Kenya Stockholm Blog

Anna Okoth’s Brother Passes On…

The late Joseph was kind, humble and very respectful.

Mrs. Anna Okoth, a Kenyan resident in Stockholm, has lost her younger brother, Joseph, in Kenya. An Open House has been opened daily at the residence of the Okoths at Hjulsta as the bereaved family begins to cope with the tragedy.

Joseph passed away today, Friday 1st June 2012 following a long illness. Joseph, who was a graduate teacher at the time of his death, was 37 years old. The death has plunged the entire family into deep mourning.

Friends, sympathizers and well-wishers are meeting at the residence of the Okoths to condole with the bereaved family and to help them cope with the subsequent shock and sorrow which has struck the family.

A major Prayer meeting will take place at the residence of the Okoths on Sunday, June 3rd 2012 from 14.00hrs. Ann is planning to travel to Kenya to attend the funeral of her fallen brother who was very much loved by all members of his family.

In life, Joseph was a jolly, humble and very respectful person who shunned violence. He will be remembered for striving to instill knowledge and deep understanding of issues by his students who have lost a great teacher, mentor and role model.

Within the bereaved family, friends, admirers and acquaintances alike, Joseph has left a huge gap which will never be filled. He will be missed by everybody who knew him.

May God rest the soul of the departed Joseph in eternal peace. It is God who giveth and God who taketh away. And just like there is a time to be born, there is also a time to die. For messages of condolences to the bereaved family, or for further information, please, feel free to call 0761525158.

Okoth Osewe

June 1, 2012 Posted by makozewe | News & Analysis | 2 Comments

No Madaraka Day Reception in Stockholm

Ambassador Purity Muhindi: her mood determines reception of Kenyan national days

This year, the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm is not organizing any Madaraka day reception. As the day Kenya gained its flag independence is marked in both Kenya and Kenya diaspora, the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm will remain closed while no activity is planned. It is not the first time that Madaraka day has gone missing on the social menu.

Unless there is a top secret reception, KSB Intelligence Security Services (KISS agents) have reported that nothing is planned officially although it is known that Purity was planning “something small” at her residence in Nacka where a carefully selected network of Embassy sycophants (aka Walambaji), were expected. Intel show that Walambaji have been undergoing an internal crisis because some members of the group have been competing to have Purity’s attention, a situation that, according to intel, has created squabbles within the group. But that storo is for another day.

The failure of Purity to host the Madaraka day reception is not strange. This is because the hosting of Madaraka day in Stockholm has always depended on the mood of the Ambassador. When she is in a good mood, she usually throws a reception at the Scandic Anglais Hotel or at Hotel Plaza near Sergels Torg. Both hotels are located in Stockholm’s CBD. When she is in a bad mood, she does not do anything at all.

Sometimes when she is upset, Purity usually transfers receptions of Kenya’s national days to Denmark or Norway to deprive Kenya-Stockholmers of the great moment, the free drinks and free food that is usually served liberally at such functions with the taxman footing the bill.

For Purity, depriving Kenyans of such functions is a way of “punishing” them for the negative talk that has been rampant about Purity since she was posted at the Kenyan embassy in August 2006. Some Kenyans have posited that by deviating from the usual practice of hosting receptions of national days in Sweden, Purity has actually been drawing a lot of personal satisfaction from her actions because such deviations accord her the opportunity to “flex her muscles” as the plenipotentiary of the government of the Republic of Kenya.

During the Jamhuri day reception that was held at Elite Hotel last year, Purity decided not to serve alcoholic drinks, probably after critics christened such receptions “drinking sprees”. Kenyans who had specifically attended the reception expecting free swallows were disappointed. Although there was plenty of food, the soda waters that were being served actually served no purpose as far as some Kenyans were concerned.

Keen on projecting the image of a practicing Christian who attends church services at St Emanuel Church every Sunday in her chauffeur-driven white Benz car, the failure of Ambassador Purity to serve liquor at national receptions has increasingly been seen by a cross sections of Kenyans as an unnecessary imposition of  “drinking sanctions” on Kenyans based on the Ambassador’s personal life-style.

Purity is a beneficiary of impunity
After she failed to meet the swallowing expectations of Kenyans at that Jamhuri reception, it was another major disappointment when Purity failed to show up at the live performance of Kidum, one of the most popular musicians in East and Central Africa.

The show, which was organized by Clay Onyango, was supposed to be part of the Jamhuri celebrations and the failure of Purity to show up was pathetic to say the least. This could have been an opportunity for Purity to seize the moment to mingle with Kenyans in the presence of a loved musician who had travelled all the way from Kenya to be part of Stockholm’s Jamhuri but Purity wasted the opportunity.

That was after Kidum appeared at the Jamhuri reception (where Purity was present) during a PR exercise to mobilize fans to the show. Some Kenyans at the show who were asking for the whereabouts of Purity were simply told to forget about her because she was not an Ambassador of Kenyans in Scandinavia but the Ambassador of First Lady Lucy Kibaki who is believed to have influenced her posting at the Embassy.

Just like Jamhuri day, Madaraka day is a national event whose celebration is usually well budgeted for by the government of the Republic of Kenya. According to estimates obtained from Hotels where Purity has been hosting receptions, the cost of such receptions range between 50-100k (Swedish kronazz).

When such receptions go missing on the menu, the question that finds its way in the mouths of critical Kenyan thinkers is where money for this budget goes. With corruption known to be rampant at the Embassy, it might not be off the mark to speculate that the sole explanation why Madaraka day reception will not be hosted this year is because money meant for this reception “has been eaten”.

Purity was posted at the Embassy in August 2006. Her tour of duty ended in August 2010 (4 years). If the rules were being followed by the Kenyan government, Purity ought to have been recalled by December 2010 (latest). Her continued disservice at the Kenyan Embassy is yet another manifestation of impunity practiced by the ruling Kikuyu elite who control the levers of power in Kenya.

The sheer arrogance of Purity at the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm is a direct product of tribalism in the appointment of public servants in today’s Kenya. In fact, the presence of Purity at the Embassy, together with the circumstances that have ensured her retention at the Embassy following the expiry of her mandate are constant signals that the impunity perpetrated by the Kibaki cabal in government needs to be brought to a permanent end.

Kenyans can only hope that the Kikuyu mafia cartel that continues to retain Purity illegally at the Embassy will be voted out of office at the next elections to pave the way for the appointment of an Ambassador who can truly represent the interests of Kenyans in Scandinavia. Purity has been a big let-down at the Embassy and her continued illegal presence at the Mission will continue to remain unacceptable.

Okoth Osewe

June 1, 2012 Posted by makozewe | News & Analysis | 8 Comments