Do They Want “Kitu Kidogo” For Mrs Ann Okoth To Get Her Passport?

When was it issued? Do you have the following; 2 passport photos with name written on the back of it; PT1 form and Money order to cover replacement; when did you send the passport in? So we would have received it? Give me your number and i will check? Come kesho because the file is missing and Mr so and so is not in. Sometimes when you have to deal with our Kenyan civil servants, you feel like going in there and sorting it out yourself – where do they get these people?!

Having said that, when I needed my passport renewed here in Sweden, I went in personally instead of using the post, because that can take forever! The Kenyan Embassy in Sweden has always been helpful to me, might be I am lucky, but most people complain about dealing with our Embassy. It is always thus with most Kenya government offices. They are very laid back and your problems are certainly not theirs.

It is definitely a worrying situation for Mrs Okoth, but the Kenya embassy is taking it as a simple case of passport renewal. I can’t imagine how other people with more dire situations are treated. We know passports are selling like hot cakes especially if you have overseas visa or permanent visa. It’s better to go home and have it done there. I also happen to know a few Kenyans with Swedish permanent residence who sent their pp’s to Kenya embassy and they never got them back. The chances of her getting her passport are you won’t get it back unless a struggle has to start now.

I have been to the Kenyan embassy before and it’s high time the clerks working there realised that we are not living in the “kitu kidogo” regime. HATA SISI HUKULA REGIME DIED WHEN WE KICKED MOI OUT OF POWER AND THIS WOMAN MUST BE GIVEN HER PASSPORT NOW. WE SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN BACK TO THE ERA OF WHO KNOWS WHO WHERE TO BE ASSURED OF ANY ASSISTANCE. Kenya political and social organizations in Sweden must start a straggle to pin the embassy down and find out whether the passport has even been sent to Nairobi since “got lost philosophy” in Nyayo House can be at work.

Mrs Okoth must refuse the check “next week” mentality the official use to push time.  Its saddening that they don’t consider your feelings or the reason for your inquiry. I can’t understand the laidback way in which these people just take matters. What if it was an emergency? That’s such a shame for our Kenyan Embassy in Sweden and the Kibaki government. The Kenyan embassy staff in Sweden should all be relocated to Nyayo House to look for that passport if they can’t be bothered to do their jobs here in Sweden. They should strive to be more efficient. We are tired of dealing with bureaucracy and horrible inefficiencies. We must do something to help our sister to get her passport and the straggle for her passport must continue.

Munala Wa Munala.

Kanu Or Panu Mr.Kibaki?

Mr. Raila Odinga, the presidential candidate of the most popular political group in Kenya ODM was in western province (Ingo) last week to solidify the Mulembe vote before the coming general elections in Kenya. The reception was good and it gave a clear picture on how the Luhya people are going to vote. Mr Raila accused the Kibaki government of failing to deliver the promises he gave Wakenya 5 years ago. Mr Raila also condemned the violence that was engineered by Nyachae in Kisii against members of ODM pentagon. He promised to deal with all criminals according to the law of Kenya and he was ready to forgive those who wronged him.

There are thousands of exciting promises and pledges being made every day about what our aspiring leaders will do if elected. Taken at face value it is understandable that many Kenyans are infected by the feel good factor at present. And if we are to believe, or give the benefit of doubt to, just a fraction of these promises then Kenya is going to be a much better place in future, even more better than Sweden the country I reside in for now. It is fair to hope for a happier Kenya and it is also realistic to expect a country where its citizens will have a greater opportunity to carve out their own destiny.

But Kenyans should also be realistic about what change we want and what change we can effect and in what time frame. If our aspiring leaders get carried away into fantasyland like the Kibaki government with their promises of sweetness and light for all we should ask them the simple question; How are you going to do this or that?  There is nothing wrong with having a vision of a better future. Indeed it is the foundation for any aspirations and ambitions we may have. In that regard many of our future leaders have made a promising start particularly when it comes to realizing the urgent attention our economy needs. But beyond that we need to inject a large dose of soberness and realism into the equation.

A political combination of more than 14 politically loose parties now forming what they call PANU which has a big face of former regime Kanu cannot foster and propel the sort of changes we hope for and need. One common fear is that post-election political in-fighting and intrigue, especially within some of the loose alliances that have sprung up, could impede decisive action and good management of the country and its economy. Narc was an alliance of 13 parties but it ended up having no party because of the in-fighting.

In PANUs political combination, there is the question of capacity. Can Kenyans trust Panu Leaders? Who are they and what have they done for our Nation since independence?  A good topical example is Narc- Kenya which has more than 9 vice chairmen which also can mean more than 9 chairmen. Who is in control, is Dp part of the game given the fact that those thieves in Narc-Kenya were running away from Dp because they did not want to share what they had stolen together equally. Dp and Narc-Kikuyu are rivals and they can not work together. The same applies to Kombo and Kituyi. How will Kibaki work it out when it comes to professional management of the “chameleon” Panu? It is going to be a big challenge for Mzee Kibaki.

Then there is a whole batch of promises that are both costly and long term. The poor infrastructure is one of the major causes for our agricultural and manufactured products being expensive and hence uncompetitive. Kibaki was in western last week and he Promised a lot of goodies to mtoto wa Ingo. Was the Mzee joking or he was serious? The most dangerous and worrying, promises are ones that run against any commercial or economic logic and hence would dislocate the budget of the Nation. One is the promise to maize farmers that producer prices will be raised to Sh1,500. Another is the promise to sugar cane growers to reverse the proposal to reduce the sugar cane price from over Sh2,000 per tonne by around 25 per cent and building three dams in Budalangi area where floods are not something new.

Mr Kibaki was telling the majority of Kenyans who are poor that they should pay much more for their maize and sugar and indeed a host of other products where promises to farmers have been made. To put it more bluntly you are telling Kenyans that they should pay Sh50 or more for a two-kilo packet of maize meal while they make less than that in a day? The simple fact is that costs of production of a number of our agricultural products are too high; maize and sugar included. Virtually every other major producing country in the world can produce them cheaper than us. This is a leader of PANU cheating Wakenya once again.

Of course there is some middle ground where a compromise can be reached but cheap promises on the back of populist politics have often ruled that out. At a press conference held at his Nairobi home 5 years ago, Mwai Kibaki accused Mr Moi’s government of paying out billions of Kenya shillings to suspicious contractors after sensing defeat in 2002 elections.  He said, “It is looting taxpayers’ money.”  Now Kibaki’s best friend is Moi the man he has been condemning for decades. Kibaki promised not to honour those quickly- arranged contracts that the former government had a warded to shadow contractors. Has done that? That, we will leave to Kenyans to judge. But we from Sweden were recording the Mzee talk and he said, “We shall not be called upon to honour them. No government in the world should be treated that way.”

“When a party loses an election, it does not hang around, checking what is happening. Having lost the election, you go home. People have decided,” he said.  What is Kanu doing in Panu? We from Sweden we know Kibaki can not be trusted with Power because he has broken all the promises he promised Wakenya and we have a democratic right to kick Kibaki and his cronies out come 2007 December.

While other African and Third World countries crumbled to military coups, Kenya had remained an island of peace. President Moi, who had come to power on a populist note, embracing religion and charity as his strong points began to tighten his hold on power, beginning with a purge in all sectors. It was after the coup that Moi began to use coercion and pay-offs to stay in power. After the coup, Moi extended his hands and influence into everything. He controlled the business community. He needed money to buy support and power to intimidate opponents and he began to fear wealth in the hands of private citizens, wealth that he could not control. Such wealthy people would owe him nothing and would not fear him. That is why he penetrated the business community.

Insecurity after the coup forced the President to start pursuing “imaginary enemies” from around 1985. Moi spent a lot of energy pursuing what he saw as social and political misfits being misled by foreign masters to perpetuate foreign ideologies.  Sycophancy became something of a national culture during and after the crackdown on perceived dissidents. No speech was complete without government officials and politicians praising Moi’s wisdom. Everyone began to sing of his sound economic policies and his love for children.

Every important institution got to be headed by some man or woman asking for bribes. Such a person would be very well connected in the system. The coup scare made President Moi extend his hold beyond politics and administration. Repression of intellectuals began. Some were detained without trial, or arrested and charged with possession of subversive literature. The University of Nairobi was closed and the Air Force disbanded. The two institutions never looked the same again when they re-opened.

After the coup attempt, Harambee became a tool for patronage. Coercion set in, with chiefs arresting those who had not contributed or confiscating their property to be sold to make up for the required money. Nyayo’s presence was being felt in everything. His Excellency President Daniel arap Moi today said… was very popular in Kenya media. Things like the national holiday were called Moi Day, dozens of schools; hospitals and roads named after Moi took a strange twist after the coup. Every business was required by law to hang his framed photograph.
 
The coup attempt provided an excuse for a purge in the public sector. Individuals deemed to be anti-government were removed from key positions. The idea was to lay ground for individuals to loot. People got jobs on the basis of loyalty, not ability. Such people recognise only one man, President Moi, even today. It was at this time when political appointees began to take over positions formerly held by professionals. The most senior civil service positions went to sycophants.

With Kanu working hand in hand with Kibaki, the president has accepted the Kanu ideology of misrule and dictatorship. Moi cannot be a good model for Kenya especially when it comes to politics. Give Raila a chance because he is the only presidential candidate that can bring the changes we have been waiting for since independence. Vote wisely, vote for ODM, the future of Kenya.

Munala Wa Munala and Jamii Team.

Equity Bank Of Kenya cheating Poor Kenyans.

Dear readers. You may never have heard of me…but worry not because i mean no harm at all. I work at Equity bank as a cashier at a branch in town but am looking for a job since I see no future with this bank. I just want to warn you, be VERY careful about EQUITY BANK. All is not as rosy as it seems. There are people playing Russian roulette with hard earned savings of Kenyans and the unfortunate thing is that the low income earners are the ones who will be affected by the eventual collapse of Equity bank.

The revelations in parliament recently are just a tip of the iceberg. The Bank is actually in the RED. The fact that it is surviving is because it has gotpolitical backing right from the country’s top executive. The youth development funds being channelled through it and also the women’s development fund are just a cover up. Those funds from government are actually being used to give the bank the much needed shot in the arm. This is for the simple reason that there have been large payouts to well connected individuals in the form of unsecured loans that characterised the growth of nowcollapsed banks such as Trade Bank,Delphis Bank, Bullion Bank and Trust bank.

The top CEO’s portfolio is also very suspect and top management is composed of individuals from one community. The Assistant Minister Peter Kenneth claimed that the manager resigned in 1982 from Trade bank; however note that Trade bank was not in existence then! The ambitious expansion embarked on by the bank and the installation of ATM machines in record time is also very suspect. To refresh your mind, you can remember that just before the collapse of UCHUMI Chain of supermarkets, they had embarked on a countrywide expansion, opening up stores in almost every town.

If in doubt, ask yourself why banks that have been around for quite a while like the Co-operative Bank have not had such expansion rates despite mainly catering for the low income earners. In short, this is a classic case of a pyramid scheme, only these time, its on a large scale. For the price of a  share to shoot to an all time high for a company that has been on the stock exchange for less than a year leaves a lot to be desired. Watch this space dear Kenyans, and you will quote me right in days to come.

There is a way out though…the time to get out is now. It’s better to keep your money under a bed/mattress than wait for a few people to steal it and forever never step in the inside of a courtroom. I know each of you has got a relative, friend, sister or brother associating with this bank. Please help them by talking to them. Don’t force them but just be gentle. This is an election year and politicians are desperate to get money for dishing out, and by putting money in Equity Bank, you have willingly funded them for their greedy gains.

FAMILY FINANCE is also part of the gravy train but that is just a story for another day. You are welcome to dismiss me as a false alarmist, arguing without facts, but sometimes it’s the blind lead the way. Please forward this mail to as many Kenyans as you can. You will have saved s another Goldenberg, saved us another Anglo leasing and enabled a soul to live another day.

Via  e-mail.

Mrs Purity Muhindi Now Joins Wakenya In Sweden.

More than 150 Kenyans gathered last week on Saturday to witness a colourful wedding between Tonny and Lisa. The wedding took place in Stockholm Sweden. Kenyans of all walks showed up and it was very difficult to know who was who because the crowd was big. It was a real Kenya society that we don’t see here in Sweden unless a big function has been organised. Kikuyus, Luhyas, Luos, Kambas, Kisiis and many others were sitting together talking politics, religion, mapenzi and many other issues that were not the agenda of the day. The Kenyan ambassador to Sweden Mrs Purity Muhindi was there to witness the young couples tie the ring. For the second time, Wakenya had a chance to see her in public since last year.  She is not accustomed to Wakenya gatherings in Sweden and for her to show-up, something special must have triggered her. Political temperature in Kenya has risen up and maybe this is one of the reasons why the ambassador decided to show-up to start an early campaign for Kibaki Tena. Since she arrived here last year, she has tried to keep a low profile. All in all, it was good to see her with her husband.

The coming three months is going to be momentous time for Kenyans here in Sweden and back home. As the campaign kicks-off, Kenyans in Sweden needs to meet more often to discuss who is going to shape Kenya in the coming 5-years.What role will Kenyans organizations in Sweden do to ensure that Kenyans in Sweden can unite like they do during weddings, funerals and to some extend during Nyama choma festivals? Why do we only unite when we have a Kenyan ceremony and after the ceremony is over, you won’t see us together again?  Maybe we need weddings every month because they have proven to bring Kenyans in Sweden together.

Kenyans are a mix of various ethnic groups, a melting pot that can make us to unite but that unity is far from being here. When Kenyans in Sweden meet for functions like Wedding and funeral gatherings, they mingle and discuss freely as new faces emerges during this time. They meet, connect, talk about what they hate, love and admire about Kenya. Be it politics, money, religion, scandals, social life and many other activities without any problem but after the function is over, they change.

Together we can do so much more than one individual can achieve alone. We should never underestimate the power of unity, where people pull together with shared passion and single purpose. It is good and pleasant to unite Kenyans in Sweden and work together for the benefit of our small Kenyan community. The achievements of unity translate into every area of our lives at home, at the workplace, and even within our organizations. Sadly, disunity has flourished in these same areas among Wakenya in Sweden. By building the right things into our lives, we can know the power of unity and experience the dreams of our heart. In doing so, we will bring healing, strength and matters that affect us here in Sweden. We have common problems as Kenyans in Sweden and we need to discuss them as a Kenyan society to get solutions.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kibaki has chosen what he calls Party of National Unity (PNU) and this is the party he considers to take him to State house next year. Majority of his followers are confused and they are still looking for themes and tune to use in their respective election campaign. On the other side Kalonzo and Raila are still in a state of “Anything you can do, I can do better. I can do anything better than you. No you can’t! Yes I can!”  Kibaki let the cat out of the bag when he confirmed that he no longer believes in party ideology reinforcing a view already expressed recently by the Narc-Kenya Leaders. Narc-Kenya leadership has constantly said that they have no ideology but what they have is a flower and most importantly is that, their Party is based on ideology of doing what is best and what Kibaki has done.

Kibaki has provided the reason to why the Government is failing to deliver its 2002 election promises. He sees “ideology” as a term of political abuse rather than a compass-point for a strategic set of policies that are followed naturally, once a course has been set. Is it not from an “ideology” that coherent and logical principles and ideas flow naturally? My Cambridge International Dictionary of English has “ideology” as “a theory, or set of beliefs or principles, especially one on which a political system, party or organization is based”, and an ideologue as one “who believes very strongly in particular principles and tries to follow them carefully”. But his new watchword, according to Rafael Tuju is “pragmatic”. This, my dictionary defines as, “solving problems in a way which suits the present conditions rather than obeying fixed theories or rules” Mr. Tuju, Mr. Kombo and the rest in the PNU kitchen believes that they are certain that they are right and everyone else is wrong.

I pity parliamentary candidates like Uhuru, Kombo, Wasike, Kitui, Tuju, Katuku, Ngilu, Kiraitu, Mwenje and many others who are now going around in the villages on the doorstep trying to explain to voters whether they are winners or losers. Kibaki is not different; he is in western province begging the poor villagers to vote for him without telling them why. Can our Kenyan leaders explain to voters what is Tax cut, tax allowances, pensioners’ benefits and many other economical issues that are affecting the common Kenyan on the street? What is wrong with our country? Kenyans abroad are singing the same songs without questioning our leaders to be accountable. In Sweden, Kenyans are just supporting parties in Kenya without demands. Where are we going?

In Kenya, democracy has many roots, including the perception of widespread and egregious corruption and the lacklustre performance of many state bureaucracies. However, it is widely acknowledged, including political leaders, that poor economic performance is because of tribalism or ethnicity. It is crucial for Kenyans to wake-up and refuse being disappointed by our government. Democracy in Kenya has been used in a wrong way because it has been perceived to mean economic model of liberalism.

Political parties and political leaders have invested enormous political resources in the implementation of this model, and it just has not delivered the expected results, leading the public to conclude that politicians are incompetent-and even deceptive-and that democracy as a form of government is flawed. It is often remarked that there is no democracy without political parties. But can political parties exist without ideology, without even ideas? Isn’t at least a measure of ideological contestation necessary to shape-and stimulate-public policy?  Do we need more than 300 political parties in Kenya to be the best democracy in the world? Kibaki knowing well that we have many parties in Kenya, he still formed another one to confuse Wakenya, but why? Do we need PNU?

There are considerable political risks in having many political parties. One major risk comes from charismatic charlatans offering simple solutions-or easily targeted scapegoats.  If Kenya political parties are not tied to ideas, to visions of state and society, it becomes all the easier for political parties to be dominated by individuals or small groups, hungry for the perks of power. Kenya leaders with their political parties present absence of intellectual debate, with identifiable differences of opinion about economic development among political actors, has surely retarded the renovation of the Kenyan’s political parties, facilitating their dominance by individuals who long ago should have left the political stage.

Do we need people like Mwenje, Michuki, Awori, Nyachae, Kibaki and all the old school politicians that don’t know even how to send an e-mail? There ought to be a wide range of arguments about how to interpret, implement, and criticize Kenya political parties ideology, and about how to ameliorate poverty and inequality-sufficient to fuel a healthy intellectual debate. But where are the arguments? Politically; too much was promised too quickly by Narc government and we have seen nothing. This time Wakenya must wake up and tell Kibaki and his cronies No. ODM is the future of Kenya.

Munala Wa Munala.

Voting For Raila Odinga Means Voting For Change!

December 2007 will be a momentous day in Kenya’s political history as we say bye to Mr. Kibaki and we usher in Mr. Raila Agwambo Odinga as the president of Kenya. Already political heavy weights in Scandinavia have predicted a major win for ODM.   Railas’ leadership style is beyond approach and in many ways he has demonstrated that he is a democratic leader. Be assured that if ODM takes power, all criminals in former president Mois’ government and the current one will be brought to face justice.

The average Kenyan now cherishes the concept of democracy through the ballot box. The realisation that one can make a difference, even though being one of the poorest of the poor is important.  There is no turning back, changes are expected and this is just the beginning.  Kenyans expected a lot when Narc took power but all that was expected has turned to be empty promises. Will Kenyans expect gold if ODM takes power?  The answer is YES.  Raila has proven beyond doubts that he is ready for change and many Kenyans are waiting for the change. Change is usually gradual, and ODM supporters all over the world know this and they are willing to wait.

Long gone are those Moi’s days when you turned up to vote only to find out your name was mysteriously absent from the electoral register. The only way an ordinary Kenyan can play a role is by voting for ODM because your vote is the first step toward the big change. Your vote counts and no amount of military hardware, distance to polling station, rain, mud and violence can stop people who want to bring change. The politically active Kenyans in Scandinavia believes that Kenya is mature for a radical leader like Raila and that’s why Raila has major support in this part of the world. Even Narc-Kenya sympathisers are supporting Raila and Kibaki is going to be surprised after the vote counting come 2007.

We have very little time on our hands, and if you want to see a new Kenya, vote for ODM. Voting for ODM means that you are shaping Kenya’s future and your children’s children will harvest good fruits. It is clear that Mr. Kibaki have hijacked the concept of democracy, starved Wakenya and waged war to steal our resources for no apparent reasons. What the common person wants is simply basic freedom to choose and go about his/her business, work and feed his or her family and have a good life. But all the above have been hijacked by few friends of Kibaki.

This basic freedom is denied on a daily basis and Kenyans are not involved in day to day decisions making.  The government has denied many Kenyans enough education so that they can make informed choices and stire them into action without destroying the fabric of our society. It is cheaper to make these changes from within and the only organ that can bring the change is ODM because other political parties in Kenya are confused tribal and have shattered dreams and empty promises.

Kenya returned to multiparty democracy with the elections of December 1992 – the first multiparty elections since the pre-independence elections of 1963. In the presidential polls of December 1997, Mr. Daniel arap Moi (Kenya African National Union) garnered through rigging. Raila Odinga (National Development Party) was third with 10.9 per cent. Of the four major parties, the Kenya National African Union (KANU) gained 114 seats, the Democratic Party (DP) 41, the National Development Party (NDP) 22 and Ford Kenya 18 seats.

In its statement on the 1997 elections, EU gave tribute to the people of Kenya for the manner in which they exercised their right to vote. Their patience was an impressive feature of the elections as was the conduct of election officials, party agents and domestic observers. The 1997 election may be seen as a further step in Kenya’s development towards greater democracy. Since then Raila has been patient and waiting for this great time and it is wise for Kenyans to give him a chance to lead Kenya.

There is fear that Kibaki will use Moi´s tactic of winning elections. Since he took power the year 2002, he has been very close to the retired President. Moi`s school of politics is very dangerous to Wakenya and democracy in general. We hope that the ECK will ensure the electoral process is free, fair and transparent. It is constitutionally bound to act as a neutral arbiter. The ECK is led by Mr. Samuel Kivuitu since 1997 and a very close friend to Kibaki.

The Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Act of 7 November 1997 expanded the functions and areas of responsibility of the ECK in the electoral process greatly to include; Promoting free and fair elections, registering voters and maintaining and revising the voters’ register, directing and supervising presidential, parliamentary and local government elections, reviewing the numbers and boundaries of constituencies and changing them if it considers desirable and it is responsible for intensive training programmes for all voters.  We have more than 14 million voters in Kenya, how many will vote for ODM? The future of Kenya is ODM.

Munala Wa Munala.