I rarely comment on Kenyan politics anymore, because the shenanigans keep reaching new heights of “you-gotta-be shitting-me!”
Once in a while, I’m drawn out of a my self-imposed ban by instances of “you-gotta-be-totally-fucking-shitting-me!”
Today’s violent dispersion of the ODM march is one of them.
I have little regard for the ODM. Maybe if we knew what they stood for beyond political power (not that there’s anything wrong with a quest for political power, after all why run for office…but you need at least some substance behind that quest for power) I could pay attention to them, but to me they generally represent a different face of the same rot that we have in government.
Now NARC Kenya et. al (the government), is obviously worried about the challenge posed by ODM in next years elections, but rather than trying to give Kenyans a reason to be skeptical about ODM and making the movement a paper tiger, the government seems to be hell bent on making ODM even more popular than they deserve to be. Who the hell does political strategy for these guys? If ODM was left alone, chances are they’d self-destruct in the process of trying to figure out who would run for President and trying to appease the various constituencies within the movement.
But then again, why am I surprised? When folks like Ruto, Biwott, Jirongo, Mudavadi, etc. are all being spoken off as presidential candidates, we once again are proving that the impossible is possible in Kenyan politics (or as Bush might say…fool me once, fool me always…)
This onion story summed up the hopelessness of leadership candidates. (Adapt it for Kenya)
http://www.opinionpower.com/Surveys/368043612.html
Ho Hum! I have always been of the opinion that people deserve the leaders they get. Ditto for Kenyans. Wake me up when its 2012 or 2017, hopefully by then we’ll have matured to a real debate on ideology and public policy.
@Rosita 100% agreement with you. I believe the leaders are a reflection of the people they lead. People are OK with things as they are. It takes two to tango. name it. Leadership. Corruption. Bad civil service service. Bad customer service at businesses. Case in point, people are OK with Charterhouse Bank. People are OK with Nakumatt. If it ever reaches a point where they were not, they would would cause a change.
But again, history seems to show that Africans have no concept of or capacity for making the polictical process, institutions and the natural environmental work for them. Is this inability caused an external or internal factors? You tell me
People keep saying that 2007 will be a watershed moment for Kenyans i.e. the body politic will have grasped enough sophistication to make a clear and decisive break with the past. Supposed to be a seminal moment in the Kenyan pysche…..
I’m not holding my breath, I hope I’m pleasantly surprised. In the meantime I am more interested in grassroots progressive currents sweeping through other countries such as Ghana, South Africa, TZ, Botswana. I like this talk of a genuine push towards low-moderate-high middle income status in the 5-10 year horizon, within these states. There’s much afoot to be excited about. Kenya on the other hand remains MIA.
I am content to play my part of adding to the entrepreneurial energy of the country. That’s the only place I see hope in the immediate future.
That onion story made me laugh. My workmate passed it to me in the morning and I didn’t know it was the ONION. Anyhow the racist conotations in it are troubling to say the least. I mean these folks think Africa is just AIDS & disaster. We all know there is more to the grand old continent.
Anyhow below is my take on the Kibaki/Moi/Biwott/Michuki fiasco.
http://jukwaa.proboards58.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1165352611
ingridents
2 blood stained ole ntimama pangas
1 thieving ruto hand(1992 vintage)
87kgs.of a power hungry raila
1 Nyanza province size grabbed land from uhuru
2oz of mutula’s brain(that defended kanu for more than 15 years)
1/4 pound kalonzos diplomatic dawa
5 drops of tribal hatred at every press confrence
3 ounces of wit and headline grabbing antics
2 scoops of daily standard propaganda
1 doze of slanted ktn reporting
4 demonstrations &
3 secret trips to britain to seek instructions and award future government contracts
instructions
Add all the ingridents into a Bowl of Political Rallies.
Stir carefully and ask no deep questions. and bake for 3 years
presentation
4 foreign diplomats to give it a scent of legitimacy 10 african diplomats to give it continuental credit ,sprinkled with some remaining ktn slanted reporting ,glazed with an extra schoop of standard propaganda .
AND YOU HAVE AN ORANGE DISASTER CAKE
WARNING;
(in small print)
Consume quickly dont ask important question Now.
Ask when we are in power fighting over the next MOU.
Political ideologies and public policies not required .
Development cannot be garanteed. 😯
Re: Mke Nyumbani’s message abaone;
I wonder where we all were when we hailed the same people as heroes when the supported Kibaki and Narc to capture power in 2002.
Why was Raila not a menace when he went every corner of the country to campaign for Kibaki?
This selective amnesia does our country no good. The same Ole Ntimama, Kalonzo Muysoka, etc were good people as long as they supported Kibaki, the same Kibaki who was the Chairman of the Security Committee when Kenyans were being fried at Nyayo House.
I wish people could be at least honest and may be consistent just a tiny beat. But then again we leave in a free world don’t we?
@Mke
I like it, except you forgot to add a picoMicrogram of Mke Nyumbani’s honesty in the Mix
@Adongo Save yourself from thinking about such issues. Takes one knowWhere
@Mke ome to thingk of it, this is just writing, do not loose sleep over it, you are free to express yourself
@Toiyoi;
Like my friend OO says, cynicism is a luxury some of us cannot afford.
Mke Nyumbani killed me! That was brilliant!
Adongo,
There are thousands of Kenyans who stood refused to buy the 2nd Liberation euphoria that was being sold to the masses. I am one of them.
I never saw any credibility in Saitoti, Kalonzo, Ntimama, Gumo, Kibaki, name them. These goons hijacked our dreams and used them for their own rejuvination. Today I oppose the lies that the Rutos are selling to Kenya for I see no difference between ODM, Narc and Kanu. It is the same goons in different houses. The only wall dividing them is air.
Mke Nyunbani messange asked a question, where we were when we hailed akina Raila. One thing those guys campained with an outward coat of changing Kenya, after elections they change the coats and show us their true colours. There is no way Raila could have campained for Kibaki if he didn’t have hope of becoming a Prime Minister with Executive powers. Things fell apart slightly after there was no light of Prime Ministers Post
[…] does not help but complicate if the leaders of the party can be trusted. Kenyan Pundit has little regard for ODM-Kenya: I have little regard for the ODM. Maybe if we knew what they stood for beyond po […]