Kenya Election 2007: Outcomes

[Atanaye]

I was struck yesterday listening to BBC Swahili interviewing one of the Kikuyu ladies who had been chased out of Kakamega. She did not blame ukabila, or ODM except she said Kibaki should go because he did not win the election. This was a victim yet she still had a sense of what is right. It is not too late for Kenya.

Me too but in a different way. CNNI(cnn-today) walisema Odingas supporters, herein luo(according to CNN), hail from the slums(kibera tu)hapa kwa lugha nyingine ni kwamba hakupata kura sehemu zingine kenya na kwamba wajaluo ndio waliojaa kibera. LO tunaelewa wanaishi kwenye slums kwa hivyo it is ok kurepiwa? walidiriki kuonyesha pia in sub title Luo Vs Kikuyu! na mapicha ya vurugu kibera-this is absurd!

CNN's insight was that Kibaki's supporters come from central land with strong economics kwa lugha nyingine matajiri na watu wa maeneo mengine mbali na kibera. Hivyo basi wao ndio victims wa vurugu(from the slums). This is Whack!

Nilibakia kujiuiliza kama hii ni sawa. Kwani mie najua wakenya wote wamemchagua Raila bila mkwaruzo kwenye nyanja za ukabila.
Nasema hivyo kwa-sababu hii International media coverage with their delibarate way of distorting the truth is more like a media blanket(read coverage)with a downcast eye- very disheartening.

Hakuna ukabila, the voters tally themselves(north,east,south,west, central).Ijulikane hivyo.

I think JF has done better coverage of this issue than any other so called International news media,pamoja na kutofautina na yaliyotokea lakini ni rahisi kuona utata upo wapi nao ni Ufisadi wa kura za Mkenya, siyo mkikuyu mluhya, mkisii, mjaluo, ni Mkenya na ndio Wakenya.

Tuangalie tu hizo International media coverage zisiwe ndio mahakama sasa.

Nawasilisha

 

[Kichuguu]

K-T

Have you read this? Any truth in it?

Raila Was Outsmarted

I hate to say this but Raila took a risk and it didn't pay ... let me explain. First I'd like to point that I am not a diehard ODM'er but I would like to say I can't stand Kibaki and PNU and that's why ODM was the next best alternative for me and I believe Raila won the election. Now to the meat..

The name of the game is IPPG - drafted in 1997, (Inter Party Parliamentary Group), basically an agreement which states that all parties will be involved in the nomination of ECK commissioners. Well, as you can imagine, this crucial agreement was never made a part of the law, but rather left in the hands of the incumbent in the hopes that he'll do the right thing and involve all parties in nominating commissioners. Now as you probably know, politicians are a very calculating group of people, more often than not every move they make is well planned and deliberate.

Fast forward a little ..... Raila and his group split from Kibaki on the basis that he didn't honor the MOU (warning flags), furthermore Kibaki didn't want the constitution changed (at least not to the bomas draft) hence the big referundum of 2005. At this point Kibaki and Raila were not seeing eye to eye at all .... but wait he still evidently trusted Kibaki. Why, you ask.... because despite him splitting with Kibaki basically because of seeing him as a person who lacked honor (MOU), he still didn't take any steps to ensure IPPG was actually made law. It seems very obvious that you would want a blossoming democracy like Kenya to have a fair playing ground for an election by ensuring all parties have a say in the ECK especially after Moi's elections legacy..... But wait, he and others assumed Kibaki would honor this agreement yet he'd failed to even honor the MOU. Now this to me appears to be an extremely big oversight or ......

A very well calculated risk that didn't pay at all. Now why would he take such a risk you say......because he was hoping to use the same loophole himself perhaps after he was president. But the sly fox (AKA Kibaki) outsmarted him, he ensured that the ECK was full of his cronies....and a lame duck AKA Kivuitu. Now that the time has passed and the country is where it is I truly hope for the best for my fellow Kenyans. Raila and others had lots of opportunities to get things changed ... but everyone in parliament was busy
rewarding themselves with great perks, salaries and a golden handshake..... yet the crucial things were left....

A lesson hard learned.

 

[BAK]

Pressure grows on Kibaki to hold talks as divisions emerge among own community


· Kikuyus split over leader's handling of election crisis
· 100,000 displaced people in urgent need of food aid

Xan Rice in Nairobi
Saturday January 5, 2008
The Guardian

Kenya's president, Mwai Kibaki, is facing growing dissent within his own Kikuyu community over the way Kenya's election was conducted and his refusal to accept talks with the opposition under international mediation, it emerged yesterday.
Wealthy Kikuyu business people, who control much of Kenya's economy, have seen their companies' value dive over the past week and are trying to persuade Kibaki to soften his stance. Younger Kikuyu professionals, meanwhile, are accusing the president and his advisers of turning the rest of the country against their ethnic group.

Kibaki was awarded a second term on Sunday in a highly contentious election that local and international poll observers describe as not credible. Since then, more than 300 people have died, and thousands of homes, shops and cars have been burnt. Poor Kikuyus living in slums or rural areas have borne the brunt of the violence from supporters of opposition candidate Raila Odinga, losing their lives or livelihoods.
"Kikuyus are a mercantilist group and this is the last thing they wanted," said Robert Shaw, an economic analyst in Nairobi. "We're seeing massive intransigence and arrogance by the government, but it's false bravado. The pressures on Kibaki from his constituency are immense."

The UK's foreign secretary, David Miliband, last night called on Kibaki and Odinga to come together in a power-sharing agreement to restore peace.

In a statement issued by the Foreign Office, Miliband warned that many more people could die if the parties refused to work together in the interests of the whole country. He said Kenya's leaders risked losing the "confidence, goodwill and support" of the international community if they did not compromise.

Yesterday, the country was returning to an uneasy calm, though 100,000 people remain displaced by violence in the west, the UN warned. The Red Cross made an urgent appeal for aid, as the UN World Food Programme sought to get relief supplies to the most needy.

Many of Nairobi's wealthiest business people, including Jimnah Mbaru, chairman of the Nairobi stock exchange, openly campaigned for Kibaki, and funded his campaign. But the stock exchange and the Kenya shilling have slid sharply this week. Gitau Githongo, a Kikuyu management consultant in Nairobi, said the business elite was pressing Kibaki to "rethink his position". Even members of the president's PNU party were embarrassed by the way the election and its aftermath had been handled, he said.

"If you looked at all the evidence before the election, and then the parliamentary results, you knew that Kibaki was going to lose. So I was shocked when he subsequently scraped a win. From the election observation reports, I am clear in my mind that the results were not genuine, and that is the consensus around the country."

Mutahi Ngunyi, a political scientist in Nairobi, said there was a generational split in the Kikuyu ethnic group, which makes up nearly a quarter of the population. They voted for Kibaki as a block; he won 97% of the vote in Central province, the Kikuyu heartland, but there is increasing dissatisfaction with the man they call Mzee, a respectful term for an elder.

"Much of the pressure on Kibaki is coming from younger professionals," Ngunyi said. "Their argument is that the Mzee and his advisers have driven Kenya into an ethnic war. Privately, they are trying to distance themselves from the government, saying that, if the election was rigged, it was done by a group of incompetent old men."

A Kikuyu professional who is involved in talks with Kibaki's advisers said the government would not heed opposition calls to admit to having rigged the election. "But Kibaki needs to immediately admit that there is a crisis in this country and to commit to a process that leads to dialogue and compromise," he said.

A government spokesman said that Kibaki would agree to the opposition's demand for a rerun of the election, but only if directed to do so by the courts. Odinga maintains this is not a viable option, saying that the courts are packed with government cronies.

But Odinga is also coming under pressure to change his stance. His supporters have been responsible for the majority of the arson, robbery and killing, tarnishing his reputation.

 

[Mnhenwa Ndege]

Kitila Mkumbo,

Heshima mbele!

Mimi (Kilitime) nimechukizwa sana na Kibaki alichofanya na wewe Kitila the same na wengine wengi! na Huenda na Kikwete, huenda na Mbowe, huenda na Lipumba!!! okay no problem.

Tanzania kama taifa huenda haikufurahishwa pia, lakini Tanzania kama taifa haiwezi kusema Kibaki toka! ila yaweza kusema kaeni muyamalize Kibaki na Raila muyamalize!!! na hili ndilo UK/USA wameendelea kulisema, hawajasema Kibaki toka!!! NO!!!... kwa maana nyingine kama taasisi mbali mbali hii ndio inakua misimamo!!! lakini individual hakuna shaka mkuu!!!

Nawatakia maandamano mema!!! lakini kumbukeni hawa ni majirani na kumbukeni narudia tena tofauti ni kati ya Wananchi wa Kenya, Kibaki ni Mwananchi wa Kenya na Raila ni Mwananchi wa Kenya, ODM ni chama cha Kenya, na PNU ni chama cha Kenya. Hata kama source ni Uchaguzi au Ukabila au namna yoyote ile. Let them deal with it first!!! Kabla pili pili ya shamba haijawawasha!!!

Kama ingekuwa Kenya na Ethiopia,,, well tungekuwa na nguvu zaidi ya sisi kusimama kama chama na kama Taifa kusema lolote kwa urahisi zaidi!

Zimbabwe tuko nao, sio kwa kusema Shangarai ni Mbaya au Mugabe ni Mzuri,,, ni kwa kusema Uingereza acheni/mpeni basi nafasi Mugabe afanyie kazi mambo ya Ndani ya nchi yake!!! Nadhani huo ndio msimamo wa Tanzania.

Hiyo article nitafutie niendelee kujielimisha lakini itakuwa imeandikwa na binadamu kama wewe na mimi sio malaika!!! anaweza lalia upande wowote!!!

Ndio maana nawapongeza sana viongozi wa dini kuombea amani, sio kuombe Raila au Kibaki adumu Madarakani?

Swali:
Ukishajibu Maraisi wa Maswali haya matatu utajua kwanini nimesema hivyo!!! regardless walichukua je madaraka!!! hata M7 awamu yake ya Kwanza haikuwa kachaguliwa but he was the president of republic of Uganda.

Raisi wa Jamhuri ya Kenya ni nani?______________________

Raisi wa Visiwa vya Zanzibar ni nani?___________________

Raisi wa Jamhuri ya Zimbabwe ni nani?__________________

Hawa wote walikuwa na issues lakini kuna marais wao ambao wako madarakani mpaka sasa pamoja na issues zinazoendelea sasa za miafaka na kadhalika!!!

KUMBE UNAFAHAMU KUWA MARAIS WENGINE WANAIBA KURA KISHA WANAINGIA MADARAKANI AND YOU STILL STAND ON A NEUTRAL GROUND ADVOCATING DIPLOMACY.

SASA TUKIWA NA WATU KAMA WEWE TUTATAWALIWA MILELE.

UNAJUWA VIZURI KUWA kibaki ANATAKA KUPOWE POWE KAMA MWENYEWE ALIVYOSEMA; "I WANT THE SITUATION TO BE CALM THEN I WILL HAVE A DIALOGUE".

HUYU ANATAKA PRESSURE IPUNGUE KISHA ATAWALE VIZURI.

 

[Kasheshe]

Polisi ya Tanzania/Dar wamezuia maandamano ya vyama vya upinzani kwa sababu zile zile tulioambiwa kwamba sisi hatufahamu, hata hivyo vyama vya upinzani vinalazimishia.Sasa twasubiri unaweza sikia jioni kuna amevunjika kiuno! Paa gazeti la mwananchi la sas!

 

[Mnhenwa Ndege]

Mkjj na Kilitime kweli mna hoja. your tone sounds so diplomatic and thats what the would be power wilders prefer. Hapa kinachotokea Kenya ni pale wananchi wanapofika peak na kusema NO ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Wananchi wa Kenya wameamka unlike majority yetu katika bara zima, Africa tumezoea kuwatake wananchi wetu for granted kabisa and this is what Kibaki naively tried to do, thinking kwamba kuweka polisi wakarusha mabomu the game will be over na ataendelea kula nchi for the next five years!

If you think and know that you wouldnt honour the wananchi verdict why then call election? isnt it the waste of money and time?

Hawa wananchi waliambiwa wakapige kura kumchagua wanayemtaka, they faithfully qued kuanzia alfajiri mpaka usiku bila hata kumkwaruza jirani, mpaka polisi Commissioner Ali akawapongeza! sasa leo hiyo serikali kwa nini yenyewe ishindwe kuplay its part of the bargain na wananchi ndo warushiwe mpira? I say No , this dirty game must end in Africa. And the only way to end is through protest, maana diplomatically imeshindikana! Si wamepiga kura, jamaa akakataa kuheshimu maamuzi ya "waajiri" wake? Sasa mwananchi wa Kenya amebaki na silaha gani ya kupambana na Kibaki kama kura yake ndo haina thamani tena??

Diplomacy ni kweli should be given a chance, But I have never seen where it works bila kuwawajibisha hawa vibaka waliokubuhu wanaojiita life presidents especially in third or fourth world countries...... from Ukraine, Georgia, Chile nk! Diplomacy can only work where the defendants and plaintiful are diplomatic! Hizi ziara za Jayndair Frazier, Kufour nk, ni geresha tuu kutudanganya wananchi...hatudanganyiki tena..., wananchi lazima waamke wadae haki yao, hata kama ni kwa ncha ya upanga! After all, kwa Africa the only music our rulers can withstand ni confrontation.

Everybody knows the election was stolen..ok lets use diplomatic language..the elction had irregularities..kwa nini hao diplomats wasimwambie Kibaki ukweli?? We are tired of this diplomatic charade my comrades!!

Kuhusu Raila, mi nadhani we are missing a point and unfair to him! Jamaa aliuza manifesto yake, watu wakamchagua enmasse sasa leo iweje yeye ndo alaumiwe. Mi it doesnt matter kama yeye ndo angekuwa ameina kama incumbent ningemcondemn kama Kibaki.. na kumbuka mwenye hasira siyo yeye tuu, lakini kwa kila mkenya anayeona kwamba ana haki ya kutetea taifa lake hata kama ni kwa kumwaga DAMU!! Ooooh nooo I dont agree, when the worst comes to the worst these dictators must be confronted even if it means shedding blood!

And I tell you, after this unfortunate event, Kenya will raise as stable democracy! Maana watawala watajua kwamba Kenya belongs to ALL KENYANS AND NOT FEW HUNGRY AND WEALTH CLIQUE.

Tumeziona hizi diplomacy za Mbeki Zimbabwe, zimafanya nini? zaidi ya kuwaumiza wananchi mpaka leo wanakufa na kuumia bila sababu..Kisa?? mazungumzo yanaendelea.. kisa diplomacy. I WOULD SUPPORT DIPLOMACY EVEN IN KENYA IF IT WAS GENUINE!! But its not, ni ule ule unafiki wa viongozi wa kiafrika. rub my back I will rub yours tommorrow..

Certainly we cant condon violence, and whats happening is unfortunate, but where Africa is now I can surely say thats the best language our dictators can understand! we cant afford any more ujinga wa Kibaki type..we have enough problems on our continent!!!

Africa tumenyonywa na Mkoloni, tumeteseka kwa majanga ya kila aina, sasa hata waafrica wenzetu wanataka kuwa wakoloni? surely we can now understand why people/suicide bombers blow up their lives!!

Iam sorry guys, to sound harsh, but what Kibaki did is so disguisting for any African to be proud of being an African. And it should be a lesson to all these dictators Mugabe,Zenawi and Mbeki who has joined the group of recently!

YANI MY FRIEND YOU REALLY MADE MY DAY, CONGRATULATIONS MY BROTHER FOR BEING SO PRECISE AND ARTICULATIVE IN YOUR ARTICLE ABOVE.

HE WHO SEEKS EQUITY SHOULD COME WITH CLEAN HANDS. HOW CAN RAILA GO TO COURT WHILE GOVERNMENT WHICH PROVIDES THE SO CALLED JUSTICE IN DIRTY IN THE FIRST PLACE.

HON RAILA IF ITS MEDIATION, THEN ITS SHOULD HAVE A TIME LIMIT.

"NOT YET UHURU" IS A BOOK WRITTEN BY JARAMOGI AJUMA OGINGA ODINGA (HON RAILA'S FATHER), ITS TIME FOR KENYANS TO FIGHT FOR THEIR SECOND INDEPENDENCE AT ANY COST.

 

[KakindoMaster]

Kuna kitu kidogo naomba kuuliza hivi PNU party hiki ni chama kweli au ni kikundi kidogo cha watu kikiwa chini ya Kibaki kimeamua kuchukua madaraka?

Katika kumbu kumbu zangu ni kama vile kimekuwa ktk siasa za Kenya kama mwezi mmoja hivi.

Mimi nafikiri tunakikuza mno ni chama ambacho hata hakistahili hadhi yoyote kabisa ya kidiplomasia.

 

[Mnhenwa Ndege]

Kilitime, nakubaliana na wewe na reaction yangu ya kwanza kuhusu maandamano hayo ni kuwa "unnecessary". Hasa kutokana na subject yenyewe na jinsi ilivyodokezwa kwangu.

Endapo maandamano haya yatachukua sura ya kumuunga mkono Raila na kumlaani Kibaki siyo tu yatakuwa ni ya uchochezi bali hayatasaidia kutafuta usuluhishi kule Kenya. Endapo mzigo wa uvunjaji wa haki za binadamu na mauaji yaliyofanyika utabebeshwa kwenye mabega ya Kibaki tu sidhani kama hilo litasaidia katika kuleta uponyaji wa Kenya.

Binafsi naamini kabisa kuwa Raila ana sehemu kubwa ya kulaumiwa kutoka na machafuko ya kisiasa nchini Kenya kama vile Kibaki anavyolaumiwa. Yawezekana wengi wetu kutokana na kutaka "Raila ashinde" na baada ya kuona upuuzi na uhalifu uliofanyika katika kutangaza kura tumekuwa vipofu wa kufuata haki na hivyo kuchukua upande wa "anti-kibaki" ilimradi na sisi tuoneshe kuwa haki haikutendeka.

Hilo laweza kuwa sawa. Hata hivyo kwenye moto na cheche za Ukabila na mauaji yanayoshabihiana na yale ya kimbari rafiki kuchagua upande au kuonekana wamechagua upande haisaidii kitu zaidi ya kupulizia moto!

Kenya wako katika moto, na sisi Watanzania na hasa wapinzani wasitumike kama wapuliziaji moto kwa kisingizio "cha mshikamano" na "wale wote wenye kutetea utawala wa demokrasia".

Tufanye vitu vya kwanza kwanza; Raila na timu yake na Kibaki na timu yake wasiweke preconditions zozote na wakae meza ya mazungumzo and nothing should be taken off the table and everything should be open for discussion!

TANGIA NIJIUNGE JF HAPA NDIO MARA YA KWANZA NAONA SIKUBALIANI NA WEWE. ULITAKA HON RAILA AFANYE NINI?

JAMANI TUNA KAZI NGUMU SANA MPAKA TUJE TUJIKOMBOE SISI WAAFRIKA KAMA OUR LEARNED FRIENDS WANT TO TAKE DIPLOMATIC STEPS WHILE WIZI UMETOKEA.

 

[Madela Wa- Madilu]

Ushindi aibe Kibaki lawama wagawane na Raila?
Du!

 

[Ssebo]

Dawa ya moto ni moto, kuna vitu viwili ambavyo Raila na wenzake wanaweza kufanya ili kupata haki yao:
1. Ku organize maandamano ya amani kwa nchi nzima kumshinikiza Kibaka kutoka madarakani au
2. Kuingia msituni na kuongoza mapambano ya kivita mpaka kieleweke!!
Bila moja ya mambo hayo mawili uchaguzi hautarudiwa wa kura hazita hesabiwa, na majority of Kenyans wataendelea kunyanyasikia. Hakuna haja ya kwenda mahakamani.
Kivuitu amepoteza fursa ya kuwa mmoja wa heroes of Kenya kwa uwoga na kutokuwa na guts za kusimamia haki ya wakenya waliowengi. Hata kama alikuwa amewekewa mguu wa kuku kichwani je maisha yake ni bora kuliko maisha ya watu 300?

 

[Mnhenwa Ndege]

CHA MSINGI HAPA NI:

1) kibaki AMEIBA KURA.
2) AMETUMIA JANJAJANJA KUJIAPISHA ILIANGIE MADARAKANI.
3) SERIKALI YAKE IMEUWA WATU WENGI.

4) WATU WATAFUTE KWA UDI NA UVUMBA NJIA ZA KUMTOA MAKARAKANI KWA GHARAMA YOYOTE ILE.

 

[Mtanzania]

Where are the middle class and professionals in this saga? Nawaona wanasiasa na Machingas wa Kibera.

Wasomi wengi wamejifungia ndani, wanaogopa kupoteza maisha yao, mali zao na influences zao.

Hii ndio tofauti na Eastern Europe ambako maandamano na migomo kama hiyo ilikuwa inaandaliwa na professionals na middle class, hivyo kuifanya ipangwe vizuri.

Kwa Afrika hata wakati wa kudai ukoloni, professionals walikaa kimya, kwa Tanzania wakamwacha mwalimu akihangaika na Wazaramo wake kudai uhuru.

Tatizo kubwa la Afrika ni sisi wasomi, tunaojiita wasomi. Yaani bora tunashiba basi hatuko tayari kusaidia kudai haki ya wanyonge.

 

[KakindoMaster]

Where are the middle class and professionals in this saga? Nawaona wanasiasa na Machingas wa Kibera.

Wasomi wengi wamejifungia ndani, wanaogopa kupoteza maisha yao, mali zao na influences zao.

Hii ndio tofauti na Eastern Europe ambako maandamano na migomo kama hiyo ilikuwa inaandaliwa na professionals na middle class, hivyo kuifanya ipangwe vizuri.

Kwa Afrika hata wakati wa kudai ukoloni, professionals walikaa kimya, kwa Tanzania wakamwacha mwalimu akihangaika na Wazaramo wake kudai uhuru.

Tatizo kubwa la Afrika ni sisi wasomi, tunaojiita wasomi. Yaani bora tunashiba basi hatuko tayari kusaidia kudai haki ya wanyonge.

kama kuna kitu ambacho kimerudisha nyuma maendeleo ya nchi zetu ni pale watu wanaojulikana kuwa wasomi ktk jamii zetu kuamua kutojitoa katika kupigania haki zao.Badala yake kugeuka kuwa MAFISADI wa kwanza.

We angalia mtu kama KIbaki ni Msomi mzuri sana ambaye amehamua kutumia Elimu yake vibaya sana na badala yake ameamua kuwamaliza Wakenya.

Na siyo kuwa wasomi wa nchi zetu wameshiba, siyo kweli wanachofanya ni kulalamikia kwenye mablanketi tu.

Wasomi wengi sana wanamlaumu Kibaki lakini wanayasemea Jikoni, wachache wenye moyo wa kujitokeza na kusema wazi wazi.

 

[Malila]

pale ikulu kibaki ataondoka tu,ni suala la wakati,kinachotuuma sisi ni kutucheleweshea safari yetu ya kufikia mafanikio mapema.Bravo jamaa zetu wa kenya kwa kujitahidi kupinga udikiteta kwa kadili inavyowezekana,ushindi wenu ni ushindi wetu sote EAC.Kumbuka ninyi leo mmetangulia nyuma yenu iko Tz na Ug na Rwanda na Burundi tunakuja kwenye demokrasia ya kweli.

 

[eddy]

Mtanzania umenena, kweli walioko katikati ya mzozo ni machinga na wanasiasa, wasomi aah! wanawahi maofisini tu! bila kukumbuka ndugu zao wanaopigwa viberiti huko rift vallay. Tunachaguzi ndogo tatu za wabunge hapa kwetu je? wangapi wameomba likizo huko us & uk kuja kugombea! hao hao uchaguzi ukiisha wanaanza kusema ufisadi mara watoto wa vigogo, mara africa so poor! yako kama mbwa koko yanabweka huku yako uvunguni.

 

[Mnhenwa Ndege]

ODM WANAWEZA KUWASHAWISHI WATU WAKAFANYA MAANDAMO MAKUBWA SANA, AWAAMBIE WATU WAKE KUWA WENYE MAGARI WAENDESHE KISHA WAKIFIKA TOWN WAYAWACHE BARABARANI ILI WABLOCK TRAFIC YA MIJI YOTE YA KENYA. WAENDAO KWA MIGUU NAO WATOKE MAJUMBANI MWAO KWA WINGI KILA SEHEMU WAENDE UHURU PARK NA WASIONDOKE HATAKAMA NI MWEZI MMOJA WAKAE HUKU WANAIMBA NYIMBO ZA USHINDI. NA MAGARI NAYO YASIONDOLEWE MPAKA AJIUZULU.

I BELIEVE ODM HAS LEARNED GUYS THEY CAN ORGANISE THAT.

WATAKAO CHOMEWA MAGARI BASI SERIKALI YA HON RAILA ITALIPA IKIINGIA MADARAKANI. THE CAR OWNER HAS TO ESTABLISH PROOF OF OWNING A CAR. I DONT THINK KAMA MAGARI YOTE YATACHOMWA.

 

[Mnhenwa Ndege]

Hebu Jamani Niwaulizeni Kuna Mediation Yoyote Iliyoweza Kutatua Mzozo Wa Election Successfull In Any Country? Please If You Have Any Information Please Tell Me Thank You.

 

[Mnhenwa Ndege]

Kibaki, Raila spell out conditions

Published on January 5, 2008, 12:00 am


By Saturday Standard Team

President Kibaki is open to a coalition arrangement, including the Orange Democratic Movement, but first violence has to stop.

Second, the President stood his ground saying his opponents, who he on Thursday asked to seek legal redress if they felt aggrieved, should respect the authority of his Government.

ODM leader Mr Raila Odinga wants a presidential re-run in three months, but managed by an interim government.

The Kibaki side says, ‘No!' to both demands by the man who believes he was unfairly robbed of victory in the December 27 General Election.

That was how close President Kibaki and Raila were to the negotiating table yesterday – as Mombasa exploded with teargas and mayhem.

The two extremes were what peacemakers were trying to bring together as a humanitarian crisis loomed in Nairobi due to disruption of the traditional food supply chain into the heavily populated capital.

The Kibaki side, too, appeared to soften with spokesman Alfred Mutua, who is on record dismissing international mediation at this stage as interference, throwing in a new dimension.

He was quoted by Reuters South Africa, saying, "We would accept even another election as long as the Constitution is followed. If the courts decide it, we would accept that."

Peace-making broke fresh ground as South Africa's Nobel Peace laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu finally met President Kibaki. When he walked out of State House he told journalists: "There is a great deal of hope."

"The President was not averse to the formation of a coalition, but clearly there has to be an acceptance that there is a governing authority," Archbishop Tutu said.

Tutu is the lead mediator in the effort to end the post-election violence that has claimed about 300 lives and reduced sections of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Kakamega into smouldering ruins. The injuries and destruction of property witnessed since the release of the controversial results are legendary in scale in independent Kenya's history.

The morbid nature of events unfolding in Nairobi was discernible from the fact that even as Nairobi struggled to return to normalcy, the crowds on the streets thinned out when word went round ODM supporters were going to swarm Uhuru Park at 2pm. The recreation park named after Independence Day remained ringed by GSU commandos.

Tutu met Kibaki as US Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer hit the road to Kenya. He was expected last night. But US President George Bush told Reuters: "They (Kibaki and Raila) have an opportunity to come together in some kind of arrangement that would help heal the wounds."

Meanwhile, Pentagon member Mr Najib Balala was tear-gassed in Mombasa as GSU personnel ringed Sakina Mosque. He declared the town would from today be the theatre of daily riots until President Kibaki admits there was a mistake.

Signs that peace talks could be long-drawn were discernible from the security blockade thrown around informal settlements in Nairobi, considered reservoirs of ODM support.

The undercurrent could also be read in Eldoret North MP-elect Mr William Ruto's rallying call to supporters: "The perseverance of a river is what makes an ocean''.

The World Bank warned the violent clashes, deaths and destruction of property could reverse the country's ‘impressive economic record', as France gave its harsh verdict on the elections, supporting ODM's claims. "Were the elections rigged? I think so, many think so, the Americans think so, the British think so, and they know the country well," Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said.

The slide to violence stunned many Kenyans unaccustomed to such terms now creeping into their vocabulary, particularly ‘safe corridors', ‘internally displaced persons', and ‘international mediators'.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sent Frazer to Kenya. "The secretary's phone calls are one way. Public statements are another way. But Secretary Rice decided this morning that it was important to send Jendayi [Frazer] out to Kenya to try to bring that message directly to the leaders," said spokesman Sean McCormack.

Frazer is expected to meet Raila's team and other key players in the elections roundly condemned as flawed, and whose results Electoral Commission chairman Samuel Kivuitu and his five of his members have questioned.

He added: "Her presence there could be a way to encourage them, to get together. It's also certainly a way that we can more directly try to encourage them to get together and open up that dialogue.''

The US initially congratulated President Kibaki over his triumph, but hastily withdrew the statement when controversy set in.

On Thursday, Attorney General Amos Wako called for an independent probe of the counting and proposed a government of national unity, saying that the court does not necessarily have to be involved in its construction. Yesterday the Anglican Church called for an independent commission to recount and re-tally the votes.

Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi said this was the only remedy for peace in the country. The Church, Nzimbi said, was offering to mediate between the Government and ODM.

"We the Anglican bishops offer ourselves to walk with you through this path towards peace and reconciliation for all Kenyans," he added.

The Catholic Church and the Muslim fraternity have also proposed a similar measure to reverse the waves of violence sweeping across Nyanza, Western Kenya, Rift Valley, Nairobi and Coast province.

The hazy picture of a peaceful settlement hung in the horizon as it emerged that ODM leaders, frustrated by heavy security machinery in Nairobi, could have decided to pan out.

Tomorrow Pentagon member Mrs Charity Ngilu, and ODM's MPs-elect Mr Omingo Magara (South Mugirango) and Mr Kipkalia Kones will be in areas between Kisumu and Kisii, including the South Rift, "assessing the situation and condoling party supporters.

Tutu left for South Africa as a ray of light cut through the standoff between Kibaki and Raila. "There is hope for peace since ODM and the Government are open to possibilities for negotiation," he said.

Later, Mombasa exploded as a demonstration of Muslims Balala led was stopped by police with teargas, guns and cudgels. Business stalled as the demonstration spread across the town.

Nairobi, which had ground to a halt on Thursday, as ODM leaders were stopped by police from holding a rally at Uhuru Park was yesterday still restive, with thin traffic and few pedestrians.

ODM leaders led by chairman Mr Henry Kosgey and Orengo and Magara walked into Uhuru Park in the afternoon, but were tear-gassed.

The situation in some other main towns was reported to be still tense, with hundreds of internally displaced people camping at police stations, churches and fields.

In Migori, villagers reported that police killed 11 people and injured 30 others, but police put the official death toll at four.

Kenya Red Cross (KRC) captured the gravity of the crisis with an appeal for Sh957 million to assist about 500,000 victims.

In a press conference, KRC Secretary General, Mr Abbas Gullet said so far 100,000 people have been displaced, but the number could reach 500,000.

He put death toll so far at 177 people with 17 of them being victims of a razed church in Eldoret. From the church tragedy, 42 people were taken to hospital with serious burns.

Eldoret leads with the number of the displaced at 65,000 followed by Lugari (18,200), Kericho, (1,600) and Nairobi, (1,216).

About 200 have been displaced in Kisumu and 226 in Mombasa. Other badly affected towns are Kakamega and smaller towns in Western Province.

The situation in Kenya, regarded as the regional business hub, attracted the highest attention and drew pressure from the West, with Bush leading world leaders in expressing concern.

"It's very important for the people of Kenya to not resort to violence," Bush told Reuters news agency in an interview at the White House. "

McCormack said the US was not prescribing what the solution should be, but added, "They do need to come together; they need to broker some political solution to the political crisis."

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called on Kibaki and Raila, to ease tensions. "I want to see the possibility explored where they can come together in government," Brown told reporters.

The Canadian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Maxime Bernier and Beverly J, Oda the International Co-operation Minister said, "Canadians are shocked at the horrific deaths of people taking refuge in an Eldoret Church as well as at the loss of life elsewhere in Kenya."

World Bank said the unrest threatened Kenya's impressive recent economic growth and poverty reduction, citing business leaders' estimates that the country was losing some US$30 million (about Sh210m) a day.

 

[Mnhenwa Ndege]

ODM-Kenya ready for talks

Published on January 5, 2008, 12:00 am


By Mutinda Mwanzia

After his party secured 15 seats in Parliament, ODM-Kenya leader, Mr Kalonzo Musyoka, is expected to play a key role in a coalition government.

The Mwingi North MP-elect is expected to lead his troops in warming up to President Kibaki.

On Friday, the Saturday Standard learnt that already, the ODM-K party MPs were lobbying for inclusion in the yet to be named Cabinet.

An MP from Ukambani, who sought anonymity, said they were ready to join Kibaki's Cabinet and form a coalition.

"The best option for our party is to work with Kibaki," said the MP.

Kalonzo, who emerged third in the just concluded presidential election, has previously insisted he was ready to join any post-election coalition with the winning party.

Party secretary-general, Mr Mutula Kilonzo, said ODM-Kenya would play a key role in a post-election coalition.

"We have the numbers and will certainly play our role," he said.

The Mbooni MP-elect is one of Kalonzo's key advisors and political strategists.

Other MPs expected to feature in the arrangement include wealthy gemstone dealer and Kangundo MP-elect, Mr Nduya Muthama and his Kibwezi counterpart, Prof Philip Kaloki.

Muthama has been one of the party's key financiers while Kaloki has hosted Kalonzo during his campaign tours in the US.

Kaloki, who was teaching at Dallas Baptist University, US, before plunging into politics, is also the executive director of the Kalonzo Musyoka Foundation.

The two and Mutula are tipped to bag Cabinet positions if the party enters into a coalition with the Kibaki Government.

ODM-Kenya won 13 seats in Ukambani and two others in Bura and Saku constituencies.

But Kalonzo insists he is yet to be offered the V-P's slot in the yet to be named Cabinet.

Kalonzo told the Saturday Standard in an exclusive interview at his Nairobi residence that he was not interested in the position, saying it was not a priority for now.

"My focus at the moment is to see the country remain united, with no further incidences of the anarchy threatening to tear our nation apart," he said.

The former Cabinet minister said it was meaningless for him to accept the slot when the country was in chaos.

"If I have to negotiate with President Kibaki over the position, I will make it open. We must face the reality that the nation first needs healing and not pursuit of positions," he said.

But he added: "The future of governments in this country is coalitions. No party is capable of doing business alone."

Political parties, he said, must prepare to work together.

"Let us not be afraid to talk to other parties even if we are called traitors," he added.

Kalonzo said he had met President Kibaki in a bid to find an end to the post-election chaos that has engulfed the country.

"I have appealed to Kibaki to initiate dialogue and end the bloodletting threatening to destroy the nation," he said.

 

[Mnhenwa Ndege]

Mombasa deserted following protests of poll results

Published on January 5, 2008, 12:00 am


By Omwa Ombara

It was horrific in Mombasa from Monday to Thursday, with an even sadder day to mark the New Year after release of fraudulent presidential election results.

No one was willing to respond to the usual "Happy New Year" greeting. With dozens dead and scores injured, there is uncertainty over who is next. Fearful tourists have fled the Coast while others remain hidden at the beach hotels, afraid even to venture into the ocean to watch marine life and enjoy surfing.

The aftermath of the General Election is a sad one characterised by fear, panic and anxiety. The turn of events is a far cry from the morning Kenyans voted confidently and peacefully. Moments before ECK Chairman, Mr Samuel Kivuitu, announced the presidential results on Sunday, rumours had started doing rounds that the results were manipulated.

Mombasa ‘Raha (fun)', the once beautiful, fun-filled region with fun-loving people and tourists, became Mombasa "chungu (bitter)". Suspicion, anger and panic filled the air. Suddenly one could not tell friend from foe. One frightened person would start running and everyone else would join and they would scamper in all directions.

Neighbours, who were friends suddenly turned against one another, killing each other with wanton abandon. They chased away children who had played with their own children and attended the same schools.

An administrator at a Mombasa Bank, who has always lived in Mombasa, told The Saturday Standard that she was shocked when her neighbours, who had been watching the TV and sharing her popcorns in her sitting room, turned against her and tried to torch her house.

"I had to flee with my children and husband for protection. They torched my house with all my property. I have neither an identity card nor passport and my children have no uniform," she wept.

Everyone spoke in low tones and kept their identities secret. The hostility moved to offices where colleagues treated each other with suspicion. The ugly face of tribalism reared its ugly head in Mombasa as hordes of youth fished out groups from opposing sides.

Fear gripped residents as a group of youth attempted to torch a mosque at Masjid Swalihina, about 300m from the junction of the main Mombasa-Malindi Highway. Muslims viewed this as an affront to their faith and declared a holy war to protect their mosques.

Majority of business owners in Kongowea market, were also attacked in post-election violence and their property destroyed. Some sought refuge at the nearby Police Dog Section. The locals at Kongowea decried that they could not allow them to be farmers, transporters, wholesalers and retailers at the same time. They demanded to be retailers.

Most of the nightclubs in Kisauni, Bamburi, Kiembeni, Mishomoroni and Bombolulu in the North Coast have been burnt down. The music that flowed endlessly from the pubs died down, as Mombasa became a ghost town.

Hundreds of matatus plying the routes of Bamburi and Mtwapa have all been parked at the Nyali Police Station, Bamburi Police Station and the dog section for safety for the last four days. This has brought about transport problems with fares hiked from Sh30 to between Sh50 and Sh100.

For the last one week, people have been sleeping out of their houses; divided in small vigilante groups for fear that they might be attacked by youths on a vengeful mission. Every night between midnight and 2am, people in pick-ups with loud speakers drive around the estates calling on the public to wake up and protect their lives and property.

Mombasa is no longer the same.