Job Opening In Stockholm
Translator with knowledge in English, Swedish and Swahili languages is wanted by a Swedish agency. The applicant should have good command of the languages in both the written and spoken forms. The translator should be able to write transcripts in Swedish after making translations from vocal communications in Swahili or English. The position is to be filled immediately. Further information: Mr. Osore Ondusye on Telephone: 0766482209.
Okoth Osewe
New Video From Kenya-Stockholm Rapper J-Jay & Vibetricks
Kenyan Rap artist J-Jay is emerging as a prolific, serious and leading rapper in the competitive music industry. Barely a month after releasing a his first video, he has now teamed up with a new group “Vibetricks” and hit the market with a new sensation – “How We Roll” which was released yesterday. KSB has had contacts with JJ and is now planning an interview with the young Kenyan Rapper who is slowly catching the attention of music lovers looking for something new. It looks like we will be seeing much of J-Jey in the near future and what else can we say a part from wish the young and ambitious Kenyan rapper good luck and success. Relax and enjoy his new creation.
Okoth Osewe
“Bye-Bye Purity Muhindi” Until We Meet Again
When I laid dowm my “AK47″ following fire at Ambassador Purity, I was at the point where she
Ambassador Purity Muhindi: To Go?
had abolished the new culture of an “all night Jamhuri bash” her predecessor, Ambassador Mukiri Kinyanjui, had introduced in Kenya-Stockholm. At first, Kinyanjui was demonized by a cross section of Kenyans because he was a “KANU Ambassador”, having been appointed by Moi. But later, Kinyanjui’s “smooth operator” streak placated fire-breathing opponents who had called for his recall on grounds that the Narc government needed a “Narc Ambassador” at the all strategic Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm.
Just like Barack Obama, history was on Kimyanjui’s side because a dictator had just been routed from power through a popular political wave and when Kinyanjui arrived in Stockholm to take over from Ambassador Michael Sergon who had beenrelocated to Israel, the general mood in Kenya-Stockholm was dominated by a feeling that “Kinyanjui be given a chance” so that Kenyans here could follow his performance because although he was appointed by Moi, he was serving under a new government that had came to power under new circumstances.
What Kinyanjui did is that he assumed a simple mien that tended to sooth opponents while at the same time, he became too open with Kenyans who were used to Ambassadors who sat more on the ivory tower than acculturate with a critical mass of Kenyans more accustomed to a distant Embassy than an invitative-taking Ambassador.
Combined with the advantage of Narc having come to power thereby melting the anti-Kinyanjui mood whose breath was being drawn from his perceived KANU background, Kinyanjui began to use his position to meet certain basic expectations of Kenyans even in situations which appeared beyond his control.
The “selective invitations” to Jamhuri was a challenge but he beat it up by opening the show to every Kenyan. He then proceeded to introduce the “all-night” Jamhuri bashes and to ensure that he didn’t get caught up in the mess that often comes with Kenyans when they have been taking one too many, he sent his foot soldiers to represent him. For Kenyans, his absence at Jamhuri bashes was compensated by the free vinywaji he provided, something Kenyans were not used to.
At times, he appeared at Kenyan parties at Norsborg and mingled before he left, just on time before walevi could pop up with silly questions. When there was a special Kenyan event, he made sure he appeared. This was the case with the Clay wedding and the Mbugua wedding. He followed into Sergon’s foot-steps who attended the Mberi wedding, the first public wedding in Kenya-Stockholm which opened the way to other weddings – kudos to the Mberis!
Kinyanjui is the kind of dude you could invite at your house because he was very approachable. When the so called Kenyan dignitaries came to Stockholm during those occasions when they wasted tax payer’s money, Kinyanjui would make sure that he tipped the Kenya-Stockholm radicals led by Mr. Martin Ngatia “GG” kusomea the madosis kama umbwa. One of those critical moments when Minister Katuku alikua akisomewa was captured on video and later posted at Youtube – thanks to Kinyanjui. In fact, you could meet Kinyanjui at the gates of System (liquor store) and he would proceed to invite you at his place if you had time.
When Chelimo and company came to Stockholm about two months after Narc came to power, Kinyanjui sent a message to Kenyans through the SMS Network to come to his residence and meet them. Then, Mirugi Kariuki and company came to Stockholm and they were pushed into a corner by Kinyanjui who exposed them to Wakenya. I don’t have to mention the East African delegation whom we met at Scandic Hotel to challenge them about the validity of privatizing Kenyan Railways. Years later, Kenyans who challenged them have been vindicated because the privatization venture has failed! (see KSB Youtube videos)
THE REAL PURITY
When a group of Kenyans formed a Committee and requested to meet Kinyanjui at the Embassy to discuss logistics for Jamhuri, they got more than they had bargained for. Kinyanjui ushered them into his inner office (leave alone the board room) where he usally met dignitaries. There is a special chair in that office which is difficult to miss – the chair of the mdosi. Interestingly, Kinyanjui invited a member of the Committee to sit on the chair and you could have been there to giggle on the surprise that covered his face. If you want to get the details of what happened, ask Moses Trubadur who was also at the meeting. I am not holding brief for Kinyanjui here. The point is that the catastrophic failure of Purity Muhindi in her dealings with Kenyans is that she didn’t get it from the word go.
The problem with Purity is that she thought that since she is the Ambassador, Kenyans should automatically respect and adore her like the Queen of Wakenya In Stocky. This is not the way things work in Stockholm. There is the adage that “no one pays my bills and I exists without you so?”, who is Purity?
In Kenya, people fall for positions because they are broke or because they are expecting favours aka kitu kidogo – not in Stockholm. Kenyans could be cleaning wazee, hotels, MacD or washing plates, doing reklam or what they need to do to survive but at the end of the day, they drive their Benzes, BMWs, Pajeros and go on holiday in Italy, Bulgeria, Bahamas and so fourth so they don’t need Purity economically speaking.
In fact, when they go to Kenya, they are treated like Kings and Queens because they land when they are loaded with cash. Only a stupid Kenya-Stockholmer will go down there and begin to talk to relatives and other parasites that he/she is broke. I am not encouraging this behavior though. They save for that trip to Kenya and when they return to Stocky, you need to be there to listen to the latest situation back home. The problem is that Kenyans at home also expect to be treated when you have just arrived from chambele so how on earth do you land without kwachas? Who needs Purity and her maringo when every one works out their own ways and means regardless of what Purity is doing at the Embassy?
There is no question that Purity knows how to dress. She has the typical dream figure of millions of Swedish women and at 48, she obviously looks younger than her age – congrants. If you don’t know her, you can be seduced by her jolly smiles, elaborate postures and a stunning ability to listen. When she greets you at those two hour Jamhuri runs, you can be misled when she holds your hand for some time as she smiles at you with her head slightly tilted towards the left. I know her because as a writer, I am also very observant.
Purity definitely knows how to carry herself in public and for a new comer, it could be difficult to understand why this crook of a person called Okoth Osewe keeps attacking her at his stupid blog and at every opportunity. Catch me if you can but Purity deserves no mercy. The truth is that behind the facade of innocent smiles, listening postures, tilted necks and see no evil displays is a ruthless and cunning personality which only Embassy staff members can narrate.
How else do you place the decision by Purity to kidnap an ailing Embassy staff member (Cheruyiot) she has worked with to be deported to Kenya together with his family? When I visited Cheruiyot in hospital after the botched kidnap attempt, I was moved because Cheruiyot was a dying man. His property had been packed in a container and what remained was to kidnap him from hospital with elaborate arrangements having been made including a woman doctor having been flown all the way from Kenya to facilitate the kidnap operation after doctors said that they could not release the patient if he wouldn’t be accompanied by a doctor to Kenya.
Of cause, one could be tempted to think that I am just exaggerating the situation because I am propagandistic. But. How do you view the case of Njenga who was sacked by Purity, denied his salary, forced to take coffee breaks in a garage and, worst of all, forced to carry his own shit in a jwala because he was unfit to shit in Purity’s toilet, the same toilet he used to download his waste products when Kinyanjui (who hired him) was in charge? That is the real Purity, in sharp contrast to the Purity smiling at Jamhuri. Is there any Kenyan who will shade tears if Purity is recalled? If you ask me, I would say bye bye Purity and sing “God be with you until we meet again”. Purity “Sunset-Blues” to be continued.
Okoth Osewe
Further Challenge To Muthaura On Hand-Outs
Ambassador Muthaura has no Parliamentary Authority or powers to give Pauline Musyoka Ksh 400,000 per month (4.8 million per year) for her charities. Kenya’s Controller and Auditor General must exercise her constitutional powers to disallow the Muthaura gift and put an end to political patronage.
Illegal Charity:
A debate rages on in the Kenyan press with split opinion about whether Pauline Musyoka, wife of Kenya’s Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, should have kept the Ksh 400,000 a month she was “offered” by the Head of the Public Service, Ambassador Muthaura as compensation for “wise counsel and guidance which contribute to the public good in the course of nation building activities, besides playing hostess during national and other official public engagements.”
Mrs. Musyoka has said she will after all accept the offer but give it away to several charities, unlike Mrs. Ida Odinga who sensibly refused a similar offer last week.
The problem Mrs. Musyoka will have, going forward, is that Ambassador Muthaura’s “offer” is, ipso facto, illegal and unconstitutional regardless of her charitable intentions. This illegality will remain unless and until a supplementary revised national budget is approved by Parliament. It is doubtful that Parliament would approve such expenditure if it was asked. This exposes her to surcharge and other embarrassment if the Controller and Auditor General reports adversely.
Patronage system:
Ambassador Muthaura’s gift unwittingly exposes a practice in Government of discretionary and arbitrary spending on the personal comfort of the families of high-ranking officials. Under Kenyan law, Mrs. Musyoka is not actually entitled to public funds as the Vice President’s wife per se. To complicate matters further, apparently Mrs. Musyoka already has a job at the Central Bank of Kenya.
Mrs. Musyoka is certainly not the only current beneficiary of such relational largesse. What is different this time around is purely a question of bad timing. If Kenyan taxpayers were not already so overburdened by the economic hardships resulting from the political crisis following the 2007 elections, the debate might have been far more muted as was the case last year when Ambassador Muthaura announced a pre-election gift of Ksh 500,000 per month to President Kibaki’s wife, Lucy Kibaki.
However, and unfortunately for Ambassador Muthaura, the implicit corruption in such glaring bureaucratic manipulations of public spending choices is clear. Over time, Kenya has developed a patronage system which transfers money from ordinary taxpayers to high income individuals ostensibly so that they can act as intermediaries in assisting the poor. The patronage gravy train culture is well engrained amongst Kenyan officialdom. The logic of spousal allowances of the type offered to Mrs. Musyoka is after all really no different from the argument Kenyan parliamentarians advanced last year when they voted themselves “severance pay” from public coffers. The worry is that the political patronage system has run wild – whether it can be stopped before the bank is completely bust is the only question yet to be answered.
Legal Position: Ambassador Muthaura is subject to the Law
No matter the justification (charitable purposes included) Kenyan law requires all Government of Kenya expenditure to be authorized by Parliament and to be specified in the National Budget. Mrs. Musyoka’s charity is not so authorized or specified – and certainly is not exempt from the legal strictures. Ambassador Muthaura presumably knows all this but for whatever reason has decided to quietly ride out the storm rather then correct a most obvious error of judgement of public opinion.
Legally, Ambassador Muthaura is skating on thin ice. It would not be going too far to say that in fact Ambassador Muthaura’s actions are illegal, unconstitutional and punishable by Kenyan laws. The Constitution is clear – Ambassador Muthaura the highest ranked civil servant is under a duty to ensure that he does not assume powers which are reserved to Parliament by rewriting the National Budget to insert unapproved expenditure into Government operations. If Parliament last June had wanted to give Mrs. Musyoka an allowance it would surely have done so. As far as the Government Financial Management Act of 2004 goes, Mr. Muthaura may find himself personally liable for any losses occasioned by his recent gift-giving.
Scrutiny of the entire 1517 pages of 2008/2009 Estimates of Recurrent Expenditure of the Government of Kenya for the Year ending 20th June 2009, and specifically the details of personal emoluments and other allowances, will not reveal any budget line item for allowances to the Vice President’s wife for any purpose. When the budget was tabled on June 12th 2008, the Minister of Finance did not ask Parliament for authority to withdraw from the Consolidated Fund an allowance for the spouse of the Vice President. If no parliamentary approval was sought, and no parliamentary approval was given, then many argue that it surely follows the pay offer by Mr. Muthaura is extra budgetary and illegal.
The Acting Minister of Finance, John Michuki, says he is unaware of how these payments are to be made. Given that Section 6(1) of the Government Financial Management Act 2004 says “no expenditure involving a charge on the Consolidated Fund shall be incurred without the general or specific Authority of the treasury” on what authority or with whose permission is Ambassador Muthaura directing these payments should be made? Few will argue that Kenyans are not entitled to an answer to this question; after all it is their tax money which is being used.
Whether he likes it or not Ambassador Muthaura is subject to Kenyan law. He is an accounting officer and therefore responsible to the Treasury to ensure that no expenditure is made unless it is “lawful, authorized, effective, efficient, economical and transparent.” So says Section 18 of the Government Financial Management Act.
Under the law, Ambassador Muthaura bears personal responsibility (or liability) for public funds misallocated under his charge. Section 33 of the Government Financial Management Act says that Government officers (which applies to Ambassador Muthaura) are “personally liable to the Government for any losses or damages occasioned” by their handling of public money.
Unless some assurance has been given that no consequences shall ensue, Ambassador Muthaura should pause and reconsider his decisions. The fact is that for what he has done, each year public officers are named and shamed by the Controller and Auditor General’s reports on the accounts of Government. Every year, some offending officers are surcharged for losses, disciplined and occasionally prosecuted. However, no-one of his rank has fallen foul of the law, yet.
Advice for Kalonzo Musyoka:
For the Vice President this affair has its own perils. The Vice President is a man of the law who campaigned for the Presidency as ‘Mr. Clean’. It is politically bad judgement on his part not to understand that the way this affair is going, he looks like the beneficiary of the Muthaura offer.
The wags would say to him: ‘Yes, indeed Pauline will give away the money to charity, but whose political career benefits out of her charitable work? And what about her reputed job at the Central Bank?’
Friends would say more to him: ‘You are already extremely well taken care off – remember many don’t even want you to live in the new Karen mansion that is being built for you at great public expense. You don’t want to look as if you are taking advantage of your position in this time of economic hardship – the charity should be done by the Government not you.’
A reading of the National Budget (as contained in the 2008/2009 Estimates of Recurrent Expenditure of the Government of Kenya for the Year ending 20th June 2009) reveals the extent of the taxpayers’ investment in the personal comfort of the Vice-President and his household. Objective persons might conclude that it appears that the Kalonzo Musyoka household is more than adequately provided for by the taxpayers of Kenya – perhaps even more than generously.
What does the Vice President get?
The total cost of the Vice-President’s household and the press service which follows him at home and abroad is Ksh 230.7 million this year. The VP’s house allowance of Ksh 2.4 million (Ksh 200,000 per month). You will find this expenditure at page 234 of the 2008/2009 Estimates of Recurrent Expenditure of the Government of Kenya for the Year ending 20th June 2009. Look for Vote R05 Office of the Vice President and Ministry of Home Affairs, under vote head No. 240 – Vice President Press unit and Household Services.
The Vice President’s household has an annual budget of Ksh 4.3 million for hospitality – about Ksh 358,000 per month. Just over Ksh 30 million is budgeted for rent under the VP’s Household budget line. The household can consume Ksh 14 million per year on fuel and stay within budget, while also spending Ksh 11 million on routine maintenance of vehicles, and a further Ksh 6.5 million on maintenance of other assets in the households. This year, over Ksh 75 million has been allocated to the VP’s household for domestic and foreign travel. Last year the Vice President’s official household comprised of 57 staff and there were 12 cars.
Clearly, the elevated political status of the Kalonzo Musyoka family is already well taken care of. Taking any more from poor Kenyans appears churlish and inconsiderate.
To those responsible for correcting the situation:
When all is said and done, certain institutions should have stepped in for Kenyans. The Controller and Auditor General being just one of them. Perhaps the Controller and Auditor General might exercise her constitutional powers under section 100 of the Constitution to disallow the Muthaura gift, and put an end to the patronage he is dispensing.
Certainly, Parliament must put its foot down and stop Ambassador Muthaura from running amok with public funds. They should remind him that it is illegal to do what he has done, and punish him if he is recalcitrant. Parliament should also urgently review the proposed expenditure on the households and personal comfort (e.g. limousines) of the top national leadership. Where waste can be trimmed the savings could be directed to development expenditure for the real benefit of the public.
One also expects Kenya’s voluble civil society to join the debate, but sadly only Bunge La Mwananchi stands out in keeping the flame of accountability alive on this issue. Better funded and organized groups are silent on this important but seemingly sensitive issue. We have in mind for example the newly formed National Taxpayers’ Association which needs to urgently start speaking out on the misuse of our funds for political patronage.
Mwalimu Mati
Mars Group Kenya
Is It Time For “Sun-Set Blues” For Ambassador Purity?
I am back after a week end break and Purity is on the spotlight. A shake up of members of the
Kenya diplomatic community is now inevitable and in Kenya-Stockholm, the question that has been hanging in the air is whether Lady Ambassador Purity Muhindi will survive the purge when the final list is released by the Grand Coalition government any time from now.
Purity’s luck depends on the political Party that will have the opportunity of filling the slot at the Kenyan Embassy in stockholm. There has been a quiet but active tug of war between ODM and PNU on Ambassadorial appointments especially in key countries like the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, France, South Africa, China and Scandinavia. Both President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga would like to share appointments on these “strategic countries” because of political advantages.
Purity’s posting to Stockholm was allegedly influenced by the First Lady, Lucy Kibaki and one thing that is certain is that if the responsibility of appointing the Embassy boss in Stockholm falls on ODM, Purity will be the first to go even though she has been at the Embassy for only two years.
The same case applies to the United States where analysts believe that Ambassador Rateng Oginga Ogego will have to give room in case ODM calls the shots in the US because the Ambassador has been at loggerheads with both ODM and US Presidential candidate Barrack Obama.
The possible departure of Purity from Stockholm is unlikely to create anxiety among Kenya-Stockholmers (save for a few sychophants) because of the insignificant role the Lady Ambassador has been playing in the lives of Kenyans here. More often than not, the Ambassador has been steeped in controversy and scandal throughout her brief stint at the Embassy, scandals that, to KSB, makes her “the worst Ambassador Kenyans have had” at the Embassy since the days of the reclusive Ambassador Salim.
After her arrival in Stockholm on Monday October 9th 2006, Purity soon found herself facing a crisis over land that had been grabbed at her residence in Nacka and transferred to a Swedish neighbor, a transaction that the neighbor claimed, cost him Ksh 2 million. When ODM began a campaign for the recovery of the land, Purity called Swedish police to chase away a group of ODM members who went to the residence to verify the extent of the land theft as the campaign also gathered steam.
The police did not think that the Kenyans were committing any crime or violating any law and later left. As the campaign reached a climax, the land was quietly returned and the fence that had been tampered with was restored as ODM Scandinavia members blew Champaign to congratulate themselves for work well done.
The land grabbing drama was playing itself against a background of authoritarianism on the part of Purity at the Embassy and strong arm-tactics that saw the Lady Ambassador fire Mr. Paul Njenga, a gardener at the residence, to give room for a Swedish company that Purity thought, could do the job better. Through this action, Purity simply rendered a Kenyan jobless at a time when the Narc government was supposed to be creating half a million jobs per year to put the country’s 11 million plus unemployed youth to work.
PURITY AVOIDED FUNCTIONS ORGANIZED BY KENYANS
While the abrupt sacking of Njenga may have been a side-show, it is the inhumane treatment of Njenga as he went about his work that drew outrage among Kenyans in Stockholm. Njenga was denied the use of kitchen facilities by Purity, a luxury he enjoyed during the days of Ambassador Mukiri Kinyanjui who appointed him, while he was also denied toilet facilities at the residence once Purity moved in.
The consequence was that Njenga had to take his coffee breaks inside Purity’s dusty garage while he also faced the indignity of carrying his waste in a polythene bag which he personally dumped together with taka taka after work. When KSB arrived at the residence to verify Njenga’s accusations, evidence about his mistreatment existed at the compound. The whole of his coffee paraphernalia was still kept at a corner in the garage where purity’s white Mercedez Benz spent the night. Many Kenyans were shocked.
Purity arrived in Stockholm at a time when Kenyans were still in mourning because Mr. James Kiboi had just passed away. What was disturbing about Kiboi’s death in connection with Purity and the sacked Njenga is that the new Ambassador refused to pay Njenga a 10,000 Kr wage for work Njenga performed at the residence of Mr. Kiboi before the diplomat died.
Kiboi passed away on a Sunday while Njenga was supposed to be paid on a Monday. Instead of honoring commitments the Embassy had entered into with Njenga through Kiboi, Purity ganged up with Jenipher Awuor, her Lady Deputy, to defeat Njenga’s attempts to get his money. As Purity probably approaches the sun-set of her career at Kenya Embassy in Stockholm, Njenga is a bitter man who will never forget her.
When Ambassador Kinyanjui arrived at the Embassy, the first thing he did was to eradicate what had became known as “secret invitations” to Jamhuri day celebrations. He did this by making these invitations open to every Kenyan but when Purity arrived in Stockholm, Kenyans will remember the tension that surrounded a two hour Jamhuri bash in town when some Kenyans got invitations while others did not.
Kenyans in Stockholm are very stubborn and some of them have a habit of making small things look big while bigger things could as well be reduced to crap. There was tension when a group of Kenyans vowed to “gate crash” at the function. Although security was tight because the Embassy was taking no chances, there were no major incidents. A gaping hole in the Jamhuri attraction was that Purity eliminated the all-night Jamhuri bash that had been introduced by Ambassador Kinyanjui as she assumed an air of importance that has not been witnessed at the Embassy for quite some time.
Unlike Ambassador Sergon, Kinyanjui’s predecessor, and Kinyanjui himself (who were both very simplistic and down to earth), Purity appeared more elitist, stylish in her orientation, selective with her contacts and non nonchalant especially when it came to attending public functions by Kenyans in Stockholm.
Some Kenyans have theorized that as a woman, she could not afford to be as social as her male counterparts but this view reeks of gender bias. Kenyan women in Stockholm are some of the most social and others are popular for confronting men in public with controversial issues so being a woman should be no excuse for Purity’s apparent habit of keeping away from her people.
As she prepares to quit, she goes down as the Ambassador who never attended a single Kenyan Party, Nyama Choma or harambee, functions which are routine among Kenyans and which Embassy officials were attending before Purity’s arrival. KSB spies however saw her at a Ugandan Party in Kista while she was also spotted shaking her beef on the dance floor at a Sudanese diplomatic Party. When a KSB spy tried to speak Swahili with her at the Ugandan Independence Party, she refused and stuck to English. The story continues in our next installment.
Okoth Osewe
Grand Opening Of African Disco At Sätra
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MEMORIAL: JAMES NDILAI KIBOI NYASAI: 1963-2006
It’s yet another year since you departed from us beloved James. What can we say; we have
The late James Kiboi
We imagine how you look right now, where you are? Tanya is now 13 and Josh is 9. Tanya wished you were present to witness her becoming a teenager. Josh continues to wish you are around for his school activities. ‘For me Catherine, words fail to express how I miss you and long for the bond we shared. Sometimes I think you will ring the door bell and just say ‘namna gani’? Major and mum are doing great, though major is quite old now. Your siblings are keeping on well. Robert got married. Your family,friends/colleagues have such fond memories of you.
No one has gone and come back; to narrate what life is like on the other side. We believe it’s a perfect world and nobody wants to come back. It is a mystery that will only unfold when we cross over. We write this hoping you can hear or read. Sometimes we feel like you smile back at us and cry when we do.
Indeed God has been close to us than ever before. His faithfulness is unspeakable, his love abundant, his peace beyond comprehension, his grace ceaseless.
‘We Thank God, for his awesome presence’. We thank all that have continued to love and support us. God bless the Government of Kenya for continuous support and help, to Swedish Government, for endless assistance. The love and care from both the church in Nairobi and Stockholm has been immense, we appreciate.
(The late James’s parents are visiting Sweden at this time. There will be brief family prayers in Stockholm, at Immanuel International Church (Kungstensgatan 17, at the Tulesalen); on Saturday 6th September 2008 at 5.30pm (All are welcome).
James we miss you, we love you. We wish you could surprise us….?
Mrs Catherine Kiboi and the Entire Family
Ida’s Rebuttal Of Muthaura’s Offer And Hypocrisy Of Kenyan MPs
When Francis Muthaura, Head of Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet, offered a monthly
Ida and Raila At A Campaign Rally
allowance of Ksh 400,000 to the wives of Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, Ida took her time to respond because she had not yet received official notification from Muthaura.
When she did early this week, she rejected the offer although she appreciated Muthaura’s understanding of the cumbrous responsibility she carries along by dint of being the Prime Minister’s consort.
When Bonny Khalwale, the Ikolomani MP, finished digesting Ida’s pleasant rebuttal of Muthaura precipitant overture, the reigning Ikolomani Chieftain rushed to the media with alacrity to praise Ida for her “commendable” decision to snub Muthaura. But Khalwele did not stop there. He urged Mrs Pauline Kalonzo, VPs wife, to follow in Ida’s footsteps and reject the offer.
Probably, my constipation triggered by Khalwele’s outburst could not have advanced into a pain in the azz had Charles Kilonzo, MP for Yatta and Kiema Kilonzo, MP for Mutito, not joined in the chorus with even new compositions – that the Ksh 400,000 allowances “were a waste of money”.
Kenyan MPs are the last crooks who should be delivering public lectures on allowances which amount to wastage of public funds. This is because by virtue of their million shilling salaries and huge allowances they awarded themselves in January 2003, Kenyan MPs are the biggest robbers of the Kenyan Tax payer.
Once the MPs of the 9th Parliament were sworn in on 9th January 2003, their first task was to embark on the amendment of the National Assembly Remuneration Act No 9 of 1975 in order to increase their salaries and emoluments to sickening levels.
When they entered Parliament, MPs salaries stood at Ksh 395,000. After the amendments, the new salary was Ksh 495,000. They voted for a housing allowance of Ksh 70,000 on top of Ksh 8 million which every MP is entitled to for house purchase. The amendment also went with a car grant of Ksh 3.3 million and a monthly car allowance of Ksh 75,000 (Ksh 900 per year). After every year, the MPs proposed a winding up allowance of Ksh 300,000 which totals to Ksh 1.5 million for every MP during a sitting period of five years. Multiply that by 210 MPs and the extent of looting of Tax payer’s money begins to take shape.
As part of the new deal worked out exclusively by the MPs, the Honorables got entitled to Ksh 60,000 entertainment allowance, a monthly “extraneous allowance” of Ksh 30,000, and a sitting allowance of Ksh 3,000 per sitting. The Assembly sits four times a week and so the total amount of weekly sitting allowance stood at Ksh 12,000 ie more than the monthly wage of an ordinary skilled worker in Kenya.
To top it up, the MPs voted for a monthly “Constituency allowance” of Ksh 1.6 million per month (Ksh 20 million per year) managed by a Committee hand-picked by the MP from the assembly of sycophants they run in the village. The increments converted Kenyan MPs to some of the best paid in the world but for the MPs, this was acceptable even though the country was staggering under a foreign debt of US$ 7 billion.
The greediness was so aggressive that the MPs got paid for days when they had not even become MPs. They were sworn in on 9th January but according to their recommendations, the new emoluments were back dated to January 1st 2003, time when they were not MPs. This defrauded the Tax man of over Ksh 52 million for the 224 elected MPs, nominated and ex-officio Members of Parliament who were paid 8 days salaries before they took oath of office. Recommendations and amendments went through the four mandatory stages in a record 30 days after which the new President endorsed them on 16th April 2003. The new arrangement caused the National budget to shoot to Ksh 54.1 billion.
Once they entered Parliament this year, the MPs refused to pay taxes even though the Kenyan worker is burdened with a heavy taxation system. Kenyan MPs of the Khalwele type may be thinking that Kenyans forget quickly. They should be the last people seeking cheap publicity with Ida’s welcome rejection of Muthaura’s offer because they are practicing legalized looting of the Kenyan economy.
As Head of Public Service, Muthaura should well have understood the incongruent nature of his bizarre offer to the two women, given that their husbands are millionaires who should be in a position of taking care of their women’s financial needs regardless of whether the undertakiungs are government or private. Who told him that Raila is broke?
In any case, who gave Muthaura powers to single handedly decide the amount of money PM and VPs wives should be entitled to since Kenya is not Muthaura’s family empire? In case he used any law, such laws should be changed immediately because the fate of Tax Payer’s money of the magnitude Muthaura talked about should not, under any circumstance, be decided on by one man sitting in an office under any capacity.
Okoth Osewe
Big Attendence At Oduya Pre-Wedding Party
Last Saturday, there were three major events in Stockholm. The Kenya Support Network in Sweden was having a members’ meeting, Christine Gikandi was having a baby shower while both Wyckliffe Oduya and Charlotte were having their Pre-wedding Party.
While all three events were reportedly well attended, it was at the Pre-wedding Party where the earth appeared to have been moving. A disco dance continued throughout the night as DJ Jimmy constantly called the crowd to attention. The hall was jammed with humanity seeking to loosen up on the floor as bodies shook and bosoms swung in moments of raha.
Something unique with the Party was that there was plenty of rare faces on the Kenya-Stockholm scene. It was like the dressing code had deliberately been set to “High standards” because 90% of the party lovers who were dressed to deliberately make a point about personal or individual style.
If you were looking for ma-vitenge, then there were plenty of samples and one wonders why nobody has ever thought of organizing a Kenya-Stockholm fashion show because there was no telling as to who could have scooped the ultimate prize. Everything was available – from “open-chested” kind of creations, mgongo wazi (open backs) to tight slim-fits and multi-coloured “baggy designs” of different sizes. The variety of textiles was only paralleled by the uniqueness of hair styles which sent different signals about different personalities.
Men were never left behind with coats and ties which could remind a Kenyan observer of dres
sing codes in Kenya especially when it’s an occasion of the Pre-wedding type. Others left their traditional suites and opted for African dresses that blended well with the occasion.
However, there were some “I don’t care” men who had taka taka kind of attires which could annoy an organizer looking for a touch of class to go with the occasion that was on display.
The good thing is that nobody seemed to care about the Myrona-like clothes some men had on them and this was good because it reduced tension. It was obvious that the women beat the men in fashion and I doubt whether DJ Jimmy had any complaints this time round. There was no comparison especially if you scanned down the legs to spy on the pair of shoes that revelers had picked on.
Albert Taabu, Ngugi, Bryan et al opened the event with African drums and this tended to break the monotony of disco music. It was a welcome break and the organizers led by Mr. Joshua Oyugi, Professor Obondo, Dr. Margarette Oduya, Mrs Owili and Oyuga Odada must have worked really hard to help pull the party. The soon to be “Mr and Mrs” appeared very relaxed.
One positive thing is that although music continued deep into the night, there were no ugly incidents which have seen Wakenya chased from Norsborg Musikhuset, Alby and other joints. These days, Wakenya can only party at Red Line Disco in Sätra where security is maximum and anybody who brings nyoko nyoko is immediately strangulated by the hawk-eyed and well built askaris always ready to break a neck if necessary to keep the peace.
The last time Kenyans heard about a public pre-wedding party was in 2005 when Clay and Lizz w
ere preparing for their wedding. In August the same year, Clay did organize a wedding which was thronged by Kenyans and friends alike.
After the Oduya pre-wedding, the next stop is the real thing and I am sure Wakenya will be on the look out. Not many Kenyans opt for public weddings and this is why it was encouraging to note that many Kenyans and friends had left their stuff for the week end to support the young Oduya and Charlotte as they seek to enter into the Kingdom of marriage.
We take this opportunity to congratulate the couple for making that significant move while at the same time saying kudos to the Committee which has been working extra hard to ensure that everything went as had been planned.
Okoth Osewe
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