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Politics aside, you have got to give it to President Mwai Kibaki for his vision when it comes to uplifting wananchi lives by improving their living standards. Education is the key medium to any and all societal developments. One reason why most of the developed countries have economic success stories, take the case of United States for example with its military superpower, is simply because of education. Acquiring knowledge and or skills in the United States is easily accessible to anyone who is interested with no age restrictions as is in many countries, including Kenya.
Politics aside, you have got to give it to President Mwai Kibaki for his vision when it comes to uplifting wananchi lives by improving their living standards. Education is the key medium to any and all societal developments. One reason why most of the developed countries have economic success stories, take the case of United States for example with its military superpower, is simply because of education. Acquiring knowledge and or skills in the United States is easily accessible to anyone who is interested with no age restrictions as is in many countries, including Kenya.
I say you’ve got to give it to President Kibaki as he started with the popular, very successful and well implemented free primary school education programme. This well endowed policy even impressed former popular US President Bill Clinton, who praised Kibaki and named him as the one person he wished to meet. And he met him at State House Nairobi during Clinton’s visit to Africa.
Kibaki is now even going further in taking free education to another notch with the pledge of tuition free secondary education effective next year. And on May 11, while laying a foundation stone for Boito Polytechnic in Bureti district, the President said the Government was implementing the model polytechnic project to enable the youth to acquire skills that will enable them to engage in gainful employment. The Presidential Press Service (PPS), in their press release notes: “President Mwai Kibaki today launched the setting up of a model youth polytechnic project in each of the 210 constituencies in the country.” I must add that these lower middle level tertiary institutions are what has been non-existent in the country.
Kibaki is now even going further in taking free education to another notch with the pledge of tuition free secondary education effective next year. And on May 11, while laying a foundation stone for Boito Polytechnic in Bureti district, the President said the Government was implementing the model polytechnic project to enable the youth to acquire skills that will enable them to engage in gainful employment. The Presidential Press Service (PPS), in their press release notes: “President Mwai Kibaki today launched the setting up of a model youth polytechnic project in each of the 210 constituencies in the country.” I must add that these lower middle level tertiary institutions are what has been non-existent in the country.
The fact that, the Government intends to fund the construction of 210 polytechnics is a great stride in the country’s road to economic empowerment of its people. I suggest that these institutions be identified and or recognized as "community polytechnics." The one the president laid the foundation stone should be known as "Boito Community Polytechnic" to separate these institutions from say Kenya and Mombasa Polytechnics, some private polytechnics and the existing "village polytechnics." In addition, these institutions will also only attract students from their respective local communities. They will also be supported by their respective constituencies’ education fund, the youth fund and in some extreme circumstances Constituency Development Funds.
While the Orange Democratic Movement Kenya leaders are busy in their backroom or boardroom deals in distributing positions of power in the event they win the general elections and form a government, Kibaki is dealing with the bread and butter politics for an average Kenyan. Raila Odinga appointing William Ruto as his Premier or Kalonzo Musyoka appointing Musalia Mudavadi his Vice President and Balala as a Deputy Premier is good for the appointees and their families but does nothing to Kassim, Kamau or Keino. One can always criticize the incumbent, but the opponents need to come out with substantive policies that benefit the masses and show how they plan to pay for them.
Having praised Kibaki in his education polices, I am still troubled by the fact the President has made sure that Education Ministry is managed from the top by individuals from his Mount Kenya kinsmen and women, from the Minister, to the two Assistant Ministers, to the Permanent Secretary to the Director of Education and on it goes. Very sad. It is not a coincidence that these individuals occupy these top positions in the Ministry.
What a democratic farce in ODM-K!
In the City of Philadelphia whoever wins the bitterly fought Democratic Party primary for the Mayoral seat is a shoe in to be the next mayor of America’s fifth most populous metropolitan come November election. Currently, there are five candidates for the party’s coveted ticket in this Tuesday’s primary. The five hopefuls for the mayoral seat includes, two members of the US Representatives representing the two congressional legislative districts in Philadelphia in the US Congress. One State Representative, a local legislator, also represents one section of Philadelphia in the state General Assembly (Pennsylvania’ lower house chamber), a wealthy businessman and lastly a former city councilman (councillor). One of the two Congressmen, Bob Brady, is as a matter fact the Democracy Party chief in the city of brotherly love.
Through Tuesday’s primary election, these individuals will let the ordinary Democratic Party members to decide who should be the party’s mayoral candidate in the November election. It is likely that Councilman Michael Nutter, will carry the day as he is ahead on the polls by ten points against his closest rival multimillionaire Tom Knox. I bring this story to light as a lesson to our politicians, because unlike in the ODM-K presidential primary, there will be no backroom deals in Philadelphia mayoral primary. If my information from what I have read in the media serves me right, there are reports that a group of ODM-K’s lawmakers are pushing for consensus as a method of picking their party’s presidential candidate in an effort to reduce the number of presidential contestants to four. One reason for this boardroom strategy is that some of the hopefuls “lacked serious following in their backyards”.
In Philadelphia it will be an open contest where the most popular and liked individual will carry the day. But in ODM-K presidential primary, it will not be the people, but the contestants who will decide. According to the same press reports they allege that ‘sources are on the view that the party’s Council of Elders chaired by Westlands MP Fred Gumo, was keen to see the four key presidential hopefuls strike a deal after a series of meetings’.
Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka, William Ruto and Musalia Mudavadi are considered key to ensuring ODM-K defeats President Kibaki in the December General Election simply because of their tribal numerical numbers. Uhuru is out of the picture because as long as the incumbent President Kibaki is in the race, his (or their) populous Kikuyu and in extension the mighty Mount Kenya vote bloc will vote no other candidate but re-electing Kibaki.
It is seems to me that ODM-K luminaries cannot go out there and let their supporters decide, but would only hold backroom deals to secure their party’s nomination. It is one thing for individuals to claim they are democrats, it is completely another to act and or behave democratic.
It is seems to me that ODM-K luminaries cannot go out there and let their supporters decide, but would only hold backroom deals to secure their party’s nomination. It is one thing for individuals to claim they are democrats, it is completely another to act and or behave democratic.
Wolfowitz must quit
The embattled World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz needs to resign. If there is any chance of salvaging the image of the World Bank with its tattered image of its head, the man has to go. Wolfowitz is President George Bush’s appointee, prior to this appointment, Wolfowitz served as Bush’s Deputy Defense Secretary and he was one of the architects of the Iraq war. When there were suspicions of impropriety on the part of the then United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan’s role on the oil-for food program, there were several calls of Annan’s resignation. These calls were spearheaded by US Senator Norm Coleman. The senate was then with the Republican majority but decided to hold a senate hearing to this effect. It was apparent even for a non keen observer that the Minnesota senator was after Annan’s blood.
This is what Coleman wrote: “Mr Annan was at the helm of the UN for all but a few days of the oil-for-food programme, and he must, therefore, be held accountable for the UN’s utter failure to detect or stop Saddam’s abuses.” The senator went on to add: “Any private company would have asked for his (Annan’s) resignation. But the members of the Board, in this case Security Council members China, Russia and France, have all benefited from Saddam being in power.” Although there was no hard evidence to show any impropriety on the part of the UN secretary general, Coleman demanded his resignation. As with the case of Wolfowitz there is evidence and confession of Wolfowitz’s impropriety; he should resign.
There is evidence that Wolfowitz, as the World Bank president acted inappropriate, corrupt you might say, and there are no calls for his resignation from Coleman. Here Wolfowitz has accepted that he made a mistake in this corrupt deal, but he still continues to serve as the WB President. Who is benefiting for having Wolfowitz remain at the helm at the World Bank, Sen. Coleman?
A cartoon in the Newsweek this week has Wolfowitz making an address and saying the following: “the World Bank economic success stories include Asia, Africa, My Girlfriend, and Latin America…” I thought it was very apt, the World economic success stories does indeed include institution’s chief’s woman companion.
A cartoon in the Newsweek this week has Wolfowitz making an address and saying the following: “the World Bank economic success stories include Asia, Africa, My Girlfriend, and Latin America…” I thought it was very apt, the World economic success stories does indeed include institution’s chief’s woman companion.
I would say this. Had Wolfowitz been an African or a person coming from any Third World country for that matter, he would have been hounded out of office in disgrace by the United States senate. But because he is an American and the fact that the appointing authority (Bush) is still in office and is facing tough times politically at home with regard to the unpopular Iraq war, loss of senate and House of Representatives control. My money is on Woilfowitz that he will keep his job by mere default.
SUNDAY TIMES
omarahmedali@gmail.com
omarahmedali@gmail.com
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