Kenyan National Facing Deportation From Sweden
A Kenyan National is facing deportation from Sweden after he was found guilty of several unspecified crimes. The Kenyan has been to Swedish prison before while he has also faced an assortment of charges including assault of a Swedish woman. Details of the case are still scanty and KISS agents are working on the case.
A source told KSB that the Kenyan has put a case against his deportation arguing that he is a father to child resident in Sweden. The Swedish law stipulates that children have must have access to their parents under specified circumstances.
However, in cases where it has been demonstrated that a suspect is a notorious drug peddler or a repeated offender in certain categories of criminal activities, an immigrant could be deported to his/her home country without the “Children’s factor” being put into consideration. KSB is following the case.
Okoth Osewe
Statement Of Raila Odinga On Latest Crisis
STATEMENT BY HON. RAILA ODINGA, PRIME MINISTER-DESIGNATE, ON THE CURRENT STATUS OF NEGOTIATIONS ON FORMING THE GRAND COALITION GOVERNMENT
7 April 08
With cries of jubilation and Happy New Years, Kenyans on 28th February began to breathe freely again as the National Accord brokered by Mr. Kofi Annan was signed by President Kibaki and myself. The terror and fear they had been living under at the hands of mobs, militias and government forces was finally over. A few weeks later, Parliament unanimously entrenched the Accord into the Constitution and Laws of Kenya.
But since then, Kenyans have observed with growing dismay and anxiety that not a single concrete agreement has been achieved on any aspect of the new coalition government. Our nation is adrift and without direction, and with each passing day, our problems are mounting.
To overcome this terrible impasse and another looming crisis, our side has gone many extra miles and made an extraordinary number of concessions. Against the strong wishes of our supporters and indeed of all Kenyans, we accepted PNU’s insistence on a bloated 40 member Cabinet. I agreed also to cede some of the most crucial ministries – such as Finance, Defense, Internal Security and Justice and Constitutional Affairs.
-+In exchange, we obtained infrastructural ministries such as Energy, Transport and Roads – which are instrumental in the building of rapid economic growth – as well as Local Government and Foreign Affairs. But in agreeing to this, I indicated that we had reached our irreducible minimum. The response to our magnanimity from the other side has been to retract every agreement we have finalized!
This latest crisis in portfolio balance captures the astonishing lengths PNU is willing to go to ensure that it continues to monopolize power.
On 1st April, President Kibaki’s emissary, Hon George Saitoti, gave me a proposed list of 40 ministries and how they should be divided. The next day, we wrote to the President’s Office rejecting the proposal.
The following day, 3rd April, President Kibaki and I met for two hours and made numerous concrete agreements on portfolio balance that I have just mentioned, which enabled both of us to say publicly that the Cabinet would be announced yesterday (Sunday).
On Saturday, I received from Ambassador Muthaura a letter unilaterally indicating that the Cabinet to be announced would be formed on the basis of an enclosed list of ministries and their allocations that we had rejected on 2nd April! The agreements we reached in our 3rd April meeting were nowhere to be seen.
We were therefore unable to reach any agreement in the six hours of talks yesterday.
Today, in response to a letter I had written to President Kibaki, we received a reply from Ambassador Muthaura side reneging on our previous agreements, as well as the spirit and the letter of the Accord. In PNU’s interpretation, the Constitution grants the President exclusive executive power to run this country on his own, and that these powers supersede all the provisions of the Accord.
The President and I promised the nation yesterday that we would finalize arrangements for the Grand Coalition government, including the naming of the Cabinet. However, PNU’s misconception of the Accord and the principles of democratic governance mean that there was no point in meeting today to conclude discussions on Cabinet formation and the constitution of the government.
We hereby provide correspondence between our two sides which gives details of the issues at stake and our proposals on the way forward. Let me state once again that we are committed to the full and speedy implementation of the National Accord to resolve the crisis gripping our country.
Raila Amolo Odinga
Prime Minister Designate
Raila Letters To Kibaki: Cabinet Of 34
7th April 2008
His Excellency Mwai Kibaki, CGH, MP
President of the Republic of Kenya
Office of the President,
P.O. Box 30510,
NAIROBI
Your Excellency,
RE: FORMATION OF THE GRAND COALITION GOVERNMENT
The meeting yesterday adjourned to allow for consultations until this afternoon, after you declined further discussions on portfolio balance and instead insisted on your proposed allocation of ministries.
Our party is deeply concerned that the stalemate over the formation of the Grand Coalition Government is increasing uncertainty and anxiety in the country. It is also escalating the mistrust that we as leaders were expected to eliminate by the establishment of the Grand Coalition.
The National Accord and Reconciliation Act is already in force. It must be understood that ODM and PNU are equal partners in the Grand Coalition. The failure to form the Grand Coalition Government is in fact a continuing breach of the Act and the Constitution.
We have always acted in good faith and conveyed to Your Excellency that the Grand Coalition would be one government. The positions PNU is staking claim to imply that we are forming a government with two cabinets. On the contrary, this is a Grand Coalition of two equal partners sharing executive power on a 50-50 basis.
It is becoming clear to our party that your side is reluctant to honour the spirit and principles of the National Accord and Reconciliation Act. I therefore wish to let you know that the following issues must be resolved in the course of our further consultations on the formation of the Government:
1. The Current Cabinet
The current cabinet should be dissolved to allow for the formation of a fresh Cabinet in accordance with the Act.
2. Portfolio Balance
Although we reluctantly conceded to an enlarged cabinet against the wishes of Kenyans, our party now maintains that the Grand Coalition Cabinet should not exceed 34 ministries. Allocations of portfolios must be based on the agreement of 3rd April 2008 in which we agreed that the PNU side nominates appointments in the Finance and Security portfolios and in return, ODM would nominate Ministers to the following portfolios:
· Local Government
· Foreign Affairs
· Transport
· Energy
· Cabinet Affairs
It is important I reiterate that the above represents and remains our Party’s irreducible minimum position. We attach hereto, for your ease of reference, the full ODM Portfolio Balance List, which was delivered to you last Friday.
3. Structure and Organization of Government
The following must also be agreed upon in advance:
· An acceptable classification of ministries;
· A clear definition of the roles and responsibilities of the Office of the Prime Minister;
· The structure and organization of government, including the rationalisation of the roles of the Head of the Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet;
· Appointment of the Permanent Secretaries;
· Appointment of Ambassadors and High Commissioners; and the
· Appointment of the Chairpersons, Directors and Chief Executives of parastatals, and constitutional offices.
I propose that a Joint Team of four members, two from each side, be constituted to build consensus on these issues within the next three days.
Please confirm your acceptance of the above before the meeting this afternoon.
Yours truly,
Hon Raila Odinga, EGH, MP
Prime Minister-Designate
EU Statement On Latest Crisis In Kenya
Brussels, 8 April 2008
8051/08 (Presse 090)
P 044/08
PRESS RELEASE
Subject: Declaration on Kenya
Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on Kenya
The European Union and Kenya’s other international partners welcomed the power-sharing agreement signed by Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga on 28 February. The agreement was an important step towards peace and reconciliation within the framework of the National Dialogue, brokered by the Panel of Eminent African Personalities led by Kofi Annan.
On 2 April, Mr Annan expressed serious concern over the failure to compose and announce a coalition government. The EU shares his concern and urges the parties to maintain the momentum for reconciliation by forming an effective and efficient coalition government as soon as possible that reflects genuine power-sharing between Kenya’s parties. This is a key milestone upon which implementation of the agreement depends.
The EU reiterates its commitment to support meaningful power-sharing and to working with the new Kenyan Government, once it is formed, to put Kenya back on the path to prosperity and stability.
The Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia align themselves with this declaration.
* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.
New Crisis In Kenya: ODM Scandinavia To Issue Statement
ODM Scandinavia will issue a Statement by the end of the week on the on-going crisis in Kenya about the power sharing deal between ODM and PNU. The Statement will be released after a meeting of the Party’s top organ expected towards the end of the week.
A top official of the Party told KSB that the Scandinavian branch has been studying the situation in Kenya very closely and that it will issue a comprehensive statement on the situation by Friday this week.
The official said that the party has not been in a hurry to issue statements over the deadlock because it has been giving the situation time to develop. “A lot of issues have been involved and it could have been premature for ODM Scandinavia to rush with statements”, he said.
In the meantime, Mr. Charles Otieno Owiyo, Organizing secretary of ODM Scandinavia, is in Kenya to consult with the mother Party and to get first hand information about what is happening. Mr. Otieno left Kenya on Friday last week and is expected to give a Report when he returns to Stockholm.
In another development, the Wananchi Pavilion and the ODM Office in Stockholm is currently closed for renovation. The Party has temporarily moved its operations to Nacka until the renovations are completed later this month. This means that ODM’s weekly meetings at the Pavilion have also been relocated and Party members are encouraged to get in touch with Headquarters for an update on weekly meeting places.
Okoth Osewe
Diaspora: Kenyan Suspected Of Murdering A White Grandma
Bail was set at $1 million Saturday for a 24-year-old nursing assistant who is being held on suspicion of strangling a 75-year-old woman after she left a Federal Way nursing home last month.
Joseph Njonge, of Kent, who has no criminal history, worked for nearly a year as a certified nursing assistant at Garden Terrace Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence, where Jane Britt’s body was found in the trunk of her car March 19. She was last seen alive the evening before, when she left the nursing home after visiting her 77-year-old husband, who lives there.
Njonge was arrested Thursday after the Washington State Patrol Crime Laboratory said that it had matched his DNA to that found under Britt’s fingernails, according to court documents released Saturday.
He was booked in King County Jail for investigation of first-degree murder and robbery.
In the documents, Federal Way police said that Njonge denied killing Britt or having any contact with her that could have resulted in his DNA being under her fingernails.
Njonge is scheduled to return to King County Superior Court by Tuesday, said Pro tem Judge Karli Jorgensen, who set bail.
About 20 members of the suspect’s friends and family appeared at the bail hearing. A woman who identified herself to the court as his sister declined to be interviewed.
Two relatives of the victim also were in court but wouldn’t comment, citing a statement they released Friday. That statement read, in part: “We were shocked by the sudden and senseless crime that took the life of our beloved mom, grandmother, and great-grandmother.”
According to court documents released Saturday, Federal Way police said the only DNA found under Britt’s nails belonged to her and Njonge. Investigators had collected DNA samples from several people who worked at the nursing home.
Police also said they found Britt’s husband’s Costco card in Njonge’s wallet.
When Britt’s body was found in her car trunk, she was fully clothed but her shoes were missing and her pockets were turned inside out, court documents said.
According to police, Britt’s family said she usually did not carry a purse but kept money and identification in her pockets.
Britt’s family began looking for her March 19 when she did not pick up her grandson that morning, police said.
Britt’s son discovered that a phone message he had left for her at 7:30 p.m. the evening before had never been played because the message light was still flashing, court documents said.
The family found her Mercedes-Benz parked at the nursing home, but they didn’t have a key. A Mercedes-Benz employee opened the trunk.
Investigators interviewed Njonge and other nursing-home employees March 28.
According to police, Njonge said he worked until 10:30 p.m. on the night Britt disappeared and last saw her at 5:20 p.m., when she left the area where her husband was. She was seen leaving the nursing home at 7 p.m.
Njonge said the only time he left the facility was at 10:15 p.m. to take out the trash.
State records show Njonge has been a certified nursing assistant since Jan. 23, 2005. No complaints against him are on file, according to the state Department of Health.
Melissa Allison: 206-464-3312 or mallison@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
Swedish Film Premier Of Kenyan Producer In Stockholm
Special invitation to the film:
MAGGIE WAKES UP AT THE BALCONY
A Film by Ester Bergsmark and Mark Hammarberg in collaboration with Beatrice Maggie Andersson from Kenya.
-Entrance for two guests at only 100 kr!
-Observe that the offer is only valid between 14-18 April
-Provide the code: Silverosa Film at the reception
Maggie always matches a beret with high-heeled shoes and loves gold. She lives at the fifth floor at a suburb in Malmö. At her balcony is to be found what remains of her past. Under a golf bag besides a travel ticket from 1999 rests a dove she killed when she could not sleep. In the film “Maggie Wakes Up at the balcony” are we able to see everyday life in Sweden from Maggie’s camera lens. The standout appearence is that of a land filled absurdities and longing. Ambrellas, poodles which have gone on pension, potential rapists, sweet rowanberries as tomatoes.
The film enters its premier in Sweden on Friday 11th april 2008.
Filmen har Sverigepremiär fredag den 11 april 2008 at the following cities and film houses:
Stockholm – Zita och Victoria; Address: Birgerjarlsgatan 37: Kick-off: 18.30.
OBS: You have to book your seat by sending mail to: kristin@folketsbio.se. Availability of seats are limitted so book in good time (Deadline. 9th April). After the film, there will be a gathering at Morfar Ginko at Swedenborgsgatan 13.
The film will also show at the following venues: Check for dates with folketsbio!
Göteborg – Hagabion
Malmö – Panora
Lund – Kino
Västerås – Elektra
Umeå - Folkets Bio
Further information: www.maggiefilmen.se
Welcome.
Humour: Kenya Diaspora Experiences
You go to Kenya and both relatives and friends think that since you have been based abroad, you have a lot of money. Suddenly, you need to sort the bills for almost everything – school fees, hospital bills, food, pocket money for hangers on, rounds at drinking sprees, Taxis etc.
The “natives” thought that I was so rich that I could fund “development projects” of individuals who wanted to start a shop here, build a residential block there for someone to earn a living, start a mitumba (second hand clothes) business for a relative there, buy school books for an uncle’s kid here, finance some mabati for a house in progress and so forth.
A relative wanted to plough his farm and just needed Ksh 10.000 to hire the tractor and he believed that this would be “nothing” for me. It was like anybody who shook my hand was expecting something. An uncle pulled me aside and told me that if I could give him Ksh 60.000, he could buy a piece of land that would “fix him for life”. That was slightly more than my monthly rent in Stockholm. It was crazy!
I was surprised but I didn’t want to show it. In fact, there is a small gang of close relatives who walked with me almost everywhere, showing me places and introducing me to people I didn’t know. Part of the introduction always included “…and this is our brother who lives in Sweden” or something like that. My being “from Sweden” was very important. Sometimes, I felt like a King, some times exploited while sometimes I just marveled as to what my having gone abroad had done to my personality.
Some joked that I should stand as the local MP although I have never been interested in politics. Others chipped in by stressing how they could campaign for me and stuff and that I was fit to lead!
I had not been to Kenya for five years and I was lucky that I had saved some money before I left Stockholm. I was almost being worshipped like a small God because I was able to solve some few problems. But I noticed that some Kenyans in Stockholm and those based in other countries had somehow “messed up the place”.
Many Diaspora Kenyans never complain openly about the “money problem” because they want to impress that they “have made it” abroad. A guy came with a ramshackle in a container and that thing made a huge impact because “it was a car”.
He stuffed some second hand furniture and electronics in the Ka container and this turned him into a hero kinda a thing within the family. He was dishing out stuff and when I arrived without a container after 5 years in Sweden, it was like I was a disappointment. Some critics even wondered which Sweden I was coming from!
SELF-IMPOSED PERSONAL AIDES IN KENYA
The talk was like so and so was around the other day and “we saw with our eyes”. He had a car, TV sets, nice sofa sets, clothes (Mitumba that may have been picked up after white people threw them away), videos etc. The phrase “…we saw with our eyes” told it all. I only had my suitcase. You could have been there to notice the curiosity within the internal family when the suitcase was opened! There was a small crowd around the suitcase as it was being opened. People thought I had carried the whole Stockholm shops with me, expecting gifts and stuff. I only had my clothes and personal stuff and this did not go down well with others who expected big things.
My days were running out as I had just taken a few weeks leave from my job as a sanitary engineer (cleaner, dish washer et al). In fact, I was planning to take up an easier job as a geriatrician (working at old people’s homes) and I had an appointment with a Mdosi (the boss) “at a home in Stockholm”.
I had to rush back to Stocky otherwise I would risk missing the job which was also well paying. The money I had saved for a whole year to help me survive in Kenya for three weeks was running out fast because the rate of expenditure was far too higher than I had expected.
As I was trying to figure out whether I should leave shags and spend a few days in Nai ( I learnt some sheng down there eh!) with the little amount I still had, the unexpected happened. My Aunt travelled all the way to request me to be the Guest of Honour at a Fund raising event she had organized to raise school fees for her three kids who were facing eviction from school because money was not enough.
I contacted one of my “Aides” to find out what that meant in terms of cash. I had self-imposed aides who followed me everywhere. In return, they were being treated to anything in terms of food stuffs and vinywaji (drinks). At the end of the day when they had escorted the Modosi to bed, I threw them Ksh 100 each (10 kr) and they were very happy.
It sounds incredible but it was like they just landed jobs – picking me up in the morning, getting me around, explaining new stuff (including sheng updates) before they could get me back to base. No contract was written and they appreciated that I was “very understanding”. If you travel to Kenya and you don’t get these guys, may be, you might not be able to return to Stockholm.
When I tried to find out what it meant to be a Guest of H at a fund raising, I was shocked. I was told that if you are the Guest of H, you have to contribute an amount that nobody else will be able to contribute at the fund raising. I asked how much this could amount to in order to check if I could manage the situation because I also sympathized with the kids. I was told that you needed not less that Ksh 10,000 to be sure in the situation that had presented itself. No big shot was expected and, in fact, I was expected to be the big shot otherwise the alternative was some primary school headmaster who was “just a filler” because not much was expected from him. My Aunt worked under.
INFLATING MY EGO
You can start by contributing ksh 5000 and check the situation if there is a challenger. In case someone threatens to overtake your contribution, you could begin to compete by increasing yours and asking that izindikishwe (it be escorted). What this means is that on top of your 5 thao, you could add another one thao and ask that the audience add anything on top. This is the procedure and is perfectly normal.
Besides, I was told that if you are the Guest of H, you are expected to zindikisha people who were also contributing so you need to change some cash into coins so that you can be able to cope. Anybody could pop up at the High table and request that you zindikisha. Changing currency notes into coins is done in advance and there are people who specialize in the operation. You just have to accept that you can be the G of H and the rest falls into place.
To be approached to be the Guest of H was actually a big deal for me because I have never been one and I have never imagined that I could be one anyway. According to my Aide (another relative just imposed himself as my aide by the way), being the Guest of H also meant that I would take a seat on the High table and regarded as the most important person at the Fund raising.
Kids would greet me with flowers at hand when I arrived while all late comers had to get to the high table to say hi with “we are pleased to have you here…” kinda comments. What else did I need to relax and feel big after turbulent excursions in turbulent Stockholm where people are for themselves and the Swedish State for us all? Really, I needed a break from a place where some enemies wanted to eat me alive.
To some extent, my ego was inflated but on the other hand, I began to understand that being abroad had changed me in the eyes of my relatives whom, before I left Kenya, regarded me as a nobody.
In the end, I decided to cancel by luxurious trip to Nairobi because the amount that was required for the Guest of Honour operation was still within my reach. After the fund raising, my Aunt was happy because over quarter million Kenyan shillings was raised with me as the Guest of H. The fund raising was a well rehearsed operation and as soon as I arrived, a ring of flowers was placed around my neck so that I could easily be identified and I began to like the pomp.
Whenever I zindikishad someone, the Master of Ceremony would say something like “…and this are kronors from Stockholm…you know people from Stockholm are very powerful…you have to get to an Aircraft to get to Stockholm…” and that kinda stuff. I just giggled because it was funny. “…he is living with wazungu (whites) and there, development comes to an end…”. Those guys are comedians I seh!
At one point, “The Master” requested that those who had travelled in an air craft raise their hands and nobody did. Suddenly, I was in trouble. Then I was alerted that I had to “do something” because since nobody raised their hands, it added a new specialty to my situation because everybody who was at the function have only seen the aircraft fyling in the air.”Next time you see it, our son could be inside, back from Stockholm…”, as people burst into spntaneous laughter.
In simpler terms, I needed to make a further donation to appreciate that I was a special Guest of H because I was the only one in the room who had climbed an Air craft and oh my God! what was next?
I had my sister strategically seated beside me at the high table so she could whisper stuff in my ear, just to keep me updated. She told me to throw in ksh 100 (around 10 kr) for the air craft thing and I was happy that it was no big deal because I was also running out of cash.
Then someone stood up and decided to “fine” everybody who was putting on spectacles. The cost was Ksh 20 (2 kr) and I was also affected. But since I was putting on “spectacles from Stockholm”, there is just no way the price was going to be the same. I had to pay more. As I wondered, I got a whisper that I drop in Ksh 50 and it worked.
Surprisingly, people were happy and on the spectacle bit, I am the only person who received an applause. This inflated my ego even further. My time was up and I had to leave Kenya back to Stocky. As the plane took off, I had lots of things to think about. Going to Kenya is sweet but it can also be expensive.
Okoth Osewe
DISCALIMER
“Kenya Diaspora Experiences” is humour which is purely for entertainment. Any similarities to real life experiences of anyone is purely coincidental and KSB will not take any responsibility if sories reflect real events that happened. Stories could be gathered from tales from Wakenya who take contact with KSB.
Politicians Have Let Kenyans Down – Muirani
Following the disputed elections in December last year, Kenya entered into the verge of a civil war and we thank God that this never happened although more than 1500 Kenyans lost their lives and more than 300,000 others became displaced as Internal refugees. This is besides the huge destruction of property worth billions of Kenyan shillings.
Today, there is a sigh of relief that Kenyans are continuing well with their daily lives despite the fact that prices of commodities have sky rocketed and famine is looming across the country.
When Dr. Kofi Annan and other Eminent African leaders helped broker a Peace accord between President Kibaki and Prime Minister designate, Hon. Raila Odinga, all Kenyans of good will celebrated and we were all relieved that our country was spared from sliding into civil war or genocide.
After the deal, Parliament was recalled and the new Bill detailing the Peace accord was passed into law and entrenched into our Constitution very fast. Thereafter came the issue of naming the much awaited Cabinet. Once again PNU and ODM could not agree on the portfolio balance and shamelessly, Dr. Koffi Anan had to talk to both Principals in order to get them to agree on the issue of Cabinet set up.
According to reports which were filtering through the Media and other information outlets, PNU was rooting for a Cabinet of 44 while ODM was for 34. Religious leaders and civil society organizations wanted a lean Cabinet in order not to overburden the Kenyan Tax payer. This is because Kenya is one of the countries in the world where Parliamentarians are amongst the highest paid.
After weeks of jostling over the naming of the Cabinet (with some leaders even calling for a re-run of Presidential elections if President Kibaki and Raila were not agreeing) both Kibaki and Raila pulled a first and agreed on a cabinet of 40 which will be named on Sunday-6th April.
Now if we are going to have a Cabinet with 40 Ministers and the same, if not, more number of Assistant ministers, it means that Kenya will have almost half of Parliamentarians in the Cabinet. This is a big burden to the Kenyan Tax payer because of the big expense in sustaining such a Cabinet.
Kenyans voted for change in last December elections, but now its emerging very clearly that our politicians do not have the well being of our country and its people at heart. Rather, their main interest is for their own well being and social status together with their cronies.
For the past one month, none of our leaders have been talking about the displaced Kenyans. They have been busy lobbying for Cabinet posts because that’s what they care most about. Kenyans should learn a very big lesson from the current leaders we are having because when they were campaigning and soliciting for votes last year, our sky was full of choppers but today those choppers cannot fly anymore to go and preach peace and reconciliation, address our own internal refugees and even give them hope of how they will be re-settled and compensated.
What has emerged now in Kenya is an elite political class which is hell bent on staying in power with their cronies and once they are done, they expect their children to take over. So common Mwananchi has no place in our political frame work and that’s why we, the ordinary Kenyans, should re-examine ourselves and form a Political party with one common interest
called Kenya.
Unless we start ideological politics, tribal chiefs will always have a free field in Kenyan politics and they will continue playing tribal cards after every five years and we will continue killing each other in their names. Once the “animal” is down, they will continue getting the lion’s share.
Githuku Wa Muirani.
Clerk To Kenya National Assembly Is Dead
Mr. Samuel Ndidiri, the Clerk to Kenya National Assembly has died at Nairobi Hospital. Mr. Ndidiri passed away this morning at the Hospital where he had been admitted.
Ndidiri’s las public engagement was his assistance during the election of the National Speaker and his Vice soon after the December 2007 elections in Kenya.
The death of Ndidiri comes hot on the heels of the deaths of two ODM MPs who were murdered in the heat of the post election violence that was triggered by the rigged elections in Kenya.
Okoth Osewe
Jokes Aside, Ambassador Purity’s Recall Is Long Overdue
Kenyans can continue to make jokes about Ambassador Purity Muhindi whose headquarters is the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm but the reality is that Purity is one Ambassador whose recall from Stockholm is long overdue.
President Kibaki and Prime Minister designate Raila Odinga has just announced that the Cabinet will be named on Sunday the 6th but the problem with this Cabinet is that PNU has retained the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which is in charge of posting Ambassadors to different countries through the Office Of The President.
For Purity, this is a big advantage because her posting in Stockholm was influenced by Lucy Kibaki, the First Lady, and since Lucy is not going anywhere, getting Purity out of Stockholm might prove to be a daunting task unless some miracle happens.
By retaining the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the diplomatic postings might not be affected much and Kenyans might have to make do with Purity until a new government is elected in Kenya.
If there is some luck and the Coalition parties decide to share diplomatic postings out of “good will”, then the Bagarmossen Chuch in Stockholm might have to engage in deep prayers that ODM bags the “Stockholm diplomatic docket” because that is the only other hope of getting Purity out of the way.
Another option would be for Kenyans to begin an open campaign calling for Purity’s recall using the multiple scandals she has created at the Embassy as legitimate grounds. This strategy may be long drawn because it might mean getting the case of Purity before politicians who are ready to take it to Parliament on grounds that Kenya cannot have an Ambassador who is irresponsible and less tuned when it comes to basic diplomatic responsibilities.
Purity has been treating her own countrymen like animals, if not strangers. Corruption at the Embassy calls for an investigation by the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission while her relationship with Kenyans in Sweden is extremely poor. Under the circumstances, her role as a personality who should be promoting Kenya abroad is greatly undermined.
THIEVES DOING BUSINESS AT KENYA EMBASSY
Purity is a big let down to Kenyan women because the example she is giving while in a position of leadership undermines the struggle for gender equality in Kenya. It is easy for male chauvinists to use the poor performance of Purity to allege that Kenyan women are not fit as Ambassadors. After rising to Office through nepotism, Purity has continued to practice tribalism at the Embassy thereby disappointing Kenyans who expected her to show maturity in leadership.
Purity is from Nyeri and within the Kikuyu community, she has been accused of practicing “regionalism” to an extent that she abhors Kikuyus from other regions of Kenya.
Hopes of Kenyans ever engaging in joint work with the Embassy have waned because Purity has frustrated all efforts to engage the Embassy. She has routinely boycotted Kenyan functions while attending public functions of other nationalities in Stockholm.
Last year, she attended a Ugandan function in Kista while she was also spotted dancing herself senseless at a function that was organized by the Sudanese in Stockholm. She has, in the past, been invited to Kenyan functions but she has refused to attend, giving all types of excuses.
Although officials like Jenipher Awuor have insisted that the “Embassy is open to all Kenyans”, experience has proved that the Embassy is only open to foreigners seeking visas and other favours which carry kick backs and other illegal financial benefits.
Getting Purity on the phone has been “mission impossible” and the problem now is that she has infected Awuor with her three “Tele-diseases” namely “On another line”, “Out of office” and “Will call you back”. Awuor is the second senior-most Official at the Embassy after Purity and before, one used to get through to her. Now, she is suffering from “will call you back” syndrome. The Embassy should not get rabbid about Kenyans seeking information from the Mission unless they are engaged in illegal activities.
A Kenyan who convinced a Swedish business partner went to the Embassy to discuss how they could set up a business in Kenya. Later, the Embassy tried to side-line the Kenyan by trying to deal with the Swede directly in a deal that the Kenyan said, was eventually dumped by the Swede because of “Kick back problems”. “You don’t have an Embassy. You just have thieves doing business in the name of an Embassy”, the Swede later told the Kenyan.
Regardless of the nature of the Coalition government in Kenya, the case of Purity needs to be taken up at a more serious level because writing in the blogs may provide information but if there is no serious campaign to get Purity out of Stockholm because of God Fathers or God Mothers in Kenya, she might be around for the next several months, much to the detriment of the Kenya-Stockholm interests.
Okoth Osewe
KSB Readers Fall For “Purity Recalled” Prank
It was April fools day and KSB wasn’t going to be left behind. After looking around for something that readers could swallow easily, we decided to go for Ambassador Purity Muhindi, the most attacked Kenyan diplomat at KSB and probably the most hated (by her own people) Kenyan Ambassador ever to occupy the Embassy.
“Recalling Purity” is an event many Kenyans in Stockholm have been waiting for because of the stream of scandals she has nourished at the Embassy, the arrogance with which she looks at Kenyans, her negative attitude towards the Kenyan community here and her “On top of the world” pantomimes.
To give the prank authority, it was sourced “from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs” and who else was gonna think that News from this Office could be unreliable?
At first, I wanted to put some explanations as to why Purity was recalled but I remembered that this could give the prank away because very little, if not, no explanations are normally given when an Ambassador is recalled unless under very special circumstances eg a diplomatic dispute. In fact, Majority of them are normally recalled after their tour of duty has ended so to strengthen the prank, there had to be no explanation for Purity’s recall!
Of cause! Some speculation was thrown into the prank to jog reader’s minds and make it look like it was possible for Purity to be recalled any way. What with the scandals she has been managing at the embassy? To get it right, the recent “Kinyua container scandal” was weaved into the prank to spice it up and get the brain of Wakenya moving in the right direction – she had been recalled!
Kibaki was meeting his Cabinet abruptly at Harambee House in Nairobi and if Purity had suddenly been recalled, may be, something happened at the meeting that did not favour purity. This coincidence was good because, going by the reactions, it helped put the recall into proper context.
To give the prank a jab of seriousness, an unnamed and fake Official from the Foreign Affairs Office was brought in to make some comments – that the Ministry was in the process of “reststructuring” to accommodate the new power sharing arrangement with ODM.
The Officer was made not to comment on the actual news about Purity’s recall because this kinda response is typical with government officers especially when the matter at hand is delicate and the recall of an Ambassador could be delicate!
CHOKING WITH LAUGHTER
Next was to create a decoy to justify why it is just Purity who appear to have been recalled – Oh yes, ODM has been negotiating diplomatic positions and Scandinavia was ear-marked by the Party as a scoop because of “its strategic” location. That really worked as three Kenyans called to say that they knew ODM would fix the Ambassador as a matter of priority and even make sure that the next Kenyan Ambassador to Scandinavia is an ODM-er.
It was now almost done. But there was one part of the prank that needed a face lift. “Purity’s recall” was gonna be big news and some Kenyans were likely to call the Embassy to try and sniff what was going on. Besides, the April fools day was also here and checking a prank was just a phone-call away. The solution?
KSB had already made the phone call for readers but the Embassy was unaware about the news. To ensure that no suspicious Kenyan called the Embassy as a matter of follow up, the prank had it that KSB was advised to call later so that the Embassy could confirm the news. That was it. If anybody still called the Embassy, the prank was safe because the reply would be that the Embassy knew nothing and that is what KSB was also saying. Since KSB had called the Foreign Affairs Office in Nairobi, logic would have it that KSB was ahead of the Embassy (as usual).
To crown it all, the mood of anti-Purity Kenyans in Stockholm had to be captured so the prank included a segment saying that the news “will be a big relief” to Kenyans who have been unhappy with the Ambassador.
To sell the prank, an advert was fixed for it and this was very exciting. An SMS was sent to Kenyans in Stockholm that Purity had been recalled while a number was left behind for Kenyans to pass comments because KSB was doing an “Opinion survey” about the recall. The prank had been packaged and Kenyans have been calling KSB like never before to express “satisfaction”.
“Its one of the best news since the beginning of the year” said a Kenyan. Purity is a Kikuyu but there is one happy Kikuyu chap who called and said that he didn’t mind the fact that Purity had been recalled even though she is Kikuyu. “I knew it was going to happen”, he said. He even added that he was very happy and would screw his girl mbaya sana as I choked with laughter, almost being taken away on a wheel chair! I imagined that the prank must have made the girl’s night!
Another message said: “Purity should be recalled because her mission has been marred with scandals right from the start. From her actions, she has proved to be tribally biased in dealing with a section of Kenyans. Why did she favour Mrs Kiboi by employing her at the Embassy? Most likely because she is from her tribe. She is also anti-social and inhumane given the way she dealt with the 2 specific cases of former Embassy employees. Regards”.
The strongest anti-Purity forces actually went down to town to celebrate! I was invited to come but I was busy. I know that many Kenyans will be disappointed that this was just an April fools prank after they adjusted themselves psychologically to welcome a new Purity-free era at the Embassy.
Sentiments expressed after the prank indicate that Purity needs to go because Kenyans do not want her in Stockholm. We hope that the struggle against Purity will continue and that one day, the Purity menace will be history in Kenya-Stockholm.
Kenya Times had their own prank – that Kofi Annan was returning to Kenya to sort out the Cabinet stalemate between ODM and PNU! KSB was just on time!
Okoth Osewe
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