Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:28:15 -0700 (PDT)
From: odhiambo okecth
Subject: Re: ECK HIRES PR CONSULTANT

JM,

When I read this piece, I thought it must be a fools day joke, for that is what it is.

Same thing with Senator Obama making a one day visit to Kenya. It is also a fools day joke.

Oto

————————

John Maina wrote:
Its only in Kenya where you can use tax-payers money to cover your wrongs.
JM.

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http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=2&newsid=120257
Daily Nation
POLITICS
Polls body hires PR consultant

Story by SAMWEL KUMBA
Publication Date: 2008/04/01

The Electoral Commission of Kenya has hired a public relations consultant and is also seeking to get legal services from abroad, the Nation has learnt.

Whereas the PR consultant, who is pocketing Sh14,000 per day, has been in office since February this year, ECK needs the approval of the attorney general to import legal services.

According to a letter to one Gichinga Ndirangu, the PR consultant, and signed by commission secretary Joel Tsola, the contract came into effect on February 1, 2008, and runs for six months.

“You will be required to commence your duties with effect from February 1, 2008, for a period of six months for a fixed daily rate of Sh14,000 payable in arrears at the end of the month less pay as you earn (Paye) or as may be negotiated between the two parties,” the letter reads in part.

This means that at the end of the contract, ECK would have spent over Sh2.5 million on PR consultancy alone. This is despite the fact that the commission has a capable PR department.

Uphold ECK’s image

The contract was negotiated on January 17, this year and, among other duties and responsibilities, Mr Ndirangu is supposed to uphold the image of the ECK by countering and correcting negative publicity and misinformation and correcting public opinion on the role of the ECK in managing the electoral process.

He is also supposed to build public confidence in the institutional capacity of the ECK, inform Kenyans on measures undertaken by ECK to ensure on the integrity and credibility of the electoral process as well as ensure consistent media messaging to win back public confidence.

Reached for comment, the ECK could not discuss the issue, only confirming that they have engaged the services of a PR consultant.

A source at the commission told the Nation that there were plans to engage the services of legal experts from outside the country especially since the commission wanted to have an independent audit of what happened during last year’s General Election.

And yesterday, the civil society appealed to AG Amos Wako to dismiss such a move.

“Does this mean that we do not have competent lawyers who can serve ECK? This is just misuse of taxpayers’ money,” said the executive director of Haki Focus, Mr Haron Ndubi.

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http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=23&newsid=120359
Daily Nation
LETTERS
Electoral Commission’s decision to hire media consultant in order
Publication Date: 4/3/2008
GICHINGA NDIRANGU,
Nairobi.

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Subject: Re: ECK HIRES PR CONSULTANT

Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2008 23:33:42 -0700 (PDT)
From: ndebele okoth

Kibaki and Raila are to be blamed if Kenya is slide back to chaos.

His Excellency the President, Hon Mwai Kibaki and PM designated Hon Raila Odinga must take charge and make a finally settlement of the grand coalition government or else face alienation from Kenyans and the International community.

Kenyans and the world entrusted them to reconstruct the country political, social and economical infrastructures, and therefore they have no excuse, whatsoever to transfer the ministerial appointments saga to their cronies, this is unacceptable displacement tactics and shows how easily they can be influenced to slide the country back to chaos.

In essence, President Kibaki and PM designated Raila should take charge of the country affairs and dissolved the current cabinet, have breathing space then appoint credential and competent ministers.

The current Ministers were appointed and sworn in crisis; more importantly most of them are shameless opportunists who participated in fueling the violence to retain or get into power, particularly Hon Kalonzo and his ODM-K cronies in the PNU government.

Meanwhile, Hon Kibaki and Hon Raila should bear in mind that the Kenyan history is in the making and that they may negatively or positive judge as either prudent or unwise leaders.

Kenyans tax payers are under siege by the PNU/ODM politicians; wrangling for positions as they draw hefty allowances while their constituents are either Internally Displaced or Refugees living in dehumanize camps in their own country or foreign countries.

The recent post election violence bit all the regions in Kenyan and our politicians are aware that the procrastinating of proposed grand coalition government is equally furthering the sufferings of the innocent Kenyans families living in the camps without proper shelters, education, medication and food.

It is unfortunate that our MP’s are celebrating, dining and making holidays at lucrative tourist hotels in Mombasa as their voters dead bodies still laying in the morgues across the country, others still ailing with bullets and arrows lodged in the bodies, many held in the hospital because of bills, widows and orphans rendered homeless, treatable pandemics killing indiscriminately across the country. SHAME ON YOU!!!

Christian Democratic Movement of Kenya (CDMK) backs Hon William Rutu call for re-election as the last result in solving the stalemate of the cabinet appointments to bring in a new fresh blood in the leadership to take Kenya forward.

Jaramogi Oginda Odinga will die but Kenya will remain, (Jaramogi in his own words in 1994 at Migwena Sports Festival in Bondo district before the cruel hand of death robbed us the doyen of opposition in the same year)

Rev Okoth Otura,
President/Founder,
Christian Democratic Movement of Kenya-(CDMK) &
East Africa Christians Transformation Mission Fellowship-(EACTMF)
CANADA
www.cdmk.org
www.eactmf.org

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Subject: Kibaki and Raila are to be blamed if Kenya slides back to chaos.

Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2008 13:59:47 -0400
From: Washington Okechi

Raila Odinga is either too honest or he does not understand the art of negotiations. Raila should have understand going into this cabinet formation talks knowing very well that PNU was going to try to get the upper hand. But insteadn Raila laid out a proposal that does not give him any wiggle room. On the other hand KIbaki is playing the win win game with Raila. We all know what PNU wants is to retain the current 17 cabinet ministers without switching them around. But instead of just proposing that to ODM, Kibaki is smart enough by bringing a proposal that he knows is unacceptable and unattainable. Now kibaki’s next move is going to be , that he is willing to back off the 44 member cabinet to 37 with conditions that he retains the current cabinet of 17 as it is. By doing so, now Kibaki will have been seen as taking a compromise and this will force Raila to accept the proposal whereby getting into the PNU trap and game plan. Raila should have come up with anrealistic proposal too, then compromise a week later. With the current proposal ODM brought to the table, they cannot afford to back down an inch or else there will be no real power sharing.
____
Subject: RE: Kibaki Please Fire Alfred Mutua Today.

Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2008 09:53:25 +0300
From: Paul Nyandoto
Subject: Kibaki and Raila hit a wall again, a new election is the best option

Kenyans,

Some fool said long time ago that `a fool is only he who does not learn from his mistakes`. Here we go again, back to square two or square one as you may intepretate it. The best option was to have a new election, there is already mistrust between Kibaki and Raila, how do you foxes think they are going to run the country even if they form a cabinet now. Or they are again going to fake the smile on the media or television again?.

Headache again for those who are painfully waiting to named so and so….., Kibaki is rushing nowhere since he already have his PNU and some trusted ODM- Kenya Mps into the ministries and are ruling the country.

Sorry for those whom this note is not intended to, please delete it out.

Paul Nyandoto

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Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2008 06:26:13 -0700 (PDT)
From: Kennedy Odhiambo
Subject: Re: Kibaki and Raila hit a wall again, a new election is the best option

Paul,

It is an ordinary Mwananchi wa Kenya that is suffering. Kibaki is at home and dry because he has a half of cabinet running the government, to him “there is no HURRY”

To me constituting the PNU-ODM cabinet besides running the government is a major factor in peace process. For every Kenyan who lives comfortably, think about that fellow Kenyan who is now suffering in the IDP camps at this time (winter) of the season. This the reason why Kenyans should come out and call for Kibaki’s quick and honest action to break the deadlock.

I find it as a grave mistake and inhuman for Kibaki to delay constituting a cabinet if it happens that is the only pre-condition for resettling IDPss is not ultimate issues

Kennedy
Juba

Date:Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:03:48 -0700 (PDT)
From:Elvis mageto

As far as I can remember, and my memory is not that bad, Kenyans have continued to suffer under the poor leadership of our elected officials and especially the MPs. Scandal after scandal has continued to dog each and every MP’s legacy, which concertedly have consigned Kenyans into perpetual poverty and misery.

If it is not inciting tribal militia into hating and butchering those who are perceived to be of a different ethnic group, then they are busy making bogus deals where public coffers are shamelessly wiped out for selfish reasons. If the zeal with which these cannibals go at stealing our money is equally harnessed and channeled towards improving the welfare of Kenyans, then all Kenyans would have been as rich as these robbers. We should not be talking about poverty in Kenya as at now – – we could have long been empowered to feed, shelter and educate our children with ease.

But now that lady luck has not knocked at our door, we must devise ways of insisting on the delivery of services from the very people we have elected to parliament. In any case, and by and large, they are the most well paid human beings among their peers – – not even the wealthiest nations on earth can afford the remuneration package our MPs have awarded themselves. It is a shame that employees can have the power to award themselves huge salaries despite the fact that their company is making losses, and indeed almost going under. Don’t we have good lawyers among the LSK fraternity who can and should take crooks to court and seek redress on behalf the Kenyan people? For one, no MP should be allowed to set the amount he/she wants to be paid. If all of us were allowed to decide upon our salaries, then no public company could be operational as at now. Two, those heavy packages they had awarded themselves should be stopped and a way be devised on how to recover those monies that have been given out to them. There must be a way – – check it out my learned friends in LSK.

In 1993, a very vocal and sensible Australian ambassador to Kenya had encouraged USUI graduates to be vocal and demanding of their respective MPs. He was criticized by every Tom and Dick because they saw this as an affront against their demagoguery. I have never in my life been so inspired and motivated by a speech as did my Australian friend. “Write them letters, call them, knock at their offices, and challenge them by all possible means”, said he. The MPs are our representatives and must deliver as per their job descriptions. Any rhetoric to mitigate the importance of effective leadership, efficiency and general responsiveness to constituent needs must be confronted and denounced by all Kenyans. We must demand without fear for what is duly ours and let us not act as if these MPs are doing us a favor.

The coalition is falling in place and the time is now to demand efficient management of our national resources. This is not the time for politicians to start rewarding each other with cabinet positions over the just concluded fiasco of an election. People have been displaced, maimed, and slaughtered at the instigation of our politicians. The ink is not even dry and here they are jostling for positions as if nothing of significance had happened. This is how cannibal our leaders have become – – they least care about you and me but want to use us to achieve their selfish ends. We should not let them do this to us. As the Australian said in that prophetic speech in 1993, we must write to them, call them, knock at their doors and shout and protest until our demands for efficient resources management is heard and adhered to. My friends, silence though useful in certain situations, rends credence to our leaders’ insatiable appetite for our national wealth, which they have continued to squander, embezzle, and steal while our own poor people are going hungry day in day out. The zeal with which supporters advanced the Raila and Kibaki agenda should be employed equally in this period as we demand for a lean and clean cabinet. Let all and sundry show their patriotic stances by demanding that two top coalition partners be sensitive to our needs and allocate ministries in such a manner that our national resources would be of profound use to us all.

And as I have said before, we must start right now to demand for a lean and clean cabinet. The idea of having even 34 ministries is not based on sound economic judgment but rather it is based on fuzzy statistics whose only and express purpose is to satiate political goons. Raila must not accept the bloating of the cabinet to 44 but should instead demand that that number be reduced to less than twenty. Ministries should be combined to save us money and in its place have strong-willed and capable civil servants to run the management of departments as it is done in the USA. The work of the ministers should be to oversee the smooth running of those agencies that are under that ministry. The only way we are going to move forward is by using wisely those resources that are in hands. And definitely, bloating the cabinet is not a viable option.

The Kenyan government is going to be run by an astute and pragmatic leader in cohorts with an economist. If the two traits cannot give the Kenyan people the best of leadership that we have thus far yearned for then fate has it that we shall always be poor and wanting. Raila and Kibaki must resist the temptation of being swayed by hardliners whose relevance hinges upon their fragile egos and selfish interests. Rather we implore that the two leaders show leadership yet again and appoint only those who are ready and willing to serve Kenyans efficiently and without fear or favor. If the two are not going to listen to us, then we must denounce them and protest until they listen to us. This is democracy in action.

And yes we must demand that our MPs return the funds that they fraudulently awarded themselves as sitting allowances. These thieves are paid more than enough and yet they create loop holes every single minute in order to be able to steal from us. This happens when Ringera and his lieutenants are sleeping on job and yet he is being astronomically paid by Kenyans in order to give unnecessary and uncalled for press releases. We want action not press releases Mr. Ringera!

Subject:Wasting Our Resources: Politicians must come out clean

Date:  Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:30:59 +0300
From:  Robert Alai

http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/images/news/cartoons/cartins280308.jpg

FOR A VERY PEACEFUL KENYA
-~—–
Subject:  Thieves —- Tell them we won’t forget