Kenya's Months in 2012; Saitoti, Michuki, Dark Forces, Tana River...

Trust you had a lovely Christmas. Now Kenya was quite busy this year doing this:


DECEMBER 

You all remember President Kibaki’s monumental address to parliament. That should go down as one of the most-likeable things Kibaki ever did. Then the MPs went overboard to bootlick the head of state in his presence. 

Deputy Prime Minister’s Uhuru Kenyatta’s “dark forces”. Having failed to reach an agreement on the modality to pick Jubilee’s flag bearer Kenyatta was soon out telling his party, TNA, delegates that some dark forces had earlier coerced him into giving the mantle to his fellow DPM Musalia Mudavadi. The latter had earlier unveiled a deal the two signed as acrimony hit the top. 

Also the formation of political coalitions, last minute signing of deals in a rush to beat the deadline. December 3 should go down as the most anxious, confusing, tiring political day for Kenyans. Raila’s Cord and Uhuru’s Jubilee took centre stage.  

  

November

Early in the month 40 plus security officers were downed by cattle rustlers in Baragoi Samburu. That alone sent shivers down the nations spine. President Kibaki asked for military intervention.

Some sort of earthquake strikes Kenya’s media world and the resulting tectonic movement saw some personalities washed elsewhere. 

President Barack Obama reelected. Joy to the United States, Kenya or rather to the world, as the first black US President got another four-year term on November 6.  A photo of him hugging his wife Michelle Obama went viral on the internet. 

October

The crucifixion that started at the Village Market ended this month as Nancy Baraza quit. 

September 

Tana River tribal clashes continued as dozens of residents were killed in revenge attacks. The deadly attacks began in the previous month when at least 50 people were killed in new clashes pitting Pokomo and Orma. 

Everyone was striking. It was the new swagger in town. Teachers, doctors, lecturers, civil servants were demanding better pays.

August

800-metres specialist David Rudisha’s exploits at the London Olympics reached a new high. The 23-year-old broke the race’s world record for the third time in two years and placed himself amongst the world’s icons of athletics. 

Kenya’s self-proclaimed king of bling, Prezzo, came second in the Big Brother 2012 contest. It was the highest feat achieved by a Kenyan so far in the competition worth $300,000.

July

Come baby Come! Fiery former Prime Minister Raila Odinga adviser Miguna Miguna released a book Peeling Back The mask: A Quest for Justice in Kenya that elicited fierce reaction from the PM’s stalwarts. 

Another terrorism height. At least 14 worshippers were killed by attackers who shot and hurled grenades at two churches in Garissa.  It was the highest number of casualties on a single day and capped other previous attacks aimed at churches.  

June

It was this year’s darkest day for Kenya. June 10. About 10am. News trickled in fast that Internal Security minister Prof George Saitoti and his assistant Orwa Ojodeh had been killed in a plane crash at Kibiku area in Ngong forest. The country was plunged into mourning. In total all the Six aboard the helicopter people were killed in the crash. 

The new Finance Minister Njeru Githae gave a new budgetary estimate hitting over one trillion. When he was busy reading the budget some Kenyans on twitter were busy having theirs: the witty but popular #Budgetyamusufferer that attracted lots of hilarious response from #KOT. 

Ms Fatou Bensouda, the Gambian, also got the nod to take over from retiring Luis Moreno-Ocampo as the International Criminal Court’s Chief Prosecutor. Four Kenyans sent to trial at the Court got another prosecutor. 

May

What happened in May? Don’t seem to find anything worth a mention.

April

The Judges and Magistrates Vetting Board sent the first bunch of unfit judges packing. That light at the end of the judiciary-reforms’ tunnel began to glow. The president of the Court of Appeal Riaga Omollo, Appellate judges Samuel Bosire, Emmanuel O’Kubasu and Joseph Nyamu were declared unfit to continue serving.

March

Kenya joined the big boys. Those boys bossing the world with their rare indispensable commodity—oil. Although it’s yet to be known whether the discovery in Turkana could be commercially viable, President Kibaki made the announcement sparking enthusiasm among Kenyans.

February

Environment Minister John Michuki died. The no nonsense minister was well known for Michuki Rules, the stringent traffic rules he marshaled when he was the Transport minister in 2004.

Few days after the minister’s death, another of President Kibaki’s stalwarts, tycoon Njenga Karume succumbed to illness. 

No one expected Zambia to lift the African Cup of Nations. But in style, against all expectations, went on to win it in a penalty shoot-out against football powerhouse Ivory Coast. The Zambians lifted the Trophy in the host nation, Gabon, a country bearing its worst memories after the 1994 Chipolopolo squad was killed in a plane crash off the coast of the 2012 co-host. 

JANUARY 

The Ocampo Six is reduced to Four after Henry Kosgey and Major Gen Hussein Ali were acquitted by the International Criminal Court’s pre-trial chamber. 

When the New Year was breaking the judiciary’s second-in-command Nancy Baraza was boiling her career. An incident involving her and a guard in the Village Market on the eve of the year got to the media giving birth to a national uproar and subsequently her suspension and investigation. 

Have a blessed New Year. May it come with a full plate of blessings. Thanks for reading this blog in 2012.

Eight Things Kenyans will not Forget about President Kibaki

On December 29 2002, the Electoral Commission of Kenya announced the National Rainbow Coalition candidate Mwai Kibaki the winner of the presidential race and declared him the third President of Kenya.

30 December 2002: That 70-year-old affixed to a wheelchair, trying to smile but clearly in some pain. He still managed to take the oath of office then delivered a powerful inauguration speech promising to rid the country of the evils born by leaving KANU, the party whose leader, President Moi although looking over keenly, was getting muddied by mud missiles thrown by the enthused crowd numbering thousands. Narc took power, KANU took off, President Kibaki took over.

January 6 2003: After promising free primary education during its campaigns, the Narc government had to put the plough fast into the ground. President Kibaki, recovering, oversaw the rolling of the free education on this day, forthwith scrapping all the charges levied on pupils. It was a remarkable endavour that saw pupils fill classes to the brim in the next few weeks. The President wrote part of his legacy on this day.

November 23 2005: after a humiliating defeat to the team Orange, spearheaded by Roads Minister Raila Odinga, opposing a proposed constitution during the referendum held on 21 November, President Kibaki, on the Yes camp, the Banana side, responded swinging his sledgehammer that kicked out all the ministers in the Orange camp. He addressed the nation, dismissed the cabinet and after reconstituted bringing on board former members of the opposition in a government of national unity. The sacked later established the Orange Democratic Movement-Kenya which would later split into ODM and ODM-K. Both parties competed against the president in the 2007 elections.

February 28 2008: Any Kenyan above 15 years on this day would be doing herself or himself a great deal of shame if s/he forgets what took place that afternoon at the entrance to Harambee House. President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga were at the centre of it. Bloodshed was the order of the day the last few weeks to this day after disputed presidential elections ignited one of the worst post-election violence the country had witnessed. A worried international community called on former UN boss Kofi Annan to bring together the bitterly disagreeing parties, Kibaki’s PNU and Odinga’s ODM. On this day, the two principals signed an agreement, The National Accord, which lifted up Kenyans’ spirits and the ongoing deadly fighting receded and ultimately stopped. A country slowly descending to lawlessness and anarchy began rising up once again.

March 3 2009: The Mzee had obviously gotten fed up by an assertion gaining weight that he had two wives. To dismiss it he called and addressed a press conference at State House where he insisted he had only one wife. The famously indifferent President could not continue facing the assertions and flanked by a visibly angry First Lady Lucy Kibaki he threatened to take legal action against those who insisted on the other wife.

February 14 2010: Confusion galore. The National Accord at the core. Earlier on this day, PM Odinga had suspended ministers William Ruto (Agriculture) and Prof Sam Ongeri (Basic Education) over corruption allegations but President Kibaki later in the evening revoked that decision. The President’s decision carried the day but the internal wrangles and suspicion in the coalition government hit the top.

August 27 2010: The old man awash with elation standing tall, hoisting the new constitution with his right hand and turning around to show the dignitaries at the high table that included various heads of state from the Eastern African region. The President was overtly happy having achieved one of the key promises he promised Kenyans when he took power in 2002.

November 9 2012: on this day an ageing President Kibaki stamp-proved one of the easily biggest infrastructural projects his government initiated and finished under his watch. The expansion of the heavily jam-infested Thika Highway began in 2009 and the President commissioned the eighth-lane, sh31billion project, this day. Former President Moi ended his 24-year reign by anointing and endorsing his successor who went on to lose, President Kibaki may have ended his by endorsing this project expected to ease traffic movement in the north-western part of Nairobi.

That's President Kibaki.  He did many other things. But don't forget these when he chucks office after the next general election.

March 5 2013: Probable Facts

IEBC: by the end of this day this commission should have delivered results, mostly the would be highly anticipated presidential results. It would be bordering crime if it wouldn’t and reading from the 2007 script Kenyans would be even more anxious and anxiety is the last thing this reforming body would want to build. 

Muhuruto presidency: Musalia Mudavadi saves this group from possible political ignominy. He’s the last bet for the other two guys and his presidency smells of soberness and humility. One thing the other two guys need is an affirmation from the electorate of the confidence they have so far exuded despite a baggage few would be ready to overlook by running for the country’s leadership. Their win would just give them that, confidence. That entourage that welcomed them back from The Hague should be even longer on this date, maybe even stretching to Rift Valley from Central. The anger, meanwhile from the likes of President Obama, UK PM Cameron, should be hitting the roof, snaking to the hoof. Probably Pres Yoweri Museveni should be desperately trying to find another corridor for his country's supplies in Mombasa. Panic mode. Although that’s largely because of the unknown.

Railonzo presidency: this is not a coalition formed out of utmost love for each other. More out of fear, and desperate attempts to sugar-coat bitterness from rejection experienced elsewhere. The biggest challenge with it is it would struggle to shake off that bitterness even after assuming the presidential niceties. Scrap that but still suspicion, competition and bids to outdo each other might characterise it. Pull the challenges and this appears an effective leadership for the Kenya we will be on this day. But then again these guys would have been in powerful positions over the last five years. What freshness could they inject in the next five? President Raila smacks of freshness, soberness and adherence to the letter of the rule of law. A deputy president Kalonzo offers not much, not such. Indecisiveness, unassertiveness and bagging fears he could turn against his boss any minute. But then again he has been subservient to his boss since the last election.   

  

Others: Kentuju, Karualone, Kiyiapiforgotten, Kamenjuoker etc, etc: they might be harbouring that dream freshness, newness some voters are hungering for but the masses have never gone for such, they pick their tribal idols. On this day they may be affixed to their corners in the periphery coldly hugging their high-flying manifestoes. Others would be hugging their votes. 

Kenya: should be peaceful at all costs. The pain of any loss shouldn’t be the reason to unleash hell. Peace is never equal to anything, least no peace.