Kenya: Onyango Oloo talks to the embattled Chair of the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission
Onyango Oloo talks to the embattled Chair of the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission
[This interview has been carried in full in the Friday, February 26, 2010 edition of the Nairobi-based Star newspaper.]
Were you involved in the meeting where the Wagalla massacre was planned?
I did not attend any meeting related to organising the Wagalla massacre. I had just arrived from London and, as the Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary, the affair was not in my docket. The National Security Council meeting which I attended was a briefing and not an operational meeting and did not involve decisions at the district level.
The book Blood on the Runway which has been the main reference point acknowledges that the account was put together on very scanty knowledge without the benefit of the original primary documentation.
Did you support the violent RENAMO rebels during the Mozambican civil war?
The Mozambican Government requested my assistance to bring to the negotiating table the Renamo rebel group in order to bring an end to the civil war and to create dialogue which would create peace in the country. I flew to Maputo to meet with President Chissano who asked me to contact Renamo who were still in the bush at that time. I fulfilled the assignment, bringing a message of peace to the rebels and acting as a go-between between them and the government backed Frelimo fighters.
At one time I was requested to organise a meeting of church leaders in Nairobi with the blessings of the Kenyan government and President Chissano of Mozambique. Another time I facilitated the Kenyan government’s granting of passports to enable Renamo rebels to fly to Rome for peace talks, which played a part in creating the peace accord
which ended the Mozambican civil war.
The government of Mozambique showed it’s appreciation for my efforts through a personal invitation by their President to attend the signing of the peace accord even after I had left the foreign office.
What is your position on the murder of Robert Ouko?
I do not know who killed the Late Hon Ouko. I appeared before the Ouko murder inquiry and spoke openly as a friend of the deceased. No claim has ever been made linking me to the assassination. In fact the family of the Late Ouko has appointed me as Patron of the Ouko Memorial Library. They clearly would not have done so if they believed I was involved with his murder.
Are you a land grabber?
I purchased land offered to me by the government as did thousands of Kenyas to this day. I complied with the legal requirements and paid in full for the land. The fact that I am mentioned in a report is not conclusive and can not be held against me until proven in a court of law.
Did you condone the human rights atrocities committed during the Moi-KANU regime?
I was one of the few government officials to go before the Saitoti Commission in 1990 where I recommended the introduction of multi party democracy. I am on record calling for the repeal of Section 2A of the Constitution, which declared Kenya a single party state and the removal of the queuing system of voting. While serving as High
Commissioner to Great Britain, I met with the Secretary General of Amnesty Internaltional to work on the abolishment of detention without trial not only in Kenya but across Africa. This information is publicly available. In addition, my detractors can check with many of their colleagues like, Ngugi wa Thiongo (who I hosted at a reception in London), Micere Mugo, Salim Lone, Professor Muhiddin, Makokha and many others who benefited from my support during the Moi regime.
But it has been said that your own reports from London when you served there as Kenya High Commissioner were used to convict alleged dissidents opposed to the Moi regime?
I did not produce any intelligence reports while serving as Ambassador or High Commissioner to London. Those familiar with the operations of a foreign mission will know that the intelligence functions in any Embassy are run independently of the Ambassador. There is no evidence to substantiate this claim.
Questions have been raised about the process which led to your selection as TJRC Chair.
A broad range of respected civil society organisations, spanning faith-based organizations, women’s groups, lawyers associations, trade unions and teachers’ unions, human rights organizations, medical professionals and the private sector constituted the selection panel for the TJRC Commissioners.
The panel interviewed 45 applicants and fowarded the list of 15 nominees to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Law Review using a panel of interested parties chaired by Dr. Daniel Ichang’i of the East African Professionals Association. The government did not have a representative on the panel. The PSC vetted the selection, approved 9 names and tabled the results before the House. The 9 names that were adopted by the House unanimously and their names were forwarded to the President for appointment. This rigorous process ensured that the choice of commissioners was aligned with the public interest and had been made on the basis of relevant experience and qualifications.
Until recently, no challenge was offered to my selection as Chairman of the TJRC. It therefore begs the question: what is motivating the people-who have never before contested my nomination-to seek to obstruct the course of justice just at the point where the TJRC is finally about to swing into action with powers to award restitution to the victims. Would these so-called leaders not want to see victims compensated for the pain they have suffered as soon as possible? Over 200 people applied. Did any of those now complaining apply? Former head of the Anglican Church, Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi and PCEA clergyman Timothy Njoya also applied.
Do you think your critics have treated you fairly in terms of presumption of innocence and due process?
Clearly human rights organizations should not use the law of the jungle and lynch mob strategy to force me to step down. Surely they ought to uphold the rule of law and my constitutional right as a Kenyan citizen to presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Will the TJRC recommend prosecutions and trials for those not only adversely mentioned but found to have been implicated in past human rights abuses?
Yes. The TJRC will make recommendations in these matters.
What is the way forward for the TJRC?
Commissioners should stick together and implement the work plan that has already been developed. I have met many Kenyans who are eagerly anticipating an opportunity to air their grievances.
Kenya: Tonight, Conspiracy Theories Run Through My Mind.
Ever since Jaramogi said 'Not yet Uhuru' and Jomo became our first, I saw with my very eyes the Fundamentalists who believed that leadership was theirs by right. Conveniently they succeeded in keeping away the hopefuls from the fountain of leadership. There was detention without trial and assassination of the hopeful or those suspected to say the least.
When Jomo died, these Fundamentalists actually attempted to disbar Arap from ascending to power. It was through the act of wazalendo that Arap was given leadership albeit for 90 days. In those 90 days, the professor of politics asserted himself by coalescing with the minorities to permanently foil the plan of the Fundamentalists. And for twenty six years he ruled. After tasting the sweetness of power, a new breed of Fundamentalism was evolved. To hold on to there was more detention without trial and assassination of the hopeful or those suspected to say the least. There was also a coup de tat within the ranks.
I digress. Just who Killed Mboya, JM, Ouko, or Muge? I do not know, though I buy into the conspiracy theories. How they were killed is of more particular curiosity for me especially now. In my opinion, they were killed by the Fundamentalist who did not want to imagine ever relinquishing power to the Hopefuls.
My observation is that, contrary to the belief that the Hopefuls and the Fundamentalists have always been rivals, it is the different era of Fundamentalists who are sworn enemies, while the Hopefuls play to their whims as they think they are close to real power.
Read my lips, it took coalescing with the Hopefuls to allow Arap to ascend to power, which was jealously guarded by the original Fundamentalists. The Hopefuls were forced again to coalesce with the original Fundamentalists to end Arap's 26 years rule and bring down the era of the Neo-Fundamentalists.
What happened about Dec 28th 2007, was an obvious fight between the two extremes of Fundamentalism whilst the Hopefuls were oblivious. This fight is still going on as we watch and bury it's victims.
As a caution, I would just like to warn that key lieutenants can now be eliminated as it has happened in the past. We know who will be blamed having gathered patsy but significant circumstantial evidence even before any assassinations occur.
Please let all be very careful.
Bishop Muge
Jomo & Mboya
JM Kariuki
Robert Ouko
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Joram Ragem
wuod Ndinya, wuod Onam, wuod Amolo, wuod Owuoth, wuod Oganyo, wuod Mumbe, wuod Odongo, wuod Olwande, wuod Adhaya, wuod Ojuodhi, wuod Ragem! (Are you my relative?)
Kenya: PM Raila is on borrowed time
From: Bill
ODM and affiliates as of Jan 2008 had 113 MPs. However:
Less Magara = 112.
Less 26 RV MPs loyal to Ruto = 86.
Less MPs with changed loyalties – Balala(Mvita), Baya(Ganze), Jirongo(Lugari) plus NEP MPs Duale, Chacha Guyo, Ali Mohammed and Mahmoud Mohammed = 7.
Total Hemorrhage = 34 MPs.
Balance of loyal MPs = 79.
PNU/ODM-K and affiliates had 108 MPs as of Jan 2008.
However:
Less MPs with changed/dubious loyalties – Karua, Mungatana, Kabando, Kiunjuri, Wavinya, Mbarire, Imanyara, Kenneth, Mbau, Kiuna, Muturi, Musila, Kiema Kilonzo = 13.
Total Hemorrhage = 13.
Balance loyal MPs = 95.
For ODM:
79 + 13 PNU MPs who may oppose censure = 92.
For PNU:
95 + 34 ODM MPs who may support censure = 129.
MPs required to pass censure motion of no confidence = 113.
Clearly, Raila is on borrowed time.
Music & Satanism: False Teachings-Embrace the True Doctrine
People,
If you are a true Christian, you should NEVER believe that there is any person called Satan!!!This is a heathen belief which is unbiblical and pagan! The term Satan does not exist in Hebrew language! It has its origin in Greek mythology..Jesus used it to mean those who had gone wayward..
There is, and there will be no one who can compete with or against God!! Our God is al-mighty, so powerful and omnipresent that nothing can challenge him..A creature can NEVER challenge the Creator!!
The term SATAN is symbolic and it refers to SIN in all forms!! It means an opposer.. going against something or somebody!!
Sometimes it doesn’t even have to mean something evil.. An angel of God was sent to stand as Satan against Ballack the evil prophet, when he wanted to curse the Israelites! Now this was an angel of God, but he was a Satan to Ballack,, does that mean the angel was some mighty super evil being to Ballack? Hell No!!
No angel of God can sin!!! The angels of God have been created in a way that they can’t sin.. All angels do Gods will whether without question.. they can turn into wind and travel and do things in mysterious ways.. What do the angels have to gain by rebelling against God? Nothing..
We humans were created in a way that we could sin and die, or obey God and live! Unfortunately, Adam chose to disobey God and so we, his descendants die..
Jesus Christ was sent to remove the curse of death, so that we can have the hope of living again after death, but only if we change from our sinful ways to Godly ways!!
I can explain many things here but there is no time and space!! Our churches have gone astray, by teaching people falsehoods, and the congregation is too willing to listen to unsound teachings and false doctrines, that is sweet music to their ears!!
Devil worship simply means worshipping materialism and abandoning ways of God, which means humility and good deeds!!
There is NOTHING like the devil! The devil is you and I..There is nothing like Satan..Satan is you and I..Every sin that we commit comes from our own hearts!! No one drives us into sinning..It’s our own weakness that drives us into sinning!! Christ was tempted too, but he was the only man who never gave in to sin!!
If you want to learn true teachings.. feel free to share with me or ask me any questions!!
I’m so disappointed that most educated people still believe in some neo-classical traditional dogmatic teachings, which have no place in the school of a free thinker and enquiring mind!!
God bless you all!
Vincent Mc'Oguda!........Manchester-UK
Kenya:Tribute to Comrade Ng’ang’a Thiong’o
Release Political Prisoner’s (RPP) Tribute to Comrade Ng’ang’a Thiong’o
From: Robert Alai.
It is not easy to write a tribute for a true comrade, a revolutionary, an environmentalist, a peoples’ advocate, a principled politician, a global citizen, an intellectual and creative thinker like Ng’ang’a Thiong’o. The Release Political Prisoners Social Movement is deeply saddened by his demise. We shall dearly lose his commitment and dedication to a course, for a better, well managed and administered Kenya, Africa and the world, where all can be happy and feel accommodated and accepted.
Ng’anga’ the revolutionary
Thiong’o, a former political prisoner who also underwent the torturous Nyayo House experiences, believed and we lost him still holding the same beliefs that another Kenya was and still is, truly possible. Even when he was on his bed, writhing in pain, he kept on asking why are Kenyans dying of treatable diseases after 46 years of independence? Why are the poor always the ones being laid on the corridors of the hospitals and why are those who were speaking of change since 1990s not concerned with the basics of live like access and affordable HEALTH CARE, education, water, food, shelter and clothing?
Thiong’o was very clear in his mind that the system Kenya has held since independence will always impoverish even those who think and keep on thinking that they were rich and hence will keep on managing the downtrodden. He held the strong view that Kenya and Kenyans shall always prosper if we all see humanity and the people in the ways we manage the public affairs.
Ng’ang’a being who he was, he combined very conservative disciplines with activism and advocacy, a very rare blend indeed. He could be seen in street activism in ties, chatting and singing with the commoners, and some went asking “who is this so smartly dressed yet chatting hard anti-government slogan?” He must be very different then!
Ng’ang’a the bold and visionary leader
When things got tough and he saw there was no other way out, he could quickly make calls and ask for meetings. The RPP Social Movement will recall the 2005-2007 debacles when Thiong’o offered and steered the organisation as the Chairperson, from almost total closure to some stability. This was due to his exemplary leadership and strength of conviction that we did it before; we can always do it better.
Thiong’o was a leader for all and especially those who needed empowerment. He was always concerned of what the RPP and other activists were doing about the squatters, the small scale business people and informal traders (hawkers), the evictees, the IDPs, the arrested and confined, the persons with disabilities, the albinos, the indigenous communities, the marginalized, the poor, the dropouts, the jobless, disempowered women, the heroes and heroines of our country. He never forgot the history on the struggle for independence and those who died for it.
All activists and human rights defenders will always remember him and the courageous socialist speech he made during the burial of the celebrated true liberator, Honourable Bildad Kaggia at Maragwa (RIP)!, before the who was who in the dais, including the highest office in the country, and he went on to ask “why were those who had ignored and defied Kaggia’s wisdom, in all his live there? He called everyone by their names to the surprise of all but to celebration of those who have stood by the peoples discourse.
Ng’ang’a the anti-tribal crusader
Thiong’o kept on advising the RPP fraternity and all activists and defenders of people’s rights that tribalism and ethnicity had no space in Kenya and those who leaned to the same ideology will always be doomed to fail and cause turmoil in the country.
He held deep conviction that it was because of tribalism and ethnicity that massive corruption and mismanagement of public affairs was thrive in Kenya, impunity escalated, mediocrity ruled us, ignorance and illiteracy was thriving, lack of access to services like education and health had increased among many other vices. Thiong’o’s predicaments’ have always been real to the Kenya we see today. He believed in transformative change that we should all yearn for.
He always advised that we teach our children’s values and principles around humanity, nationhood, neighborliness, culture and mother tongues and learning of other community’s languages to deal with tribalism and ethnic bigotry.
A big loss really!!
As RPP Social Movement, we have really lost a Kenyan leader, a human rights defender and an activist, a people’s advocate, a green environmentalist, a principled politician, a teacher on societal transformation, a global citizen and an open minded person always willing to learn on any aspect in people’s lives.
May You Rest in Peace Comrade, with the spirits of TRUE KENYAN, AFRICAN AND WORLD LIBERATORS!
Ni yale yale mambo ya ukoloni; ukoloni mkongwe, ukoloni mamboleo……tuyakatae!!!
ALUTA CONTINUA……………
KENYA: KIBAKI`S SPEECH IS A TESTAMENT TO THE ABSENCE OF BIPARTISANSHIP IN GRAFT WAR.
Dear Sir/Madam,
Quite conspicuous in an otherwise bipartisanship speech by President Kibaki during the official opening of the fourth session of the tenth parliament was the statement “We must not politicize or personalize the fight against corruption.” It is this statement that has had experts differ sharply as to the precise meaning of these words.
Much as I may want to believe that the President was rebuking those implicated in graft for seeking protection in their ethnic turfs in order to avoid taking political responsibility for their acts of commission and omission, I am also cognizant of the fact that this statement may in itself be a direct admission by the president of his drooling inability to tackle the snowballing corruption in the country. His much touted hands- off approach that had him hitherto heavily criticized may have apparently become a safe haven to his erstwhile political foes now turned bosom allies.
But perhaps a more convincing explanation would be that the president deliberately directed flak at the Prime Minister that was carefully designed to keep him off balance. This would not be strange. It is an undeniable fact that president Kibaki has never gotten over the 2007 sour grapes. It would therefore not be improbable were he to make it his sole preoccupation to torpedo the PM`s 2012 presidential ambitions knowing too well that revenge is a dish best served cold.
Why for instance, would a president whose seven years presidency has been punctuated by stunning inaction and dead silence in fighting graft suddenly find the voice to denounce the PM`s suspension of the Ministers implicated in graft followed hot on the heels with a fiery speech in parliament whose unmistakable intention was to lambast the PM? This could only be a testament to the fact that the President is least interested in converting his rhetoric on graft into action and that his sole obsession is to render the PM kaput politically. He would therefore not hesitate to pursue partisan interests in the guise of bipartisanship if only to spite the PM.
In order to forestall the PM`s ambitions, the president’s wild card, is apparently the triple “K” alliance that has the potential to offer a formidable challenge to the PM. On the face of it, this loaded statement could thus be nothing more than the ranting of a president whose intention is to protect this brood irrespective of whether it may be composed of those who are vile or corrupt to the core.
What could make it even more appealing to the President is the fact that some among this brood are more than willing to be used as stepping stones to the coveted presidency as long as they are assured that their muck will be evenly sheltered from the prying eyes of the public. Perhaps that could be the reason why the President wishes that the fight against graft remains as obscure as possible. It could also explain the rapturous foot thumping by a section of the legislators following the president’s unfortunate statement.
But as they glide and grin in this muck, perhaps the overriding question in the minds of many, is at what cost to the nation are those nursing such machinations willing to go in milking this country dry? I am sure that the President is not oblivious to the fact that it is this stance that is responsible for the suffering of the sea of humanity in this country. It is because of this that I beseech the president to let the will of the nation triumph.
TOME FRANCIS,
BUMULA.
http://twitter.com/tomefrancis
Tanzania Youths, What Kind of Leaders Tomorrow?
Tanzania’s future is uncertain. Even more unclear is the identity of the leaders who will steer the nation in the coming decade. Will dynastic politics continue to define electoral trends? Do businessmen make the best politicians? The question we don’t ask and deliberate on today is what Tanzania leadership will look like in coming years.
To be honest, I think the future leadership in Tanzania will not be too different than what it is today. Unfortunately, the bulk of today’s leadership in Tanzania is dishonest, eccentric, illogical, corrupt from top to bottom, dictatorial in essence, ego-centric and self-serving; to say the least. The future leadership, if at all we can call it so, will be following the footsteps of today’s leaders and will be no different than their predecessors. Much has been written in recent years about new, changing and emergent security issues around the globe. From terrorism to diseases and other chemical and biological threats to the recurrence of ethno-nationalism, security in the contemporary world is a different beast than even a decade ago.
Moreover, this process of evolution will likely continue to change in the years to come. These changes have had distinct impacts on the ways individuals perceive threats to their security and how they act to make themselves feel more secure. But even though much attention has been paid to the ways security (and the ways we cope with challenges to security) is changing, little, if any, attention has been paid to the ways the next generation of citizens and decision-makers perceive current and future security challenges. These analyses will inform discussion about how perceptions of leadership will (or are changing) as the next generation comes of age.
Exploring further in perspective, there was a time in Tanzania when armed robbery, kidnapping, malicious killing of another were all seen as an evil act so unheard of, the society would arise when these acts are conducted. However what we have today is stark opposite of yesteryears, where it appears there is an evidential conclusion to be drawn that certain persons are in competition to out-do the other in the conduct of these crimes. At the time Kidnapping became visible as a result of the restiveness in Tarime, it spread like an epidemic or business for profit in other parts of the country . The political citizens cashed in on this unholy trade as a means to settle political scores. The malicious unlawful killing of another human being in the name of ethnic cleansing, terrorism, political supremacy, police brutality, State sponsored homicides etc are all signs of decay in national conscience. The good neighbour principles are as gone as the 18th centuries, what we are now left with is NO FAITH, NO JUSTICE.
Leaders, especially in times like these, are people who can inspire the public, change their opinions and attitudes, rather than working against popular opinion or inciting a bloody revolution. Tanzania needs a leader who understands Tanzania’s tailored needs. Text book solutions cannot be implemented directly; neither will trial and error work as Tanzania is a country with a complex set of problems. The leader, who understands her specific needs, would be able to steer the country out of the current dark situation. The question that came to my mind when for an example, during the hay-days running up to the 2005 elections, The CHADEMA presidential candidate Mbowe was said to not be a “politician” because he has not been playing “politics” before. Why must all the leaders Present/future of the country be from the political sector? What about leaders in business, entrepreneurship, technology, science, health, education, rural development, urban development, human rights, legal reforms? Who says only a politician will be able to lead Tanzania? About time we define leadership in Tanzania more broadly to really reflect the diverse country and economy that we need to steer and put political leadership where it belongs –
Harold Pinter (Nobel Laureate) wrote and I concur “The majority of politicians, on the evidence available to us, are interested not in truth but in power and in the maintenance of that power. To maintain that power it is essential that people remain in ignorance, that they live in ignorance of the truth, even the truth of their own lives. What surrounds us therefore is a vast tapestry of lies, upon which we feed”.
As long as we remain ignorant and keep feeding on lies, tomorrow’s Tanzania is not going to be any different. It is more likely to be worse. Who is going to tackle the enormous problems facing the country? You name the problem, Tanzania got it.
1 Education. Literacy rate is abysmal after years.
2 Poverty. Tanzania had always been living on handouts from abroad.
3 Tanzania has many resources which are either not tapped or being misused.
4 Employment. The larger the unemployment, greater the problems we shall have.
5 Infrastructure. Tanzania has not improved on the colonial infrastructure.
6 Law and Order. I don’t have to enlarge on the mess Tanzania is in.
7 Politics. Tanzania eventually has ‘democracy’, but the way the politicians are acting it may not last very long.
These are only a few of the problems that need urgent attention. Some of these issues can be resolved with the presence of an Independent and fair judiciary. The logo UHURU NA UMOJA is just on the coat of arms and has no bearing on our lives, there is no Unity, Faith is fragmented, Peace is war, and Progress is nonexistent. That any of tomorrows’ leaders (we groom now) is capable of reviving Tanzania is extremely doubtful.
Sane societies would be spending time and resources educating their youths about the fundamental principles of life in a democracy, thereby exposing them to successful role models as well as strengthening their self-esteem and confidence whilst providing educational experiences in the field of civic rights which encourages social involvement and bridging cultural diversities and promoting the Tanzanian Cause with nurtured Tanzanian Spirit. However, Tanzania lacks this, the various governments over the years have rather created directly or passively a more confused and disorganized Tanzania, through their selfish lame visions, uncaring attitudes and unrealistic set targets and goals. Thereby promoting a culture of lameness / laziness, unintelligent citizenry, uncompetitive workforce, uninspiring students who cannot compete in the 21st century world of technology either because they lack the educational incentives needed for such or their lecturers are outdated/falling behind the development in teaching skills and modernized teaching tools, or the universities closed down due to one avoidable strike or the other, the effect of these has given birth to what we know as extension of secondary schools in the name of Private Universities. Tanzania cannot cope like this, her place among the comity of nations is fast depreciating, and the pride of self assumed Giant Of East is now known to be giant in size and not in substance. Folks would rather live in the Ant of Africa where basic human dignity and sense of self worth is enriched, than live in a Giant form that has no sense of belonging.
Tanzania has issues arising from the older citizens commission and omission, little wonder why a peep into the Tanzania’s future look so glue and dome. With the mindless rigging of elections, the ecliptic and incompetent persons like NEC Chair supervising elections that would propel change with accountability, to the Attorney General of Fraud, who as the chief law officer of the nation should be the driving force promoting rule of law, where all men are equal before the law, instead he is the driver of ruse of law with sole intent to satisfy his personal wants and selfish interests. This dark future incorporates the bunch of looters, maimers, killers, oppressors, and egotist nature of our political leaders from Governors, to Ministers down to Local govt chairpersons, sundry of political appointees and CO. We can agree that Tanzania youths are learning the tricks of their seniors.
A nation that wants to prosper must take into account the impact of the omission or the veracity of the commission of those that are saddle with the policy direction of that nation and the effects of their action(s) or Inactions on the citizenry present or unborn. A disturbing situation is in the offing where today’s youths see in open, the quantum display of arrogance and total disregard for public perception and opinions as seen in case of Dr J Kikwete his Kitchen Cabinets and the host of men/women in the National Assembly, the teaching is that they will be learning and perfecting the precedence set by these leaders in negativity. These learning’s and precedents have a revolving effects; the irony is these same manipulators of the already sad constitution will be the first set of people that will complain when next generation of leaders replay their “movie”.
Let us recall the days of Komandoo Salmin Amour and the third term debate. Had our legislators done the right thing as at that time, by amending other sections of the wholly flawed 1995 constitution, we may have taken care of the present Karume macabre. Instead they threw the baby with the bath water away, thereby pushing the days of rain further. Today these same people, who were in position of authority; who by act of omission or commission pushed the rain to another day are the same people today crying the rain has destroyed their homes, should they have done the necessary amendment needed the rain would have been averted prima facie.
To put this clearer, has Tanzanian leaders try to find out how countries like United Kingdom, Israel and co that do not have written constitution have managed to survive over the years with sound political, socio-cultural, technological and economical growth? The answer lies in the Rule of law, good neighbour principle, conventions / precedents and common sense. In these countries many people fear the crime not because of the punitive measures, but because it betrays morals and contradicts the good neighbour principle. These morals have been inculcated into them by the exemplary lives of their parents and neighbours (distance and close), they also know that the law is respecter of no man, as everyman will be answerable to his/her conducts. Unlike Tanzanian where the judiciary is compromised, induced or lame. Little wonders why many people prefer to bear the brunt than seek Justice Solutions.
In conclusion
Future leadership formed out of the present Tanzania where bigmanism, tribalism, , godfatherism, nepotism, lootry, total disrespect for known laws, judicial protection of the elites, security for the elites, outright subvention of the constitution, barefaced displace of political egotism, inequality before the law, miscarriage of justices to suit a personal interest, glorification of bizarreness, pacification of corruption, awarding national prestige on known criminals and persons of questionable character, presidential wining and dining with corrupt friends and associates, oppression and intimidating of the poor masses, outright rigging / imposition of candidates for elections, financial inducement of opposition, settling of unmerited political friends with appointments and contracts, issuing of contracts without due process / inflation of the contract sum to satisfy personal interest, and so on; will not only Sudanised Tanzania, but also will HaitigateTanzania. In my view a dual combination of Sudan and Haiti for one country will be equal to unfortunate element of Devil’s Sex Toy.
It is in my sanity to remind us all that “A future not reflected upon whilst it is day, corrections made when it is possible and visible will only beget a future full of chaos, uncertainties, backwardness and vices”.
I am sure the founders of Tanzania didn’t plan for the Tanzania today. It is now left to those who have the conscience to act according their faith. The worrying of my mind and thinking of my brain are hereby written.
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Yona Fares Maro
I.T. Specialist and Digital Security Consultant
KENYA: THE PRESIDENT’S RIDICULE OF THE PM DOES NOT HELP THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION
THE PRESIDENT’S RIDICULE OF THE PM DOES NOT HELP THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION
By MIGUNA MIGUNA, FEBRUARY 24, 2010
Now we know: Latest opinion polls show that 72% of Kenyans believe that the Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, is fully committed to the fight against corruption and impunity. Only 28% of Kenyans support President Kibaki’s cynical view that the fight is being “politicized and personalized.” That is very encouraging news, coming, as it did; just moments after the President stood in Parliament and tried to ridicule the PM.
Kenyans have overwhelmingly rejected the notion that suspending cabinet ministers and senior public servants in order to allow for credible investigations amounts to “personal vendetta,” “settling scores” or “politicization” of the fight against corruption.
To effectively fight corruption, it is imperative that individuals suspected of involvement must be identified, singled-out, investigated and if found culpable, prosecuted. That process, inevitably, demands courage and commitment. Kenyans agree that the PM has demonstrated courage and commitment on this issue; just like he has done on the restoration of the Mau.
Although the President stated that “his” government (notice how he has refused to internalize the fact that it is a grand coalition Government) “was” committed to the fight against corruption, he failed to specify concrete actions that such a “fight” demands. Effective fight against corruption cannot be achieved through mere utterances. To fight and conquer corruption, the Government must get rid of those credibly suspected of graft; those already charged or being prosecuted; and those named in the various public reports of commissions, inquiries and audits.
PNU and KKK politicians are demanding that the PM should take political responsibility and step aside concerning the maize scandal because he chairs the cabinet sub-committee on agriculture and purportedly chaired the Ad Hoc Committee on maize importation. What is amazing, however, is how both the media and those politicians have failed to notice that the cabinet was also involved, and the cabinet’s chair is President Kibaki. If they are honest, why aren’t they demanding that the President, who chaired the cabinet meeting that either “approved” or “noted” - depending on whose version one is inclined to believe - the request for the importation, single-sourcing of Afgri Ltd, Euro World Ltd and Senwes, and the increment of the price from $430 to $455 per metric tone for non-GMO maize, should also resign?
We must also demand an explanation why the Finance Minister, Uhuru Kenyatta, his Permanent Secretary, Joseph Kinyua, and the Minister for Special Programs, Naomi Shaban – all members of the Ad Hoc Committee - were not suspended, are not being adversely mentioned, and no one is asking for their resignation in relation to their ministries’ involvements. In fact, Kinyua was a more significant member of the Ad Hoc Committee than the PM’s Chief of Staff, Caroli Omomdi. Yet, ironically, the PM, who is not mentioned in the PWC’s Report is suddenly a target for “further inquiry” by John Mututho’s Agriculture Parliamentary Committee.
According to the PWC Report, Agriculture minister William Ruto, Livestock minister Mohammed Kuti, Northern Kenya Development minister Mohamed Elmi and numerous MPs irregularly wrote letters for allocation of maize by the NCPB to third parties or to themselves. The PWC report also implicate various NCPB directors, appointed by Ruto, but none of whom have been suspended, dismissed or charged.
To the extent that we should be committed to constructing a just and equitable country governed by the rule of law and constitutionalism, I agree with the President that the war against corruption must be fought justly and impartially. However, I disagree with the President’s emphasis on talking rather than acting. I also disagree with the President’s attempt to ridicule the PM’s decisive action against two cabinet ministers who are implicated by the PWC report. Publicly ridiculing the PM is not a sign of statesmanship; it is partisan political posturing.
Kenyans are waiting for prosecutions of, long jail terms for and recovery from known perpetrators of (a) the Sh 56.3 billion Anglo Leasing scandal; (b) the 2007 Ken Ren fraud; (c) public theft and looting contained in the Kroll report; (d) the irregular transfer of 10% of Telkom (K) Ltd shares in Safaricom to Mobitelea Ventures; (e) the Sh 70 billion Goldenberg rip-off; (f) the irregular and fraudulent payment of Sh 72 million of public funds to six lawyers in Feb 2006 for a 5-day court appearance; (g) the 2008 Line 4 Pipeline and Triton thefts; and (h) the 2001 KPLC scandal relating to the “treated wood poles” at Minstry of Energy.
And, of course, these must be in tandem with investigations, prosecutions, incarcerations and recoveries in the maize scum and the Ndug’u Land Report.
If no decisive action is taken on these and other cases, then it would matter not how many public proclamations the President makes. Finally, Kenyans’ demand for the professionalization, independence and ethical judiciary cannot be achieved when the President still issues orders to them to speed up trials. In view of the foregoing, the PSC draft constitution would make matters worse because the Presidency envisaged is more powerful than the Egyptian Pharaoh!
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The writer is the Prime Minister’s Adviser, Coalition Affairs, and Joint Secretary to the Permanent Committee on the Management of Grand Coalition Affairs. He is a Barrister, Solicitor and Advocate of the High Court. The opinions expressed are his own.
Kenya: New Tactics thugs are using to mug unsuspecting people
From: Collins Odhiambo
Hi.
This could happen to anyone just as it happened to these people.
A friend had to go through this.
Yeterday afternoon I went through an experience, I would not wish any other person to go through. My younger brother was mugged at Baricho road, just behind the Nakumatt Uhuru highway Supermarket, at around 12 noon, by thugs who were pretending to be athletes jogging along that road. They stole his phone too, and used the same to call my elder brother, who incidentally had just parted with the younger one about 30 minutes earlier, and headed to Upper Hill.
The thugs scrolled through this stolen phone and noticed that the last call made was from his brother as he had saved it as brother. They called my elder brother, claiming to be policemen from Langata station and that my younger brother had been hit by a vehicle and had died instantly, and that they were on their way to City Morgue to drop his body there, so they wanted my elder brother to link up with them at a point along Uhuru Highway , near Bunyala Road, where they had parked their vehicle with the remains of my brother before proceeding to city mortury. (Please note..the notorious spot where the KQ pilot was mugged ).
Since they spoke with a lot of confidence, just like the police do, my brother could not suspected anything. So my bother called me and a few other people. We linked up so worried and sorrowful and with a lot of grieve ,knowing that that's where everyone of us will pass through some day . We gathered at a point in Upper Hill to figure out our next move; either to go to the accident site and confirm or to join the said police where they had told my elder brother to meet them or just plan on the next move to take.
Just by sheer luck and God's grace, and indeed a good coincidence, even before we could think of going to view the body and confirm as they had said, I got a call from a simu ya jamii number and it was my younger brother whom we had been told had been killed by the car accident. He said he was safe and that the muggers only took his phone .He was calling to inform us just in case we call and we don't get him on his phone, we know he is just fine.
As you can imagine this was a huge relieve that not only confirmed that he was fine and alive but also that it was a planned plot by the muggers that somebody goes to the said Bunyala junction and of course get mugged or who knows...
I thought of the many other people who would be tricked this way and I thought we could play it safe by letting lots of people get to know of this trick being played in Nairobi. Anyone could easily fall for this trap and the more we forward this, the more people will know and avoid such tricks.
I also learnt some few lessons:
* Avoid saving in your phone books names as brother, sister, mom ,dad, wife, husband and the like. It gives them an edge should you loose your phone.
* Never rush to meet any stranger telling you to meet them, especially in risky places which you could easily identify as a risky.
* Always memorize at least two most important numbers which you can call from any other phone should something like this get hold of you.
* Always try and get means to alert people who are close to you once you loose your phone.
* Ensure to call atleast the two numbers and alert them that your phone is stolen and that you are safe incase such calls come their way.
* Finally do not resist if confronted by thugs. Especially if you are alone they might end up hurting you.
* Please forward to your friends too.
Tanzania: My Tax; My Vote; My Rights!
Humans have anger as character trait. We are naturally stoked to anger either in defense of self, values, and dear ones; or even in defense of vanity or prejudice. Anger however creates a momentary blindness of the senses. The acts stemming out of anger can be catastrophic, to the victim as well as the victor.
We are angrier with respects to the idea of the self: my tribe, my religion, my area; and even my girl friend! (A property of some sort in certain cultures) I was cajoled into anger by the conduct of certain private school operators: they sent back my child on the first day of resumption of school: their reason being that I did not pay the new term’s school fees while the child was on vacation.
Following the line of my reasoning above, I got angry because my sense of dignity was shattered when my child was humiliated with a sack from school because his father did not pay school fees ‘when they were not due’! I know, from the operators’ point of view, it was pay before service.
It is not of interest to the reader what course of action I took: whether the case is now at Supreme Court awaiting judgment or not. Of interest is the fact that the primary anger against private school operators metamorphosed into secondary anger against the government that collects and eats our taxes.
Black men and women cannot claim any credit for the installation of Western- type of State and its governance system in their areas. The system was imposed as a result of the colonial, and resource exploitation relationships. That system introduced public schooling in order to produce those literate enough to run the bureaucracy necessary for modern governance. I am able to communicate with the reader in English language due to the influence of such publicly-funded education.
The public treasury was funded from taxes: both on citizens and on the cash crops that were sold in international markets. Later, crude oil achieved the dominance it has now over the funding of all the activities of Tanzania’s three-tiers of governments.
However, I, like numerous other citizens, have lost the benefits of being good citizens like our fathers enjoyed. My education, up to university level, was not a burden on my father. In real fact, while in the university, my then state government was paying me allowances for three meals a day; plus a hefty chunk to finance my clothing and other needs.
Today, if you cannot pay for your child, the colossal university registration fee, then he or she must simply accept that university education is beyond their reach. Going from Mwanza to Kigoma, enroute to Shinyanga recently, I saw the level of the dilapidation of the road network. As usual, as a citizen, you cannot ask why you are left to your own designs on things over which you have no control.
Many Tanzanians have lost their lives either due to accidents on pothole-ridden roads, or were slain by hired assassins, or killed by armed robbers; or are simply victims of elite politics- as is the case with the recurring religious and tribal conflicts. In all the aforementioned, neither the payment of tax, nor the casting of vote, will ensure for me a fairly equitable wellbeing.
Tanzanians believe that politicians can and do come to power whether they are voted into office or not. Political parties do not easily lose elections; what it means is that they are Lords unto the society they govern, because the security apparatus is rigged against the citizens: they should quell any disturbance no matter the source of its provocation; and in many cases, Courts are simply mazes, into which election petitions lose their steam and zeal; and ultimately fizzle out!
Tax payers should really have a say as to the use of their taxes. If they do not, then the tax collector is simply a robber. Even where the State relies on Minerals , like Tanzania, and many other Mineral-producing countries, the resource ought to be a collective commonwealth, rather than the exclusive preserve of the few in power.
It is not idealism to hold elected officials accountable for the use of resources. If they are not accountable, then they definitely are thieves. Tanzanians are however so much divided by ethnicity and religion, such that the marauding political, and sometimes military class, succeed in getting them to fight each other, while the society of robbers eat their loot unmolested.
My quandary: my vote does not guarantee me good governance; my tax does not ensure for me public services, in the form of public education, infrastructure, and security. So brothers and sisters, what should I do?
Yona Fares Maro
Dar es salaam
Tanzania
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Yona Fares Maro
I.T. Specialist and Digital Security Consultant
KENYA: HACKNEYED POLITICIANS ARE LOOSENING OUR CITIZENSHIP TIES AND UNDERMINING OUR PATRIOTISM
Dear Sir/Madam,
Is it possible for one to profess love for one’s country and in the same vein hate its citizens with unlimited passion? Absurd as it may sound yet this is the paradox that is increasingly defining the relationship between the electorate and the many diabolical politicians. They are so stone cold to the fact the contempt with which they hold this country is threatening to loosen the ties of citizenship and greatly undermine our patriotism.
Hackneyed politicians are furiously and callously driving the country to a precipice. Sample this; honorable Zakayo Cheruiyot, is overheard in a political rally spewing incendiary remarks to the effect that “the Kalenjins will assist the police in apprehending those who will throw stones.” He only stops short of stating why and when this “turbulence” will take place. Yet the Government has not found it necessary to question him over his “prophetic message.”
In another related incident, honorable George Thuo alongside a section of the central Kenya legislators are overheard trashing the prospective meeting between the Prime Minister and President Mwai Kibaki. With such theatrics, the public is left wondering as to who exactly stands to gain if the high political temperatures are sustained in this country.
Curiously, the same legislators have been heard elsewhere opining that those currently fighting graft are engaged in a diversionary tactics to scuttle the constitution making process even though there isn’t any iota of evidence to remotely suggest an interconnectedness between the fight against corruption and the constitution making process.
As the above scenarios play out, the country is now being subjected to the conjecture that conspiracy theories to discredit targeted political personalities and political parties have started being manufactured. I have a hunch that the public will be fed to more and more of this political conspiracies.
From the above incidents, one does not need to be a professor of politics to be able to tell that unconscionable politicians are deliberately orchestrating a political disorientation. This political disorientation is a perfect smokescreen for this cabal to throw a protective ring around those implicated in graft. Secondly, they hope to use it as a reason enough to disembark from the Grand Coalition Government (GCG) and hope that President Kibaki will have the carte blanche to invite renegade ODM Legislators to form a Government of National Unity (GNU).
Such reasoning is childish because the GCG is not about an individual as these Legislators seem to think. GCG was conveniently put in place to accommodate the disenchantment of a larger part of the electorate arising out of a flawed electoral process. That is why the National Accord and Reconciliation Act succinctly states that no side of the two political parties (ODM and PNU) can realistically govern without the other. Neither can PNU nor ODM undergo a mutation to become an acceptable ruling party outside the GCG. It therefore follows that any attempt at prematurely disembarking from this political structure must inevitably give rise to a general election failure to which another politically instigated blood letting will be ushered in. This is the chilling reality that must be accepted by these conniving politicians.
Political leaders must therefore come to their senses and begin to appreciate the fact that the citizenship of this country needs and craves for better leadership. Such leadership cannot be demonstrated through their criss- crossing the country to hold political rallies with a view to spreading vile disinformation with overwhelming rhetorical force nor in manufacturing targeted political conspiracies.
TOME FRANCIS,
BUMULA.
http://twitter.com/tomefrancis