbles and forge ahead together so as to make Vision 2030 a reality. The prime minister also asked political leaders to demonstrate courageous leadership, best performance and uncompromising integrity to transform the country into a prosperous, democratic, equitable and modern nation.

Encouraging and statesmanship like statements and attitude on the part of both the president and prime minister. The cabinet ministers need to follow the example of their two principals and work together in their service deliveries and in making the Vision 2030 dream a reality. You don’t need a political scientist or student of politics to understand that the Grand Coalition Government is not a coalition of the willing.
It was the best option that could have come out of the former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan-led mediation talks. The alternative would have been continued mayhem, anarchy and bloody bath and in a couple of weeks a collapsed country. A collapsed Kenya would have destroyed our beautiful nation. And as the President noted while paying tribute to his prime minister, “let us thank Raila for leading us to this right direction.
Let us thank him for making up his mind that we go a manageable way and I agreed.” Those involved in the GCG, not necessarily restricting to the two principals, will need not only to make it work but be seen to making it work. We all know that the two main factions that make up the GCG despise each other. There is no secret about that.

Aside from the existing loathe, there is a compelling need for the politicians on both side of the political divide to act like grown ups in public, and heed the prime minister’s call to demonstrate courageous leadership because they are indeed grown-ups and not school children. They are not secondary school children doing the best they can to outwit and outdo the other to impress a girl or a boy for that matter. Mwai KIbaki, Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Muysoka are respectively the president, prime minister and vice president of the country and not of their respective political organisations.

The GCG cabinet is for the entire country and not for Party of National Unity, or Orange Democratic Movement. This brings me to the recent ugly incident where the Water & Irrigation Minister Charity Ngilu showcased her lack of respect for Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka in an embarrassing situation.
The Kitui Central MP confronted the VP and as one newspaper put it ‘ Ngilu went at the VP in full glare of orderlies and other politicians and accused him of abusing State resources to campaign for PNU candidates.’ Were Ngilu’s actions compromising integrity? Was Wilson Airport the appropriate place for Ngilu to question the VP? The reality is that the long serving Mwingi North MP is the country’s VP and he deserve respect.

At least Ngilu should respect the office of the vice presidency as an institution even if she abhors the current occupier of the office. Madam Ngilu needs to come to her little senses and accept the political and factual reality that Kalonzo is Kenya’s VP and not Ukambani VP. It is the backward behaviors of ministers such as Ngilu that would bring this country down. Another problem is when Kenyans are being showered with media blitz of what certain ministers tends to do in their respective dockets. Take the case of the perennial land problem in the country.

Land issue is a major problem facing the country, not necessarily those sympathetic to ODM. The Lands Minister James Orengo just like his Nairobi Metropolitan Development counterpart Mutula Kilonzo – who was a subject of this column two weeks ago – need to do more work and less talking. Operating through the media is not the best way of executing ministerial duties.
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Leaders should stop using plane tragedy for mileage

e join fellow Kenyans in mourning the death of the two politicians, Roads Minister Kipklya Kones and the Homes Affairs Assistant Minister and first time Sotik MP Ms. Lorna Laboso. It is a great loss not only to their respective families, their constituents, Rift Valley or their political party, ODM, but the entire country.
Our prayers go out to their respective families and friends. While it was an excellent gesture by their parliamentary colleagues for the National Assembly to postpone business following the demise of its two members, politicians should not try to earn any political mileage at the expense of the demise of their colleagues.

The ill-fated Cessna 210E plane that crashed on a hill in forested Kojong’a in Nairegi-Enkare, Narok District, where the two politicians plus the pilot and a security officer perished has been declared a tragic accident. The plane had its required paperwork in order, and a record of having been inspected by the appropriate aviation authorities and was declared to be in a sound mechanical condition. The plane could not have been in a better condition than that.

As the Swahili saying goes, ‘Ajali haikimbiliki’. The pilot might have had experience in in-flight-hours but was perhaps not familiar with the area and the terrain he was flying. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCA) does not need to be told by any one to conduct thorough investigations on this crash. Conducting thorough investigations in any air crash is the standard procedure.

The calls by some little known MPs for setting up of a commission to investigate the aviation industry is to say the very least a cheap publicity seeking stunt. Nothing more. These publicity seeking lawmakers want the licensing of operators to be regulated to ensure they maintained high safety records. It is as if it is not the case currently. The MPs went on to call for the upgrading of airstrips, runways and other emergency facilities. Talk is cheap, unless these MPs do not know what they are talking about because upgrading of all airstrips and runways is not possible.

Money is needed to do so. And in addition some of the airstrips are not being used on regular basis. Similar small Cessna planes such as this one are privately owned in the US, a country with the most stringent of any regulations and they crash regularly. I am not saying because it is the case in the US then it should be okay in Kenya. What happened at Kojong’a was just an accident and it should be investigated not because Kones and Laboso were the victims but because like any other air crash with loss of lives it needs to be investigated.

omarahmedali@gmail.com
Updated on: Sunday, June 15, 2008 Story by: OMAR ALI

Kalonzo’s political clout overrated

Letters To The Editor

I read with dismay Omar Ali’s article in the Sunday Times of June 8, in which he attempted to equate Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka’s political fortunes to those of US Democratic party presidential nominee Barack Obama. What Ali fails to understand is that Obama inspires hope and prosperity in his people while Kalonzo does not.

Obama stands for change that his people can believe in but I doubt if Kenyans can believe anything Kalonzo says given his flip-flop character. Ali tries to convince his audience that Kalonzo is the undisputed leader of Ukambani politics and that this makes him a front-runner in the Kibaki succession. This kind of spin is laughable and I think Ali has been getting his ideas from cartoons.

I remember sometime in March an editorial cartoon in one of the daily newspapers placing Kalonzo at an advantage in a track relay race that included Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Deputy Prime Ministers Musalia Mudavadi and Uhuru Kenyatta. There is no doubt Ali got his ideas about Kalonzo’s superiority from this particular cartoon.

But all these conceded, assuming that being Vice President and Ukambani’s most senior politician makes one a future king, how do these credentials make Kalonzo most favourite Kibaki successor? I think Ali has been living out of the country for too long to realise how unpopular Kalonzo is. I hope Ali knows somebody called Moody Awori who is Kalonzo’s predecessor.

During the 2007 election campaigns, Kalonzo became his own enemy when he failed to read the mood of the country and realise that Kenyans would vote for real change and they would still do so in 2012. For selfish interests or political miscalculation, Kalonzo chose to scuttle what would have been a winning combination in the Orange family to pursue his own presidential ambition.

He failed and went ahead to accept from Kibaki the very Vice Presidency that he would have been offered had he remained in a united Orange family. This move earned Kalonzo the tag of a traitor and there are no indications he will have washed off that tag by the next general election in 2012. Infact many Kenyans today blame Kalonzo for the post-election crisis, saying that had he chosen to remain in a united Orange family or backed Kibaki, there would have been a clear winner at the election and no bloodshed.More In Print Edition

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Kenya Times
John Onyando,

Nairobi

Updated on: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 Story by:

Kalonzo critics will not halt his match to ‘House on the Hill’

Despite all the political tactics to undermine Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka in his endevour to positioning himself to succeed President Mwai Kibaki, there is a compelling need to for all political pundits to get this political reality in its right perspective. The fact of the matter is that Kalonzo is the undeniable king of Ukambani politics, whether his critics like it or not. This reality has nothing to do with the fact that the Mwingi North legislator is the highest ranking Ukambani politician in the unity ‘Grand Coalition Government, although a very important fact in its own right.

As the V-P, he is technically second in the command to the Head of State, no other Ukambani politician have had the privilege to ascend to such a coveted position. In the last General Election, all but three parliamentary seats in Ukambani sub-region of Eastern province were captured Klonzo-led Orange Democratic Movement Kenya. Lest people forget, it is a political actuality that no other major political party (ODM, PNU, and Kanu) won a single parliamentary seat in the expansive province’s sub-region.

The darling of the media, Water and Irrigation Minister Charity Ngilu-led Narc party was only able to retain Ngilu’s Kitui Central parliamentary seat and nothing more from the sub-region. Even those few disgruntled Ukambani legislators who have since switched their allegiance to ODM leadership cannot erase this political realism.

The legislators do not erase the political realism because interestingly the same legislators (who claimed they lost out in cabinet appointments) navigated their way to Parliament in the last Election with the assistance of the strong Kalonzo/ODM Kenya political wave that swept the region. It is the political wave that witnessed big political names being shown the door from their constituencies. Three former Cabinet Ministers failed to recapture their seats, namely, John Munyao, Kivutha Kibwana and Mutua Katuku amongst other former region’s lawmakers.

Whether or not you’re a Kalonzo supporter, by landing on the Vice-Presidency position was neither a fluke nor a betrayal on his part but a strategic political move. Whereas some pundits might want to ignore a crucial role Kalonzo played in assisting Kenya to start to heal after the disputed presidential election and although truly in the end it was President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga agreeing to the final peace deal and a unity government that halted the country going down the drain, but it must be appreciated that it all started with Kalonzo in entering into an alliance with Kibaki-led PNU and its allies to form a coalition government. It can also be argued that ODM Kenya alliance with PNU not only courageously saved the Kibaki presidency but it also saved the country from anarchy and bloodbath that would have ensued.

Neither Ngilu nor Kilome MP and Transport Assistant Minister Harun Mwau is in any position to keep in check the rise of Kalonzo in their native region. It is the people who make politicians popular and not their fellow politicians. Ngilu did not cause any political wave that saw politicians allied to her elected to Parliament through it.

In fact, Ngilu was not so sure and could not dare join Prime Minister Raila Odinga-led ODM to seek re-election. And when it came to ODM-Kenya appointing two nominated MPs slots the party had earned, Kalonzo showed true national leadership when everyone thought he could play favouritism and tribalism as in the norm in the country. He went ahead and appointed one politician from the Coast (a woman) and another one from North Eastern province as opposed appointing from Eastern province and or his native sub-region to the chagrin of his party two senior officials.

It is safe to predict that in the current political landscape, Kalonzo is the politician best positioned to succeed President Kibaki in the next general election with or without the support of the few disgruntled Ukambani politicians.

It must be noted that in the United States some very powerful African-American politicians did not back Senator Barack Obama in the just concluded Democratic Party primaries. But it did not hinder Obama from clinching his party nomination by beating one of the most powerful and well known political names in the American politics –the Clintons—in one of the toughest primaries in recent memory.

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BOLD Scripts lead story

http://www.kenyatimesonline.com/content.asp?catid=5&articleId=1411

Updated on: Sunday, June 08, 2008

Story by: OMAR ALI

Coast MPs need to get down to work

This column congratulates the Bahari MP Ben Fondo Gunda for his election as the new chairman of the Coast Parliamentary Group, a bipartisan regional parliamentary caucus. It was very encouraging and it gave the caucus’ election some sort of legitimacy when it saw 16 out of the 21 lawmakers from the region participating in the election.One would hope that this time around the region’s legislators, both veterans and first timers, will resolve to seriously and genuinely work together for the interest of their constituents in particular and the region in general. In his acceptance speech the first term Bahari MP aptly noted, “My biggest challenge now is to ensure that all the MPs stick together. If we push things as a group, the Government will have to act because we have a big bloc that can make a lot of difference in 2012.”

I must add that it doesn’t do the region any good when the area MPs are affiliated with different political parties, and they are usually seen to be fighting ‘other peoples’ wars’ the same way African presidents used to fight the two superpowers wars in their regions. Our lawmakers are scattered everywhere, in PNU, ODM, KANU, ODM- Kenya, Narc-Kenya and KADU-Asili, the only home grown party. It is against this backdrop that I would remind the Coast MPs to read and ponder seriously the comments penned by columnist Njuguna Mutonya in one of the local dailies titled “Coast MPs had better be serious”.

I thought the columnist was hit the mark on the nail and was right on the money when noted: “Every beginning of a parliamentary term since the advent of political pluralism in the early 1990s, Coast politicians declare their independence from the rest of the country to make some nice-sounding declarations about how they wish to change the region’s politics and boost its economy. “ There was no need for Mutonya to apologize by saying ‘Forgive my scepticism, but we have heard all this drivel before.’ Many Coast people agree with the columnist that they have heard that drivel before. I say no apologies needed because the columnist who is not even a Coastal native did the lawmakers a favour by telling them the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Talking about ‘the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth’, for instance, ‘why would the Magongo-Jomvu road, which is lined by some of the largest industrial parks in Mombasa, is impassable almost 20 years since Ramadhan Kajembe first became an MP’ as noted by the columnist. Other issues the columnist raised, is ‘why the fishermen of Faza, Kiwayuu, Pate and Lamu Kisiwani cannot have cold storage facilities’ while the area MP Abu Chiaba was and still remains Fisheries assistant minister. With four full Cabinet ministers and seven assistant ministers the region has never had such political achievement in terms of Cabinet appointments.

The region’s backbenchers need to work with their colleagues who are in the cabinet to deliver for the region. I would boldly remind them that ‘while successive MPs keep complaining about what the rest of the country owes Coast province, their colleagues from other areas tackle local issues.’

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Commentary & Analysis
http://www.kenyatimesonline.com/content.asp?catid=5&articleId=933
Updated on: Sunday, June 08, 2008
Story by: OMAR ALI

Obama on threshold of re-writing history

In Barack Obama’s triumph clinching the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, one thing is for sure, Americans from different backgrounds can take pride in the United States Senator from Illinois overcoming one of the US most enduring racial barriers. Obama’s historical win was best described by one Philadelphia newspaper when in it notes in editorial: “His groundbreaking step is an extraordinary achievement for a candidate, for the Democratic Party, and for anyone who ever believed that this day would come. Obama broke through a colour barrier that has existed in this nation for 219 years.

The United States has had 43 presidents – whitemen. Now Obama is in position to break the commander-in-chief barrier. “ Obama’s win did not come easy. He won the primaries in one of the hotly contested primaries in recent memory. Apart from being a very historical event, it is the fact the man whose umbilical cord hail from Alego, beat the Clinton machine. Kenyans need to appreciate the fact that it is no mean feat for any politician in the United States, white or black, to beat the ‘Clinton Brand’. Obama was running against two Clintons. Clinton the candidate, Hillary, a two-term senior workaholic senator from the state of New York, and the country’s immediate former very influential First Lady. The other Clinton, William Jefferson (a.k.a Bill), a former two-term popular president of the United States, and a longtime governor of Arkansas. Obama, who has been on the national stage for less than 3 years, ran one of best campaigns in the history of the United States presidential primaries.

He created a movement where everyone has been interested to join as volunteer. The Democratic Party primaries was indeed good for America, it generated record voter turn out and spoke for minorities and women who have traditionally been left out during elections. Let us not forget that the benefit of competing with the two Clintons for Obama was that it has sharpened the junior senator to become a strong presidential candidate to face Republican Party’s candidate Senator John McCain, a celebrated war hero but with nothing new to offer. Now Obama is standing on the threshold of making history of becoming the first non-whiteman to be the president of the world’s most powerful nation in the history of the world.

omarahmedali@gmail.com

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Commentary & Analysis

http://www.kenyatimesonline.com/content.asp?catid=5&articleId=38

Updated on: Sunday, June 08, 2008

Story by: OMAR ALI

You’ve crossed your diplomatic line, Sir!

Commentary & Analysis

Story by: OMAR ALI

Apart from the October 2007 incident with Dr Newton Kulundu, when the US envoy, Michael Ranneberger, was totally pissed-off by Minister Kulundu’ s remarks, and thus his refusal to shake hands with the Minister, the diplomat has not displayed any sort of the typical “mzungu” arrogance. And, by many estimates, he appears to be well intentioned on his mission and attitude toward Kenyans and the country. From his background, work ethics and his political exposure that borders on actually invading diplomatic pseudo boundaries, Ranneberger doesn’t come out as arrogant.

He does not even imitate the obnoxious counterpart hero of the United Kingdom Empire. Reference to the outgoing UK High Commissioner Adam Wood and his notorious predecessor Edward Clay. With an impressive professional background where he was ‘a Coordinator for Cuban Affairs, between 1995 – 99, Ranneberger assisted in leading the US Government’s policy to promote a peaceful democratic transition in the communist Cuba. In part this was achieved by intensifying support for human rights activists and the development of independent civil society.
The United States Government through the embassy functions headed by Ranneberger came through and handy when it provided the Office of the Prime Minister with the Sh30 million to assist in the establishment of the new office. The much needed funds came from the backdrop when it emerged that the Grand Coalition Government has little money to spend in this aspect. It was a very good gesture where the diplomat is not only seen to be talking the talk only but also walking the walk. It has since emerged that Ranneberger is one of the foreign envoys who are being accused of meddling with internal politics of the host country.

For reasons best known to these envoys, they are opposed to the formation of the organized Grand Official Opposition in Parliament. It is one thing for the Grand Coalition Cabinet to be opposed to an organized Grand Official Opposition in Parliament. However, it is completely a different drama when foreigners, (yes, foreigners) are in synch with the Cabinet in opposing the same. It is against this backdrop that it is clearly seen that Ranneberger has crossed his “diplomatic assignment” line when he is seen to have taken and has become the “ring leader” of the foreign envoys opposed to the grand opposition in the National Assembly. I say ring leader because it was reported that Ranneberger (and the ambassador did not deny the reports) has invited 10 MPs to his residence to “plead” with them not be part of the Opposition in Parliament.
This act raises many questions, such as, why go to such an extent of lobbying individuals lawmakers not to form the Opposition. The question of the day is why foreign envoys are so opposed to the formation of an organized Official Opposition in Parliament? What is it in for these foreign missions that are opposed to such an outfit?

Perhaps, Ranneberger needs to be reminded of the wise words of one of the United States’ famous founding fathers, James Madison, on the question of checks and balances that the organized opposition aims to do. In Federalist paper number 51, Madison wrote: “The great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department, consist in giving to those who administer each department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachment of others…Ambition must be made to counteract ambition.”

Without organized Official Opposition, the Executive branch of the Government will remain all powerful where they would do whatever they want with impunity. It doesn’t matter if the Executive is a coalition government or a single-party government. It is even worse for a country that has recently been accused of grand-impunity.

What I don’t get it is that, this Opposition is not going to be made by a certain tribe or a section of the country; it will be comprise of legislators from all over the country just like the GCG itself. The current GCG is made up of various political parties and so would be the Grand Opposition in Parliament. The GCG is made up of the PNU (and its various affiliates, ODM Kenya, NARC –Kenya, KANU, Safina, et al) and on the other side is the Orange Democratic Movement and its affiliate’s parties, NARC, PICK et al). For havens sake, the legislators will come from the same political parties that form the GCG who intend to form the Opposition in Parliament hence the name, Grand Opposition.

Although I have my own reservations when it comes to the “ring leaders” of the Grand Opposition, namely, Ababu Namwamba, Kiema Kilonzo and Mithika Linturi, because it is very clear that the three individuals and others are bitter for not having been appointed to the Cabinet. But boldly speaking, Ranneberger and his colleagues should keep off Kenya internal affairs.
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http://www.kenyatimesonline.com/content.asp?catid=5&articleId=749

Updated on: Sunday, June 01, 2008

Mutula, when will you wake up to face reality?

Commentary & Analysis

Story by: OMAR ALI


There is one Minister who is lately being seen to be operating through the media in performing his ministerial duties. The Minister is none other than Mutula Kilonzo heading the newly created Nairobi Metropolitan Development docket. My take is that the Mbooni MP is either trying to give an impression to the public through the media that his ministry is not one of those perceived to be “minor cabinet dockets” created to appease certain political quarters.

Perhaps, he thinks by operating through the media he will be seen to be hard working as opposed to be sleeping on the job. His latest theatrics is a picture where he is in a chopper on the sky touring Nairobi and suggesting that the City should start utilizing helicopters landing spaces, helipads, to ease traffic congestion in the City. While I agree with the Minister that the President should perhaps use helicopters to travel to and from the airport when he is travelling and or arriving from overseas trips as opposed to travelling by land to and from the airport and or the State House.

It is true that when the President travels police have to clear the roads hours before he passes through the designated roads, causingQA unnecessary snarl-ups that could be avoided if the he took a chopper. Other countries such as the United States, the President utilizes the chopper when he travels to and from the airport and when he goes to or returns from the nearby Camp David presidential retreat outside Washington DC.

But Kilonzo is going too far be suggesting that all buildings, especially the world-class hotels should have such helipads facility to enable direct landing of visitors from the airport. Kilonzo may be a multi-millionaire, thanks to the exclusive no bid Government contracts from the former Daniel arap Moi’s Kanu government, but I must remind him that Kenya is a poor country. With the escalating high prices of oil, using helicopters is going to be an expensive exercise.

In one of his visions, the Ministry needs Sh34 billion for the strategic plan to be realized. Neither the Minister nor the Prime Minister has stated whether the country has the funds or not to implement the strategic plan. Telling us he wants to do this and that does not mean it is done or he has done it. The one time presidential lawyer ought to be aware that ministerial work is not solely done through the press. He needs to be realistic and stop living in a fantasy world. omarahmedali@gmail.com
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http://www.kenyatimesonline.com/content.asp?catid=5&articleId=1263
Updated on: Sunday, June 01, 2008 Story

2012 race is reality we cannot ignore

Commentary & Analysis

Story by: OMAR ALI

To avoid the succession talk as is being advised by various political leaders is like denying prostitution exists, say in the United States. Whether one wants to acknowledge or not, the race for the 2012 General Election started as soon as the Grand Coalition Government was put in place.

Like in many other democracies, political campaigns are constant processes that never end. It is some sort of vicious circle, when one ends another starts immediately. As would be expected, the next presidential race will most likely pit Orange Democratic Movement Prime Minister Raila Odinga against Party of National Unity/Orange Democratic Movement of Kenya alliance’s choice, who will most likely be Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka.

The only person who could seriously threaten the V-P from clinching the alliance’s presidential ticket is Interanal Security Minsiter, Prof George Saitoti. Although the media keeps on mentioning Martha Karua and Uhuru Kenyatta as possible serious contenders for the 2012 State House race, the fact of the matter is that they have no prayer.

This is just the media’s wishful thinking. While it looks excellent for the two Central province’s legislators’ public relations campaign to have them floated as serious presidential contenders, in reality the duo are well aware that another Central province politician to elected to the presidency will take years.
Uhuru had his chance when he had the backing of the then President, Daniel arap Moi’s full Government machinery and Kanu backing and failed to be elected to the highest office.

Uhuru and Karua, do not have a national constituency to speak of or write home about. Other than the backing of their populous Kikuyu and to a large extent Mount Kenya communities’ bloc, the party Uhuru continues to lead, Kanu, is not the same as it used to be nor is it the same as people used to recognize it in the days of his father and Moi.

For one, the party failed to secure a single parliamentary seat in the expansive Rift Valley, a region once considered the party’s bedrock. History tell us that the Kikuyu and or Mt Kenya bloc votes cannot single handedly win the presidency —President Mwai Kibaki’s second try for the presidency in 1997 received the entire Mt Kenya/Kikuyu bloc votes but was unable to unseat Moi.
As for Karua, although considered one of the toughest and non-nonsense Ministers and an able lawyer to boot, she has no national brand appeal to succeed in the run for the presidency. Although she has many admirers, she comes out as a very arrogant individual who knows it all and is elitist. The ODM machine backing Raila would want to come back in 2012 with a bang like a basketball team playing in a home court crowd after coming from a controversial loss. Unlike PNU alliance ODM would probably not conduct nomination exercise, as a respect to Raila. It is hard to think that there would be any politician who would dare come out to seek the party ticket.
President Kibak’s allied and friendly parties can ignore the Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi suggestion, that their bus needs a good driver, at their own peril. As suggested by Murungi, the best driver for their bus is none other than Kalonzo, who stands to be the ace card with the best chance to unite all President Mwai Kibaki’s friendly and allied political parties. Murungi was right on point when he started the Kibaki succession process and by suggesting that the Kibaki allied faction of the Grand Coalition Government rally behind Kalonzo.

Unless Kibaki literally hands over the presidency to a fellow Kikuyu before the expiry of his tenure, which is highly unlikely, the next president of Kenya is likely not going to hail from the Kikuyu community notwithstanding the community’s numerical strength. Boldly speaking, the best bet for the PNU alliance presidential candidate is Kalonzo.

Adeniji response to Wetangula baffling

By entering into a war of words with our Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetangula, the Chief Mediator Prof Oluyemi Adeniji, clearly seems to be an unsuitable person to head the mediation talks task, his multilateral diplomacy experience notwithstanding. Certainly, many people are now wondering what kind of a diplomat Prof Adeniji is.

This is not defending or agreeing with Wetangula when he suggested that the Eminent African Personalities team should leave the country, but even if we assume that the Sirisia MP erred in giving the controversial suggestion, certainly it should not have triggered Adeniji to call a press conference to start a war of words with the local politicians. In response to our Foreign Minister’s remarks, Adeniji, a one time Nigerian Foreign minister himself, was quoted by the press to have noted: “I’m not a refugee. I haven’t come to Kenya to seek political asylum, nor am I an economic refugee.
In fact, I have another job waiting for me…. we have homes to go.” Why is it that Wetangula remarks triggered Oluyemi to be so bitter and took the remarks very personal? Those were definitely not the words to be uttered by a respected diplomat, who is supposedly going to assist in the healing process through meditation talks. Surprisingly, the Nigerian is behaving as if he is a Kenyan politician sympathetic to one side of the political divide.

I say so because Wetangula couldn’t have been straight forward in his suggestion to the members of the Eminent African Personalities team. He simply told them they should leave the country since they had finished their work. He went on to add that Prof Adeniji and members of the Eminent African Personalities team had finished their brief and should leave. And that the team should let Kenyans handle the remaining portion of the brokered deal.

To be fair to Wetangula even if one doesn’t agree with his suggestion, where in the world did Wetangula mention anything close to “political asylum, economic refugee or lack of homes on the part of the Eminent Persons and to Chief Adeniji in particular?” Perhaps, the Nigerian needs to come clean why he took the matter very personal as if Wetangula was attacking him personally as opposed to the “institution.” It has since emerged that the mediation talks would be on a need basis and not on daily basis.

Hence, Adeniji could pack and go to the job he claimed was waiting for him in Nigeria or elsewhere.

Amnesty calls misplaced

here have been amnesty calls for the post-election violence perpetrators by a section of the ODM faction of the ruling Grand Coalition Government. While addressing the ODM joint NEC and PG caucus Prime Minister Raila Odinga noted: “I wish to state that support for the Grand Coalition Government must not be based on blind faith or coercion.

That is why I have supported calls for the release of all Kenyans who were arrested during the post-election conflict merely for peacefully demonstrating their opposition to the fraudulent Electoral Commission of Kenya’s declaration of presidential results.” The rhetoric statement will continue to earn the ODM strongman political support but is sending wrong signals to future political hooliganism.

The call for blanket amnesty to executors of the post-election violence (under police arrest) by a section of ODM led by Raila is a disingenuous one and it sends wrong signals to political thuggery in the country. Those arrested were not merely demonstrating to express their anger on a fraudulent election as ODM leadership would like the public to believe. Instead these individuals committed serious crimes like murder, rape, arson and robbery with violence. Just like they did not feel any mercy for their victims, the law should not show any mercy or leniency whatsoever.

Lest we quickly forget, more than 1,000 innocent lives were lost, more than 350,000 Kenyans were displaced and they continue to remain refugees in their own country and property worth over Sh 30 billion destroyed. This is not the work of what the PM referred to as those in custody were “merely for peacefully demonstrating their opposition to the fraudulent Electoral Commission of Kenya’s declaration of presidential results”.

These people committed heinous crimes.The law must follow its rightful course and the perpetrators should not be pardoned.

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http://www.kenyatimesonline.com/content.asp?catid=5&articleId=117

Raila must be seen to be fair

It is an open secret that in his so called ‘dressing down’ the Transport Minister Chirau Mwakwere, by comparing Mombasa port 14 days to 48 hours it takes Dubai port to unload a container from the ships, the Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga was playing populist politics. On the face value, the Mombasa-Dubai comparison seems as if the Kenya Ports Authority is underperforming hence both the corporation together with the minister in-charge need to be whipped in public. But in reality 14 days is within the average for containers to be offloaded from ships in many major ports worldwide.

The public flog was disingenuous because apart from Dubai, the premier didn’t tell his audience how long it takes other competing ports such as Durban, Dar es Salaam, Cape Town, Singapore, to do that chore. Unless of course ‘the dressing down’ was solely meant to embarrass the Matuga MP in front of his peers. In addition, it was done because of the presence of the media covering the event where the prime minister was playing his well known populist styled politics to the unsuspecting public.

Majority of Kenyans might not be aware that Dubai Port Authority, famously known as ‘Dubai Port World’ is the most efficient and cost-effective port in the entire world, second to none. Not long ago, DP World acquired the famous Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co., better known as ‘P & O Group’ for $6.8 billion, in cash, that created the world's third-largest port operator, with 51 terminals in 30 countries.

With such worldwide presence through its subsidiary (P & O), DP World is so proficient and capable such that to even imagine competing with them is more like ‘kushindana na ndovu kunya’. DP Word secured a multi-billion dollar contract to manage all United States major ports, but because of public outcry the deal was controversially blocked by the US Congress. The public outcry was necessitated because Americans did not feel comfortable to have “a Muslim owned company” managing their ports.

Now let’s ask ourselves, how in the world can Mombasa port compete with DP World, when well funded developed world’s ports such as Los Angeles, Durban, Singapore and many others cannot even come close? Populists’ politics will not move this country forward but backwards.

Raila claims that he is doing his constitutional authority of supervising and coordinating ministries, would he have the same guts to query why there is less crime (if any) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia compared to the City of Nairobi? Will he tell George Saitoti to perhaps visit Riyadh and see for himself how peaceful the oil rich kingdom is? Or is the prime minister going to be selective as to which minister he will decide to whip publicly just to embarrass them while keeps others scared to criticize or start a fight with. How about ODM held ministries, will they be sacred cows et al

The National Accord notwithstanding the Right Honorable premier should not confuse his office to that of an executive premiership because it is not. There could never be an executive presidency sharing the executive arm of the government with a prime minister.

The Lang’ata MP needs to be serious and fair when performing his constitutional co-ordination and supervisory functions. The premier must not only be fair in his duties but must be seen to be fair in all his dealongs.

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Many people must be finding it odd to see Prime Minister Raila Odinga, a product of opposition politics, be vehemently opposed to an organized opposition in the legislature. It is reported that Raila has led a spirited onslaught to resist this move by the backbenchers’. What has happened? What a shame!

Organized opposition in the National Assembly should not necessarily be rooted on confrontational politics as Kenyans have been accustomed to. We don’t need political scientists to tell Kenyans that a vibrant opposition is needed to keep the coalition Government on its toes.

Loyal Raila sycophants erroneously allege that those seeking organized grand opposition in parliament are doing so in an attempt to undermine Raila and the Office of the Prime Minister in tandem. Why is everything about Raila … protecting Raila, shielding his office of the prime minister?

The Lang’ata MP has the audacity to tell some of his Orange Democratic Movement legislators and others from different parties, who support the formation of the parliamentary opposition to resign and seek fresh mandate from the electorate. I am happy to see that finally the Speaker of National Assembly Mr. Kenneth Marende has realized the need for the organized opposition. The speaker even went further to note that MPs were free become an opposition force in the House without seeking a fresh mandate. That is the leadership that Kenyans have been expecting from the new Speaker.

This columnist applauds the three junior ministers who on Wednesday broke ranks with their cabinet colleagues and backed the move on the formation of the opposition. The three courageous assistant ministers are, Aden Sugow, Bifwoli Wakoli and Aden Duale respectively for Public Service, Lands and Livestock.

Kenyans don’t need Albert Einstein to tell them that the rationale that saw he the united first grand coalition government cabinet meeting closing ranks to overrule the formation of the opposition is that they (cabinet members) do not want to be kept on their toes by organized opposition in parliament. They want to enjoy a free ride.

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Comments in this commentary are made ‘Without Prejudice’. Although the matter is now in the hands Justice George Dulu of the High Court and it is perhaps prejudicial to discuss, I however find the order to deport Mr Canobbio Pietro interesting in two ways.
First, if Mr. Pietro is a naturalized Kenyan as he claims through his lawyer, one of the country’s top notch lawyers, why did he find the need to hide from the law enforcement officers who were trying to execute the deportation order? One would have thought that as a naturalized Kenyan citizen, what Pietro needed to do was to prove his legal status by showing the immigration officers, his naturalization certificate and that would have been end of the story.
One would assume that unless the individual has something to hide, why would he need to hire one of the most expressive lawyers in the country and go to court to prove his legal status. It doesn’t matter if the individual has invested heavily in the country and is a director of several companies in the country or not. If he is a citizen then he should enjoy all the benefits of being a Kenyan, and if anyone isn’t then they shouldn’t. It is as simple as that.
Otherwise it is going to be very expensive for every naturalized Kenyan to have to go to court through paying the services of a lawyer to just prove their legal status once their status is questioned or when and if there is an erroneous deportation order.
On the part of the government, I ask, why didn’t the State Minister for Immigration and Registrations of Persons or his permanent secretary and other junior ministry employees check the facts before issuing the deportation order. If it happens that Mr. Pietro is saying the truth, then the Immigration Commissioner needs to resign and if he doesn’t then needs to be relieved of his duties.

Spare Kenyans politcal sycophancy

While addressing this years Labour Day celebrations President Mwai Kibaki personally cleared the air when he stated that the Grand Coalition Government is united and that there is no feud between him and Prime Minister Raila Odinga. The president noted: “We agreed with Raila to form one Government, and we are working together in one Government. Those saying we have two Governments are spreading fitina.” That was great news for Kenyans. Grand Coalition Government critics and pessimists should now shut up and give the GCG a chance to deliver to the people.

Sadly though at the same venue, the COTU Secretary General Mr. Francis Atwoli having nothing of importance to talk about regarding labour and industrial relations for the Kenyan workers chose instead to lash out a campaign for someone to be given the Transport portfolio amongst other absurd utterances. . At a time when Kenyans need solutions for a better future for themselves and their children, the question is was Atwoli sent by someone to say such a ridiculous proposition? His statement of asking President Kibaki to return John Michuki to the Transport docket amplifies a preposterous proposition.

Coming out of the political upheaval where there are hundreds of thousands of displaced citizens, workers want some help in stabilizing their lives and securing a better future for themselves and their children and not politicking. And that’s what Atwoli as the head of the country’s premier trade organization should be addressing and stop talking politics. Historically Atwoli is known for his outrageous and ludicrous utterances but this time around he has reached yet another peak on his idiocy.

As a secretary general of umbrella trade union organization Atwoli one would assume that the man is at the very minimum expected to understand the workings of a government. Any reasonable thinking Kenyan understands that it’s the Traffic Police Unit that is bestowed with the responsibilities of maintaining traffic order on the roads and not the minister for Transport. Nairobi has myriad problems and as such the rationale of establishing the new Ministry of Nairobi Metropolitan Development is meant to address those problems facing this East African largest metropolitan.

According to minister for Nairobi Metropolitan Development Mutula Kilonzo his docket is faced with a daunting task of transforming the city into a metropolis’. One of the tasks is to find ways of fixing the city’s transport system, water supply, waste disposal, public utilities, slum upgrading and enforcement of zoning regulations among other functions. No doubt the new ministry will have to liaise with many ministries such as that of Local Government, Transport, and Public Health & Sanitation, Water & irrigation to name but three in addressing the problems facing Nairobians. Blaming the minister for Transport for the transport woes in Nairobi make many people suspect as to the motive behind such unwarranted remarks.

One can infer that Atwoli is still bitter that Transport Chirau Mwakwere did not re-appoint his (Atwoli) tribesman, Mr. Brown Ondego, to the Kenya Ports Authority managing director’s position when his term ended fours years ago. Or is it that the Transport docket is so important that a Coastal person should not head it.

Kenyans know very well that when the Environment and Mineral Resources minister Michuki headed the key OP Provincial Administration and National Security docket (where he was in charge of the Traffic Police Unit) failed to enforce the very traffic laws he was praised to have initiated while at Transport. Although never credited, it was Chris Murungaru (then OP Provincial Administration and National Security) who accorded then Transport Minister Michuki the crucial traffic police enforcement support to vigorously implement transport laws.

But when the time came, Michuki refused not reciprocate to Murungaru or to the incumbent Transport minister. Why, many suspect because Michuki wanted to remain to have been the one who was the most effective one and tried to make his predecessors be seen I the eyes of the public to be ineffective. If Michuki was so great in managing the Transport portfolio then I am sure President Kibaki would have appreciated this and re-appointed him to the docket when he named his seventeen-member cabinet; which saw the Kangema MP removed from the OP Provincial Administration and National Security to the then Roads and Public Works ministry. When the second round of appointments came when the president formed the grand coalition cabinet, the head of state appointed Michuki the minister for Environment and Mineral Resources.

Boldly speaking Mr. Atwoli should spare Kenyans his nonsensical theatrics and concentrate with the job at hand of handling the plight of Kenyans workers and stop being an errand boy for someone.

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VP can do better

It was wise for the former Vice President Moody Awori to turn down the appointment to chair a committee set up by his successor to look into the grievances of the striking prison warders. I must add that it is good news to the country that the warders have since resumed their duties and look forward to have their grievances addressed.

Truth be told when Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka named the eight–member committee to look into the grievances of the striking prison warders I wondered if Mr. Musyoka was really serious in tackling this matter or if he was he just playing politics.

I say this because the vice president seemed lost when he appointed his predecessor to chair the committee. In addition the vice president named the immediate former Commissioner of Prisons Abraham Kimakil in the same committee. I ask again, is Kalonzo serious in tackling the issue.

It did not make sense to have the two gentlemen in the committee because Awori and Kimakil were right in the middle of the correctional system as the two top officials and they failed those prison warders when they had the powers and authority to assist them. One wonders what would have changed for the warders to all of a sudden start to trust the two gentlemen when they accused them for presiding over the current rot in prisons during their tenure at the helm. It has since emerged that, “Mr Kamakil’s tenure was the worst for us and it was marred with corruption allegations and promotions that were based on nepotism.”
One wonders was the VP truly sincere when he pleaded with the Thika Prison warders saying: “I want the officers to call off their intended strike and give me a little more time to address their problems." Mr. Kalonzo needs to go to work and address the problems facing the prison warders.

If as claimed by Moody Awori is true, that the Prison Department already has a strategic plan, a programme on housing, and a scheme of service and all that was left was the implementation of the same, why then didn’t Kalonzo Musyoka check this out before going public in naming a committee. Apart from being the president’s principal assistant Kalonzo has in addition a ministerial responsibility that he needs to attend to.

With a new permanent secretary in the Home Affairs ministry who would approach the issue with a fresh mind, the problems facing the warders need to be addressed sooner rather than later. There is no need for committees and commissions if a strategic plan is in place and all that remaining is its implementation.
omarahmedali@gmail.com

This Jacorrosi garbage deal really stinks

The way in which the waste management deal that was supposedly given to an Italian firm Jacorrosi Impresse smells corruption all over.
Any reasonably thinking individual could raise several questions. Why would the Kisauni MP Hassan Joho involve himself in municipal affairs in a business deal worth several billion shillings if he is not set to gain financially?

Why the Town Clerk Wisdom Mwamburi is defending this deal with such zeal? This column supports Tourism Minister Najib Balala in ensuring that Mombasa residents get a fair deal in the garbage collection.

What surprised me most was soon after the Mvita MP raised the issue, Mwamburi came out fighting in defense of the deal and urging it was good for Mombasa.
The Town Clerk went further and is known to have “defended the planned partnership, saying that besides offering more services, the council had started negotiations with the company before the entry of the French agency.”

This Jacorrosi Impresse deal smelled fishy to me when Mwamburi is quoted to have noted that the services would be free of charge to those who could not afford it, especially those in slum areas.
My question is who will determine who gets free service and those who won’t?
If you ask me, it will be susceptible to further corruption by the municipal officials, a cash cow for the officials.

What is it for Mwamburi and others should the Italian firm secures the contract?
If the French government has offered a more favorable plan to clean the town in a form of a grant why can’t those involved listen with the open minds for the benefit of the people?
Mwamburi is not a Mombasa native and its increasingly looking like he could care less for the people of Mombasa but his pocket.

This column supports Mayor Ahmed Mohdhar when he said: “As mayor of Mombasa, I therefore direct the town clerk to issue a fresh tender in line with current Procurement and Disposal Act 2005 and ensure that as a Council, we get value and achieve the objective of enhancing service delivery to the people with interests of the residents of Mombasa being paramount,” Mwamburi and others working on these foreign deals need to do their work and forget personal financial gains.

Many would hope that Joho did not support the election of Mayor Modhar with ulterior motive of hoping to secure kickbacks from corporations that he will assist in lobbying for them to obtain lucrative multi-million shillings municipal contracts.
I would hope that the people of Kisauni will not regret electing Joho and sent their very vocal former MP lawyer Anania Mwaboza packing. omarahmedali@gmail.com Updated on: Sunday,
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Commentary & Analysis
April 27, 2008
Story by: OMAR ALI
http://www.kenyatimesonline.com/content.asp?catid=5&articleId=3166

Why Official Opposition crave is political mirage

The reason the country might not have organized Official Opposition in the National Assembly is because all the Orange Democratic Movement legal minds were thinking of bigger things; becoming cabinet ministers.

The question of Official Opposition was a smaller fish and many of them could care less when thoughts of bigger fish occupied their minds. Take the case of the Aggrey James Orengo.
The Ugenya MP is a brilliant legal mind and one of the country’s accomplished legislators.
When participating in the negotiation table in the Mediation Talks as an ODM representative, the new Lands Minister was certain that he will land a Cabinet position once the talks succeed and as such he deliberately ignored the question of the official position in Parliament.
He was right —he is now a Cabinet Minister in the Grand Coalition Government.

I am very certain that the issue crossed his mind and he knew that with the establishment of the Grand Coalition government, there will be no Official Opposition in the National Assembly, as they were deliberately ignoring the issue from their discussions.

Budalang'i MP Ababu Namwamba, a member of ODM think tank and Pentagon House, is another brilliant legal mind and a one time respected fellow columnist, who I suspect also thought would land a Cabinet position and as such never raised the issue of the Official Opposition in Parliament.

It must be remembered that in the initial ODM list of Cabinet Ministers released by Salim Lone, ODM publicity secretary,Namwamba was to be given the Youth and Sports docket. Unlike Orengo, Namwamba was not so “lucky” for a Cabinet appointment.

When I columnist and LSK chairman Okong’o O’Mogeni and many others were raising this issue asking the National Assembly Speaker Kenneth Marende to raise to the occasion and use his wide discretionary power to facilitate the Official Opposition in Parliament through amending the "colonial parliamentary" standing orders, no ODM legislator, or any lawmaker for that matter saw the need to support us in this call.
SNow that many ODM and PNU lawmakers missed on cabinet appointments, they are on the forefront in taking up this issue seriously.

Although it is within their right to do so, but I think the matter has already be settled, not by the Speaker but by the Deputy Speaker, Farah Maalim.
Boldly speaking, I agree with the US ambassador Michael Ranneberger that those MPs seeking to be recognized as Opposition are those who missed out on Government jobs and are self serving politicians.

In the same bold speech, I totally disagree with the diplomat for opposing the calls for establishing an Grand Opposition and that Kenyans should ignore those MPs seeking to form an opposition.

The sad thing is that we shall have all the parliamentary select committees filled by PNU, ODM and ODM—Kenya cronies who will not be as effective in the role of ‘Government Watchdogs’ as they should or ought to be. Very sad, but a political reality and Kenyans have to live with it.
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Commentary & Analysis
Story by: OMAR ALI
Sunday, April 27, 2008
http://www.kenyatimesonline.com/content.asp?catid=5&articleId=3165

Kenya’s diplomats doing superb job

The current composition of the diplomats in terms of career versus political appointees is said to be “the worst it has ever been”, so says Dennis Onyango, an accomplished journalist, in one of his recent commentaries titled “Politics and diplomatic posting.” ( The Standard, 21 April 2008).
Although the commentator deliberately ignored to substantiate any stated facts in his commentary, the reality is that when it comes to diplomats “political appointments” is an accepted norm in all democratic governments all over the world.

This phenomenon is not restricted to Kenya as Onyango tried to imply. For instance, in United States, the pricey diplomatic post is that at the United Nations, in New York.
Successful previous US top diplomats at the UN such as Mrs Magdalene Albright, and then Congressman, now Governor Bill Richardson (New Mexico) both of who ended up serving as cabinet secretaries (ministers) in the Clinton Administration were both not career diplomats.
Other famous Americans who served at the UN include Andrew Young, under President Jimmy Carter, who then went to become the mayor of Atlanta.

Taking it closer to home, the late Smith Hempstone who is one of most remembered American ambassadors to Kenya in our in recent memory was not a career diplomat but a trained journalist.
The commentary left an impression that these political appointee diplomats are the reason why, and to use his own words, “Kenya is seen to be doing badly in diplomatic circles compared to, for instance, neighbouring Tanzania…Kenya is doing badly in diplomatic postings, compared to the nations the country is competing on the continent.”

In one aspect Onyango was contradicting himself where he praised the Tanzanian UN Permanent Representative Ambassador Augustine Mahiga to be a career diplomat extraordinaire.

But like Mahiga, Kenya UN Permanent Representative Zachary Dominic Muburi-Muita is also a career diplomat with an impressive curriculum vitae.
Onyango goes to give the career histories of the two diplomats but in disguise kept on praising the Tanzanian and in one sentence he notes:
“How he rates with his Tanzanian counterpart, is a different issue,” In addition to Muburi-Muita at the UN New York, we have Franklin Esipila, a career diplomat, manning the Addis Ababa based Africa Union, while responsible for diplomatic duties in Ethiopia and Djibouti, and not to forget an academician Dr Maria Nzomo who heads our UN mission in Geneva.
Political appointees or not, Kenya has an excellent mix of career and non-career crop of diplomats and they are doing a superb job.

What the journalist forgot was the fact that our missions are staffed with well trained foreign service employees and as such it is their job responsibilities to effectively assist those head of missions in their respective stations to discharge duties for the benefit of the country.
In fact, non-career diplomats are usually very effective as opposed to career diplomats. And here is why.
Political appointee diplomats are usually very much aware that their time is limited and as such they usually strive to make a great impact as opposed to a career diplomats who might not want to rock to the boat.

Personally, I did not support our Ambassador to US Rateng Ogego in the war of words he engaged with Senator Barack Obama.
Not because Barack Obama has known Kenyan roots but due to the fact that he is a US senator and a natural friend of Kenya.

I thought both Dr Alfred Mutua and Mr Ogego missed the boat when they by engaged in a war of words with Obama. Ogego’s rookie mistake cannot be attributed to all political appointees in diplomatic posting.

I have always said that the biggest enemy of Kenya is none other than Kenyans themselves. Our media people are found of praising foreigners and look down on their fellow Kenyans.
They search for every fault they can find and make it a big headline issue. Right now the current stars are the US and UK Nairobi based diplomats.
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Commentary & Analysis
http://www.kenyatimesonline.com/content.asp?catid=5&articleId=3164

Coast could be 'the biggest loser'

In the United States there is a reality television show called ‘The Biggest Loser.’ In this show participants, men and women all of them fat (overweight individuals), compete in reducing (losing) their body weight in the presence of all kinds of enticing eatable niceties such as cakes, sandwiches, chocolates et al. The whole idea of this show is that every participant endeavors to become the winner by being the biggest loser in losing their weight. Hence the winner of this TV reality show is the “the biggest loser”. A loser here is in fact a winner.

I bring this to light because in Kenya politics as it unfolds, albeit slowly, the biggest loser in the incoming yet to be formally announced Grand Coalition Government cabinet will be Coast as a province and as a community, the Kenyan Muslims. Separately ‘Coastarians’ and the ‘Muslim Umma’ are all scared to speak out and would rather keep quite and keep the peace.

Although the cabinet is yet to be agreed and formally announced as I penned down this commentary, Prime Minister-designate Raila Odinga in his many press conferences and releases told Kenyans that he conceded to the formation of an extra ordinary bloated 40-member cabinet in order to deflate anxiety and avert a repeat of the post-election mayhem that rocked the country where thousands of our compatriots paid the ultimate price. Although ODM has since changed course and now they are for a 34-member cabinet or less.

One would have thought that with the forty-member cabinet contingent, Raila and his ODM organization couldn’t have been happier because it will accord them the chance and wide latitude to please and appease a wide variety of peoples and regions. But what stunned me and I am sure the Coast voters is that in appeasing ‘their supporters—tribes and regions’—Raila as the appointing authority here saw it prudent to give Coast and North Eastern provinces one cabinet position each from his share of twenty slots. A combined of two cabinet positions for two provinces.

The Prime Minister-designate then had the audacity to tell Kenyans, specifically the people of those two marginalized provinces that: "Kenyans should not look at ODM ministers as those coming from a given tribe or region, but as people ready to offer services to all." What a double standard here for Raila and his cronies. When former president Moi did it and filled the many cabinet positions with his homeboys Kalenjins, it was wrong but now being done by Raila people should accept it to be a cabinet ‘of people ready to offer services’.

As I have pointed out earlier, when penning this commentary the cabinet had not yet been formed, why then I am jumping the gun? I am doing so on the premise of ‘Dalili ya Mvua ni Mawingu’. The comment is based on the information derived from ‘the ministerial list of names’ released a couple of days ago by the ODM illustrious Director of Communication who doubles as Raila press secretary Mr. Salim Lone.

In the bonafide list of ODM ministerial appointees, the breakdown gives Nyanza the lions share of seven and Rift Valley six cabinet posts; the former being the Langat’a legislator’s native province hence also bags the premier’s post. Western province is given four cabinet positions, counting Fred Gumo as one of the four members since this is his native province. In addition Western province also bags one of the deputy premier’s posts and already occupies the Speaker of the National Assembly position.

The remaining four positions left to share between Eastern province that gets two and Coast & North Eastern provinces each gets one each. What amazes me most is the fact that, even ‘the Abagusii Nyanza’ has an equal number of ministers that the party gave to Coast and North Eastern provinces combined. It gets better, the district where Henry Kosgey and Sally Kosgei come from, has double the number of ministers than the entire Coast province.

The Coast people need to do the math by themselves, no one is going to do for them. Notwithstanding the mass support they gave to ODM, their so-called party feels the province is worth only one cabinet position and the beneficiary being Najib Balala and Balala alone. Talk of misplaced leadership priorities, the Mvita MP perhaps couldn’t be happier because being the only ODM minister from the region there will be no potential of anyone threatening his closeness to the party’s ‘great leader’.

One would hope that Coast ODM supporters, the biggest losers here, are not confusing themselves with the American TV reality show, where being the biggest loser is in fact being a winner. I could be wrong, they are not perplexed with the reality show, they are perhaps only heeding their great leader’s advice to the letter when he told them they should not look at ODM ministers as those coming from a given tribe or region, but as people ready to offer services to all.
Boldly speaking, the Coast ODM sympathizers need to wake up and accept reality and stop not daydreaming. The reality is that from the look of things in wider picture, President Kibaki has consistently been very fair to the region and the Muslim community whichever way one looks at it. He has two Ministers from the Coast (from his 17-member mini cabinet) as opposed to one proposed by ODM, this is despite the fact that the president’s party and its allies have less MPs from the region than ODM. In addition the president has three Muslims ministers in his cabinet as opposed to ODM’s two. And there is the potential that the head of state could spring a surprise and appoint a Coast legislator and perhaps a Muslim as his party’s choice for the deputy premier position.
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SUNDAY TIMES
April, 13, 2008

Here is my answer for cabinet stalemate!

By Omar Ahmed Ali

It seems that the bone of contention delaying the naming of the Cabinet is not the size of the cabinet but the influence some of the dockets have. For instance, State Minister for National Heritage and any other minister is very much different in terms of executive authority and influence in the managing or overseeing of budgetary funds and parastatals. No matter what changes are made, the fact shall always remain that some ministries will always remain influential and powerful than others.

This phenomenon exists everywhere around the world. For instance, in the United States, the Secretary of State is more influential than say secretary of the interior. And in the United Kingdom, the Chancellor of Exchequer is more influential than the foreign secretary and on it goes.

It is against this backdrop that in our case, the Ministers of Finance, National Security and Foreign Affairs are more influential than say those managing Health, Labour or Social Services dockets. But, something can be done to increase the influence of the not so “influential portfolios’ by reducing the size of the Cabinet and merging some ministries to make them stronger and or influential. My suggestion for the two principals is for them to genuinely agree to trim the size of the Cabinet to twenty five plus the Office of the Attorney-General.

I have even come up with those twenty five ministries that could be established and they should perhaps be entrenched in the constitution through an appropriate amendment.

First things first — the President, Vice-President and Prime Minister, should not have any cabinet dockets in their respective offices. The President as the head of state and the Head of the Government doesn’t need to have ministers in his office, because in reality all ministers operate under his office.

The Vice-President as the president’s principal assistant and the Leader of Government Business in the National Assembly has a lot in his plate and should not be given any ministerial responsibilities. The Prime Minister’s office bestowed with the responsibility to manage and coordinate Government functions and ministries will be too busy to be bogged down to a cabinet portfolio. My advice is that the country doesn’t necessarily need to have “ministers of states” in the respective offices of the President, Prime Minister and the Vice President. Use the term “minister of state” for assistant ministerial position as is used elsewhere in the world.

The two deputy premiers need not be given very influential ministerial responsibilities as their posts’ are already influential. My suggestion would be that the two deputy premiers be given the following cabinet dockets:

• Deputy Premier (& Minister for Regional Development)
• Deputy Premier (& Minister for Special Programmes)

With those two ministries taken care of, the country could then have the following cabinet portfolios which would all have close to influence and power.

The twenty three ministries should be as follows:

• Defence
• Education
• Cabinet Affairs
• Home Affairs
• Foreign Affairs
• Health & Welfare
• Water & Irrigation
• Local Government
• Energy & Mining
• Tourism & Wildlife
• Trade & Industry
• Labour & Public Service
• Transport & Communications
• Youth Affairs, Culture & Sports
• Justice & Constitutional Affairs
• Finance & Economic Planning
• Environment & Natural Resources
• Information, Science & Technology
• Roads & Public Works
• Marketing & Cooperative Development
• Agriculture & Livestock Development
• Lands, Housing & Urban Development
• National Security & Provincial Administration
• Office of the Attorney General

National Heritage and Immigration departments should revert back to their original Home Affairs ministry. Registrations of Persons back to the Attorney-General Chambers, Fisheries department revert back to the Wildlife and Natural Resources its former parent ministry. East African Cooperation affairs to be handled by the Foreign Affairs docket.

The above 25 cabinet dockets (including those under the two deputy premiers) will be strong and equally powerful and influential as they can ever be.

Each ministry should have one assistant minister except the two premiers who do not needs deputies in their two respective offices.In addition with the “light” ministerial duties, the two DPMs will always be available in the event that the presence of a full cabinet minister is required or is needed in the absence of the substantive minister. In addition assistant ministers or ministers of state should be empowered to deputize in the absence of their respective ministers.

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SUNDAY TIMES
April, 13, 2009

This is such a heavy price for us to pay!

Today, some Kenyans are excited while others are disillusioned. Those who are thrilled are elated simply because finally the long waited Cabinet line-up of the Grand Coalition Government will be formally announced to the public this afternoon.
They are ecstatic because the country was in some of sort of limbo and tension was slowly being seen to be building.

The agreement of forming a Cabinet comes as a relief to this group of ecstatic Kenyans because it ends the two-week stalemate over the naming of the Coalition Government.
The group that is disenchanted is dejected because they strongly believe that a bloated 40-member Cabinet is far from what the Kenyan taxpayers can afford to fund.
In addition, they don’t think that it was worth the price the country paid for losing 1,000 souls, damaged hundreds of millions of shillings worth of property and dislocating hundreds of thousands of fellow Kenyans.

The chairman of Federation of Kenya Employers Patrick Obath in opposing a bloated Cabinet noted: “Lean must be lean, and that is what we mean. Our stand is that 20 ministers are more than enough to run the ministries.”
With 40-member Cabinet, President Mwai Kibaki-led ‘government/PNU’ side of the Grand Coalition has twenty Cabinet seats and one deputy premier position to fill.
On the other hand, Prime Minister-designate Raila Odinga-led Orange Democratic Movement also has the same number of Cabinet posts to fill.

It has been an open secret that the party’s DPM slot is a reserve of the one time Vice President Musalia Mudavadi. Other than reorganising his “existing mini-Cabinet” it is unlikely that Kibaki will drop any of the seventeen individuals the Head of State already named prior to the agreement reached with ODM.

And as such the President only needs to select three more individuals and one tough pick for his side’s deputy Prime Minister’s slot. As for the faction’s three Cabinet positions, it is very likely that Kibaki will give two spots to the Government/PNU’s major partner in their "coalition within-a-coalition" ODM-Kenya as a reward for standing with him during his hour of need.
According to media speculation, two Ukambani lawmakers, Mutula Kilonzo and David Musila are the expected beneficiaries of these two Cabinet positions to be given to their party.

The two close associates of Kalonzo Musyoka are predictably the Vice President’s first choice for appointments. The other Cabinet spot will probably be given to the Meru sub-group people as their reward for their massive voter support they gave the President.
In short the three Cabinet positions will likely end up in Eastern Province.
If the DPM were to be given to a Mt Kenya individual which is highly unlikely, then it will go to another onetime but long serving Vice President and the President’s closest confident George Saitoti.
Otherwise Kibaki could heed the advice of Kiraitu Murungi and spring a surprise by naming someone outside the Mt Kenya political orbit and shock everyone.

The biggest test lies on Raila. The Prime Minister-designate challenge is that of satisfying everyone in his political organisation. It will indeed be the time where ODM supporters will have the chance to see the true colours of “Agwambo.”
The challenge is not only how many ministers a tribe, region or a province will be given, but which ministries in the measure of importance and influence they will get.
For instance, will Raila name Sally Kosgei and Henry Kosgey to the Cabinet, taking into consideration that the duo hail from the same district? Will the premier-designate appoint his elder brother to the Cabinet?

How many Luos will make up the 20-member Cabinet slots for his side and which strategic dockets will they be given? Now there are questions the Coast and the North Eastern provinces’ people should have for their ODM party leadership.

How many individuals would the two provinces each have in the ODM side of the Cabinet? What kind of Cabinet portfolios will they be given? President Kibaki has two Coast MPs and one North Eastern serving in his Cabinet assuming the President retains his seventeen-member original Cabinet which is highly expected.

In addition, the same three ministers double up to Kibaki having three Muslims serving in his Cabinet. Here again separately, the Muslims ought to ask the same questions to Raila and Najib Balala as to how many Muslims apart from Balala will be named to the Cabinet.
One key appointment where the Coast people ought to watch carefully is on the assumption that transport docket belongs to ODM. So will Raila appoint a fellow Luo to this docket aiming at KPA to reverse the good work done by the docket’s predecessor?
Will the new person have specific instructions to fire the current KPA boss Abdalla Mwaruwa and name a fellow tribesman as the ports new chief executive officer in order to bring more Luos to the seaside major employer.

Boldly speaking, I am not in support of the bloated Cabinet, but then again if it is the price Kenyans have to pay for peace, tranquility and development then it is indeed a very small price.
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SUNDAY TIMES

April 6, 2008

http://www.kenyatimesonline.com/content.asp?catid=5&articleId=2627