Breaking News: Wamburi Resigns From Narc-KS
Mr. Kenneth Wamburi Munge, the Secretary of Narc-Kenya Scandinavia, has resigned from his post with immediate effect. Mr. Wamburi, who has just returned from Kenya, told KSB that his resignation is linked to unacceptable behavior by a top Party official although he refused to go into details. He said that he will release a comprehensive statement clarifying his position.
Okoth Osewe
Wife Beating: How The Guy Landed In Custody
At first, it looked just like another wife beating episode in Kenya-Stockholm but by the time investigations came to an end yesterday evening, the involvement of external forces in the saga was not just amazing but also awesome. It was one of the longest investigations KSB has conducted in recent times because the case “was of immense national importance”, given that a top Kenya-Stockholm politician was involved.
As usual, the rumours have been doing the rounds after police were called to take in yet another Kenyan into custody for wife beating. Late last year, a blogger was taken in. There are Kenyans who were very saddened by the story while there is another lot which was deeply in celebration, not because the woman had been clobbered but because of the implications of a man they love to hate beating his woman and then landing in custody.
What emerges smells like a normal domestic quarrel that got sour. However, behind the unwelcome exchanges that led to combat was a posting at a Kenyan blog, two Kenyan men working in the background, two Kenyan women fuelling the fire from afar and a Network of men and women in Norsborg who have been fighting tooth and nail for the man’s downfall even before the establishment of the Bagarmossen Church or the arrival of Ambassador Purity Muhindi in Stockholm.
According to investigations, there are two Kenyan males who have been seeking to get even with the man, apparently because of a political fall-out in a Kenyan political Party. They accuse the man of having taken over the Party and converting it into a personal property. In Kenya, the man blocked them from taking contact with top politicians of the mother Party and this did not go down well with them. They vowed to take revenge.
Since the man (who is the Chairman of the Party) brought his woman to Stockholm together with his kids, two Party members are said to have been pumping the Chairman’s woman with a lot of negative propaganda mixed with advice on how the woman should carry herself in Sweden, given that she had just arrived here.
She has allegedly been taught everything, ranging from freedom of women, gender balance in Sweden, how men should wash plates and cook ugali in the kitchen as the woman watches TV news, changing diapers ki-mwanaume, how to use the word “shut up”, kupiga dasta male-style to men going shopping with kikapu and staying home with the kids when the woman goes to the disco under the clause of “equality of the sexes”.
When word reached the Chairman through resident spies, he is reported not to have been thrilled. He is said to have confronted the two men head-on to give them a lecture on why they should leave his family alone and concentrate on their own affairs but the men refused to listen. The more they were told to leave the family alone, the more they pumped the woman with more propaganda, sometimes, giving her overdose.
At one point, an agent reported that the men began to pump the woman with tales as to why the man is not fit to be her hubby. A spiced version of the Chairman’s personal history in Stockholm was allegedly opened to the woman with tales to the effect that the man had been a womanizer just before the woman arrived in Stockholm. As the woman began to listen to these men, crisis also began to brew in the home and at some stages, an agent said that the man lost his temper and guzad the woman a bit.
Jilted Women and a Network of Enemies in Norsborg
These occasional makofi later reached the two men via different Kenya-Stockholm radio channels. The men then gave further advice on how the woman could deal with the situation. It is at this point that she was also supplied with a lot of emergency numbers and women’s organizations which could help her in times of crisis. The cycle featuring the two men in the midst of the crisis went on for a long time, reaching a climax when the woman was clobbered and she had to call police.
As the situation grew from bad to worse, there are two women who had been distributing the goods before they were dumped to pave way for the woman’s arrival. When the wife landed, these women also went to work thereby worsening an already bad situation. According to reports, underground activities by these women were pure “revenge” because they were reportedly dumped hastily and without the benefit of a parachute for safe landing.
For example, one women made it a habit of calling the guy’s woman and telling her all about what they did with the man. She allegedly told her that all was not over and that whenever the man came late in the house, its her who had been working on him.
Apparently, spies also reported that the two women who had been ditched had connections with the Guy’s two political enemies who were also creating trouble and the main activity these men and women got involved in is “sharing of intelligence”. It went something like this.
On any occasion when the two men realized that the woman had had a tiff with the man (she had their hot lines), they would update the two women who would, in turn, take contact with the man’s woman kumsomea to the effect that the relationship will never work.
While the men had political scores to settle with the man, the women had unfinished romantic businesses to sort out and the mix-up produced a perfect and poisonous concoction that is believed to have poisoned the relationship.
One of the women is reported to have written a letter to the man’s boss with lots of accusations so that the man could lose his job but the strategy never worked because the boss refused to swallow the bait.
Apart from the already mentioned enemies, there was a third group of Kenyans in Stockholm who were more or less working for the man’s downfall but from the background. This is a Network of men and women in Norsborg who do not see eye to eye with the man.
Recently, the man organized a function for his youngest daughter which was well attended. However, the Network of enemies boycotted the function and instead, put up a Party the same day the man was organizing his stuff. Members of this Network, led by a Kenyan woman only known as Lady Boss, hate the man to death.
Confrontation
Another member of the Network, known as Cathodrey is said to have vowed to do anything within her powers to ensure that she kills any progress the man tries to make on anything. Then, there is a third ring leader of the group christened Mrs Mandela.
She hates the man like leprosy because she accuses him of having good contacts with her enemies who are responsible for spreading malicious tales about her.
The list is endless but this Network is said to have been providing every little intelligence that could be used to destabilize the man’s marriage and at every opportunity. What has not been understood is why the woman continued to listen to her husband’s enemies because it looks like external forces played a pivotal role in the final show-down that eventually led to punches that landed the guy into custody.
The big event was however triggered by a blogger in a way that readers may never understand. According to details, the blogger published an old picture of the man holding two cuties at a private Party.
A Kenyan woman, who had been pushing with the guy, is then said to have alerted the Chairman’s wife about the picture after which she rushed to the Internet to have a look. It was after she spied on the picture that things are said to have gotten hot.
An argument began about the picture with the Chairman dismissing it as an old picture which had no significance since it was taken more than two years ago. At first, the woman appeared to believe but when the man’s ex called to monitor how the situation was developing, the ex told the woman that the photo was actually taken last summer, time when the woman was already in Sweden.
A new confrontation then ensued and it is this last exchange that ended with the guy taking the law unto his own hands and hitting the woman before she called police who took the man into custody.
Once the guy’s enemies understood what had happened, they immediately saturated Kenya-Stockholm with news about the latest development. A section of enemy forces is reported to have detoured to Vasa to celebrate. They hoped that the guy would never find his way back to the house again. It is during this period that the story was doing the rounds that KSB spies got wind of it and broke the news. The man is now out of police custody. KSB is monitoring the situation.
Okoth Osewe
Saga On Mwangura’s Case Continues
I beg to let you know that i attended Mombasa law courts on 12th January,2009 for mentioning of my case but,strangely i was told that my case was mentioned on 9th January and a warrant of arrest was issued by the court because i was not in attendance.
Mr. Andrew Mwangura
My attorney stood up strong and asked the magistrate to lift the warrant of arrest for,my case was mentioned on a wrong date.
Therefore,the matter has been fixed for hearing on 4th February 2009.
This malpractice reminds me of days during ignoble regimes of President Moi and President Kenyatta.
Am pleased to state herein that, early this month Somali pirates released multiple vessels in a short period after receiving ransom payments.
Past reporting suggests efforts to hijack additional vessels increase as previously hijacked vessels are released.Past reporting also suggests efforts to hijack vessels increase as wind speeds decrease.
Pirates appear to be most active and successful when average wind speeds are between 0 to 10 knots.Activity is also reported when winds are between 10 to 15 knots but pirates appear to be less successful under these conditions.
Little to no incidents are reported when winds average between 15 to 20+ knots.
This time of year, when prevailing monsoon winds are out of the Northeast, wind speeds are lower and more conducive to piracy operations closer to the Yemeni coast and less favorable in the central Gulf of Aden.
The recent spate of releases brings the number of vessels held in Somalia down to 11 from 15 at the start of the year.The number of seafarers taken hostage has been cut to around 201, a reduction of getting on for a third since the beginning of this year.
Most of released vessels have been under negotiations for around six weeks on average, which is the period of time it takes for negotiations to be completed.
Saga Continues……
Andrew Mwangura
Open Letter To Mrs X: “I Love Your Husband”
Dear Mrs X, I have a confession for you. I love your husband. I know this is the wrong time but I cannot hide it in me anymore. When I met you, you went on and on about how your husband was not man enough for you. Though you admitted that he provides for you and your kids very well…you still went on to say that you wish you could turn back the hands of time and he would feature nowhere in your life. I pitied you-coz I had always perceived you as a woman of style. It did not hit me for one minute that with your designer clothes and shoes, you would be unhappy. I looked at you and agreed with my moms saying that money, after all, cannot buy happiness.
I had so much pity for you until I met your husband. When he first walked in the club where I was having drinks with my gals….I thought to myself. “That’s a stylish guy”. Soon rumours were going round the table…somebody said eti that was your husband. I denied passionately saying that the man you had described to me could not be him. I mean, you said he was useless – the dude in the club did not look an inch useless.
After some research, I found out that he was your husband. Coincidentally on a rainy Friday jioni he gave me a lift home. Chit chat here and there and I confirmed that this was definitely not a useless man. He dropped me home and told me he was going for a drink. I offered to join him anyway. My friendship with your husband went on for a long time. He is a nice warm guy. He is the exact opposite of the man you described to me.
During one weekend, he confided in me that he wanted to take you away from the hustles and bustles of the city. He even cried when he narrated to me how you had first fallen in love and how things were falling apart day by day. He saw this as an opportunity to try and mend things…but what did you do? You told him that your mother was waiting for you upcountry. Of all the things, you failed to mention to your husband whom you live with under the same roof, that you had plans. Once again you broke his heart.
I know this will geek your little heart but I spent the long week-end with your husband. Hey….don’t blame me. He already had reservations and I accompanied him as a friend. Am sorry though: On reaching there, things got terribly out of hand and the obvious happened. It was warm.
I know I love your husband. I know I can give him what you will never give him – love and appreciation. So please let me love him. Am not after his money like you are because am sure if he was a poor guy you would have divorced him. Yesterday he told me that he feels like a teenager again – that feeling of loving and being loved is back. I love being with him. I remember you told me you cannot stand him. Thanks for this piece of information. I love spending my time with him and I will do everything to make sure that you lose him.
Am sorry I had to do this. But I just wanted to let you know that I LOVE YOUR HUSBAND!!
Its me who needs no introduction
“Raila Odinga’s Stolen Presidency” Book Launch On 31st January
The book, “Raila Odinga’s Stolen Presidency: Consequences and The Future of Kenya”, written by Mr. Okoth Osewe will be launched in Stockholm on Saturday January 31st 2009 at Tensta Kultur Kaffe located at Tenstasråket 13 from 15.00 hrs to 17.00 hrs. The venue is within the precincts of Tensta Library while the tube station is Tensta.
The “Raila Odinga Book Launch Committee” invites all Kenyans, friends and well wishers to the event where copies of the book will also be available. Mr. Okoth Osewe will give a presentation of the book, discuss it with the audience and sign autographs at the event. The book is already in circulation locally and Internationally.
After the Stockholm launch, the next task will be to launch the book in Kenya where it is needed more than anywhere else.
The book tackles the bungled December 2007 elections and takes the position that the Electoral Commission of Kenya rigged the Presidential election in favor of Mr. Mwai Kibaki who was later sworn in secretly as President at a hurriedly convened function at State House, Nairobi, opening the way for the post election crisis.
Martin Ngatia
Chairperson
Raila Odinga Book Launch Committee
Bagarmossen Church Not “Closed Down”
The Bagarmossen Church, officially known as “The Outreach Ministries” has not been closed down but just relocated. According to Mr. Githuku wa Muirani, a leading member of the Ministry, they had to relocate because the venue where they had been fellowshipping belonged to the Swedish Church which wanted to use it for other purposes.
“We were given notice more than six months ago and we have been looking for a new place to fellowship”, Mr. Muirani told KSB. He said that their relocation to Kärtorp was temporary, adding that he was confident that God will guide them to get a new venue.
He said that it was important that he clarify the matter after news went out at KSB that the Ministry had been closed down. He regretted the news and assured followers that the Ministry is up and alive. He appealed to Kenyans to join the Church so that they could worship together.
Mr. Muirani also appealed to Kenyans to love one another, to live in peace and to resist temptations. He wished Kenyans a Happy and prosperous New Year.
Okoth Osewe
Albert Taabu Is Back And Says “Thank You Very Much”
Artist Albert Taabu, who lost his Father last year, has thanked all friends and well wishers who came to support him during a moment of tragedy, shock and deep sorrow to the entire family.
In a message sent to KSB, Taabu said: “I would like to say thank you very much to everyone who supported me and who gave strength to my family following the demise of our beloved father”.
“For those who attended the Prayer meeting and those who could not due to circumstances, I know we were together and united by heart during a moment of grief”, he said.
The Kenyan Artist also thanked friends in Denmark, Italy, Greece, United States and Kenya for the one heart of brother and sisterhood the family witnessed during the difficult and trying moment. “Thanks again and may the All-mighty God bless you all”, he said.
KSB takes this opportunity to welcome Taabu back to Stockholm following his trip to Kenya as the family continues to cope with this great loss.
Okoth Osewe
Breaking News: Bagarmossen Church Closed Down
The Baggarmossen Church has been closed down, forcing church members to move to a banker in Kärtorp. Investigations are continuing.
Okoth osewe
Breaking News: Kenyan Taken Into Police Custody
A Kenyan national is currently in police custody after being arrested last night in a case of suspected wife beating. Investigations by KSB agents are continuing.
Okoth Osewe
Barry Barred From Entering Europe With Kenyan Drink
I have some news which I would like to share with my fellow Kenyans. I believe that most people might be aware but still I will just bring it up as I was very pissed off with it! It is not allowed to buy duty free items especially drinks from any African airport except in Europe and the U.S, amazing! I was one of the victims who met this law head on. My ka-bottle was confisicated at schipol airport on my way back from Kenya on the 19 th December 08.
I tried to ask some questions but i got none. Eventually I made an appeal and recieved an e-mail explaining the situation to me. In short, they are not allowing drinks from our
Barry Owino
continent saying that they do not recogonise the seals used at those airports. One friend of mine just managed to make it after going through some kind of check-in check-out procedure at the same airport before me. The point am trying to make is that lets pass over information to each other however small it might be as it will go along way in helping someone who might be in need,
Cheers Barry.
Dear Mister Odawa Owino,
I received your complaint regarding the confiscation of your duty-free articles. I understand that the procedure referred to in your complaint was an unpleasant experience for you.
The legislation and regulations concerning liquids and gels are laid down in European Regulation no. 820/2008 and Sections 37ab, 37b, paragraph 6, 37ac, 37f and 37hb of the Aviation Act. As of 6 November 2006, the European Commission set further restrictions on objects permitted to be carried as hand luggage on flights from member states of the European Community. These new rules are a consequence of the attempted terrorist attacks foiled at Heathrow Airport in 2006.
Liquids can be carried in hand luggage if they comply with the above mentioned rules, some of these rules are:
o You can only take liquids and gels in containers of no more than 100 millilitres on board the aircraft.
o These containers must be carried in transparent plastic bags.
o There is a limit of one transparent plastic bag per person.
o The volume of the transparent plastic bag may not be greater than 1 litre.
o The transparent plastic bag must be re-sealable.
For Duty-free liquid articles some of the rules are:
o The article must be bought at a European Community airport
o The article must be packed in a sealed bag that is both tamper evident and displays satisfactory proof of purchase at that airport. The seal is valid for 36 hours.
You bought the bottle of liquor at the a non-European Community Airport. Because your goods were bought at a non-European Community Airport it does not meet the rules as mentioned in the European regulations. I regret that you were not sufficiently informed at your departing airport and by the duty free shop’s personnel. The confiscation of the goods referred to in your complaint took place in accordance with the legislation and regulations mentioned above. I am sorry to inform you, that as a consequence, your complaint will not be considered any further.
This letter does not pass judgement upon the rightfulness concerning your claim, since this is the responsibility of the airport-operator.
With regard to the processing of your damages claim, your complaint will be forwarded to:
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
P.O. Box 7501
1118 ZG Schiphol
The security organisations are informed regularly about these types of incidents, in order to prevent complaints in the future. For any additional questions or comments, you may contact the complaints department of the Enforcement and Monitoring Division on telephone number +31(0)20-6039457.
<<filing a complaint.pdf>> <<L&G Brochure Engels.pdf>>
Met vriendelijke groet,
Patrick Ju
Klachtenfunctionaris
Afdeling Handhaving & Toezicht
District KMar Schiphol
* P.Ju@mindef.nl
( 020-6039457
Ñ Koninklijke Marechaussee
Postbus 7577
1118 ZH Luchthaven Schiphol
“Musakulu wa Pappa” Speaks On Media Bill
Mzee Gerry Changa Midenyo aka Musakulu wa Pappa, a Kenyan-Stockholm celebrity in his own way, has attacked President Kibaki for signing the controversial Media Bill into law, saying that by doing so, the President has hammered the last nail in the coffin of the Coalition government.
Speaking to KSB on telephone, Gerry said that Kenyans “Should not tolerate nonsense” and urged members of the community to use all available media channels to speak up against the Media bill which, he said, is meant to take Kenya back to the days of Moi dictatorship.
“Attempts to limit media freedom should be opposed because the media has been in the fore-front in informing Kenyans about the ills of the government and if its freedom is limited, the right of Kenyans to know will also be limited”.
He said that many Kenyans in Stockholm have been speaking freely as a result of press freedom in Sweden and added that the risk with the media bill is that the government could find excuse to arrest Kenyans who visit home and say the same things to the Kenyan media.
“The media bill (which has now become an Act) is not just about press freedom. It is also about our children and the future generation whose freedom of expression will be in danger if it is not opposed now”, Mr. Gerry said.
Turning to Kibaki, Mr. Midenyo said that the President must respect Raila Odinga, Musalia Mudavadi, William Ruto and other Coalition partners saying that failure to do so will make life difficult for the Coalition government.
He warned ODM to be careful not to be used by PNU which, he said, is running the government while ODM is playing the role of spectator. He agreed with Kenyans who have said that ODM has no real power in government and advised that what ODM needs to do is to begin preparing for fresh elections.
He warned that the agreement that formed the Coalition government is not another MoU which Kibaki could dump at will because it is based on the National Accord which can lead to the collapse of the government if ODM pulls out.
Turning to wife beaters, Mzee Midenyo said that Kenyan men who beat women are losers and advised that wife beaters should come to him so that he can show them how real men fight. He also advised Kenyans to desist from alcoholism in 2009.
Okoth Osewe
Kenya-Stockholm “Rumor Fever” Over Inebriated Kenyan
The other day, I wrote about an alcoholic Kenyan who called me and began to pester me with “garbage talk”. Little did I know that the story would lead to a barrage of calls from KSB fans, trying to find out the identity of the guy out of curiosity thereby creating an infectious “Rumor fever” in Kenya-Stockholm. The situation is so serious that I have to add something.
The identity of the guy will not be released under any circumstance although the guy wanted his name published. He was under the influence when he bragged that his name could be circulated but the danger of doing so is that he can easily sue KSB and there will be no defence because KSB does not tape callers to use the material as evidence in court.
Kenyans in Stockholm circulating possible names and trying to allege that it was this or that ka guy are doing so at their own risk and KSB will not take any responsibility for any names doing the rounds at the moment. What I can confirm is that the conversation took place and nothing else.
Three names have already been dropped by seven callers seeking a confirmation so that they can continue to spread “hot gossip”. We are in January and Kenyans here need to start the year clean of gossip aimed at character assassination. Just like Kibaki said that the “elections are now behind us” after rigging elections, let us leave gossip “behind us”.
The story was written as a matter of concern and to send signals that the guy needs prayers. KSB does not need to name the guy for him to qualify for prayers. If you want to help, you can pray like “Oh God almighty, help the guy mentioned at KSB in connection with the call to Osewe…” and something like that. Kenyans at Bagarmossen prayed for post election victims without knowing their names and the same case can apply.
Although it reflected the reality, the story was not positive and since KSB is not in the business of maligning Kenyans, I wish to state categorically that the story was published in good faith with the belief that it would lead to assistance. Those who have converted it into hay for Kenya-Stockholm propaganda are doing so at their own risk and KSB will not be responsible for any consequences (real or imagined) that may arise as a result of the rumors.
Okoth Osewe
Crisis In Coalition Government Has No Solution
At the end of March last year, I put up the perspective that the Coalition government will not be able to work on a long term because the Kikuyu ruling class around Kibaki was not ready to share “real power” with ODM.
The “National Accord and Reconciliation Act 2008” had just been signed and the problem of the day was christened “portfolio balancing”. The Cabinet had not been decided upon as both PNU and ODM went back and forth on the issue of Cabinet appointments. I wrote:
Coalition government: Raila has no powers and Kibaki does not listen to him as shown by the signing of the draconian Media Bill by Kibaki
“The inability of the “principals” to set up a Cabinet because of petty disagreements based on the size of the Cabinet and the identity of the Ministries for their Parties should serve as enough evidence that the Coalition will not be able to work in harmony to transform the lives of millions of Kenyans pregnant with expectations of change and transformation once the Coalition gets into business”.
Yesterday, ODM called a meeting “to re-evaluate its position” in the Coalition government following the signing of the Media bill into law by Kibaki without consultations with ODM. As the Media continue to increase pressure against the controversial Bill, ODM is trying to score points and to gain political mileage by moving close to the rightful position being propagated by the Media and supporters alike to the effect that the Bill is oppressive, defective, draconian and a rollback of the democratic gains of the past.
Because of its populist character, it is in the interest of ODM that the Party is seen to be on the side being backed by the majority and whose view is that the Media Bill should not have been signed by Kibaki.
The Media Bill is not the first clashing point between ODM and PNU ruling classes. As late as last week, ODM accused PNU of undermining the authority of Prime Minister Raila Odinga by using the arrogant and non-conformist Civil Servant Boss Francis Muthaura to act as a buffer against Raila Odinga’s ideas of governing especially when it comes to key policy issues.
Prior to disagreements on the signing of the Media Bill, Muthaura had clashed with the Prime Minister over the appointment of a transitional team that was to take over from the disbanded Electoral Commission of Kenya to prepare the way for the entry of the Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC) as per recommendations of the Kriegler Commission.
The altercation was about Muthaura’s unilateral appointment of 38 members of the transitional team, a move that Raila Odinga termed as “illegal”. The Prime Minister’s Office indicated its intention to have the move reversed as the Party took a new step of calling for Muthaura’s Office to be under the Office of Prime Minister.
Raila Odinga is a “Spanner Boy” in the Power Structure
The tug of war that is increasingly becoming characteristic of the Coalition government should not be surprising because this Coalition is the product of forced compromise following the stealing of Raila Odinga’s Presidency by a savage Kikuyu ruling class that does not want to relinquish power but whose agenda is to use the coalition arrangement to enrich themselves as much as possible. Details about the 2007 election crisis are contained in my just published book.
Although he is the Prime Minister, Raila does not have real power in the Coalition because apart from being the Commander in Chief, Kibaki controls the Internal Security Ministry, Defence, Foreign Affairs, Justice and Constitutional Affairs and the Finance ministry. The Ministries Raila controls are of no consequence when it comes to power wielding and this situation has reduced Raila’s role in the power structure to that of a “spanner boy” in Kibaki’s garage.
The apparent show that the Coalition government is functional is a sheer Public Relations exercise to maintain the peace so that the real stake holders in Kenya – the rotten and corrupt ruling class, its bourgeoisie counterparts and Western imperialism – can concentrate on a peaceful exploitation of the country’s resources under the peaceful conditions guaranteed by the Coalition government.
Before the Coalition Cabinet was set up by “the principals”, I stated in March that “What should be expected is a series of disagreements, political atmospherics, combat in Parliament, flaps in policy making, malevolence during strategic inter-ministerial consultations and a host of roadblocks in the way of Coalition governing”.
Now, ODM has complained that PNU’s Permanent Secretaries are undermining ODM Ministers, clashes in policy have reached the public domain while many Kenyans studying events in the country are moving to the position that the Coalition government is increasingly becoming dysfunctional because of growing conflicts between ODM and PNU.
As Head of Civil Service and Secretary to the Cabinet, Muthaura cannot override Raila Odinga, the Prime Minister, unless the pecking order in our brand of Coalition was curved out of a special model specially tailored to take care of the kind of rigging in December 2007 and the ensuing post election crisis that paralyzed the country.
A Solution to the Crisis is fresh Elections
Unfortunately, there is no solution to the crisis apart from fresh elections. The suspicions between the Coalition partners will continue to escalate and the best that can be expected in the situation following the disbandment of the ill-fated Kivuitu-led Electoral Commission is the setting up of a new Electoral Commission and enactment of a new Constitution after which ODM should pull out of the Coalition government to pave the way for its collapse and the calling of new elections so that a legitimate government that has the full mandate to rule can assume State power for Kenya to move forward.
In the meantime, the maximum ODM can do is to utilize its position in government to ensure that it is not tainted by unpopular decisions from PNU hawks surrounding Kibaki. After distancing itself from the controversial Media bill, ODM should now back the proposed teacher’s strike, call for a further reduction of unga prices, campaign for a reduction of oil prices, get their MPs to pay taxes and begin to underline the need for fresh elections as the crisis deepens.
ODM is in government but it is not governing so it has nothing to lose. From its history of election rigging, the tainted nature of PNU personalities and its pushing of a draconian Media Bill, there is enough proof that PNU is not in a position to move the democratization process in Kenya forward.
The current Coalition government should be a stop-gap to new elections which ODM is in a position to dictate by virtue of its position, both in the government and as per the National Accord and reconciliation Act 2008 which spells death of the Coalition if any partner pulls out.
There is no need of waiting for 2012 because that will be too long. PNU thieves dragging the country backwards can be sent packing together with Kibaki in the next few months as long as the Constitution could be fixed and a new Electoral commission can be put in place. This is how I see it from Stockholm city.
Okoth Osewe
Can The Bagarmossen Church Pray For This Kenyan?
A Botolo of whisky from the System
I thought I could continue reviewing 2008 from where I left but things just continue to happen and they need to be published at KSB. This is something which, if you have been in Stockholm, you may have encountered.
A Kenyan has two or even three mobile phones then you are gladly given all the numbers so that in case you cannot get him on one line, you can sure catch him on the other which could be dubbed “the hot line”. One could be a Nokia and the other one an Ericksson and just in case you think they were picked from the second hand portal, they are latest models. One day, you try reaching your pal on the “regular number” to check whether you could link up in town for one and discover that the regular line is not working so you try the “hot line” and that is when the problem begins.
The line you have called is the “Job line” which, the friend says, you should not call to avoid disturbing him. That is after you called it one day and the friend requested that he “call back” to prevent you from losing air time from your poor phone which, he suggested, could be Comviq, the type that expires after a few minutes of conversation before you even complete a sentence.
The main reason why he needs to call you back is because he wants to update you that it is the “job people” who pay for his air time, unlike you, a poor goat who gets worried about air time when you are on the phone. Sometimes, you ask the other end if he or she has a Comviq so that you can be sure you will be talking almost for free (you pay the opening charges and that’s all).
“You know my kind of job is such that you cannot just call anytime. Next time, send an SMS on my regular in case I don’t respond then I will call you back”, the friend warns in a moment of education about how his phone system works. You begin to wonder why you were told to phone “anytime”. You then begin to wonder why you were given both numbers in the first place and why last time, there was no problem when you called the “hot line”. May be, the guy wanted you to understand that both lines are active.
It is like “the Kenyan in us” not going away even after we have left the country and stayed abroad for more than one decade. In Kenya, don’t get surprised when you are accompanied by pals in a pub during those “back home moments” and after you settle down, your “guide” orders two extra glasses to hold both phones on the table as the swallowing begins.
The waiter is just happy to serve these special customers and as you begin to wonder, you are introduced. “This one lives in Sweden” (with hands pointing at you) is part of the introduction to the waiter so that there can be no mistake about the status of the table. Heads begin to turn at the neighboring table because the intro was done in high frequency.
The next example is a bit funny. There is someone who does not agree with you on what you are doing although he/she has never told you anything. Your close pals in Stockholm (or personal spies) report that nani an ku hate. You still don’t get it.
One day, the guy calls you when he is very drunk and begins what I can call verbal diarrhea. “And you Osewe, why do you write the blog? Do you know what a blog is?” You can notice the level of inebriation because his voice is dragging in typical drunken style but you take it easy and stay cool.
Just before that, the guy had said that he never reads the blog but now, there is something he came across at the blog and he was not happy. This type of exchange happened to me so it is not hypothetical.
The Guy Shown Dust From His Ex-Wife
“What is your problem with me writing the blog?”, I ventured politely. “You cannot write the blog and make money at the same time. You place adverts at the blog and people pay by clicking on them”, he roars. I then correct him to the effect that there is nothing fundamentally wrong with making money through adverts at the blog although I don’t do it because it has not been necessary. Then he jumps to another point.
“You cannot run a newsblog. According to the Swedish law, what you are doing is not correct blah blah blah”. Still on a very friendly note, I advice (although he is supposed to be a computer expert) about CNN, BBC and even our own Aftonbladet blogs which are all News based but still he doesn’t get it. He proceeds to say that I should write at my blog that he has threatened me. That is when I begin to understand that there must be something terribly wrong with his system.
“This is not a threat. It is an irritation”, I tell him. The saddest part is that this is a person I have had a lot of respect for. As the conversation deteriorates with him beginning a shouting match on the phone, I notice that he may have been drinking the whole day because he doesn’t sound like the real guy. I get a bit tougher and advice him to take his frustrations furthest.
“If you think that there is something illegal at KSB, make a police statement”, I tell him. I was on the verge of updating the blog and I din’t have a lot of time so I hung up.
The question which this sad experience exposes is how the system has crushed our people to an extent that even some of our best brains have broken down after opting for the bottle.
As usual, I take a break to do some research to find out whether there has been any dramatic development in the guy’s life of late in a way that could have pushed him to lose his senses completely after excessive inebriation. By ordinary standards, the guy should pass for an intellectual but now, his mind appears to have gone. That is when a can of worms opens up.
Bagarmossen
Bwaii! The guy had been shown dust by his ex and lost everything. He then tried reconstructing his life with different women and every time he made a move, something happened and he had to be dumped. He is currently in a huge economic crisis and when he called, it was like he was trying to dump his frustrations at KSB but I didn’t get it. I called one of KSB’s inspectors in the Department of Intelligence and after the briefing, I could begin to add one plus one to get a two because before, I was getting a three.
I could not bring myself to picture how a guy of this caliber could have sunk to an extent that he could make a useless phone call after he had been swallowing for two days in the name of New Year to begin to fumble.
Bob Marley said that “you think you are living in heaven” but you are actually in hell. Without going into details, I ended the conversation but later, had to sympathize with the guy as I wondered about the hostility of the system. The guy put up a court case to try his luck against the woman but he lost because the woman was smarter. If this guy could come down to this extent, I am afraid because I am not sure whether he is trying a slow suicide.
The big problem is that there is no one I can approach to talk to him because I don’t know some of his closest friends. I was advised through Intelligence that his best friends have also deserted him because they believe that he cannot be salvaged. May be, the only option is to approach the Bagarmossen Church to pray for him. I feel very saddened to say the least about this Kenyan.
I appeal to Pastor Muirani and others to try and remember this guy in prayer because last year, we had an attempted suicide by a Kenyan lady who was saved. Life could be difficult here but we need to get together during the worst personal moments and help. This year seem to have began up side down for some people.
Okoth Osewe
Kenya Opposition Party To Be Set Up In Stockholm
After studying the situation in Kenya, a group of Kenyans have decided to call a meeting in Stockholm for the setting up of a Kenyan Opposition Party to address the political, social and economic crisis in our country.
Security police arrest comedian Nyambane at Jamhuri 2008 protest
Consultations are still underway and Mr. Martin Ngatia, a leading member of the group, told Mapambano Online, an information outlet of Kenyan politics, that the Coalition government has failed the people of Kenya and that in the absence of political opposition on the ground, it is necessary that Kenyans abroad begin to move in the direction of setting up an opposition Party which can rescue the country from the capitalist class rule whose unacceptable methods of leadership has resulted in mass hunger and deprivation, starvation of millions of Kenyans, homelessness, looting of the economy by the rich, passing of arbitrary and dictatorial bills and murder of innocent civilians using security forces with orders to “shoot to kill”.
The general view among Kenyans linked to the group is that Kenya needs a revolution and the main task of the proposed Party will be to address the needs of this revolution, how it can be organized and how the revolutionary struggle in Kenya can be waged to attain the fundamental goals of this revolution.
At the center of the political struggle in Kenya is how the masses of exploited Kenyan people can organize politically to defeat the Kibaki-Raila government of the rich and to replace it with an accountable government that can be able to serve the interests of millions of poor Kenyans instead of maintaing the current situation where the rich man’s government is serving the interests of both wealth grabbers looting the State and Imperialist agents siphoning the country’s resources abroad through multinational companies and other known economic saboteurs.
Kenya Is Ripe For Revolution
Mr. Ngatia told Mapambano Online that over the years, governments have come and gone while change that can transform the lives of millions of suffering Kenyans has been elsusive because leaders have either betrayed the struggle by choosing to serve imperialist interests or have been ill equipped politically to bring about the necessary revolutionary changes that could transform the lives of the poor in Kenya.
“A government that cannot control the prices of essential consumer commodities like unga or fuel by leaving such controls on private hands has failed in its responsibilities to govern and should therefore be replaced using the democratic methods available in the field of struggle”, Mr. Ngatia told Mapambano Online.
Mr. Ngatia said that it has become difficult to trust that the same opportunist leaders will be able to deliver the masses of the Kenyan people from poverty and human suffering that has reduced Wananchi to animals shamelessly scavenging for food across the country as the rich and their families continue to fill their stomachs using money stolen from State coffers through tax evasion, Grand Regency style mega corruption and other methods of theft and plunder of the economy inherited from the Moi and Kenyatta dictatorships.
Mr. Ngatia said that Kenyans need to forget about a change in their lives if they cannot accept the stark reality that the country is ripe for a revolution that can drive the thieving ruling class and their allies out of power to be replaced by a new breed of revolutionary leaders armed with the right ideas that can guarantee equitable distribution of wealth in the country. He said that once this understanding is reached by millions of suffering Kenyans, the next question will be how to organize the revolution. He said that a key objective of the proposed Party will be to participate in bringing about this understanding without which, he said, there will be no revolution in Kenya that could overthrow the rotten system of government also responsible for the current crisis today.
Further, Mr. Ngatia said that as long as Kenyans continue to pin their hopes for change on agents of exploitation represented by Parliamentarians who cannot even pay taxes, and who pass laws to muzzle the Media, they will continue to die en masse of hunger, treatable diseases and other conditions as the country’s wealth is either looted locally or repatriated abroad through a well structured, rotten and exploitative system of capitalism that has failed Kenya for the last fourty five years. Mr. Ngatia welcomed debate on the proposed Party and urged Kenyans interested to send mail to: debate(at)mapambano.com or to debate the issues directly at www.mapambano.com, a web site that has been set up by progressive Kenyans in Diaspora as part of the contribution to the struggle back home.
Okoth Osewe
Related:
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