Last Friday, the newly elected committee of the Kenya Social Forum in Sweden (Kesofo) distributed responsibilities among itself. Susan Mukami, a student at Uppsala University since September last year, was appointed to head the Forum as the Chairperson while I was appointed to deputize her.
The appointment of Mukami was significant because it underlined the fact that Kesofo leadership is keen in ensuring that Kenyan ladies are given every opportunity to lead. The soft spoken Miss Mukami took over at a time when Winnie Njoki, a Kenyan lady, had just retired from the Committee due to family commitments. It will be interesting to see how Mukami adopts her soft-soft approach to steer the Committee.
Another new comer in the Committee is Mr. Dancan Munala who took over the position of Secretary. Munala is very practical in his approach to issues and this trait will, most likely, mix well with the down to earth tendency of his Assistant, Mr. Makan Macharia. The Kenyan has a deep concern for the welfare of Kenyan children, has lots of ideas on how to get things moving while he is also a good sportsman. It will be a matter of “wait and see” although things doesn’t look bad.
Talking about “being strict” in Kesofo Committee is the same as talking about Mr. Silas Njuguna, the new Treasurer. He is the guy who ensures that the last coin is accounted for and on time. His profile as an accomplished “Finance Minister” gave him no competition during the appointments. Mr. Njuguna was the outgoing Kesofo Vice treasurer and so, he is not new in the game. When the Juliet committee was set up, Mr. Njuguna took over the treasury and delivered quite well. He is principled and ensures that the rules are always followed.
This is not strange. Mr. Njuguna has been handling millions of kronors at the International Red Cross where he apparently leant the tricks of handling cash. Since his days at the charity organization, the Kenyan has shown a close connection between his talents and cash handling. He seems to enjoy it as he pushes people to account for this and that with receipts on the table. With him at the helm, Kesofo members should rest assured that the Forum’s cash is safe. Just in passing, Mr. Njuguna is the gentleman who handled cash during last year’s Nyama choma Festival.
Strangely enough, Mr. Njuguna’s Assistant is a Musician – Mr. Moses Trubadur aka Mosgi Trubadur. Mosse has been in organized life for a long time while he has also weathered many storms in Stockholm. It is good that the general philosophy of the new Committee is to help one another gain new experiences in different fields. Both Serah Nielssen and Mr. Daniel Mwaura settled for ordinary Committee members. The whole process of appointments went on smoothly and this was positive because it showed that there are no power struggles in Kesofo.
The Committee has already decided that it will take contact with the Kenyan embassy in Stockholm to introduce the new Officials to Embassy staff in preparation for work between Kesofo and the Embassy. Collaboration between the Embassy and Kesofo might be the trickiest part especially if the Kenyan ambassador to Scandinavia Her Excellency Mrs Purity Muhindi does not change tact.
The relationship between Kenyans in Stockholm and the Embassy has been “strained” since Mrs Muhindi took over power with key accusation being that she is not interested in meeting Kenyans. Apart from Kesofo, there is no non-political Kenyan organization that is in a position to organize a function where the Ambassador can begin to make serious contacts with Wakenya. In fact, Kesofo holds the key to the door between the Embassy and Kenyans especially those in Stockholm.
The advantage Muhindi has with the Forum is that the leadership, starting from the new Chairlady, is not confrontational. Although Kesofo members could push the leadership into taking a “no nonsense” stand with Mrs Muhindi, much will depend on whether she really understands diplomacy because Kesofo is not, at the moment, thinking of ignoring the Embassy as an Institution. Once again, it will be a “wait and see situation”.
Okoth Osewe
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