PRESS RELEASE:KENYAN HRD NJOROGE WAITHERA RECOGNIZED IN DUBLIN.

DATE: 12 February 2010 For Release During Conference -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kenyan HRD Njoroge Waithera Recognized at a Leading International Conference for Human Rights Defenders’ in Dublin 10th-12th February 2010 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- More than a hundred Human Rights Defenders from 90 countries worldwide are attending the “5th Dublin Platform for Human Rights Defenders”, in Dublin from 10th - 12th February 2010. The HRDs are joined by key officials from the EU, the United Nations and intergovernmental organisations and are looking at the current risks facing human rights defenders with a view to developing new strategies to assess and minimise those risks. Speaking at the Dublin Platform, HRD Njoroge Waithera from Kenya called on the international community to promote the respect and protection of human rights defenders by national governments by conditioning bilateral co-operation/assistance to governments’ demonstrable commitment to their obligations under the International Human Rights Law. Njoroge further called on the Kenyan government to institute speedy and impartial investigation for extra judicial execution of two HRDs, G.P. Oulu and O. Kamau on 5th March 2009 and demanded meaningful protection for HRDs facing similar death threats on account of their legitimate human rights advocacy. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navanethern Pillay paid tribute to the courage of HRDs who put their lives on the line everyday, to protect the rights of others. Also speaking at the conference, Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin T.D. congratulated Front Line, the organiser, for their outstanding work. “Human Rights Defenders put their own lives at risk to break the deafening silence of indifference and complacency. Without human rights defenders, the voices of the most vulnerable and marginalised groups in society would not be heard” said Minister Martin. “Human Rights Defenders are people who make extra-ordinary sacrifices, often putting their own lives at risk. They are usually either on the move or on the run. They are the people who change society,” Front Line Director Mary Lawlor said. HRDs travelled from across the globe to attend: from countries where human rights violations are common place such as: Afganistan, Zimbabwe, Iran, Burma, Colombia and Haiti. HRDs are often abused because of their work on the trafficking of women and children, exploitive working conditions, the discrimination of ethnic minorities or the marginalisation of those from indigenous communities. Other guest speakers included UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Ms. Margaret Sekkagya and Front Line Chairman, Mr. Denis O'Brien. For further Information please contact: Jim Loughran, Head of Communications, Front Line Telephone + 353 1 212 3750 Mobile + 353 (0)87 9377586

POSTED BY JOSHUA NYAMORI:-Gross Violation of Human Rights and Acts of Impunity by Kibos Sugar Factory

1. Introduction A shameless act of impunity and violation of fundamental rights of poor people occurred at Kibos Township, four kilometers from Kisumu town center on Tuesday 28th October 2009. This incident exemplified the height of exploitation of unemployed and idle young people by well connected wealthy businessmen to perpetrate their selfish interests. Curiously, the incident has not received much attention in the media. Where it did, the stories did not bring out the real issues. In the morning of the material day, drivers, conductors and touts operating at Kondele center staged a demonstration demanding that the police release their certificates of registration as Community Based Organizations that had been confiscated by the Provincial Traffic Officer. Save for withdrawal of public transport, blocking of the road with rocks and lighting of bonfire on the road, the protest was generally peaceful and it ended after a negotiation between the group and senior police officers during which the confiscated documents were returned to the group. 2. Legitimate Protest Immediately after this, probably motivated by the Kondele protest, traders and residents of Kibos Township, located two Kilometers from Kondele, staged a protest and stopped a sugarcane transport lorry belonging to Kibos Sugar Factory from passing through the township on its way to the factory located within the township. The case of the protesting residents was that, because of the height of the customer built lorry carriers belonging to the factory, whenever they passed though the township, their roofs or overloaded sugar cane contents pulled the main electric power lines that pass-over the road into the township. Whether or not the power lines are cut, the whole trading center and the surrounding villages and slums would then be plunged into a blackout even as any electronic equipment that are connected to electricity are short circuited. Their numerous complaints to the factory management, police, provincial administration and the Kenya Power and Lighting Company had fallen on deaf ears. They therefore remained with no alternative but to stage a protest for their woes to be addressed. 3. Unjustified and Illegal Terror and Culture of Impunity Our investigation has revealed that when the factory management heard that their lorry had been denied entry into Kibos Township by the protesting residents and traders, it resorted to hiring idle youth from Kondele and carwash area and provided them with arms and transport to attack the traders and residents. When the youth arrived in Kibos, they indiscriminately attacked anyone on sight and looted shops and hotels. The residents and the traders re-grouped and overpowered the attacking gang sending them flying for their dear lives. In the ensuing melee, one of the attackers fell off a hired nissan van that was ferrying them and was run over by the same vehicle that drove away without stopping. The residents and traders poured all their anger on the now helpless youth and beat him to pulp. He is reportedly admitted with serious injuries at New Nyanza General Hospital with serious injuries. When the factory management heard of what had happened, it hired three canter lorries and several nissan vans to transport more hired youth from Kondele to Kibos. They were given petrol to burn down the center. When the re-enforcement landed at Kibos, they swung into a spree of looting and an orgy of destruction, arson and attack on the traders and residents. In the wake this second attack, several small scale shops, hotels and offices were in ashes and property of unknown value disappeared in the looting. Several people were also left writhing in pain and nursing serious injuries. The most curious part of this attack is the claim by residents and traders that the attacking gang arrived at Kibos in the company of a land cruiser full of armed policemen led by the Officer in Charge of the Police Dog Unit who watched as the gang unleashed terror and did not attempt to stop them from committing such heinous crimes. As the gang retreated, they are reported to have handed over some of their loot to the police officers. The police then drove away without paying attention to the desperate calls for help from the residents. Because of public outcry, the police arrested three youths suspected to have participated in the attack and a driver to one of the hired canter lorries. They are currently languishing at Kodiaga prison after failing to secure bail. The managers of the factory, led by Mr. Raju Chanan Singh who the residents of Kibos accuse of unbridled arrogance and who should bear the greatest responsibility for the attack, are however freemen. The residents speak of several incidents that Mr. Raju Chanan has arrogantly told them that he is beyond the confines of the law and that the political leadership, provincial administration, police and any other authorities cannot touch him. Apart from the current issue, the residents of Kibos have other serious issues with the factory but have no recourse to justice because the management of the factory has corruptly captured all the instruments of state that do its bidding. The factory is reportedly directing untreated waste from the sugar factory into R. Kibos whose water is used for domestic purposes by several people downstream. At the same time the solid waste from the plant is set on fire and burns throughout the day and night seriously polluting the air in the township and surrounding villages. The factory is also accused of mistreating its workforce and not implementing labour laws and policies that relate to the welfare of workers. The workers are allegedly paid poorly and continuously kept on casual labour status against the law. 4. Conclusion In conclusion, it is important to note that the attitude and behaviour of the management of Kibos Sugar Factory, and particularly Mr. Raju Chanan Singh, is a clear manifestation of a culture of impunity that Kenyans are struggling to eradicate under the framework of the National Accord and Reconciliation Agreement. We demand that comprehensive investigations be carried out on this matter and those found culpable and bearing the greatest responsibility for hiring youth to cause mayhem at Kibos be arrested, charged and taken to jail. The factory management should also be compelled to compensate the victims of the attack to ensure that they recover what they have lost. We also demand that the Government should move in with speed to address all the other issues that the community has raised against the factory so as to ensure that private entrepreneurs are not let lose to misuse and oppress Kenyan citizens under the pretext of promoting investments. To the youth who took part in the attack, we remind them that unemployment cannot be an excuse for crime of whatever nature. When the law finally catches up with them, the principal who hired them to perpetrate crime will not be there to bail them out. In the final analysis, it is also shameful to note that the people who bore the brunt of their violence are poor people like them who are struggling to make a living. SIGNED AND RELEASED IN KISUMU THIS 31ST DAY OF OCTOBER, 2009 Joshua O. Nyamori Coordinator – NYC Anthony O. Ombara Secretary General - NYC

PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE YES – YES REFERENDUM CAMPAIGN

This is to inform you all that the umbrella body of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Kenya, the National Civil Society Congress (NCSC), will launch the “Yes – Yes Referendum on the Constitution” Campaign at a Press Conference at Serena Hotel, on Sunday 20th September 2009, from 10.30am to 11.30am. The Congress believes that the Yes – Yes Referendum position, first proposed in 2008 and shared with various stakeholder groups including the Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitution Review, and the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs and Administration of Justice, is the only way Kenyans can avoid a repeat of the 2005 referendum deadlock. This position is further grounded in disagreements between the main political formations – the Party of National Unity (PNU) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) – over which system of government to adopt, with each party pushing for what is assumed to be in its advantage. What might serve Kenyans best seems to be of no consequence. The continued wrangles between some of the members of the Committee of Experts on Constitution Review (CoE) also make this the only viable option. The Congress will also speak on various issues facing the nation (discussed during the Congress retreat) including the following: · The controversy over the conservation of the Mau Forest Complex · Parliament’s rejection of the re-appointment of Justice Aaron Ringera as Director of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) as illegal · Contestation over the formation and composition of the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) Yours Sincerely Morris Odhiambo President, NCSC (0722-303349)

PHILO IKONYA AND JACOB ODIPO RELEASED-NO CHARGES

In The Photo,Advocate Mbugua Mureithi and Philo Ikonya(in a sackcloth) outside the Kibera law courts moments after Mbugua Mureithi argued out successfully and the magistrate ruled that Jacob Odipo and Philo Ikonya had been unlawfully detained.Looking on is Tariq Jeptebkeny(in the background). picture by Gacheke Gachihi. -- Dear fellow Kenyans and friends of Kenya, This morning, Philo Ikonya and Jacob Odipo appeared before Magistrate Ireri in Kibera Law courts to answer to charges brought against them for allegedly participating in an unlawful assembly. They had been arrested yesterday while demonstrating outside Integrity House in protest of the re-appointment of Aaron Ringera. The two have today been released by Magistrate Ireri since the charge sheets produced by the prosecution were improper for not citing the relevant section of the penal code under which Philo and Odipo had been held overnight in custody. Thank you for any way in which you supported Bunge la Mwananchi in this regard. We urge you to continue to be heard as we speak and act against the culture of impunity in Kenya. Your voice counts. Sincerely, George Nyongesa Bunge la Mwananchi PO Box 456, 00606, Sarit Centre, Nairobi Webiste: www.bungelamwananchi.org Alternate Email: mwananchibunge@gmail.com Tel: +254 720 451 235 THEY WERE REPRESENTED AND THE CASE WAS COMPETENTLY ARGUED OUT AND WON BY LAWYER MBUGUA MUREITHI

IDEALS OF UFC

UFC-BUNGE LA MWANANCHI MOVEMENT (UNITED FRONT FOR CHANGE) Mass movement towards Kenya Mpya-a Peoples Republic of Kenya: We, the stated movement, appeals to Kenyans wherever they are; both at home and abroad, to join us in the grand march towards KENYA MPYA. Since the attainment of independence, unifying Kenyans to champion virtues of nationhood has been an uphill task as the political elite and their cronies in power have consistently placed their selfish interests before that of the citizens. This has resulted in fragmented tribal and ethnic factions in the guise of political parties. Fairness in equitable distribution of resources and meritocracy have been relegated to the backseat with impunity and corrupt practices taking advantage of the loose institutions manipulated from the colonial regimes that still work to the disadvantage of the hapless and hopeless people of Kenya. The meltdown of the post election violence was the reflection of the injustices that the rich and political friends have meted out on the Kenyan people over the years. It was a reaction to open subversion by the successive governments of the day of the people’s inalienable right to elect the government of their choice. . Having noted political phases which only provide opportunities for individual leaders who entrench the culture of protection of status quo after hoodwinking the populace, a movement of like minded Kenyans under the auspices of UFC-Bunge La Mwananchi Movement has emerged with a concept for achieving genuine change with a new perspective of overall governance of the country. Kenya Mpya (New Kenya),as a People’s Republic Of Kenya, is embodied in a people friendly electoral philosophy that involves active participation of all the citizens in the decision making process, bolstered by a structured system of governance guided by strong introspective institutions. The movement is formed to agitate for genuine change with a view to bring all Kenyans to appreciate the philosophy and values which galvanize the citizenry into revolutionizing and removing vestiges of impunity, culture of inherent dynastic leadership tendencies, negative ethinicity,tokenism and corruption. The philosophy and values constituting the Kenya mpya concept defines the following governance ideologies: • A country where every citizen enjoys equal opportunity for political, social and economic power. • A country in which the government is subservient to the people. • A country where the citizens own power and independent instruments to enforce accountability in government. • A country whose governance and leadership hinges on pursuing ideals for achieving people’s goals. • A country whose citizens are bonded by a philosophy and spirit of nationhood, common purpose and vision • A nation separated from the relics of its past. • A nation where rhetoric is replaced with practical realities and concerns for realization of social justice and equal opportunities for creation of wealth. • A nation that listens and dialogues with itself without fear, favour or repression. • A nation that is committed to putting food on the table of every family. • A nation which reins in poverty ,corruption, impunity and ethnocentrism Kenya mpya provides an opportunity for validation of the sovereignty of Kenyan citizens in the constitution, giving them power over the government they elect thus thereby rendering the government subservient to the people’s authority. UFC-Bunge la mwananchi movement has opened its doors to all KENYAN CITIZENS and FRIENDS OF CHANGE to support the movement’s agenda and destiny. We urge you to circulate this appeal to all your contacts and friends and encourage them to share the idea and join the people of Kenya in the movement. KENYA MPYA-POWER TO THE PEOPLE Fwamba NC Fwamba +254-721-779-445 Signed interim secretary of the steering committee For and on behalf the UFC-Bunge la mwananchi movement

We Endorse Cyprian Nyamwamu for Bomachoge!

Cyprian Orina Nyamwamu is a comrade, friend and my immediate predecessor as the Secretary General of the Social Democratic Party of Kenya. He has thrown his hat in the ring to be the next Member of Parliament for the Bomachoge constituency in Nyanza Province. The by-election is taking place on August 27, 2009. Even though he is running on a different party ticket, I am convinced that he is the best candidate in the field and if I had not registered in Makadara constituency in Nairobi, I would have certainly traveled to Ogembo to vote for him. - Onyango Oloo Below is his announcement making it official: Communiqué from Mtumishi Cyprian Orina Nyamwamu to all our people in Bomachoge Constituency This by election is for us to form a strong Bomachoge partnership for change! We need a change from the way we have been doing things in the past. We shall stop electing passengers to Parliament and elect a wise, humble, courageous and visionary leader for change. We shall elect a leader who restates our Bill of Rights as guaranteed by the Constitution of the great Republic of Kenya. We shall elect a Patriotic Kenyan who believes that all Kenyans are born equal and that all Kenyans deserve a chance. This is why I, Mtumishi Cyprian Orina Nyamwamu Seek your vote to represent and serve the people of Bomachoge in Parliament. Today, 4th August 2009, I have presented my nomination papers to vie for the Bomachoge by elections on a Safina ticket. I now humbly, tender this application to all the men, women, children and Voters of Bomachoge constituency to elect Me, Mtumishi Cyprian Orina Nyamwamu for as Member of Parliament for Bomachoge. 1. This is my application to all the voters of Bomachoge constituency: I shall be running to become your Member of Parliament for Bomachoge on August 27, 2009. Your vote is not only for you but also for your children, your family and the whole constituency. It is a vote to end poverty in Bomachoge; Family after Family, Village after Village. My Campaign has established committees in all the 130 polling stations. Each Polling station Committee has 20 leaders. Each polling Station Committee leader is responsible for coordinating the door to door campaigns being carried out by volunteers for my campaign. My Campaign is working to deliver for change at every polling station. This will be the opportunity for all of us Bomachoge citizens to elect wisely. 2. Kenyans, Kofi Annan, Barrack Obama and the world shall be watching. I have a right to lead this constituency. I am a serious candidate. I am a true, courageous, proud, visionary and competent. I am a son of this constituency. I am Leader not a follower. This by- election is at the right time, when history is on the move and Africans are taking charge of their destiny. The whole of Kenya shall be in Bomachoge. This is the time to put Bomachoge in the Kenyan Map by electing a tested and tried visionary leader. 3. Elect a leader with an Agenda. We shall not allow our people to get lost again. We do not want people to regret once again after casting their ballot on August 27; we must become clear that the time for electing PASSENGERS is over. This is the time to elect a leader: Who shall unite our people! We want the end of the DIVIDE and RULE. Who shall wisely and courageously fight for our youth to get employment and skills. Who shall fight for our farmers to get better incomes for their tea. Who shall fight for our business people to access credit and markets Who shall be trusted with our CDF and resources such as LATF Who understands how government works. Who understands how parliament works. Who understands how the judiciary works. Who understands how the provincial administration works Who understands how Kenya works as a members of EAC, IGADD, the AU, the UN. Who understands the National Accord and Agenda Number 4 so that we can work to end poverty, inequalities, devolve resources, strength our institutions and end the 800,000 cases piling in the courts; so that we shall punish those who sponsor killings of others like we saw in 2007/8. We want to elect a leader not a passenger in Parliament. We want a leader who shall Market Bomachoge in Kenya and Africa and increase investments through forming and strengthening new cooperatives, new Companies, new Business Associations, new NGOs, new Trusts and New Foundations. We want a leader who shall fight for the Bomachoge and the Kenya we Want by fighting corruption and holding government to be account and ensuring that Goldenberg, Anglo leasing and other corruption cases are resolved and never repeated again. There are many cases of corruption in the budget such as the Kenren fertilizer company that we keep paying hundreds of millions for every year yet the fertilizer factory is NON EXISTENT! We want this corruption to stop so that people can get medicines in hospitals and roads can be built.. We want a leader who shall deliver better hospitals, better education, better roads, and better services in offices, electricity and a better environment; water and security for all of us. We want a leader who shall fight crime. These are the issues of this election. I know that I can deliver on this Agenda. 4. No violence no Voter bribery and vote buying. We shall ensure that there is NO VIOLENCE and there is ZERO TOLERACE to voter buying and voter bribery. This by-election is not for people to be given money. We must vote with our brains. This By election is for us to write the exam properly NOT to be given money. All of us must wake up on August 27 and vote wisely. We want this election to be peaceful, free and fair. We want EVERY registered voter to turn up and vote wisely. 5. My first 100 Days in office as Bomachoge MP: 5.1 Bomachoge Foundation 1) Samwel Onuko 2) Dismas Oyieko 3) Dr. Naftali Oirere 4) Eucabeth Obara 5) Joram Makori 6) Gideon Achwoga 7) Onyancha Ombongi 8) Morris Mbegera 9) Lumumba Onderi 5.2 Bomachoge Constituency Convention Assembly 3 represntatives from each polling station Shall meet every six months and its Steering committee shall meet every three months. It shall have the following working committees that shall be serving every two years:- A. Public Administration and Security public administration chiefs, Dos, DC, DDC, Provincial administration. • the police and police service • Policy and legislation • Land boards • County, Town and municipal council administration • security strategy • performance monitoring and evaluation • population policy • family and social issues • Culture and cultural policies • council of elders • arbitration and traditional conflict resolution system B Infrastructure, And Urbanization Committee • Communications and IT • Transport • Electricity and energy sources • Special Programmes and disaster management • Roads and bridges • Sports stadia • Social halls • Markets and trading centers C. Education, Training and Placement Committee • Performance of public and private primary and secondary Schools • Village polytechnics and artisan skills • Career advice and counseling • Colleges and university education Programme • Human resource, personnel and career development • Link with university students • Job placements • Entrepreneurship training D. Health And Human Services Committee • Sanitation and preventive health • Medical services, staffing, facilities and financing • Alcohol and drugs control and treatment services • Maternal health • First aid services • Public health education • Planned parenthood/ family planning services • HIV AIDS control and treatment • Social protection for the poor and vulnerable • Persons with disabilities E. Environmental Conservation And Renewal Committee • Community conservation committees (CCC)in each of the sub locations • Rivers • Wetlands – ebirubo • Water catchments areas • Soil conservation • Agro-forestry • Environmental assessments F. Agriculture, Livestock And Food Security Committee • Tea sector reforms and capacity building • Banana sector income building strategy • Cash crops development Programme • Nutrition farming and food security strategy • Land use policy and incentives framework • Livestock expansion and modernization Programme • Agro processing G. Investments, Commerce And Resource Mobilization Committee • Banking services and insurance • Cooperative sector development ( the Partnership Cooperative Development SACCO – PACODES) • The Bomachoge Business Council • Markets administration and development • Trade insurance • Investment support and services H. CDF and Projects Committee • We want this committee to be elected by the people’s delegates. If we had each polling station electing 5 delegates to the meet at each location, then each location can elect 20 delegates to the Constituency Electoral College for purposes of electing the 15 members of the CDF committees • The Committee’s functions and roles are clearly outlined under the Act but what we now must do is to make this process more consultative, open and transparent. I. Liaison, Policy And Dialogue Committee • Serve as the Development Policy Think Tank or coordinate policy think tanks • Liaison with the KNUT , workers, • Civil society • Liaison with the National debates and policy processes • Liaison with the Gusii Development forums I will be recommending for your approval Jesse Onsando to head this committee since he has already taken up the responsibilities of representing Bomachoge constituency in the Gusii Professionals Development Forum. J. The Bomachoge Constituency Convention Assembly Steering Committee • Shall constitute each of the conveners and secretaries of the 9 committees, the convener of the women Convention, convener of the youth convention and convener of the Teachers and workers' representative. • Shall meet every six months • Shall receive reports from the MP on his performance • Shall receive reports from each town council and county council on the application of funds and the performance of each elected civic leader. • Shall convene ward convention assemblies which shall receive reports of performance of each elected and nominated councilor every four months as outlined here in. 5.3 Elect CDF committee Each of the 7 locations shall nominate 30 leaders making it a total of 210 leaders meeting to elect the 15 members of CDF 5.4 The Gucha Community Progress Complex Bomachoge should urgent build a complex that shall be the engine of transformation in Bomachoge. The Complex shall house 1) The Gucha Cultural and Multi-Purpose Hall 2) School for special needs children 3) Offer High quality Civic and Conference centre and hostels 4) Diploma and certificates courses in liaison with KIM and Kenyatta University 5) Farmers Training college 6) Offer Banking Halls for several banks to take advantage of the business potential in Gucha 7) House the Bomachoge SACCO 5.5 Within 200 Days, Institute the Adopt-a-school-Programme in all the primary and secondary schools in Bomachoge Constituency. 5.6 Hold a walk To raise the first 5 Million shillings for a Widows and orphans programme 6. United we stand, divided we shall fall! This by election is a blessing. It is our time to unite and stop the divide and rule tactic that has been used to fragment us and keep us poor. The way forward is for each and every one of us; kera omosweta; to be a Partner for Change. Join the Partnership for Change and together we shall form a strong movement for change in Bomachoge and work with the rest of the nation to change our lives. When united we shall work for a better future. We shall end poverty family by family, village by village! This election is therefore about you and not about Mtumishi Nyamwamu or this politician or that. This election is the by-election of HOPE in Bomachoge. HOPE for employment for our youth HOPE for unity HOPE for visionary, selfless and Courageous Leadership HOPE for better use of CDF HOPE for the protection and promotion of the rights of each and everyone in Bomachoge HOPE for a better education for every child HOPE for farmers to earn better incomes for their tea and other produce HOPE for better medication HOPE for better roads and infrastructure HOPE for security in our homes and business premises HOPE for electricity and water for our constituency HOPE for a united, peaceful and prosperous Kenyan nation So vote wisely. Make sure you vote for your life and the life of your children. God bless you. Your friend Cyprian Orina Nyamwamu, Mtumishi Partnership for Change. To Support the Cyprian Nyamwamu Campaign: M-PESA - 0710 412 236 To read profile and issues of the Bomachoge campaign: http://blog.marsgroupkenya.org/?p=1096

STIRRING IN THE SLUMS

By Barney Jopson 2365 words 23 July 2009 (c) 2009 The Financial Times Limited. All rights reserved One by one, complying hesitantly with the odd request of their visitor, the 20 young men get up from the ridge of grass that forms an amphitheatre at the centre of their slum and sing the Kenyan national anthem. As its Swahili words begin to flow they praise bonds of unity, the shield of justice and the virtues of service. But the soaring sentiments jar cruelly with the reality of the singers' lives. Before the paean to the "glory of Kenya" as the "fruit of our labour" has left their thoughts, they are asked to say what they do. "Hustler," answers one. "Super idler," says another. "Minibus tout, without a minibus," says a third. Fifteen of the 20 are unemployed. The men from Nairobi's Kawangware slum represent the five biggest tribes of Kenya. They are united in agreeing that their biggest problem is a lack of income and that the blame for their predicament lies in one place: the country's failing multi-tribal coalition government. The power-sharing government was formed in February last year to end a post-election wave of intercommunal violence that killed 1,100 people, displaced more than 300,000 and shattered Kenya's reputation as a haven of stability in a rough neighbourhood. US President Barack Obama's paternal homeland plays a crucial role as east Africa's manufacturing base and a transport hub for a vast region: Uganda, Rwanda, eastern Congo and southern Sudan all rely on its road and rail links and its port at Mombasa for access to the rest of the world. Kenya is home to the biggest United Nations offices in Africa and is the base for agencies doing aid and development work across one of world's most troubled, conflict-prone zones. Kenya's leaders signed up last year to an ambitious reform agenda that promised the most dramatic transformation of the country since the end of colonialism in 1963 by tackling the underlying causes of the crisis: land disputes, inequality and a skewed distribution of political power. Instead, the government has been paralysed by corruption, in-fighting and a poisonous lack of goodwill - as even some of its own more straight-talking members admit. "The coalition is dysfunctional," says James Orengo, lands minister. "If it had committed to a clear vision and agreed on structures for decision-making, then all these problems would not be there." George Nyongesa, the visiting political activist who was urging the 20 young men on, says he asked them to sing the anthem to hammer home a point: "That there is a complete contradiction between the founding ideals of Kenya and the present operation of our politics." Eighteen months ago, slum residents like those gathering to listen to Mr Nyongesa - a community organiser from a group called the People's Parliament - were hacking each other to death in the inter-ethnic violence sparked by a disputed outcome to the election. Now, popular anger at the failings of the cross-tribe government appears, with a degree of irony, to be prompting some of Kenya's urban poor to question the role of ethnicity in politics. This is not to say that tribal affiliations themselves are dying away: they remain rooted in language, customs and neighbourhood support networks. Those bonds are at their strongest in rural areas. Even in the most deprived areas of the capital - many of which abruptly segregated during last year's violence - citizens are becoming more united by their loathing of the government than they are divided along tribal lines. Unscrupulous demagogues could still whip up ethnic animosity. But equally, the popular discontent could be harnessed to build a political reform movement that transcends tribes. David Njogu, one of the young Kawangware men, offers a blanket indictment of the government that owes nothing to his ethnicity or theirs. "They're not performing. Just looking after their own stuff. Not looking at the basic things we need," he says. "This country has a lot of money but we don't see it. This is the time for the youth to rise up." John Githongo, a top anticorruption official turned whistleblower, says it is too early to talk of class "solidarity" but notes: "Right now, what we have is a growing awareness: it is inarticulate, could be violent, disorganised and anarchic. There is no template for what's happening in Kenya." If the sentiments are allowed to smoulder without structure, they could explode into violence just as gruesome as last year's. If they are organised into a political force, they could make the 2012 presidential election the one in which a cabal of leaders, some with their political roots stretching back to the independence struggle, are ejected from power. To explain the context, Mr Nyongesa points to a dilapidated minibus that honks at a stray goat before swerving close to a row of roadside kiosks. Across its front are emblazoned the words: "Our problem, Kiraka." Kiraka is a term derived from the names of the three men, each from a different tribe, who were rival presidential candidates in the 2007 election and are now united in power - Mwai Kibaki, the president; Raila Odinga, prime minister; and Kalonzo Musyoka, vice-president. But the word doubles up as a derogatory play on the Swahili for patch. "The cloth is torn so you bring a patch," says Mr Nyongesa. "They are the old patch, hanging on. What we need are new clothes." This is not the first time in Kenya that a government's performance has generated huge popular discontent. But several factors make the country different today, not least that Kenyans are better informed and enjoy more political freedom than in the past. Moreover, the cabinet for the first time explicitly accommodates all of the biggest tribes. This undermines an assumption that has been a linchpin of post-colonial politics in Africa: that the poor will back a member of their own tribe seeking power because patronage will repay the community. "We've always said, 'my man will win and he'll give me a job, I'll have food, I can pay rent, I can take my child to school'," says Mr Nyongesa. "But now all tribes are in the ruling class and it's not brought any relief on our side." Mr Githongo says the coalition "has been sadly helpful" in showing that "the ruling class becomes a tribe once they ascend to power, and it is a tribe that guards what it has jealously and accumulates corruptly with a voraciousness born of impunity". Helping to raise the potency of the divide is growing resentment at politicians who have manipulated Kenyans over the course of decades by stirring "us versus them" tribal hatreds. "When the youth went into the streets they were shot, killed, used by the politicians," says Mr Njogu, the young man in the slum. "We have learnt that these guys are going to psych us to fight. Then they just go off and leave us. So it is better to be together against them." Mwalimu Mati, head of the Mars Group, an anti-corruption organisation, says: "A lot of the youth are waiting for someone to tell them the next big idea. What is the plan? Sometimes it can be a criminal enterprise, sometimes religion, sometimes a political movement." It could also even bring the ethnic militias, who played such a strong role in last year's violence, back to the forefront. An illegal gang called Mungiki, which has harnessed the disillusionment of young men in Mr Kibaki's Kikuyu community, is running extortion rackets and bullying members of its own tribe into compliance. Other ethnic militias have proliferated across the country. Ngunjiri Wambugu from the Kikuyus for Change activist group says: "Violence is usually the output of a lack of dialogue. The issue is, can we have a non-violent confrontation with the political leaders?" To make that possible, his organisation is working with others from the Kalenjin, Luo and Kamba communities to turn shared anti-government feelings into a constructive political force. Mr Nyongesa, who is trying to do similar things with the People's Parliament, says that if the grievances of the urban poor are to play a part in 2012, they need a leader who can transcend tribalism. "People still ask me: who will be our Obama?" he says. "I say: it's up to you to identify him." A movement would also need a set of values linked to basic livelihood issues. But Mr Mati worries about the emergence of a demagogue: "You could dupe the population into a massive vote by promising unga [maize flour] at Ks20 [$26 US cents, 16p, 18 eurocents] per kilogram and then do what you like." Sceptics say any attempt to build a political structure around signs of class identity will quickly reveal that the sentiment is shallow and not wired into people's instincts in the way notions of the tribe are after decades of conditioning by politicians. "If there's a crunch and confrontation my guess is that the more important rallying point will be ethnicity rather than class - at this time," says Maina Kiai, former head of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. He believes that the most significant socioeconomic divisions will turn out to be within ethnic groups rather than across them. "They will fight each other, but also say 'Let's get something to eat'. So you'll see looting and people crossing from the slums into the wealthiest neighbourhoods." Renewed violence could be triggered at any day by a crisis in the coalition, be it over land reform, a new constitution or prosecuting the masterminds of the post-election clashes at the International Criminal Court. In rural areas such as the Rift Valley - where the violence was at its worst, grievances remain intense on all sides and tribal militias are rearming - it is hard to imagine a coalition of the downtrodden. But it is the Kikuyu youth - including those in groups such as Mungiki - who are likely to have a decisive impact on Kenya's future, because last year's crisis was as much about anger over their tribe's perceived monopoly on power and wealth as it was about a rigged election. If they ditch their own tribal elite to join forces with other poor young men that will mark a turning point for Kenyan politics. If they buy into one of their community's most powerful narratives - that Kikuyu survival is being threatened by every other tribe - then little will change. The actions of the president's closest Kikuyu allies, the so-called Mount Kenya mafia, suggest they perceive the grassroots threat, but are also digging deep into their ethnic bunker. Jimmy Kibaki, the president's 46-year-old son, was recently dispatched to talk about "we, the youth" and position himself as a leader of the disenfranchised poor. He was greeted with derision by youth groups. Mr Nyongesa says he and People's Parliament members have been harassed by the authorities ahead of public meetings. Non-Kikuyus complain of being stripped out of the upper echelons of the police and the army in anticipation of another conflagration. These are reminders that any bottom-up movement that gains traction is likely to be met by the full force of the state. But the young slum dwellers of Kawangware who sang the national anthem in the rain know they have one big advantage. "There are two tribes, the rich and the poor, and we the poor have the numbers," says Sam Onchwari, an underemployed barber. "It's the numbers that can put pressure on the government, and we have more than enough." Coalition 'intrigues' convert presidential loyalist into political rival During the crisis last year that saw Kenya pushed to the brink of civil war President Mwai Kibaki could count on no more fierce an ally or tougher negotiator than Martha Karua. The former magistrate was at the tally centre defending the integrity of an election her party was accused of stealing, and then at the negotiating table securing the most powerful jobs in the coalition for its ministers. So when, this April, the 51-year-old said she was ditching Mr Kibaki - a fellow member of the Kikuyu tribe, Kenya's largest - and quitting in disgust as justice minister, her about-turn shocked the country. To Kenyans her resignation confirmed that power-sharing was not working. Ms Karua is now trying to capitalise on their discontent and position herself for the 2012 presidential election in which she is likely to run on a reform ticket. The coalition is inefficient and riddled with rivalries, she says. It is "a system where you are given the work minus the support to do it, where there are intrigues and you are being undermined continuously after you are given a job to do," she tells the FT. Citing her thwarted efforts to tackle police death squads, an ineffective judiciary and corruption within the coalition, she says: "I think the nexus in all of them is impunity . . . The unwillingness to change anything." She attributes the inertia to the self-interest of ministers. "If you have people who feel exposed by reforms they are going to fight them. There are those who feel the police reforms are going to expose the wrong things they have done previously. There are those who feel the fight against impunity will find them, whether it's with regard to violence or corruption." Mr Kibaki and Raila Odinga, prime minister - foes in the 2007 election - are equally to blame for the lack of action, she says. She also rejects the idea that the coalition has been paralysed by in-fighting between their parties, describing it as a "clever ploy" used as a decoy by both sides. Yet in spite of her damning assessment of the coalition, she has "no regrets" about her role in creating it. "I stood up at [the tally centre] for what is right, for me and my country, not just for the president," she says. Reply to Your PostDelete Post Post #2 Philo Ikonya wrote2 hours ago I like this article for many reasons. One, George Nyongesa is a real Mbunge who is not waiting for some cheap mirage of change.. not at all. And it brings us back to our young people and their pain. And how we have let them down. Our principals appreciation of their plight, our parliamentarians and our other classes of those who have and ( have not earned and are not paying taxes) is very poor. They do not see it as something immediate that needs to be put in the ICU. I remember my pain as a youth, the feeling of being trapped in a village life that so contrasted with my school life ... going to school was a reason to be slightly more comfortable...and very in some years when i got a scholarship. This PAIN IS REVOLUTION fuel. I want to see a Kenyan society where an MP works and pays taxes and does not indulge in all manner of businesses. I know that salaries must slashed but that is not all, opportunities must be created for the young to rise and be in charge. And it is not only the youth in trouble. It is the whole country. I have just called a person i know who cooks well ( I had a contact for him) and he told me he was just on the road walking from one of our slums to see if something would happen to him on the road. My call is what happened. This is an old man. I can only call a few people, help one girl to fetch water, once... but this nation must allow its brains in planning to take over and lead the way...we have learnt; it is not about tribes, it is about a system that allows some to move ahead, far too ahead and ties the rest of us down! Bunge La Mwananchi, Wananchi Pamoja!