The potential we have in Kenya today is vast and yet it has never been effectively exploited and remains idle. Past governments, including the present one has been too busy trying to survive to focus on harnessing this potential for the good of ordinary Kenyans.
I can hear you asking me the question; what makes you so sure that your administration (if elected) will not be busy trying to survive like all the others before you?
To answer that question we must understand what it is that has put past governments in that position and a perfect example is the current Narc-government which came to power with massive goodwill from the people of Kenya. But the people in that government were actually the same people from the previous Kanu regime who jumped ship at the last moment (most of them) so the new government which we had so much hope on, slipped into the same old habits.
Had this government come anywhere near meeting the expectations of the people, not even the controversial memorandum of understanding would have been a threat to it.
But let us not dwell so much on the past and previous mistakes because this is one presidential candidate with a clear agenda and vision and a clear idea of how to get there.
There are two areas I am going to focus on where a little creativity and effort from a new government with new ideas can make a huge difference and a major impact on the lives of most Kenyans.
This is on the two issues of ordinary Kenyans owning houses and the so-called hawker problem (which I don't see as a problem but a major opportunity to turn around the fortunes of our country).
Very few Kenyans today own homes. The situation has been made worse by the disappearance of the middle class in Kenya. Various so-called low-income housing projects have been attempted in the past with little success. Yet a viable low-income mortgage plan is very possible and can have a tremendous impact on the economy both in terms of creating jobs (the main focus of my vision and everything that I propose) and also in improving the quality of life of the majority of Kenyans.
A national mortgage plan for low income Kenyans is no pipe dream. Not with the available creative mortgage plans that are working in other parts of the world today. Let me focus on two particular ones that can help us create one of our own.
We have the interest only mortgage that is fairly common in the United Kingdom, where the capital is not repaid throughout the term. Instead regular contributions are made to a separate investment plan designed to build up a lump sum to repay the mortgage at maturity. This arrangement is also called the investment-backed mortgage.
The other highly creative mortgage plan is where today, older borrowers in western countries qualify for a mortgage where neither the capital nor the interest is repaid. The interest is rolled up with the capital, increasing the debt each year. It is finally repaid when the borrower dies and the property is sold (or when they move into a home for the old). Legally the lender cannot lay claim to any additional assets if the sale does not repay the debt in full. This is usually covered by the heavy insurance that goes with this mortgage. In the event that the sale yields more than is owed, the money goes to he next of kin (if the borrower has passed on.) This kind of mortgage is called a reverse mortgage, lifetime mortgage or equity release mortgage, depending on the country.
What I propose in Kenya is a hybrid system that is a cross between the two for low-income earners. Today we have various investment opportunities that are bringing in very high yields (actually higher than in many other parts of the world). This can be of great help in creating a project that would allow a very large number of ordinary low income earning Kenyans to acquire their own homes by having mortgage plans where only the interest is repaid and the principal is taken care of by a special investment pool. Once we have a vibrant mortgage market, it will then be easy to handle defaulters in such a system (critical in keeping the project self-sustaining and moving) where their houses can be sold and if the price does not cover the initial mortgage loan, it can be met by insurance.
Just a little creativity in mortgage financing can unlock the huge potential and create a vibrant new construction industry and related services that will create lots of new jobs as well as enable many ordinary Kenyans to own their own homes.
Hawkers are considered a nuisance and every previous government despite paying lip service to the promotion of the so called "jua kali" industry has viewed them as such. The really ironical injustice here is the excuse government always has that it is protecting taxpayers against hawkers (who are supposedly tax evaders). Well we now know that very few of the mainstream businesses referred to as taxpayers actually pay their taxes. They are in fact the biggest tax evaders. Only recently we have heard some shocking claims about Nakumatt, the biggest private supermarket chain in East and Central Africa.
Then there is the well-known fact that government collects a lot of revenue from VAT which every citizen pays, including the hawkers. There is in fact a bigger impact on revenue collection when more Kenyans are generating income to make more purchases and thus pay more VAT.
Hawkers are a national asset that can be used to rapidly increase wealth and prosperity in our beloved country. I propose to do two things to make this happen.
Firstly I intend to dramatically expand and encourage the ongoing business incubation projects in the country. A business incubator as the term suggests, is where small businesses are accommodated in a special business park for a brief period of time where facilities are made available to "incubate" the infant business and give it a chance to grow sufficiently enough to stand on its' own.
It is not realistic to expect a 100% success rate, but even a very low success rate will move a good number of small businesses from one man hawker operations to prosperous small businesses able to employ one or two persons. A huge number of new jobs can be created in this way.
Secondly we should actively promote programs in all major cities in the country where certain main streets of the city are closed to traffic over weekends and small traders given access to the "central business district" market to sell their wares and practice their entrepreneurial skills. Extra revenue can be collected by charging them a small daily fee for this privilege.
I am not naïve to think that they will be no obstacles or problems in the radical ideas that I am suggesting here. Every successful enterprise must be prepared for setbacks here and there before they finally land on the rails to big success. In fact it will make a big and refreshing change from the past to see a little government failure as it works towards improving the lot of ordinary Kenyans. In fact Kenyans would have been more understanding today if our past governments had failed while making genuine efforts to improve the quality of life of ordinary Kenyans. Nothing like that has happened, instead past governments have helped individuals amass vast wealth at the expense of the ordinary Kenyan.
We must change this now, before it is too late. My passionate appeal today goes out to young Kenyans and older Kenyans who are still capable of dreaming, because the reality of success always emerges from dreams and not skepticism. I urge you to support this initiative by Kumekucha to make a difference and to have a genuine fresh start for our beloved Kenya. (please see my special appeal).
My Special Appeal by Kumekucha
Dear fellow Kenyans, recent events in our country have clearly proved this blogger correct in predicting the worst for Kenya in 2007 where we will see Kenyan voters being hoodwinked again by the very same people who cheated us in 2002. The people who took our dreams and crushed them, making us all look very foolish.
The only hope we have in stopping them is in a younger generation of new leaders who have not been in politics before taking over power in Kenya. The fact that you are reading this clearly shows that you are of like mind.
We cannot just sit and watch things happening without taking any action. We have debated and talked enough in this forum and elsewhere, we need to start doing something. Believe it or not, the small effort YOU are capable of making can make a huge difference.
I am going to suggest just one thing you can actively do today that will make a difference. You can put the following brief statement at the end of each email you send out to friends and associates. Even better you can make it your permanent email signature. It will increase traffic to this forum where we are selling nothing but a better and more prosperous future for Kenya. Keep visiting this site to participate in our next decisive move.
================
Wakenya, Kumekucha, Vijana Kumekucha, let us grab destiny and change things in Kenya. Visit http://kumekucha1.blogspot.com, NOW and start playing an active role in changing things in Kenya in 2007.
================
I take this opportunity to thank you in advance for your patriotic action. Thank you for loving your country and may the almighty God help us all in our efforts to save it.
==============
Previous Campaign Posts By This Presidential Candidate
Kumekucha launches Presidential campaign
Kumekucha’s Presidential Campaign: We Need One Priority, We Need Lots Of Creativity
===============
World famous Rodeo Drive will have one more thing that it will be famous for - plastic surgery. This is now the home to reasonably priced liposuction, face lifts and breast augmentation. At los angeles plastic surgery patients are sure to receive world-class service at competitive prices in an environment that befits plastic surgery’s growing mass appeal.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Friday, July 28, 2006
A Kenyan Story: Errant Buru Buru Husband Learns His Lesson The Hard Way
Some stories are just too strange to be fiction and the one you are about to read falls neatly into this category.
This long suffering Kenyan wife knew her husband well and especially his promiscuity, but stayed in the marriage for the sake of her children. She did this at great risk to her life because we all know that these days, a husbands' infidelity can cost a wife their life though the dreaded Aids (okay, even a wife's infidelity can, but those cases are somewhat extremely rare.)
The couple moved into this new neighborhood and as usual the husband started playing his "games". It did not matter that the focus of his attention was a married woman whose husband traveled a lot. The woman lived right next door to them.
Luckily the young woman struck a friendship with the errant husband's wife (let us call the errant man "Jogoo").
Jogoo knew about the friendship and that is why he was a little surprised when the woman suddenly started softening towards his advances. To the extent where she invited him for a night of passionate lovemaking, as long as he followed her instructions to the letter. Jogoo could not believe his ears and at first thought that the woman was joking. But he soon realized that she was dead serious. He brushed aside any doubts he may have had by telling himself that most women found him irresistible.
The day of his "hot" date could not come soon enough but finally it arrived and Jogoo was in very high spirits the whole of that day, really looking forward with all his heart to the panned activities of the night. Of all his "conquests", this one had to be the most major. The young neighbors wife was extremely attractive and was now his wife's best friend. Meaning that she desired him so much that she was prepared to risk her friendship with his wife – what a turn on, Jogoo thought to himself. He decided to while the hours away having a few drinks at the nearby "local." His instructions were clear. He was to come in after midnight when chances of the woman's husband showing up unexpectedly were virtually nil. He had also been told not to switch on any lights (you never know which nosy neighbor would spot him, and tell his wife).
He kept himself amused flirting with the huge pot-bellied bar maid who obviously enjoyed his advances immensely. But then he was really no longer interested in her having already enjoyed her favors within a day or two of moving into the neighborhood.
Finally he glanced at his watch and noted that it was a minute or so to midnight. He hurriedly swallowed his last beer and left the bar almost running. He passed his own house and noted that all the lights were off, meaning that his wife had already gone to bed.
He went in through the back and found the key under the mat just as he had been told. Once inside, he locked the door behind him and tiptoed upstairs into his neighbor's bedroom.
She was waiting for him. The first thing that hit him as he entered the bedroom was her perfume. Very feminine but it also smelt like wild flowers. What followed was a night of wild lovemaking with the neighbor's wife. He fell into an exhausted sleep and by the time he woke up the sun was already shining through the still-drawn curtains. Events of the night came flooding back and he turned around with a wide smile to face his neighbor's wife with the thought being intimate one last time. Instead he got the shock of his life.
Lying there right next to him, eyes open and looking straight at him was his dear wife!!
His wife congratulated him for displaying a passion that she had never known him for. Jogoo was too shocked to say anything.
Apparently the two wives had decided to teach him a lesson and to carry out an experiment that proved what psychologists have always been saying – that sex is really in the mind. They had switched places and Jogoo's own wife had worn her friend's night dress and used her perfume and waited eagerly for her own errant husband, who had not recognized her in the dark bedroom and amazingly during the entire long night of lovemaking.
The person who sent me this story left too many questions unanswered. For instance what happened to the marriage after this? Did it get better or worse?
They only ended the story by stating the obvious, that Jogoo learnt a lesson that he would never forget and that his errant ways ended that night.
Can somebody please finish this (true, real life experience) tale for us and tell us exactly what happened.
==========================
Previous Hot stories in this series:
A True Kenyan Story: A Doctor’s Revenge
A True Kenyan Story: Matatu Nightmare
Couples Reunion At The Airport After 6 Long Years, Turns Ugly
==========================
If you're thinking of a holiday in the states then Orlando is the by far the most popular holiday destination in the United States. The focus on family living has spurred residential development over the years on the edge of downtown called Baldwin Park, a traditional neighborhood with architecture reminiscent of the pre-1940's era in Central Florida. Imagine the perfect Florida vacation in an Orlando Rental Home here. To help make your dream come true, you will need to get in touch with Buyers Broker of Florida, a unique exclusive Buyer Agency Office
This long suffering Kenyan wife knew her husband well and especially his promiscuity, but stayed in the marriage for the sake of her children. She did this at great risk to her life because we all know that these days, a husbands' infidelity can cost a wife their life though the dreaded Aids (okay, even a wife's infidelity can, but those cases are somewhat extremely rare.)
The couple moved into this new neighborhood and as usual the husband started playing his "games". It did not matter that the focus of his attention was a married woman whose husband traveled a lot. The woman lived right next door to them.
Luckily the young woman struck a friendship with the errant husband's wife (let us call the errant man "Jogoo").
Jogoo knew about the friendship and that is why he was a little surprised when the woman suddenly started softening towards his advances. To the extent where she invited him for a night of passionate lovemaking, as long as he followed her instructions to the letter. Jogoo could not believe his ears and at first thought that the woman was joking. But he soon realized that she was dead serious. He brushed aside any doubts he may have had by telling himself that most women found him irresistible.
The day of his "hot" date could not come soon enough but finally it arrived and Jogoo was in very high spirits the whole of that day, really looking forward with all his heart to the panned activities of the night. Of all his "conquests", this one had to be the most major. The young neighbors wife was extremely attractive and was now his wife's best friend. Meaning that she desired him so much that she was prepared to risk her friendship with his wife – what a turn on, Jogoo thought to himself. He decided to while the hours away having a few drinks at the nearby "local." His instructions were clear. He was to come in after midnight when chances of the woman's husband showing up unexpectedly were virtually nil. He had also been told not to switch on any lights (you never know which nosy neighbor would spot him, and tell his wife).
He kept himself amused flirting with the huge pot-bellied bar maid who obviously enjoyed his advances immensely. But then he was really no longer interested in her having already enjoyed her favors within a day or two of moving into the neighborhood.
Finally he glanced at his watch and noted that it was a minute or so to midnight. He hurriedly swallowed his last beer and left the bar almost running. He passed his own house and noted that all the lights were off, meaning that his wife had already gone to bed.
He went in through the back and found the key under the mat just as he had been told. Once inside, he locked the door behind him and tiptoed upstairs into his neighbor's bedroom.
She was waiting for him. The first thing that hit him as he entered the bedroom was her perfume. Very feminine but it also smelt like wild flowers. What followed was a night of wild lovemaking with the neighbor's wife. He fell into an exhausted sleep and by the time he woke up the sun was already shining through the still-drawn curtains. Events of the night came flooding back and he turned around with a wide smile to face his neighbor's wife with the thought being intimate one last time. Instead he got the shock of his life.
Lying there right next to him, eyes open and looking straight at him was his dear wife!!
His wife congratulated him for displaying a passion that she had never known him for. Jogoo was too shocked to say anything.
Apparently the two wives had decided to teach him a lesson and to carry out an experiment that proved what psychologists have always been saying – that sex is really in the mind. They had switched places and Jogoo's own wife had worn her friend's night dress and used her perfume and waited eagerly for her own errant husband, who had not recognized her in the dark bedroom and amazingly during the entire long night of lovemaking.
The person who sent me this story left too many questions unanswered. For instance what happened to the marriage after this? Did it get better or worse?
They only ended the story by stating the obvious, that Jogoo learnt a lesson that he would never forget and that his errant ways ended that night.
Can somebody please finish this (true, real life experience) tale for us and tell us exactly what happened.
==========================
Previous Hot stories in this series:
A True Kenyan Story: A Doctor’s Revenge
A True Kenyan Story: Matatu Nightmare
Couples Reunion At The Airport After 6 Long Years, Turns Ugly
==========================
If you're thinking of a holiday in the states then Orlando is the by far the most popular holiday destination in the United States. The focus on family living has spurred residential development over the years on the edge of downtown called Baldwin Park, a traditional neighborhood with architecture reminiscent of the pre-1940's era in Central Florida. Imagine the perfect Florida vacation in an Orlando Rental Home here. To help make your dream come true, you will need to get in touch with Buyers Broker of Florida, a unique exclusive Buyer Agency Office
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Kumekucha Presidential Campaign: The 9 Year Old Dead Kenyan And The Saddest Day Of My Life
One of the saddest days of my life was one Saturday in the year 2000 when I traveled to Meru with my wife for a friend’s funeral. Our hired matatu gave a lift to a young couple carrying the body of their 9 year-old daughter in a tiny cheap coffin in the carrier.
I hardly knew them but we got talking and the mother burst into tears as she narrated the optimism of the young girl as she fought death. It was the sort of optimism you would expect from a 9-year old who did not know better.
I still shed plenty of tears when I remember that encounter. I cry because many Kenyans today have never been given half a chance in their lives, let alone one chance. Because of the greed of our politicians and our corrupt system, many of our people through no fault of their own do not have a chance of ever making anything of their lives. Even if they wanted to bribe, they do not have a rich relative to bribe on their behalf. If they get sick, like that young Kenyan girl who died in 2000, chances of recovering are slim because there is no money to get them proper medical care. There is no doubt on my mind that had that girl had rich parents, she would still be alive today.
I cry all the more because the kindest thing that probably happened to that 9 year old beauty was the fact that she did not live to see her dreams shattered by the cruel and corrupt Kenyan system where if you do not have money, you are basically done.
It is a system I understand very well having lived in a slum area and used pit latrines (a luxury) in those areas. And this was after I had been brought up in a fairly good middle class Kenyan home in my younger days.
It is a system that I will fight with all my strength to destroy so that any Kenyan prepared to work hard and to use their God-given gift can be able to make something out of their lives.
We need to create as many jobs as we can for Kenyans. We need to create as many opportunities as we can for average and low income Kenyans.
Fellow Kenyans, the world has become a small village where to survive both as a nation and as an individual, you need a constant flow of new ideas and then you need to concentrate on the areas where you are good enough to compete with the world.
There is no doubt that this current government has run out of ideas.
The promised 500,000 jobs a year will never happened under the current administration. Do you know the reason why? Nobody really sat down to soberly work out where such a vast volume of brand new jobs were going to come from. The assumption was that if they got the economy moving again, the jobs would be generated automatically. This did not happen. I can also assure you that such a large number of new jobs will not come from reviving stalled parastatals (this was Narc’s chief game plan). In fact in the effort by the current government to try and revive these stalled parastatals, they have failed completely to acknowledge the continuing effects of globalization and the impact it has on our economy.
Whether we like it or not, the world has become a small village that is continuously shrinking in size. The biggest impact of this is that ready or not it thrusts us out into the world economy to compete with the best in the world.
I will give you one recent example. VOIP or voice over internet protocol has made it possible to use the net to carry “voice”. This means that it is now possible to talk with somebody based at the furthest ends of the earth for hours for next to nothing. Your only cost will be your usual ISP charges. This is done by using facilities in popular free email hosts like Yahoo and MSN. For a small fee, you can use specialized web services that will enable you to reach any telephone number (mobile or landlines) anywhere in the world. So all of a sudden a parastatal like Telekom Kenya that has always made huge profits from international calls gets that profit centre wiped out by new developments in the world of telecommunications on the web. This happens almost overnight.
You can be sure that the current globalization trends will continue with a vengeance for years to come. Menaing that many dead parastatals will stay that way – very dead.
What we must do as a nation is focus all our efforts in a completely new direction on what we can do well. On areas where we can compete on the global marketplace. If we do this then we will be able to create solid long term jobs as well as strengthen our economy enormously.
Tourism is one such area and rather than try and invest money in manufacturing, where we’ll have to get past the likes of China. Why not put the money in tourism and agriculture where we can show China and most of the world a thing or two? Don’t get me wrong. We will not discourage foreign investors who want to come into Kenya and take advantage of the well trained and cheap labor that we can offer. But our priorities should be very clear in terms of very specific areas we want to develop where we can compete with the best in the world.
Another example of an area where Kenyans are world beaters is in middle and long distance running. There is a lot of money in sports these days and it is one way of creating wealth very quickly in our country. We need to create special training camps and encourage more “talent” in this area. This may not create jobs directly and not in the volumes we are thinking of here indirectly, but it will help add up.
The place to get our 500,000 jobs plus has to be in agriculture and food processing industries. The way to do it is to produce world class products at a price that few in the world can compete with. I have already said that energy is one area where minimal investment into available idle resources we already have in the country can yield much.
Another area is small and micro-sized businesses. Kenyans have already displayed admirable entrepreneurial skills and if we are making waves in places like South Africa, then it is clear evidence that we can compete with the best in the world.
Currently what we are doing is discouraging the entrepreneurial spirit in our people. The constant clashes with hawkers is a good example here.
I intend to make serious efforts to find and create affordable space in good busy locations for hawkers and small traders. I intend to launch programs for training entrepreneurs and support programs to have small entrepreneurs supply various services and products to the government and to other Kenyans.
Business incubators that take in small entrepreneurs and give them the environment to grow will be a major priority. Every successful small business will probably employ only a handful of Kenyans directly. But if we target at developing just 200, 000 new small businesses countrywide every year, we can comfortably create one million new jobs every year in this way alone.
I also intend to work with NGOs already on the ground and experienced financial institutions already lending to small business. By offering collateral and government guarantees for unsecured small business loans, the potential for growth in the country will be exploited.
Kenyans are currently mostly idle but very eager to work. They just need the opportunities. This is one presidential candidate that pledges to spend a lot of effort in creating vast new opportunities for all.
Small businesses can also make a major contribution to tax collection. By simply introducing a small standard tax rate for small businesses generating One million shillings or less in turnover annually and by having policies in place to encourage the emergence and growth of these businesses, billions in new taxes can land at the exchequer which will further help in new government funded initiatives to create even more jobs.
One other area where small business incubators need to be set up is in the area of ecommerce. I have a program in mind for building web sites to help sell and promote Kenyan products and produce to the world. The kind of sales being achieved by successful web sites all over the world is enormous and growing. If we managed to create a couple of dozen successful web sites selling Kenyan produce to the world, the im[pact would be enormous. Whether we see it or not and whether we like it or not, the Internet is the future and the future is already with us.
One reader asked whether this presidential candidate I am prepared to put my vision and promises in writing. This site is already one such place where my vision and ideas for a better Kenya is being put in writing. I encourage other Kenyans with sites to copy the content here and paste them in their sites (with the proper acknowledgement please) so that there is a record that can never be deleted. That is because I am very sincere in ensuring that I mean what I say and I say what I mean and most important of all I will do everything in my power to turn everything I say into reality.
Kenyans deserve much better than what they have gotten so far.
========================
Quick quiz for you. Which is the most popular tourist destination in the world? It's actually Orlando, in Florida, United States. Orlando welcomes more visitors each year than the population of California - over 43.3 million (2000 statistics). The focus on family living has spurred residential development over the years on the edge of downtown called Baldwin Park, a traditional neighborhood with architecture reminiscent of the pre-1940's era in Central Florida. Imagine the perfect Florida vacation somewhere in the midst of Windermere Real Estate here. To help make your dream come true, you will need to get in touch with Buyers Broker of Florida, a unique exclusive Buyer Agency Office.
=======================
They never ship with annoying popcorn so your gift arrives in perfect condition, packed professionally in air bags and is ready to be enjoyed the moment the recipient opens it. This is one good reason why if you have Sympathy Gift Baskets in mind then Gift baskets by Gourmet Gift Baskets should be the name on your mind. The site specializes in going the extra mile for their customers and the difference really shows in the quality of the final presentation.
I hardly knew them but we got talking and the mother burst into tears as she narrated the optimism of the young girl as she fought death. It was the sort of optimism you would expect from a 9-year old who did not know better.
I still shed plenty of tears when I remember that encounter. I cry because many Kenyans today have never been given half a chance in their lives, let alone one chance. Because of the greed of our politicians and our corrupt system, many of our people through no fault of their own do not have a chance of ever making anything of their lives. Even if they wanted to bribe, they do not have a rich relative to bribe on their behalf. If they get sick, like that young Kenyan girl who died in 2000, chances of recovering are slim because there is no money to get them proper medical care. There is no doubt on my mind that had that girl had rich parents, she would still be alive today.
I cry all the more because the kindest thing that probably happened to that 9 year old beauty was the fact that she did not live to see her dreams shattered by the cruel and corrupt Kenyan system where if you do not have money, you are basically done.
It is a system I understand very well having lived in a slum area and used pit latrines (a luxury) in those areas. And this was after I had been brought up in a fairly good middle class Kenyan home in my younger days.
It is a system that I will fight with all my strength to destroy so that any Kenyan prepared to work hard and to use their God-given gift can be able to make something out of their lives.
We need to create as many jobs as we can for Kenyans. We need to create as many opportunities as we can for average and low income Kenyans.
Fellow Kenyans, the world has become a small village where to survive both as a nation and as an individual, you need a constant flow of new ideas and then you need to concentrate on the areas where you are good enough to compete with the world.
There is no doubt that this current government has run out of ideas.
The promised 500,000 jobs a year will never happened under the current administration. Do you know the reason why? Nobody really sat down to soberly work out where such a vast volume of brand new jobs were going to come from. The assumption was that if they got the economy moving again, the jobs would be generated automatically. This did not happen. I can also assure you that such a large number of new jobs will not come from reviving stalled parastatals (this was Narc’s chief game plan). In fact in the effort by the current government to try and revive these stalled parastatals, they have failed completely to acknowledge the continuing effects of globalization and the impact it has on our economy.
Whether we like it or not, the world has become a small village that is continuously shrinking in size. The biggest impact of this is that ready or not it thrusts us out into the world economy to compete with the best in the world.
I will give you one recent example. VOIP or voice over internet protocol has made it possible to use the net to carry “voice”. This means that it is now possible to talk with somebody based at the furthest ends of the earth for hours for next to nothing. Your only cost will be your usual ISP charges. This is done by using facilities in popular free email hosts like Yahoo and MSN. For a small fee, you can use specialized web services that will enable you to reach any telephone number (mobile or landlines) anywhere in the world. So all of a sudden a parastatal like Telekom Kenya that has always made huge profits from international calls gets that profit centre wiped out by new developments in the world of telecommunications on the web. This happens almost overnight.
You can be sure that the current globalization trends will continue with a vengeance for years to come. Menaing that many dead parastatals will stay that way – very dead.
What we must do as a nation is focus all our efforts in a completely new direction on what we can do well. On areas where we can compete on the global marketplace. If we do this then we will be able to create solid long term jobs as well as strengthen our economy enormously.
Tourism is one such area and rather than try and invest money in manufacturing, where we’ll have to get past the likes of China. Why not put the money in tourism and agriculture where we can show China and most of the world a thing or two? Don’t get me wrong. We will not discourage foreign investors who want to come into Kenya and take advantage of the well trained and cheap labor that we can offer. But our priorities should be very clear in terms of very specific areas we want to develop where we can compete with the best in the world.
Another example of an area where Kenyans are world beaters is in middle and long distance running. There is a lot of money in sports these days and it is one way of creating wealth very quickly in our country. We need to create special training camps and encourage more “talent” in this area. This may not create jobs directly and not in the volumes we are thinking of here indirectly, but it will help add up.
The place to get our 500,000 jobs plus has to be in agriculture and food processing industries. The way to do it is to produce world class products at a price that few in the world can compete with. I have already said that energy is one area where minimal investment into available idle resources we already have in the country can yield much.
Another area is small and micro-sized businesses. Kenyans have already displayed admirable entrepreneurial skills and if we are making waves in places like South Africa, then it is clear evidence that we can compete with the best in the world.
Currently what we are doing is discouraging the entrepreneurial spirit in our people. The constant clashes with hawkers is a good example here.
I intend to make serious efforts to find and create affordable space in good busy locations for hawkers and small traders. I intend to launch programs for training entrepreneurs and support programs to have small entrepreneurs supply various services and products to the government and to other Kenyans.
Business incubators that take in small entrepreneurs and give them the environment to grow will be a major priority. Every successful small business will probably employ only a handful of Kenyans directly. But if we target at developing just 200, 000 new small businesses countrywide every year, we can comfortably create one million new jobs every year in this way alone.
I also intend to work with NGOs already on the ground and experienced financial institutions already lending to small business. By offering collateral and government guarantees for unsecured small business loans, the potential for growth in the country will be exploited.
Kenyans are currently mostly idle but very eager to work. They just need the opportunities. This is one presidential candidate that pledges to spend a lot of effort in creating vast new opportunities for all.
Small businesses can also make a major contribution to tax collection. By simply introducing a small standard tax rate for small businesses generating One million shillings or less in turnover annually and by having policies in place to encourage the emergence and growth of these businesses, billions in new taxes can land at the exchequer which will further help in new government funded initiatives to create even more jobs.
One other area where small business incubators need to be set up is in the area of ecommerce. I have a program in mind for building web sites to help sell and promote Kenyan products and produce to the world. The kind of sales being achieved by successful web sites all over the world is enormous and growing. If we managed to create a couple of dozen successful web sites selling Kenyan produce to the world, the im[pact would be enormous. Whether we see it or not and whether we like it or not, the Internet is the future and the future is already with us.
One reader asked whether this presidential candidate I am prepared to put my vision and promises in writing. This site is already one such place where my vision and ideas for a better Kenya is being put in writing. I encourage other Kenyans with sites to copy the content here and paste them in their sites (with the proper acknowledgement please) so that there is a record that can never be deleted. That is because I am very sincere in ensuring that I mean what I say and I say what I mean and most important of all I will do everything in my power to turn everything I say into reality.
Kenyans deserve much better than what they have gotten so far.
========================
Quick quiz for you. Which is the most popular tourist destination in the world? It's actually Orlando, in Florida, United States. Orlando welcomes more visitors each year than the population of California - over 43.3 million (2000 statistics). The focus on family living has spurred residential development over the years on the edge of downtown called Baldwin Park, a traditional neighborhood with architecture reminiscent of the pre-1940's era in Central Florida. Imagine the perfect Florida vacation somewhere in the midst of Windermere Real Estate here. To help make your dream come true, you will need to get in touch with Buyers Broker of Florida, a unique exclusive Buyer Agency Office.
=======================
They never ship with annoying popcorn so your gift arrives in perfect condition, packed professionally in air bags and is ready to be enjoyed the moment the recipient opens it. This is one good reason why if you have Sympathy Gift Baskets in mind then Gift baskets by Gourmet Gift Baskets should be the name on your mind. The site specializes in going the extra mile for their customers and the difference really shows in the quality of the final presentation.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Kumekucha Presidential Campaign:Why Is This Missing From Kenya?
This candidate, although young, is certainly not naïve. Many people have often reminded me that the kind of financial resources required to run a successful presidential or political campaign of the magnitude we are talking about here is colossal.
Others have been even more blunt. There is no way you will just give people your good ideas and fail to give cash handouts. It will not work.
My reply has been simple and has been in the form of a question. How much money did Narc use in 2002?
"Oh that was different. That was a wave," somebody told me a few days ago.
I do not wish to dwell too much on this issue. It is true that at some point financial resources will be required. When the time comes I am sure a way will be found, and indeed I am working on it as any good manager would, but meanwhile I have to use what I have, not only financial resources but assets and attributes.
Which brings me to what I want to say today. Has anybody done a SWOT analysis of Kenya before embarking on development projects or creating policy? I want to keep this very simple. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunity and Threats. It is the analysis done by marketing experts before arriving at their marketing strategy.
But it is a very useful tool for even an individual to use. You analyze your strengths and weaknesses and based on them you decide where the opportunities will most likely be for your profile and while keeping a close eye on possible threats, you arrive at your strategy to market and sell yourself to success. Works beautifully even where you are looking for a job in a market where they are very scarce like is the case in Kenya today.
What are our strengths in Kenya today and how can we use them to our advantage?
Today I will keep this short and give you only one example. My web traffic figures show me that I may be losing readers in this very important section because the posts are too long, so I have decided to keep them as brief as possible.
The Kenyan labour force is huge and well trained and currently most of it is idle and desperate and that's why the crime rate is where it is. I have heard the deep pocketed South African entrepreneurs who have swept across the continent in the last few years taking over everything, saying that they fear only the Kenyans in Africa. I was surprised because I expected them to mention Nigeria first.
Kenyans are today seen as a threat in the commercial arena and everywhere where jobs are being competed for right across the continent and beyond.
This labour force is one of our strengths and a very valuable asset, which I intend to put to good use, if elected president. Every policy, decision and strategy of government must be directed at utilizing this asset. This is the asset that will turn the Kenyan economy into The China of Africa.
The secret or the trick that will make all the difference is in directing our labour and efforts to areas where there is a huge demand both within the country and outside. One such area is the energy sector. One does not need to be a genius to realize that the world is drifting towards a very serious energy crisis. My vision for Kenya is people-driven economic growth, which will naturally put a lot of strain on certain resources, one of them being the energy resources. This means that any effort to produce energy at a cheaper rate than what we currently have will be wildly successful.
Something else we have in plenty in Kenya is sunshine. Scientists say that the amount of energy we receive from the sun in ONE MINUTE is enough to take care of all the world's energy needs for a FULL YEAR.
Solar energy and steam energy generated using the sun in Kenya's vast dry and hot regions can supply more than enough energy. Which we will be able to use and even export to our neighbors. These projects can be implemented in such a way that they are made as labour intensive as possible while keeping the cost down. This should not be too difficult considering that energy costs are already quite high and rising in the region. I am familiar with this technology having spend a brief stint working with a leading solar and alternative energy company in the region and I can tell you that it is very possible and very viable.
It is important that we make use of all the idle resources and assets that we have in plenty in Kenya but do not seem to see at the moment.
I want to end this by asking two questions and then answering them. Firstly, why is it that in Kenya we have never looked to use our strengths and assets? The sad answer is that we have been too busy with corruption to see the opportunities anywhere else. Because the tradition has been to use public office to enrich oneself, our leaders in the past have directed all their thinking and creativity towards finding innovative ways to steal from the public. The result is scams like Goldenberg that have cost the country billions and will take us many years to recover from.
The second question, which I've been asked, am I not afraid that another candidate will steal all my good ideas and present them as his own? The answer is that I am keeping very careful track of that and besides many of the older generation politicians we have today are focusing all their efforts on specifically saying what will please the electorate without really meaning it. A good example is the sweeping Narc statement that they will create 500,000 jobs a year and yet it is now clear that they did not have any clue as to how exactly they were going to do that.
President Moi put it very crudely and I want to repeat what he said here and was reported in the then People weekly newspaper. I am doing this not to offend the nice ladies who are the majority of my readers currently, but to show Kenyans exactly what the old order of Kenyan politics is all about.
Siasa ni kama mwanamke. Unapembeleza na mabo matamau lakini ukishatongoza yeye, bas. This roughly translates as; "The game of politics is like a relationship with a woman. You tell her all sorts of sweet nothings but after you have had sex with her, that’s it."
Kenyan voters please take careful note.
Anybody who steals these ideas will be exposed for who they really are, but even before that, they will have to back up their ideas with solid strategy and substance. That is not very easy to do with somebody else's ideas.
Besides Kenyan voters will not be easily cheated this time.
I do not mind exposing my driving force, what makes me different. It is the fact that I dream different dreams. Most of the politicians we know will dream of relaxing at State House (that's how people start getting ideas of putting up Kshs 100 million buildings in State House, while our people go hungry), a large presidential motorcade and inspecting guards of honour. The last two are both meaningless relics of the colonial era.
I dream of sleepless nights and a punishing 20-hour schedule. I dream of such sweeping positive changes coming for the ordinary Kenyan that they will be virtually impossible to reverse. I dream of a country prosperous and moving forward at high speed. I dream of a presidency that will be too busy in the thick of things and directing efforts that there will hardly be the time to inspect guards of honor. I dream of a presidency where honor will come from one source and one source alone. The ordinary, now struggling people of Kenya whose lives will have been changed by the efforts I will direct with all my strength, energy and being.
My fellow Kenyan, read very carefully between the lines to discover what your favorite presidential candidate really dreams about.
Link to two previous POSTS
Kumekucha launches Presidential campaign
Kumekucha’s Presidential Campaign: We Need One Priority, We Need Lots Of Creativity
=====================
Weddings can be a complex financial undertaking that can prove to be very stressful for the unprepared and unorganized. The average cost for a 150-person wedding is about $25,000 (higher in urban areas).
Here is a basic breakdown of what you can expect to pay: Reception: 48%-50% Ceremony: 2%-3% Attire: 8%-10% Flowers: 8%-10% Entertainment/Music: 8%-10% Photography/Videography: 10%-12% Stationery: 2%-3% Wedding Rings: 2%-3% Parking/Transportation: 2%-3% Gifts: 2%-3% Miscellaneous: 8%. To avoid last minute heart failure, allocate about 5% of your budget for a "just-in-case" fund.
When approached with the seriousness it deserves planning this important occasion right down to the wedding cameras need not be too stressful.
Others have been even more blunt. There is no way you will just give people your good ideas and fail to give cash handouts. It will not work.
My reply has been simple and has been in the form of a question. How much money did Narc use in 2002?
"Oh that was different. That was a wave," somebody told me a few days ago.
I do not wish to dwell too much on this issue. It is true that at some point financial resources will be required. When the time comes I am sure a way will be found, and indeed I am working on it as any good manager would, but meanwhile I have to use what I have, not only financial resources but assets and attributes.
Which brings me to what I want to say today. Has anybody done a SWOT analysis of Kenya before embarking on development projects or creating policy? I want to keep this very simple. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunity and Threats. It is the analysis done by marketing experts before arriving at their marketing strategy.
But it is a very useful tool for even an individual to use. You analyze your strengths and weaknesses and based on them you decide where the opportunities will most likely be for your profile and while keeping a close eye on possible threats, you arrive at your strategy to market and sell yourself to success. Works beautifully even where you are looking for a job in a market where they are very scarce like is the case in Kenya today.
What are our strengths in Kenya today and how can we use them to our advantage?
Today I will keep this short and give you only one example. My web traffic figures show me that I may be losing readers in this very important section because the posts are too long, so I have decided to keep them as brief as possible.
The Kenyan labour force is huge and well trained and currently most of it is idle and desperate and that's why the crime rate is where it is. I have heard the deep pocketed South African entrepreneurs who have swept across the continent in the last few years taking over everything, saying that they fear only the Kenyans in Africa. I was surprised because I expected them to mention Nigeria first.
Kenyans are today seen as a threat in the commercial arena and everywhere where jobs are being competed for right across the continent and beyond.
This labour force is one of our strengths and a very valuable asset, which I intend to put to good use, if elected president. Every policy, decision and strategy of government must be directed at utilizing this asset. This is the asset that will turn the Kenyan economy into The China of Africa.
The secret or the trick that will make all the difference is in directing our labour and efforts to areas where there is a huge demand both within the country and outside. One such area is the energy sector. One does not need to be a genius to realize that the world is drifting towards a very serious energy crisis. My vision for Kenya is people-driven economic growth, which will naturally put a lot of strain on certain resources, one of them being the energy resources. This means that any effort to produce energy at a cheaper rate than what we currently have will be wildly successful.
Something else we have in plenty in Kenya is sunshine. Scientists say that the amount of energy we receive from the sun in ONE MINUTE is enough to take care of all the world's energy needs for a FULL YEAR.
Solar energy and steam energy generated using the sun in Kenya's vast dry and hot regions can supply more than enough energy. Which we will be able to use and even export to our neighbors. These projects can be implemented in such a way that they are made as labour intensive as possible while keeping the cost down. This should not be too difficult considering that energy costs are already quite high and rising in the region. I am familiar with this technology having spend a brief stint working with a leading solar and alternative energy company in the region and I can tell you that it is very possible and very viable.
It is important that we make use of all the idle resources and assets that we have in plenty in Kenya but do not seem to see at the moment.
I want to end this by asking two questions and then answering them. Firstly, why is it that in Kenya we have never looked to use our strengths and assets? The sad answer is that we have been too busy with corruption to see the opportunities anywhere else. Because the tradition has been to use public office to enrich oneself, our leaders in the past have directed all their thinking and creativity towards finding innovative ways to steal from the public. The result is scams like Goldenberg that have cost the country billions and will take us many years to recover from.
The second question, which I've been asked, am I not afraid that another candidate will steal all my good ideas and present them as his own? The answer is that I am keeping very careful track of that and besides many of the older generation politicians we have today are focusing all their efforts on specifically saying what will please the electorate without really meaning it. A good example is the sweeping Narc statement that they will create 500,000 jobs a year and yet it is now clear that they did not have any clue as to how exactly they were going to do that.
President Moi put it very crudely and I want to repeat what he said here and was reported in the then People weekly newspaper. I am doing this not to offend the nice ladies who are the majority of my readers currently, but to show Kenyans exactly what the old order of Kenyan politics is all about.
Siasa ni kama mwanamke. Unapembeleza na mabo matamau lakini ukishatongoza yeye, bas. This roughly translates as; "The game of politics is like a relationship with a woman. You tell her all sorts of sweet nothings but after you have had sex with her, that’s it."
Kenyan voters please take careful note.
Anybody who steals these ideas will be exposed for who they really are, but even before that, they will have to back up their ideas with solid strategy and substance. That is not very easy to do with somebody else's ideas.
Besides Kenyan voters will not be easily cheated this time.
I do not mind exposing my driving force, what makes me different. It is the fact that I dream different dreams. Most of the politicians we know will dream of relaxing at State House (that's how people start getting ideas of putting up Kshs 100 million buildings in State House, while our people go hungry), a large presidential motorcade and inspecting guards of honour. The last two are both meaningless relics of the colonial era.
I dream of sleepless nights and a punishing 20-hour schedule. I dream of such sweeping positive changes coming for the ordinary Kenyan that they will be virtually impossible to reverse. I dream of a country prosperous and moving forward at high speed. I dream of a presidency that will be too busy in the thick of things and directing efforts that there will hardly be the time to inspect guards of honor. I dream of a presidency where honor will come from one source and one source alone. The ordinary, now struggling people of Kenya whose lives will have been changed by the efforts I will direct with all my strength, energy and being.
My fellow Kenyan, read very carefully between the lines to discover what your favorite presidential candidate really dreams about.
Link to two previous POSTS
Kumekucha launches Presidential campaign
Kumekucha’s Presidential Campaign: We Need One Priority, We Need Lots Of Creativity
=====================
Weddings can be a complex financial undertaking that can prove to be very stressful for the unprepared and unorganized. The average cost for a 150-person wedding is about $25,000 (higher in urban areas).
Here is a basic breakdown of what you can expect to pay: Reception: 48%-50% Ceremony: 2%-3% Attire: 8%-10% Flowers: 8%-10% Entertainment/Music: 8%-10% Photography/Videography: 10%-12% Stationery: 2%-3% Wedding Rings: 2%-3% Parking/Transportation: 2%-3% Gifts: 2%-3% Miscellaneous: 8%. To avoid last minute heart failure, allocate about 5% of your budget for a "just-in-case" fund.
When approached with the seriousness it deserves planning this important occasion right down to the wedding cameras need not be too stressful.
Couples Reunion At The Airport After 6 Long Years, Turns Ugly
What happened between Mwema and Dorothy (not thei real names) at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) the other day, made me realize how common this problem must be for many Kenyans all over the world these days.
The situation in our country has forced many Kenyans to seek greener pastures outside by going to seek jobs in foreign countries. Many times, it has not been possible for spouses to tag along. The result has been long years of separation. Long years of previously married people going back to living like bachelors.
The following is a reconstruction based on an eyewitness account and on the bitter words that were exchanged in loud voices and actually caused a scene.
Dorothy had left the country for the United States by being part of a group that were going for a special convention somewhere in the States. The meeting was being held in a State where she knew a number of friends and so it was easy for her to miss her flight back to Kenya. For the next six years she worked long and hard to make money in the land of opportunity. It was much harder than she had expected, she would say in her regular communication with her husband Mwema. Mwema was a very responsible man and looked after the couple's children as well as taking care of the home. Dorothy would send money regularly and as a result of her efforts the couple now had not only a plot somewhere in Nairobi, but they had also constructed rental houses.
Mwema had really looked forward to this day with all his heart. He had not made love to his wife for 6 long years and he was so much looking forward to it that he had organized things so that on the way from the airport they would pass a city hotel for a "second honeymoon." But it was not to be.
The minute Mwema saw his wife he knew that there was something that was very wrong. Her smile was not quite hearty enough. It did not reach the eyes. She finally came through and they hugged.
"Where are the children?" Was Dorothy's first question.
"They are at school. I've really missed you Dorothy. How have you been?"
"Could the children not miss school for a day as important as this?"
"But I had plans and…"
"Mwema, you will have to be tested."
Mwema could not believe his ears and it took him sometime before he could digest those words so as to be able to reply.
"What test?"
Dorothy tried to whisper under her breath at as they walked through the busy arrivals area at JKIA. "AIDS."
"You must be joking."
"I have never been more serious in my life."
To cut a long story short, tempers rose and what followed was an ugly scene where several Kenyans were treated to the intimate details of this marriage as accusations and counter accusations flew. What really seemed to irk Mwema was the fact that Dorothy seemed to have set up an intelligence unit, which he had been aware of the whole time, to monitor his movements. Mwema's point was that people who did not trust each other had no reason to get married in the first place. Dorothy's point was that all men are created weak and although the spirit may be willing the flesh is always terribly weak.
The couple left in different taxis after the intervention of security personnel at the airport who urged them to continue their lively debate in the privacy of their home.
The whole incident made me think of my own marriage. If it were to happen and we were parted with my wife for many years. Would I insist on an AIDS test? It is an issue that is still disturbing my mind.
=====================
Send in a true story of something that happened to you or somebody whom you know.
Depending on the nature of your true story, we will be happy to keep your identity and email secret. Remember that this is a Kenyan site and therefore you increase the chances of getting your story published if Kenyans can identify with it. We are specially looking for real life stories that reflect on how life is for Kenyans either in Kenya or anywhere else in the world.
Email your story to us today at umissedthis at yahoo dot com (written like this to avoid robots from spammers that scan text for email addresses)
Previous Hot stories in this series:
A True Kenyan Story: A Doctor’s Revenge
A True Kenyan Story: Matatu Nightmare
===========
Shopping online is the best way to save money and ensure that you get the best deal possible and carInsurance.com is the easiest way to purchase your auto insurance online. It is so easy that in some states the whole process can be completed and you can have proof of insurance in your hands in 15 minutes. The goal here is for you to see how much you can save with their services and this site is very easy to use. There is really no better way to get a free online car insurance quote. You will not only save lots of cash, but you'll also save your precious time.
The situation in our country has forced many Kenyans to seek greener pastures outside by going to seek jobs in foreign countries. Many times, it has not been possible for spouses to tag along. The result has been long years of separation. Long years of previously married people going back to living like bachelors.
The following is a reconstruction based on an eyewitness account and on the bitter words that were exchanged in loud voices and actually caused a scene.
Dorothy had left the country for the United States by being part of a group that were going for a special convention somewhere in the States. The meeting was being held in a State where she knew a number of friends and so it was easy for her to miss her flight back to Kenya. For the next six years she worked long and hard to make money in the land of opportunity. It was much harder than she had expected, she would say in her regular communication with her husband Mwema. Mwema was a very responsible man and looked after the couple's children as well as taking care of the home. Dorothy would send money regularly and as a result of her efforts the couple now had not only a plot somewhere in Nairobi, but they had also constructed rental houses.
Mwema had really looked forward to this day with all his heart. He had not made love to his wife for 6 long years and he was so much looking forward to it that he had organized things so that on the way from the airport they would pass a city hotel for a "second honeymoon." But it was not to be.
The minute Mwema saw his wife he knew that there was something that was very wrong. Her smile was not quite hearty enough. It did not reach the eyes. She finally came through and they hugged.
"Where are the children?" Was Dorothy's first question.
"They are at school. I've really missed you Dorothy. How have you been?"
"Could the children not miss school for a day as important as this?"
"But I had plans and…"
"Mwema, you will have to be tested."
Mwema could not believe his ears and it took him sometime before he could digest those words so as to be able to reply.
"What test?"
Dorothy tried to whisper under her breath at as they walked through the busy arrivals area at JKIA. "AIDS."
"You must be joking."
"I have never been more serious in my life."
To cut a long story short, tempers rose and what followed was an ugly scene where several Kenyans were treated to the intimate details of this marriage as accusations and counter accusations flew. What really seemed to irk Mwema was the fact that Dorothy seemed to have set up an intelligence unit, which he had been aware of the whole time, to monitor his movements. Mwema's point was that people who did not trust each other had no reason to get married in the first place. Dorothy's point was that all men are created weak and although the spirit may be willing the flesh is always terribly weak.
The couple left in different taxis after the intervention of security personnel at the airport who urged them to continue their lively debate in the privacy of their home.
The whole incident made me think of my own marriage. If it were to happen and we were parted with my wife for many years. Would I insist on an AIDS test? It is an issue that is still disturbing my mind.
=====================
Send in a true story of something that happened to you or somebody whom you know.
Depending on the nature of your true story, we will be happy to keep your identity and email secret. Remember that this is a Kenyan site and therefore you increase the chances of getting your story published if Kenyans can identify with it. We are specially looking for real life stories that reflect on how life is for Kenyans either in Kenya or anywhere else in the world.
Email your story to us today at umissedthis at yahoo dot com (written like this to avoid robots from spammers that scan text for email addresses)
Previous Hot stories in this series:
A True Kenyan Story: A Doctor’s Revenge
A True Kenyan Story: Matatu Nightmare
===========
Shopping online is the best way to save money and ensure that you get the best deal possible and carInsurance.com is the easiest way to purchase your auto insurance online. It is so easy that in some states the whole process can be completed and you can have proof of insurance in your hands in 15 minutes. The goal here is for you to see how much you can save with their services and this site is very easy to use. There is really no better way to get a free online car insurance quote. You will not only save lots of cash, but you'll also save your precious time.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
TJ We Remember: A Photo Tribute To Tom Mboya From Kumekucha
Tom Mboya was one of the most prominent personalities in Kenyan history. He was born Thomas Joseph Mboya on 15th August 1930 and was assassinated at the tender age of 39 on 5th July 1969. It is widely believed that his profile and illustrious career as a brilliant and charismatic leader, which was seen as a challenge to the then political establishment, led to his assassination.
Tom Mboya arriving at Uhuru Park for what was to be his last Madaraka day June 1st 1969. He's with his wife Pamela and two children. At this point things were tough politically, but would he have guessed that he would be dead in about a month's time?
More on Tom Mboya.
===============
Did you know that the same weight in silver still buys gas at the price of decades ago (25 cents a gallon). It is paper money that loses value rapidly all the time. That’s why investment experts have long-recommended portfolio diversification and that 20% or more of an investor's assets be devoted to tangible assets such as gold, silver and platinum bullion and bullion coins. This is a prudent asset diversification strategy critical in today’s uncertain world that is made possible by Monex a company that makes buying gold coins easy and convenient and has been doing so since 1967.
Kumekucha's Presidential Campaign 2007: We Need One Priority, We Need Lots of Creativity
Kumekucha's Presidential Campaign 2007
"If an economy is moving, tax it, if it keeps on moving regulate it, if it stalls subsidize it."
- Former US President Ronald Reagan-
No management, let alone government, can be successful without focusing on one key priority issue at a time. The problem we have in Kenya is that we accept to be cheated by presidential candidates who paint a rosy picture of many things that they are going to do. No candidate stands for anything let alone a certain key priority they want to address. And where they pretend to, they have no idea of how they are going to go about it.
And our governments are worse when they come into power because it soon becomes very clear that the leaders had no other agenda but to get power for power's sake.
This presidential campaign will focus on one key priority. Job creation. Naturally this has a lot to do with the economy. But I intend to focus on job creation in every single thing that the government does and in economic policies and even daily decision-making.
It starts with very little things. For example, today it is very difficult for an ordinary Kenyan who wants to seek employment abroad to get a passport. Yet criminals obtain them in a very short time, through corruption or by getting a forged one. So who are all the security measures in obtaining a passport targeted against? It is the common man who wants to improve his lot.
The government should make it very easy for any Kenyan to obtain a passport. Missions abroad will start doing some useful work and help channel information about jobs open to the international market. There will be an aggressive effort by everybody to get as many Kenyans as possible working.
At home we will promote small business like never before. It is a known fact that worldwide job creation these days happens in small and micro enterprises and not large factories like the Kenya Meat Commission which has recently been revived. And neither does it happen with massive foreign investments like was the case in the 70s. Both are good things to happen, but the really significant job creation will happen with small enterprises. The strategy I have in mind will involve both funding and training on a massive scale in partnership with banks and non-governmental organizations already working on the ground. It will also be necessary to create new government organizations specifically charged with promoting small enterprise.
Government procurement of items like stationary does not need to be left to large companies when it can be given to dozens of small businesses. In the past we have been giving lip service to the promotion of small business and then turning round to promote and sustain big business in everything we do. Big business can take care of itself, and anyway they are downsizing and rapidly increasing unemployment.
We need to get very creative here and certain tax waivers can be granted to companies that maintain large work forces. In fact tax policy can be designed to favor larger work forces.
We need more creative solutions to the so-called hawker and kiosk menace. These would appear to be a menace in the thinking of the 70s. Actually I intend to explore ways to use these two great Kenyan enterprises to create massive job opportunities. There is little point in urging the nation to work when there are no jobs and no opportunities. I intend to create the opportunities and the jobs and I know most Kenyans will gladly work. They hardly need to be reminded to work.
All in all I will strive to find creative ways to create employment for Kenyans both at home and abroad.
Somebody may complain that we are promoting the continued brain drain from our country with professionals being attracted to work in other countries. My question is why do we want to keep people in the country when we do not have the opportunities for them yet? Kenya has a massive, highly qualified work force that is second to none in Africa. Travel across the continent and you will see what I am talking about. We have PS's and other senior government bureaucrats working in countries like Namibia and Botswana, and we have Kenyan entrepreneurs involved in all sorts of businesses spread right across the continent from South Africa to North Africa, from Cape to Cairo. More will be found in many countries in the West and elsewhere. These Kenyans are the main reason why the Kenyan shilling stubbornly remains so strong today against major foreign currencies. While the government slept, foreign inflows from nationals living and working abroad has become one of the major foreign exchange earners in the country. But the problem is that the people in power stuck in the thinking (and time-warp) of the 70s are confused. In their book, this sort of thing has never been considered to be a serious foreign exchange earner and therefore they have even been reluctant to find ways of keeping accurate figures.
A new government should work to improve and rapidly increase opportunities for Kenyans to work abroad because apart from anything else, it gives them skill and experience that they can then bring back home in future when we rise to be the super power we really are.
Let me end by saying that if we can succeed in creating jobs, we will have been able to deal with so many other serious problems facing our nation today. A good example is crime. How can you expect crime not to be on the rise in a nation where unemployment stands at over 40% and growing?
A constant healthy flow of foreign currency into the county from nationals working abroad and from productive Kenyans within the country means that the government can be able to comfortably finance itself without seeking foreign aid.
We need to change direction and focus from an economy that benefits a few privileged Kenyans to one that has an impact on the greatest number of Kenyans possible. A good place to start is to escape from the thinking of the past.
This presidential candidate only has one agenda, job creation.
"If an economy is moving, tax it, if it keeps on moving regulate it, if it stalls subsidize it."
- Former US President Ronald Reagan-
No management, let alone government, can be successful without focusing on one key priority issue at a time. The problem we have in Kenya is that we accept to be cheated by presidential candidates who paint a rosy picture of many things that they are going to do. No candidate stands for anything let alone a certain key priority they want to address. And where they pretend to, they have no idea of how they are going to go about it.
And our governments are worse when they come into power because it soon becomes very clear that the leaders had no other agenda but to get power for power's sake.
This presidential campaign will focus on one key priority. Job creation. Naturally this has a lot to do with the economy. But I intend to focus on job creation in every single thing that the government does and in economic policies and even daily decision-making.
It starts with very little things. For example, today it is very difficult for an ordinary Kenyan who wants to seek employment abroad to get a passport. Yet criminals obtain them in a very short time, through corruption or by getting a forged one. So who are all the security measures in obtaining a passport targeted against? It is the common man who wants to improve his lot.
The government should make it very easy for any Kenyan to obtain a passport. Missions abroad will start doing some useful work and help channel information about jobs open to the international market. There will be an aggressive effort by everybody to get as many Kenyans as possible working.
At home we will promote small business like never before. It is a known fact that worldwide job creation these days happens in small and micro enterprises and not large factories like the Kenya Meat Commission which has recently been revived. And neither does it happen with massive foreign investments like was the case in the 70s. Both are good things to happen, but the really significant job creation will happen with small enterprises. The strategy I have in mind will involve both funding and training on a massive scale in partnership with banks and non-governmental organizations already working on the ground. It will also be necessary to create new government organizations specifically charged with promoting small enterprise.
Government procurement of items like stationary does not need to be left to large companies when it can be given to dozens of small businesses. In the past we have been giving lip service to the promotion of small business and then turning round to promote and sustain big business in everything we do. Big business can take care of itself, and anyway they are downsizing and rapidly increasing unemployment.
We need to get very creative here and certain tax waivers can be granted to companies that maintain large work forces. In fact tax policy can be designed to favor larger work forces.
We need more creative solutions to the so-called hawker and kiosk menace. These would appear to be a menace in the thinking of the 70s. Actually I intend to explore ways to use these two great Kenyan enterprises to create massive job opportunities. There is little point in urging the nation to work when there are no jobs and no opportunities. I intend to create the opportunities and the jobs and I know most Kenyans will gladly work. They hardly need to be reminded to work.
All in all I will strive to find creative ways to create employment for Kenyans both at home and abroad.
Somebody may complain that we are promoting the continued brain drain from our country with professionals being attracted to work in other countries. My question is why do we want to keep people in the country when we do not have the opportunities for them yet? Kenya has a massive, highly qualified work force that is second to none in Africa. Travel across the continent and you will see what I am talking about. We have PS's and other senior government bureaucrats working in countries like Namibia and Botswana, and we have Kenyan entrepreneurs involved in all sorts of businesses spread right across the continent from South Africa to North Africa, from Cape to Cairo. More will be found in many countries in the West and elsewhere. These Kenyans are the main reason why the Kenyan shilling stubbornly remains so strong today against major foreign currencies. While the government slept, foreign inflows from nationals living and working abroad has become one of the major foreign exchange earners in the country. But the problem is that the people in power stuck in the thinking (and time-warp) of the 70s are confused. In their book, this sort of thing has never been considered to be a serious foreign exchange earner and therefore they have even been reluctant to find ways of keeping accurate figures.
A new government should work to improve and rapidly increase opportunities for Kenyans to work abroad because apart from anything else, it gives them skill and experience that they can then bring back home in future when we rise to be the super power we really are.
Let me end by saying that if we can succeed in creating jobs, we will have been able to deal with so many other serious problems facing our nation today. A good example is crime. How can you expect crime not to be on the rise in a nation where unemployment stands at over 40% and growing?
A constant healthy flow of foreign currency into the county from nationals working abroad and from productive Kenyans within the country means that the government can be able to comfortably finance itself without seeking foreign aid.
We need to change direction and focus from an economy that benefits a few privileged Kenyans to one that has an impact on the greatest number of Kenyans possible. A good place to start is to escape from the thinking of the past.
This presidential candidate only has one agenda, job creation.
A True Kenyan Story: Matatu Nightmare
When I boarded the matatu headed for my rural home in Nyeri that fateful day in 2001, it never crossed my mind that there was such great horror ahead for me and the other female passengers in that vehicle.
If anything, it had been very reassuring that a thorough search had been carried out on all passengers prior to our boarding the matatu at the popular Nyamakima bus stage, in downtown Nairobi. Matatu-jackings had become too common and this precaution was very re-assuring because it meant that there was nobody onboard carrying a gun.
The journey was uneventful until we were a few kilometres from reaching our destination. A very young man that you would never suspect who was seated at the front of the Nissan minibus next to the driver asked the driver to drop him off at a very dark remote place on the main road. It sounded like a reasonable request. After all it was now dark and it made sense for somebody to be dropped off as close as possible to where they were going, although the place was so dark that it didn't look like anybody lived anywhere close by for miles around.
The moment the vehicle stopped there was a commotion at the back and three other young men (they couldn't have been more than 19 years old) emerged brandishing guns.
I was seated around the middle of the matatu and I froze in horror and went numb. Everything started happening in a hallucinatory way, like it was happening to somebody else or in a movie. There had been a total of 4 car-jackers in the matatu. They took over the vehicle and drove off the main road into the bush for several minutes. We finally stopped in what appeared to be a small clearing.
They proceeded to swiftly rob passengers of all their valuables at gunpoint. Wallets, mobile phones and all sorts of valuables were all put inside a makeshift sack they had fashioned from several shirts belonging to passengers. But the nightmare was only just beginning.
All passengers were then asked to strip naked and our clothes put in a heap. We stood there shivering out of fright and the chilly night air. We were then ordered at gun point to have sex with each other. I saw at least two of the gangsters also involved in the rape of passengers but they used condoms, which were also later recovered from the scene of the crime by the police.
At least two people penetrated me. One an elderly man who was stinking of sweat. It was all too horrible to imagine, let alone be involved in. It continued for what looked like forever. Finally we realized that the gangsters had left (with our clothes as well, so that it was difficult for us to seek help).
My normal senses started returning to me and I had these terrible feelings that are difficult to describe. I felt filthy and violated, there was deep fear in me. What would my husband say? Had I contracted AIDS? It was a horror that did not leave me and will probably never leave me completely.
Even today I can't bring myself to talk about it. This experience of writing it down is the first time I have really described it in any detail.
I have never gone for an AIDS test to date, although we were all treated at the district hospital and given medication. I am no longer with my husband as result of this incident although he supports our children. I have no idea how the guns were never discovered in the search carried out prior to the beginning of our journey.
Blogger/Editor's note:
(Gang rape and forced sex during matatu car jackings and even during robberies in homes is still a menace in Kenya today, although it has dramatically reduced from the high statistics of 2000 to 2002. What makes it worse is that most cases go unreported or are reported days after in scanty detail.
In the same year when this particular incident happened, a matatu carrying mainly female nurses going off duty was hijacked somewhere on Ngong Road and the passengers, including the nurses raped and forced to have sex with other passengers. The vehicle was later abandoned somewhere in Kawangware where people going to work the next morning came across it with condoms scattered all over the floor of the Nissan minibus.
This is a sick, bizarre and inhuman crime whose origin or motivations are unclear. People point to the increased use of drugs and exposures to Internet sex (some of which have violent tendencies) as possible causes.)
Send in your True Kenyan story today. Email to umissedthis@yahoo.com
============
Nancy Burpee is a world class paralympic swimmer, who has set world records in the 50 and 100 yards freestyle but was disqualified and thus effectively locked out from the 2004 Paralympic Games held in Athens, Greece on a procedural technicality. Law firm simmons jannace & stagg represented her in an effort to have the disqualification overturned and argued that the Australian referee showed bias against Ms. Burpee by making various comments indicating that the Australian referee did not want Ms. Burpee competing against an Australian paralympic swimmer at the games.
If anything, it had been very reassuring that a thorough search had been carried out on all passengers prior to our boarding the matatu at the popular Nyamakima bus stage, in downtown Nairobi. Matatu-jackings had become too common and this precaution was very re-assuring because it meant that there was nobody onboard carrying a gun.
The journey was uneventful until we were a few kilometres from reaching our destination. A very young man that you would never suspect who was seated at the front of the Nissan minibus next to the driver asked the driver to drop him off at a very dark remote place on the main road. It sounded like a reasonable request. After all it was now dark and it made sense for somebody to be dropped off as close as possible to where they were going, although the place was so dark that it didn't look like anybody lived anywhere close by for miles around.
The moment the vehicle stopped there was a commotion at the back and three other young men (they couldn't have been more than 19 years old) emerged brandishing guns.
I was seated around the middle of the matatu and I froze in horror and went numb. Everything started happening in a hallucinatory way, like it was happening to somebody else or in a movie. There had been a total of 4 car-jackers in the matatu. They took over the vehicle and drove off the main road into the bush for several minutes. We finally stopped in what appeared to be a small clearing.
They proceeded to swiftly rob passengers of all their valuables at gunpoint. Wallets, mobile phones and all sorts of valuables were all put inside a makeshift sack they had fashioned from several shirts belonging to passengers. But the nightmare was only just beginning.
All passengers were then asked to strip naked and our clothes put in a heap. We stood there shivering out of fright and the chilly night air. We were then ordered at gun point to have sex with each other. I saw at least two of the gangsters also involved in the rape of passengers but they used condoms, which were also later recovered from the scene of the crime by the police.
At least two people penetrated me. One an elderly man who was stinking of sweat. It was all too horrible to imagine, let alone be involved in. It continued for what looked like forever. Finally we realized that the gangsters had left (with our clothes as well, so that it was difficult for us to seek help).
My normal senses started returning to me and I had these terrible feelings that are difficult to describe. I felt filthy and violated, there was deep fear in me. What would my husband say? Had I contracted AIDS? It was a horror that did not leave me and will probably never leave me completely.
Even today I can't bring myself to talk about it. This experience of writing it down is the first time I have really described it in any detail.
I have never gone for an AIDS test to date, although we were all treated at the district hospital and given medication. I am no longer with my husband as result of this incident although he supports our children. I have no idea how the guns were never discovered in the search carried out prior to the beginning of our journey.
Blogger/Editor's note:
(Gang rape and forced sex during matatu car jackings and even during robberies in homes is still a menace in Kenya today, although it has dramatically reduced from the high statistics of 2000 to 2002. What makes it worse is that most cases go unreported or are reported days after in scanty detail.
In the same year when this particular incident happened, a matatu carrying mainly female nurses going off duty was hijacked somewhere on Ngong Road and the passengers, including the nurses raped and forced to have sex with other passengers. The vehicle was later abandoned somewhere in Kawangware where people going to work the next morning came across it with condoms scattered all over the floor of the Nissan minibus.
This is a sick, bizarre and inhuman crime whose origin or motivations are unclear. People point to the increased use of drugs and exposures to Internet sex (some of which have violent tendencies) as possible causes.)
Send in your True Kenyan story today. Email to umissedthis@yahoo.com
============
Nancy Burpee is a world class paralympic swimmer, who has set world records in the 50 and 100 yards freestyle but was disqualified and thus effectively locked out from the 2004 Paralympic Games held in Athens, Greece on a procedural technicality. Law firm simmons jannace & stagg represented her in an effort to have the disqualification overturned and argued that the Australian referee showed bias against Ms. Burpee by making various comments indicating that the Australian referee did not want Ms. Burpee competing against an Australian paralympic swimmer at the games.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Business/Make Money Feature: Is Finance All That Hinders You From Going Into Business For Yourself?
Recently I got an opportunity to make a brief presentation to a small group that is in the process of launching a business project. My presentation focused on the Toyota Motor Corporation's JIT (just in time manufacturing). There was also an emphasis on how letting your customers raise the capital to lift your business enterprise to success (which started with Ford founder and the inventor of the Assembly line, Henry Ford) can be used to dramatically cut down on the risks of financial losses in any enterprise.
I quickly realized how naïve I really was to have thought that I would go in there and change mind sets with one small inspiring presentation. One man even told me right in my face that I was lying and that there was no way that Toyota would manufacture vehicles in the way I "dared to suggest". I quietly referred them to the company web site and also asked them to do a little research using a search engine and the key words "just in time manufacturing." That whole episode really shook me. Just in time manufacturing is the revolutionary production process used by the most efficient manufacturing company in the world to manufacture cars only according to demand and with virtually no waste of resources or raw materials.
Another gentleman at the presentation who is a senior accountant with a large multi-national stuck to his mantra, no doubt written on stone in his heart after years of service to his employer – "nothing moves without a budget," he kept saying in many different ways.
I realized that one of the biggest problems facing would-be entrepreneurs in Kenya and indeed Africa today is not capital but a mindset that won't change. Many Kenyans today would give an arm and a leg (and a spouse – as many have already done) to get an opportunity to go to the United States. Even with the rapidly changing situation in that country, the vast majority of Kenyans strongly believe that all they have to do to become millionaires is get to America (the end justifying any means used).
Yet in that great nation I wonder if the founding fathers (all immigrants) sat down to create a budget before they went in. Where did they get the capital to build this great enterprise called The USA Inc.?
The best-documented example of this old argument, of whether it is acceptable to launch a business without capital or financing, being played out involved Henry Ford himself. The founder of the Ford Motor company just couldn't stand bankers. His belief was that to start a business, you created a product and if it could get customers, you then used the proceeds to build another unit so that it was the customers who "financed" the business. The huge advantage, old man Ford said, was that if the business was not viable, one would not need to waste a ton of capital to find out. It would simply never take off and the person would then be free to try something else, without the burden of debt hanging over their necks and following them to their next enterprise.
Many people ridiculed Henry Ford for these "radical" ideas. No doubt it did not help that he had very limited formal education. However that did not stop Ford from proving practically just how viable his ideas were.
(to be continued… Next Week: How You Can Launch A Part Time Business using this principle.)
I quickly realized how naïve I really was to have thought that I would go in there and change mind sets with one small inspiring presentation. One man even told me right in my face that I was lying and that there was no way that Toyota would manufacture vehicles in the way I "dared to suggest". I quietly referred them to the company web site and also asked them to do a little research using a search engine and the key words "just in time manufacturing." That whole episode really shook me. Just in time manufacturing is the revolutionary production process used by the most efficient manufacturing company in the world to manufacture cars only according to demand and with virtually no waste of resources or raw materials.
Another gentleman at the presentation who is a senior accountant with a large multi-national stuck to his mantra, no doubt written on stone in his heart after years of service to his employer – "nothing moves without a budget," he kept saying in many different ways.
I realized that one of the biggest problems facing would-be entrepreneurs in Kenya and indeed Africa today is not capital but a mindset that won't change. Many Kenyans today would give an arm and a leg (and a spouse – as many have already done) to get an opportunity to go to the United States. Even with the rapidly changing situation in that country, the vast majority of Kenyans strongly believe that all they have to do to become millionaires is get to America (the end justifying any means used).
Yet in that great nation I wonder if the founding fathers (all immigrants) sat down to create a budget before they went in. Where did they get the capital to build this great enterprise called The USA Inc.?
The best-documented example of this old argument, of whether it is acceptable to launch a business without capital or financing, being played out involved Henry Ford himself. The founder of the Ford Motor company just couldn't stand bankers. His belief was that to start a business, you created a product and if it could get customers, you then used the proceeds to build another unit so that it was the customers who "financed" the business. The huge advantage, old man Ford said, was that if the business was not viable, one would not need to waste a ton of capital to find out. It would simply never take off and the person would then be free to try something else, without the burden of debt hanging over their necks and following them to their next enterprise.
Many people ridiculed Henry Ford for these "radical" ideas. No doubt it did not help that he had very limited formal education. However that did not stop Ford from proving practically just how viable his ideas were.
(to be continued… Next Week: How You Can Launch A Part Time Business using this principle.)
Kumekucha launches campaign for the Presidency of Kenya
Presidential Campaign 2007
My dear fellow Kenyans, today I launch in this blog this regular feature that will be a platform to campaign for the presidency of Kenya. This is a unique campaign because unlike other campaigns it does not start with a personality or (God forbid) a tribe and its' interests. In fact we do not have a candidate yet although I am persuaded that we will ultimately find a young Kenyan, born in 1963 or thereabouts to carry forward this very important agenda and issues in a campaign for the presidency.
The time has come when we must look at presidential campaigns differently. Instead of focusing on one's chances of winning (hence the tribal arithmetic quickly coming into play) we now need candidates whose urgent priority will be to be identified with certain issues. Candidates who will have a clear agenda. That is what should get them a following and not the tribe they happen to belong to. We need men and women who are prepared to stand with a certain cause and are willing to stick with it for the long haul if that is what it will take to finally get the support they need to win. We need Kenyan men and women of integrity who when they finally win will use the opportunity entrusted on them by fellow Kenyans, not to enrich themselves but to bring about genuine change and genuine benefits to our beloved nation.
In 2002 we were all delighted that KANU had finally gone – or so we thought. There was such euphoria in the air. Today Kenyans are wiser. One lesson that has clearly come out is that those who took over the reigns of power on that memorable December day, 2002, did not do so with the right motives in mind. Let alone any clear ideas or policies other than to remove Kanu and ascend to power mainly for themselves and for the people second.
Former cabinet minister Kiraitu Muriungi's famous message to former President Moi, still stands out and hangs there shamefully fluttering in the wind as a stark reminder that the politicians Kenyans have known thus far have mainly spoken far too quickly and acted far too slowly or not at all. Hon Muriungi told Moi to retire quietly to his farm in Kabarak and sit back and take some lessons on how a government should be run. Alas, today it is that same Moi who has come back to give some lessons to that same government on how to run a government. Mostly how they can survive in power against the will of the majority of Kenyans yearning for genuine change and feeling very much cheated after 2002. The tactics they intend to use are similar to those that Moi used to stay in power against the will of the majority of Kenyans for many years. Those tactics were used by colonialists very effectively. They are the tactics of divide and rule that thrive on generating tribal animosity.
Since the launch of this blog on a whim, almost two years ago, I have tried very hard to stick to our simple vision and mission. And that is to push for a change of leadership in Kenya where the baton would be passed on to a new, younger generation of Kenyans.
Since that time, some progress has been made, younger people's interest in politics has gathered momentum tremendously and many lobby groups and organizations have been formed. This blog does not claim any credit for what has happened, what we see is proof that here is an idea whose time has come.
Sadly at the same time, the generation of our fathers and grandfathers, desperately fighting to cling onto power has continued in their bad old habits. Only that this time with more political freedom, these politics of appealing to tribal sentiments and fighting for the interests or share in the national cake specifically on behalf and for certain tribes or communities is just too dangerous.
We just need to take a quick look at what happened in neighbouring Somalia and a number of Eastern countries where we have witnessed so called ethnic cleansing, to see this.
The numerous problems facing Kenya today can be turned into opportunities but this is not going to happen if we insist on using yesterday's tired methods being promoted by yesterday's crop of old tired leaders.
A wise man once said that a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. The nation that man came from is now a super power. Please join me as I take this single step, this humble beginning to make a difference in our beloved nation.
My dear fellow Kenyans, today I launch in this blog this regular feature that will be a platform to campaign for the presidency of Kenya. This is a unique campaign because unlike other campaigns it does not start with a personality or (God forbid) a tribe and its' interests. In fact we do not have a candidate yet although I am persuaded that we will ultimately find a young Kenyan, born in 1963 or thereabouts to carry forward this very important agenda and issues in a campaign for the presidency.
The time has come when we must look at presidential campaigns differently. Instead of focusing on one's chances of winning (hence the tribal arithmetic quickly coming into play) we now need candidates whose urgent priority will be to be identified with certain issues. Candidates who will have a clear agenda. That is what should get them a following and not the tribe they happen to belong to. We need men and women who are prepared to stand with a certain cause and are willing to stick with it for the long haul if that is what it will take to finally get the support they need to win. We need Kenyan men and women of integrity who when they finally win will use the opportunity entrusted on them by fellow Kenyans, not to enrich themselves but to bring about genuine change and genuine benefits to our beloved nation.
In 2002 we were all delighted that KANU had finally gone – or so we thought. There was such euphoria in the air. Today Kenyans are wiser. One lesson that has clearly come out is that those who took over the reigns of power on that memorable December day, 2002, did not do so with the right motives in mind. Let alone any clear ideas or policies other than to remove Kanu and ascend to power mainly for themselves and for the people second.
Former cabinet minister Kiraitu Muriungi's famous message to former President Moi, still stands out and hangs there shamefully fluttering in the wind as a stark reminder that the politicians Kenyans have known thus far have mainly spoken far too quickly and acted far too slowly or not at all. Hon Muriungi told Moi to retire quietly to his farm in Kabarak and sit back and take some lessons on how a government should be run. Alas, today it is that same Moi who has come back to give some lessons to that same government on how to run a government. Mostly how they can survive in power against the will of the majority of Kenyans yearning for genuine change and feeling very much cheated after 2002. The tactics they intend to use are similar to those that Moi used to stay in power against the will of the majority of Kenyans for many years. Those tactics were used by colonialists very effectively. They are the tactics of divide and rule that thrive on generating tribal animosity.
Since the launch of this blog on a whim, almost two years ago, I have tried very hard to stick to our simple vision and mission. And that is to push for a change of leadership in Kenya where the baton would be passed on to a new, younger generation of Kenyans.
Since that time, some progress has been made, younger people's interest in politics has gathered momentum tremendously and many lobby groups and organizations have been formed. This blog does not claim any credit for what has happened, what we see is proof that here is an idea whose time has come.
Sadly at the same time, the generation of our fathers and grandfathers, desperately fighting to cling onto power has continued in their bad old habits. Only that this time with more political freedom, these politics of appealing to tribal sentiments and fighting for the interests or share in the national cake specifically on behalf and for certain tribes or communities is just too dangerous.
We just need to take a quick look at what happened in neighbouring Somalia and a number of Eastern countries where we have witnessed so called ethnic cleansing, to see this.
The numerous problems facing Kenya today can be turned into opportunities but this is not going to happen if we insist on using yesterday's tired methods being promoted by yesterday's crop of old tired leaders.
A wise man once said that a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. The nation that man came from is now a super power. Please join me as I take this single step, this humble beginning to make a difference in our beloved nation.
A True Kenyan Story: A Doctor's Revenge
Not far from Nairobi is a small town full of history called Limuru. If you take the time to talk to locals and ask them about the story of the doctor's revenge, they will tell you this bizzare tale I am about to repeat here.
It all centers around this young Kenyan surgeon who married this beautiful young Kenyan lady whose exact birthplace or origin I cannot quite remember, but she was Kikuyu like the good doctor.
Their life seemed to be happy enough. The doctor, like most surgeons in Kenya was making a good regular income and his young wife lacked for nothing. The only problem was that her husband usually worked late and so she inevitably started getting a little bored and lonely, like many housewives usually do.
There was this young local chief in the area who was a family friend and a regular visitor to the house. Many times when he would visit, the good doctor would be at work. One thing led to another and soon the chief was more than just a family friend to the surgeon's wife.
The rumours finally reached the doctor who was furious, naturally. What really hurt him most must have been the betrayal by the chief, whom he considered a very close friend. Still he held his peace and quietly made his plans.
He faked a long trip out of town but returned in the wee hours, parking his car very far from the house. Now those who have been to Limuru know that it is a very quiet place that can get very cold sometimes. When it gets chilly people tend to sleep so soundly that it would take something close to a bomb to wake them up.
The doctor's wife and the honorable chief were in this kind of sleep. It is said that the doctor walked into his bedroom with all his surgical equipment. When he was done, the chief's status had been changed such that he would never again in his life be able to come anywhere near a woman. Surgery complete and stitched up by the expert hands of the surgeon so that no scar would ever be left, the good doctor made his exit leaving his dear wife and castrated local chief still in deep sleep on his marital bed. He drove back to his "long out of town trip".
Innocently, the doctor returned the next day to be warmly welcomed by his wife. Life continued as it always had for the picture perfect couple. What changed for the doctor was this amused look folks in town always gave him whenever they met him. Some could not hold back a snigger or two. Many women openly giggled while others would burst into loud laughter the moment the doctor and his wife were out of ear shot.
The chief? He disappeared. Nobody knows exactly where he went because he was never heard of again.
That's what I call a permanent surgical solution to a chronic ailment.
=====================
Send in a true story of something that happened to you or somebody whom you know.
Depending on the nature of your true story, we will be happy to keep your identity and email secret. Remember that this is a Kenyan site and therefore you increase the chances of getting your story published if Kenyans can identify with it. We are specially looking for real life stories that reflect on how life is for Kenyans either in Kenya or anywhere else in the world.
Email your story to us today at umissedthis at yahoo dot com (written like this to avoid robots from spammers that scan text for email addresses)
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Why The East African Political Federation Is Dead In The Water
When former powerful Attorney General and later cabinet minister, Charles Mugane Njonjo issued a statement recently where he did not mince any words in saying that the proposed East African Federation was a waste of time, many Kenyans did not agree with his views. Especially when it is quite clear that he was one of the main powerful characters in President Kenyatta's government who pushed for the breaking of the then East African Community in 1977.
However the truth is that Njonjo knows a few things that many ordinary Kenyans do not know. And that is the fact that Tanzania was slowing down progress in the community considerably.
Ironically the current fast tracking initiative for an East African Federation has been slowed down tremendously by one nation, Tanzania. Had this issue been only between Kenya and Uganda, it would have been resolved a long time ago. And maybe the time has now come for the other East African nations, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda to seriously consider moving ahead with an East African Federation that excludes Tanzania whose people are not really interested in such a development.
Sources on the ground reveal to this writer that the vast majority of ordinary Tanzanians view Kenyans as a threat to employment opportunities within their country. Interestingly very few of them are thinking outside Tanzania at the moment despite the massive opportunities and the special Tanzanian talents in trade for instance that would see them prosper virtually anywhere in East Africa. The danger in this kind of thinking is that the Tanzanian "honeymoon economic growth" could end as suddenly as it began, especially if Kenya gets its act together. Economists give various reasons for this but one of the most obvious is that investors prefer Ugandan or Kenyan labour to Tanzanian. The only reason why many of them are in Tanzania is because the conditions are highly favorable to foreign investors unlike the situation in Kenya at the moment.
Listening to the speeches of President Kibaki and President Kikwete during the recent meeting in Arusha, it was easy to capture the tension and undercurrents. President Kibaki talked about the need to remove all trade barriers, and open the borders for the free movement of the peoples of East Africa and Kikwete talked about the incident of increased cross border crime and the need to co-operate to curb it.
The truth that even the most optimistic of Kenyans should be made aware of is that rather than opening up the borders for free movement of people, the vision of most Tanzanians for a bright future is one without any Kenyans in their country. The sooner this truth is realized the less time and public funds will be wasted in chasing the wind.
=====================
Personal bankruptcy is generally considered the ultimate debt management option and although it will get you off the hook as far as many of your creditors are concerned, it is important to realize its’ long term effects and impact on your life. Although in certain situations it is the only option, it will stay on your credit report for 10 years and make life difficult for you in many ways. That is why many opt for debt consolidation instead. Debt consolidation involves taking out a low-interest loan that will pay off all your debts, leaving you with just the one loan to pay off.
However the truth is that Njonjo knows a few things that many ordinary Kenyans do not know. And that is the fact that Tanzania was slowing down progress in the community considerably.
Ironically the current fast tracking initiative for an East African Federation has been slowed down tremendously by one nation, Tanzania. Had this issue been only between Kenya and Uganda, it would have been resolved a long time ago. And maybe the time has now come for the other East African nations, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda to seriously consider moving ahead with an East African Federation that excludes Tanzania whose people are not really interested in such a development.
Sources on the ground reveal to this writer that the vast majority of ordinary Tanzanians view Kenyans as a threat to employment opportunities within their country. Interestingly very few of them are thinking outside Tanzania at the moment despite the massive opportunities and the special Tanzanian talents in trade for instance that would see them prosper virtually anywhere in East Africa. The danger in this kind of thinking is that the Tanzanian "honeymoon economic growth" could end as suddenly as it began, especially if Kenya gets its act together. Economists give various reasons for this but one of the most obvious is that investors prefer Ugandan or Kenyan labour to Tanzanian. The only reason why many of them are in Tanzania is because the conditions are highly favorable to foreign investors unlike the situation in Kenya at the moment.
Listening to the speeches of President Kibaki and President Kikwete during the recent meeting in Arusha, it was easy to capture the tension and undercurrents. President Kibaki talked about the need to remove all trade barriers, and open the borders for the free movement of the peoples of East Africa and Kikwete talked about the incident of increased cross border crime and the need to co-operate to curb it.
The truth that even the most optimistic of Kenyans should be made aware of is that rather than opening up the borders for free movement of people, the vision of most Tanzanians for a bright future is one without any Kenyans in their country. The sooner this truth is realized the less time and public funds will be wasted in chasing the wind.
=====================
Personal bankruptcy is generally considered the ultimate debt management option and although it will get you off the hook as far as many of your creditors are concerned, it is important to realize its’ long term effects and impact on your life. Although in certain situations it is the only option, it will stay on your credit report for 10 years and make life difficult for you in many ways. That is why many opt for debt consolidation instead. Debt consolidation involves taking out a low-interest loan that will pay off all your debts, leaving you with just the one loan to pay off.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Kenya Politics Jokes: Hilarious 2007 General Elections Jokes
In the last days of the Moi regime life was almost unbearable in Kenya (little did we know that the worst was yet to come). But thanks to the Redykyulass comedians Kenyans were able to laugh a lot about some very serious issues. We are in an almost identical situation (if not worse) with the Kibaki administration. And it is for this reason that we have launched political jokes in this popular blog. They will be updated regularly. Enjoy.
Count down to general elections jokes;
Emilio’s grand son asked his grand-dad, "Do all fairy tales begin with once upon a time...?" Emilio replied, "No. Some begin with 'After I'm elected..."
Q&A (Exclusive)
On the achievements of the Kibaki Administration
Q: What has President Kibaki done almost effortlessly that former President Moi failed miserably at?
A: Unite the LDP and Kanu.
Q: What happened to the 500,000 jobs the Narc administration promised to create every year?
A: Statistics prove that 600,000 jobs have in fact been created annually since the Narc government came to power. Here is a recent breakdown;
50,000 carjackers
50,000 muggers
37 developers of collapsing buildings
63 liars and cover-up artists for Anglo leasing-like projects
100,000 Brand new burglars and other petty offenders
124,884 rapists
15,000 car thieves
22,000 pickpockets
12,000 Brand new beggars
750 Vicious Wife beaters countrywide out of frustration
250 Vicious Husband beaters countrywide.
100,000 child molestors
2 foreign mercenaries
1 Political asylum seeker in UK over Anglo Leasing
13 Local specialist newspaper burning and press raid experts
1 Former President actively involved in politics
125,000 Kenyan immigrants who have had to flee Kenya to seek survival elsewhere.
600,001 jobs in total have been created.
Q: What is the first thing that the President says after waking up?
A: "Good morning, Emilio."
Q: You know what the problem with political jokes in Kenya is, don't you?
A: They got elected in 2002. And some even more hilarious ones are leading opinion polls to get elected in 2007.
Q: Why is security so tight around Lucy Kibaki?
A: Because if something happens to her, Emilio becomes President!
See 2007 Election predictions
Emilio’s grand son asked his grand-dad, "Do all fairy tales begin with once upon a time...?" Emilio replied, "No. Some begin with 'After I'm elected..."
Q&A (Exclusive)
On the achievements of the Kibaki Administration
Q: What has President Kibaki done almost effortlessly that former President Moi failed miserably at?
A: Unite the LDP and Kanu.
Q: What happened to the 500,000 jobs the Narc administration promised to create every year?
A: Statistics prove that 600,000 jobs have in fact been created annually since the Narc government came to power. Here is a recent breakdown;
50,000 carjackers
50,000 muggers
37 developers of collapsing buildings
63 liars and cover-up artists for Anglo leasing-like projects
100,000 Brand new burglars and other petty offenders
124,884 rapists
15,000 car thieves
22,000 pickpockets
12,000 Brand new beggars
750 Vicious Wife beaters countrywide out of frustration
250 Vicious Husband beaters countrywide.
100,000 child molestors
2 foreign mercenaries
1 Political asylum seeker in UK over Anglo Leasing
13 Local specialist newspaper burning and press raid experts
1 Former President actively involved in politics
125,000 Kenyan immigrants who have had to flee Kenya to seek survival elsewhere.
600,001 jobs in total have been created.
Q: What is the first thing that the President says after waking up?
A: "Good morning, Emilio."
Q: You know what the problem with political jokes in Kenya is, don't you?
A: They got elected in 2002. And some even more hilarious ones are leading opinion polls to get elected in 2007.
Q: Why is security so tight around Lucy Kibaki?
A: Because if something happens to her, Emilio becomes President!
See 2007 Election predictions
-----Vertical Sack Farming Magic: An experiment on the viability of vertical sack farming has turned into a serious business within a very short space of time. Secrets and tips shared that will make all the difference.
---As long as some people (many times with the help of foreign agents) will want to fiddle with presidential election tallying results, the post of chairman of the electoral body will remain the most deadly public office in the country called Kenya and maybe even on the entire African continent.
Wafulu Chebukati: immediate former IEBC chairman who announced very strange presidential results in August 2022As we have seen in past elections the chairman of elections in Kenya will always end up in a situation where they are confronted by public wrath or even worse a situation where because they know too much about how the election was fiddled with, somebody decides to get rid of them thus eliminating a potential loose end that could lead to exposure.
But even in the one case (2002) where the real presidential elections have been announced, the role of electoral chairman in Kenya has still proved to be a demanding and high-pressure position. Crisis-management skills and quick thinking are obviously key requirements
History shows us that after overseeing bungled elections, many of these chairmen find it impossible to move on successfully to other endeavors. One significant factor contributing to this challenge is the toll that the position seems to take on their health and even psychological well being.
One notable example is Samuel Kivuitu, who served as the chairman of the electoral body (then the ECK) during the controversial 2007 elections. After his term ended, Kivuitu's health deteriorated significantly and very rapidly. He passed away as a pale shadow of his former self.
But even more telling was the fact that the death of Kivuitu on 25th February 2013, just a week before the 2013 general elections raised eyebrows and sparked suspicion among many. Kivuitu's sudden demise came after a period of significant weight loss and reports of him suffering from multiple illnesses.
In a country where superstitions often intertwine with politics, some Kenyans couldn't help but link Kivuitu's deteriorating health to his decisions during the 2007 elections, which were marred by violence and resulted in numerous deaths. The timing of his death so close to another crucial election only added fuel to the fire of speculation. There are those who argued that he may have been bumped off because he was known to be outspoken and may have said something to attract attention to what those who were rigging that election wanted to do.
In retrospect it appears that Kivuitu may have had little choice in his decisions which were forced on him by threats and it is unlikely that he received any monetary reward for his pronouncements. The same cannot be said for others who came after him because their lavish lifestyles after leaving the electoral body may suggest some mischief.
While it is important to approach such claims with skepticism and rely on concrete evidence, it is undeniable that Kivuitu's passing under the circumstances mentioned above raises questions about the potential influence of his past actions on his health and ultimately his untimely demise.
If you ask most Kenyans they will tell you that the post of chairman of the IEBC is a dangerous one that most candidates for the job take too lightly when applying. They never come anywhere near considering the reality of the job in our current political environment. They therefore end up with blood on their hands after going against the will of the people and from then on are doomed to a life of frustration and living under a curse. Which means after chairing the Kenyan electoral body the man or woman will go absolutely nowhere after that until their day of catching their last "flight" out of the world of the living.
Vertical Sack Farming Magic: An experiment on the viability of vertical sack farming has turned into a serious business within a very short space of time. Secrets and tips shared that will make all the difference.
---
As long as some people (many times with the help of foreign agents) will want to fiddle with presidential election tallying results, the post of chairman of the electoral body will remain the most deadly public office in the country called Kenya and maybe even on the entire African continent.
Wafulu Chebukati: immediate former IEBC chairman who announced very strange presidential results in August 2022
As we have seen in past elections the chairman of elections in Kenya will always end up in a situation where they are confronted by public wrath or even worse a situation where because they know too much about how the election was fiddled with, somebody decides to get rid of them thus eliminating a potential loose end that could lead to exposure.
But even in the one case (2002) where the real presidential elections have been announced, the role of electoral chairman in Kenya has still proved to be a demanding and high-pressure position. Crisis-management skills and quick thinking are obviously key requirements
History shows us that after overseeing bungled elections, many of these chairmen find it impossible to move on successfully to other endeavors. One significant factor contributing to this challenge is the toll that the position seems to take on their health and even psychological well being.
One notable example is Samuel Kivuitu, who served as the chairman of the electoral body (then the ECK) during the controversial 2007 elections. After his term ended, Kivuitu's health deteriorated significantly and very rapidly. He passed away as a pale shadow of his former self.
But even more telling was the fact that the death of Kivuitu on 25th February 2013, just a week before the 2013 general elections raised eyebrows and sparked suspicion among many. Kivuitu's sudden demise came after a period of significant weight loss and reports of him suffering from multiple illnesses.
In a country where superstitions often intertwine with politics, some Kenyans couldn't help but link Kivuitu's deteriorating health to his decisions during the 2007 elections, which were marred by violence and resulted in numerous deaths. The timing of his death so close to another crucial election only added fuel to the fire of speculation. There are those who argued that he may have been bumped off because he was known to be outspoken and may have said something to attract attention to what those who were rigging that election wanted to do.
In retrospect it appears that Kivuitu may have had little choice in his decisions which were forced on him by threats and it is unlikely that he received any monetary reward for his pronouncements. The same cannot be said for others who came after him because their lavish lifestyles after leaving the electoral body may suggest some mischief.
While it is important to approach such claims with skepticism and rely on concrete evidence, it is undeniable that Kivuitu's passing under the circumstances mentioned above raises questions about the potential influence of his past actions on his health and ultimately his untimely demise.
If you ask most Kenyans they will tell you that the post of chairman of the IEBC is a dangerous one that most candidates for the job take too lightly when applying. They never come anywhere near considering the reality of the job in our current political environment. They therefore end up with blood on their hands after going against the will of the people and from then on are doomed to a life of frustration and living under a curse. Which means after chairing the Kenyan electoral body the man or woman will go absolutely nowhere after that until their day of catching their last "flight" out of the world of the living.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Predictions 2007 Elections: Kibaki/Kanu Faction Coalition Wins Landslide Election Victory
Predictions 2007 Elections: Kibaki/Kanu Faction Coalition Wins Landslide Election Victory
So you think you have heard of all the possible bad news about Kenya that you can take in? Think again... There is much more to come...
Look out for these horrifying headlines shortly after the coming general elections;
Kibaki/Kanu Faction Coalition Wins Landslide Election Victory
76 year old President hailed as the great come-back kid by clique of supporters
Artur brothers, Ketan Somia and Kamlesh Patnni in attendance at swearing in ceremony at Uhuru Park as reporters fail to address issue of how the heavily funded campaign was financed
Kiraitu Murungi Back In The Cabinet With A Bang!
Look out for these horrifying headlines shortly after the coming general elections;
Kibaki/Kanu Faction Coalition Wins Landslide Election Victory
76 year old President hailed as the great come-back kid by clique of supporters
Artur brothers, Ketan Somia and Kamlesh Patnni in attendance at swearing in ceremony at Uhuru Park as reporters fail to address issue of how the heavily funded campaign was financed
Kiraitu Murungi Back In The Cabinet With A Bang!
Appointed Minister In new Ethics and Anti-corruption Ministry
Kibaki Seeks Help From Moi
In unpredented move, former President Moi is nominated MP and appointed Minister of State for Special (Crisis Prevention) projects in the Office of the President. Mzee Barengtuny called out of retirement to be new Secretary to the cabinet. Njenga Karume is new Foreign affairs minister. Minister of Finance is John "Standard Raid" Michuki. President opts for fellow wazees that he can trust for key ministries
Analysts worry about new cabinet's ability to stay awake during meetings, let alone understand what the hell is going on in Kenya. 'Are there no young men in Kenya?' international community wonders.
Chris Murungaru To Head A Commission To Investigate Circumstances Under Which Government Secrets Leaked To The Press With The Aim Of Preventing Similar Future Disasters.
Vows To Table Bill To Strengthen Official Secrets Act.
Kenyan voters ditch spirited attempt by new generation of politicians born after independence and opt for experience instead
"Our problems are too serious to give to some inexperienced dot com youths," voters swallow the old mens' political propaganda hook line and sinker
If the current trend continues then expect even more horrifying headlines. All I can say is, "Will the last person leaving Kenya please remember to switch off the lights."
Analysts worry about new cabinet's ability to stay awake during meetings, let alone understand what the hell is going on in Kenya. 'Are there no young men in Kenya?' international community wonders.
Chris Murungaru To Head A Commission To Investigate Circumstances Under Which Government Secrets Leaked To The Press With The Aim Of Preventing Similar Future Disasters.
Vows To Table Bill To Strengthen Official Secrets Act.
Kenyan voters ditch spirited attempt by new generation of politicians born after independence and opt for experience instead
"Our problems are too serious to give to some inexperienced dot com youths," voters swallow the old mens' political propaganda hook line and sinker
If the current trend continues then expect even more horrifying headlines. All I can say is, "Will the last person leaving Kenya please remember to switch off the lights."
BUT you can do something to STOP IT before it is too late...
Facts About The Coming General Elections;
- The above headlines may look far-fetched, but under the current Kenyan constitution that gives seating Presidents powers that are close to those of the Almighty, they are actually mild. Things can be a lot worse.
- The same politicians who have brought the nation of Kenya to its knees have already launched their political campaigns for 2007 (many of them under the ODM (banner). If Kenyans do not wake up to what is happening, history will repeat itself and we will end up with the same individuals in parliament after 2007.
- Many of these politicians are already drumming up tribal support and dividing Kenyans along tribal lines, in readiness for the general elections. If nothing happens soon, they will be successful yet again and Kenyans will continue to sink deeper and deeper into the current leadership crisis as a certain clique of politicians (who believe that it is their turn to "eat) get richer and enjoy all the perks of being an MP. Even more perks and a further tax-free salary hike for MPs are sure to follow immediately after the general elections and you can be sure that it will be passed unanimously.
- Remember that a politician does not change simply because they have defected to the opposition or to another political party. Or when they decide to stand for President and even hurriedly set up a foundation for the welfare of Kenyans. No former Kanu politician can transform himself or herself into a liberator overnight. You cannot rub off the spots off a Cheetah and even if you do a major paint job, the Cheetah remains a Cheetah.
What needs to be done;
- There is only one known way to deal with this "cancer" (the current leadership crisis in Kenya) and that is -- Radical Surgery!!
- This 'radical surgery' often means that parts of some good functioning organs in the body also need to be cut out to ensure that the cancer is ruthlessly halted before it ruthlessly eats away the entire body. This means that while there are some good guys in the current parliament, the only way forward is for Kenyans to vote out the entire lot. Yes, let's have a completely new set of faces in Parliament. Let us look to vote in a completely new generation of youthful politicians (for better or for worse) and as many women as possible (so far they have a much better track record in public office than men).
- We appeal to all Kenyans under the age of 45 to rise to the occasion and ensure that the coming elections belong to the under 45s and individuals who have never been voted into parliament before. Remember that many Kenyans who fall into this age bracket are the individuals successfully running corruption-free corporations and multi-nationals in Kenya and all over the world.
- We appeal to every Kenyan aged around 45 years (give or take two years) to ensure that their constituency has as many young people standing for public office as possible. Don't worry about funding or winning, the priority right now is to sensitize Kenyan voters. Remember that the money that funds the vast majority of political campaigns in Kenya is corruption money anyway. Once we are all reading from the same script you will be amazed at the possibilities.
- Even if you don't care much about politics, you owe it to your children and grand children (what will you tell them that you did about the problem before it got worse?). Your children cannot live in foreign countries forever and there are hardly enough green cards to go round anyway.
This post has been sponsored by the Kumekucha Blog (read the latest you've missed on Kenya now ) in the interest of saving the nation of Kenya from disaster in the forthcoming general elections.
You can be of great service to your beloved country by playing your part in preventing disaster in the next elections and giving Kenya a fighting chance. Email and forward this message (just highlight it, cut it and paste it in your email "send" box) to every Kenyan you know. After sending out all the emails you are able to, you can go the extra mile for your country and print out this message and mail it (using snail mail) to as many Kenyans as your budget will allow.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Ads Posted February 18th 2006
See Mutahi Ngunyi Column At The bottom of this page
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Good Writers Wanted
Seeking talented East African writers to help me write for websites all over the world. Starting pay $3 per 350 word article that will take you no time to write. Other writers churning out 10 articles a day without any problem and earning $720 a month (24 working days when you exclude Sundays) of spare time money. That's Kshs 51,120 at the current exchange rate of Kshs 71 to the dollar. Free to join, no catch but I need good writers with excellent international English. Send sample of your writing plus brief CV Now. Email enquiry through natashanachris@yahoo.co.uk. (PUT "Writing Job" in the subject area.)
==================
The latest news, political and business analysis on Kenya that you will find nowhere else.
------------------------------------------
Kibaki and an LDP nail in the wall
Story by MUTAHI NGUNYI / Insight column
Published in the Daily Nation newspaper - 9/26/2004
Those who went to High School in the mid-1970s will remember a book called Hekaya Za Abunwasi. My favourite story in this little ‘adventure book’ was about a certain Mzee who set out to buy a house from Abunwasi. There was only one condition: Abunwasi was ready to sell everything in the house, except for a nail on one of the walls in the sitting room.
The old man thought about it and concluded that he would buy the house anyway. After all, the small nail in the sitting room was nothing. Money changed hands, the deal was sealed, and the Mzee moved in. Two weeks later, Abunwasi was at the old man’s door knocking. He wanted access to his property – the nail on the wall. Shocked by the turn of events, the Mzee had no choice but to allow him in.
Relishing the moment, Abunwasi removed his smelly jacket and went ahead to hang it on ‘his’ nail. He made sure it did not touch any walls, to avoid a lawsuit of course. Then he left. The following week, Abunwasi was at the old man’s door again. This time he had bought a big fat fish, which was beginning to rot.
Without saying hello to the Mzee, he went straight to his nail in the sitting room, removed the dirty jacket and hung the bag of smelly fish. For a good one week, the entire house had a harrowing stench of rotten fish! At this point the old man discovered that he had been tricked. And of course, Abunwasi was at hand to buy him off at a throw away price!
My Form One teacher gave us the moral of this story. She told us that there are no half measures in life. If you decide on a course of action, you must take its full measure. If you settle for less, someone will be at hand to sort you out! And this is President Kibaki’s problem with LDP. He has remained double-minded in his dealings with the party. He wants them in government, but at the same time, he does not.
Retaining LDP in government and downsizing them from within is bad strategy. You can downsize them to a point where all they own in government is a nail on the wall. But knowing LDP, this is probably all they need: a nail. Like Abunwasi, and from a simple nail, these people have potential to make the entire government stink. Therefore, the president should either embrace them in total, or reject them in total. Anything in between is disastrous. Since he has started the process of firing them anyway, he should complete it and with speed.
Let us flip this argument now. Unlike ministers Njenga Karume or Chris Murungaru who are in cabinet at the pleasure of the president, the LDP brigade bought their way into government. If you fire them, you have to refund their money to the tune of 1.5 million votes. Put differently, LDP represents about 1.5 million shareholders on a board called the Cabinet. If they quit, their shareholders by extension quit with them. But what does this mean anyway?
Democratic practice would demand two things from President Kibaki in the event he fires 1.5 million shareholders through their representatives. One, he would have to conduct a plebiscite or a referendum. The idea here is to establish whether the remnants in his government enjoy popular legitimacy, or whether what he has is a bastardised government. If the Kibaki government fails the plebiscite test, it would have to go for the second option: a snap election.
The point here is to seek a fresh mandate. All this however, is not a legal or constitutional requirement. It is just what a decent democratic government would do. And if he fires 1.5 million shareholders through LDP and fails to do this, he would be seen to occupy the position of president fraudulently. This, I must add, is a moral argument.
But who cares about morals and fraud? If the president has no moral authority over the country, he will behave like a parent whose kids no longer listen to him. Inevitably, he will use force in order to be heard. And indeed, if the LDP brigade is cut off from government, we should expect increased repression.
And now a Biblical story for the LDP brigade. Once upon a time, four lepers were stuck outside the gate of Samaria after a siege by Syria. Desperate for food, they argued that if they got back into the city, they would definitely die. And if they sat at the gate, they would also die. The only option they had was to sneak over to the Syrian army camp and gamble for food. They argued that the Syrians might kill them, but they might not! And so they decided to sneak into the enemy’s camp.
As they headed there, their footsteps sounded like the roar of a huge force of cavalry. The Syrian army reasoned that the King of Israel must have hired Hittite and Egyptian troops to attack them. And scared to death, the Syrians abandoned their camp and ran for dear life. When the four lepers reached the edge of the camp, there was no one on site. They walked into the tent and had the ball of their life. Their gamble had paid off.
Like the four lepers, LDP can decide to be bullied into submission, starvation and possible death. Or they can decide to take President Kibaki head on. And like the lepers discovered, once they took the first step, God made their footsteps sound like the roar of a huge force.
In our case, however, we are not sure which side God is supporting. And this is probably why LDP should advance with caution. Like it or not, the coalition cannot be broken without the two parties tearing each other apart. But in the meantime, and like Abunwasi, LDP should maintain the nail in President Kibaki’s sitting room.
However, they should go easy on the rotten fish and the other stinky things they have been hanging on it!
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Email enquiry through natashanachris@yahoo.co.uk (PUT "Luxury accommodation - Nakuru" in the subject area.)
---------------
Jobs For Kenyans
Jobs in Kenya If You Are Abroad, Jobs All Over The World For Locally Based Kenyans. Reputable web based business that has already landed jobs for numerous Kenyans. Free Information available through Email enquiry through natashanachris@yahoo.co.uk (PUT "Jobs in Kenya" in the subject area.)
Good Writers Wanted
Seeking talented East African writers to help me write for websites all over the world. Starting pay $3 per 350 word article that will take you no time to write. Other writers churning out 10 articles a day without any problem and earning $720 a month (24 working days when you exclude Sundays) of spare time money. That's Kshs 51,120 at the current exchange rate of Kshs 71 to the dollar. Free to join, no catch but I need good writers with excellent international English. Send sample of your writing plus brief CV Now. Email enquiry through natashanachris@yahoo.co.uk. (PUT "Writing Job" in the subject area.)
==================
The latest news, political and business analysis on Kenya that you will find nowhere else.
------------------------------------------
Kibaki and an LDP nail in the wall
Story by MUTAHI NGUNYI / Insight column
Published in the Daily Nation newspaper - 9/26/2004
Those who went to High School in the mid-1970s will remember a book called Hekaya Za Abunwasi. My favourite story in this little ‘adventure book’ was about a certain Mzee who set out to buy a house from Abunwasi. There was only one condition: Abunwasi was ready to sell everything in the house, except for a nail on one of the walls in the sitting room.
The old man thought about it and concluded that he would buy the house anyway. After all, the small nail in the sitting room was nothing. Money changed hands, the deal was sealed, and the Mzee moved in. Two weeks later, Abunwasi was at the old man’s door knocking. He wanted access to his property – the nail on the wall. Shocked by the turn of events, the Mzee had no choice but to allow him in.
Relishing the moment, Abunwasi removed his smelly jacket and went ahead to hang it on ‘his’ nail. He made sure it did not touch any walls, to avoid a lawsuit of course. Then he left. The following week, Abunwasi was at the old man’s door again. This time he had bought a big fat fish, which was beginning to rot.
Without saying hello to the Mzee, he went straight to his nail in the sitting room, removed the dirty jacket and hung the bag of smelly fish. For a good one week, the entire house had a harrowing stench of rotten fish! At this point the old man discovered that he had been tricked. And of course, Abunwasi was at hand to buy him off at a throw away price!
My Form One teacher gave us the moral of this story. She told us that there are no half measures in life. If you decide on a course of action, you must take its full measure. If you settle for less, someone will be at hand to sort you out! And this is President Kibaki’s problem with LDP. He has remained double-minded in his dealings with the party. He wants them in government, but at the same time, he does not.
Retaining LDP in government and downsizing them from within is bad strategy. You can downsize them to a point where all they own in government is a nail on the wall. But knowing LDP, this is probably all they need: a nail. Like Abunwasi, and from a simple nail, these people have potential to make the entire government stink. Therefore, the president should either embrace them in total, or reject them in total. Anything in between is disastrous. Since he has started the process of firing them anyway, he should complete it and with speed.
Let us flip this argument now. Unlike ministers Njenga Karume or Chris Murungaru who are in cabinet at the pleasure of the president, the LDP brigade bought their way into government. If you fire them, you have to refund their money to the tune of 1.5 million votes. Put differently, LDP represents about 1.5 million shareholders on a board called the Cabinet. If they quit, their shareholders by extension quit with them. But what does this mean anyway?
Democratic practice would demand two things from President Kibaki in the event he fires 1.5 million shareholders through their representatives. One, he would have to conduct a plebiscite or a referendum. The idea here is to establish whether the remnants in his government enjoy popular legitimacy, or whether what he has is a bastardised government. If the Kibaki government fails the plebiscite test, it would have to go for the second option: a snap election.
The point here is to seek a fresh mandate. All this however, is not a legal or constitutional requirement. It is just what a decent democratic government would do. And if he fires 1.5 million shareholders through LDP and fails to do this, he would be seen to occupy the position of president fraudulently. This, I must add, is a moral argument.
But who cares about morals and fraud? If the president has no moral authority over the country, he will behave like a parent whose kids no longer listen to him. Inevitably, he will use force in order to be heard. And indeed, if the LDP brigade is cut off from government, we should expect increased repression.
And now a Biblical story for the LDP brigade. Once upon a time, four lepers were stuck outside the gate of Samaria after a siege by Syria. Desperate for food, they argued that if they got back into the city, they would definitely die. And if they sat at the gate, they would also die. The only option they had was to sneak over to the Syrian army camp and gamble for food. They argued that the Syrians might kill them, but they might not! And so they decided to sneak into the enemy’s camp.
As they headed there, their footsteps sounded like the roar of a huge force of cavalry. The Syrian army reasoned that the King of Israel must have hired Hittite and Egyptian troops to attack them. And scared to death, the Syrians abandoned their camp and ran for dear life. When the four lepers reached the edge of the camp, there was no one on site. They walked into the tent and had the ball of their life. Their gamble had paid off.
Like the four lepers, LDP can decide to be bullied into submission, starvation and possible death. Or they can decide to take President Kibaki head on. And like the lepers discovered, once they took the first step, God made their footsteps sound like the roar of a huge force.
In our case, however, we are not sure which side God is supporting. And this is probably why LDP should advance with caution. Like it or not, the coalition cannot be broken without the two parties tearing each other apart. But in the meantime, and like Abunwasi, LDP should maintain the nail in President Kibaki’s sitting room.
However, they should go easy on the rotten fish and the other stinky things they have been hanging on it!
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Site Claims That Githongo Has Already Made A Deal With The Kenyatta Family
It is the policy of this blog to reveal every piece of information that we come across. Even if it contradicts our own view on a person whose integrity we place very highly.
There are claims that Githongo’s release of the Anglo leasing dossier is a well orchestrated plan whose intention is to have Githongo ending up as the next President of Kenya. According to a post at Mashada.com which we can no longer find, a deal has already been made with the Kenyattas and the deal is that they will not be touched or prosecuted. It is claimed that Githongo’s father having been a PS in President Kenyatta’s government for many years, the two families are close.
My opinion is that this is propaganda and not true (although the Mashada.com site has built a reputation for accuracy over many years). More so because it does not make sense for Githongo to release a document that will bring down close friends of his fathers like President Kiabki’s closest advisors, only for him to spare the Kenyatta family.
I just felt that my readers should know about this claim even, if I strongly disagree with it.
There is something the blog comment said that I agree with though. And that is the fact that Githongo’s biggest challenge in his bid for the presidency will be to grapple with the anti-Kikuyu sentiments that are bound to dominate the next elections. However I believe it can be done successfully more so because Githongo belongs to a generation of Kenyans who abhor tribalism.
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The latest news, political and business analysis on Kenya that you will find nowhere else.
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There are claims that Githongo’s release of the Anglo leasing dossier is a well orchestrated plan whose intention is to have Githongo ending up as the next President of Kenya. According to a post at Mashada.com which we can no longer find, a deal has already been made with the Kenyattas and the deal is that they will not be touched or prosecuted. It is claimed that Githongo’s father having been a PS in President Kenyatta’s government for many years, the two families are close.
My opinion is that this is propaganda and not true (although the Mashada.com site has built a reputation for accuracy over many years). More so because it does not make sense for Githongo to release a document that will bring down close friends of his fathers like President Kiabki’s closest advisors, only for him to spare the Kenyatta family.
I just felt that my readers should know about this claim even, if I strongly disagree with it.
There is something the blog comment said that I agree with though. And that is the fact that Githongo’s biggest challenge in his bid for the presidency will be to grapple with the anti-Kikuyu sentiments that are bound to dominate the next elections. However I believe it can be done successfully more so because Githongo belongs to a generation of Kenyans who abhor tribalism.
===============
The latest news, political and business analysis on Kenya that you will find nowhere else.
===============
With PowerOptions to help you invest with stock options you do not have to rely on dividend paying stocks to make dividend like income in your portfolio when most stocks offer publicly traded options. The transaction is usually made with your broker, similar to buying and selling stocks. A call option gives another investor the right to buy shares from you at a price you set anytime before a certain date. You collect a premium by selling the call and you get the premium, in cash, on the day you sell the option. Just like a dividend.
How To Advertise in This Site For FREE
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The latest news, political and business analysis on Kenya that you will find nowhere else.
This site attracts huge traffic on a daily basis from Kenyans based within the country and from all over the world. Other sites usually a charge a huge fortune for somebody to place their ad. Now you have a unique chance to place your classified ad in our new advertising section for FREE.
All you have to do is the following:
1. Subscribe to our email summary edition of this blog. Send a blank email now to kumekucha-subscribe.yahoogroups.com.
2. Place one small text line at the bottom of your emails or in your site advertising this site. Here it is:
Don’t miss Kenya’s most popular political and business commentary blog. For the latest shocking news and analysis visit http://kumekucha.blogspot.com
How to paste it as your yahoo email signature
a) Open your email box and look for the square button (OPTIONS). It should be around the middle of your screen on the extreme right. When you find it click on it.
b) You will come to a page titled 'Mail Options.' Scroll down until you find 'signature' (it is right below 'general preferences') Click on 'signature'
c) Cut the text message below and paste it in the space. Ensure that you have clicked on the box at the bottom which says 'View HTML Source' so that it is blank and without a green tick before you paste the text message.
Text Message:
Don’t miss Kenya’s most popular political and business commentary blog. For the latest shocking news and analysis visit http://kumekucha.blogspot.com
d) Save your changes by clicking on the box at the bottom left hand corner that says 'save' and you are done.
3. Send your classified ad now to umissedthis@yahoo.com. Feel free to attach one photograph that you may want included with your ad. One ad per person Only please. Remember that your advertisement will never be removed. It will last on the net forever and be traceable through search engines. Don'’t miss this golden opportunity. Send in your ad NOW while the offer is still on!!.
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