The Rise of the Incumbents

The recent developments in Ivory Coast, formerly one of Africa's bread basket, with attendant countries such as Zimbabwe is indiacative of a return to the post colonial African struggeles which featured between the 1960 and late 80s.
It is a sad reminder and perhaps a spirited return to the dark ages of the continent shortly after the long fought for independence was attained. This was a time when the dreams of many, which had just come to view were disappearing at disturbing rates as the oligarchs who had just been weaned by the colonial master took over power.

Lessons from Previous Classes

It is perhaps interesting to note that though the tactics employed by Gbagbo do not necesarily replicate the gorilla tactics of the 70s, its inidicative of lessons learned from the over 70 coups which took place in the aforestated period strongly come in handy. The rise of the incumbents would best title this argument.

There is a growing realisation by incumbets of the need to stay another day in power to safeguard interests acquired during the (il)legimitate terms. In a bid to protect these interests-both individual and communal, they have earnestly and faithfully drawn lessons not only from fellow African heads and former but also got inspiration from such other places as Latin America.

The Three Tier Approach

 The tactics takes a three tier approach: Manipulate and own the electoral stystem, terrorise and endear parliament to change constitutional provisions for extension of term limits or as a last resort, act arrogantly, throw caution to the wind  and deny ever losing any elections even when the whole world is cock sure you lost the count.
The million dollar question is, did Laurent Gbagbo have to scratch his head on choice of these options? Obviously not. He only had to engage in a picky pong game, close his eyes and there he was with the third option skillfully crafted as a hybrid system by borrowing a little from the first option.

 Who thou art inspired thee?

But how and where did he get this idea of sticking to power? Fellow octogenarians and faithful students of the yester year schools of politics were a great inspiration to admire. Zimbabwe, which is still grappling with a fledgling coalition governement wasn't far to draw inspiration from. However, research requires a corroborative design and to achieve this end, Kenya, the maiden example of bungled elections came in handy.
Now the irony is that the home of phony politics provides the best choice for African Union as a mediator.
Not a bad choice though as he(the Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga) can apply some of the skills by Koffi Annan to box him into a power sharing deal.

But what becomes of Africa after the Ivory Coast affair? Your guess is equally as good as mine.

Mixed Fortunes, Infidelities Unearthed and Faith Unfailling

The final rescue of the thirty three Chilean miners on October 14, 2010 heralded more surprises than relief.
After seventy days underground, gambling and mastering courage from the deepest of their hearts, men of fortune finally came back to the other side of the earth where fellow human beings inhabit perhaps with a totally different world view.
It was dramatic, heart rending, chilling, ecstatic and at some point orgasmic as the world turned its attention to the plight of these miners in Latin America. The media chewed the cane hard as they tried to outdo each other and scoop the competition with the latest exclusives in what was largely seen to be a godsend fortune for ratings especially after the economic slump for the last two years.

Cameras and Notebooks on the Beat: San Jose Mine.

Media houses all over the world, especially the networks trained their cameras and notebooks on the Chilean beat for the last twenty on so days as the rescue mission intensified with the prospects of a christmas day final rescue. The small media scattered the world over relied on wire services and obviously the major networks. Breaking Story, Exclusive, became the by-word as others sexed up the story to give a much more captivating view. Ratings went high. Over 2,000 journalists descended on San Jose for real-time coverage.

Of Hidden Infidelities and the Untimely Revelation

As the miners and the rest of the world crossed their fingers on what would be one of the most unnerving experience of a lifetime, one of the miners, Yonni Barrios cursed the collapse of the mines not for the unfortunate situation he was in but because of the rat squeezing itself out of the bag. One of man's most confidential secrets(even acknowledged by the law of confidence) was about to be revealed. His wife, was to learn that her husband was not only an expansionist in search of fortunes underground but also one with an ever expeditious spirit, out to conquer the world in many ways, this time round, the power of love (or its attendant-lust).
The collapse indeed proved a (mis)fortune for families as this additional report came in: One of the 33 trapped Chilean miners will have an extra family member waiting for him when he makes it to the surface. Ariel Ticona's wife has given birth to a baby girl, the couple's third child. The couple had planned to name their first daughter Carolina but will now name her Esperenza—Spanish for "Hope."

Faith Unfailling

True to their faith and believe in super natural power, the miners kept on strong, despite the nerve chilling fear of the unknown as the clock ticked. Even they, who believed not in God may have had a chance to gamble over an unforeseen force.

Another Blow to Kenyan Justice?

Kenya, or perhaps a section of governement has declared that it does not need the services of ICC after all. This comes shortly after the governement signed an agreement with the prosecutor's office at ICC which granted it (ICC) unfettered access to information, sources and victims of the post election violence(2007) in quest for the long awaited justice.
Through its justice minister, the governent has indicated that with the endorsement and subsequent promulgation of the new constitution a month ago, the government of Kenya had acquired the right and adequate instruments to met justice on its on based on the standards of the Internation Criminal Court. in what appears to be a calculated move to protect status quo or perhaps the high and mighty in and outside government, the minister noted that the Kenyan case was more complex."I am not out to undermine the ICC and its obligations, but the fact is that the Kenyan case is complex and it will be better dealt with locally," he said.
The question is, is this the final blow to attempts by ICC to hit the last nail on the coffin? Is it coincidental that Louis Ocampo, the ICC chief prosecutor is coming to town in October? Is there a conspiracy in government to frustrate Ocampo's efforts? And, doesn't this raise eye brows given that it comes barely four days after a Cabinet meeting?
All these conspiracy theories combined scare the rat out of innocent Kenyans whose property were pillaged and  lives destroyed by blood letting thugs in 2007/2008 violence.

Al Jazeera English - LISTENING POST - Media spin on the Iraqi elections

Al Jazeera English - LISTENING POST - Media spin on the Iraqi elections

Of Two Centres of Power and a Citizenry in Limbo

The recent developments in Kenya pitying a frustrated prime minister and a don't care-wait and see president last this week once more opens sour and seemingly healing wounds of indifference which characterized the political aura in 2007/09.

Kenyans though are no stranger to this tussles on who exactly wields power between the president and the prime minister but a reminiscence of the post election violence a year or so ago whose memories still linger in the minds of many is the most worrying to say the least.

The country was once more treated to the theatre of the absurd, perhaps not just a fight against corruption but an indication of a spectre which has always done rounds in government circles since the signing of the now controversial National Accord which led to cessation of hostilities by both sides of the divide and an embrace of a union which still holds fragile. 

The Honey Burger, ferocious snout and honey in plenty

The most disturbing thing though is not whether the prime minister acted ultra vires but the fate of corruption which remains the single most undoing bedeviling the coalition government. Many have argued against the prime minister's actions which perhaps hold water, much more corroborated by the Attorney General on whose backyard executive authority rests. This argument stands legitimate but one thing lost in the process of this argument is the fate of millions of school going children and the country's grains reserve system which is alleged to have been robbed of millions of dollars through phony practices in the parent ministry. It is also in order to appreciate that official corruption does not end there.  A number of ministers and other senior officials in government corporations are on an eating spree laughing all the way to the bank and driving fuel guzzlers in the name of rewarded hard work.

Laid Back, chewing Cane and Rarely Heard

One man, suggestive of innocence seats on the fence pulling strings and lavishing the dance, not disturbed and not uttering a word safe for occasional statements issued through the official media vessel. The man is the president, Mwai Kibaki. This is a politician who has thrived for long and perhaps cherished the cancer of corporate thinking and its attendant-amnesia in Kenya. Nobody seems to be questioning his position on the fight against corruption but instead the country's attention has been diverted to the prime minister who is at pains to explain to Kenyans aspects of consultation in the coalition.

Ask this man Kibaki 

It's time Kenyans demanded of political responsibility from the president since he comes in as minister number one and therefore ought to take responsibility as the PM or any other minister would. To the PM, an afternoon well spent at Nyayo stadium after cracking the whip on the two cabinet ministers and later on an official trip to Japan was the best thing to have happened to him. 

A divided government, a blood boiling party serves not as the best welcome scenario for the PM  from Japan. Be it as it may, your cards must always remain on your chest.

Too Early in the Day, Hat off my Head

Finally, the curtains have unceremoniously come down, with awe and sadness, the sun has set early in the afternoon. From this stage of life dominated not only by scribes of your ilk but also all and sundry from many a sectors in the society.
Black Saturday the 28th of November is the day when my friend, brother and confidante Wilkins alias Producer exited leaving many groping for facts about his untimely and 'unannounced' departure.
Down Memory Lane
I, fellow scribe and friend have mourned all this days but have grown and found it not only fit but also wise to celebrate you, journey with self down memory lane, share the moments despite the killing nostalgia and more so learn to make the best of this life, for short are man's days an equivalent of a passing shadow and a wilting leaf.
Dark, it Became
You endeared the qualities and virtues of a good man in this world, blooming with talent and promising to hit the skies in a while but just before that happened, the bud was nipped and like the sparrow from the skies short of breath, you came tumbling down from body and soul to the amazement and chagrin of all of us. The dreams and vision you had long ago written in the tablet of your hand had just shown signs of fruition. In the prime of your youth you had just learned the ropes of the trade and was ready to immerse yourself into the profession to prove not just your salt but also confirm God's promise of prosperity and hope. You had just realised that mention of the future had come and no more would one say to you of the old and patronising claims of the 'future leader'. You were just out to inform them, to surprise them that, that future had finally come.
Time Running out
Just before all these happened, the clock went-tick, tick, tack tock and ultimately the lights went off, the stage was deserted and many an audience were left wondering that maybe you had missed the lines, sometimes characteristic of a refined thespian. They thought you had employed many of your rib cracking ways to liven the auditorium as you would sometimes especially when you played 'Pieces of Chalk'. It was no strange to many anyway because you had invoked such before.
For the Umpteenth Time......
This, apparently was not the normal joke. It was real- the stage was to remain silent and the audiences gripped by fear, worry and gloom as they learned that it was not that you had missed the lines but that you had lost them. Your breath was no more and like orphaned children, the audience gathered in groups whispering in low tones as they tried to come to terms with the development.
To your Maker you left
Perhaps, we never knew that time was running out. Indeed for me it took long to realise that our meeting was actually crucial. We kept postponing every time, with flimsy reasons of course to support our argument. Little did I know that you were operating on borrowed time and that the bells of exit were beginning to ring from a distance. Soon the sound of the bells went high and high though not loud for me and you to hear. It was just reserved maybe for your hears only if at all you heard it at the last minute.
Then it was
Ultimately, the day of fire came and you had no option but to respond to that calling of eon which none of the mortal being can resist. The last line of the long verse was just being read, and out, you exited the stage.
To your maker you returned. Unto those left behind, we can't mourn you my friend anymore. I have learned to celebrate your life and grow stronger, learn many other lessons especially on procrastination.
Fare thee well my friend, brother and confidante.

Time or not another

Kenya's moment to get a new constitution and perhaps right the wrongs commited over the years has come.
The long walk to a new constitutional dispensation is likely to come to an end if only the citizenry engage and make informed decisions devoid of political manipulation and misinformation from politicians. However, there still remains the big challenge of having Kenyans read the document within a thirty day time frame seen by many as short and likely to expose many to waylaying by politicians.
If the document comes to pass, then it will be Kenya's day of relief though not necessarily the end of the struggle.

Behold, the Day of Fire

Like the angel of death in the days of yore, the ICC prosecutor Louis Moreno Ocampo will set foot tomorrow on Kenyan soil breathing fire and promising to devour without fear or favour to the excitement, fear and awe among all and sundry in the country.
Finally the day has come and Kenya, like a number of a handful of other world countries prepare to face the wrath of the International CriminalCourt which, in the words of the prosecutor promises to make Kenya a lesson to many across the globe.
Never before has it sounded real like today. The mood in the country ranges from excitement, to a state of mixed feeling especially given the binding loyalties, to that of fear, worry and more worry. To the suspects of the post election violence, the day of reckoning seems to have come and like many death row convicts in various prisons of the world, their date with the finisher of suspense and agony is finally here.
Even as many in government still contemplate Ocampo's decisions, views across the divide are suggestive of a country whose patience for justice seems to be running out. Ocampo's coming to the country perhaps to many is considered long overdue owing to the degree of impunity which has become synonymous with Kenya and perhaps personifies the country now than never before.
For now, crossing our fingers would be the most honourable thing to do, hoping that the President and the Prime Minister do no harbour ideas of sweet talking the man with a message from the world court.

End of the Ring-era

No lettin' go, no letting' go..... but when the push persists, you got to let it go.
Indeed the man at KACC has always considered himself not just the learned man, but also Caesar's wife. However, as things seem to be, one has to learn something-that you cannot fight the wind. Even though you are being cheered to stay on the top, there comes a time when you have to loose confidence with your backers.

Think of the KACC boss Aaron Ringera whose connotation of an error seems banal to most Kenyans by now. His attempts to prove wrong parliament and the country at large seems not to be bearing fruit even though one phony minister of justice seems to be proping him day by day despite the fact that the verdict is irreversible.
Perhaps the big lesson we ought to learn even as we wait for Ringera to throw in the towel is that at all times we ought to be guided by our conscience and read the signs on the wall. To ill intentioned sycophants like Mutula Kilonzo and company, your counsel is questionable and your presence in the justice docket is a diservice to this nation, perhaps to borrow from Obama, 'you are on the wrong side of history.'

A Case of Loyalty and Sycophancy

The long and winding debate over the reappointment of Justice Aaron Ringera to serve for the second five year term as KACC chair came to a tragic end yesternight when parliament handed its harshest penalty on the executive.
After protracted battles, canvassing and horse trading across the politcal divide, the House burnt the midnight oil to assert its authority and send the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission reeling in abject spirit perhaps contemplating its future.
It indeed marked the end of a debate which has also caused rage around the country with the civil society organising protests, filing suites in court and the general populace cursing from their hearts.

Breach of Law

The president though with a seemingly strong defence was humiliated and strongly criticised for breaking the law on reappointment of Ringera. Parliament was turned into a battle ground of wits as a plethora of laws and sections were reffered to by a number of members, each trying to quote and either defend or condemn the president. Legalise and all sorts of jargon surfaced the House with others crossing frontiers to borrow from the UK parliament and American Congresss for guidance. War time leaders such as Winston Churchill may have turned in their graves when mention of their actions was made.

Loyalty Versus Sycophancy

Perhaps the very interesting part of this sojourn in the House came up when some members sought the guidance of the chair on the loyalty of cabinet ministers to the president. It serves us right to recall the day when MPs were sworn in for the tenth parliament early last year. The post poll animosity was so real that some led by the current Prime Minister refused to swear loyalty to the president but rather to the constitution.
It was time once again to test this level of loyalty. Mention of the doctrine of collective responsibility by government ministers attracted the wrath of a number of ministers who sharply argued on the contrary saying that they were not ready to pay for the sins of their boss on grounds that collective responsibility does not impune collective suicide.

Semantics, Grammatical Basics and Legalise

Indeed the former minister for Justice, Constitution and National Cohesion, Martha Karua took the House through some basics in grammar on the difference between appointment and reappointment. The Justice Minister Mutula Kilonzo had earlier on defended the president's decision that reappointment of KACC chair and deputies did not need direction from the advisory board and parliament as is the case with appointment. The difference between the two is pronunciation, spelling, character count. To reappoint is to appoint for the second time, the Gichugu MP informed the House.

It is in this definition that the MP declared the Justice minister and all of his camp as sycophants rather than loyalist. Loyalists, she says tell the president on the face that he is wrong while sycophants mislead him for political expediency.

Life Line Cut

The House finally decided to cut the life line of the anti graft body by blocking the minister of finance from presenting the Appropriations Bill which would have given KACC funding to the tune of 1.2 billion shillings for the next fiscal year.

Rule of Law

For a long time in Kenya, those exercising executive authority from the president and his cabinet have always broken the law whenever it suited their whims but yesterday's show in parlimanent is a warning that the rule of law must prevail at all times even if personal interest are at stake.
It is the expectation of many therefore that the tenth parliament will act in the same zeal and zest to right wrongs and guide the country towards the respect of rule of law.