THE KENYAN MEDIA IS EXAGGERATING THE BARAZA STORY

By Fwamba NC Fwamba Something I have noted over a period of time is that there is an inherent wedge that gets easily exposed whenever there is a conflict between groups and individuals who are perceived to belong to different economic classes. Given this trend, it’s no surprising that the majority are trying to support or justify the actions of the guard and have therefore deliberately or unconsciously ignored rationality, fairness or critical analysis on the other side of the story. The mob justice mentality in Kenya has taken root whenever such kind of conflict arises. The Kenyan government has three arms the legislature, the judiciary and the executive. Under the aforementioned structure president Kibaki heads the executive deputized by Kalonzo Musyoka while the legislature is headed by the speaker Kenneth Marende deputized by Farah Maalim .Nancy Baraza who deputizes Dr. Willy Mutunga’s is the deputy president of the judiciary. I will not necessarily defend Nancy as a person but the office of the deputy chief justice which deserves due respect .The reform process should not mean that we start treating our institutions with contempt. Given her status it’s important to note that the security guard was herself a security threat to the deputy chief justice. If it were Kalonzo’s security, I doubt whether they would have cared whether the said guard recognized Kalonzo or not. I personally don’t find anything wrong if Nancy advised the guard to know people. The way the media is reacting looks like some unknown mama mboga (nothing ill intended to mama mbogas) raided the village market and refused to be frisked. On this I think the media is ignoring many facts. I have no problem if any VIP chooses to be frisked and walk everywhere freely the way former Burkina Faso leader captain Thomas Sankara used to do; I however think that should be a personal choice so that in case of anything the leader in question takes responsibility of all the potential threats that come with such a lifestyle. That kind of lifestyle earned Thomas Sankara early death when he was assassinated at the age of 37 .In normal circumstances, the guard would have been arrested and be charged with breaching and threatening the security of the deputy chief justice. Security of prominent people should never be compromised and Nancy Baraza’s is no exception given the position she occupies. In history many prominent people have been brought to harm’s way due to lapse in security. The most significant scenario is where Dr Martin Luther King junior was stabbed by a woman who appeared very innocent. The incident occurred in 1958 in Harlem new York .It was on September 20th 1958 when Dr. king was on a promotional tour of his book Strive Toward Freedom.. During a book signing at a department store in New York City, a well-dressed woman approached and asked him if he was Martin Luther King, Jr. When King replied in the affirmative, she said, "I've been looking for you for five years," then stabbed him in the chest with a steel letter opener. since Dr. King was a prominent and a very popular civil rights leader in America, he proudly answered in the affirmative because he must have thought that the woman was one of his supporters but that almost cost him his life for the woman instead stabbed him cutting his aorta; something that was so fatal that doctors said that had Dr .King sneezed at that time, he would have died instantly. On 11 September 2003, former Swedish minister Anna Lindh died as a result of a knife attack in a Stockholm shopping mall the previous day. On the 10th September 2003 at about 4 pm, she had been attacked while shopping in the ladies' department at the Nordiska Kompaniet department store in central Stockholm. She was stabbed in the chest, stomach and arms. At the time of the attack, Lindh was not protected by bodyguards from the Swedish Security Service, a controversial predicament similar to that of former Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme in 1986. Following the assault she was rushed to the Karolinska hospital where she underwent surgery for over nine hours, receiving blood transfusions continuously during the surgery. She reportedly suffered serious internal bleeding, her liver was seriously damaged, and her medical situation remained critical leading to her death at the age of 46. The assassination of India’s sixth prime minister on 21st of May 1991 can be related to the same context of poor security arrangements for the VIPs. During the campaigns, a woman who was later identified as a Tamil Tigers suicide attacker detonated a 700 gram RDX after getting too close to the prime minister and bending down towards his feet; a sign of respect among the Indians. On 4th November 1995,Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a hard-line Jewish university student Yigal Amir as a result laxity in his security arrangements a few days after the historical handshake with the leader of the Palestinian liberation organization(PLO)’s leader YassIr Arafat at the white house. After A rally, Rabin walked down the city hall steps towards the open door of his car, at which time Amir fired three shots towards Rabin with a Beretta 84F.380 ACP calibre semi automatic pistol. He was immediately subdued by Rabin's bodyguards and arrested with the murder weapon. He also shot and slightly wounded Yoram Rubin, a security guard, with a third bullet that missed Rabin. In January 2011, Arizona’s chief federal judge john roll was killed in an incident where Congresswoman Gabby Gifford’s was shot. The two were shot while on kind of a meet the people tour. In Kenya, we have a culture of looking at incidents of that nature in a simple way, but the security of a senior government official can not be compromised at the expense of making some people happy. We can not afford the risk as a country. The news that the lady is now demanding obscene amounts of cash shows that she had a well calculated plan in advance and even her argument that she didn’t know who Nancy was now appears questionable. She is an extortionist par excellence. It’s not hard to conclude that the whole scheme was pre planned given that the deputy chief justice says she has been shopping at the same place for a number of years. What should be investigated is whether the security guard was acting alone or in cahoots with other people whose mission should as well be established. Fwamba NC Fwamba is the leader of Kenya Young Voters Alliance. fwambancfwamba.wordpress.com fwambanc@gmail.com +254786779445

OCAMPO’S STANCE ON LIBYA EXPOSES THE TRUE INTENTIONS OF HIS WESTERN PUPPETEERS

By Fwamba NC Fwamba

On Tuesday 22^nd Nov 2011, the Netherlands based International Criminal Court(ICC) prosecutor Louis Moreno Ocampo announced that he had no objection for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO) backed Libyan anarchists to try  Col.Muammar Gaddafi’s son, Saif al Islam. His reason for backing a Libya based trial for Saif based on claims that ICC will be comfortable with the trial so long as the trial does ‘not intend to shield the accused’. He indicated that he was confident that the Libyan anarchists will give Saif a ‘fair trial’. According to his version, a fair trial means ensuring that the accused is guilty regardless of the merits and demerits of the charge(s).The remarks also implied that the so called international judicial standard in Ocampo’s own imagination is very low that the NATO’s Libyan mercenaries can be considered a government capable of trying anyone in a fair way. The same remarks confirmed the fears that the west is hell bent to ensure that they have Saif too just like his father and three brothers killed. They only want to window dress the process whose decision has already been arrived at by the western assassins of Col.Gaddafi and their Libyan puppets whom they consider a government.

How fair will be the trial yet the spin doctors of the same court are supposedly the complainants. How do we expect justice to be done when the accuser is the judge? It’s a well calculated move to destroy the family of Gaddafi, just like they did to the family of Saddam Hussein.

The whole world knows that the west has imposed a clique of their preferred puppets as leaders of Libya. The so called government has no legitimacy of any form from the Libyan people. We know that the so called revolution was not a people’s power decision to replace the government but a result of NATO’s military prowess. The current leaders are nothing but a bunch of CIA apologists and individuals driven by vengeance and retribution against Col.Gaddafi’s regime and family. The last thing to expect from these people is a fair trial. The world needs to stand up for the truth; that those claiming that Saif al Islam is a suspect in the murders of innocent Libyans are hypocrites who do not want to admit liability of NATO’s operations in Libya. They don’t want to admit that Obama, Sarkozy, Cameron and Berlusconi hold the highest and direct responsibility of turning Libyans who had lived like brothers against each other. If there are any Libyans who should face trial, then those NATO sponsored NTC puppets should be the first ones. The Libyan anarchists have no capacity to try anyone; not even a chicken thief.

I can correctly predict that any trial of Saif under the jurisdiction of bloodthirsty Western backed regime will be nothing but a mockery of justice. Any objective trial should ensure that all those involved in the Libyan atrocities; including those who tied the hands of detainees and shot them in Sirte are brought to book. The same judicial system should ensure that the leaders of NTC are tried and charged for the same crimes allegedly committed by Col.Gaddafi and his regime. The war claimed lives on both sides and it will be hypocritical to deny justice to the people who were incinerated by NATO missiles. That kind of judicial system is not in existence and will not exist in any near future in Libya. For Ocampo and ICC, a fair trial means giving justice to the victor in the conflict .Ocampo’s move confirms that ICC, just like NATO is just a mere tool of re-colonizing Africa.

ICC’s mandate is nothing but managing and manipulating western imposed ‘democracy’ in Africa. The main objective of putting Saif on trial is to have a public relations exercise whose motive and ultimate result is easy to predict .They want to have  what will look like a trial and there is no doubt that they will use former Gaddafi loyalists as  witnesses to fix Saif. It’s predictable that the current puppet regime will recruit false witnesses with promises of amnesty and western life kind of enticements. The world should demand justice for Saif al Islam, the Gaddafi family and former government officials who have so far suffered because of the NATO sponsored propaganda.

The most shocking thing is the double standards Louis Moreno Ocampo has applied in respect to the Libyan case juxtaposed with the Kenyan case.
While there is no people’s government or hope of one in the near future in Libya, Ocampo is contented that the Libyan rulers have capacity to carry out a trial. Kenya on the hand has a working government. In his wisdom or lack of it, Ocampo has remained the main obstacle in referring the Kenyan cases to be heard and determined in Kenya. He has maintained a line of argument that Kenya has no capacity to run its own affairs. Those who didn’t know should now know and see the truth. The west is not interested in justice for any African; what they are interested in is an opportunity to meddle in our affairs in order to have an opportunity to have control over our resources and democratic processes.

Fwamba NC Fwamba Is the Leader of Kenya Young Voters Alliance
+254786779445
fwambanc@gmail.com
fwambancfwamba.wordpress.com
kenyayoungvotersalliance.blogspot.com

AFRICA! BEWARE OF THE WEST’S DOUBLE STANDARDS

AFRICA! BEWARE OF THE WEST’S DOUBLE STANDARDS

By Fwamba NC Fwamba

Colonel Gaddafi swore to remain and die or win in Libya. He lived by his word, when the western sponsored anarchists raided Tripoli; he went and led the resistance from the frontline; a rare attribute of any leader. Under ordinary circumstances, many people in the same position will flee the country and leave their people to suffer alone .Gaddafi lost three of his sons; Khamis,Arab and Mutassim in the war. The leader as he was fondly referred to by his people chose to die a martyr. Gaddafi warned that the rebel elements were terrorists and al Qaeda operatives. Today an al Qaeda flag flies high on a Benghazi courthouse. The historical leader of Al Qaeda in Libya, Abdel Hakim Belhadj, is now the military governor of "liberated" Tripoli and in charge of organizing the army of the "new Libya". Libya has disintegrated and now ethnic tensions are rife. Death and starvation have taken toll on the populations. Africa is  mourning Gaddafi.

The western media has continued misleading the ordinary citizens of Africa and the third world. A lie repeated many times becomes gospel truth. That is how propaganda works and the western governments are champions of this vice since time immemorial. It will take a while for the citizens of the third world to learn and wholesomely discover that the western axis of evil will never stop to dismantle the developing world so long as Africa remains the richest continent in natural resources and the main source of raw materials for the industrialised nations that claim prefecture and authority over what they define as democracy.

In the midst of this scenario and against the stated background, Africa needs to be curious and ask more questions and seek answers from the west on the malicious invasion of Libya and the eventual assassination of the leader of the Libyan People’s Jamahiriya Republic Col.Muammar Gaddafi. It’s not enough for Africans and the citizens of the developing world to be misled to believe that Gaddafi was killed because he was a dictator. It only takes a foolish individual, innocently ignorant, gullible mind or a bootlicker of the western imperialists to believe such an argument. America’s involvement in any conflict has always been about resources and American interests. It is not the so called democracy that they purport to bring. There is no time in history where America has waged a war abroad with an intention of helping any non-Americans. In any case, America has never been bothered about the deaths they cause during their reckless and unjustified wars.

With the American empire as the most powerful military force on earth, the world peace has become more and more endangered every time America gets involved in any military conflict.

Col Muammar Gaddafi is one of very few Arab leaders that had committed himself to denounce and fight against extremism and terrorism. This had helped Libya which is largely Islamic to remain a peaceful, productive and; politically stable country for a very long time. He denounced jihadists and developed a political ideology that was not necessarily centred on religion. That made many people of different races, ethnic and religious persuasions to be comfortable in Libya .Many foreigners including black Africans worked in Libya to earn their daily bread. Gaddafi developed a people centred economy that ensured that every Libyan earned a decent livelihood. Today Africans like you and I including professionals and citizens of Libya are victims of racist and xenophobic attacks. No western media is highlighting this because its none of their business.

The western media, out of their own hatred and envy of what Col Gaddafi had achieved for his people and what he was trying to do for Africa, embarked on an international media smear campaign of discrediting the leadership of Col Gaddafi. To date, there is no significant justification as to why the western countries decided to invade Libya. There is no explanation as to why the NATO countries decided to turn the entire Libyan infrastructure into rubble. There is no explanation as to why they hunted down and killed the Libyan leader.

The whole NATO operation was intended to destroy Col Gaddafi, his family and Libya. NATO and their Libyan agents in the name of NTC had one main goal, to assassinate Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. It’s ironical that a few days before Col Gaddafi was assassinated, the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Tripoli and called for the killing of Gaddafi. When she saw the images of his brutal killing she sighed in jubilation. As a mockery to justice, she later hypocritically said that investigations were required to establish how Col Gaddafi and his son and national security advisor; Mutassim were killed.

The start of the so called protests in Benghazi in early 2011 already signified what was in the offing. A few hoodlums while chanting and brandishing Kalashnikovs started demonstrating in Benghazi. The so called international community headed by western dictators started alleging that Gaddafi was using too much force ‘against his own people’. They downplayed the fact that that is the same kind of force any government would use against armed demonstrators. This is one question Gaddafi asked Obama in one of his last letters to the American dictator whom he kept on referring to as ‘my son’ considering president Obama’s African origin. Its not only in Libya, in Africa or in the third world that maximum force will be used against any person purporting to demonstrate while armed with guns and bombs. The end was made to justify the means. The world super powers conspired and used the UN Security Council’s resolutions 1970 and 1973 to attack Libya, kill civilians under the guise of protecting them and eventually kill Gaddafi. NATO called off the operations immediately after Gaddafi was captured and killed in Sirte on 20^th October 2011.Its no coincidence that all so called liberators are western educated and speak fluent English. They are agents of imperialism and will plunder the Libyan resources to please their western matters.

It happened so fast that the rebels emerged from nowhere, government armouries were raided and people un trained to handle weapons became custodians of the Kalashnikovs, bombs, grenades and machine guns. Child soldiers were recruited and put on the frontline to fight in a war whose origin and objective they knew little about.

Sometime in May the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued warrants of arrest against Col Gaddafi, Saif Al Islam and Abdalla Senusi .Apparently the warrants were issued not because the named persons were most responsible for the deaths in Libya, but because they are the most politically influential persons in Libya. The intention of western governments is to stage manage what they call democracy in the developing nations.

The Libyan scenario shows that the west had intentions of creating confusion as much as possible so as to access all the oil and get reconstruction projects without any controls. Indicting Saif al Islam was strategically meant to ensure that even if Col Gaddafi left power, there was no room for Saif to help lead the country to its original track. The ICC just like NATO has unfortunately turned into another tool of imperialism and promotion of there west’s selfish and immoral interests in Africa. It must be noted that so far the ICC has not named any individual responsible for war crimes on the side of NATO and NTC.Its evident that majority of the deaths of civilians resulted from NATO bombs.

Africa is watching and waiting. The ICC must take action against the Libyan anarchists led Mustapha Jalil and Mohammoud Jibril and hold them directly responsible for the murders, rapes, recruitment of child soldiers, displacements and destruction of property. The ICC too should indict president Obama, President Sarkozy, Prime Minister David Cameron and Silvio Berlusconi for the crimes against humanity committed in Libya. The same too should be specifically charged for the assassination of Col.Muammar Gaddafi. We expect justice to be done across the board. It should be justice for everybody or justice for nobody.

Citizens of the developing world should also ask themselves about the double standards being applied by the imperialist powers.

Their main reason of attacking Gaddafi followed a claim that he had stayed for long. The Queen of England has stayed in power for 60 years .No African has ever asked why the queen continues to be the head of the commonwealth yet no election has been held to elect the queen. Africans respect other people’s cultures and that is why no African leader has ever ridiculed or attacked Britain for being ruled by one family for all that long without raising a question.

The western governments have been slow and reluctant to take the same action on Syria, Bahrain or Yemen. It’s in doubt whether they would have supported a military action against their disgraced ally and former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak.

The western media has given a blackout to atrocities being committed in Bahrain. The King of Bahrain Hammad Ibn Isa Al Khalifa   is under siege but it appears like the western powers through their puppet Saudi Arabia King Abdullah are protecting the Bahrain king due to selfish interests. It’s unfortunate that the third world and the developing nations’ citizens haven’t grasped interest in reading and learning.

This analysis shows that there was some evil covert intention of attacking Libya and killing Colonel Gaddafi. The ‘dictator ‘theory is misleading and we want our people to know the truth. This is the challenge, read more stuff, find out more information independently and make sound decisions. With this Africa will prosper. Read and know the truth. We refuse to be misled.

Fwamba NC Fwamba is the leader of Kenya Young Voters Alliance

SPEAKING MY MIND

SPEAKING MY MIND
During the 2007 campaigns, I accompanied Martin Wanyonyi to the then New Ford Kenya offices in Woodley estate where he introduced me to Captain Charles Masinde; the founder and Secretary General of the party. It was such an opportune moment for me because I was involved in the presidential youth campaign but had no footing in any political party. Captain Masinde requested me to represent the youth in the Kibaki presidential campaign; a campaign in which I was already one of the 17 man team. I quickly accepted the offer and had a letter of introduction signed by captain Masinde.The letter included my name, Patrick Kokonya,Dr.Ken  Orengo,George Nyongesa and Martin Nkari as the bona fide youth representing New Ford Kenya in the national campaigns of president Mwai Kibaki. I had given the names to captain Masinde because the listed people are the ones I had worked together with as we joined the presidential campaign using our own means.
After the elections I continued acting as the youth leader of the party. Many people expected political rewards through their parties or directly through the recognition of having participated in the president’s youth campaign. It must be noted that out of the 17 youth leaders who campaigned for the president, only one occupies a position acquired because of the role played. The rest of us were given ‘half loaf theory’ kind of excuses and we decided to content with what we do in our own lives. I continued with my own life doing and improving on what I always do; political consultancy, design, research and other income generating activities. God has been kind to me and I think I have managed to make progress in my own small way. All this time, I have however remained committed to New Ford Kenya and tried as much as I can make the party relevant in anywhere I have foothold.
Captain Charles Masinde had reached out to a number of his friends too to join the party. One among them was one Col.Muema whom he managed to employ as the party’s Executive Director.

Sometime in late 2008, captain Masinde travelled out of the country. The political parties act of 2007 required parties to register under the newly established structures where the parties were to be registered under the registrar of political parties as opposed to the previous arrangement where the parties were registered at the registrar of societies.
I received a call from Hon Soita Shitanda who told me that there is something we needed to work on as a party. He asked me to meet him together with my colleagues to do the party work as we continued waiting for space to open up in government for us. I immediately contacted Ken Orengo and Martin Nkari. The following morning, we met the minister. In the meeting we were joined by Dr.Boni Khalwale,Kirwa Tirop,Swaleh Abdile and Benjamin Muema.The main agenda of the meeting was to carry out recruitment of the party members so that we comply with the then  newly established political parties act.
Nkari,Orengo,Muema and myself used Dr.Boni Khalwale’s office at continental house to work out modalities of registration. Just like many other parties, no practical recruitment was done. We met every morning to as late as 10 pm every day to work out lists for party memberships (a story of its own).
We prepared party lists for all the 210 constituencies. At that time, a case had been instituted at an Eldoret court stopping Hon.Soita Shitanda(Party Leader),Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi(Chairman),Captain Charles Masinde (Secretary General), and Dr.Boni Khalwale(Organizing Secretary) from holding elections or acting on behalf of new Ford Kenya until certain matters were sorted out. For that reason, the said officials were to stay out of party leadership for the sake of the registration process, so that they could reclaim their positions once the court case was over.
During the development of this situation, Captain Masinde was still out of the country and I was made to believe that he had been informed about his temporary removal from his position of the Secretary General for the reason aforementioned.
In the constitution the position of party chairman was abolished.
Councillor Edward Indai was brought in on behalf of Hon.Soita Shitanda to become the   registered Party Leader.Prof.Ruth Oniang’o and Tirop Kirwa became Deputy party leaders.Col.Muema who had initially been employed by captain Masinde as the party’s executive director became the secretary general claiming that he was standing in for his friend.Dr.Kituyi never sent anyone to stand in for him or on his behalf. William Ntoina was made Organizing secretary. Other names were proposed by Hon Shitanda,Dr.Khalwale ,Muema and myself.I became the Deputy Director of elections ,Orengo became deputy treasurer while Martin Nkari became the legal and constitutional affairs secretary. Orengo and I were asked to content with deputising positions because the minister intended to get us employment opportunities. This was towards Christmas time of 2008 and Hon Shitanda was sick at the time. We kept on visiting him at the Nairobi hospital to brief him on the progress of the registration. He kept on encouraging me that he intended to allow us run the party and grow politically. He has always had good intentions. In this arrangement,Muema secretly sneaked in his wife as one of the 28 NEC members. We were in a hurry and we never noticed or bothered to know if that was the case. Dr.Khalwale and Hon.Shitanda remained party Nec Members by virtue of being the only party sponsored members of parliament. They are NEC members because of the provision of the party’s constitution.

The case against Masinde,Khalwale,Kituyi and Shitanda was won by the party. After that I kept on requesting the minister to restructure the party to its original form so as to make it more effective.
The party has had so many issues but we have chosen to remain mum so as to maintain the dignity of the party. All this time, I have been patient enough to pursue diplomatic means to internally deal with the party affairs.
In 2009, the party started receiving money from the political parties’ fund. We never held and we have never held any party meeting whether NEC or otherwise to approve any expenditure or any activity. The Secretary General and one of the deputy party leaders secretly made themselves signatories to the account and thus recipients of the political parties’ fund. NEW FORD KENYA HAS NEVER HELD EVEN A SINGLE NEC MEETING SINCE 2008.
After trying to sort out the matter diplomatically for a very long time, we resorted to address it directly through the authorities. Early this year; we approached the registrar of political parties to furnish us with party records. We were shocked to find that the party has been receiving funds, yet there is no sign of any party based discussion or approvals on how the monies are spent. While at the registrar’s office, I received a call from Hon.Shitanda who asked me to see him over the matter the following day. I complied. I met the minister and informed him about misshapenness in the party including the secretary general allocating himself a salary as the executive director of the party. It sounded like the minister wasn’t aware of most of the issues I was raising with him. He promised to intervene. After some time, no progress was seen. The minister got too busy with the Ikolomani by elections and thus didn’t have much time. We decided to address the matter to Kenya Anti Corruption Commission .The KACC referred us back to the registrar of political parties. The reports indicated that the party was paying rent. The reality is that the Woodley office had been closed for over a year. In a nutshell, the party had no official address although according to the registrar, the records indicated that the New Ford Kenya headquarters were situated at Woodley,Kikombe House.The Kikombe House rent was paid from contributions of Captain Masinde,Hon Shitanda and Hon Khalwale, even when the party had started getting funding from the political parties fund. Apparently Hon.Shitanda had been put in the dark about most of the party finances and opportunities.
The registrar asked us to formally ask her office about our party headquarters. We thought of presenting the case to the tribunal but considered the consequences and therefore chose to trust the registrar of political parties to handle the matter. A few days after the Ikolomani by elections I raised the same matter with Boni.Boni didn’t believe that the party didn’t have offices. This is something I tried to avoid telling the new team that joined the party. I didn’t want Eugene’s team to be discouraged, thus I kept this between myself,Soita,Khalwale,Kirwa,Ken Orengo and Martin Nkari.Boni insisted to me that we have a fully furnished office. This was based on the information given to him by Hon Shitanda.When he asked Shitanda about the office, the minister told him that Muema had told him that there was an office. Apparently, Hon Shitanda had never seen the offices himself. He had just been told. When more questions were asked, it emerged that the said office is located in Ngara on a fourth floor of some building. It is evident that someone had rushed to put up an office in Ngara after I raised the matter with the registrar.
I continued to pursue the matter with the registrar but she seemed not serious in dealing with the matter. It was so evident that so many rules had been flouted. The final returns of the financial report from the party can not be said to credible when the party never approved expenditure in the first place. We raised the matter with the bank with a letter from the party treasurer Swaleh Abdille attached. We kept these matters private because we wanted to safeguard the integrity of the party never wished an individual’s mistakes to tarnish the name of the party. We requested for the funding of the party to be put on hold until the matters are sorted out or at least until the party executive is convened to deal with the matters. The registrar agreed but seemingly, no action was taken to ensure this is done even after promising to convene the New Ford Kenya NEC herself in her office. She never acted for the reasons best known to her.
Trying to matters in order I decided to share this predicament with the new entrants to the party. I shared with my friends Kizito Temba,Jack Wamboka,Yvonne Khamati in a confidential way.It was important because they were part of the main team that had decamped from Ford Kenya and I also considered my social and political background I have with them. I never gave a clear answer to anyone about the party headquarters or party affairs because I never wanted to expose the weaknesses of the party propagated by an individual.
I remember being asked by Hon Eugene Wamalwa and Hon. Akaranga about the party offices. I chose to dodge the question.
The secretary general falsely and deliberately interpreted that I had a personal difference with him, which is not the case. For that kind of assumption, the minister called to reconcile us after the CMD elections that saw Kirwa disagree with the secretary general over the same kind of issues. The ‘reconciliation’ was meaningless because the secretary general resolved to avoid passing any information that was meant for the party to myself and other leaders who are against his way of doing things. In the recent meeting, which was supposedly meant to review the party constitution, he decided to keep in the dark and hold the meeting without my knowledge. He has done this for some time since Eugene and the group joined NFK.On the 9th, I got wind that there was an NFK ‘NEC’ meeting which I wasn’t invited. I went there with about 25 of my friends. I was assaulted by hired goons under the instructions of Muema.On the same day, a direct threat was made to my life and I have reported to the police. The decisions I made and the decisions we are making on this matter and the decisions we are going to make are informed by this background. Being assaulted on that day was a culmination of events and not a one day issue. I have chosen to take an informative approach than a radical approach. I will do so whenever there will be need. This is just a summary of the events.
I am still contemplating my next action and I ask for your prayers to help me make the right decision. I am still consulting and listening to my friends.You are some of the friends. Let me hear from you.

Fwamba NC Fwamba

PROTESTING NATO'S ASSASINATION OF COL MUAMMAR GADDAFI

NAIROBI
31st October 2011 ..

..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................We the citizens of Kenya,
Awakened to the spirit of Africa that has resisted all forms of aggression and attempts at disintegration,
Connected to the struggles of our fore bearers who took on the might of those seeking to colonize us
Recognizing our contemporary heroes in their sacrifices for the greater emancipation of humanity
Committed to the continuation of the struggle towards the attainment of the ultimate destiny of the African people
Ready to sacrifice our own generation for the true freedom of our sons and daughters
United in our grief and concern for the current state of affairs that now sees the continent face the threat of a new form of submission,
Wish to categorically and emphatically state that:
1. We are greatly and absolutely shocked by the open and summary execution of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the great leader and visionary of the People’s Jamahiriya of Libya and the bearer of the spirit of the African people towards the ultimate unity of the land.
2. We consider the absence of protocol, dignity or justice in the handling of the life of a leader of his status as an insult to Africa. It is also a clear show of the motive behind the events in Libya, an exposure of the hands behind the propaganda that has muddied his name and a clear pointer to the voice behind the command to end the life of this African icon.
3. We are appalled by the recognizing by the Kenyan authorities of a band of disorganized thugs as a legitimate government and their allowing the office bearers at the Libyan Bureau in Kenya to fly the flag of this “fronters” of the African invasion, even as the true leader of that country was still alive.
4. We demand the immediate closure of the Libyan Embassy in Kenya, a recall of the Kenyan Ambassador to Libya and a complete severance of ties with any foreign imposed regime in this country until such a time when common sense and proper diplomatic procedure shall assure the people of Africa that they are dealing with a legitimate and a people mandated government of the land of Libya, devoid of any foreign impositions.
5. We ask the people of Kenya join the rest of Africa by observing 5 minutes of silence at 12 o’clock on the 12th of December (Kenya’s Jamhuri Day) as a show respect to the founder of Libyan Jamahiriya.
6. We would also like to remind Kenyans of the sequence of events leading up to the assassination of the great leader and that it was the so-called NATO forces that orchestrated the passing of deceptive resolutions at the UN (resolution 1970 and 1973) which they reinterpreted as a cover to destroy the Libyan systems of governance, economics and infrastructure, well beyond what has ever been allowed by any multi-lateral institution at any time in history.
7. We realize with absolute clarity that Col. Muammar Gaddafi was killed in a conspiracy by the following countries:
i. The United States of America
ii. France
iii. Italy
iv. Britain, and
v. Portugal

8. We are aware that other countries may have played a hand but responsibility lies greatly on these 5, since they are the clear hands behind:
I. The Constituting the so called National Transitional Council (NTC) made up of Libyan-American operatives, loyalists of the former monarch- King Idris, and other disgruntled elements within Libya who were unappreciative of the advancements made under the Jamahiriya system.
II. Pushing for the recognition of this illegitimate band as the government of Libya well before the situation was beyond negotiation.
III. Arming of a group of hoodlums and thugs by giving them sophisticated weapons and on-field training and technical support, and even further supporting their incompetence by providing air support in dropping over 25,000 bombs on largely civilian targets.
IV. The Open and flagrant scramble to secure Libyan oil by senior officials of these conspiring states and the guaranteeing of reconstruction contracts to corporations owned by these countries.

9. We condemn in the strongest terms possible all those involved and ask that the peoples of the conspiring countries hold their leadership to account for these deeds, and further that, if the existing international institutions fail to act on these crimes, then we, the African people, shall consider the United Nations (UN), the International Criminal Court (ICC) and any other entities involved, as puppets and images of the enemy which should be done away with for justice to prevail in the world.
10. As Africans, we appreciate the efforts made by Col. Gaddafi towards uniting Africa. We fully appreciate the Sirte Declaration, developed under his auspices (in the very place where he was executed) and its continuing transformation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) into the African Union (AU) and progressively into a unified Africa, as envisioned by all the African greats, living and dead, on the continent and in the Diaspora.
11. We also appreciate his material support to the liberation struggles in Africa as has been widely been acknowledged, including by Nelson Mandela, among others, whose freedom struggles were contemporaneous to the leadership of Col. Gaddafi.
12. We are in awe of the advancements in the quality of life of the Libyan people and as Africans we all aspire to achieve the same for ourselves in terms of universal housing, universal healthcare, universal education (to the highest level) and sufficient social security to all those who yet to engage with the commercial system.
13. For these and countless other achievements under his leadership and through the observance of the 3rd Universal theory as expressed in the Green book, and for his resistance to Western Imperialism amidst insurmountable odds, we hold Col. Muammar Gaddafi as one of the greatest African leaders who ever lived and see his killing not as the end of an era, but as the freeing of his spirit of liberation to enter into the heart of every freedom fighter on this continent.
The blood of Col. Muammar Gaddafi has now signed the declaration of war against Imperialism and all enemies of African unity. His vision and works must now be realized in the everyday lives of all African people.
It is now time for all Africans to awaken to this struggle.
Long live the spirit of Gaddafi!
Long live Africa!

BY:FWAMBA NC FWAMBA..THE CONSTITUTION UNDER ATTACK

MR PRESIDENT,THE NEW CONSTITUTION IS UNDER ATTACK. By Fwamba NC Fwamba.................................................................... When we campaigned, voted and promulgated the constitution on 27th August 2010, president Kibaki and other government officials took fresh oath of office. Unlike the rest of the leaders, protection of the constitution was part of the presidential oath and responsibility. That is why he holds an extra burden of ensuring that our constitution is adhered to at all times. The walk to attaining the constitution was rough in the history of this country and therefore it was a sigh of relief to majority of Kenyans especially those who suffered under Kanu’s monolithic dictatorship. Our constitution is not yet one year old and there appears to be serious confusion caused by various interpretations of the law by diverse individuals and non governmental organizations. The constitution Implementation Commission which is entrusted with overseeing the process of implementing the constitution appears not left behind in the creation of this confusion. Every time the chair of the commission speaks, it vividly comes out that he is trying to express his personal opinion as opposed to making utterances that are reflective of the constitution and the mandate of the CIC. In the recent past, there has been a spirited campaign through the media with people lobbying for their preferred candidates to take up the position of the Attorney General. Most notable is Professor Makau Mutua’s article in the Sunday nation 24th July 2011.Professor Mutua, a man with enviable academic credentials in law decided to give his opinion on the basis of his preferences at the expense of making true references to the constitution. Professor Mutua presented the cv of his preferred candidate to the wrong audience. Article 33 of the constitution provides for freedom of expression. Section 2 of the article 33 of the constitution also states that freedom of expression does not extend to propaganda. The article reminds me of a phrase that the ‘right to be heard does not necessarily include the right to be taken serious’. In his piece, Prof Mutua wants the current Attorney General to be out of office with Godspeed which I consider a good idea but unnecessary. Unnecessary because the constitution already provides for the same; that Wako’s tenure officially expires on 27th of August and thus its expected that by the deadline, we will be having a new Attorney General to help speed up the reform process as provided for in the constitution. Prof Mutua with disregard to the constitution has abrogated himself the role of determining the procedure, short listing and finally selecting the person he thinks is best suited to be that Attorney General. He has gone ahead and even suggested that president Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga follow his procedure and eventually appoint Prof Mutua’s choice. That is ridiculous. It’s ridiculous in the sense that the constitution is already very clear on the requirements and procedure of appointing the Attorney General. What Prof Mutua should do is to advise his preferred candidate to present her CV to the appointing authority. The leadership of this country was elected based on people’s judgment and the powers given to any leader by the constitution cannot be usurped by mobs or people with vested interests. Article 156 section 2 of the constitution clearly states the process of appointing the Attorney General. The article states ‘the Attorney General shall be nominated by the president and with the approval of the national assembly, appointed by the president’. It’s our constitution that gives the president and the national assembly the role of appointing the Attorney General and that must be respected unless if we are advocates of anarchy. I am surprised that well trained lawyers want to push us into violating the constitution instead of playing a cardinal role in providing accurate constitutional civic education to correctly help ordinary Kenyans in interpretation and understanding of the same. The opinion leaders might be having diverse interests and wishes. It must be recognized that the national assembly was given a role in the appointing process because the members of parliament represent the electorate and the general Kenyan population. No one else can purport to be a more legitimate people’s representative than the parliamentarians who have direct mandate from the masses. Recently another debate came up from the same clique that the Attorney General should be a woman. I have gone through the constitution many times and I have not come across such a provision. They appear to be relying on the principle of having at least one third of every institution represented by women. This notion appears to be totally misguided because the Attorney General’s office only has one person and therefore the issue of gender doesn’t arise. Gender activists and other foreign interests have been in arms in advocating for this kind of arrangement. The person to be appointed the AG should be either gender as long as the person has integrity and with the best qualifications in respect to the constitutional requirements. The Commission on the Implementation of the Constitution, the Civil Society, legal scholars and all other stake holders should try as much as they can to help Kenyans in understanding the law instead of taking advantage of their credentials to mislead Kenyans. We also need to delink the process from the interests of international non governmental organisations whose interests are not necessarily in tandem with the ordinary Kenyan citizenry. The appointment of the Attorney General should be done according to the constitution because the constitution serves all of us as opposed to the NGOs that serve sectarian interests. It’s important that we uphold the rule of law under which sometimes we gain and sometimes loose so that others gain. That is what happens in a democracy. If we don’t adopt this principle, the country might start falling victim to a new dictatorship; a dictatorship of some egocentric civil society functionaries. Fwamba NC Fwamba Box 41046-00100 Nairobi +254721779445

BY:FWAMBA NC FWAMBA.HOW THE G7 IS WORKING TOWARDS SELF DEFEAT

By Fwamba NC Fwamba ................................................................................... If they don’t genuinely work together with a common ideology beyond just a mere intention of defeating Raila, the G7 alliance might be headed for more challenging times ahead. Having witnessed the debacle of the 2007 politics, the leaders of the movement should avoid mistakes that were made by both the ODM and President Kibaki’s PNU campaign teams. After the 2005 referendum, the leaders of the Orange camp decided to move into full swing campaign mode without first defining the structural leadership of the movement. Towards the end of 2006, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka was feted as the Orange group’s most favourite candidate according to the opinion polls. The then would be flag bearer Raila Odinga featured at a paltry rating of about 3 percent. It was unforeseeable that Raila was interested in the Presidency at that time. The political pundits opined that Raila was unelectable and therefore was only going to re-play his 2002 election role; that of a king maker. The Orange group traversed the whole country preaching and swearing about their undying unity and the leadership pledging to die for one another. They kept that gospel alive through defining politics along ethnic interests. The ethnic blocks that identified themselves with the Orange team were made to believe that political salvation was on the way and it was coming only if they elected one of their own to the presidency. The campaign was made easy through an anti Kikuyu wedge politics. The regions identified themselves with the Orange leadership after being convinced that one of their own was going to be the flag bearer and the eventual victor against President Mwai Kibaki. The Orange followers were therefore balkanized along tribal lines with each group believing that the person from their tribe was going to be the next president. The campaign was different from the 2002 one where the opposition had identified Moi as the problem; thus it was not that hard because majority of Kenyans were fed up with Moi leadership. In 2002, the opposition had survived a potential stalemate when Raila endorsed Kibaki publicly. The move was aimed at ensuring that Moi’s preferred successor; Uhuru Kenyatta lost election.Raila’s endorsement of Kibaki had to do with more interest in Uhuru’s loss than in Kibaki’s victory. The unity of the opposition was the only way to defeat Moi’s preferred candidate. The move was based on the lessons of the 1992 and 1997 where multiple opposition candidature had caused Moi to win and rule with minority victories. The 2007 unity of the Orange party became at stake when it became evident that Raila was no longer interested in playing the Kingmaker. He wanted to be the King himself. This happened when many pundits had already pointed out that Kalonzo was the most preferred Orange flag bearer. Since the Orange campaign had been defined by ethnic balkanization, the Kamba community where Kalonzo comes from was confident that one of their own with Raila’s endorsement was the undisputable Kibaki successor .The Luhya under Mudavadi hoped for the same. When Raila’s bid for the presidency became more pronounced, the Kamba community and Kalonzo felt betrayed. They had all banked on a Raila endorsement. For that reason, the orange party had to split and thus become weak. It was good riddance for the Raila group when Kalonzo parted with the team because they had started viewing him as an obstacle to a Raila presidency. Kalonzo had to run for presidency because he believed that the opinion polls had indicated he was the favourite candidate for the orange group while Raila believed that he was the leader of the group and there was no way he was going to play a second fiddle. In the 2007 campaigns Raila enjoyed the popularity that he may never enjoy again in his lifetime. He and his group had high confidence levels that he was going to win. The Raila Orange group (now ODM) downplayed the fact that Kalonzo’s departure had fatally destroyed their chance to defeat President Kibaki. While the Orange group split, President Kibaki’s group was making their own blunders. The Kibaki campaign was disorganized all through and lacked leadership. It appeared directionless and remained poor in strategy. The biggest mistake the Kibaki campaign made was living with a notion that Raila was unelectable. They appeared content that Raila was not going to have any numerical strength enough to pose threat to the president’s bid to serve for a second term. The campaign went on without a political party structure. The campaign lived with a notion that there was no need to invest in strategy because the election was going to be a walk over. This reluctance almost made the president party-less until when PNU was formed two months to the general election. The late formation of the President’s party had repercussions because this was a totally new brand that had to be marketed on a crush program. It’s obvious that if either side avoided such mistakes, the clarity of the margin of victory of the 2007 election would have been seen and thus we wouldn’t have had the Post Election violence. The G7 alliance appears to be capable of garnering the support of the people. However; it appears that the G7 alliance is becoming more pronounced in combining the 2007 mistakes of the Orange group and PNU. Instead of taking advantage of the disintegration of ODM, they are busy undermining each other. Everyone is trying to outsmart another while playing with some hidden cards under the table. The group leadership should avoid eminent crisis. For them to hold together; mutual respect needs to prevail. Every vote counts and supporters of every candidate need to be respected. There must be clear appreciation of the fact that every vote counts and without that vote, defeat is on the way. The internal wedge politics by treating others as inferior partners will only give victory to Raila.Most importantly, the group needs to look for a formula of making the structure of leadership operational so that there will be no cry of foul play and short-changing at the last minute; that may likely lead to fall outs. The supporters of every leader need to know their position in advance; be explained to so that the feelings of betrayal do not arise. There must be a formula of accommodating most if not all the interests. The group also needs to define a political ideology beyond just opposing and stopping a Raila presidency. That can only happen in an organized environment. The group can only survive if they cement a modus operandi that is selfless. Sentiments that appear selfish will only work towards the disintegration of the group. If this trust is not established now, relying on a run off as a way of ensuring the defeat of Raila might not be the case since disintegration of the group after the first vote may not be ruled out. On the recent opinion polls that were released by a Nairobi based firm; the Strategic Research, I find it legitimate to ask why the polls were held, in whose interests were they held and at whose expense. On whether the results were skewed to favour a certain pattern or individual is a different story altogether. While I also question the method used to arrive at the 35 counties that were sampled in the survey, it’s important that the G7 alliance look at it as a warning sign and put their house in order. Politics is dynamic and their continued disorganisation may only give more ammunition to their disgraced opponent. The other most likely situation is that another force with a defined ideology might easily take advantage of the confusion and arise to defeat the established candidates. What the new group will only need is to establish a voter friendly form of wedge politics; the politics of ‘us vs them’. Fwamba NC Fwamba +254721779445 Box 41046;Nairobi.

TAXATION: HON. EUGENE WAMALWA MUST REDEEM HIMSELF FROM THIS SORDID MESS.

H.L Mencken once opined that "a good politician is quite as unthinkable as an honest burglar." It is on the basis of this assertion that I choose to address Honorable Eugene Wamalwa. I choose him among his ilk for the reason that he epitomizes all that is youthful. He has even anchored his campaign for the highest political office in this land on the plank of transformative leadership. However he has chosen to spend thousands of man hours digging through the new constitution in search of any "faithless and slippery" word that he can hang on not to pay taxes. To date his search has come to naught. Unaccustomed to taking defeat graciously Eugene Wamalwa has held numerous press briefings to viciously curse the new constitution for obliterating his tactical advantage over the national interest. Grapevine has it that he fervently wishes to grab hold of and nail to the mast clause 3 of article 210. In his estimation it contains "crude" words that have literally snatched from him and his ilk the “honorable entitlement” to huge untaxed allowances. In what can only be described as a "monstrous intimacy" Eugene Wamalwa and other idolaters of totalitarianism are planning to display the grandeur of their political power by misdirecting their flak at the Prime Minister. They are now planning to censure the PM of reminding them the obvious: that the pre-referendum pact that saw them overwhelmingly vote for the new constitution was merely a "gentleman`s agreement" which has no place in the new constitution. Of major concern to the electorate is that even as honorable Eugene Wamalwa alongside a horde of other watermelons went around the country to campaign for the new constitution last year it is now emerging that he had not thoroughly read the provisions of the new constitution. Yet he claims to be among the crème de la crème in the society! This is why he has the gall to say that he was misled by the PM. However, the issue of being misled is neither here nor there. What is important is that the new constitution is now in place and Eugene has no choice but to demonstrate his unquestionable faith in the country`s constitution. But that is not what is happening. Instead each passing day we have seen Eugene Wamalwa dine and wine with the saboteurs of the new constitution. My question to him is this: How can he seek to lead a nation whose constitution he does not value nor understand? Isn`t he, in the words of Adlai Stevenson, "the kind of a politician who would cut down a redwood tree, then mount the stump and make a speech for conservation." I wish to remind him that before he makes a sordid mess of himself he must appreciate the fact that although moving a vote of no confidence against a leader of the PMs stature is the standard practice in many democracies around the world, responsible legislators use this arsenal only with a view to checking on executive misconduct, or its effect, especially if the official`s unbecoming behavior subverts the structure of government or undermines the integrity of the office or the Constitution itself. Certainly being reminded of the constitutional requirement to pay taxes does not in any way go against the letter and spirit of the new constitution which the PM swore to uphold. In this regard the attempt at censoring the PM is not only ill advised but is also indicative of the new heights of absurdities that he is engrossed in. He comes out as a politician who will readily invoke this power on account of not liking the PMs nose! Eugene Wamalwa must understand that the PM is simply supervising the implementation of the new constitution as per its letter and spirit. I thought that it would have been the failure on the PMs part not to jealously guard the new constitution against desecration that would have engendered a vote of no confidence against him and not the other way round. Moving a vote of no confidence against the PM based on pure lies will most certainly prove counter-productive. My unsolicited advice to honorable Eugene Wamalwa is that he must earnestly guard himself against fading to irrelevance. He must begin to redeem his image by paying his taxes now or choose to be a burglar. Whatever option he chooses I can assure him of one thing-the debt clock continues to tick each passing day.

By Fwamba NC Fwamba:WHY WAMALWA IS THE NATION’S GREATEST HOPE.

In Kenya’s political history, Saboti Member of Parliament, Eugene Wamalwa appears to occupy a unique space never occupied by anybody else before. Eugene Wamalwa has risen to national prominence at an early age unlike other great political icons from the Luhya nation. His current political status is akin to that which was enjoyed by Masinde Muliro shortly before the latter’s death in 1991 .At the time the latter who served as the interim Vice Chairman of FORD, was the key pillar that was to determine the reconciliation between the FORD factions; one that was led by Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and the other that was led by Kenneth Matiba. The Luhya nation had hope in Muliro whom they totally identified with despite the fact that Muliro was not even a member of parliament. The Luhya nation believed that Muliro represented their aspirations in a process of determining and bringing political reforms in Kenya. Eugene’s rapid political rise can be compared to Masinde Muliro’s inspirational leadership which overshadowed the influence of people like Elijah Mwangale; the then powerful cabinet minister in Moi’s government. The overwhelming support Eugene enjoys is also similar in mannerism to the one that his elder brother and former Vice president Michael Kijana Wamalwa had shortly before the latter’s demise. By the time the former Vice President passed on, he had built a rich political career over a long period of time that could be traced back from the 1970s.Kijana Wamalwa had had a lot of ups and downs in his political life including frustrations that were deliberately brought against him by the Moi government. Kijana Wamalwa would have been the default successor to the Kibaki’s presidency had he been alive today. The late Vice President was a charismatic leader at the national level. He had also reached a level of full acceptance by the Luhya nation as their democratically endorsed de facto leader. The Luhya nation is currently the second biggest political block in the country after the Kikuyu ethnic block. For that reason, it’s easy to present a presidential candidate and with the support of other like minded political blocks can win the presidency so easily if the elections were held in accordance with the new constitution. The presidential candidate can only manage to get this support if the people at the grassroots understand this mathematics and potential. Going by the recently concluded By elections in Ikolomani constituency and Kimilili north ward, the people of western province appear to have finally decided to have their hope and political future espoused in a Eugene Wamalwa Presidency. In the two By-elections, people overwhelmingly voted for the New Ford Kenya candidates; the party identified with Eugene Wamalwa. Indeed, during the campaigns, the leadership of the Orange Democratic Party (ODM) vividly pointed out that the by elections were a rehearsal for the 2012 general elections.Dr.Boni Khalwale of New Ford Kenya won with over 54 percent of the vote in an election ODM had strongly and openly believed in own victory during the campaigns. The 23rd May By election results; as a rehearsal to the 2012 elections showed that the western province voters now identify themselves with Eugene as the symbol of Luhya unity and as a person the people need to coalesce around for future national political endeavours. Eugene, unlike the previous icons Masinde Muliro and Wamalwa Kijana, has managed to get this recognition at a much younger age. The recognition is timely because it has come at the moment when the whole world is advocating for young leadership. The Barrack Obama victory in the US’s 2008 presidential race changed the world. It’s Euphoric all over the world that the leaders whose age is below fifty are much more preferred in democratic elections than their older competitors. The situation and the age rhetoric has become so pronounced everywhere in the country. Kenyans are very keen on electing a young president. It’s a good coincidence for the younger Wamalwa that he is within this age bracket. Majority of Kenyan voters with time have started to notice what Jimmy Kibaki saw earlier than anybody else. The president’s son was the first prominent figure to publicly declare support for Eugene’s bid for the top seat. It was something that was with time adopted by many people. As time goes by, Eugene has continued to receive endorsements from different prominent people. Former Ford Kenya leader Musikari Kombo realised that Eugene was the people’s preference and decided to officially endorse the latter.Kombo’s selfless move was unexpected since many people tend to cling on opportunities even when the utility of the same belong somewhere else. The Tononoka rally and others that Eugene Wamalwa has addressed have demonstrated beyond doubt that his growing popularity is evident in all parts of Kenya. 19th of March 2011, was very significant in Eugene’s bid for the presidency when he officially received the endorsement of New Ford Kenya Party Leader and Minister for Housing Soita Shitanda. It is worthy noting that Shitanda is the only non-ODM minister from western province. Apart from that, Soita Shitanda hails from Kakamega; the second most populated county in Kenya after Nairobi and the most populated county in western province .Ikolomani too where New Ford Kenya triumphed against ODM in the by election is also in the populous Kakamega county. The indications are already rife that Shitanda intends to run for the County’s Governor Position while Khalwale is going for the senate of the same county. In Luhya land, Eugene and New Ford Kenya following is solidly in Kakamega, TransNzoia, Bungoma and Busia Counties. The same influence is rearing its head in Vihiga County. Even though the New Ford Kenya presidential candidate enjoys fanatical following in other parts of the country, this support cannot be taken for granted for without which his candidature will be like a house built on quicksand. This support is a case of ‘charity begins at home’ G7 is an opportunity and a dream for the future of Kenya. Its conglomeration of youthful leadership presents a prospect for real change in Kenya that will usher in a new era of leadership. It is a leadership that is privy to the current world developmental trends in information technology and modernity. It’s a leadership that represents the future aspirations of this country. The progressive young people of Kenya have a future and space in this political outfit. It’s under the coalition of this group that majority of the Kenyan youth will find space to grow politically. It’s under this coalition that the young leadership at different levels will seek elective positions in different parts of the country. In such a team, Eugene Wamalwa is in the right political direction and 2012 will be evidence enough to this effect. FWAMBA NC FWAMBA is a NEC Member of New Ford Kenya The views expressed herein are personal and do not necessarily represent the party’s position

By Dr.Hon.Shem Ochuodho:Are We Making Chelagat Simply a Flower Girl?

Friends allow me to share with you this opinion written by Dr.Hon.Shem Ochuodho-Former MP for Rangwe.Currently based in Southern Sudan.................................................................... ... Comrades, It is very sad that the nation we have treats patriots like Hon. Chelagat (and a host of... others like her) the way it has - and continues to. While on the one hand it is good senior State Officers (for whatever reason) reach out to her aid, I also loathe her being used as a Flower Girl. Why do I say this? Sample the following:- 1) Among those who went to see her are Fred Gumo! When did he see the light? And where was Njonjo (another Flower Boy) by the way? In the same mail (and Wakili Omwenga confirms - Ndugu I don't expect you to go with the crowd without being critical) - he alongside Moi are quoted to have been the root cause of Hon. Chelagat's tribulations. He is now ODM damu, and yet to explain or apologize to Kenyans for the numerous ills committed (in his name/under his watch as AG). 2) What Chelagat and the ilk need is more than hospital bills and photo sessions. What they need is a National Heroes/Heroines Fund. The only Motion as an MP I was ever allowed/able to move (after being 'de-whipped') was on the Heroes' Fund. Yet other than Orengo, all the others I see with Chelagat vehemently opposed the Motion - not because it was a bad one, but for extraneous reasons. KANU/NDP defeated the motion. The Hansard reports are there, and are public documents, for anyone doubting. 3) As Members of the 'Ngei Intervention Committee', we were ostracized by some. But Ngei's (God rest his soul in peace) may be neither here nor there. While working at KPC, one of the things I did (under provisions of policies of the State Corporation and with approval of the Board) was to do a road leading to Mzee Achieng' Oneko's home (murram) and rehabilitate Mzee Bildad Kaggia's House and a road to the same (+ engaging her daughter as a Casual). The same people now seeing/helping Chelagat called me all manner of names: they only retreated when I went public, stood ground and said I they deserved even better and I would do it again given a chance. When Bildad died, the same were at the forefront at his funeral. Crocodile tears? Again, the only person I would exonerate is Orengo: together with him and Hon. Alfred Nderitu (or was it Hon. Moses Muihia?), away from the media glare, we were the only MPs who attended his beloved wife's funeral - that's when we noticed he had no good road/path to his home and the house was falling! On Oneko: some of the same people who castigated me, I hear now when they travel from Suba/Mbita to Nairobi/Kisumu, they use first the ferry Tuju Raphael introduced, then off onto the road we did to connect to Busia/Kisumu Road. What mockery! Am glad Hon. Chelagat is being helped while she is still alive. Personally, I wish her quick recovery. And am glad she believes NONE of the existing parties has an ideology worth crediting even when surrounded by ODM maestros. I call that standing with head high even under such circumstances as hers. She reminded me also of once when about 10 of us MPs visited Bildad in hospital - when we offered him a few coins to help buy 'bread, soda, etc', he declined. His last words I still remember vividly in his trademark voice: "Don't worry, Son, I'll be okay". We had to leave it to the nurses and relatives to buy him milk, etc. He (like Chelagat) lived with integrity even up to his bed-rest. Chelagat, like other heroes and heroines, are more than being used as Flower Girls. Best rgrds, Shem

PRESIDENT KIBAKI`S INACTION ON CORRUPTION IS A HUGE BLOT ON HIS LEGACY.

The implementation of the Kenya Education Sector Support Program (KESSP) was seen as a final bright star falling into alignment. However, nine years down the line, this program is on the verge of collapse. Close to 4.6 billion of the total money injected into KESSP has been embezzled. Yet the government is desperately and frantically engaged in semantics in a bid to downplay the enormity of this embezzlement. What the public is hearing is that this money has been misappropriated. However, there is a huge gulf in terms of meaning between embezzlement and misappropriation. The latter may occur due to unauthorized and unregulated virement. On the other hand, embezzlement is outright theft of public finances. So far all indications are that this is an outright act of embezzlement. In fact a few individuals are set to appear in court for theft. However the money that these individuals are alleged to have stolen is less than two hundred million. The million dollar question is where is the rest of the over four billion shillings? There can only be two plausible explanations. First it could be that though the money was allocated to the Ministry of Basic Education, treasury did not release all of it. This explains why Professor Ongeri has requested parliament to give him more time to reconcile figures. He probably has a point given that treasury has of late been a target of unrelenting opprobrium especially from the Ministry of lands for allegedly sitting pretty on money meant for the resettlement of IDPS. Treasury has on the other hand insisted that it had duly released all the funds. To date, intrigues still surround these funds. Given this history with treasury it is only after Professor Ongeri reconciles the figures that the public can determine the whereabouts of the unaccounted billions. The second explanation is that a few bureaucrats in the Ministry of Basic Education are being used as a smokescreen to conceal the real faces behind the four billion scam. Obviously the real culprits are people high up in the citadel of political power. They probably need these billions to put in place effective political campaign machinery that will shake all the four corners of the country. KESSP thus became a perfect conduit pipe to harness the necessary billions. This could explain why Professor Ongeri is unshaken even as the public is exposed to the damning audit report. Later he had the gall to furiously spin strange tales in parliament. He even indicted the public for demanding for his immediate resignation. In the opinion of Professor Ongeri anyone remotely associating him with this scam must be too benighted, uncomprehending or completely misinformed. It is hardly surprising that he imagines that calls for his resignation are an “orchestrated evil scheme” to bring him down politically. To this end, he has sought parliament’s protection! According to Professor Ongeri the fact that his name is not mentioned anywhere in the audit report is enough for him to be vindicated. But there is something in his demeanor that savors of deceit. His utterances are indicative of a minister shirking responsibility. He must be reminded that as the substantive minister, he is the chief custodian of public funds in the ministry of Basic Education. He has the responsibility of ensuring that any public finances including debts incurred by the Government on behalf of the Kenyan people is managed and administered in a transparent and accountable manner. In this regard, I implore parliament not to take seriously Ongeri`s rhetoric for in so doing parliament will only be sanctifying the depths of his errors and imagine (as he has done) that there are hidden motives in the public`s call for his resignation. Contrary to what Ongeri believes, this insidious scheme threatens to bring down (not him), but the future of millions of the poor Kenyan children and the future of the country as a whole. His denial reminds me an Igbo saying that states that “a rock behind the sea does not hear rainfall even if it rains torrentially.” This is because such a rock is always wet to notice the rain. Like this rock, Professor Ongeri is absolutely drenched in the FPE scam. No matter the torrential outpouring of complaints from the public, he is simply tone deaf. Finally, the true picture on graft among public officers would be incomplete if President Kibaki`s nine year presidency that has been punctuated by stunning inaction is omitted. The only time he seemed active was last year when he suddenly found the voice to denounce the PM`s suspension of professor Ongeri and William Ruto over corruption allegations. Later on he gave a fiery speech in parliament whose unmistakable intention was to lambast the PM. Furthermore, reports that President Kibaki is keen to have suspended Higher Education Minister William Ruto back in the Cabinet despite the fact that he was acquitted on frivolous grounds is indicative of the fact that President Kibaki is least interested in converting his rhetoric on graft into action. President Kibaki must know that his inaction on corruption is a huge blot in his nine year legacy. It is high time he took notice of the public discontent with the state of affairs and took the necessary action against corrupt public officers.

LET US NOT USE THE OLD CONSTITUTION AS A CONDUIT FOR CONVEYING OUR EVIL INTENTS INTO THE NEW CONSTITUION.

Barring the court case, the budget is going to be read to parliament this week. This is besides the fact that there has been no appropriation bill under consideration, no debate on the floor of the house. Yet buried deep in the Finance Minister`s response to the brisk criticism of his unwillingness or purported inability to live up to the provisions of the new constitution is his characteristic haughtiness. Never mind that this haughtiness is coming from a presidential hopeful! Besides his failure to present an appropriation bill to the August House he has previously never met any deadline in the presentation of annual or supplementary budgetary estimates. Even worse is the fact that there has always been a glaring “mistake” in the same estimates. Yet he has the gall to tell us that the implementation of budgetary accounting and public management reform takes time. He also mumbled something to the effect that there is need of training and the necessity of a cultural change before meeting the constitutional requirement on public finances as entailed in the new constitution. This is hubris. First, I have examined the chapter on public finances with a fine- toothed comb and suffice to say that there is nowhere where it envisages that one can anchor his indolence in the old constitution while implementing the new constitution. Secondly, it is inexcusable for the finance minister to quote time constraints when we know too well that the Ministry of Finance is inundated with the best economists and software that can shorten the budget making exercise to just a fraction of the analogue years. It therefore goes without saying that by choosing to present the annual appropriations at his convenience, the minister is in fact rubbishing article 221 of the new constitution which makes it explicitly clear that for the envisaged scrutiny to take place, the Cabinet Secretary (Now the Minister for Finance) has to submit to the August House estimates of the revenue and expenditure of the national government for the prospective financial year at least two months before the end of the financial year. By extension, he has flouted the entire chapter on public finances which substantially extends the legislatures` right regarding scrutiny of annual appropriations. It seems to me that the minister is unhappy that Parliament has a right to fuller and more relevant information; the kind of information that bestows upon it real strategic steering power. His failure is thus not informed by the constraints of time but rather by the fear of the legislature exercising power over the purse. He knows as much that this power over the purse is a complete and effectual weapon with which legislators can obtain a redress of every grievance, and carry into effect every just and salutary measure. The minister fears the fact that there is an elephant in the budget detail revolving around projected government expenditure. In fact when parliament indicated that it will give him the leeway to flout the provisions of the chapter on public finances, he breathed a sigh of relief. He took it as the triumph of his desires over the national and county interests. He had simply managed to trick the legislature into believing that any roadblock to the presentation of the budget to the August House or the unnecessary delay in the adoption of the budget will lead to delays in their salaries, hence the urgency to have the budget adopted in the blink of an eye. Unbeknown to many such a scenario is aptly provided for in article 222(1, 2a, b and c) of the new constitution. By abdicating a role so sacrosanct legislators have indicated their willingness to opening wide the sluice-gates of corruption in the budgeting process. This is because even though the planning and programming stage of the budgetary process does not entail handling of the actual money flow, it constitutes part of the budgetary corruption process that manifests itself in the actual payments or transfers of money at the budget execution stage. It therefore goes without saying that if the preliminary stages are poorly executed, the danger of cascading corruption opportunities become real. But then in a sense, our inebriate parliament has been in a pro-forma session all year. Beyond a few ho-hum pieces of legislation—legislators could have taken a nine month holiday at the sun and sin resort and the country would be none the worse. Although we know that the most pressing issue facing our country is the runaway inflation and the staggering high cost of living occasioned by corruption and poor governance parliament is simply not embarrassed to set a new standard for dereliction of duty. TOME FRANCIS, http://kenyapatrioticviewpoint.blogspot.com