Kenya Stockholm Blog

ODM-Scandinavia Initiative Takers Release Draft Political Program

As a group of serious Kenyan organizations in Scandinavia and individuals very much concerned with the on going political process in Kenya, we have decided to take a position in relation to the political situation in our country.

Since the National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) took power on a popular platform for change and transformation, we have watched with horror how the government led by President Mwai Kibaki has destroyed the country and reverted Kenya back to political dictatorship and authoritarianism.

Every key election promise Narc made to Kenyan voters before the December 2002 election has been broken. The Kibaki government has failed to end corruption, tribalism, nepotism, human rights violations and wanton plunder of the Kenyan economy by a tiny thieving Kikuyu ruling class.

Burning issues like the murder of the late Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Robert Ouko, the Goldenberg corruption scandal, Ethnic cleansing during the Moi dictatorship, Land grabbing by the rich and forced eviction of Kenyans from their lands have all not been addressed.

Instead, billions of tax payer’s money has been wasted on Commissions of Inquiries whose conclusions are gathering dust on the shelves. Corrupt personalities like Professor George Saitoti and others linked to multiple corruption scandals in the past have either been cleansed through the system or left to walk away with their loot. Needless to say, new corruption scandals like Anglo-Leasing have sprouted under the Kibaki administration as the Mount Kenya Mafia plundering the economy continues to entrench itself in power.

Njenga Karume, an economic criminal and former home guard, has boasted that the Mount Kenya Mafia will maintain power up to the year 2017. This is the last signal that those around Kibaki are drunk with power and that this Mafia cartel should be voted out of office.

Most importantly, the dictatorship of President Mwai Kibaki has failed to; deliver a new Constitution to the Kenyan people, address the crisis of unemployment especially among the youth and to address the issue of mass poverty ravaging our people.

In light of these catastrophic failures, we have decided to gather forces with the principle agenda of helping and facilitating the exit of the Kibaki dictatorship and its replacement with a more progressive regime capable of addressing the most immediate and critical issues affecting our country and our people today.

Although outside the country, we view ourselves as part of the democratic process in Kenya and we take it as our responsibility to support the most progressive Movement or Party that we believe, is capable of carrying the political struggle in Kenya forward.

After a careful study of the situation in Kenya, we have come to the conclusion that at this critical time in our country’s history, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM-Kenya) is the best placed Movement that can address the failures of the Kibaki dictatorship.

Consequently, we have decided to unite to set up a branch of ODM in Scandinavia and to use the structure as a campaign platform to ensure that the ODM-Kenya seizes power in the next General elections scheduled for December 2007.

Our support for ODM is based on a “Twelve-Point Program” that we would like ODM-Kenya to address once it seizes power. The basic principle that has united and propelled us into setting up ODM-Scandinavia is based on the agreement that once in power, ODM will:

1.  Deliver a new Constitution to the Kenyan people based on the Bomas draft within a reasonable period of time, possibly during the first year in office. Clauses in the constitution should unambiguously include dual citizenship and mechanisms for voting by Kenyans abroad.

2. End rampant tribalism and nepotism especially in the appointment of public servants and other government officials.

3. End corruption in all its forms and looting of the Kenyan economy and legislate effective laws that will punish those found to have stolen public funds.

4. Bring to justice thieves in the Narc government and confiscate wealth and property found to have been acquired through corrupt means.

5. Put an end to land grabbing in our country, confiscate all land found to have been grabbed during both the Kenyatta and Kibaki dictatorships and resettle the landless.

6. Guarantee registration of alternative political parties, register parties that have been denied registration under Narc government and protect the multi-party political system that has been under constant threat from both the Moi and Kibaki dictatorships.

7. Stop the retrenchment of workers in Kenya and address the problem of unemployment.

8. Restore the collapsed health care and education system by pooling resources currently being wasted on bogus projects and other wasteful government expenditures.

9. Guarantee freedom of Press and bring to a permanent end State organized attacks on Media houses and constant harassment of journalists.

10. Formulate a proper Foreign policy for Kenya.

11. Change the colonial nature of the Judiciary to reflect current political realities in our country.

12. End the rule by the Mafia in our country. 

We have made a conscious decision not to come up with unreasonable demands that ODM will not be able to meet because of its political character.

We are releasing this document as part of a strategy to convince and recruit both Kenyans and supporters into ODM-Scandinavia. After the document has gone into circulation, the next step will be the convening of a public meeting in Stockholm to discuss the document, adjust it if necessary and adopt it.

This will be followed by the election of ODM-Scandinavia’s Interim officials. Once these officials assume office, they will be entrusted with the responsibility of organizing a public launching of ODM-Scandinavia before the movement plunges into election campaigns to install ODM-Kenya to power.    

Initiative takers:
Mrs Hellen Opwapo – Stockholm
Mr. Martin Ngatia – Stockholm (Kenya Scandinavia Democratic Movement – KESDEMO)
Mr. Gerry Midenyo – Stockholm

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This is an initiative. If you agree with majority of points above, you could be thinking along the lines of ODM-Scandinavia initiative takers. For endorsement of this document, comments or points of view, send mail to odm_scandinavia@yahoo.com.  The initiative takers will get back to you as soon as possible. In the meantime, spread the message and make your contribution towards a new government in Kenya at the end of next year. If you are not a Kenyan who lives in Scandinavia we are still interested in your views. The struggle continues.
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September 24, 2006 - Posted by makozewe | News & Analysis