“Raila’s Stolen Presidency” Book Grabs Headline In Kenya
Osewe, I am pleased to let you know that your book, Raila Odinga’s Stolen Presidency, grabbed the headlines on the current issue of the Eagle Weekly here in Kenya. It is a fantastic report and gives details about your book in a way that leaves the reader wanting to read the book. The picture of the book, Raila’s picture and your picture were on the front page. The headline said “A Book on Raila’s Stolen Presidency”.
You Kenyans in the Diaspora are doing a good job and keep it up. Our country is failing and may be, you people are our only hope. When we read that one of you has written a book of this kind, we get more hopes for the future. The story is long and it was given a coverage of four pages in the Eagle.
The article gives the impression that The Nation did not tell us anything about the book. The article says that the book has already been launched in Stockholm while some names of people who attended the launch are also published. You should try and get a copy because I cannot reproduce the article here. One thing is that with these kinds of developments, you Kenyans abroad are providing some hope here. The country is finished. It is a very long article, four pages. I am in a cyber café but I thought it is important to let you know. Greet all Kenyans in Stockholm.
Lucas Odhonji in Kenya
Diaspora Kenyans And Contesting Seats In Kenya
I am so disturbed and ashamed with Mr. Ngatia’s remarks because he is blatantly trustful, credible and sensible. I was in Kenya during the entire time (December 2006 – 2008) before and after the Kenya ordeal and I released the first fresh news to North American News Media outlets, my adopted hometown paper of Dallas, TX. After that, news spread like wildfire. In his remarks Mr. Ngatia says that Kenyans are educated and sensible but that they lag behind in leadership of our country, not because of their choosing but due to poor and selfish leadership.
On my personal political experience during my political tour in Kenya, I once met with Hon. Njenga Karume and others who appeared not to have been impressed with me coming from the West, educated and with my own cash in hand to practice politics. I must have posed a threat! This I may never know.
The journalists in Kenya were even worse. They demanded a pay-out in order to cover my activities. At Machakos town, the situation was so bad that I once got a phone call from a reporter who told me that if I needed coverage, I had to pay upfront for my story to be published. Kenyan communities abroad must be prepared to meet such challenges. I actually questioned what I was doing in Kenya.
Reporters, voters, church leaders, ROs and others wanted money. A chairman of a news media asked for Shs200,000 to launch my name on one day’s national newspaper issue. Respectfully, I told the gentleman that majority of my constituents could not afford to put a meal on the table and asked him how they could afford a to buy newspaper?
Instead, I gave my money to different churches, not people in the streets who would use the cash for reckless spending. I did not give money to selfish beings bought by politicians for less than a dollar per vote. I declined to engage in vote-buying. I told the newsman that my stories about Kenya will be published for free in the West and that sometimes I will be paid for my stories! It was a horrible experiences. I understand advertisement and campaign promotion. This was not the case.
I found out that Political leadership machines in Kenya were opposed to the threats of the new leaders coming from Kenya community abroad. Kenya community abroad can ask questions and demand answers from politicians and people as well without fear.
Three days before grassroots elections, I shared a debate with the former MP for Machakos Town Constituency. I laid out to the people of Machakos the Millennium Development Goals that should have been introduced during his tenure. I found out that people had no knowledge of MDGs. After that afternoon, he lost his second bid to Parliament despite his support for ODM-Kenya. Soon after ODM-Kenya learned that their candidate was not a public favorite, they sneaked another crony who received the rest of the dirty votes from everyone by theft.
I challenged the leadership of the former MP in his home church, Machakos and in the presence of his people. I demonstrated successfully his incompetence in leadership during his term as MP. I did this without fear of his own people although I had been warned that he could pull a thing on me.
Later, ODM-Kenya leadership saw how strong I was at the grassroots. I
was on a KANU ticket, which had nominated me to challenge the former MP. Here is what happened! To save Uhuru for PNU, the KANU leadership pulled his nomination in all of Ukambani region to allow Uhuru to receive direct nomination for his constituency at home.
The will of the people in Machakos was not respected on behalf of one person. I lost nomination and my money! In less than 3 days I vied with another party. That was money spent and all my campaign efforts were wasted. People were confused about what happened.
I continued to get votes regardless of the change of party in the eleventh hour. ODM-Kenya had another method to stop my campaign. This time, it was at the tallying night in Machakos and like everyone else I had my own informants. I made no big thing about it; I told my people see you in 2012. Since then I have returned to my work base in the West to regroup.
Solomon
Dallas, Texas
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New Book On Kenya December 2007 Election Crisis: In Circulation
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