From: Judy Miriga
Mhhhh !
Is Salim Lone in a mission…….???
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
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Kenya’s election to be discussed at Chattam House, London
By Digital Reporter
Kenya will be discussed on Tuesday at the Royal institute for International Affairs, also known as Chatham House, one of the world’s most distinguished venues for discussion of international issues.
Among the critical concerns to be debated by the scholars and speakers will be Kenya’s next general election.
Statements posted on Chattam House website confirmed that Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s advisor Salim Lone will present a paper entitled: Kenya’s Pre- and Post-Election Challenges: The End of the Kibaki-Raila Decade.
Participants will be seeking to discuss the challenges of transitional general election which will see President Kibaki retire from power.
A statement on the site said: “As Kenya approaches presidential polls in 2013, memories
of the violence which surrounded the country’s last national elections remain fresh.
The coming months will be a time of shifting and sensitive politics for Kenya, as the coalition government must complete the implementation of the new constitution and deal with increasing threats to the country’s security.
The ambitions of prominent Kenyan politicians – including current Prime Minister Raila Odinga and the two presidential candidates indicted by the International Criminal Court – will be of particular interest as President Kibaki must stand down at the next elections.
Ahead of the publication of his book, War and Peace in Kenya, Salim Lone will draw on a decade of political experience in Kenya to highlight the transformations which the country has undergone in recent years and the possible impact these will have on Kenya’s political future.
The session will be chaired by Lord Chidgey, Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party Committee on International Affairs (DfID).
The mission of Chatham House is to be a world-leading source of independent analysis, informed debate and influential ideas on how to build a prosperous and secure world for all.
Chatham House was founded in 1920 and is based in St James’ Square, London.
Chattam House Rule famous throughout the world for facilitating free speech and confidentiality at meetings, originated here.
‘Chatham House’ is both the name of the building and the name by which the Royal Institute of International Affairs is widely known.
It is Kenyans’ right to debate Kibaki’s legacy
Updated Sunday, July 08 2012 at 20:00 GMT+3
At some point sobriety will have to reign when discussing the Kibaki legacy. As the President and Othaya MP prepares to retire honourably, the spotlight will inevitably shift to his legacy and what it means for the country.
He is President of Kenya and not a corner of the country. This debate is healthy, but what is not is the emotional diatribe those closest to him fall back on whenever some of his actions are criticised.
Kibaki is a human being; he can, and has made many mistakes. It is therefore proper that Kenyans be allowed to debate his strengths and weaknesses without fear. Take the massive investment in infrastructure, for instance.
One commentator pointed out that most of the investment has been in Central Kenya and sections of the Rift Valley.
This is supported by facts on the ground that show critical roads linking Mombasa to Kisumu and Busia are in a terrible state of disrepair, yet they are critical import corridors for countries like Rwanda and Uganda.
Will the Dongo Kundu by-pass really boost tourism? What is the true economic value of the planned Lamu port? Who really gains from the Thika Super Highway? Why are the Civil Service and State-owned firms and agencies dominated by one community at all levels of management?
Why has Kibaki kept mum even as his henchmen actively pushed for ethnicisation of Government? Why is corruption still a cancer in Government yet he promised to end it on his first inauguration as President in 2003? Why are people who dipped their hand in the till of his favourite and most successful project of Free Primary Education still walking around free men and women?
These are just some of the legitimate questions that will dog the Kibaki presidency and no amount of high level indignation can wish them away
Is Kenya descending into a mafia State?
By NYONGESA B. LEMMY
Posted Monday, July 9 2012 at 17:55
When a State is in perpetual crisis, then illegal trade is likely to thrive. That is what happened in Europe when the Balkan states collapsed at the advent of globalisation.
Many States in Africa are in eternal crisis: political instability, election-related violence, secession movements, land conflicts that take political dimensions and religious conflicts that spin out of control.
This has enabled Africa to become a target for drug traffickers, smugglers, arms dealers and many more who detect a good business environment. It has become a major transit zone for drug trafficking, and one of the largest markets for illegal firearms.
Barely a week elapses before the media reports about one form of illegal trade or the other. It could be hauls of bhang or cocaine at the port of Mombasa on their way to Europe; Ugandan girls being trafficked to Asia to work as sex slaves; Ethiopians being found holed-up in a slum in Kenya on their way to South Africa, or ivory from Kenya being seized while in transit to China.
Transnational crime has a long history dating back to the times before the advent of the modern state, but the current wave of traffic in illicit goods and services has its roots in the fall of various states due to the effects of globalisation.
Globalisation introduced new players onto the international scene while at the same time downsizing the primacy of the State in international relations. Individuals, international organisations, and non-governmental organisations, unlimited by state boundaries, started taking centre-stage in global trade.
Kenya is increasingly becoming a major focal point for illicit trade. It is, in fact, beginning to be seen as a narco-state. In such situations, government officials, by taking advantage of the political influence create illegal business networks that span the globe.
Spy agencies, police heads, military officials, magistrates and judges get sucked into the networks, thus making prosecution of traffickers impossible.
In Kenya, almost every citizen participates in the perpetuation of illicit trade. Everyone who buys a cheap counterfeit phone from China; buys goods from shops without demanding a genuine receipt; photocopies books and other printed materials; buys cheap copied CDs containing movies and music from the streets; or buys shoes and clothes in the thick of the night, helps to generate profits for traders in illegal goods.
Illegal trade has a negative impact on the economy, security, and political stability. Local industries and businesses are unable to thrive due to unfair competition from cheap counterfeits.
The money generated from illicit businesses such as drug trafficking, money collected from matatus and buses by criminal groups, and revenue generated by Somali piracy is all used to fund criminal activities such as those of Al-Shabaab.
To protect themselves, drug barons buy influence and drive the wheels of justice in courts. Some will even get themselves elected into high political office; will assassinate politicians who cross their paths; and kill their own to cover up tracks; and strive to create more confusion and instability to sustain their nefarious activities.
If we are not already a narco-State, we are quickly descending into a mafia State.
Mr Lemmy, a registered architect, is an MA student in International Studies.