Do Raila, Kalonzo want to be MPs?
Apr. 23 | BY BERNARD MOMANYI It appears to me that CORD luminaries Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka are very much interested to get into Parliament but are now using proxies to advance the agenda under the guise of ‘public demand’. Listening to statements made by groups and individuals associated with them lately, I have come to the conclusion that the two leaders are simply the ones agitating for it, only that they don’t want to come out publicly. Since this debate on them to go back to parliament started, we have seen mixed reactions from both, but there has been no clear commitment. Recently, we saw Odinga announce publicly that he is satisfied pushing the opposition agenda from outside parliament but days later on Saturday, he told Nyanza religious leaders to give him time to ‘think about’ their push for his re-entry. On his part, Musyoka...
If all city laws are enforced, we’ll land in trouble
Feb. 10 | BY KEN MACHARIA If the City Council of Nairobi implements all its by-laws, most of us might end up facing charges for contravening rules set by the city fathers. There are over 150 rules and regulations on the Council’s website governing parking, waste management, hawking, retail shops, health and other areas within the City. Under the general nuisance offences, you could get arrested by “kanjo” officers for ‘playing any game, riding or driving or propelling on a foot path’. If you happen to own a car, the city inspectorate can arrest you for ‘washing, repairing or dismantling any vehicle in a prohibited area except in the case of emergency.’ While some of these by-laws may seem frivolous, Nairobi residents learned discipline the hard way when the Council started implementing some of the by-laws...
Hold your horses on ICC hearings, Kenyans
Sep. 8 | BY BERNARD MOMANYI Kenyans are an interesting lot when it comes to making quick and uninformed conclusions on all matters they have no sufficient knowledge of. Talk of matters ICC, for instance, and you will get all manner of comments from Kenyans of all walks of life—including those thought to be capable of making informed decisions perhaps due to their extensive knowledge of issues out of experience or their education levels or the company they keep. But when it comes to jumping to conclusions, you will be amazed at how they will not hesitate to swallow words, instead choosing to bawl out comments they cannot substantiate. Since the beginning of what is supposed to be a confirmation of charges hearing at The Hague, bar and street talk has been limited to making conclusions and bashing Ocampo for “doing shoddy investigations.” [For...
Had the London riots been in Nairobi…
Aug. 15 | BY BERNARD MOMANYI Watching the sporadic looting and arson across London since last week has left me convinced that rebellion in the name of democracy is dangerous. It poisons the masses and entrenches a deep rooted culture of impunity even in young boys and girls, who are often considered future leaders. What with hooded 10-year-olds torching shops and looting super stores on the high streets of London. Images of adolescents in their hundreds tucking looted champagne and electronics under their jackets were ridiculous, if you take into account reports that some 16,000 police officers were on the streets quelling the riots. These young boys and girls are part of demonstrators who were protesting the shooting to death of 29-year-old Mark Duggan. It all started as a night-long peaceful vigil before it exploded into sporadic violence hijacked...
Sow seeds of forgiveness this Easter
Apr. 24 | It must be the most difficult thing to comprehend, to be rejected in a country you call your home. It is most devastating, to go homeless not because you never worked so hard to save but because of the ignorance of few minds, who through manipulation forgot the true essence of being human, to destroy Kenyans’ property in the name of fighting for their preferred leader. It is unimaginable that three years down the line, Internally Displaced Persons are spread all over the country. And with the government’s unplanned effort to relocate them, it hurts even more as these Kenyans receive hostile welcome to a land they long to call home. The rejection among Kenyans indicates how far we are from true healing after the post election violence. Are we still hiding from the bare facts that ethnicity still divides Kenyans? With Kenyans dealing...
Why I think CIC is wrong on August date
Mar. 21 | BY LABAN WANAMBISI The Swahili have a saying which goes ‘Mgala muue lakini haki mpe’, which basically means that you should be willing to give credit where it is due, even in incidences where you dislike the recipient. Today I blog on the question of the next general election which has been sparked by the last week’s announcement by the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution purporting that the polls should be held on the second Tuesday of August, a view I disagree with. Charles Nyachae team’s stand is based on Article 101(1), which states "A general election of Members of Parliament shall be held on the Second Tuesday in August in every fifth year." Like most Kenyans I have been praying for the opportunity to use Donald Trump’s famous words, ’you are fired’, to some...
Schools exam ranking not healthy
Mar. 1 | BY PHILIP SAMBU Moments after Education Minister Sam Ongeri released the 2010 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) results on Monday, live images of high school students singing victory songs filled our television screens. Congratulations to all the students who endured the gruelling four years of hard work and a brutal curriculum to post impressive results despite intense competition. It’s in order for schools to bask in the glory of their former charges but I believe the current system where the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) ranks schools in terms of average performances is to the detriment of not so ’academically gifted’ students. Stories abound of how some schools force students to repeat classes or even worse refuse to register them for national examinations if they are deemed capable of chipping...
