And then she thought about her speech during Bob’s funeral service – trying to hide her tears - and her pain - because she had believed to owe it to him and their life together not to show her real feelings in front of the public…….
So she had said in her own mother tongue:
…. Your Excellency the President. I am not going to speak in English and I ask you that you bear with me if I am not coherent.
But first of all I would like to appeal to all peace-loving Kenyans and all those who are gathered here to please keep the peace. As the wife of the man lying here, I am pleading with you with tears in my eyes to please let us send him off in peace.
Because he was a peaceful man. He loved his country and if you genuinely love him as you say you do and as I do, I appeal to you with tears. Please! Please! Let us be peaceful.
Do you agree with me? Please, I beg you, let us give him a good send off.
My husband was a good man.
I lived with him for 25 years. I got married to him while I was at the University of Nairobi. He did not let me finish my degree work but I have no regrets because what I learned by living with him is more than I would have learned if I would have been at the University.
Why do I say that? I say that because Dr. Ouko was a man of exemplary intellect. Our house was a big library with books of all kinds and he was a man who would share everything worth knowing with me.
I didn’t know anything about economics, but now I have some knowledge of what economics is all about. Now when people talk about Resolution 435 or whatever, I know what it is all about.
And I learned from Dr. Ouko the art of humility……..he was a humble man. He was a down-to-earth man.
I learned from Dr. Ouko to enjoy life to its fullest because he loved life. He was a man who liked people. He was a sociable man. Ouko would laugh wholeheartedly.
I learned from him that it is good to be mindful of other people’s welfare. He cared for his people.
I learned from him that it is good to be truthful - and my husband liked truth and if there was anything that could hurt him in this world, it was that somebody would lie about him or would claim that he had told a lie.
And therefore there is a lot I learned from him and I thank God that I had the opportunity to share these years with him.
My husband had a clear mind. He knew where he was going. He knew his priorities. And his first priority was his relationship with God. He believed in God totally ……
And his second priority was his President …..
But his top priority was his country …….. Kenya ……
He had visions for his country. He had dreams for his country and he was prepared to die for his country!
I think everybody knows that and we as a family knew that. We as a family came a poor fourth in his priority and he made us understand that.
I used to say that I was a widow of the government…….. because many times he would be gone for so long and sometimes he would just telephone me to pack his suitcase for the next journey…..
God blessed us with seven children. I think, five of them I had while he was away.
But we understood. We knew what he liked and we let him do that.
So as a family we will miss him dearly. He loved his family.
But what amazed me most about him was his sense of duty. Duty for him was paramount. If duty called, whatever - even when one of the children was in the hospital or I was hospitalized - he would go.
Because what pleased him most was that he had done his duty for his country and for his President …………..
So – in conclusion - I would say that I am happy that we had him and that we as a family, we have tried to follow his good example but I am happy that he knew his God, so I know where he is.
Last Sunday only, we were in church with him together, here in Koru. A small church, he was trying to build here - African Inland Church.
I went to church with him and that day he was the preacher. And my husband preached a moving sermon. He preached from the Book of Jeremiah, and the Book of Job ……
And for his people, let me not stop before I say this, Ouko didn’t go into politics by choice. He was born a civil servant and he used to say that politics was not for him. But once he entered politics, he told me:
“I want to do politics with a difference. I will try to be truthful to my people.
What I cannot do for people I’ll tell them: “sorry” this one I cannot do. But what I can do, I will do it gladly.”
And he has always done that …..
He swore that he will not involve himself in magendo (corruption) and I am proud to announce that Dr. Ouko never involved himself in any magendo.”
***
All of the sudden, her phone rang. She got up, dragged herself to the corner and picked it up, “Hello?”
“Christabel, this is Musila.” A senior member of the LPD, and now a relative after his son had married one of her daughters, she had asked him to use his connections to thwart her Summon to appear before the Committee.
He had failed.
“But I can tell you what – it will be difficult for Biwott’s and Moi’s lawyers to come hard on you. It will look unseemly.”
“So I must appear?” she asked.
“Chairman Sunguh insists on it.”
Christabel shrugged. “Thank you for trying.”
***
Mutula Kilonzo was one of the most accomplished attorneys in the country, he was the only personal lawyer Moi had kept.
He was of medium height, and a little stoop. He always kept his hair long. His face was clean-shaven. And because of his impeccable dressing, he was one of the spiffiest men in all his court appearances.
This afternoon, upon getting to Moi’s study where the former Head of State was waiting, he opened his briefcase set on the desk, sat down and then cut to the chase, “How do we handle this?”
Cough. “That’s why I called you here.”
The attorney plugged his eyes on Moi’s. “We have obviously failed to stop Marianne from coming, and we have failed to limit the scope of her testimony.”
“So what else can we do?”
Mutula leaned forward, “The best I can do is to raise objections whenever something threatening comes up. I will be on guard.”
“What if the Chairman allows her to talk freely?”
“I will use all kind of legal manoeuvre to stop her. And even if I have to use tactics that will derail the whole process, so be it.”
Moi coughed. He liked that resolve. Satisfied, he said, “One more thing - Mrs. Ouko appears before the Committee tomorrow …. Go easy on the poor woman.”
“That will depend.”
“On what?” Mzee asked.
“On how far she streches her testimony. If she limits it to what she has said in the past, all will be well. If she tries to break new grounds, I will have to stop her.”
“Won’t that look back? Won’t if look like I am doing a battle with a widow? I cannot let it look like I am that cold.”
Mutula nodded, “All right.”
He knew the former Head of State was very keen on his legacy. He did not want anything that would blot his image.
“But what if she says something about …..”?
Moi interrupted him, “Don’t come after her. The woman has suffered enough.”
On that note, Moi wished him good luck and saw him to the door.
Two hours later, Mutula Kilonzo was back in Nairobi.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
5 most popular stories in Kumekucha today
5 most popular stories in Kumekucha today.
1. Story of woman who loved two men that depicts presidential polls in Kenya
2. Otieno Kajwang gets life line from Raila but...
3. Why Raila Odinga will lose Langata
4. Why Kenya is in big trouble
5. Long suffering Kenyan beauty complains about "useless man"
1. Story of woman who loved two men that depicts presidential polls in Kenya
2. Otieno Kajwang gets life line from Raila but...
3. Why Raila Odinga will lose Langata
4. Why Kenya is in big trouble
5. Long suffering Kenyan beauty complains about "useless man"
Monday, October 22, 2007
The Campaign Gimmick Behind Today’s Unique Dissolution of Parliament
The 9th parliament is no more. And for the first time in the history of the nation the president addressed the entire nation on live TV to dissolved parliament, officially paving way for the general election later this year. The live broadcast started at 4 pm (local Kenyan time).
To justify going on air, president Kibaki took time to summarize the achievements of the controversial own-perks-and-remuneration-hiking 9th parliament noting the important bills it had passed into law during its’ life.
This was a smart move and one of the few things that the embattled president’s handlers have gotten right in a very long time. The psychological effect of the power behind the throne personally dissolving the 9th parliament is not without impact and paints a picture of a president fully in control of the country and one who surely deserves a second look by voters for possible re-election. That live broadcast alone must have captured at the very least tens of thousands of votes countrywide for president Kibaki. As to whether those “captured” hearts will remain with the president until polling day, only time can tell.
To justify going on air, president Kibaki took time to summarize the achievements of the controversial own-perks-and-remuneration-hiking 9th parliament noting the important bills it had passed into law during its’ life.
This was a smart move and one of the few things that the embattled president’s handlers have gotten right in a very long time. The psychological effect of the power behind the throne personally dissolving the 9th parliament is not without impact and paints a picture of a president fully in control of the country and one who surely deserves a second look by voters for possible re-election. That live broadcast alone must have captured at the very least tens of thousands of votes countrywide for president Kibaki. As to whether those “captured” hearts will remain with the president until polling day, only time can tell.
Story Of Woman Who Loved Two Men Depicts Kenyan Presidential Elections Politics Perfectly
If truth be told, I have never really liked Raila Odinga.
Nothing personal, but I have never been particularly endeared to his personal style and way of doing things. However one man in this country has changed all that in recent years for many Kenyans.
I will tell you a story that illustrates my point here perfectly and will explain the mystery of how this man called Raila suddenly became so popular.
Dorothy was in that dilemma that some women find themselves in. Two men had proposed to her and she had to make up her mind whom she was going to marry. The two men in her life were burly muscular and very handsome Kib and passionate but possessive Rai whom she had known for a longer time.
Kib was a wealthy man and all signs were that he was going to be a wonderful provider. He had some really funny jokes and was a very polished man. Dorothy laughed a lot during their dates and she felt that she was going to be very happy with the man. It did not bother her that she did not know him that well, she thought she was deeply in love with him and that’s all that really mattered.
Rai she knew better, especially his weaknesses. He was too emotional for a man and very possessive. That irritated Dorothy a lot. Like many so-called modern women about to be married she had slept with both men and even in that and very possessive. That irritated Dorothy a lot. Like many so-called modern women about to be married she had slept with both men and even in that and very possessive. That irritated Dorothy a lot.
Like many so-called modern women about to be married she had slept with both men and even in that area Kib was the better man between the sheets by far. Very powerful, very strong and yet tender. He was a very skillful lover. He took her to that place she had never reached with any man. She later learnt that the guy had read a lot on the Internet about pleasing women and being a skillful lover.
Actually the crux of the problem was that Rai loved her too much and she did not have such passionate feelings for him. To make matters worse during lovemaking Rai would sometimes cry out in passion and call out her name repeatedly; something that Dorothy thought was crazy coming from a man. To her it was a sign of weakness. Men were supposed to be strong. In many ways Dorothy was very conservative in these matters.
Much to her surprise the ugly confrontation that she had anticipated happening when Rai discovered that she was marrying somebody else did not happen. She saw a side of Rai she did not know existed. She could see that he was hurting badly inside, over her decision to get married to Kib instead of him, but he was taking it surprisingly well. He even bought her a very expensive wedding gift and delivered it at the wedding reception where he gave a moving speech basically declaring Kib Tosha and wishing them the best.
Dorothy even started feeling a little guilty at the shoddy way in which she had treated Rai. But alas, that passed quickly with the excitement of the wedding day and the honeymoon that followed.
The two weeks honeymoon in Malindi was just too short and Dorothy wished that it would go on forever. She was very happy.
But everything suddenly changed when they both went back to work. Kib, a businessman with a hectic schedule, did not seem to have any time for her and got irritated when she merely suggested that they needed to talk. Matters came to a head when one evening Kib came home and found his wife already in bed and without saying a word started mounting her.
“What’s wrong with you. I am not a horse.” Dorothy screamed at Kib.
“But you are my wife and sex is my right,” Kib shot back, visibly irritated.
That triggered off a row that lasted over an hour. Kib was very angry at Dorothy and could not understand what else she wanted from him. He paid the rent put food on the table and was basically a good provider. What else would a sane woman surely want when so many other desperate women out there couldn’t make ends meet?
Dorothy saw Kib’s insensitive side for the first time. The selfish nature in him where he did not care about other people’s feelings as long as he got his way and did things HIS way. Dorothy could not believe that this was the same man that she had married. The man she had spent two heavenly weeks with in Malindi. Kib felt that because he was a good provider his wife was supposed to do everything he wanted, when he wanted, including giving him his conjugal rights even when there were issues between them.
At the height of these problems Rai suddenly called her on her cell phone out of the blue. He started off soberly enough, asking after her health and even Kib’s. Then he quickly moved to the reason why he had called.
“I am sorry to have called you. Consider this my last call. The reason why I called is I wanted to tell you that I love you so much that I have decided if I can’t get married to you, then I will never get married in my life.”
That was the usually emotional Rai, Dorothy thought to herself. And how sweet of him. But Dorothy was not going to let him get off so easily.
“How dare you… you know I am a married woman now. If you really loved me, you would not have called.”
“I’m sorry but this message was too important and…”
Rai suddenly heard Dorothy sobbing over the phone. That was something he could not bear. He quickly hang up.
He then sent off a text message to the woman he loved. It was very brief.
ONCE AGAIN I’M SORRY YOU WILL NEVER HEAR FROM ME AGAIN.
When Dorothy had pulled herself together again and seen his text message. She sobbed some more.
When Kib came home that night it took him a long time to notice his wife’s red eyes. He was very concerned;
“What bill has not been paid?” he asked her, deep concern written all over his face. To him that was the biggest nightmare for a woman. To have a provider who did not meet his obligations in the house.
But his question saddened his wife even more and once again the tears started flowing. I will never understand women, Kib thought to himself.
Still, he found it in himself to hold Dorothy in his arms as she sobbed over his shoulders. The TV was on but with the sound muted and as Kib held his wife close to himself for the first time in a long time, the familiar signature logo of the 11 pm late night KTN news suddenly flashed across the screen Kib gently disentangled himself from his wife and grabbed the remote to increase the sound. For the next 15 minutes he was engrossed in the news of the day completely forgetting Dorothy and her problems.
That was the moment Dorothy made her decision.
The next morning she dialed Rai’s number on her Nokia. She received a message that the caller could not be reached. She panicked and after a few frantic calls to some of his close friends, she was told that he had literally disappeared from the face of the earth. Nobody knew where he was.
What made her even more worried was the fact that she knew Rai was the suicidal kind. What was she going to do now?
TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW.
Nothing personal, but I have never been particularly endeared to his personal style and way of doing things. However one man in this country has changed all that in recent years for many Kenyans.
I will tell you a story that illustrates my point here perfectly and will explain the mystery of how this man called Raila suddenly became so popular.
Dorothy was in that dilemma that some women find themselves in. Two men had proposed to her and she had to make up her mind whom she was going to marry. The two men in her life were burly muscular and very handsome Kib and passionate but possessive Rai whom she had known for a longer time.
Kib was a wealthy man and all signs were that he was going to be a wonderful provider. He had some really funny jokes and was a very polished man. Dorothy laughed a lot during their dates and she felt that she was going to be very happy with the man. It did not bother her that she did not know him that well, she thought she was deeply in love with him and that’s all that really mattered.
Rai she knew better, especially his weaknesses. He was too emotional for a man and very possessive. That irritated Dorothy a lot. Like many so-called modern women about to be married she had slept with both men and even in that and very possessive. That irritated Dorothy a lot. Like many so-called modern women about to be married she had slept with both men and even in that and very possessive. That irritated Dorothy a lot.
Like many so-called modern women about to be married she had slept with both men and even in that area Kib was the better man between the sheets by far. Very powerful, very strong and yet tender. He was a very skillful lover. He took her to that place she had never reached with any man. She later learnt that the guy had read a lot on the Internet about pleasing women and being a skillful lover.
Actually the crux of the problem was that Rai loved her too much and she did not have such passionate feelings for him. To make matters worse during lovemaking Rai would sometimes cry out in passion and call out her name repeatedly; something that Dorothy thought was crazy coming from a man. To her it was a sign of weakness. Men were supposed to be strong. In many ways Dorothy was very conservative in these matters.
Much to her surprise the ugly confrontation that she had anticipated happening when Rai discovered that she was marrying somebody else did not happen. She saw a side of Rai she did not know existed. She could see that he was hurting badly inside, over her decision to get married to Kib instead of him, but he was taking it surprisingly well. He even bought her a very expensive wedding gift and delivered it at the wedding reception where he gave a moving speech basically declaring Kib Tosha and wishing them the best.
Dorothy even started feeling a little guilty at the shoddy way in which she had treated Rai. But alas, that passed quickly with the excitement of the wedding day and the honeymoon that followed.
The two weeks honeymoon in Malindi was just too short and Dorothy wished that it would go on forever. She was very happy.
But everything suddenly changed when they both went back to work. Kib, a businessman with a hectic schedule, did not seem to have any time for her and got irritated when she merely suggested that they needed to talk. Matters came to a head when one evening Kib came home and found his wife already in bed and without saying a word started mounting her.
“What’s wrong with you. I am not a horse.” Dorothy screamed at Kib.
“But you are my wife and sex is my right,” Kib shot back, visibly irritated.
That triggered off a row that lasted over an hour. Kib was very angry at Dorothy and could not understand what else she wanted from him. He paid the rent put food on the table and was basically a good provider. What else would a sane woman surely want when so many other desperate women out there couldn’t make ends meet?
Dorothy saw Kib’s insensitive side for the first time. The selfish nature in him where he did not care about other people’s feelings as long as he got his way and did things HIS way. Dorothy could not believe that this was the same man that she had married. The man she had spent two heavenly weeks with in Malindi. Kib felt that because he was a good provider his wife was supposed to do everything he wanted, when he wanted, including giving him his conjugal rights even when there were issues between them.
At the height of these problems Rai suddenly called her on her cell phone out of the blue. He started off soberly enough, asking after her health and even Kib’s. Then he quickly moved to the reason why he had called.
“I am sorry to have called you. Consider this my last call. The reason why I called is I wanted to tell you that I love you so much that I have decided if I can’t get married to you, then I will never get married in my life.”
That was the usually emotional Rai, Dorothy thought to herself. And how sweet of him. But Dorothy was not going to let him get off so easily.
“How dare you… you know I am a married woman now. If you really loved me, you would not have called.”
“I’m sorry but this message was too important and…”
Rai suddenly heard Dorothy sobbing over the phone. That was something he could not bear. He quickly hang up.
He then sent off a text message to the woman he loved. It was very brief.
ONCE AGAIN I’M SORRY YOU WILL NEVER HEAR FROM ME AGAIN.
When Dorothy had pulled herself together again and seen his text message. She sobbed some more.
When Kib came home that night it took him a long time to notice his wife’s red eyes. He was very concerned;
“What bill has not been paid?” he asked her, deep concern written all over his face. To him that was the biggest nightmare for a woman. To have a provider who did not meet his obligations in the house.
But his question saddened his wife even more and once again the tears started flowing. I will never understand women, Kib thought to himself.
Still, he found it in himself to hold Dorothy in his arms as she sobbed over his shoulders. The TV was on but with the sound muted and as Kib held his wife close to himself for the first time in a long time, the familiar signature logo of the 11 pm late night KTN news suddenly flashed across the screen Kib gently disentangled himself from his wife and grabbed the remote to increase the sound. For the next 15 minutes he was engrossed in the news of the day completely forgetting Dorothy and her problems.
That was the moment Dorothy made her decision.
The next morning she dialed Rai’s number on her Nokia. She received a message that the caller could not be reached. She panicked and after a few frantic calls to some of his close friends, she was told that he had literally disappeared from the face of the earth. Nobody knew where he was.
What made her even more worried was the fact that she knew Rai was the suicidal kind. What was she going to do now?
TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW.
Otieno Kajwang Gets Life Line From Raila But…
Towards the end of last week some very fascinating meetings were taking place at the Professional Centre in Nairobi. The characters in the meetings call themselves “islanders” based in the city and are mostly supporters of an aspirant for the Mbita parliamentary seat called Sammy Wakiaga.
The latest news is that Wakiaga has been “persuaded” to step down in favor of the incumbent Otieno Kajwang. Yet he had already quit his job with the NSIS (National Security Intelligence Services) where he was the chief accountant to vie for the Mbita seat.
The gentlemen were particularly incensed that Raila appears to be using his usual, underhand means to ensure that those close to him retain their parliamentary seats and yet, the group claims, the people of Mbita have had more than enough of Kajwang.
These die hard ODM supporters then went on to invoke the name of Tom Mboya’s widow, Pamela Mboya claiming Mrs Mboya was a supporter of Wakiaga and was questioning why Raila will not leave the Mboya family alone and is instead pushing his hand into Mbita politics all the time.
This blogger has established from the Mboya family that Mrs Mboya does not even know Wakiaga or his so-called supporters and the group was just using her name to rock the boat and get some impact going over their objective of ensuring that Kajwang does not see the inside of the 10th parliament.
The late Tom Mboya hailed from Mbita constituency and his brother Alfonse Okuku even represented the constituency before his death in a road accident in the 80s. Interestingly Okuku once introduced Kajwang to his constituents during a campaign rally in Mbita shortly before he took the then young Kajwang to Dar-es-salaam University in Tanzania to complete his legal studies after he had been expelled from the Nairobi University.
It appears that despite having friends in high places, Kajwang is not yet out of the woods because the group at the professional center in their last meeting on Thursday vowed to prevail on Wakiaga to stand and if he does not they have sworn that they will back a non-ODM candidate for the Mbita parliamentary seat.
The latest news is that Wakiaga has been “persuaded” to step down in favor of the incumbent Otieno Kajwang. Yet he had already quit his job with the NSIS (National Security Intelligence Services) where he was the chief accountant to vie for the Mbita seat.
The gentlemen were particularly incensed that Raila appears to be using his usual, underhand means to ensure that those close to him retain their parliamentary seats and yet, the group claims, the people of Mbita have had more than enough of Kajwang.
These die hard ODM supporters then went on to invoke the name of Tom Mboya’s widow, Pamela Mboya claiming Mrs Mboya was a supporter of Wakiaga and was questioning why Raila will not leave the Mboya family alone and is instead pushing his hand into Mbita politics all the time.
This blogger has established from the Mboya family that Mrs Mboya does not even know Wakiaga or his so-called supporters and the group was just using her name to rock the boat and get some impact going over their objective of ensuring that Kajwang does not see the inside of the 10th parliament.
The late Tom Mboya hailed from Mbita constituency and his brother Alfonse Okuku even represented the constituency before his death in a road accident in the 80s. Interestingly Okuku once introduced Kajwang to his constituents during a campaign rally in Mbita shortly before he took the then young Kajwang to Dar-es-salaam University in Tanzania to complete his legal studies after he had been expelled from the Nairobi University.
It appears that despite having friends in high places, Kajwang is not yet out of the woods because the group at the professional center in their last meeting on Thursday vowed to prevail on Wakiaga to stand and if he does not they have sworn that they will back a non-ODM candidate for the Mbita parliamentary seat.
Widow Still In Mourning (Kenya Betrayed)
Fifteen years after her husband’s brutal murder, Christabel was never the same person she used to be. She had become a different woman - wiser, tougher and a lot more protective of her children - and she had learned to hide her deep sorrow.
But one only had to look into her eyes to realize her still existing pain….
Because she had endured so much agony over the years, there was a glacial stare in her eyes, a certain plain look that came out of her deep sorrow. Even when she outwardly tried to project an image of toughness ….. of normalcy ….
Unlike in earlier years, when she was rated by many Kenyans as one of the best political wives, she had receded into the background, drastically reduced her public appearances.
In fact, it became known in circles around Nairobi and Kisumu that she longer wanted to appear in public, to do interviews or meet anybody linked to her husband’s murder.
And she had learned to endure those long lonely evenings – and mainly those nights where she craved for his carresses – the warmth of his voice and mainly the tenderness of his touch.
She was still glad that she had refused to see his tortured body. In her memory and that of her children, he could therefore continue living as the husband and father they had seen last ….. a loving and caring and very proud man ……… she had therefore asked on that fateful day when his mutilated body was found that his brother should identify him …. and neither she nor her children had ever seen the ‘empty’ shell exhibited in that coffin ……….
This evening, in her Loresho home, she looked at the documents sitting in front of her. It was a pile of papers, most of them evidence and annexes she had brought to the two previous investigations.
She went through each of them methodically, refreshing her memory, trying to stay true to what she had said in the past. As she went through the exercise, she was stunned by how fresh, how raw the emotions still were.
She combed through all the evidence other witnesses had presented, what top officials in the Kenyan Police had said. She looked at the statements made by Senior Government Officials. She perused the papers describing how the herd-boy had discovered her husband’s mutilated body behind a hill.
It was wrenching.
Putt off, she reached for the family album sitting on a shelf. She opened it.
On the first page, she came face to face with Bob. He was as handsome as ever with his sincere open smile. He was tall and proud. And so full of life ….
She knew, most people had regarded him not only as the best Minister for Foreign Affairs Kenya could have had, but also as one of the most brilliant and charismatic leaders of all Africa.
But to her he was simply ….my love and my life …..
All those things some people had said about him having affairs with other women, she didn’t buy it.
This rubbish was put out there by Bob’s enemies to undercut his credibility.
She then looked at some pictures of her children. They were all grown now. She was struck by how her eldest son looked so much like his father.
It made her smile.
Then she came across a picture of a family friend. A white woman. She remembered the evenings they had spent with her. How kind she was, how driven she was and how much trust Bob had put in her. How close she had been to both of them and to their children.
She had read that she was coming to Nairobi to testify. Christabel smiled …… you have really courage, Marianne.
Finally, on the last page, she came to the one picture she had always wanted to burn, but had somehow not done it.
The former Head of State was next to her, his arms around her. All over the living room, Senior Government Officials were smiling at her.
She looked at it closely, brought it to her face. And for the first time, she saw something she had never seen before. President Moi was crying!
Crying ?
Christabel could not believe her eyes. Why was the man crying? Could it be that he had nothing to do with her husband’s murder? Could she have believed wrongly all these years?
And then she thought about her speech during Bob’s funeral service – trying to hide her tears - and her pain - because she had believed to owe it to him and their life together not to show her real feelings in front of the public…….
But one only had to look into her eyes to realize her still existing pain….
Because she had endured so much agony over the years, there was a glacial stare in her eyes, a certain plain look that came out of her deep sorrow. Even when she outwardly tried to project an image of toughness ….. of normalcy ….
Unlike in earlier years, when she was rated by many Kenyans as one of the best political wives, she had receded into the background, drastically reduced her public appearances.
In fact, it became known in circles around Nairobi and Kisumu that she longer wanted to appear in public, to do interviews or meet anybody linked to her husband’s murder.
And she had learned to endure those long lonely evenings – and mainly those nights where she craved for his carresses – the warmth of his voice and mainly the tenderness of his touch.
She was still glad that she had refused to see his tortured body. In her memory and that of her children, he could therefore continue living as the husband and father they had seen last ….. a loving and caring and very proud man ……… she had therefore asked on that fateful day when his mutilated body was found that his brother should identify him …. and neither she nor her children had ever seen the ‘empty’ shell exhibited in that coffin ……….
This evening, in her Loresho home, she looked at the documents sitting in front of her. It was a pile of papers, most of them evidence and annexes she had brought to the two previous investigations.
She went through each of them methodically, refreshing her memory, trying to stay true to what she had said in the past. As she went through the exercise, she was stunned by how fresh, how raw the emotions still were.
She combed through all the evidence other witnesses had presented, what top officials in the Kenyan Police had said. She looked at the statements made by Senior Government Officials. She perused the papers describing how the herd-boy had discovered her husband’s mutilated body behind a hill.
It was wrenching.
Putt off, she reached for the family album sitting on a shelf. She opened it.
On the first page, she came face to face with Bob. He was as handsome as ever with his sincere open smile. He was tall and proud. And so full of life ….
She knew, most people had regarded him not only as the best Minister for Foreign Affairs Kenya could have had, but also as one of the most brilliant and charismatic leaders of all Africa.
But to her he was simply ….my love and my life …..
All those things some people had said about him having affairs with other women, she didn’t buy it.
This rubbish was put out there by Bob’s enemies to undercut his credibility.
She then looked at some pictures of her children. They were all grown now. She was struck by how her eldest son looked so much like his father.
It made her smile.
Then she came across a picture of a family friend. A white woman. She remembered the evenings they had spent with her. How kind she was, how driven she was and how much trust Bob had put in her. How close she had been to both of them and to their children.
She had read that she was coming to Nairobi to testify. Christabel smiled …… you have really courage, Marianne.
Finally, on the last page, she came to the one picture she had always wanted to burn, but had somehow not done it.
The former Head of State was next to her, his arms around her. All over the living room, Senior Government Officials were smiling at her.
She looked at it closely, brought it to her face. And for the first time, she saw something she had never seen before. President Moi was crying!
Crying ?
Christabel could not believe her eyes. Why was the man crying? Could it be that he had nothing to do with her husband’s murder? Could she have believed wrongly all these years?
And then she thought about her speech during Bob’s funeral service – trying to hide her tears - and her pain - because she had believed to owe it to him and their life together not to show her real feelings in front of the public…….
The 5 Most Popular Kumekucha Stories Today
The 5 Most Popular Kumekucha Stories Today
1. Why Kenya is in big trouble
2. Why Raila will lose the Langata seat
3. Christobel Ouko (Kenya Betrayed)
4. Why Kibaki deserves no second chance.
5. Long suffering Kenyan beauty speaks out about "useless man".
1. Why Kenya is in big trouble
2. Why Raila will lose the Langata seat
3. Christobel Ouko (Kenya Betrayed)
4. Why Kibaki deserves no second chance.
5. Long suffering Kenyan beauty speaks out about "useless man".
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Why Kenya Is In Big Trouble
I just want to make two quick points today.
Firstly, the events of Kenyatta day have sadly proved what I said here just a few days ago. And that is the fact that the President and his men have taken this battle against Raila Odinga and ODM very personally. That should be very bad news for ALL Kenyans across the political divide.
Who wants to be involved in a personal battle? I certainly don’t and no person in their right mind would want to. What this means is that there are no rules. This is personal. The whole idea is to make sure the other man loses come what may.
Again armed with this information, the reports we have been receiving concerning the Langata voter’s register start to make a lot of sense. Basically my dear fellow Kenyans, there is very big trouble ahead of us. May the good Lord have mercy.
Secondly, there is something else that has now clearly come out about the current political situation in Kenya. President Kibaki is fighting the political battle of his career and the only problem is that he has nothing from his past to prepare him for what is already happening and will continue to unfold in the next few weeks.
Let me explain.
President Moi had a nightmare of a time as the country’s VP and he survived it for 12 long horrible years. This man was right there at the centre when the murderous blood-thirsty Kiambu Mafia of President Kenyatta ruled and did what they felt like. I am sure that it was not fun for Moi and he must have cried in bed at night many times because he was between a rock and a hard place. He couldn’t resign and go away because he knew too much and would have almost certainly been murdered and yet staying on was a horrible never-ending nightmare.
Moi found that he had to be very careful and think ahead before doing any tiny little thing. It was very good political training for what lay ahead of him as President and is what enabled him to rule Kenya for 24 years always out-thinking and outmaneuvering the enemy and basically surviving unscathed every time.
Tom Mboya had to organize a Union under very difficult conditions in the mid 50s, but somehow managed to raise the membership considerably and re-organize things despite a hostile colonial government. That experience catapulted him to national union politics and prepared him for his later political career where he will forever be remembered as an organizer without equal who would fix problems long before anybody even realized that there was any problem.
So what has prepared President Kibaki for what may well be his Waterloo?
It is widely known that at the first sign of danger when he represented a Nairobi constituency in the 60s Kibaki fled to Othaya where he has been since. His seat there has never really been threatened and he has never done any wrong in the eyes of his constituents who see him as the village boy who made good and should never be troubled.
In fact it is now emerging that had Kibaki been an astute politician and campaigner, he would have won the presidency much earlier than he did. Instead he had to go through the embarrassing loss of face to his junior Kenneth Matiba in 2002. Interestingly President Moi’s handlers had judged him the main threat to Moi’s presidency and went to work with crude character-assassination tactics like full page ads in the daily press carrying past quotes like the (Mugumo tree and razor blade one) and the infamous Kanu briefs propaganda campaign. Alas it was soon realized that he was never going to be a threat politically.
The president had his best opportunity to win in 1997, but again despite massive support from central province, he was unable to put together a winning campaign. Many other politicians given half of a similar chance would have easily won the presidency. In 2002, his campaign was handled by others and he won. This time round those “others: are all in the challenger’s side fighting him.
In sharp contrast Raila Odinga is a seasoned campaigner with a track record. Years of fighting president Moi have hardened the man into a considerable political entity on his own. In other words there is plenty from Raila’s past to prepare him for this battle.
That’s life. Even I was prepared well for my work here in Kumekucha.
I got into trouble with the special branch political police in the 80s when I was a youngster fresh from high school all due to a mistaken identity mix up details of which I have never found out to date.
My dad could not stop talking about Tom Mboya and his political brilliance, so I was forced to read his biography and the history of Kenya in great detail not knowing of what use it would be to me. Finally I had the opportunity of “fighting invisible enemies in the shadows” after I launched a very successful alternative press publication. All this and many other experiences have prepared me very well for Kumekucha which I believe with all my heart is my destiny. I was born to help fight for a better Kenya through this humble blog.
So even as you consider my political analysis of today, what about you? What have your past experiences and tribulations prepared you for?
Firstly, the events of Kenyatta day have sadly proved what I said here just a few days ago. And that is the fact that the President and his men have taken this battle against Raila Odinga and ODM very personally. That should be very bad news for ALL Kenyans across the political divide.
Who wants to be involved in a personal battle? I certainly don’t and no person in their right mind would want to. What this means is that there are no rules. This is personal. The whole idea is to make sure the other man loses come what may.
Again armed with this information, the reports we have been receiving concerning the Langata voter’s register start to make a lot of sense. Basically my dear fellow Kenyans, there is very big trouble ahead of us. May the good Lord have mercy.
Secondly, there is something else that has now clearly come out about the current political situation in Kenya. President Kibaki is fighting the political battle of his career and the only problem is that he has nothing from his past to prepare him for what is already happening and will continue to unfold in the next few weeks.
Let me explain.
President Moi had a nightmare of a time as the country’s VP and he survived it for 12 long horrible years. This man was right there at the centre when the murderous blood-thirsty Kiambu Mafia of President Kenyatta ruled and did what they felt like. I am sure that it was not fun for Moi and he must have cried in bed at night many times because he was between a rock and a hard place. He couldn’t resign and go away because he knew too much and would have almost certainly been murdered and yet staying on was a horrible never-ending nightmare.
Moi found that he had to be very careful and think ahead before doing any tiny little thing. It was very good political training for what lay ahead of him as President and is what enabled him to rule Kenya for 24 years always out-thinking and outmaneuvering the enemy and basically surviving unscathed every time.
Tom Mboya had to organize a Union under very difficult conditions in the mid 50s, but somehow managed to raise the membership considerably and re-organize things despite a hostile colonial government. That experience catapulted him to national union politics and prepared him for his later political career where he will forever be remembered as an organizer without equal who would fix problems long before anybody even realized that there was any problem.
So what has prepared President Kibaki for what may well be his Waterloo?
It is widely known that at the first sign of danger when he represented a Nairobi constituency in the 60s Kibaki fled to Othaya where he has been since. His seat there has never really been threatened and he has never done any wrong in the eyes of his constituents who see him as the village boy who made good and should never be troubled.
In fact it is now emerging that had Kibaki been an astute politician and campaigner, he would have won the presidency much earlier than he did. Instead he had to go through the embarrassing loss of face to his junior Kenneth Matiba in 2002. Interestingly President Moi’s handlers had judged him the main threat to Moi’s presidency and went to work with crude character-assassination tactics like full page ads in the daily press carrying past quotes like the (Mugumo tree and razor blade one) and the infamous Kanu briefs propaganda campaign. Alas it was soon realized that he was never going to be a threat politically.
The president had his best opportunity to win in 1997, but again despite massive support from central province, he was unable to put together a winning campaign. Many other politicians given half of a similar chance would have easily won the presidency. In 2002, his campaign was handled by others and he won. This time round those “others: are all in the challenger’s side fighting him.
In sharp contrast Raila Odinga is a seasoned campaigner with a track record. Years of fighting president Moi have hardened the man into a considerable political entity on his own. In other words there is plenty from Raila’s past to prepare him for this battle.
That’s life. Even I was prepared well for my work here in Kumekucha.
I got into trouble with the special branch political police in the 80s when I was a youngster fresh from high school all due to a mistaken identity mix up details of which I have never found out to date.
My dad could not stop talking about Tom Mboya and his political brilliance, so I was forced to read his biography and the history of Kenya in great detail not knowing of what use it would be to me. Finally I had the opportunity of “fighting invisible enemies in the shadows” after I launched a very successful alternative press publication. All this and many other experiences have prepared me very well for Kumekucha which I believe with all my heart is my destiny. I was born to help fight for a better Kenya through this humble blog.
So even as you consider my political analysis of today, what about you? What have your past experiences and tribulations prepared you for?
The 5 Most Popular Stories in Kumekucha Today
The 5 Most Popular Stories in Kumekucha Today.
1. What do strange secret meeting meetings between Moi, Kalonzo and Kibaki handlers mean?
2. Christoble Ouko (Kenya Betrayed).
3. Why Raila Odinga will lose the Langata seat
4. Why married women have affairs
5. Masai Sex Secrets nobody will ever tell you about
1. What do strange secret meeting meetings between Moi, Kalonzo and Kibaki handlers mean?
2. Christoble Ouko (Kenya Betrayed).
3. Why Raila Odinga will lose the Langata seat
4. Why married women have affairs
5. Masai Sex Secrets nobody will ever tell you about
Saturday, October 20, 2007
What Do The Strange Secret Meetings Between ODM Kenya, Moi And Kibaki Aides Mean?
Is Kalonzo Musyoka About To Cross Over To PNU With His Hoo Ndii Emm?
Please put on your thinking caps on for this one. The question is really simple. Why else would Kalonzo’s people, Moi and Kibaki’s people have a meeting?
To discuss the runaway economic growth (are you there Luke)? Or perhaps to chat about the changing weather patterns in the country?
As you can clearly see it is difficult to come to any other conclusion except that the meeting must have had something to do with the forthcoming general elections and most probably a possible merger between the groups represented. We can therefore speculate that what was being thrashed out was the thorny issue of joint nominations for parliamentary and civic candidates in the event of such a merger.
You may disagree with my conclusion and suggest that perhaps the trio were discussing a coalition merger after the general elections and you could well be right. Chances are high that whoever wins the presidency, a merger between Kanu, PNU and ODM Kenya will give that side the majority of MPs and control over what happens in the 10th parliament. Meaning that if Raila wins they can still send Kenyans back to the polls with a quick no confidence vote.
Control over parliament is something that is proving to be increasingly important as Kenya’s infant multi-party democracy starts to teeth. A mother will tell you that when a toddler goes through the issues and problems related to teething it can be quite a challenging time for mother and child.
More evidence that a merger of sorts is in the works are the chilling words of Baba Giddy recently. He said; “This ODM honeymoon is about to end.” Is this what he meant? Because the truth is that whenever the old man makes statements like that, experience has shown me to have sleepless nights. I remember only too well the similarly chilling remark he made shortly after the re-introduction of multi-party democracy in Kenya (something that he was forced to do under enormous pressure). The Mzee said “Hi multi party itawachoma!” (This multi party will burn you.) Shortly after that knowing remark, houses and human corpses were going up in flames in large numbers all over the Rift Valley and a new term—ethnic clashes—found itself into the daily news vocabulary in Kenya. It has not quite left to date but only appears around election time.
So I fely a chill go up my spine when the old man recently said in the Rift Valley; “Hii Honeymoon ya ODm inaisha hivi karibuni.” I did not feel this way because of being a die hard ODM supporter (because I AM NOT). But I felt the way I did because I feared the repercussions on the country as a result of the method that was going to be used to accomplish that prophecy.
But still there are those observers who would ask you the question; who is fooling who here? After all the links between Kanu, Ho Ndii Emm and PNU are tight and have always been. Consider the following;
Chairman of Hoo Ndii Emm, Daniel Maanzo’s school fees and expenses right through to university and law school is rumored to have been paid for personally by President Kibaki. Apparently he hails from a very poor family.
Mutula Kilonzo, another top official of Hoo Ndii Emm has remained the preferred personal lawyer of retired President Moi and has successfully handled some very sensitive issues for Baba Giddy especially after he left power. Baba Giddy also has some crazy secrets on Mr Kilonozo and thus the respect at this point has to be mutual. So if politically speaking push came to shove and Baba Giddy today asked Mutula to leave everything and cross over to Kanu, Mr Kilonzo’s only possible reply would be; “I’m on my way sir.”
What is fascinating is that opinion on the ground is divided over what voters in Ukambani would do if Kalonzo crossed over to PNU. Some say that he would lose a few thousand presidential votes. Other insist that most of Ukambani will vote against Raila, meaning that whatever side kalonzo goes to other than ODM, will not change his prospects of the 620,000 Kamba votes he is targeting.
But what the gifted dancers, alleged colour clashing dressers and natural sex athletes of Ukambani seem to be unaware of is the fact that Kalonzo’s independent candidature is helping Raila’s presidential bid a lot because otherwise Kalonzo’s votes would have ended up with President Kibaki and PNU.
Incidentally I am a Kamba myself and I can tell you that the Kamba no longer have problems with their colours—have you seen the impeccable way in which media personalities like KTN’s ravishingly beautiful Lilian Muli and Kiss FM’s desirable Caroline Mutoko dress? As my hilarious Tanzanian friend would have said “hawa watoto… sio mchezo.”
About the dancing bit, this is in every Mkamba’s blood. Sadly I am not at liberty to comment on the third allegation about sexual prowess, in the interests of my personal security (because Mrs Kumekucha reads this blog occasionally) and also in the interests of peace in this blog from such friends as Vikii.
P.S. My man on the ground in Machakos assures me that Kalonzo will go it alone until the elections and that the coalition merger will come in after the elections. He also claims that anybody who is against Raila currently is Baba Giddy’s bosom buddy and he will always have plenty to discuss with you at any time. So those guys who have always dreamt of meeting Moi personally, this is your chance. Kioko of BC are you there?
But I don’t agree with his verdict on this issue. I can’t help feeling that these guys are up to something and that whatever they are up to, we will see before the elections and it is also something that will deal a major blow to Raila Odinga’s ODM.
Please put on your thinking caps on for this one. The question is really simple. Why else would Kalonzo’s people, Moi and Kibaki’s people have a meeting?
To discuss the runaway economic growth (are you there Luke)? Or perhaps to chat about the changing weather patterns in the country?
As you can clearly see it is difficult to come to any other conclusion except that the meeting must have had something to do with the forthcoming general elections and most probably a possible merger between the groups represented. We can therefore speculate that what was being thrashed out was the thorny issue of joint nominations for parliamentary and civic candidates in the event of such a merger.
You may disagree with my conclusion and suggest that perhaps the trio were discussing a coalition merger after the general elections and you could well be right. Chances are high that whoever wins the presidency, a merger between Kanu, PNU and ODM Kenya will give that side the majority of MPs and control over what happens in the 10th parliament. Meaning that if Raila wins they can still send Kenyans back to the polls with a quick no confidence vote.
Control over parliament is something that is proving to be increasingly important as Kenya’s infant multi-party democracy starts to teeth. A mother will tell you that when a toddler goes through the issues and problems related to teething it can be quite a challenging time for mother and child.
More evidence that a merger of sorts is in the works are the chilling words of Baba Giddy recently. He said; “This ODM honeymoon is about to end.” Is this what he meant? Because the truth is that whenever the old man makes statements like that, experience has shown me to have sleepless nights. I remember only too well the similarly chilling remark he made shortly after the re-introduction of multi-party democracy in Kenya (something that he was forced to do under enormous pressure). The Mzee said “Hi multi party itawachoma!” (This multi party will burn you.) Shortly after that knowing remark, houses and human corpses were going up in flames in large numbers all over the Rift Valley and a new term—ethnic clashes—found itself into the daily news vocabulary in Kenya. It has not quite left to date but only appears around election time.
So I fely a chill go up my spine when the old man recently said in the Rift Valley; “Hii Honeymoon ya ODm inaisha hivi karibuni.” I did not feel this way because of being a die hard ODM supporter (because I AM NOT). But I felt the way I did because I feared the repercussions on the country as a result of the method that was going to be used to accomplish that prophecy.
But still there are those observers who would ask you the question; who is fooling who here? After all the links between Kanu, Ho Ndii Emm and PNU are tight and have always been. Consider the following;
Chairman of Hoo Ndii Emm, Daniel Maanzo’s school fees and expenses right through to university and law school is rumored to have been paid for personally by President Kibaki. Apparently he hails from a very poor family.
Mutula Kilonzo, another top official of Hoo Ndii Emm has remained the preferred personal lawyer of retired President Moi and has successfully handled some very sensitive issues for Baba Giddy especially after he left power. Baba Giddy also has some crazy secrets on Mr Kilonozo and thus the respect at this point has to be mutual. So if politically speaking push came to shove and Baba Giddy today asked Mutula to leave everything and cross over to Kanu, Mr Kilonzo’s only possible reply would be; “I’m on my way sir.”
What is fascinating is that opinion on the ground is divided over what voters in Ukambani would do if Kalonzo crossed over to PNU. Some say that he would lose a few thousand presidential votes. Other insist that most of Ukambani will vote against Raila, meaning that whatever side kalonzo goes to other than ODM, will not change his prospects of the 620,000 Kamba votes he is targeting.
But what the gifted dancers, alleged colour clashing dressers and natural sex athletes of Ukambani seem to be unaware of is the fact that Kalonzo’s independent candidature is helping Raila’s presidential bid a lot because otherwise Kalonzo’s votes would have ended up with President Kibaki and PNU.
Incidentally I am a Kamba myself and I can tell you that the Kamba no longer have problems with their colours—have you seen the impeccable way in which media personalities like KTN’s ravishingly beautiful Lilian Muli and Kiss FM’s desirable Caroline Mutoko dress? As my hilarious Tanzanian friend would have said “hawa watoto… sio mchezo.”
About the dancing bit, this is in every Mkamba’s blood. Sadly I am not at liberty to comment on the third allegation about sexual prowess, in the interests of my personal security (because Mrs Kumekucha reads this blog occasionally) and also in the interests of peace in this blog from such friends as Vikii.
P.S. My man on the ground in Machakos assures me that Kalonzo will go it alone until the elections and that the coalition merger will come in after the elections. He also claims that anybody who is against Raila currently is Baba Giddy’s bosom buddy and he will always have plenty to discuss with you at any time. So those guys who have always dreamt of meeting Moi personally, this is your chance. Kioko of BC are you there?
But I don’t agree with his verdict on this issue. I can’t help feeling that these guys are up to something and that whatever they are up to, we will see before the elections and it is also something that will deal a major blow to Raila Odinga’s ODM.
Christobel Ouko (Kenya Betrayed)
I was the first to recover. I tiptoed to the peephole and took a peek. I saw a middle-aged man. He was in a red T-shirt, a new blue pair of Jeans. He wore really dark shades. Who was he?
Unsure that his mission was, I asked, “Who are you? Are you sure, you are at the right address?”
The man said, “Mrs. Marianne Briner-Mattern? I am from a special courier service - I have a message for you.”
“From where?”
“Please open the door.”
Philipp shook his head vigorously, “Don’t!”
Of course, I was not going to open, but I had to find a way to get to know what this message was.
“Do you want your message or not?” the man pressed.
I finally decided to open the door.
“Look I have been sent to deliver this,” the man said and handed me an envelope.
“Sent by whom?” I asked.
But he did not reply. He just handed me the envelope, then turned and left.
Sandra and Philipp watched the closed-circuit TV as the man left. They saw him walk away. Within seconds he was gone.
*****************************************
It was 11:30 a.m. when Biwott arrived in Kabarnet Gardens. This morning the former Head of State had no visitors. In fact, once news of Marianne’s Summon had broken, he had cleared his desk. He was not going to deal with any other issue but this.
The minute Biwott’s driver brought the Mercedes Benz 500 S to a dist-trailing halt in front of Moi’s sprawling country home, he immediately opened the door and stepped out instructing his security details to stay behind. They were former Mossad officers from Israel whom he had hired since he did not trust Africans with his security.
Biwott hurried to the front door and knocked.
Moi, eager to hear what his devious cousin wanted to discuss, opened himself. He quickly led him through the hallway and brought him directly to his study.
Unlike his living room, this study looked rather serious. The desk in here was curved out of mahogany. The black swivel chair was leather. The wall had only to pictures - one of his grandchildren - and the other showing him inspecting a Guard of Honor during a State Visit to London. Those were the only pictures that still meant something to him.
He invited Biwott to sit down, then went straight to the heart of the matter, “What do you want us to do? What can we do?”
Biwott cleared his throat. He felt sad that it took the threat of Marianne’s return to Kenya to get them together again. He remembered the days he used to visit this man at the State House. How they used to strategize together. Run the country together.
He recalled the night he had pleaded with Moi not to give up the Presidency in spite of the constitution requirements. To fight it out, if necessary. “We won’t be able to protect our wealth or the agenda of this nation,” he had warned.
But Moi had only replied, “Don’t worry, I have settled this. If we pass the power to Uhuru, we will be fine.”
But things had turned out different. There was somebody else at State House now. And looking at Moi, Biwott knew just how right he had been. He should have listened to him and followed his advise like so many times before.
“I asked what you want us to do,” Moi repeated.
Biwott leaned forward. He clasped his hands across the desk. Finally, he said, “I have been thinking about Marianne ….. about her coming.”
Cough, “Okay?”
“I have thought of a way to keep her from saying anything damaging.”
Moi held his chin, “Do you really think she will say anything ….. crazy?”
Biwott found his eyes and held, “I am certain.”
He knew what he was talking about. It had been him who had derailed all her efforts not only for the Molasses Plant’s revival, but also for any other project she got involved with.
It had been him who had ensured that Marianne’s messages and phone calls never reached Moi.
And finally it was him who had clandestinely caused the rift between Moi and her, details of which he had never told to anybody, not even to his wife.
What if Moi found out now? If Marianne spoke also about that? This was actually the main reason for him to be worried.
Moi sat back, “So ….. what are your plans?”
“Obviously, we cannot keep her from coming. It is too late for that. And we cannot keep her from talking wither. It is too late for that, too.”
“Which options does that leave us?”
Biwott loosened his tie, “We can put pressure on some Committee members. We can identify two or three of them and have them work for us.”
“How are we going to do that?”
“If you authorize me, if you tell me to set it up, I can go back to Nairobi and talk to the guys we can trust.”
“Like who?”
“The members of our Community.”
Moi smiled. Right there, he remembered why Nick had always been his eyes and ears. Why he was his Mr. Fix-it.
Impressed, he extended his hand across the table and shook Biwott’s. He then said, “You have my blessings. But do it right.”
Bullshit !
As Biwott made his way back to Nairobi, he remembered a crazy guy he used to work with in the past. The man was called Bozo.
Bozo was the most dangerous, vilest creature in all Kenya.
His teeth were brown, a result of years of living off the slopes of Mr. Kenya. He wore frazzled dreadlocks. His clothing consisted of sagging Baxter Jeans and a T-shirt that was once white.
Where has the rascal been during the last years? Biwott wondered.
He fished his cell phone from the pocket, flipped it, then dialed Bozo’s old number.
Hope he didn’t change it.
He hadn’t. He answered immediately. “Hello?”
Biwott laughed, “Bozo?”
Bozo was in his maskan when he answered the call. He had not spoken with Biwott in years. In fact, once Biwott and his team had fallen out of power, relations between him and his former bad boy had suddenly ended. Biwott had ceased calling him.
Till today.
“It has to be big,” Bozo blurted.
Biwott said, “Look, man, I know I have not talked to you in years,” He laughed cynically. “But I hope you understand why I had to be cautious.”
“What do you want?” Bozo asked.
“I want you to come to my office.”
“When?”
“This afternoon.”
“It’s that urgent?”
“I’ll expecting you at four o’clock sharp.” Click…
***
Back in Kabarnet Gardens, the former Head of State dialed his personal attorney’s number. There was an immediate reply, “Hello?”
Cough, “Mutula, we need to talk.”
“Of course, Your Excellency.”
“When are you available?”
“Could be there this afternoon. I come by private plane.”
“Then let me know the exact time. My driver will pick you up.”
“All right.” Click ….
********************************************
“You can’t open that envelop,” Philipp said, hurrying to grab the sugar-paper envelop from me. “You don’t know what could be in it.”
“Let’s open it outside,” I suggested.
We went on the terrace. Once there, I handed the envelope to Philipp, “Open it!”
He took it and looked at it curiously turning it upside down ….. then sideways.
Unable to make out what was in it, he held it away from him, then ripped it open.
There was just a small piece of paper in it.
It only contained a few machine-typed words.
It said, Don’t come to Nairobi !
Sandra took the paper from Philipp. Was there anymore evidence her mother needed to realize how dangerous going to Nairobi was?
Instead of talking, she took a bite …. followed it with a sip of juice.
Philipp looked at Sandra and realized at once how upset she was. He took her hand and gave it a gentle rub. “What’s up, Malaika?”
She looked uneasy, “Don’t try to cheer me up.”
I looked at them with sincere admiration. I thought how lucky my daughter was to have a man like Philipp in her life.
But concerned about my daughter’s worries, I said, “Let me tell you what - I will make special security arrangements before I go.”
Sandra cast a sideway glance, “You promise?”
I nodded, “When I said I was not scared and worried about my safety in Nairobi, I had been lying.”
“Then why are you going at all?” Philipp asked.
For a man who regarded the whole African continent as a wasteland full of corruption, disease and hunger, he just could not understand why his mother-in-law had such a loyalty to Kenya.
What good did she expect to come out of that God-forsaken-continent?
So he smiled at me saying, “Let’s go to Hawaii …… the Bahamas ….. I don’t even mind to go as far as Bali - if I can keep you from going to Nairobi.”
I winked, “My mind is made up, Philipp.”
“So you have decided to go?” Sandra asked.
I nodded.
“But you will keep your promise to make sure that you are safe?”
“I promise.”
Two hours later, Sandra and Philipp hit the road to the Malaga Airport.
They had finally accepted what Biwott and some of the Kenyan politicians Marianne had done battles with in the past had always known.
She was a fighter!
***
Biwott went straight to the Parliament Buildings. He had just come back from Kabarnet Gardens armed with express authority from Moi to target some Committee members who could be ‘peeled off’.
He was ready.
As soon as the Committee broke off for lunch, he went straight to two of them. They were from his Community. He asked them to come for lunch with him.
They did.
At the Intercontinental.
Biwott led them to the roof-top restaurant. He ushered them to a corner that was unofficially always reserved for him. The waiters in here were always careful not to let anybody occupy this space during lunch hour. There was also a separate table for Nick’s security details from where they could watch over him.
“Now, gentlemen,” he said, dropping into his seat, “I have a message from Mzee.”
They nodded.
“He has asked me to tell you to look after his interests.”
One of them asked, “Let’s see, it has been weeks since this Committee began its deliberations. Why should Mzee suddenly feel compelled to have his interests watched? And why send you?”
Biwott ignored the last question. To the first he said, “There are a couple of hostile witnesses slated to appear later this week …..”
“You mean Mrs. Marianne Briner-Mattern?” one asked.
Biwott nodded, “Yes – and Christabel Ouko.”
“So what do you want us specifically to do?”
He cleared his throat. “The most dangerous of the two women is Marianne. We have tried to stop her from coming ….. it failed. We have tried to limit the scope of her testimony ….. that failed too. So now we have only one more option.”
“What’s that?”
“You guys will have to act - together with Mutula - as Moi’s protectors. You will also have to look out for me. Whenever anything comes up that could embarrass Mzee …. or me …. stop it cold on its tracks. Don’t let Marianne say anything outside of what came already out at the Gicheru Inquiry of the Troon mess. That’s your assignment.”
One of the Committee members, a normally quiet man on a wheelchair, fidgeted. He hated that it was Nick delivering this message. Why had Moi chosen to work with this rascal again?
Only three months ago, he remembered campaigning against Biwott when the position of chairman of KANU was up for grabs. He had campaigned for Biwott’s opponent. Voted for Biwott’s opponent. And essentially written Biwott’s political obituary. Why was Moi resurrecting this monster?
Unable to keep his cool, he said, “Mzee should have picked a better messenger.”
Biwott’s eyes hardened, “Meaning?”
“Go to hell,” the reply was, “Kenya has had enough of you. If you killed Dr. Ouko, you should own up ….. ask the Nation to forgive you.”
Biwott could not believe this fool, “Are you ….. crazy?”
“You are carzy,” the man shot back. “You are responsible for all the horrible things that have happened in this country for more than two decades. You messed up things for Moi and for our party.•
He then slapped a stern look at Nick, “Frankly, Nicholas Biwott, I don’t understand why Mzee sent you to us. I, for one, will not do your bidding. I will watch for Mzee ….. as for you, you can just catch a ride to hell.”
Biwott laughed, “I don’t care what you think. Just make sure you don’t let anything come out of that Committee that Mzee won’t like. In case you have forgotten, Mzee and I still call the shots in the Rift Valley. We can make your life a nightmare.”
The water came around and asked what they would like to eat.
They shook their heads. No thanks!
Biwott turned right back to them. He said, “Like I said, don’t let Marianne say a thing. As for Christabel - judging by how reluctant she has been to appear before the Committee – I think we have nothing to worry about…… but just in case she gets tempted, do your part.”
That did it. Biwott stood up and left.
They were all looking at each other: it was so bizarre ……
Unsure that his mission was, I asked, “Who are you? Are you sure, you are at the right address?”
The man said, “Mrs. Marianne Briner-Mattern? I am from a special courier service - I have a message for you.”
“From where?”
“Please open the door.”
Philipp shook his head vigorously, “Don’t!”
Of course, I was not going to open, but I had to find a way to get to know what this message was.
“Do you want your message or not?” the man pressed.
I finally decided to open the door.
“Look I have been sent to deliver this,” the man said and handed me an envelope.
“Sent by whom?” I asked.
But he did not reply. He just handed me the envelope, then turned and left.
Sandra and Philipp watched the closed-circuit TV as the man left. They saw him walk away. Within seconds he was gone.
*****************************************
It was 11:30 a.m. when Biwott arrived in Kabarnet Gardens. This morning the former Head of State had no visitors. In fact, once news of Marianne’s Summon had broken, he had cleared his desk. He was not going to deal with any other issue but this.
The minute Biwott’s driver brought the Mercedes Benz 500 S to a dist-trailing halt in front of Moi’s sprawling country home, he immediately opened the door and stepped out instructing his security details to stay behind. They were former Mossad officers from Israel whom he had hired since he did not trust Africans with his security.
Biwott hurried to the front door and knocked.
Moi, eager to hear what his devious cousin wanted to discuss, opened himself. He quickly led him through the hallway and brought him directly to his study.
Unlike his living room, this study looked rather serious. The desk in here was curved out of mahogany. The black swivel chair was leather. The wall had only to pictures - one of his grandchildren - and the other showing him inspecting a Guard of Honor during a State Visit to London. Those were the only pictures that still meant something to him.
He invited Biwott to sit down, then went straight to the heart of the matter, “What do you want us to do? What can we do?”
Biwott cleared his throat. He felt sad that it took the threat of Marianne’s return to Kenya to get them together again. He remembered the days he used to visit this man at the State House. How they used to strategize together. Run the country together.
He recalled the night he had pleaded with Moi not to give up the Presidency in spite of the constitution requirements. To fight it out, if necessary. “We won’t be able to protect our wealth or the agenda of this nation,” he had warned.
But Moi had only replied, “Don’t worry, I have settled this. If we pass the power to Uhuru, we will be fine.”
But things had turned out different. There was somebody else at State House now. And looking at Moi, Biwott knew just how right he had been. He should have listened to him and followed his advise like so many times before.
“I asked what you want us to do,” Moi repeated.
Biwott leaned forward. He clasped his hands across the desk. Finally, he said, “I have been thinking about Marianne ….. about her coming.”
Cough, “Okay?”
“I have thought of a way to keep her from saying anything damaging.”
Moi held his chin, “Do you really think she will say anything ….. crazy?”
Biwott found his eyes and held, “I am certain.”
He knew what he was talking about. It had been him who had derailed all her efforts not only for the Molasses Plant’s revival, but also for any other project she got involved with.
It had been him who had ensured that Marianne’s messages and phone calls never reached Moi.
And finally it was him who had clandestinely caused the rift between Moi and her, details of which he had never told to anybody, not even to his wife.
What if Moi found out now? If Marianne spoke also about that? This was actually the main reason for him to be worried.
Moi sat back, “So ….. what are your plans?”
“Obviously, we cannot keep her from coming. It is too late for that. And we cannot keep her from talking wither. It is too late for that, too.”
“Which options does that leave us?”
Biwott loosened his tie, “We can put pressure on some Committee members. We can identify two or three of them and have them work for us.”
“How are we going to do that?”
“If you authorize me, if you tell me to set it up, I can go back to Nairobi and talk to the guys we can trust.”
“Like who?”
“The members of our Community.”
Moi smiled. Right there, he remembered why Nick had always been his eyes and ears. Why he was his Mr. Fix-it.
Impressed, he extended his hand across the table and shook Biwott’s. He then said, “You have my blessings. But do it right.”
Bullshit !
As Biwott made his way back to Nairobi, he remembered a crazy guy he used to work with in the past. The man was called Bozo.
Bozo was the most dangerous, vilest creature in all Kenya.
His teeth were brown, a result of years of living off the slopes of Mr. Kenya. He wore frazzled dreadlocks. His clothing consisted of sagging Baxter Jeans and a T-shirt that was once white.
Where has the rascal been during the last years? Biwott wondered.
He fished his cell phone from the pocket, flipped it, then dialed Bozo’s old number.
Hope he didn’t change it.
He hadn’t. He answered immediately. “Hello?”
Biwott laughed, “Bozo?”
Bozo was in his maskan when he answered the call. He had not spoken with Biwott in years. In fact, once Biwott and his team had fallen out of power, relations between him and his former bad boy had suddenly ended. Biwott had ceased calling him.
Till today.
“It has to be big,” Bozo blurted.
Biwott said, “Look, man, I know I have not talked to you in years,” He laughed cynically. “But I hope you understand why I had to be cautious.”
“What do you want?” Bozo asked.
“I want you to come to my office.”
“When?”
“This afternoon.”
“It’s that urgent?”
“I’ll expecting you at four o’clock sharp.” Click…
***
Back in Kabarnet Gardens, the former Head of State dialed his personal attorney’s number. There was an immediate reply, “Hello?”
Cough, “Mutula, we need to talk.”
“Of course, Your Excellency.”
“When are you available?”
“Could be there this afternoon. I come by private plane.”
“Then let me know the exact time. My driver will pick you up.”
“All right.” Click ….
********************************************
“You can’t open that envelop,” Philipp said, hurrying to grab the sugar-paper envelop from me. “You don’t know what could be in it.”
“Let’s open it outside,” I suggested.
We went on the terrace. Once there, I handed the envelope to Philipp, “Open it!”
He took it and looked at it curiously turning it upside down ….. then sideways.
Unable to make out what was in it, he held it away from him, then ripped it open.
There was just a small piece of paper in it.
It only contained a few machine-typed words.
It said, Don’t come to Nairobi !
Sandra took the paper from Philipp. Was there anymore evidence her mother needed to realize how dangerous going to Nairobi was?
Instead of talking, she took a bite …. followed it with a sip of juice.
Philipp looked at Sandra and realized at once how upset she was. He took her hand and gave it a gentle rub. “What’s up, Malaika?”
She looked uneasy, “Don’t try to cheer me up.”
I looked at them with sincere admiration. I thought how lucky my daughter was to have a man like Philipp in her life.
But concerned about my daughter’s worries, I said, “Let me tell you what - I will make special security arrangements before I go.”
Sandra cast a sideway glance, “You promise?”
I nodded, “When I said I was not scared and worried about my safety in Nairobi, I had been lying.”
“Then why are you going at all?” Philipp asked.
For a man who regarded the whole African continent as a wasteland full of corruption, disease and hunger, he just could not understand why his mother-in-law had such a loyalty to Kenya.
What good did she expect to come out of that God-forsaken-continent?
So he smiled at me saying, “Let’s go to Hawaii …… the Bahamas ….. I don’t even mind to go as far as Bali - if I can keep you from going to Nairobi.”
I winked, “My mind is made up, Philipp.”
“So you have decided to go?” Sandra asked.
I nodded.
“But you will keep your promise to make sure that you are safe?”
“I promise.”
Two hours later, Sandra and Philipp hit the road to the Malaga Airport.
They had finally accepted what Biwott and some of the Kenyan politicians Marianne had done battles with in the past had always known.
She was a fighter!
***
Biwott went straight to the Parliament Buildings. He had just come back from Kabarnet Gardens armed with express authority from Moi to target some Committee members who could be ‘peeled off’.
He was ready.
As soon as the Committee broke off for lunch, he went straight to two of them. They were from his Community. He asked them to come for lunch with him.
They did.
At the Intercontinental.
Biwott led them to the roof-top restaurant. He ushered them to a corner that was unofficially always reserved for him. The waiters in here were always careful not to let anybody occupy this space during lunch hour. There was also a separate table for Nick’s security details from where they could watch over him.
“Now, gentlemen,” he said, dropping into his seat, “I have a message from Mzee.”
They nodded.
“He has asked me to tell you to look after his interests.”
One of them asked, “Let’s see, it has been weeks since this Committee began its deliberations. Why should Mzee suddenly feel compelled to have his interests watched? And why send you?”
Biwott ignored the last question. To the first he said, “There are a couple of hostile witnesses slated to appear later this week …..”
“You mean Mrs. Marianne Briner-Mattern?” one asked.
Biwott nodded, “Yes – and Christabel Ouko.”
“So what do you want us specifically to do?”
He cleared his throat. “The most dangerous of the two women is Marianne. We have tried to stop her from coming ….. it failed. We have tried to limit the scope of her testimony ….. that failed too. So now we have only one more option.”
“What’s that?”
“You guys will have to act - together with Mutula - as Moi’s protectors. You will also have to look out for me. Whenever anything comes up that could embarrass Mzee …. or me …. stop it cold on its tracks. Don’t let Marianne say anything outside of what came already out at the Gicheru Inquiry of the Troon mess. That’s your assignment.”
One of the Committee members, a normally quiet man on a wheelchair, fidgeted. He hated that it was Nick delivering this message. Why had Moi chosen to work with this rascal again?
Only three months ago, he remembered campaigning against Biwott when the position of chairman of KANU was up for grabs. He had campaigned for Biwott’s opponent. Voted for Biwott’s opponent. And essentially written Biwott’s political obituary. Why was Moi resurrecting this monster?
Unable to keep his cool, he said, “Mzee should have picked a better messenger.”
Biwott’s eyes hardened, “Meaning?”
“Go to hell,” the reply was, “Kenya has had enough of you. If you killed Dr. Ouko, you should own up ….. ask the Nation to forgive you.”
Biwott could not believe this fool, “Are you ….. crazy?”
“You are carzy,” the man shot back. “You are responsible for all the horrible things that have happened in this country for more than two decades. You messed up things for Moi and for our party.•
He then slapped a stern look at Nick, “Frankly, Nicholas Biwott, I don’t understand why Mzee sent you to us. I, for one, will not do your bidding. I will watch for Mzee ….. as for you, you can just catch a ride to hell.”
Biwott laughed, “I don’t care what you think. Just make sure you don’t let anything come out of that Committee that Mzee won’t like. In case you have forgotten, Mzee and I still call the shots in the Rift Valley. We can make your life a nightmare.”
The water came around and asked what they would like to eat.
They shook their heads. No thanks!
Biwott turned right back to them. He said, “Like I said, don’t let Marianne say a thing. As for Christabel - judging by how reluctant she has been to appear before the Committee – I think we have nothing to worry about…… but just in case she gets tempted, do your part.”
That did it. Biwott stood up and left.
They were all looking at each other: it was so bizarre ……
Top 5 Most popular stories in Kumekucha today
Top 5 Most popular stories in Kumekucha today
1. Why Raila Odinga Will Lose The Langata Parliamentary Seat
2. Too dangerous to go to Nairobi (Kenya Betrayed)
3. Love made in the slums of Kenya
4. Biwott's Australia wife (Kenya Betrayed)
5. Hosea Kiplagat: Defection or Deflection
1. Why Raila Odinga Will Lose The Langata Parliamentary Seat
2. Too dangerous to go to Nairobi (Kenya Betrayed)
3. Love made in the slums of Kenya
4. Biwott's Australia wife (Kenya Betrayed)
5. Hosea Kiplagat: Defection or Deflection
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Why Raila Odinga Will Lose The Langata Parliamentary Seat
Intensive investigations by Kumekucha clearly show that if elections were to be held today, there is no way that Raila Odinga will be able to retain his Langata constituency seat.
What has been quietly going on at the constituency, behind the scenes is a very deliberate effort to ensure that thousands of Kenyans will be unable to vote not to mention the fact that tens of thousands of voters mainly from Central province have been registered in the constituency to vote with the sole objective of ensuring that the ODM presidential candidate never sees the inside of the 10th parliament, let alone the presidency.
Analysts are seeing a wider scheme that will give the numerous ODM supporters a nasty shock when election results are announced. It is also now crystal clear why the president did not renew deputy chairman Gabriel Mukele’s tenure at the commission despite a lot of pressure from the opposition, civil society and even the diplomatic corps. This latest revelation also clearly gives an indication of why there is no way that experienced Samuel Kivuitu’s contract at the helm of the ECK will be renewed. And this is the reason why the sly old man has started playing politics in a high stakes game that he could easily end up winning. With the latest information, it also now makes a lot of sense to elevate newly appointed commissioner Mrs Pamela Tutui to the helm of ECK. She would have no chance in hell of sorting out the mess that will emerge on election day with majority of Kenyans crying foul, many not fully understating what has been done.
But let me start at the beginning.
Impeccable sources have assured this writer that the President’s team has never quite forgiven the resounding defeat they suffered in the hands of Raila Odinga during the infamous referendum over a new constitution of November 2005. The chain of events that followed the referendum clearly show evidence of bitterness and a hurried emotional decision on the part of the president that almost caused his government to come crashing down.
You will remember that the usually laid back-make-no-hurried-or-drastic-decisions president suddenly made the unprecedented move of sacking all cabinet ministers and the country remained without a cabinet for slightly over 2 weeks. The move was an emotional one to show the enemy who was really in charge but it backfired badly when to the utter shock of Kenyans politicians did what they have never done before. We actually saw cabinet appointees rejecting their appointments. In fact there was a time when it looked like nothing would save the Kibaki government until last minute horse trading brought Musikari Kombo and Charity Ngilu back in line.
It is clear that the bitter taste of those events has never left the president’s mouth and it is difficult for him or any of the PNU top brass to make any speech or public utterance without hurling a barb or two in the direction of Raila Odinga and ODM. In fact the president and his insiders blame every failure of this administration on Raila Odinga and they are very determined to teach the Langata MP a lesson he will never forget.
What makes the Kibaki team even more bitter against Raila is the fact that the ODM presidential candidate used open lies to turn many Kenyans against the altered draft constitution that the Kibaki administration was pushing for which would have guaranteed the President a second term or at the very least more than 7 years at the helm (yes, Kenyans are notorious for not reading the small print).
It is now emerging exactly how that lesson was going to be taught. If all had gone well, then unsuspecting voters would have arrived at polling stations on Election Day only to be told that they have double registered and can therefore not vote.
Kenyans would also have been shocked to see one Stanley Livondo duly elected as the next MP for Langata. The revenge of the referendum losers would have been complete when the ODM presidential candidate despite winning majority votes countrywide would have been disqualified from ascending to the presidency because the constitution clearly demands that the president MUST be an elected member of Parliament.
It is certainly not a good thing for any Kenyan whether PNU supporter or ODM diehard, for the battle for the presidency to be such a personal thing.
My advice to you is that if you are a registered voter in Langata constituency, use this link to check your voter status NOW, before you read the next post or do anything else. This is also something vital for any registered voter to do right away, before it is too late.
What has been quietly going on at the constituency, behind the scenes is a very deliberate effort to ensure that thousands of Kenyans will be unable to vote not to mention the fact that tens of thousands of voters mainly from Central province have been registered in the constituency to vote with the sole objective of ensuring that the ODM presidential candidate never sees the inside of the 10th parliament, let alone the presidency.
Analysts are seeing a wider scheme that will give the numerous ODM supporters a nasty shock when election results are announced. It is also now crystal clear why the president did not renew deputy chairman Gabriel Mukele’s tenure at the commission despite a lot of pressure from the opposition, civil society and even the diplomatic corps. This latest revelation also clearly gives an indication of why there is no way that experienced Samuel Kivuitu’s contract at the helm of the ECK will be renewed. And this is the reason why the sly old man has started playing politics in a high stakes game that he could easily end up winning. With the latest information, it also now makes a lot of sense to elevate newly appointed commissioner Mrs Pamela Tutui to the helm of ECK. She would have no chance in hell of sorting out the mess that will emerge on election day with majority of Kenyans crying foul, many not fully understating what has been done.
But let me start at the beginning.
Impeccable sources have assured this writer that the President’s team has never quite forgiven the resounding defeat they suffered in the hands of Raila Odinga during the infamous referendum over a new constitution of November 2005. The chain of events that followed the referendum clearly show evidence of bitterness and a hurried emotional decision on the part of the president that almost caused his government to come crashing down.
You will remember that the usually laid back-make-no-hurried-or-drastic-decisions president suddenly made the unprecedented move of sacking all cabinet ministers and the country remained without a cabinet for slightly over 2 weeks. The move was an emotional one to show the enemy who was really in charge but it backfired badly when to the utter shock of Kenyans politicians did what they have never done before. We actually saw cabinet appointees rejecting their appointments. In fact there was a time when it looked like nothing would save the Kibaki government until last minute horse trading brought Musikari Kombo and Charity Ngilu back in line.
It is clear that the bitter taste of those events has never left the president’s mouth and it is difficult for him or any of the PNU top brass to make any speech or public utterance without hurling a barb or two in the direction of Raila Odinga and ODM. In fact the president and his insiders blame every failure of this administration on Raila Odinga and they are very determined to teach the Langata MP a lesson he will never forget.
What makes the Kibaki team even more bitter against Raila is the fact that the ODM presidential candidate used open lies to turn many Kenyans against the altered draft constitution that the Kibaki administration was pushing for which would have guaranteed the President a second term or at the very least more than 7 years at the helm (yes, Kenyans are notorious for not reading the small print).
It is now emerging exactly how that lesson was going to be taught. If all had gone well, then unsuspecting voters would have arrived at polling stations on Election Day only to be told that they have double registered and can therefore not vote.
Kenyans would also have been shocked to see one Stanley Livondo duly elected as the next MP for Langata. The revenge of the referendum losers would have been complete when the ODM presidential candidate despite winning majority votes countrywide would have been disqualified from ascending to the presidency because the constitution clearly demands that the president MUST be an elected member of Parliament.
It is certainly not a good thing for any Kenyan whether PNU supporter or ODM diehard, for the battle for the presidency to be such a personal thing.
My advice to you is that if you are a registered voter in Langata constituency, use this link to check your voter status NOW, before you read the next post or do anything else. This is also something vital for any registered voter to do right away, before it is too late.
Kivuitu’s Political Gamble
ECK chair, Samuel Kivuitu is a former MP for Westlands constituency—then called Parklands constituency, so he is not a novice in the game of politics.
It is now emerging that the ECK chairman has taken a huge gamble by sending a circular to all political parties warning them that their nomination papers for candidates may not be accepted if they have not fielded a presidential candidate. The most affected party in this matter is of course the President’s PNU party which is banking on the support of numerous affiliate parties who will not field a presidential candidate. Not everybody supports this interpretation of the law by the ECK chairman but there is no arguing that he is supposed to be the boss (at least until December 2nd this year) when it comes to all matters electoral.
But it would appear that the real objective of the experienced ECK chairman is to put the president in a difficult situation where his failure to renew Kivuitu’s contract will be seen as an attempt to control the electoral process in his favor. It is the kind of gamble that can easily backfire but it is also the kind that can work like a dream. After all Kivuitu has nothing to lose because it is clear that currently the president has no intention of prolonging the ECK chairman’s tour of duty.
So let’s see what happens.
It is now emerging that the ECK chairman has taken a huge gamble by sending a circular to all political parties warning them that their nomination papers for candidates may not be accepted if they have not fielded a presidential candidate. The most affected party in this matter is of course the President’s PNU party which is banking on the support of numerous affiliate parties who will not field a presidential candidate. Not everybody supports this interpretation of the law by the ECK chairman but there is no arguing that he is supposed to be the boss (at least until December 2nd this year) when it comes to all matters electoral.
But it would appear that the real objective of the experienced ECK chairman is to put the president in a difficult situation where his failure to renew Kivuitu’s contract will be seen as an attempt to control the electoral process in his favor. It is the kind of gamble that can easily backfire but it is also the kind that can work like a dream. After all Kivuitu has nothing to lose because it is clear that currently the president has no intention of prolonging the ECK chairman’s tour of duty.
So let’s see what happens.
Why The Text Book Version Of PNU Strategy Does Not Work Practically
A Kumekucha informer has just passed on information about a small campaign speech that PNU die hard Danstone Mungatana gave in his constituency recently.
He told supporters that he does not mind if they do not agree with him over his choice for president, what they need to do is to vote him back to parliament so that he may continue to fight for their interests. There was enthusiastic acceptance of this remark from the people he was addressing.
Most of Coast province is currently ODM territory.
As I predicted earlier, this Mungatana statement is bound to be a very common one indeed countrywide when the elections proper commence. Note that when you stand on a certain party ticket it is virtually mandatory for you to support your presidential candidate and even where you do not, voters will position you against your presidential candidate and make the decision whether or not to vote for you based on your presidential candidate’s reputation and standing with the electorate. Matters get a little confusing when your party has no presidential candidate and is instead supporting one from another political party.
This is the kind of trouble one runs into when they try to re-invent the wheel. Clearly PNU is a sitting duck when it comes to being dumped by supporting affiliate party candidates in the heat of the campaigns.
He told supporters that he does not mind if they do not agree with him over his choice for president, what they need to do is to vote him back to parliament so that he may continue to fight for their interests. There was enthusiastic acceptance of this remark from the people he was addressing.
Most of Coast province is currently ODM territory.
As I predicted earlier, this Mungatana statement is bound to be a very common one indeed countrywide when the elections proper commence. Note that when you stand on a certain party ticket it is virtually mandatory for you to support your presidential candidate and even where you do not, voters will position you against your presidential candidate and make the decision whether or not to vote for you based on your presidential candidate’s reputation and standing with the electorate. Matters get a little confusing when your party has no presidential candidate and is instead supporting one from another political party.
This is the kind of trouble one runs into when they try to re-invent the wheel. Clearly PNU is a sitting duck when it comes to being dumped by supporting affiliate party candidates in the heat of the campaigns.
Love Made In The Slums Of Kenya
When I lived in Kibera, I shared my modest crib with Onyango,Kimani,Kipngeno,Mutisya and Abdi.
Abdi and Kimani shared a bed because Abdi was new to the city. The only thing that seperated our "bedrooms" was a "leso", an old dirty bed sheet and a black polythene sheet that Mutisya had picked on his way from Industrial area.
We shared everything and we showered in shifts and on alternate Sundays. Life was hard but we were happy.
Kimani pushed mkoko at Marigiti and in the evening he will come home with a mixture of almost everything that was sold at the market.From it, we made a stew.
Everyday it tasted distinctly different and authentic even though the ingredients remained the same, the quantity varied. Sometimes the pilipili or dania will be in plenty hence the taste of the day. We listened to Kameme together and KBC salamu za hodi hodi together and shared ushindi bar soap for washing and geisha Kubwa for bathing. Played draughts at weekends.
In short we were more than brothers, and we remained so for 5 years until the elections were called. It was time to part ways. We got new identities jaluo, mkamba, kaleo, sapere,walalo and Banye. Identifying ourselves with the rich politicians we shared a language with was the thing, not the poor we had been with for years.
The wealthy man from my tribe won the election I headed to the same room I had shared for five years with people of my class, albeit with some election posters to deco our crib.
Mheshimiwa headed for Grand Regency to celebrate. That night we slept without food. After a while things came back to normal we were back to sharing everything with Abdi, musyoka Onyango etc. Whenever there was bereavement amongst us, we all attended. Just the poor people.
Mheshimiwa was busy on the beach. But when Mheshimiwa got bereaved I mourned for him for weeks, even though I won't be let to go past his gate. When he engaged in Corruption, I defended him fiercely just because he spoke my Language, to cut short.....I voted for mheshimiwa, he lives big but life for me, Onyango, Kimani, Abdi is still the same.
What if we had voted for one of us regardless of his tribe, could life be different??????? Identify with your own true tribe. RICH or POOR are the real tribes of Kenya . However the latter are the Majority and are ruled by the minority. Poor people rise up and fight for your rights Did you know the only common thing between you and your much cherished Mheshimiwa is the language. Nothing else NOTHING!!!!!!!!!
But the list of common things you share with Musyoka, Onyango,Abdi is endless.
Think and Educate other Kenyans!!!
--
"Far better to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory, nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt
Abdi and Kimani shared a bed because Abdi was new to the city. The only thing that seperated our "bedrooms" was a "leso", an old dirty bed sheet and a black polythene sheet that Mutisya had picked on his way from Industrial area.
We shared everything and we showered in shifts and on alternate Sundays. Life was hard but we were happy.
Kimani pushed mkoko at Marigiti and in the evening he will come home with a mixture of almost everything that was sold at the market.From it, we made a stew.
Everyday it tasted distinctly different and authentic even though the ingredients remained the same, the quantity varied. Sometimes the pilipili or dania will be in plenty hence the taste of the day. We listened to Kameme together and KBC salamu za hodi hodi together and shared ushindi bar soap for washing and geisha Kubwa for bathing. Played draughts at weekends.
In short we were more than brothers, and we remained so for 5 years until the elections were called. It was time to part ways. We got new identities jaluo, mkamba, kaleo, sapere,walalo and Banye. Identifying ourselves with the rich politicians we shared a language with was the thing, not the poor we had been with for years.
The wealthy man from my tribe won the election I headed to the same room I had shared for five years with people of my class, albeit with some election posters to deco our crib.
Mheshimiwa headed for Grand Regency to celebrate. That night we slept without food. After a while things came back to normal we were back to sharing everything with Abdi, musyoka Onyango etc. Whenever there was bereavement amongst us, we all attended. Just the poor people.
Mheshimiwa was busy on the beach. But when Mheshimiwa got bereaved I mourned for him for weeks, even though I won't be let to go past his gate. When he engaged in Corruption, I defended him fiercely just because he spoke my Language, to cut short.....I voted for mheshimiwa, he lives big but life for me, Onyango, Kimani, Abdi is still the same.
What if we had voted for one of us regardless of his tribe, could life be different??????? Identify with your own true tribe. RICH or POOR are the real tribes of Kenya . However the latter are the Majority and are ruled by the minority. Poor people rise up and fight for your rights Did you know the only common thing between you and your much cherished Mheshimiwa is the language. Nothing else NOTHING!!!!!!!!!
But the list of common things you share with Musyoka, Onyango,Abdi is endless.
Think and Educate other Kenyans!!!
--
"Far better to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory, nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt
Too Dangerous To Go To Nairobi (Kenya Betrayed)
Sandra and Philipp flew into the Malaga Airport at about eleven. They quickly went to a car rental, swiped Philipp’s Visa Card, then secured a blue Toyota Prado. Within minutes, they settled in it, slammed the accelerator and took off like a jet.
It took them just over half an hour to make it to Marbella.
Leaving the city behind, they reached the golf valley and finally the house where I was living. Having installed surveillance cameras all over the perimeter of my property, I saw the blue Prado the minute it pulled through the gate.
I followed it with my eyes, aware it was a new car at the premises. I saw it park right in front of my home. Unnerved, I stood up and went to the window. Who are these guys?
The answer came when I saw Philipp open the door and stepping out. He walked around and held the passenger door for Sandra.
Seconds later, a knock.
As it was my habit, I peeked into the peephole, and asked, “Who is there?”
I heard Sandra’s giggle, “Mami is so predictable!”
Laughing, I opened the door, embraced them and let them in. Turning to Sandra, I hugged my daughter again, “Couldn’t you call to let me know you were coming?”
“It was his idea,” Sandra said.
Philipp laughed, “You just drop me like that?”
I invited them to sit down. Then I told them about my earlier conversation with Supt. Troon. How I felt he was the toughest detective in the whole world.
“Did he agree to that characterization?” Philipp asked.
I smiled, “He protested it. He thought I was being overly generous with my compliments. That’s how modest he is.”
“The toughest detective?” Philipp pressed.
“Probably the best Scotland Yard ever had.”
“You really mean that?”
I went to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of home-made mango juice. I brought three glasses and set them on the coffee table. “You ask why I sat he is the toughest?”
Philipp nodded.
“It’s because he has ….. proved himself to be,” I then said.
Philipp seemed impressed. He said, “He must be a veteran crime fighter.”
“He is.”
“A fearless warrior.”
“That’s him.”
“The more reason you have not to go to Kenya. This is my reasoning - that if a great detective like Troon investigated this case, told the world who killed Dr. Ouko, what is there for anybody to add to his conclusions?” He poured the juice into his glass, “I, for one, think his conclusions should be let to stand. There is absolutely no reason for you to go to Nairobi.”
I had to laugh, “That’s why you came, right?”
He nodded.
Sandra was surprised by how swiftly Philipp and I glided into this topic. To her, the Dr. Ouko case was never going to be resolved. Why were so many people wasting their time trying to solve this murder?
Had not also her mother admitted that too many witnesses had already died? That the Kenyans authorities were not really interested to come to the truth? And that even if the truth would be told, Biwott was too cunning to be prosecuted?
Thinking she could add her voice to Philipp’s qualms, she said, “Mami, Philipp has a point.”
“I know.”
“Then why do you insist on going to Nairobi?”
I pointed at the Summon sitting on the dining table. “I have an obligation to tell the truth.”
“But others have already, Mami.”
“There is something they have never said because they did not know.”
“Back to the Committee thing, “ Philipp said. “This new evidence you want to talk about, what is it?”
“I cannot say.”
“Even not to us?”
I shook my head. I went to the kitchen und started to prepare a plate with seafood and salad. Then I decided to go back and sat next to Philipp, “Look ….”
Right then, there was a sharp nock at the door.
A knock?
Here?
I was the first to recover. I tiptoed to the peephole and took a peek. I saw a middle-aged man. He was in a red T-shirt, a new blue pair of Jeans. He wore really dark shades. Who was he?
Unsure that his mission was, I asked, “Who are you? Are you sure, you are at the right address?”
The man said, “Mrs. Marianne Briner-Mattern? I am from a special courier service - I have a message for you.”
“From where?”
“Please open the door.”
It took them just over half an hour to make it to Marbella.
Leaving the city behind, they reached the golf valley and finally the house where I was living. Having installed surveillance cameras all over the perimeter of my property, I saw the blue Prado the minute it pulled through the gate.
I followed it with my eyes, aware it was a new car at the premises. I saw it park right in front of my home. Unnerved, I stood up and went to the window. Who are these guys?
The answer came when I saw Philipp open the door and stepping out. He walked around and held the passenger door for Sandra.
Seconds later, a knock.
As it was my habit, I peeked into the peephole, and asked, “Who is there?”
I heard Sandra’s giggle, “Mami is so predictable!”
Laughing, I opened the door, embraced them and let them in. Turning to Sandra, I hugged my daughter again, “Couldn’t you call to let me know you were coming?”
“It was his idea,” Sandra said.
Philipp laughed, “You just drop me like that?”
I invited them to sit down. Then I told them about my earlier conversation with Supt. Troon. How I felt he was the toughest detective in the whole world.
“Did he agree to that characterization?” Philipp asked.
I smiled, “He protested it. He thought I was being overly generous with my compliments. That’s how modest he is.”
“The toughest detective?” Philipp pressed.
“Probably the best Scotland Yard ever had.”
“You really mean that?”
I went to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of home-made mango juice. I brought three glasses and set them on the coffee table. “You ask why I sat he is the toughest?”
Philipp nodded.
“It’s because he has ….. proved himself to be,” I then said.
Philipp seemed impressed. He said, “He must be a veteran crime fighter.”
“He is.”
“A fearless warrior.”
“That’s him.”
“The more reason you have not to go to Kenya. This is my reasoning - that if a great detective like Troon investigated this case, told the world who killed Dr. Ouko, what is there for anybody to add to his conclusions?” He poured the juice into his glass, “I, for one, think his conclusions should be let to stand. There is absolutely no reason for you to go to Nairobi.”
I had to laugh, “That’s why you came, right?”
He nodded.
Sandra was surprised by how swiftly Philipp and I glided into this topic. To her, the Dr. Ouko case was never going to be resolved. Why were so many people wasting their time trying to solve this murder?
Had not also her mother admitted that too many witnesses had already died? That the Kenyans authorities were not really interested to come to the truth? And that even if the truth would be told, Biwott was too cunning to be prosecuted?
Thinking she could add her voice to Philipp’s qualms, she said, “Mami, Philipp has a point.”
“I know.”
“Then why do you insist on going to Nairobi?”
I pointed at the Summon sitting on the dining table. “I have an obligation to tell the truth.”
“But others have already, Mami.”
“There is something they have never said because they did not know.”
“Back to the Committee thing, “ Philipp said. “This new evidence you want to talk about, what is it?”
“I cannot say.”
“Even not to us?”
I shook my head. I went to the kitchen und started to prepare a plate with seafood and salad. Then I decided to go back and sat next to Philipp, “Look ….”
Right then, there was a sharp nock at the door.
A knock?
Here?
I was the first to recover. I tiptoed to the peephole and took a peek. I saw a middle-aged man. He was in a red T-shirt, a new blue pair of Jeans. He wore really dark shades. Who was he?
Unsure that his mission was, I asked, “Who are you? Are you sure, you are at the right address?”
The man said, “Mrs. Marianne Briner-Mattern? I am from a special courier service - I have a message for you.”
“From where?”
“Please open the door.”
The 5 Most Popular Articles In Kumekucha Today
5 Most popular articles on Kumekucha Today
1. Biwott's Australian wife (Kenya Betrayed)
2. Amos Kimunya Insults ODM
3. Old mzungu strips for young Kenyan beauty.
4. Most popular 5 articles on Kumeklucha on 17th Oct.
5. ODM woyee and the mystery of the large crowd at Uhuru Park
1. Biwott's Australian wife (Kenya Betrayed)
2. Amos Kimunya Insults ODM
3. Old mzungu strips for young Kenyan beauty.
4. Most popular 5 articles on Kumeklucha on 17th Oct.
5. ODM woyee and the mystery of the large crowd at Uhuru Park
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Amos Kimunya Insults ODM: Could He Be The Mysterious Kioko OF BC?
Kumekucha tech experts checking if IP address leads back to the Treasury
I am in shock.
I have carefully studied the recent utterances of the Finance Minister of the Republic of Kenya to the press and they have left me numb with shock because they bare an uncanny resemblance to the abusive comments a notorious commentator here called Kioko of BC has been leaving in this blog.
Amos Kimunya you know, but for those who have no idea who Kioko of BC is, let me introduce him. For quite a while now we have had one crazy infamous commentator who visits Kumekucha daily without fail, called Kioko of British Columbia, Canada (or so he claims). It is through this man that I first came to hear of a place called Kavirondo Gulf and if you check most of his abusive comments here they are bound to include the word kihii. Several readers suggested that he should go and launch a foreskin blog since that seems to be his pet subject and obsession.
Looking at the utterances of one Amos Kimunya recently they bare an uncanny resemblance to the words of the infamous Kioko here. Could they be the same person? Is the Finance Minister leaving abusive comments here in this blog but not using his real name?
Sample this;
“There is fear amongst investors over these other people taking over government.”
“These people do not understand the stock exchange. This is not a fish market.”
That sounds uncannily like Kioko does it not?
Who was the Finance Minister referring to? We all know that ODM is a national political party that enjoys massive support in at least 6 of the 8 provinces in Kenya (kindly note that this is NOT according to Kumekucha but according to no less than 4 different independent pollsters who have published their findings in the Sunday Nation and other national media). And yet Mr Kimunya managed to reduce his comments to a direct personal attack at the person of Raila Odinga, the duly elected presidential candidate of ODM and the Luo community. For what it is worth I am NOT a Luo myself, just a concerned non-tribal Kenyan.
We know that fish is also found at the Coast and a few other places in this good republic, but Mr Kimunya left no doubt as to who he was referring to.
Let us put aside the fact that the community the Finance Minister attacked in his crude remarks consists of some of the best educated Kenyans and numerous professionals and experts including doctors and lawyers and yes, experts on stock exchanges worldwide. Let us instead focus our attention on the motive of this very personal and very abusive remark.
Regular readers of this blog will remember the story we carried here recently where it has been established that the nickname used on former Ethics PS John Githongo by Angle Leasing suspects when he was still in government was Mujaruo. This gives you a very clear idea of the kind of thinking that is going on at the heart of the Kibaki administration. The administration that is telling Kenyans that the other side is “tribal” and is using “tribal emotions” to drum up support.
In other words the remarks that we see here every day from Kioko of BC as abusive and ridiculous and provoking as they are is the true position of the Kibaki administration concerning ODM and the opposition in Kenya. In fact so accurate are the remarks of Kioko that I can confidently report to all readers of Kumekucha that you can take them as official.
God help this country. God have mercy on Kenya.
P.S. My dear fellow Kenyans, do you not think that an apology from Mr Kimunya (alias Kioko of BC) to ALL Kenyans is in order here?
P.S. I await the official position of the Kibaki administration from Kioko of BC. Your comment will receive high priority in being approved, Kioko (official government spokesman on Kumekucha).
I am in shock.
I have carefully studied the recent utterances of the Finance Minister of the Republic of Kenya to the press and they have left me numb with shock because they bare an uncanny resemblance to the abusive comments a notorious commentator here called Kioko of BC has been leaving in this blog.
Amos Kimunya you know, but for those who have no idea who Kioko of BC is, let me introduce him. For quite a while now we have had one crazy infamous commentator who visits Kumekucha daily without fail, called Kioko of British Columbia, Canada (or so he claims). It is through this man that I first came to hear of a place called Kavirondo Gulf and if you check most of his abusive comments here they are bound to include the word kihii. Several readers suggested that he should go and launch a foreskin blog since that seems to be his pet subject and obsession.
Looking at the utterances of one Amos Kimunya recently they bare an uncanny resemblance to the words of the infamous Kioko here. Could they be the same person? Is the Finance Minister leaving abusive comments here in this blog but not using his real name?
Sample this;
“There is fear amongst investors over these other people taking over government.”
“These people do not understand the stock exchange. This is not a fish market.”
That sounds uncannily like Kioko does it not?
Who was the Finance Minister referring to? We all know that ODM is a national political party that enjoys massive support in at least 6 of the 8 provinces in Kenya (kindly note that this is NOT according to Kumekucha but according to no less than 4 different independent pollsters who have published their findings in the Sunday Nation and other national media). And yet Mr Kimunya managed to reduce his comments to a direct personal attack at the person of Raila Odinga, the duly elected presidential candidate of ODM and the Luo community. For what it is worth I am NOT a Luo myself, just a concerned non-tribal Kenyan.
We know that fish is also found at the Coast and a few other places in this good republic, but Mr Kimunya left no doubt as to who he was referring to.
Let us put aside the fact that the community the Finance Minister attacked in his crude remarks consists of some of the best educated Kenyans and numerous professionals and experts including doctors and lawyers and yes, experts on stock exchanges worldwide. Let us instead focus our attention on the motive of this very personal and very abusive remark.
Regular readers of this blog will remember the story we carried here recently where it has been established that the nickname used on former Ethics PS John Githongo by Angle Leasing suspects when he was still in government was Mujaruo. This gives you a very clear idea of the kind of thinking that is going on at the heart of the Kibaki administration. The administration that is telling Kenyans that the other side is “tribal” and is using “tribal emotions” to drum up support.
In other words the remarks that we see here every day from Kioko of BC as abusive and ridiculous and provoking as they are is the true position of the Kibaki administration concerning ODM and the opposition in Kenya. In fact so accurate are the remarks of Kioko that I can confidently report to all readers of Kumekucha that you can take them as official.
God help this country. God have mercy on Kenya.
P.S. My dear fellow Kenyans, do you not think that an apology from Mr Kimunya (alias Kioko of BC) to ALL Kenyans is in order here?
P.S. I await the official position of the Kibaki administration from Kioko of BC. Your comment will receive high priority in being approved, Kioko (official government spokesman on Kumekucha).
Biwott’s Australian Wife (Kenya Betrayed)
At the breakfast table, Mrs. Troon warned her husband to be extremely careful. “First of all, I am worried about you going back to Kenya. And second, you and other witnesses have the Kenyan Authorities all there was to say. If they wanted to prosecute the murderers, they have all the evidence they need on the table already.”
“No, they don’t,” he said.
Her eyebrows lifted, “What?”
“Marianne has more.”
“More what?”
Taking a sip of fresh orange juice, he looked her in the eye and said, “She has ….. the truth.”
*******************************************
Nicholas Biwott was a man who left nothing to chance.
When he was still in Government handling threatening situations was his forte. He had perfected the art of crisis management and damage control.
But that was then.
Things had since changed.
They changed the day his cousin – Daniel T. arap Moi – had turned over power to the new Head of State, Mwai Kibaki.
As he woke up this morning in his Kileleshwa home, he told his wife that he was going to be out of town.
“I thought you have work in Parliament?” she asked.
She was a slender Jewish woman from Australia. She had blonde curly hair and wore it in a way that made her look like a female rock star. Her clothes were designer ….. most of them shipped in from Italy.
Although he had taken during the last years two other wives - both of them Africans - she still remained the one he trusted most. Their two daughters had married white foreigners who soon started to get involved in his vast business empire in leading positions - but it was still this white wife which kept the control in her hands and he had to admit, very successfully.
“Work? It can wait,” Biwott then said.
“What’s so urgent?”
Biwott went into the bathroom, got into the tub and turned on the water. As he serenaded his body with some herbs, he said, “I have to go to Kabarnet Gardens.”
“To see Mzee?”
He just nodded his head.
Suddenly his wife went quiet. She felt nervous. She was aware that an inexplicable chill had come between her husband and Moi.
Kicking down the comforter, she recalled vividly how close the two used to be. How Nick had controlled the flow of information to Moi. How he had practically run the Government. Why and when had things gone so wrong?
“So what are your plans for today?” he asked her.
She got out of bed, “I’ll drop in and see how the businesses are doing. I also have some meetings scheduled for this afternoon….”
“That’s all right. Hope, you have a good time.”
“I will.” She slipped out of her nightgown and joined him in the bathroom.
She had noticed – since last night – that Nick had not been himself. She had seen him lost in thoughts, talk less. And bark orders at the house-girl. That had warned her that something was wrong. Was it safe to ask?
He stepped out of the tub and looked at her, “You are still as pretty as ever, sweetheart.”
She smiled. For her he was the most sensitive man she had ever met. Why were so many Kenyans so distrustful of him? Why did people blame him for everything that went wrong in this country?
“And you have kept yourself up well,” he added.
He kissed her cheek, “I love you.”
She mouthed, “I love you too.” - And suddenly she worked up the courage to ask that was wrong. She said, “Honey, since last night you have not been yourself. You have been very quiet …. Contemplative ….. and – I dare to add – abnormally harsh with the servants. I want to know what’s going on.”
He looked down, “It’s …… nothing.”
“It’s this new Committee, right?”
He shook his head. “The Committee can sit, do its work. I have no problem with that.”
She squeezed his hand, “Then what is the matter?”
He walked back into the bedroom. As he stepped into the walk-in closet, he said, “The problem is this distance Moi has allowed to come between him and me.”
“I know it bothers you,” she said.
He pulled out a dark suit. It was Hudson’s. He grabbed a Gilbert tie, too. Setting them on the bed, he said, “Sweetheart, you don’t understand. You see, when we were still in Government, when Moi was still the President, I had total control of his agenda ….. all the people around ….. the whole situation. If anything came up, he always turned to me and I quickly handled it.”
She had followed him into the bedroom, “And what has that got to do with your mood since last night?”
He looked at her, “You just mentioned this new Committee …..”
“On Dr. Ouko?”
He nodded, “There is going to be a problem.”
“How? All you will have to do is tell them the same things you have said before….. like this, you have nothing to fear.”
Biwott smiled dryly, “It is not going to be that easy.”
“Why?” She asked, suddenly looking quite concerned.
He walked up to her and took her hand. After giving it a gentle squeeze, he said, “ This is going to be the first Committee investigating Dr. Ouko’s death since Moi turned over power to the current goons. It’s a new field we are playing on,” he explained. “That’s why I am a little uptight.”
“But you had nothing to do with his death,” she then said.
He looked down, “Many people believe the opposite.”
“But it is not true – isn’t it?”
He had not expected that question. He looked at his wife oddly. Offended he then said, “I did not kill Dr. Ouko.”
“So who did? …… Moi?”
***
This morning, the members of the opposition party, the shrunken KANU, came to Parliament earlier than usual.
Their leader – the young son of the founding father – Uhuru Kenyatta, had sent messages via SMS and alerted them to be at a meeting in Parliament by eight.
All had come.
Except Nicholas Biwott.
At the brief meeting, it was quickly agreed that the party members would defend the former Head of State should he come under attack from the new Committee.
As the meeting was about to break up, Moi’s own son, Gideon, now the new member for Baringo, proposed that the Old Man should not even be subjected to the indignity of appearing before the Committee, “It would be unseemly,” he warned.
Others agreed.
Within minutes, it was agreed that members of the oldest party in the country – KANU – the party Moi had chaired for more than to decades, would defend him and fence off any effort to get him to testify not only in the Dr. Ouko investigations but also regarding the Goldenberg case and other similar ones.
TO BE CONTINUED
“No, they don’t,” he said.
Her eyebrows lifted, “What?”
“Marianne has more.”
“More what?”
Taking a sip of fresh orange juice, he looked her in the eye and said, “She has ….. the truth.”
*******************************************
Nicholas Biwott was a man who left nothing to chance.
When he was still in Government handling threatening situations was his forte. He had perfected the art of crisis management and damage control.
But that was then.
Things had since changed.
They changed the day his cousin – Daniel T. arap Moi – had turned over power to the new Head of State, Mwai Kibaki.
As he woke up this morning in his Kileleshwa home, he told his wife that he was going to be out of town.
“I thought you have work in Parliament?” she asked.
She was a slender Jewish woman from Australia. She had blonde curly hair and wore it in a way that made her look like a female rock star. Her clothes were designer ….. most of them shipped in from Italy.
Although he had taken during the last years two other wives - both of them Africans - she still remained the one he trusted most. Their two daughters had married white foreigners who soon started to get involved in his vast business empire in leading positions - but it was still this white wife which kept the control in her hands and he had to admit, very successfully.
“Work? It can wait,” Biwott then said.
“What’s so urgent?”
Biwott went into the bathroom, got into the tub and turned on the water. As he serenaded his body with some herbs, he said, “I have to go to Kabarnet Gardens.”
“To see Mzee?”
He just nodded his head.
Suddenly his wife went quiet. She felt nervous. She was aware that an inexplicable chill had come between her husband and Moi.
Kicking down the comforter, she recalled vividly how close the two used to be. How Nick had controlled the flow of information to Moi. How he had practically run the Government. Why and when had things gone so wrong?
“So what are your plans for today?” he asked her.
She got out of bed, “I’ll drop in and see how the businesses are doing. I also have some meetings scheduled for this afternoon….”
“That’s all right. Hope, you have a good time.”
“I will.” She slipped out of her nightgown and joined him in the bathroom.
She had noticed – since last night – that Nick had not been himself. She had seen him lost in thoughts, talk less. And bark orders at the house-girl. That had warned her that something was wrong. Was it safe to ask?
He stepped out of the tub and looked at her, “You are still as pretty as ever, sweetheart.”
She smiled. For her he was the most sensitive man she had ever met. Why were so many Kenyans so distrustful of him? Why did people blame him for everything that went wrong in this country?
“And you have kept yourself up well,” he added.
He kissed her cheek, “I love you.”
She mouthed, “I love you too.” - And suddenly she worked up the courage to ask that was wrong. She said, “Honey, since last night you have not been yourself. You have been very quiet …. Contemplative ….. and – I dare to add – abnormally harsh with the servants. I want to know what’s going on.”
He looked down, “It’s …… nothing.”
“It’s this new Committee, right?”
He shook his head. “The Committee can sit, do its work. I have no problem with that.”
She squeezed his hand, “Then what is the matter?”
He walked back into the bedroom. As he stepped into the walk-in closet, he said, “The problem is this distance Moi has allowed to come between him and me.”
“I know it bothers you,” she said.
He pulled out a dark suit. It was Hudson’s. He grabbed a Gilbert tie, too. Setting them on the bed, he said, “Sweetheart, you don’t understand. You see, when we were still in Government, when Moi was still the President, I had total control of his agenda ….. all the people around ….. the whole situation. If anything came up, he always turned to me and I quickly handled it.”
She had followed him into the bedroom, “And what has that got to do with your mood since last night?”
He looked at her, “You just mentioned this new Committee …..”
“On Dr. Ouko?”
He nodded, “There is going to be a problem.”
“How? All you will have to do is tell them the same things you have said before….. like this, you have nothing to fear.”
Biwott smiled dryly, “It is not going to be that easy.”
“Why?” She asked, suddenly looking quite concerned.
He walked up to her and took her hand. After giving it a gentle squeeze, he said, “ This is going to be the first Committee investigating Dr. Ouko’s death since Moi turned over power to the current goons. It’s a new field we are playing on,” he explained. “That’s why I am a little uptight.”
“But you had nothing to do with his death,” she then said.
He looked down, “Many people believe the opposite.”
“But it is not true – isn’t it?”
He had not expected that question. He looked at his wife oddly. Offended he then said, “I did not kill Dr. Ouko.”
“So who did? …… Moi?”
***
This morning, the members of the opposition party, the shrunken KANU, came to Parliament earlier than usual.
Their leader – the young son of the founding father – Uhuru Kenyatta, had sent messages via SMS and alerted them to be at a meeting in Parliament by eight.
All had come.
Except Nicholas Biwott.
At the brief meeting, it was quickly agreed that the party members would defend the former Head of State should he come under attack from the new Committee.
As the meeting was about to break up, Moi’s own son, Gideon, now the new member for Baringo, proposed that the Old Man should not even be subjected to the indignity of appearing before the Committee, “It would be unseemly,” he warned.
Others agreed.
Within minutes, it was agreed that members of the oldest party in the country – KANU – the party Moi had chaired for more than to decades, would defend him and fence off any effort to get him to testify not only in the Dr. Ouko investigations but also regarding the Goldenberg case and other similar ones.
TO BE CONTINUED
Most Popular Kumekucha Articles 17th October '07
Most popular Kumekucha articles today by 4 PM Kenyan time
1. Why Pamela Tutui Must resign from the ECK Vice Chair
2. Is Langata voter's register genuine?
3. Why PNU is working itself into a tight corner.
4. Hoo Ndii Emm Woyee As Mystery Of Huge Crowd At Uhuru Park Lingers.
5. Old mzungu strips in public for young Kenyan beauty
1. Why Pamela Tutui Must resign from the ECK Vice Chair
2. Is Langata voter's register genuine?
3. Why PNU is working itself into a tight corner.
4. Hoo Ndii Emm Woyee As Mystery Of Huge Crowd At Uhuru Park Lingers.
5. Old mzungu strips in public for young Kenyan beauty
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Why Pamela Tutui Must Resign From The ECK Immediately
Brand New ECK Vice Chair Loses Her Temper During Her First Contact With The Press
Pamela Mwikali Tutui today demonstrated on national TV precisely why she is NOT qualified to be the vice chair of the Electoral Commission of Kenya. To avoid a disaster that is just waiting to happen Ms Tuitui should resign and head back to the sleepy city of Mombassa where most things happen in slow motion.
Journalists were shocked when Ms Tuitui appeared to lose her temper over a question posed by one journalist shortly after she was sworn in this morning at Chief Justice Gicheru’s chambers. One wonders what will happen when the election campaigns start (let alone the elections proper) when there will be plenty for the good lady to lose her temper over.
It is clear that Ms Tuitui thinks that her new appointment is not any different from her private practice in Mombasa. She seems totally unaware that hers is a public office and she should be ready at any time to answer questions from the press without taking things personally because the people of Kenya want to know.
Kenyans should now ask why would the government want to appoint a short-tempered inexperienced lady to the vice chair of the ECK just a few weeks before the most complex general elections in the history of Kenya?
Actually it has not become crystal clear that the Kibaki administration has no intention of running a free and fair election. The signs are all there for even the blind to read. Watch the next clincher when the experienced chairman will be replaced two or three weeks before the elections when his tenure runs out.
Just yesterday a man appeared before a Kibera court after being found with about 70 elector’s card in his brief case at Yaya Centra in Nairobi. Now why would somebody carry such a large number of elector’s cards in their briefcase?
Then there is the character by the name of Stanley Livondo who is going round the country carrying a firearm and recently somebody was shot in circumstances that are not very clear, by one of his bodyguards.
There are actually many way to rig an elections and one does not need to steal votes only. Sample this incident from the 1997 general elections;
Fred Gumo was present when the returning officer for the Westlands Constituency announced the election results in favor of Gumo’s rival Betty Tett. Gumo walked up to her and slapped her hard across the face. Moments later she announced different election results with Gumo declared the winner of those stormy elections.
These are some of the finer details that only experienced electoral commissioners can look into. You do not send a lady to be presiding officer in a constituency where there is a violent contestant who is known to have no respect for women.
Don’t get me wrong here. I have the deepest respect for women and I am a staunch supporter of affirmative action to give women equal opportunities. But I am also realistic, that is why when I hear a noise at night, I do not take turns with my wife to go out and check what it is. Security is my responsibility in the home.
If Ms Tuitui is smart, she will see the difficult position that she has been put into an resign immediately before it is too late. She surely does not want a black mark on her excellent CV and mark my words this job at the Electoral Commission is bound to produce just that for her. She needs to seek advice from close friends as well who if they love her will tell her that this appointment is not about qualifications but more about temperament and it is the kind of assignment where one needs many months of preparation at the very least to handle what is coming later this year. Instead the poor lady has been put in suicidal position to say the least. And to make matters worse, the outburst this afternoon demonstrated clearly that the good lady is far from being prepared to handle the mother of all general elections.
Tutui, 49, is a Managing Partner with Cootow and Associates Advocates and Head of Conveyance, Corporate Law, and Alternative Dispute Resolution Division. She attended the University of Nairobi between 1979-1982, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Law degree. Between 1982 and 1983, Tutui was at the Kenya School of Law where she obtained a postgraduate diploma in Legal Education Service. She was admitted to the roll of Advocates in 1983 and as a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, London in 2005.
Pamela Mwikali Tutui today demonstrated on national TV precisely why she is NOT qualified to be the vice chair of the Electoral Commission of Kenya. To avoid a disaster that is just waiting to happen Ms Tuitui should resign and head back to the sleepy city of Mombassa where most things happen in slow motion.
Journalists were shocked when Ms Tuitui appeared to lose her temper over a question posed by one journalist shortly after she was sworn in this morning at Chief Justice Gicheru’s chambers. One wonders what will happen when the election campaigns start (let alone the elections proper) when there will be plenty for the good lady to lose her temper over.
It is clear that Ms Tuitui thinks that her new appointment is not any different from her private practice in Mombasa. She seems totally unaware that hers is a public office and she should be ready at any time to answer questions from the press without taking things personally because the people of Kenya want to know.
Kenyans should now ask why would the government want to appoint a short-tempered inexperienced lady to the vice chair of the ECK just a few weeks before the most complex general elections in the history of Kenya?
Actually it has not become crystal clear that the Kibaki administration has no intention of running a free and fair election. The signs are all there for even the blind to read. Watch the next clincher when the experienced chairman will be replaced two or three weeks before the elections when his tenure runs out.
Just yesterday a man appeared before a Kibera court after being found with about 70 elector’s card in his brief case at Yaya Centra in Nairobi. Now why would somebody carry such a large number of elector’s cards in their briefcase?
Then there is the character by the name of Stanley Livondo who is going round the country carrying a firearm and recently somebody was shot in circumstances that are not very clear, by one of his bodyguards.
There are actually many way to rig an elections and one does not need to steal votes only. Sample this incident from the 1997 general elections;
Fred Gumo was present when the returning officer for the Westlands Constituency announced the election results in favor of Gumo’s rival Betty Tett. Gumo walked up to her and slapped her hard across the face. Moments later she announced different election results with Gumo declared the winner of those stormy elections.
These are some of the finer details that only experienced electoral commissioners can look into. You do not send a lady to be presiding officer in a constituency where there is a violent contestant who is known to have no respect for women.
Don’t get me wrong here. I have the deepest respect for women and I am a staunch supporter of affirmative action to give women equal opportunities. But I am also realistic, that is why when I hear a noise at night, I do not take turns with my wife to go out and check what it is. Security is my responsibility in the home.
If Ms Tuitui is smart, she will see the difficult position that she has been put into an resign immediately before it is too late. She surely does not want a black mark on her excellent CV and mark my words this job at the Electoral Commission is bound to produce just that for her. She needs to seek advice from close friends as well who if they love her will tell her that this appointment is not about qualifications but more about temperament and it is the kind of assignment where one needs many months of preparation at the very least to handle what is coming later this year. Instead the poor lady has been put in suicidal position to say the least. And to make matters worse, the outburst this afternoon demonstrated clearly that the good lady is far from being prepared to handle the mother of all general elections.
Tutui, 49, is a Managing Partner with Cootow and Associates Advocates and Head of Conveyance, Corporate Law, and Alternative Dispute Resolution Division. She attended the University of Nairobi between 1979-1982, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Law degree. Between 1982 and 1983, Tutui was at the Kenya School of Law where she obtained a postgraduate diploma in Legal Education Service. She was admitted to the roll of Advocates in 1983 and as a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, London in 2005.
John Troon (Kenya Betrayed)
To Philipp – Sandra’s husband – the idea of just calling his mother-in-law to talk her out of going to Kenya did not cut it.
He had to go Spain - right down to Marbella. He had to fly there to give her the facts and tell her in no uncertain terms why she could not go to Nairobi.
“So you are also coming?” he asked Sandra just as she was waking up.
“It’s a waste of time. She won’t listen to us,” she shot back.
“But she may die out there. Remember what happened last time she was in Nairobi.”
Sandra remembered that day like it was only yesterday. How she had been sitting by the phone the whole morning ….. the whole day …. and half the night.
She remembered that when her call finally came through, her mother had told her that she had just escaped an assassination attempt.
Two weeks later, John Kazzora had come to Zurich and had confirmed it.
And now her mother wanted to go back to that? No way, Philipp was going to let that happen.
“So, are you coming?” he asked Sandra again.
His wife slapped away the comforter, came up on her elbow and looked at her husband, “You really mean it?”
“Mean what?”
“That you are going to Spain?”
He nodded, “I have to protect my mother-in-law from doing something really stupid.”
“Protect her?” She smiled. Did he really know her mother ?
Walking toward the bathroom, he said, “I’m not going to work today. I want to fly to Malaga by about eleven and be back here by five o’clock.”
Sandra shrugged, “So let’s try it.”
On that note, they went to the bathroom, stripped and stepped into the big bathtub together.
Later, Philipp asked again why Marianne felt so committed to Kenya ….. why she still felt so attached, “Will she ever let go?”
Sandra – tears forming – shook her head. She knew her mother would never let go. She loved Kenya from the first moment she had set foot there. She loved the people.
Loved the nature. She had nursed big ambitions for Kenya. - And she had deeply fallen in love there. Had loved two very controversial men. Maybe still loved one of them. – So how could Philipp expect her mother to fust forget?
And then Sandra started to ask herself the same question – could she forget her life in Kenya – Nairobi and Mombasa? The way she had been spoilt as a young girl, how these two men had competed for her affection because of their love for her mother ?
“I take your silence as a no,” Greg said. “But I am still going to try. The only way to make your mother forget about Dr. Ouko and this testimony is to make her forget Kenya. She has to let Kenya go once and for all.”
Sandra scrubbed his back, “I doubt, she ever will.”
“But at least we can try.”
Sandra smiled. Good luck !
***********************************************
In London, Supt. Troon pulled out another file.
He had gone through all the others and was satisfied that if he had another chance to investigate this case, he would do it exactly the same way. He trusted the conclusions he had reached at that time.
But unhappy with himself for not having revealed how vicious the schemes against me in Nairobi were, he decided to call me.
When my phone rang, I practically ran to it, picked up and then blurted, “This is Marianne Briner-Mattern.”
I then I heard Troon laughing, “It’s not that official.”
“Thank God, it’s you. Anyway, what is going on?”
“I was just going through a couple of files –“ He put his finger on the paragraph he had called about, “I have found something that will interest you.”
“What is it?”
“Listen to this line: In my interview with Hezekiah Oyugi and the Head of State who denied me a chance to interview Mr. Nicholas Biwott, I determined that there was a vicious campaign to discredit Mrs. Marianne Briner and to damage her credibility completely. In the long run, I had to come to the conclusion that the three top guns were scathing because they wanted to get me off their backs.”
“You wrote that?” I asked.
“Yes. I also wrote that because of their behavior – and because of other uncovered facts – I had to conclude that they killed Dr. Ouko.”
“If you knew that, Supt. Troon, why did you not say it more categorically?”
“I already told you why.”
“You were worried?”
“It was tough. I guess, I was a little bit worried - yes.”
“About your security?”
“They tried to kill me ….. poison me.”
“So you buckled?”
He had to laugh. He knew that I was only kidding. Over the years we had become friends. I was seeking advise from him whenever anything related to Dr. Ouko and Kenya came up. And he had come to like my sense of humor.
Smiling, he said, “You are tough with me, Marianne.”
“It’s not about being tough. It’s about doing the right thing. It’s my view that by being scared, by being more concerned with our security, we have failed to mention all the reasons why Dr. Ouko was killed and by whom.”
“You really think so?”
“What I am saying is that we have now a last chance to correct things, make them right. I have already received my Summon and I intend to travel to Nairobi. This time I will say everything. Every damn shit ….”
“You know you are risking big. I want you to understand that …. But you have my full support. And let me just say this - I am proud of you, proud to be your friend.”
“Thank you – that means a lot coming from you. But one more question. What will you do should you be summoned?” I then asked.
Hearing this question, Troon shrugged. Summoned? Of course, I have been summoned. But why should Moi and Biwott let me return? Had I not practically accused them both of murder?
Convinced the two would not let him return – and aware of the fact that they still called the shots in Kenya – he said, “Actually, the Committee has summoned me already. But I doubt Moi and Biwott will allow me back into Kenya.”
“What if they do?” I pressed.
He kept quiet. Was that really possible?
Before he could answer, his wife knocked and came in the study. She mouthed, Breakfast is ready.
“If I get back to Nairobi, I will talk…… given how things have played out in the last decade and half, I have no other choice. I can’t let these guys get away with murder.”
“I like that.”
He sighed and then said, “Marianne, we owe it to Bob to talk. We have to help him to finally rest in peace.”
****
At the breakfast table, Mrs. Troon warned her husband to be extremely careful. “First of all, I am worried about you going back to Kenya. And second, you and other witnesses have the Kenyan Authorities all there was to say. If they wanted to prosecute the murderers, they have all the evidence they need on the table already.”
“No, they don’t,” he said.
Her eyebrows lifted, “What?”
“Marianne has more.”
“More what?”
To Be Continued Tomorrow
He had to go Spain - right down to Marbella. He had to fly there to give her the facts and tell her in no uncertain terms why she could not go to Nairobi.
“So you are also coming?” he asked Sandra just as she was waking up.
“It’s a waste of time. She won’t listen to us,” she shot back.
“But she may die out there. Remember what happened last time she was in Nairobi.”
Sandra remembered that day like it was only yesterday. How she had been sitting by the phone the whole morning ….. the whole day …. and half the night.
She remembered that when her call finally came through, her mother had told her that she had just escaped an assassination attempt.
Two weeks later, John Kazzora had come to Zurich and had confirmed it.
And now her mother wanted to go back to that? No way, Philipp was going to let that happen.
“So, are you coming?” he asked Sandra again.
His wife slapped away the comforter, came up on her elbow and looked at her husband, “You really mean it?”
“Mean what?”
“That you are going to Spain?”
He nodded, “I have to protect my mother-in-law from doing something really stupid.”
“Protect her?” She smiled. Did he really know her mother ?
Walking toward the bathroom, he said, “I’m not going to work today. I want to fly to Malaga by about eleven and be back here by five o’clock.”
Sandra shrugged, “So let’s try it.”
On that note, they went to the bathroom, stripped and stepped into the big bathtub together.
Later, Philipp asked again why Marianne felt so committed to Kenya ….. why she still felt so attached, “Will she ever let go?”
Sandra – tears forming – shook her head. She knew her mother would never let go. She loved Kenya from the first moment she had set foot there. She loved the people.
Loved the nature. She had nursed big ambitions for Kenya. - And she had deeply fallen in love there. Had loved two very controversial men. Maybe still loved one of them. – So how could Philipp expect her mother to fust forget?
And then Sandra started to ask herself the same question – could she forget her life in Kenya – Nairobi and Mombasa? The way she had been spoilt as a young girl, how these two men had competed for her affection because of their love for her mother ?
“I take your silence as a no,” Greg said. “But I am still going to try. The only way to make your mother forget about Dr. Ouko and this testimony is to make her forget Kenya. She has to let Kenya go once and for all.”
Sandra scrubbed his back, “I doubt, she ever will.”
“But at least we can try.”
Sandra smiled. Good luck !
***********************************************
In London, Supt. Troon pulled out another file.
He had gone through all the others and was satisfied that if he had another chance to investigate this case, he would do it exactly the same way. He trusted the conclusions he had reached at that time.
But unhappy with himself for not having revealed how vicious the schemes against me in Nairobi were, he decided to call me.
When my phone rang, I practically ran to it, picked up and then blurted, “This is Marianne Briner-Mattern.”
I then I heard Troon laughing, “It’s not that official.”
“Thank God, it’s you. Anyway, what is going on?”
“I was just going through a couple of files –“ He put his finger on the paragraph he had called about, “I have found something that will interest you.”
“What is it?”
“Listen to this line: In my interview with Hezekiah Oyugi and the Head of State who denied me a chance to interview Mr. Nicholas Biwott, I determined that there was a vicious campaign to discredit Mrs. Marianne Briner and to damage her credibility completely. In the long run, I had to come to the conclusion that the three top guns were scathing because they wanted to get me off their backs.”
“You wrote that?” I asked.
“Yes. I also wrote that because of their behavior – and because of other uncovered facts – I had to conclude that they killed Dr. Ouko.”
“If you knew that, Supt. Troon, why did you not say it more categorically?”
“I already told you why.”
“You were worried?”
“It was tough. I guess, I was a little bit worried - yes.”
“About your security?”
“They tried to kill me ….. poison me.”
“So you buckled?”
He had to laugh. He knew that I was only kidding. Over the years we had become friends. I was seeking advise from him whenever anything related to Dr. Ouko and Kenya came up. And he had come to like my sense of humor.
Smiling, he said, “You are tough with me, Marianne.”
“It’s not about being tough. It’s about doing the right thing. It’s my view that by being scared, by being more concerned with our security, we have failed to mention all the reasons why Dr. Ouko was killed and by whom.”
“You really think so?”
“What I am saying is that we have now a last chance to correct things, make them right. I have already received my Summon and I intend to travel to Nairobi. This time I will say everything. Every damn shit ….”
“You know you are risking big. I want you to understand that …. But you have my full support. And let me just say this - I am proud of you, proud to be your friend.”
“Thank you – that means a lot coming from you. But one more question. What will you do should you be summoned?” I then asked.
Hearing this question, Troon shrugged. Summoned? Of course, I have been summoned. But why should Moi and Biwott let me return? Had I not practically accused them both of murder?
Convinced the two would not let him return – and aware of the fact that they still called the shots in Kenya – he said, “Actually, the Committee has summoned me already. But I doubt Moi and Biwott will allow me back into Kenya.”
“What if they do?” I pressed.
He kept quiet. Was that really possible?
Before he could answer, his wife knocked and came in the study. She mouthed, Breakfast is ready.
“If I get back to Nairobi, I will talk…… given how things have played out in the last decade and half, I have no other choice. I can’t let these guys get away with murder.”
“I like that.”
He sighed and then said, “Marianne, we owe it to Bob to talk. We have to help him to finally rest in peace.”
****
At the breakfast table, Mrs. Troon warned her husband to be extremely careful. “First of all, I am worried about you going back to Kenya. And second, you and other witnesses have the Kenyan Authorities all there was to say. If they wanted to prosecute the murderers, they have all the evidence they need on the table already.”
“No, they don’t,” he said.
Her eyebrows lifted, “What?”
“Marianne has more.”
“More what?”
To Be Continued Tomorrow
5 Most Popular Articles In Kumekucha 16th Oct
The 5 most popular articles today traffic monitored between 1:30pm and 2:30 pm
1. Hoo Ndii Emm Woyee As Mystery of Large Crowd Lingers
2. Why PNU Is Working Itself Into A Tight Corner
3. 5 Most Popular Kumekucha Articles on 15th Oct
4. Kisumu Town East Seat (Kenya Betrayed)
5. Old Mzungu strips in public for young Kenyan beauty
1. Hoo Ndii Emm Woyee As Mystery of Large Crowd Lingers
2. Why PNU Is Working Itself Into A Tight Corner
3. 5 Most Popular Kumekucha Articles on 15th Oct
4. Kisumu Town East Seat (Kenya Betrayed)
5. Old Mzungu strips in public for young Kenyan beauty
Monday, October 15, 2007
Hoo Ndii Emm Woyee As Mystery Of The Mammoth Crowd Persists
It is a fact that PNU struggled to fill the 40,000 capacity Nyayo Stadium during President Kibaki’s presidential campaign launch just over 2 weeks ago. Some of the gymnastics that the party had to go through included helping to finance national delegates conferences for affiliate parties which were organized at about the same time so as to avoid at all costs the Stadium being embarrassingly empty.
So the big mystery that almost every Kenyan on the street is talking about is how the 8% party managed to attract such a mammoth crowd to Uhuru Park.
All sorts of rumours are flying;
One rumour cl;aims that Machakos is very close to Nairobi and so every Mkamba to the last man was transported to Uhuru Park for the rally. The guys spreading this rumour claiom that the faces seen at Uhuru Park on Sunday all looked like they were from one community. And most were saying “Hoo Ndii Emm Woyee!”
Yet another rumour says that Sunday was chosen specifically so that church congregations could be commandeered to turn up at Uhuru Park.”
When all is said and done, it is not very easy to fool this political analyst with large crowds. I remember vividly the crowd that escorted Charity Ngilu to hand over her nomination papers to the electoral commission of Kenya in 1997. Just looking at it you would have quickly declared that Mrs Ngilu had already won. A sharp contrast to candidate Mwai Kibaki who handed over his papers and left quietly with a an aide or two. Ion fact on his way out he bumped into another candidate, no less than the incumbent President Moi himself who had also been on a similar mission to county hall. The two men unaccompanied by supporters greeted each other and parted ways. Well, those were the two guys who came first and second in those elections.
So the crowd at Uhuru park was above everything else a political gimmick. One thing about Hoo Ndii Emm is that fact that they are the most organized of the three political parties. Just carefully look at how they do their things. Somebody suggested to me that if PNU contionue campaigning the way they are, they could easily find their presidential candidate coming in third behind Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka. This may be a far-fetched dream but I can’t help but consider it when the PNU continues to campaign as if the people who are going to vote are retarded idiots.
So the big mystery that almost every Kenyan on the street is talking about is how the 8% party managed to attract such a mammoth crowd to Uhuru Park.
All sorts of rumours are flying;
One rumour cl;aims that Machakos is very close to Nairobi and so every Mkamba to the last man was transported to Uhuru Park for the rally. The guys spreading this rumour claiom that the faces seen at Uhuru Park on Sunday all looked like they were from one community. And most were saying “Hoo Ndii Emm Woyee!”
Yet another rumour says that Sunday was chosen specifically so that church congregations could be commandeered to turn up at Uhuru Park.”
When all is said and done, it is not very easy to fool this political analyst with large crowds. I remember vividly the crowd that escorted Charity Ngilu to hand over her nomination papers to the electoral commission of Kenya in 1997. Just looking at it you would have quickly declared that Mrs Ngilu had already won. A sharp contrast to candidate Mwai Kibaki who handed over his papers and left quietly with a an aide or two. Ion fact on his way out he bumped into another candidate, no less than the incumbent President Moi himself who had also been on a similar mission to county hall. The two men unaccompanied by supporters greeted each other and parted ways. Well, those were the two guys who came first and second in those elections.
So the crowd at Uhuru park was above everything else a political gimmick. One thing about Hoo Ndii Emm is that fact that they are the most organized of the three political parties. Just carefully look at how they do their things. Somebody suggested to me that if PNU contionue campaigning the way they are, they could easily find their presidential candidate coming in third behind Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka. This may be a far-fetched dream but I can’t help but consider it when the PNU continues to campaign as if the people who are going to vote are retarded idiots.
Why PNU Is Working Itself Into A Tight Corner
Both Raila Odinga’s presidential campaign and that of Kalonzo Musyoka are working hard to steer this campaign in the direction of issues. PNU on the other hand are determined to reduce this campaign into a tribal insult-hurling contest.
After Finance Minister Amos Kimunya told Kenyans that the stock exchange has lost a staggering 200 billion because of fear amongst investors that Raila may end up being president, the ODM candidate made a surprise appearance at the Nairobi Stock Exchange this morning and reassured Kenyans that his government would embrace the NSE and its objectives as a way to empower more Kenyans to participate in the economy of the country.
Meanwhile the PNU crowd have not responded to claims from both Raila and Kalonzo that they are preparing to rig the forthcoming polls. Nobody has moved to reassure Kenyans even after the appointment of a brand new inexperienced Vice Chair to the electoral commission. Something rather strange to do when we know that the chairman’s Samuel Kuvuitu’s tenure is bound to expire before the polls. So why would the government want inexperienced commissioners handling the most complex election in the history of Kenya? This is something that rattles investors much more than the face of one Agwambo, that you can be sure about.
So as Raila and kalonzo continue to raise issues and avoid insults, the PNU train is bound to run out of steam pretty quickly. This kind of thing needs a response to remain oiled and to run properly and so far the opposition have denied the government that.
It really is fascinating watching a government that ran out of ideas a long time ago, also run out of ideas fro its’ campaign. In my view this thing of the president’s daughter running his foundation and his political campaign is a terrible idea. It gives the public the impression that this thing is a family issue and so maybe voters should just send off this wonderful family back to Othaya to rest.
I am still desperately waiting to see something, anything that looks like a serious election campaign from the PNU crowd. Why am I desperate? Because like the mainstream press, there is nothing to report about PNU and so it makes us all vulnerable top accusations of favoring ODM. You see what Kenyans do not want to understand is that thepress cannot create news, it only covers it and a lot of what PNU guys see at their meetings is not worth reporting. In the event that the opposition wins, we will have the worst opposition in Kenyan parliamentary history. Can you imagine listening to all that hogwash for the next 5 years?
Again this is the sort of issue that will scare smart investors. We need a strong opposition to check government excesses.
After Finance Minister Amos Kimunya told Kenyans that the stock exchange has lost a staggering 200 billion because of fear amongst investors that Raila may end up being president, the ODM candidate made a surprise appearance at the Nairobi Stock Exchange this morning and reassured Kenyans that his government would embrace the NSE and its objectives as a way to empower more Kenyans to participate in the economy of the country.
Meanwhile the PNU crowd have not responded to claims from both Raila and Kalonzo that they are preparing to rig the forthcoming polls. Nobody has moved to reassure Kenyans even after the appointment of a brand new inexperienced Vice Chair to the electoral commission. Something rather strange to do when we know that the chairman’s Samuel Kuvuitu’s tenure is bound to expire before the polls. So why would the government want inexperienced commissioners handling the most complex election in the history of Kenya? This is something that rattles investors much more than the face of one Agwambo, that you can be sure about.
So as Raila and kalonzo continue to raise issues and avoid insults, the PNU train is bound to run out of steam pretty quickly. This kind of thing needs a response to remain oiled and to run properly and so far the opposition have denied the government that.
It really is fascinating watching a government that ran out of ideas a long time ago, also run out of ideas fro its’ campaign. In my view this thing of the president’s daughter running his foundation and his political campaign is a terrible idea. It gives the public the impression that this thing is a family issue and so maybe voters should just send off this wonderful family back to Othaya to rest.
I am still desperately waiting to see something, anything that looks like a serious election campaign from the PNU crowd. Why am I desperate? Because like the mainstream press, there is nothing to report about PNU and so it makes us all vulnerable top accusations of favoring ODM. You see what Kenyans do not want to understand is that thepress cannot create news, it only covers it and a lot of what PNU guys see at their meetings is not worth reporting. In the event that the opposition wins, we will have the worst opposition in Kenyan parliamentary history. Can you imagine listening to all that hogwash for the next 5 years?
Again this is the sort of issue that will scare smart investors. We need a strong opposition to check government excesses.
Kisumu Town East Parliamentary Seat (Kenya Betrayed)
The man was the Member of Parliament for Kisumu Town East - the same constituency which also Dr. Ouko had represented before he got killed. His name was Gor Sunguh.
By a quorum vote, the Parliament of the Republic of Kenya had voted him Chairman of a Committee charged with the responsibility of finding out who killed Dr. Ouko ……. And why.
After talking to the former Head of State, he sat down. He was still in his office at the Parliament Buildings when that call came in via his cell phone.
Amazed by how swiftly news of what went on in Parliament still reached Moi, he looked at his phone oddly, slammed it, then pondered the meanting of that call.
Could it be that the former Head of State had just threatened him?
There is one witness I don’t want your Committee to summon.
Who are we talking about ?
Mrs. Marianne Briner-Mattern.
Marianne ….
Was that a threat ?
Fearing it was, he grabbed the phone again, his hands shaking. Then he dialed Raila Odinga.
Raila Odinga, having dinner at the Safari Park Hotel, reached for his cell phone, looked at the caller ID and then flipped on a third ring, “Raila.”
“Raila weche richo,” Sunguh blurted.
“What does that mean?”
“I have just received a unique call.”
“By whom?” Raila asked.
“Moi.”
“What did he want?”
The Kisumu Town East MP was suddenly in a fix. He was smart enough to know that the Molasses Plant in Kisumu was among the reasons why Dr. Ouko had been killed. Two previous investigations had revealed that. He also understood that Raila was now a key player in the Molasses Project. In fact, he knew that accusations had surfaced to the effect that Raila and his family had used the money collected by the Luo-Community to revive the plant.
But of all the things that suddenly worried him most was the fact that his political party of which Raila was a crucial player had worked closely with men around the former Head of State, including his statuesque son, Gideon. That was not something he could overlook.
“What does he want?” Raila repeated his question.
Hesitantly, Sunguh said, “ He has warned me not to summon once certain witness.”
“Himself?”
No.”
“Nicholas Biwott?”
No.”
“Then who?”
“Marianne Briner-Mattern.”
*****************************************
Before Raila Odinga could recover from this information, his phone rang again. He answered without looking at the caller ID, “Hello?”
Cough, “It’s me.”
Raila stood up and walked to a corner and looking first around making sure that there was nobody near, he said, “What’s going on, Mzee?”
Moi cut the chase, “Tell Chairman Sunguh to be careful”
“About what?”
“The witnesses he summons.”
Pretending he did not know what Moi was talking about, Raila asked, “Is there a special witness you do not want the Committee to summon?”
Cough, “Just ask Sunguh – I already told him”.
Click……
By a quorum vote, the Parliament of the Republic of Kenya had voted him Chairman of a Committee charged with the responsibility of finding out who killed Dr. Ouko ……. And why.
After talking to the former Head of State, he sat down. He was still in his office at the Parliament Buildings when that call came in via his cell phone.
Amazed by how swiftly news of what went on in Parliament still reached Moi, he looked at his phone oddly, slammed it, then pondered the meanting of that call.
Could it be that the former Head of State had just threatened him?
There is one witness I don’t want your Committee to summon.
Who are we talking about ?
Mrs. Marianne Briner-Mattern.
Marianne ….
Was that a threat ?
Fearing it was, he grabbed the phone again, his hands shaking. Then he dialed Raila Odinga.
Raila Odinga, having dinner at the Safari Park Hotel, reached for his cell phone, looked at the caller ID and then flipped on a third ring, “Raila.”
“Raila weche richo,” Sunguh blurted.
“What does that mean?”
“I have just received a unique call.”
“By whom?” Raila asked.
“Moi.”
“What did he want?”
The Kisumu Town East MP was suddenly in a fix. He was smart enough to know that the Molasses Plant in Kisumu was among the reasons why Dr. Ouko had been killed. Two previous investigations had revealed that. He also understood that Raila was now a key player in the Molasses Project. In fact, he knew that accusations had surfaced to the effect that Raila and his family had used the money collected by the Luo-Community to revive the plant.
But of all the things that suddenly worried him most was the fact that his political party of which Raila was a crucial player had worked closely with men around the former Head of State, including his statuesque son, Gideon. That was not something he could overlook.
“What does he want?” Raila repeated his question.
Hesitantly, Sunguh said, “ He has warned me not to summon once certain witness.”
“Himself?”
No.”
“Nicholas Biwott?”
No.”
“Then who?”
“Marianne Briner-Mattern.”
*****************************************
Before Raila Odinga could recover from this information, his phone rang again. He answered without looking at the caller ID, “Hello?”
Cough, “It’s me.”
Raila stood up and walked to a corner and looking first around making sure that there was nobody near, he said, “What’s going on, Mzee?”
Moi cut the chase, “Tell Chairman Sunguh to be careful”
“About what?”
“The witnesses he summons.”
Pretending he did not know what Moi was talking about, Raila asked, “Is there a special witness you do not want the Committee to summon?”
Cough, “Just ask Sunguh – I already told him”.
Click……
Top 5 Most Popular Kumekucha Articles 15th Oct 2007
We launch a new daily feature on the top 5 most popular Kumekucha pages in terms of traffic. Today’s figures represent traffic captured between 7 and 8 pm Kenyan time.
The popularity of the old Alnoor Kassam story we did here is probably due to the ongoing electionerring in Calgary, Canada where Kenyan-born Alnoor Kassam (now a Canadian national is a candidate for Mayor of Calgary).
1) Alnoor Kassam and the Trade Bank Story
2) Alnoor Kassam speaks to Kumekucha
3) Is Mukhisa Kituyi about to defect to ODM?
4) My son take it slow, Aids is rapacious
5) 53% Odinga Hugs 8% Kalonzo.
The popularity of the old Alnoor Kassam story we did here is probably due to the ongoing electionerring in Calgary, Canada where Kenyan-born Alnoor Kassam (now a Canadian national is a candidate for Mayor of Calgary).
1) Alnoor Kassam and the Trade Bank Story
2) Alnoor Kassam speaks to Kumekucha
3) Is Mukhisa Kituyi about to defect to ODM?
4) My son take it slow, Aids is rapacious
5) 53% Odinga Hugs 8% Kalonzo.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Is Mukhisa Kituyi About To Defect To ODM?
What would you think if you were told that a certain politicians’ allies (virtually the whole lot) have already defected to a certain party but that the senior politician in question (no less than a cabinet minister) in fact seems to be hesitant and undecided.
Seasoned analysts would tell you that it is only a matter of time before that politician joins his allies at the said political party.
Dr Mukisa Kituyi and his wife Ling Kituyi.
Seasoned analysts would tell you that it is only a matter of time before that politician joins his allies at the said political party.
Dr Mukisa Kituyi and his wife Ling Kituyi.
Trade and Industry Minister Mukhisa Kituyi who is also the member of parliament for Kimilili constituency in Bungoma district has watched as his close allies have all trooped into ODM. Meanwhile Kituyi (who was just the other day, the powerful chairman of Narc Kenya, defected to Soita Shitanda’s New Ford Kenya. Could this be a strategic move and a stepping stone to joining ODM? For weeks there have been whispers in the expansive Bukusuland that Hon Shitanda was headed for ODM with his entire splinter political party. But so far they have remained just rumours.
If this is true then it will complete an astounding and fascinating comedy of errors, Kenya style that has seen a leading politician dance his way round political parties right from President Kibaki’s government and sponsored Narc Kenya right into the heart of the opposition, joining former colleagues in the cabinet, John Koech and Charity Ngilu.
If this defection takes place, it will also be the biggest catch yet for ODM.
A close analysis of Bukusu politics on the ground in recent weeks clearly points to Hon Kituyi ending up in ODM. The Bukusu are one of the largest Luhya sub-tribes and boast of over 300,000 votes. Since the death of the community’s own former Ford Kenya chairman and immediate former Vice President of Kenya, Wamalwa Kijana, no politician has held complete sway over the Bukusu. This has been the reason behind the various controversies that saw the formation of a splinter New Ford Kenya party chaired by Housing Minister Soita Shitanda. But what is really fascinating is how this Luhya sub-tribe has so quickly rallied behind Raila Odinga’s presidential bid and ODM.
Other presidential candidates who have gone to the area to campaign in recent months like Kalonzo Musyoka and even President Kibaki have been met with chants of ODM or placards with the name of the party written boldly and clearly from a people who are clearly not prepared to listen from any other script.
Some political analysts say that one of the reasons why the Bukusu have been so totally seduced into ODM has been due to the strategy the party has used of cashing in on the infamous Elijah Masinde prophecy. The founder of Dini Ya Musambwa which was a thorn in the flesh of the colonial government issued a prophesy in the 60s that the leadership of the country would come to the Bukusu through Nyanza. This prophecy has been modified by ODM supporters and the word “Bukusu” has been convineintly replaced with the word “Luhya.” This is so as to accommodate Musalia Mudavadi, who is Raila’s running mate into the scheme of things.
Still there are those who point to the fact that the Bukusu have consistently voted for the opposition anyway and have in fact been anti-establishment since the colonial days.
But if truth be told, this reaction of the Bukusu has taken everybody, including the community itself by surprise. PNU strategists were heavily counting on the Bukusu to rally strongly behind President Kibaki’s re-election bid and it was not lost on observers that the president made two trips to Western Kenya is a very short space of time, apparently to consolidate his support there. It was not to be and as you read this, even die hard supporters of Ford Kenya’s Musikari Kombo are fidgeting and feeling very much out of place supporting PNU when everybody else in the district is solidly behind ODM.
Mukhisa Kituyi is a smart politician and above everything else, he wants to make into the 10th parliament. So chances are that he will choose the strongest and most effective “vehicle” to get him there. In Bungoma district there is no argument as to which vehicle that is. It is ODM.
53% Odinga Hugs 8% Kalonzo
Amazingly there has been plenty of excitement caused by Raila and Kalonzo Musyoka hugging yesterday at Wundanyi as they met at the requiem mass of former MP of the area Dairus Mbela.
The two politicians only weeks ago fought bitterly over the leadership of the so-called ODM family with Kalonzo taking control of ODM Kenya before Raila went off and bought the original ODM and consolidated his position.
What supporters expected was a cold hand shake with the usual plastic smiles. Instead the two warmly hugged each other. Both men said they were still friends and that was why they had hugged.
Kalnzo even went beyond that and thanked the area MP Boniface Mganga for defecting from PNU to Raila Odinga’s ODM.
Wonders never cease. Is there a possibility that we will see a metrger of the two Orange families soon? Who knows? More so, now that we have entered into the season of surprises galore.
The two politicians only weeks ago fought bitterly over the leadership of the so-called ODM family with Kalonzo taking control of ODM Kenya before Raila went off and bought the original ODM and consolidated his position.
What supporters expected was a cold hand shake with the usual plastic smiles. Instead the two warmly hugged each other. Both men said they were still friends and that was why they had hugged.
Kalnzo even went beyond that and thanked the area MP Boniface Mganga for defecting from PNU to Raila Odinga’s ODM.
Wonders never cease. Is there a possibility that we will see a metrger of the two Orange families soon? Who knows? More so, now that we have entered into the season of surprises galore.
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