A Day In The Life Of Kumekucha

It is true that my heart skips a beat every time I hear a strange sounding car in the neighborhood close to our gate. Alas, nothing but what can be called an occupational hazard. I still have no regrets about the path I have chosen for myself.

And that is one of the reasons why my heart goes out to the really brave folks like one John Githongo. The Kibaki administration is determined to peddle the lie that he is a spy for foreign governments and sadly it seems that some Kenyans have swallowed that one. Yesterday somebody repeated that ridiculous assertion that if he were genuine he should have stayed in the country and exposed Anglo Leasing while in Kenya. I didn't even bother to answer them.

How naïve can one get? The shadowy figures who are the real masterminds behind the grand theft and looting of the treasury would not hesitate to snuff out a life that stands between them and their easy billions, which they have come to consider to be their birthright.

Anyway on this Friday evening I arrive home a little late and find that my grandson "H" has been waiting up for me. I had my first-born daughter before I was 20 and she too went out and had a son shortly after her 19th birthday. Yep, so I am a grand daddy already like Obako although I am not anywhere near his age.

"Daddy, what have your brought me?" that's what he calls me instead of grandpa. And that's not all, the 6-year old thinks that my son (now 17 years old) is his big brother. Our efforts to inform him otherwise have all failed. By the way, his mother still works in the other country where we used to live before we came to where we are now. She visits us as regularly as she can on her small pay as an elementary school teacher.

I have been blessed with just two children My daughter (still single and now 26 years old) and my son whom we will call "M".

"M" is a true dotcom and doesn't like the old Kumekucha design (which we now use in our sister blog). However we agree on all matters political.

"Hiyo design ni kama wewe tu. It is so old," he once told me about the Kumekucha logo.

"M" is very determined to have two careers. Namely professional soccer and rocket science (and if possible he might just squeeze in medicine somewhere). He has the grades to back his ambitions and his nickname in school is "Genius." I advice but I never force my will on him because I am a strong believer in the truth that a person can only be truly happy fulfilling their destiny and nothing else. If that destiny is soccer so be it. However I suspect from his great love of all things biological and his great interest in the human heart (he often names me parts and arteries I have never heard of, although I also did biology in high school) that his true calling is in medicine.

I bring up my children very differently from the way I was brought up and if you hear us having a conversation, you may think it is a big brother small brother affair. At a soccer club we both joined recently (that mostly consists of youngsters) everybody was shocked when they later discovered that I am his dad. Our relationship suggested otherwise.

As I walk into the living room this evening, "M" is busy doing what he does most of his free time and homework time as well (when his mother is not in that is), watching soccer on one of those 24 hour TV sports channels.

"You're late, you must have gotten involved in one of those political debates," M says with his eyes still glued to the tube.

"How come you are always guess right?"

"Sio guess. I know."

"Don't tell me it was about Raila?"

"Right again."

"Why don't you people discuss the Mathare massacre instead?"

"Nobody is interested in that topic."

"Why?"

"I don't know son, we Kenyans are a strange lot, I'm still trying to figure us out."

"When I turn professional for Arsenal, I will do everything to bring their plight to world attention."

"What's for supper?"

"Your favorite. Mum has managed to organize for chapos." immediately my mood lifts.

At that very moment Mrs Kumekucha walks in and kisses me lightly on the cheek.

"Sasa sweetie. How was your day?"

"Exhausting."

Usually at around this time there is a problem with H, M and Mrs Kumekucha all fighting for my undivided attention. Mrs Kumekucha tends to win "that battle" hands down most of the time because one look in the direction of her son and grandson shuts them up pronto.

I try my best to keep from Mrs Kumekucha the threats that I sometimes receive in my line of work, but she always ends up somehow finding out. That is why she hates politics. She wonders why we cannot live happily and mind our own business. "What can one man do?" she asks sometimes.

Then she sometimes turns round and sheds tears when the plight of the poor and voiceless majority of Kenya are brought to her attention. "These politicians don't care for anybody but themselves. If I was given a chance…"

But that does not stop her sticking with me 1000% in every decision I make. My mind goes back to the time when things were very different between us and we argued about everything and even now it makes me sad, just remembering. Especially that year or so we spent in the slum-like Mabati house, when we couldn't afford to pay the rent of Kshs 2,000.

"Daddy which do you love more? Chapos or your country?"

Where else would such a question come from other than "M" who has noticed that I am really enjoying my supper of chapati and bean stew.

I chew vigorously as I think of an answer that won't be challenged. If I say chapo, "M" will say I am a pretender and hypocrite with my Kumekucha blog. If I say I love my country more, he will ask me why my spirits don't lift as high for Kenya as they do when I discover I am about to have chapos.

"Both."

"Daddy!!" he admonishes.

"You have seen how I shed tears for the motherland."

Mrs Kumekucha cuts in jokingly; "You just like to cry."

"But I don't cry when I eat chapo."

That shuts them up… for the time being.

I love my family and many times I wish I would turn my back on Kenya and stay away from politics and maybe if possible move even further away, somewhere like Australia and sell the Kumekucha blog for a couple of millions (in this election year, that is very possible.)

But I usually sober up soon enough and recover my resolve. My greatest inspiration is my grandson whom despite living in foreign countries since he was young always keeps asking. "Sisi ni waKenya, si ndio, Daddy?" as if to make sure that he never forgets his nationality.

If I have fun and mind my own business now and forget the cause, what will happen to him? And to so many other young Kenyans out there still growing up?

I have lived a very challenging life. But it has been generally a good life. I am not a millionaire (yet) but I have the things that really matter, like a loving family and especially a wife who loves me to bits, so much so that I get scared sometimes. I love her too, even after all these years.

Yet I have to endanger myself and them in this way, by the path I have chosen to follow.

That's life and I must take it as a man.

All for the love of the motherland.

Civil Society Message On Mwai Kibaki And Grand Corruption

The Untold story of the Mathare massacre and where the bodies were dumped

Nasty men habits that women hate with a passion

What Grown Men Do When Their Wives Say, "Not tonight sweetie"

Iko Kitu

Have you noticed that those "strange comments" have disappeared since I raised the red flag in this blog and the quality of debate has gone two to three notches higher?

I am grateful that not all readers of this blog are insensitive. I put Kalamari and Taabu at the top of the list of the most sensitive readers to strange and often subtle moves by some who visit this blog religiously. Of course some of the innocent are helping their cause by making fun of the whole thing and now readers criticizing me warn; "you will probably call me a NSIS agent."

Still I know what I was talking about and I do have evidence to prove what I am saying. Probably the most telling remark is the one where this guy posed the question: "Chris did you expect not to raffle any feathers?"

Thank you my friends in helping me out in that one. But please let us stay very alert to those comments.

I take this opportunity to thank all those of you who said some nice words about this blog yesterday. However let me emphasize that I cannot take the credit for making this blog what it is. One comment clearly identified the fact that those Kenyans to whom this site is a daily staple have taken sides and are big fans of good people like Vikii (he is a man) Kalamari, Taabu, Phil, Luke (still busy admiring economic growth), derek (are they 2 these days?) etc. As I have said so often in the past (and I will never get tired of saying) those are the folks who make Kumekucha what it is and keep yours truly in check. If the ridiculous claim that this is a Raila blog were true, then it will be quite difficult for me to get my way with these good Kenyans around.

Now as a matter of interest, there is mounting evidence that Proud Kikuyu Woman (PKW) may NOT be a woman. Just read carefully through "her" comments and you will detect how "insensitive" they are to women some are downright sexist, if you ask me. I wish there was a way of proving gender online, because it is okay for somebody to call himself or herself anonymous but it makes me nervous that a man should want to pretend to be a woman.

Civil Society Message On Mwai Kibaki And Grand Corruption

The Untold story of the Mathare massacre and where the bodies were dumped

Nasty men habits that women hate with a passion

What Grown Men Do When Their Wives Say, "Not tonight sweetie"

The Kenyan Race And Why It Is Symbolic

You know the Kenyan race. Yep that race where only fellow Kenyans can compete and so the frequently expected result is a Kenya one, two, three.

I am of course talking about the 3000 metres steeplechase.

And the strangest of all things is that when a Kenyan changes nationality, they quickly lose their form for this particular race. Meaning that the "magic" is only within the borders of Kenya and one has to be Kenyan for it to work.

And now there is even emerging evidence that it has nothing to do with tribe. Take Ruth Bosibori who won gold in the women's version of the Kenyan race at the recently concluded 9th All Africa games in Algeria. The good lady is from Kisii. Congratulations Ruth.

So what is it about this race and Kenyans?

I believe Kenya's complete dominance in this track event (which surpasses that of the Brazilians in soccer) is symbolic. It is a message to Kenyans to take heart. Despite the many obstacles and problems we face (this race has lots of obstacles) Kenyans, ordinary Kenyans that is, will emerge victorious in the end.


Civil Society Message On Mwai Kibaki And Grand Corruption

The Untold story of the Mathare massacre and where the bodies were dumped

Nasty men habits that women hate with a passion

What Grown Men Do When Their Wives Say, "Not tonight sweetie"

Missing Oil Contracts And The Swiss Connection: Why Raila Needs To Come Clean

There have been accusations in parliament leveled against ODM presidential hopeful Raila Odinga in connection to some oil contracts that have "vanished."

I made a few enquiries a few hours ago about the Swiss companies involved. The reason why I am getting a little jittery about this oil business is because both Goldenberg and Anglo Leasing had critical “connections” to Switzerland. I pray that I am wrong amend that everything is above board concerning this oil contract business.

I found out the following scanty information about one of the companies mentioned, Vitol (SA) Geneva,

· The Company has been registered in Switzerland since 1998 but as from 2004 only two persons are authorized tos ign agreements on behalf of the “group” (each of them as individuals and no as joint signatories). The gentlemen are a certain Mr Roland Favre (Swiss) and a Briton named David Fransen.

· Curiously it is said that each company in the Vitol group is owned by individuals in the respective countries, i.e. in the case of Nigera it could be owned by the a person close tpo the President there. Remember that in Nigeria both Olegusin Obasanjo and the current president could not trust anybody with the health portfolio and have held itthemselves.

· Experts in these matters have told me that the company set up looks fishy and could have been designed to keep cash from the transaction in the infamous secret “Swiss accounts.” The big question is why did the Kenyan government sigh such a contract?

In the past Raila Odinga has been linked to various questionable deals which he has never explained to the public. High on the list is the molasses plant. While this blogger knows that Raila is cleaner than virtually all the other major presidential candidates, it is important that he sets the record straight, even though many other former cabinet colleagues of his will never do the same. I am thinking of people like Chris Murungaru. But then the big difference is that Murungaru does not want to be president of Kenya.

I reproduce the article below from today’s Standard that gives details of this development;


Ex-ministers asked to explain oil deal

By Standard Team

Two former Cabinet ministers know the whereabouts of missing contract documents on an oil deal between Kenya and Nigeria, the Government has said.

Heat turned on former Energy ministers, Mr Raila Odinga and Mr Ochillo Ayacko, as the matter of revenue earned from oil trade became the focus of Parliament for the second time.Energy Assistant minister Mr Mwangi Kiunjuri claimed Raila and Ayacko should shed light on the whereabouts of the vital documents, which show details of commission revenues generated by the contracted companies."It is high time we understood the genesis of this matter.

There are no records of premium paid by companies and revenue received by Government from 1999 to 2002," Kiunjuri said in the House on Thursday.He went on: "Mr Odinga was in charge of the Energy docket between 2001 and 2002, and he is in a better position to comment on the whereabouts of the records." Minister alleged there was a sinister motive.

Further, Kiunjuri said reductions of price per barrel from $210 to $70 were effected in 2004 during Ayacko’s tenure and "he should comment on the same too".The minister alleged there was a sinister motive regarding the questioning of the oil deal, which he linked to the failure by the Government to renew a contract to one of the companies.

Raila and Ayacko were dropped from the Cabinet after the Government’s defeat at the November 2005 referendum on the proposed constitution.

Kiunjuri said the lifting contracts had been awarded to two companies in the last three years: Arcadia in 2004/2005, and Vitol (SA) Geneva from 2005 to 2007.

Revenue received from the deal was Sh141.6 million, with Vitol (SA) Geneva accounting for Sh99.9 million and Arcadia Sh41.6 million. Firm lost contract in an open tender.

Nigeria supplies 30,000 barrels of crude oil per day, according to a one-year agreement, which expires on October 1 and is subject to renewal."

The actual oil barrels received under this agreement are, however, dependent on the availability and subject to monthly nominations by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation," Kiunjuri added. The minister said Arcadia lost the contract in an open tender.Answering Alego-Usonga MP, Mr Sammy Weya (Narc), who sparked off the debate a fortnight ago, Kiunjuri maintained the State was not enjoying any concessions by buying fuel from the Nigerian Government.

He tabled the contract for sale and purchase of the crude oil alongside a breakdown showing the amount of crude oil lifted and premiums paid by the companies. Raila had earlier said he negotiated the deal.

Kiunjuri alleged ulterior motives in the manner in which the matter had been pursued in Parliament and asked the Chair to compel Weya to declare his intentions. However, Deputy Speaker David Musila declined. Weya protested that the Speaker had directed the minister to furnish him with the documents beforehand, but Musila ruled the demand had been overtaken by events.

He, however, said Weya would next week probe the matter further once he had perused the tabled documents. On July 12, Raila said he negotiated the deal, which allowed the Government to lift oil at prices lower than market rates.

MPs wondered why returns from the oil industry were dwindling at a time when Kenya was enjoying lower prices and concessions, which the Government has since denied knowledge of.

Civil Society Message On Mwai Kibaki And Grand Corruption

The Untold story of the Mathare massacre and where the bodies were dumped

Nasty men habits that women hate with a passion

What Grown Men Do When Their Wives Say, "Not tonight sweetie"

We Have Made A Difference Already And Hope To Do Much More

Why Kumekucha Is Not "Just For Whiners"

I just want to bring to the attention of our regular readers and even casual readers, what is happening in this blog with mostly those leaving comments.

As traffic grows in leaps and bounds, many folks arriving here have been referred here by various people and arrive here with certain prejudices, which are at the top of their minds before they read a single sentence. These prejudicial views of course depend a lot on the views of the Kenyan who has referred them.

While I welcome all readers kindly note that when you rush to make sweeping statements and prejudicial remarks, when you have not taken the time to even read through one post, it is annoying to other readers.

You are of course welcome to your own views, and that is something I would defend on your behalf because it is the essence of the democracy we aspire to so much in our beloved motherland.

However I do not agree with the view that this is a site for whiners who do nothing but complain, “when the economy is growing”.

In fact we have been able to achieve a lot here apart from “growing” and becoming better people. Personally Kumekucha has changed my life because it has enabled me to meet so many wonderful people and to learn so much from them. I am sure many other regulars can say the same.

Let me also emphasize that if my writing comes across with too much passion, I have no apologies to make because I am privileged to be fairly familiar with the plight of the common man in Kenya struggling to put food on the table. Many Kenyans have no problem making fun of the poor because the general belief is that poor people are poor because they are stupid or lack “business acumen.’ I beg to differ. Most poor people in Kenya are poor because of bad, selfish, insensitive government policies.

So if I sound a little angry and impatient, it is understandable and I really have no excuses to make.

Although president Kibaki has done a lot since 2002, not only is it too little too late but it is taking the country in the wrong direction. The right direction in my view is starting off with policies that are designed to put the economy in the hands of the common man so to speak (Not a few a handful of investors mainly from one community).

It is important that the engine of the economy and of growth are in the hands of ordinary Kenyans. This means determining that the creation of jobs should be the top agenda which should be reflected in everything the government does.

Saving Kenya, in my view will also require many "thinking out of the box" ideas that the current political class cannot handle, let alone think up. For instance establishing work for higher education farms and work for food schemes countrywide. We urgently need to give a helping hand to our brothers who are doing badly thanks mainly to mega corruption scandals like Goldenberg and Anglo Leasing that have devalued the currency overnight and caused great suffering across the nation.

We need a government policy where a certain percentage of government contracts are reserved for small scale businesses and ways found to finance them by paying 50% upfront for services and products ordered from them. (You will be surprised poor people are much more honest than rich folks).

We need a government that will be sensitive enough to remove all VAT and other taxes from basic food stuffs sold in slums and other low income areas.

We need a very intensive countrywide sports and football program (that would be very easy to finance) where soccer talent can be nurtured and developed even as the youths there go through a special education program to prepare them for life after their sporting professional careers. I personally know Kenyans who are good agents and can help us sell this talent to big soccer clubs in the West, even as we develop the game locally. There should also be numerous active programs to keep the youth busy so that less of them end up in crime as is the case today.

We also need a truth and reconciliation commission to deal with our dark past and to send a clear message to any would-be-thieves of the future that corruption may make you rich in the short term but in the long term it does not pay.

Our foreign missions need to start actively assisting in helping place qualified Kenyans in openings available at their stations and also promoting trade much more aggressively.

These are just a few ideas off the top of my head. Please keep reading this blog and we will unveil more of these ideas as we head to the mother of all general elections.

I am grateful that some very powerful people in Kenya today read this blog regularly and quite often take action on various things we suggest here. The most recent example is the directive by the government to the Nairobi City Council to go slow on the implementation of the ban on plastic bags. I believe our small humble efforts here contributed in a small way at least to that decision.

So you see, we are not just whiners, we have built a forum here (by the grace of God) where tens of thousands of Kenyans can exchange views and learn things that will improve our country. The problem with many of our readers, especially those from you know where, are desperate and eager to link us to a certain politician or foreign financier. Good luck to them because the truth is that I am just an ordinary Kenyan trying to make a difference and I have been joined by many other like-minded persons who love their country even more than I do.

Civil Society Message On Mwai Kibaki And Grand Corruption

The Untold story of the Mathare massacre and where the bodies were dumped

Nasty men habits that women hate with a passion

What Grown Men Do When Their Wives Say, "Not tonight sweetie"

Dear Kenyan, What Legacy Would You Like To Leave Behind?

As much as we all have different political leanings and ideas on the way forward for Kenya, we all agree about one thing; that the country is in the mess it is in today because our fathers, mothers and uncles mostly decided to do nothing, through 40 years of misrule.

Alas, they had a good excuse, with the cold war that propped up murderous dictatorial governments in Africa opposing a government in those days was a sure death sentence.

But despite the fact that you and me are in a much better position to do a lot today, most Kenyans would rather not get involved. And that’s fine in fact it is your democratic right.

But consider the following; what legacy would you like to leave behind when your number is called out on a day nobody but your maker knows?

Is it…

He/she was a good law abiding citizen who stood aside and did nothing as their country went to the dogs.


Or would you like your grand children to and great grand children to fondly remember you thus…

He made a difference. He stood up for principals at a time when others had gotten terribly rich at the expense of the masses by having none.

He was a great Kenyan who made a difference.

History beckons. Your country needs you NOW more than ever before. The decision is yours.

If not you who, of not now when?

I can hear you say that you have children to educate and a family that you are responsible for. So do we all but I assume that you are educating your kids to live and work in foreign lands because if you and I do nothing now, there will soon be no Kenya left.

Please think about this deeply and forward this message to others as your first step in doing something.

For the love of the motherland,
-Kumekucha-

Civil Society Message On Mwai Kibaki And Grand Corruption

The Untold story of the Mathare massacre and where the bodies were dumped

Nasty men habits that women hate with a passion

What Grown Men Do When Their Wives Say, "Not tonight sweetie"

Is Kenya Headed In The Right Direction?

People living in Havana in the 1960s learnt how to live with the constant shrieking voice of some woman screaming "Fatherland or death" every time they picked up the phone, instead of the customary dial tone

What is really sickening about this question is the fact that anybody should be asking it at all. It should be so obvious that this should be a stupid question to ask.

Sadly a clever sustained campaign by the Kibaki administration to lie to the public (for self-preservation) has convinced many that Kenya is headed in the right direction and we just need to be patient.

Propaganda is a powerful thing. When you repeat something over and over again, (as this message that all we need is more time with the Kibaki administration and everything will be super) it soon becomes accepted truth. We are tol;d the Kibaki administration is much better than Moi’s and then we see the two holding frequent consultations and yesterday’s appointment of Moi is a message that is louder than words which tells Kenyans; Moi wasn’t all that bad.

People living in Havana in the 1960s learnt how to live with the shrieking voice of some woman screaming “Fatherland or death” every time they picked up the phone, instead of the customary dial tone. It worked because Cubans soon realized there were only two options, to flee the country or to comply. And that is why to date despite the best covert efforts of the very best in the world, Castro is still in power. Propaganda works when you repeat it over and over again in the media.

So many Kenyans today are being patient.

Patient as corruption in high places continues unabated. Patient as violence in the country escalates to new unprecedented levels. Patient as tribalism increases and is encouraged by our political class as a strategy for them to remain in power. Patient as the perpetrators of Goldenberg and Anglo Leasing play political chess to influence election results this year so that they will be free to do another Anglo Leasing and another Goldenberg.

Asking Kenyans to be patient now is akin to raping a woman or a man and telling them to be patient because things will soon get better.

The naked truth is that as long as Kenya is headed in the wrong direction, things will never, ever be the same again.

Meanwhile those Kenyans not doing well are being made to feel small and inadequate by being told that the economy is growing and that the only reason they are not doing well is because they are attending endless ODM rallies and activities rather than working hard. I ask working hard doing what?

I am an entrepreneur with vast experience and once even got involved in hawking activities. Believe me when I tell you that there was a time, not too long ago in our beloved motherland called Kenya when you could wake up in the morning with Kshs 10/- in your pocket, go out there and roast maize or something and have in your hands Kshs 200/- at the end of a day of hard work. Not anymore!! That is no longer possible today. Reason? Too many Kenyans are living on a desperate hand to mouth budget that is sinking them deeper into debt, let alone leaving them with any disposable income. And those are the lucky ones. The rest are having a serious problem putting food in their stomach regularly. What this means is that there are very few if any opportunities remaining for the common man to work hard and make good.

Many people reading this article may shake their heads in disbelief. One can after all invest in the stock exchange and you do not need too much money to start. If you are thinking in this direction then you have just delivered further evidence of a very dangerous situation that has developed and is rapidly escalating even as everybody ignores it. This is the widening gap between the vast majority of poor Kenyans and the rest of the country. The saddest thing is that the rest of Kenya can hardly understand the poor. I have met many Kenyans who believe that the poor in Kenya are poor because they are not very bright. Some say that there will always be poor people and nobody can do anything about it. NO!! That is not true.

Figures show that a vast majority of Kenyans, well over 70 per cent of the population live on less than a dollar a day. That is Kshs 65 (using current exchange rates). What many of the bureaucrats doing this research do not know is the fact that a vast majority of Kenyans do not handle Kshs 65 for months on end. But even with that kind of money, how long will it take you to raise Kshs 10,000 to purchase the minimum of 100 shares of stocks? Assuming that you starve yourself and eat nothing for a month, you will only have Kshs 1,950 and you'll have died of starvation.

Most of the people who are poor in Kenya today are poor mainly because of bad governance and corruption as well as a government that hardly understands what it means to be poor in Kenya today. In fact more privileged Kenyans have openly stated in this forum that Mathare residents got what they deserved in the massacre that happened during the crack down on Mungiki. That is what it means to be poor in Kenya today because those poor innocent victims do not live in Mathare out of choice. They would gladly prefer Muthaiga or Lavington where Mungiki crackdowns of the kind that happened in June this year never happened.

It is interesting that the terrorists who assembled the bomb that went off at the American embassy in Nairobi 1998 did their dirty work in the up market Runda estate. Therefore using the reasoning I have seen here, the police should have carried out a major crackdown in Runda estate to flash out terrorists. Well, it never happened. Never mind the fact that by the time the police were killing innocent people in Mathare the real Mungiki had already fled. Guess where the nearest best refuge is. Yep! Muthaiga. So why did the rape and shooting operation not extend to Muthaiga.

I guess we just need to patient; it will get there soon enough.

Civil Society Message On Mwai Kibaki And Grand Corruption

The Untold story of the Mathare massacre and where the bodies were dumped

Nasty men habits that women hate with a passion

What Grown Men Do When Their Wives Say, "Not tonight sweetie"

Crime Has Now Dropped To Historically Low Levels: Police Commissioner Says

It is indeed true that figures can be used to prove anything.

A few hours ago, the police Commissioner Major General Ali called a press conference to report that due to concerted efforts by his officers, crime has now gone down to a level last witnessed 2 years ago.

I leave it to Kenyans on the ground to pass a verdict over that allegation. However there is one very important consideration the commissioner missed. The fact that Kenyans have lost faith in the police so much so that they no longer bother to report serious crime. This is what has brought down the figures so dramatically. And the way things are going those figures are set to drop even further.

What an achievement!! Hey, Luke, my brother here is something else to admire other than the greatly improved economy.

Civil Society Message On Mwai Kibaki And Grand Corruption

The Untold story of the Mathare massacre and where the bodies were dumped

Nasty men habits that women hate with a passion

What Grown Men Do When Their Wives Say, "Not tonight sweetie"

Moism Without Moi

NEO KIBAKISM: IS THE OPIUM OF THE OPPRESSED KENYANS

If you are keen enough you will see of late the kind of initiatives the Kibaki administration is laying out in an effort to “upgrade” the livelihood of the people.

Notably I wish to cite the Thika road, the roads ministry has proved to be a true disciple of Macadam the father of tarmac roads by showcasing a dazzling repair works, scraping and filling pot hills and potholes respectively.

This is just a tip of the iceberg, developmental projects have become the order of the day, employing close to a million Kenyans directly or indirectly surpassing their election pledge of 500,000 jobs yearly. But hey there is a catch this being an election year according to Kenya ’s political calendar which is meant to signify political sunset for the unlucky politicians and political groupings (parties). Therefore no prizes offered for guessing why the current generosity and sweet talking (read bribery). This is no different from Moi’s era only that the package is different (size and/or type) hence the warning by Ngugi wa Thiongo “ MOISIM without MOI” ; he had a taste of his own medicine when his homecoming was frustrated.

The current Kenya ’s situation , the deepening of neo-liberal economic fundamentalism represents the most threatening stage of human development: It may even be interpreted as the apex of the patriarchal and capitalistic exchange economy, with cynical self-interest at its ideological core. This is a moment in history when the gifts of the many, of the land, of nature, the caregivers in homes, hospitals and educational institutions are not only being taken for granted but exploited and appropriated to serve the people in exchange of their votes.

Thus when Karl Marx analysed religion as the “opium of the oppressed” as an attempt to ameliorate the suffering resulting from economic exploitation and inequality by the comforting myth of an afterlife in which, according to the Christian tradition at least, the first will be last and the last will be first and the meek will inherit the earth, one can interpreted Kibaki’s government policy as an Illusion or psychotic fantasy by which the ego seeks to deny the reality of poverty levels in Kenya (position153 Human Poverty Index) over taxation ,high bribery index are the order of the day which regardless of economic status, is an inescapable facet of the human condition.

Kenyans I dare you to make a mistake and re elect Kibaki on whichever party for this will mark the end of honeymoon and usher a new era of TM diet, remember he was Moi’s best no 1 student only that he graduated early - he grasped better than others . Look at the Daudi Mwiraria’s comeback its just like the Nicholas Biwott’s come back in the early 90’ s after the Ouko saga. Plus the old man is consulting Moi a lot… kibaki is a rightists and guards status quo jealously.

This is to my fellow youth come December lets not only vote with our conscience but good intelligence "Let us do what we must do. And let us do it so well that when we are done, they may look and cry out... Lo and Behold! They have done such a great job and look at how young they are!!"

Guest post by M.S.K.

Civil Society Message On Mwai Kibaki And Grand Corruption

The Untold story of the Mathare massacre and where the bodies were dumped

Nasty men habits that women hate with a passion

What Grown Men Do When Their Wives Say, "Not tonight sweetie"

GRAND CORRUPTION: KIBAKI MUST ACCOUNT

A STATEMENT BY THE CIVIL SOCIETY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY FOR GRAND CORRUPTION

GRAND CORRUPTION: KIBAKI MUST ACCOUNT

Mwai Kibaki has once again demonstrated his complete lack of commitment to fight corruption and, even more, that he is a beneficiary of it. The Anglo Leasing and the corruption scandals of Moi, and Kenyatta before him, will remain unresolved so long as Mwai Kibaki is the President. His continued dalliance with Daniel arap Moi is proof enough of his going back on his word to Kenyans that 'Corruption will cease to be a way of life in Kenya'. So too is the reappointment of the disgraced Daudi Mwiraria.

Kenyans must remember that the Anglo Leasing scandal is as yet unresolved and has cost them Ksh.56 billion that we know of from the Controller and Auditor General's report. The scandal of Irrevocable Promissory Notes (IPNs) also remains with us. Undisclosed amounts in the IPN's are floating out there exposing Kenyans to pay for what they never received. In spite of the reports by Kroll and associates of 2004, which found Ksh. 79 billion stashed abroad, nothing has been returned to Kenya while the government claims its impotence to recover stolen assets.

Kenyans need to be informed now that even today the government is perpetuating further actions of corruption, no doubt related to the need to raise money for elections.

Specifically it has committed Ksh. 840 Million by a contract of February 2007 to overhaul four second-hand junk helicopters which were fraudulently purchased through Anglo Leasing type procedures in 1998. Provision has been made in the current budget estimates to pay for overhauling the junk helicopters, thus throwing good money after bad. It would be better to cancel the fraudulent deals and instead buy new, functional equipment transparently. New and cheaper helicopters are .available on the market. The purchase of faulty equipment on whose rehabilitation and maintenance ever greater sums must be spent provides a cover for continued theft of public resources.

A most suspect provision in the 2007/08 budget is for the repayment of a phantom loan incurred in the 1970's for the never built KENREN Chemical and Fertilizer factory. The provision of KShs.4.4 billion has been made for the repayment of this fictious loan incurred during the stewardship of the Treasury by Hon. Mwai Kibaki. Thirty years later, under the government of that same Mwai Kibaki, Kenyans are being asked to pay KShs. 268,626,623 million for a service that was never rendered. To this day no factory has ever been built. This is similar to the way in which Kenyans will continue to remain liable for the repayment of the illegitimate debts incurred during the Anglo Leasing looting spree.

One of the first contracts signed by this government was for a naval warship for 4 billion shillings. Then Minister for Internal Security Chris Murungaru clearly lays blame for this deal at the president's feet. Kibaki has never denied responsibility. The parliamentary committee on Defence and Foreign Relation supported this deal even though important questions remain unanswered:

• The committee does not appear to have had the technical capacity to properly assess the project
• The committee never spoke to the company that built the ship but instead contacted the brokers who were themselves under investigation by KACC
• The ship is not fitted with weapons which would make it useful for defence
• The radar and other equipment on it are without warranty
• In short it is not a warship

The conduct and the conclusions of the parliamentary committee's inquiry into this ship is suspect and, we are informed, contrary to normal parliamentary standing orders and practice. Further, the report was, curiously, available to litigants in court before it was tabled in Parliament.

Both the helicopter and the navy ship contracts should be cancelled, money paid refunded and the responsible public officers investigated and prosecuted.

There is more. The current budget makes provisions for a mysterious payment to a French bank BNP of Ksh. 603 Million this year. Kenyans must be told what this payment and many similar ones are for.

We expect in the next few days to see attempts to whitewash Anglo Leasing suspects similar to the gazette notice by KACC which purported to clear Kiraitu Murungi.

The time has come for Kenyans to finally accept that the Kibaki they have is not the Kibaki they elected. This Kibaki is prepared to enter into the most unprincipled deals to secure his hold on power. If he is re-elected, it is clear what Kenyans can expect from a Kibaki II government namely even more unrestrained corruption, abuse of power and flagrant impunity.

From 2002, Kibaki seems to have come full circle from 'Yote yawezekana bila Moi' to today's apparent slogan of 'Hakuna chawezekana bila Moi'. Let the Kenyan voter beware!

This forum recalls that Civil Society endorsed the Kibaki candidature in 2002. We now resolve to call on them to formally withdraw their endorsement of Mwai Kibaki for reasons of betrayal and corruption as cited above.

The forum further resolves to put the same case to the 2000 delegates of the National Youth Convention which will be held in Nairobi on 11th-12th August 2007 at KICC to formally do the same.


The Untold story of the Mathare massacre and where the bodies were dumped

Nasty men habits that women hate with a passion

What Grown Men Do When Their Wives Say, "Not tonight sweetie"

What Kibaki And Moi Are Planning Against Kenyans

Recently President Kibaki had yet another meeting with former President Moi that sent jitters down the spines of those in the know. (As I was posting this, news came through that Moi has been appointed special envoy to the Sudan. Still I don’t believe that this is the only thing No2 and No3 were discussing).

Contrary to common belief, the two old men have not fallen out with each other and insiders say that the meeting was designed to put the final touches to their campaign strategy.

Apparently as we head towards the polls, meetings involving the two will dwindle and disappear altogether. The idea is that the two men are not supposed to present a united front image to the voting public.

I told you here months ago that Kanu would go it alone in this general elections and that they will probably even field a presidential candidate. I stand by my story. But what Kenyans are not aware of is the intricately laid out plan by the two men to ensure that the status quo is maintained and that ill-gotten wealth acquired during the Moi Presidency and also during Kibaki's tenure is fully protected.

I find it interesting that eve after former President Moi's influence has become rather clear there are many Kumekucha readers still in denial and who keep on saying here that Moi is of no consequence in the coming general elections.

I have concluded that the reason for this shortsightedness is the fact that many Kenyans still analyze politics emotionally and use their hearts rather than their brains. Let me explain. I have my preferred presidential candidate who as you all now is John Githongo. Now imagine a situation where I analyze the presidency and allow my personal preferences to cloud my judgment. To begin with I will be of no use to my preferred candidate because I will hardly be able to see the strengths of his opponents, which means that thinking up a strategy will be impossible.

Ladies and gentlemen, fellow Kenyans, it is a very useful to be able to leave emotions out of your political analysis. It is the only way you can be truly useful to your preferred candidate. However if you wish to remain a mere heckler, that is still okay and definitely within your democratic rights.

Unless Kenyans do something about it, the 2nd and 3rd President's of Kenya will have a major say on what unfolds in December this year and who will yield political power come January 2008.

Here's their game plan.

President Kibaki will run on his own with whatever party he chooses (Narc Kenya or otherwise.) Kanu under the micro-management of No 2 or Baba Gidi, as we call him in this blog (Thank you Taabu) will also run on its' own. I still insist that Kanu are the party to beat this time round. Let me list just four reasons here.

i) They are the single party that has the highest number of seats in parliament. The Narc of 2002 is a "coalition" that was formed before the elections and that is why it promptly disintegrated soon after the election victory. In African politics the incumbent always starts with a huge advantage and the party already with the majority of seats also starts with a similar advantage.

ii) Kanu is the only political party in the country that has a grassroots network the reaches out to every single constituency and district in the republic. This is a huge, huge advantage. For starters it means that just like last time, this will be the only party capable of fielding a candidate in every constituency in the nation.

iii) To the common ordinary Kenyan on the ground, life was much better under the Kanu government and Moi. Asking the folks in the villages to return Kanu to power will be a very persuasive message that many voters will see good reason to heed. I have said that it is not prudent to analyze politics with emotions, but that is exactly what the voters on the ground will be doing. I can assure you that one very emotional issue is the difficulties in getting money that ordinary Kenyans talk about on the ground. Many are saying that hii serekali na uchumi ni ya matajari (this government and economy is only for the rich).

iv) Kanu is clearly being positioned to receive strong defectors from both ODM Kenya and Narc-Kenya. Already it is clear that there are areas where ODM will not be able to penetrate where Kanu will be comfortable and will even have a decent chance of winning in certain constituencies. Most notably Central Province. There are also areas where Narc cannot dare venture where Kanu will be welcome and can easily win if the ODM get their nomination exercise wrong, which is very easy to do. You know the one place at the top of the list here—Luo Nyanza, naturally. The sum of all this is that Kanu will end up with a huge number of parliamentary seats.

The game plan is that Kibaki's political party and Kanu working separately will between them win the majority of seats in parliament. So as soon as President Kibaki supposedly wins the elections, he will simply form another GNU (Government of national unity with Kanu). Actually of all goes according to plan, he will not need any other political partner, which will give him a much more peaceful second term. This also means that in this scenario, chances are pretty high that Kenya's next vice president will be from Kanu.

Now let me get some emotions into this. Kumekucha ha a strategy to counter this. A very powerful one indeed. Sorry folks we have already entered the season of high politics and I cannot reveal my Githongo-winning strategy against this schemes. But that doesn't pevent us from discussing a few scenarios in the comments section below. A word of caution. There is mounting evidence that our brothers at the NSIS are getting desperate and one of their methods (used frequently here) is to rubbish my entire analysis and divert attention from certain truths and instead turn our discussion here into a personal thing of who is right and who is not. Beware of those kind of comments.

The Untold story of the Mathare massacre and where the bodies were dumped

Nasty men habits that women hate with a passion

What Grown Men Do When Their Wives Say, "Not tonight sweetie"

David Mwiraria's Return To The Cabinet

The Message That The President Is Sending Forth Is That Anglo Leasing NEVER Happened

The words on the Anglo Leasing tapes are still pretty clear on the minds of many Kenyans.

"I will use my own way…" Mwiraria said audibly meaning that he would use his own way to get to the bottom of the identity of the shadowy figures said to have embezzled and then allegedly wired back huge amounts of funds to the Central Bank. Actually billions of it.

Now the man who was also heard saying in the same Githongo tape that if they were not careful, this was something that could easily bring down the Kibaki government, seems to have had his "own way" and like his tribes-mate, Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi, has bounced back into the Kibaki cabinet ahead of the general elections.

Even more interesting is the fact that not too long ago, first lady Lucy Kibaki told a meeting in Meru that she did not know exactly how to address Mwiraria, whether to call him MP or Minister, because he was going to be back in the cabinet pretty soon. And that is exactly what has happened. Meru men's views on women are well known and for sure Mwiraria's political opponents on the ground will be asking the question loudly in front of voters; who really re-appointed Mwiraria? Very petty and silly but the sort of question that can carry tens of thousands of votes in areas like Meru and Kisii to mention the most notoriously gender insensitive areas in the country.

The Untold story of the Mathare massacre and where the bodies were dumped

Nasty men habits that women hate with a passion

What Grown Men Do When Their Wives Say, "Not tonight sweetie"

Why NSIS And The Kibaki Administration Are Terrified Of A Githongo Candidature

The intelligence community in Kenya, as well as numerous foreign ones are pretty busy at the moment as we hurtle ever closer to the general elections.

One interesting aspect has emerged. It is rather clear that the NSIS are very wary of a John Githongo candidature in the coming general elections. There is mounting evidence that links several attempts to discredit Githongo to them. Starting with a curious newspaper article that was somehow sneaked in and ended up appearing in the Daily Nation labeling Githongo a foreign spy.

The latest is a site that has clearly been designed to discredit the character of presidential candididate Mr Githongo. Here is the link;

http://ethicsinafrica.blogspot.com

The site talks about Githongo's alleged sexual preferences amongst other things clearly designed to discredit the man who is currently the most credible presidential candidate that we can field. Those who know the former PS of ethics well, including this blogger are naturally disgusted at this shameless mud racking campaign. But now we can also suspect where those anti-Githongo comments that sometimes appear in this blog are coming from.

Just think about it. President Kibaki's think tank are not worried about a Raila candidature (they in fact appear pretty comfortable with it and would even seem to support it.) It is also instructive that the candidate who seems to support Kalonzo at the moment and will probably leave ODM with him is Musalia Mudavadi. I have published privileged information here to the effect that the president's strategist were really scared of a Mudavadi candidature in a united ODM. Now it is very clear that a united ODM with all the current players still intact is highly unlikely.

Which leaves possible presidential candidate John Githongo as the only threat.

It is really not surprising when you think about it. Githongo is the only presidential candidate who has a clear image with the electorate over what he stands for. He made his statement when he fled the country and exposed shocking details of the Anglo Leasing scandal to the world. Here is a candidate whose support transcends and criss-crosses across tribal boundaries and tribal emotions. Actually he is the only national candidate currently.

Again look out for those strange comments rubbishing this post without giving concrete convincing arguments. When you see them, it will be clear where they will be coming from.

The Untold story of the Mathare massacre and where the bodies were dumped

Nasty men habits that women hate with a passion

What Grown Men Do When Their Wives Say, "Not tonight sweetie"

Mathare Killing Fields: The Untold Story Of A Massive Massacre By The Kenya Police Part I of II

Kumekucha Exclusive Investigation

The blood has dried. The tears have dried too. But the hearts of the poor residents of the Mathare slums are still bleeding and crying for justice.

The violent police crackdown on people suspected to be adherents of the outlawed Mungiki sect in the sprawling Valley of Death is still fresh in the minds of many. June 2007 is perhaps the worst bloodbath the residents have ever witnessed. It was similar to what happened in North Eastern Kenya during the infamous Wagalla massacre.
The descendants of Mathare residents will forever remember June for it’s the month that armed police backed by the dreaded General Service Unit turned the slum into a killing field to avenge the killing of just three of colleagues on the night of June 4—but on innocent wananchi and not the real perpetrators. A major security operation that was launched a few minutes after the police were shot dead left a trail of blood and tears in Mathare.

By the time the police guns fell silent a few days later, at least 80 people – men, women and children—had lost their lives for a crime they were not party to. Many other residents were left nursing broken jaws and limbs. Mothers and their young children spent cold nights as State agents turned the shanties they call home into a slaughter houses for humans.

And while the police were slaughtering and brutalizing the poor and helpless residents of Mathare, other Kenyans turned a blind eye to their problems and opted to watch free police movies on their TVs. They seemed contented with the lies that were being churned out by the mainstream media that the people who had been killed were members of the Mungiki sect. Mathare residents were paying for only one crime, a dreadful one in Kenya—being poor. When did women old enough to be our mothers and young children become members of the dreaded Mungiki sect?

What happened in Mathare and the wall of silence from other Kenyans showed how Kenyans have lost value for human life. In search for the truth, Kumekucha has spent a number of days in the slums interviewing witnesses and police officers who were willing to shed light on exactly what happened—and they made chilling revelations which we promised yesterday that we would expose today. All the information published here was counter-checked with various independent sources and we believe it’ll help shed light on the evils that our police perpetuate under the cover of darkness.

According to our investigations, the Mathare massacre could be traced to the incident where three policemen were killed when they went to Mathare slums on the night of June 4. Information in our possession shows the officers had gone to the slums to collect protection fees from traders who carry out illicit businesses like brewing and selling chang’aa and selling bhang.

The three officers were not very conversant with the slum since they had just been transferred to the capital city from stations in the countryside. According to police officers conversant with the Mathare massacre, police had formed a tradition of venturing into the slum at night under the pretext of doing foot patrols to collect protection fee from the traders. When the officers attached to Mathare are transferred from Nairobi, they always make sure they induct their new colleagues to the extortion ring.

In the case of the three officers, it seemed their colleagues whom they replaced never gave them proper briefing and this cost them their lives. They seemed to have greatly underestimated the might of a criminal gang going by the name of Mungiki, which rivaled the police in collecting protection fees from the residents. The majority of poor Mathare residents live under the mercy of both the police and the ruthless criminal gang. The gang also profits from charging illegal water and power connections in Mathare, which is home to about 500,000 people. Traders who pay the Mungiki gang are assured of protection from the police. The three officers had not done their homework well.

Our investigations have revealed that when the three officers went to the slum under the cover of darkness on the fateful night, they did the usual thing - moving from one trader to another collecting protection fees. But they walked into trouble when they approached a woman who was selling chang’aa in her den and demanded to be given Sh500. A few minutes before the police called on her, the woman had parted with Sh300 to the Mungiki gang. Furious that the Mungiki had not kept their promise of keeping the police at bay, the woman ushered the officers into her chang’aa den and told them she only had Sh200. She then excused herself saying that she was going to borrow more cash.

Reflecting on how they had made good harvest that night, the officers relaxed and sat down on a makeshift bench and waited to bag in Sh500 extra. In the meantime, the woman managed to trace the Mungiki gang who were just hovering in the vicinity and voiced her protest. Without wasting time, the Mungiki gang hurriedly armed themselves and went for the officers.

Investigations by Kumekucha revealed the gang caught the officers unawares and they sprayed them with bullets as they sat on the bench. None of them had the time to cock their guns, let alone pull the trigger. Two of the officers died on the spot while the third one succumbed to bullet wounds on the way to hospital.

The officers were killed at a time when Mungiki gangs were on the loose in Nairobi, Murang’a and Kiambu and they were being blamed for beheading more than 10 people in a span of a month. At least 10 police officers had also been felled by the Mungiki power in the same period. Strangely, the police reaction was very cold, almost unconcerned when innocent people were being butchered by Mungiki thugs. In fact, different police bosses could be seen on TV re-assuring Kenyans that those incidents were isolated and that they were on top of things.

But the zeal they went about avenging the killing of their three colleagues broke every rule in the book of law and left many people baffled. How comes the police never react this way when Kenyans are being killed? If the same force was applied every time a Kenyan—regardless of whether you are an ordinary person of a police officer—was killed by criminals, the Mathare incident would have passed for just any other. In fact, criminals would have been wiped from the map of Kenya long time ago. But the police only seemed to feel the pain when one of their own was under attack.

No human being—apart from the police carrying out the operation—was safe in Mathare when the police came calling under the cover of darkness. By this time, the gang which had killed the officers had vanished long time ago with their guns. Our investigations showed that the first group of officers who raced to the scene where their colleagues were killed, interviewed witnesses and found out exactly what led to the killings. When this information was relayed to their seniors at the provincial police headquarters and at police headquarters, an execution order for the woman who contributed to the deaths was issued. The woman died under a hail of bullets and her body was among those which were discarded by the police in open fields along the Mombasa highway to be eaten by wild animals or to rot naturally.

Truck-loads of GSU officers and officers from specialized units like the Flying Squad and the Special Crime Prevention Unit were mobilized and they descended on the Valley of Death like hungry vultures. They formed a ring around the valley to ensure that no resident left the area. On the first night, police shot dead 33 Mathare residents in cold blood. The security operation went on for more than a week and at least 80 people had lost their lives by the time the police guns went silent.

Our investigations show that senior police officers held an urgent meeting after the three officers were killed and resolved that the security operation could not be effective with TV cameras rolling and journalists watching the crackdown. A senior officer was appointed to handle journalist and confine them into one corner as the police butchered and terrorized the residents on the other invisible end. They feared journalists would expose the massacre to the outside world.

It was the work of the senior officer guarding the journalists to feed them with misleading information, which most of them happily published or aired without question. Unknown to the journalists, the police were busy executing any residents they came across on the other end. They then carried the blood-soaked bodies into waiting police lorries, which were hidden on the other end. Another senior officer in charge of the bloodbath squad would occasionally order a policeman to fire in the air towards where the journalists were “waiting for news” to scare them. The officer who was with the journalists would then tell the journalists that they were being shot at by the Mungiki and that was why the police would not take the risk of allowing journalist to venture into the “battle-front”.

The Daily Nation sent shivers down the spine of senior police officers when it went to town with a headline story on the riddle of the missing bodies from the Mathare massacre. Senior officers were afraid their cover would be blown off. It’s still a mystery why the newspaper editors never took the story further after revealing how the figures of the dead given by the police had failed to tally with those recorded at the City Mortuary. All cases of police shootings or unnatural deaths in Nairobi and the outlaying districts are recorded at the City Mortuary. So, the police would not have taken the bodies to other mortuaries. Where did the missing bodies go?

Investigations by Kumekucha reveal that police only took a few bodies to the City Mortuary. The rest were loaded onto police lorries and dumped in the vast grassland along Mombasa road. Police officers interviewed said their bosses ordered the bodies to be disposed off in such a crude manner to avoid the wrath of international human rights watchdogs. They also feared the discovery of bodies of women and children would give the force a very bad image. Most residents of Mathare told Kumekucha they had not traced the bodies of their loved ones but feared going public on the issue to avoid meeting the same fate.

A similar trick by the police to dispose off bodies of five men in a grassland in Athi River three weeks ago backfired when it emerged that the victims had been removed from police custody, shot dead in an unknown place and then their bodies were dumped in the tall grass. It puzzled everyone when the police issued a statement soon after the bodies were discovered and alleged they had been killed by members of their gang even before they could carry out any investigations! How did they come across the information that they were so hurriedly feeding Kenyans? Were they witness to the murders? The truth finally came out when relatives of the dead men stepped forward and disclosed that the victims were dragged from police custody and then killed. Last week, the Daily Nation carried a story on how the executions were done but hid it in the inside pages. No journalists from the mainstream media has ever bothered to re-visit Mathare and tell the world the truth. It’s only Kumekucha who has dared to do it at great personal risk.

Read Part 2

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Mathare Killing Fields: The Untold Story Of A Massive Massacre By The Kenya Police Part II

Kumekucha Exclusive Investigation

THIS IS PART 2. Read Part 1 First

Kumekucha has reliably been informed that a key Mungiki figure, Kimani Ruo, met the same fate that befell the five men shortly after he was acquitted by the High Court on charges of being in possessing of a firearm and drug trafficking.

We have been informed that Ruo was abducted by plainclothes detectives from the Special Crime Prevention Unit outside the High Court and bundled into a police car and handcuffed. The car sped off towards Mombasa road. Police officers privy to what took place informed us that Ruo was shot dead and his body thrown into the Nairobi National Park. It’s believed the body was mauled by lions and other wild animals and there will never be any trace of him. Ruo’s abduction was captured by KBC cameras but senior police officers ordered the state-owned station to destroy the tapes fearing it might betray them.

When Ruo’s family started exerting pressure on the police by filing a case in the High Court for him to be produced in court, Superintendent of Police Richard Katola, the head of the Special Crime Prevention Unit, added a new twist to the saga by filing an affidavit in court claiming they did not know his whereabouts. In a desperate attempt to cover up the execution and divert attention, Katola claimed the police were also looking for Ruo over other criminal matters! The trick worked and gave the police a much-needed temporary reprieve.

It has since emerged that police had gotten wind before the judgment was read in court that Ruo was to be acquitted. Ruo did not know detectives in plain clothes lay in wait for him outside the High Court when he was acquitted. As he strode out of court in a jovial mood eager to be re-united with his relatives, he did not know that death lurked in the shadows. Ruo’s co-accused, John Kamunya, alias Maina Njenga, ended up being the luckier one as he was sentenced to five years in jail for possessing a gun and nearly 5kg of marijuana.

Ruo’s saga will one day haunt the police like the 1987 Mbaraka Karanja execution riddle.

For those of you who might not recall the Mbaraka Karanja riddle, the man was picked up by the CID on April 4, 1987, on suspicion that he was a top criminal. Eight days later, Mbaraka had “vanished” from police cells and police were unwilling to reveal his whereabouts or produce his body. Interestingly, his body "disappeared" and police later claimed it was buried in a mass grave at the Eldoret Municipal cementry after nobody turned to claim it! Police had picked him from his Limuru home and they knew it very well. Secondly, relatives of Mbaraka started looking for him from the first day of his arrest and police kept sending them on a wild goose chase. The killing led to a protracted court battle. Mr Justice Derek Schofield, who was hearing an application by the family demanding the police either produce Mbaraka or his body, courageously stood his ground that police should honour the family’s demand. Judge Schofield opted to resign when the Executive ordered that he release the case file to another judge.

Before Schofield resigned, he was sent on a wild goose chase by the police when they lied in court that the body was buried in the Eldoret cemetery while they knew very well that it was not buried there. The police, pathologists and mortuary officials faked documents to show that the body had been booked there. In compliance with the judge’s orders, the police dug up one grave after another as grieving relatives of Mbaraka choked in stench. Finally, the police told the judge that they couldn’t find the body!

It emerged years later that Mabaraka was actually killed by police in Karura Forest in Nairobi and his body set ablaze in the forest. By then, nobody could remember the exact spot in the dense forest where Mbaraka’s body was burnt. It appears the police have resorted to their old habits of gangland-style executions after failing to contain the Mungiki.

Even before the blood in Mathare could dry up, police were at it again. Police got wind that there was a group of youths who were taking oaths to be recruited to the Mungiki sect. In what has become an apparent shoot-on-sight policy against mungiki suspects, police sealed off the house where the youths were and sprayed everyone who was inside with bullets. Police guns claimed 60 lives from that house that night. The first statement given to the press by police claimed they had shot dead seven men who were caught in an oathing ceremony. The figure then rose to 27. Strangely, the incident was highly downplayed by the mainstream media.

Reliable information availed to Kumekucha shows that among the 60 dead were six pupils from the neighbouring primary schools. It has emerged that a few Mungiki sect members invited innocent youths of that locality to a goat-eating party without disclosing what it was all about. Knowing how neighbours back in the villages relate in brotherhood, no one could resist the temptation of roasted meat. And when the police descended on the village, they were not interested in making any arrests. Their mission was to send all the occupants in that house to their early graves. The Mungiki sect members and the innocent majority died in that single incident.
To avoid causing a storm, the police decided to scatter the bodies in public mortuaries all over Central province. A heap of 60 bodies taken to one mortuary would have caused a major storm. Relatives had a rough time trying to locate the bodies of their loved ones. And the provincial administration ensured that the relatives did not give them a descent burial. Burials were hurried and no speeches or prayers were allowed.

Officers who have been given the task of monitoring the Mungiki sect members disclosed that the police crackdown on suspected sect followers had claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people in Kiambu, Nairobi and Murang’a since June. Although a number of Mungki sect diehards have been killed by the police, the brunt of police brutality has been borne mostly by the innocent majority. Daily Nation last week carried a story of two police officers who were taken to task in court over how they arrived at the conclusion the people they had charged were members of the sect. The formula used by the police to identify and condemn one to be a member of the banned sect baffles even the police themselves! If they can’t prove in court how one belongs to Mungiki, what of the hundreds of those who have been summarily executed unheard?

It is emerging that police were given express orders from higher authorities to execute any Mungiki sect suspects after Internal Security minister John Michuki and Chief Justice Evans Gicheru went on a warpath in June over who was to blame for frustrating the police war on the dreaded Mungiki. The minister is on record as having ordered the police to shoot on sight anyone suspected to be a Mungiki follower.

But by a stroke of bad luck, Michuki ended up shooting himself in the foot when the killing of 60 people in his backyard attracted a backlash from his constituents. Knowing what is at stake with the General Election around the corner, Michuki made a surprise public appearance in Murang’a and condemned the police action. But his scathing attack on the police did not go down well with commissioner Hussein Ali, who called a press conference and dismissed the minister’s remarks as unfortunate.
And in an attempt to please Michuki’s constituents, at least six GSU officers were dismissed over the Murang’a killings. It’s still unclear who sacked the officers since it’s public knowledge that Michuki and the police chief rarely see eye to eye and the latter rarely takes orders from the former.

The Mathare massacre will go down in history as one of the worst incidents of human rights abuse by the Kibaki Administration. And it’s a big shame that human rights watchdog organizations—which were so vocal against every single incident of human rights abuse during the Moi regime—have now decided to turn the other way as state agents arrogate themselves the role of the police, prosecutor, judge and executioner.
The Kibaki Administration has for a long time been accused of only being mindful of the rich. The Mathare killings prove this beyond any doubt. The police action in Mathare demonstrated that the Kibaki Administration criminalized poverty. It is highly likely that some of Mungiki adherents sort refuge in neighboring Muthaiga when things got hot. Why did the police operation not extend to Muthaiga then?

We know the answer to that one. Even if the three police officers had been killed in Muthaiga, it is highly unlikely that police would have reacted in the same way. We would be happy to see brutal police bursting into every home in Muthaiga in search of criminals next time a crime is committed in the neighborhood.

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ODM's Illegal Line Up: All Animals Are Equal But Some Are More Equal Than Others

George Orwell was a journalist and a struggling unknown author until he wrote a little harmless-looking book titled Animal Farm. The book just sold and kept on selling and today almost 60 years later, the damn little book is still selling like crazy. He went on to write the big brother book, 1984, which he is also well known for, but it has never beaten Animal Farm in sales.

So, what is so special about Animal Farm? It is the fact that it struck a chord with many about what goes wrong with so many revolutions, which start with good intentions until human nature kicks in. Animal Farm, many believed talked about communist Russia.

This is an excellent time for Kenyans to read and re-read this small book, because they will recognize a lot of what is going wrong in the motherland in that book.

In Raila Odinga's efforts to clinch the ODM presidential nomination, he is said to have had a breakfast meeting at William "YK92" Ruto's house. The timing of course was perfect, because Ruto seems to be feeling the heat of Baba Gidi's political chess games in the Rift Valley. Interestingly quite a number of armchair analysts who called themselves experts on the Rift Valley here have told us that Baba Gidi is of no consequence in Rift Valley and no longer has any influence. Ngoja Mutaona!!. I have been saying it for months here to ridicule from some of you and now even the mainstream media have finally picked it up. Sjhock of all shocks, even Mutahi Ngunyi is warning Kenyans about it. Very laughable this move by a well known Kibaki think tank operative.

Ruto is the guy who has been pushing Raila hardest to accept the non-existent Prime Minister's seat and leave the Presidency to somebody he and others are insisting is "more electable (whatever that means). Now several sources on both sides have confirmed that the two have hammered out a deal where Raila will be President, Kalonzo Vice President and Ruto will take the yet-to-be created position of Prime Minister and Musalia "Goldenberg" Mudavadi would be deputy to Ruto.

The painful thing to Kenyans is that this deal was being done at a breakfast table in some overpaid MP's house in a posh neighborhood, most probably over a full breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit juice etc. products that are today a rumor in bad taste on the breakfast tables of most Kenyans who are fortunate enough to even afford to take this initial meal of the day in the first place.

In other words, the electorate has no say in it even as people with dubious pasts are put in potentially powerful positions. You tell me how President Raila Odinga is going to deal with corruption in high places when he has folks like Ruto, Mudavadi, Ntimama, Sally Kosgei, Henry "killed Kenya National Assurance" Kosgei, Kalonzo "hide in the toilet whenever any significant vote is being taken" Musyoka etc are in his line up as the main guys.

So just like in Animal Farm the people's party has reached that point where decisions are being made on behalf of the people by "animals who are more equal than others" and who therefore know what is good for the people, although all animals are still equal (very laughable that).

I hear you when you say this is sound political strategy by Mr Odinga, using the various tribal chiefs to clinch votes in various tribal blocks. But this is wrong. It is wrong because no concrete issues are being discussed raised or addressed now. What are the chances that they will be when all the corrupt tribal chiefs are in one neat coalition government? You tell me.

In fact Kenyans at the moment do not have any say in Kenyan politics. We emphatically voted against Moi and his project but now President Kibaki tells us it is okay for Moi to call political shots in the country, in fact I feel cheated because after President Kibaki's excellent speech on that memorable day December 30th 2002 about the past corrupt regime and it's evils, Emilio Stanley seems to have changed his mind now and the clearest sign of that is the fact that he is using the very same tactics Moi used to stay in power, for his survival. And so is Raila, because already his cabinet will have to be huge to accommodate all the tribal chiefs. So far the vice presidency and PM and deputy has taken up 3 persons already and even if they all double up handling various portfolios (which is unlikely), Kenyan tax payers will have to foot the bill of a prime minister and his deputy and all the trappings of power that go with those offices as well as that of a bloated and long presidential motorcade.

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Is Raila That Popular In Mombasa?

An excited Raila Odinga fan based in Mombasa got in touch with me this morning and very excitedly revealed that a popular radio station on Mombasa did a call-in survey to measure the popularity of thre presidential candidates, namely Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka and Mwai Kibaki. Raila got 120, Kalonzo 1 and President Kibaki 10, by the time he send me the information at around 10 am Kenyan time.

He says, no the radio station in question is not a Luo vernacular station and neither is it listen to by many Luos. In fact most listeners are chaps he describes as waswahili and Mombasa natives.

He says that this is proof that Raila will win Coast Province hands down, if he ends up being the ODM candidate.


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Bombshell Revelations on Both The Kenyatta Family And Moi Family Corruption Rackets

A very knowledgeable and credible source who was close to the inner workings of the Kenyatta administration and then the Moi presidency as well has made a bombshell of a revelation into the way things have been run in Kenya for a long time.

Makes one wonder about the mysterious 5 per cent Safaricom ownership, does it not?

This is what they have told Kumekucha;


I know you are going on a 'corruption circus' of "Kenyatta Times" but that is too easy while also not being fair to some other major players. So allow me to give you some information you do not obviously don't have.

During the Jomo Kenyatta administration, foreign companies and Investors had to give away about 15 % of their shares to the Kenyatta Family (read very carefully: 'shares' in the Kenyan company being set up, Not money. Shares.)

That was a guarantee that among other things they would not have any problems when applying for import licenses, work permits etc.

Most companies willingly agreed—and that's still the basis of the Kenyatta Family Wealth today (Banks, Hotels, etc. etc.). This was corruption but it was "reasonable corruption" and made for thriving and positive business in Kenya with foreign investors pouring in in droves.

During Moi's first two years after assuming power, Moi and his most ambitious 'servant' (Nicholas Biwott) stuck to the Kenyatta rules. i.e. 15 % shares (I have seen letters and confirmations about this when Biwott was still Minister of State in the office of the President).

But then things changed. Somebody got greedy and soon it was not just shares but also cash here and mostly in foreign bank accounts as well.

And that was when things started going downhill and the bottom fell out in the end. At the end of it companies pulled out, licenses were cancelled and Kenya started threatening Nigeria's reputation for corruption. TOTALLY CORRUPTED .......... and the trail always, always led to two names only: Nicholas Biwott and Daniel arap Moi.

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August 1st 1982 Coup Attempt: Unanswered Questions Linger

The nation will mark the 25th anniversary of the failed Kenyan coup attempt of 1982 this August in the face of a number of unresolved
questions.

Amongst this is the fate of the dramatic broadcast by the de facto head of the coup attempt and Chairman of the self-styled Peoples’ Redemption
Council (PRC), Senior Private Hezekiah Ochuka. The said broadcast was made at 6.00 a.m., Sunday morning, 1st August 1982 on the General Service of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (then Voice of Kenya – VOK).

It is unclear how many people across Kenya heard Ochuka speak that morning, but those who did will certainly remember the broadcast for it’s eloquence, good voice intonation, conviction and clear articulation. I fall into a category of people who got to hear the broadcast by coincidence.

In those days, the Voice of Kenya state monopoly began radio broadcasts at 6.00 a.m. in the morning and television broadcasts at 2.00 p.m. in the afternoon on weekends, and 4.00 p.m. in the afternoon on weekdays.
24 hour radio and television broadcasts by the state and privately owned stations that we have today, did not exist in those days.

On Sunday mornings in those days, Voice of Kenya (VOK), began the 6.00 a.m. commencement of broadcasting with a brief news bulletin, followed by a interlude of music that went on to 6.15 a.m. After this would be a 15 minute session/interview with a studio guest, as I recall.

One of my older brothers liked listening to the then Sunday morning interlude of music that followed the brief 6.00 a.m. news broadcast. I didn’t care very much for the news bulletin and/or the music interlude
in those days, and therefore only intermittently listened to both when I happened to be awake. Sunday morning 1st August 1982 happened to be one of those times. I remember my older brother switching on the radio we then had at about 5.55 a.m.

On this occasion however there was just silence from Broadcasting House. The National Anthem was not even played before daily commencement of radio and television broadcasting, as was the practice at VOK in those days.

Then came Ochuka’s voice out of the blue, announcing that the KANU Government had been overthrown and that the Peoples Redemption Council (PRC), had taken charge. It took a few seconds for both my older brother and I to register what was unfolding, but we both remained silent as we continued to keenly listen.

The address must have lasted no more than two minutes, and much of what Ochuka said that morning is blurred and obscured in both our memories. Other than the announcement of the takeover by the Peoples’ Redemption Council (PRC), four other things I distinctly remember Ochuka mentioning were “…the economy is in shambles…”, “…Government ministers have grown rich overnight…”, “…the KANU regime has impoverished the masses…” and the decree of the immediate disbandment of the Kenya Police Force, and immediate replacement of the same by the Military.

Ochuka must have been reading a prepared speech, but the striking feature that will remain forever embedded, is the resolve, eloquence and articulation that he spoke with. His voice was neither raised nor
angry, and the delivery was made with good voice intonation and the clarity and conviction of a revolutionary who believed in the cause that he was pursuing. There was no flamboyance and no use of complex vocabulary. The brief morning address on 1st August 1982 by Ochuka, certainly revealed a man who had committed himself to a cause.

What became of the master tape of this recording…? Is it still intact or was it destroyed in the heavy exchange of fire later that morning between Ochuka’s Air Force men and Kenya Army Officers under the
command of then Army commander Brig. Mahmoud Mohammed…? If it is still intact, is it in the hands of either the Court Marshall instituted thereafter, the National Security and Intelligence Service (the
then Special Branch), or the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (then Voice of Kenya)? Will the recording ever be made available to the public? These questions need to be asked on the floor of Parliament, to enable
official responses from the Minister of State in charge of Internal Security and the Minister of Information.

The US Government for instance, will only release classified information on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on or after November 22nd 2063, 100 years after his assassination. During the
Ghanaian Golden Jubilee celebrations of independence that began on 6th March 2007, the BBC World Service did a series of programs covering the momentous event, on which were aired the national broadcasts made in
Ghana at the time of their military coups in 1966, 1979 and 1980. This was certainly done with the express authority of the Ghanaian Government. The British Government also declassifies sensitive information every forty years. Out of these continuous declassifications the Kenyan public has for instance come to learn about how the British initially intended to grant independence to Kenya in 1973, and about how nearly all movable and immovable assets of the
outgoing British colonial Government were forcibly transferred to the incoming independent Government of Prime Minister Jomo Kenyatta, at an unreasonably high financial cost. So will the public be able to access
Ochuka’s famous broadcast on or after 1st August 2022, 1st August 2032 or 1st August 2082…?

History should not forget Senior Private Hezekiah Ochuka, Senior Private Pancreas Otenyo Okumu and the attempted coup of August 1st 1982 as a whole. Was Hezekiah Ochuka a driven idealistic Marxist revolutionary who stood for an egalitarian society as did Che Guevara, or was he a deranged despot like Pol Pot, Jean Bedel Bokassa, and Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier…?

Guest post by Michael Mundia Kamau

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Why Do Kibaki, Raila And Kalonzo Want To Rule Kenya On Borrowed Time?

Fellow Kenyans, countrymen, lend me your ears and please leave your hearts out of this weighty matter before us.

Let us start with the facts. Tony Blair took over as Prime Minister of one of the major Western powers of this planet in 1994 when he was a tender 41 years old. Looking at his tenure and even despite criticism, he has done a reasonably good job. Mr Blair is now retired at the age of 54. That age in Kenya is way too young to become president.

Bill Clinton was 47 when he was inaugurated as the 42nd President of the most powerful nation on earth in 1993. To date he is one of the most successful democrat presidents in the history of the US.

This November 15th Mwai Kibaki, baptized Emilio Stanley by Italian missionaries (but he never uses those names), will be 76. If elected to another term as President of an almost obscure 3rd world country, he will complete that second term at the age of 81. Age is nothing but a number, but surely@#! Assuming that we do this thing the Kenyan way where the presidency is some sort of monarchy that hands down power to the VP (that’s why George Saitoti was so angry that Moi did not hand over the presidency) then Moody Awori should take over the reigns in 2012. He will be a “youthful” 85 years old.

Raila Amolo Odinga who many believe is currently the front runner challenger for the presidency, is 62 years old and if elected at the end of this year, he will finish his term aged 67.

Kalonzo Musyoka whom the Akamba people are fond of calling “baby face” because he looks deceivingly young is 54, one year to the mandatory retirement age from the Kenyan civil service. But you can bet your lunch for the next month that the job he is after is many times more stressful than that of most civil servants.

All these folks want to be President of Kenya at all costs. But where were they during all those years which most Kenyans refer to as the Nyayo error? There time to rule was during that 24 years and is now past and gone forever. If these kenyans and their supporters really love their motherland, they should all make way for a younger generation of leaders.

Save for Raila who tried out the bad idea of a military coup in 1982, the rest were all cowering behind the Nyayo skirts. What do they expect now?

At this time when they should all be at their rural homes playing with their grand children and reminiscing, they want instead the presidency of Kenya. Little wonder that most government policies these days are excellent reminisces of the 70s when for instance the way to create jobs was to attract a couple of foreign investors to set up one or two big factories.

But the more scary thing is that if younger Kenyans (that is me and you) continue with their coward ways of wanting to cross the mud paddle that is Kenya today in a white suit and land on the other side spotless, then we may just find characters like John Githongo and John Kiarie (of redikyulas fame) fighting over the presidency when they are about 90 years old. That is because at this rate, that is the earliest that the present generation of jokers will all be through with dreaming of traveling in a long motorcade of vehicles. And it will not be because they are tired.

Kenyans need to wake up and realize that the challenges facing us in the world today are best suited to be handled by a new generation of Kenyan leaders. I hear people talking about experience and I get sick because when one considers the experince one Johnstone Kamau had when he took over as president, it is just laughable. The man had never been councilor even one day and the only institution he had led briefly was a school. Let me not talk about Moi because I will sopund abusive and I don't want to.

But you know where all this brainwashing of the young has come from don't you. It's from the guys who fear to come anywhere near a PC and who are ruling Kenya today telling you you need lost of experience. Experience doing what? Embezzling public funds and being corrupt and tribalistic? When all this is going on, younger Kenyans like the forty-something year old managing director of Barclays Bank Kenya are doing wonders generating profits for a foreign bank.


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How Corruption Was Launched In Kenya By The Executive

Some Kenyans believe that it is impossible to ever bring down corruption to manageable levels in the country. It would be useful at this juncture to take a closer look at the two incidents both approved by the executive that launched serious corruption in Kenya.

The first is the much-talked about Ndegwa commission that recommended that civil servants be allowed to indulge in business. The excuse of course was that there weren't too many qualified Kenyans then and the idea was to speed up development. What followed was chaos. How many civil servants since independence have become multi-millionaires by influencing the dishing out of key contracts to their own companies?

The second happened in parliament where an MP asked the government to release the names of those involved in a Cloves smuggling scandal in neighboring Zanzibar (part of Tanzania) where some prominent Kenyans had been involved. A courageous assistant minister then, Burudi Nabwera named names in parliament that included individuals very close to the Kenyatta cabinet. President Kenyatta had an opportunity then to make a firm statement against corruption in high places by sacking all those who were named. Instead they not only kept their jobs but became even more powerful in the country. In fact one of those named a Mr Mathenge slapped the scape goat charged in court and jailed over the incident, right along the corridors of the high court, in full view of dozens of witnesses. The rest as they say is history. By the time President Moi had established himself in the seat of power as the second President of Kenya, everybody knew that it was impossible to get any major investment into the country without bribing a cabinet minister or two.

As you read this, the vice is widespread and continues to slowly but surely squeeze the life out of the nation.

So how does the next administration start to deal with it? Is it a priority to deal with this? Or should tribalism and unemployment be tackled first? Those are the tough questions that the next administration needs to answer.

Can the incumbent's administration handle these crucial questions at hand? Kenyans can judge for themselves from what has happened over the last five years in which corruption rose to new heights with the Angle Leasing scum.

Can the ODM brigade handle it if they form the next government? With the likes of Henry "killed Kenya National Assurance" Kosgei, William "YK92" Ruto, Sally "Pending court case" Kosgei, Musalia "Goldenberg" Kosgei, Kalonzo "Hide In The Toilet To avoid taking a tough vote" Musyoka, William "corrupt tribal clashes inciter" Ntimama etc., you tell me if it will be possible. If it is possible to change a lion to a gazelle by putting a "gazelle coat" over them, then I am sure that ODM will tackle the major issues before the nation which cannot wait.

In my view two things stand in the way of genuine change in Kenya;

I) The belief by most Kenyans that not anybody can be president of Kenya, just like not anybody can be queen or king of England. You have to be born in the right family—in the case of England, the royal family.

II) Talk is cheap and Kenyans are mostly whining cowards who talk a lot and want change but are not prepared to pay even a fraction of the price required of then for that change.

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