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Post by Onyango Oloo on Oct 17, 2005 12:59:57 GMT 3
Kibaki's creation of three new Districts.
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What a dream Emilio must have had last night.
Is Emilio Kibaki not the same guy who said (just a day earlier) that new districts would be created by Parliament, while addressing Kipsigis fear of having "their" districts scrapped?
Well, that's history now, he woke up and declared the creation of three new districts in Nakuru (to make a total of 4) on behalf of parliament & on behalf of the people of Kenya.
I think there is deceit here.
Kibaki did not just wake up to proclaim an overnight EXECUTIVE decision.
What may appear as a genuine call for bringing governance closer to people may well turn out to be just something else.
Well orchestrated, by first having local MPs urge for their creation & then the President accenting to the requests on the spot, this move is questionable.
Do we assume Kibaki has become a "roadside declaration President" ? or; Was this a well acted script played by Kibaki's handlers?
This exactly illustrates fears expressed by many Kenyans, myself included of DP's real agenda for Kenya. It is yet to be formally unveiled, but pegs a lot of hope on the passage of the Wako draft on November 21st. The agenda intends to use Districts as the unit of its realization, both in local & national platforms (thru' Presidential elections).
My recent prediction (on this forum) is being unveiled even earlier than I had anticipated.
A sly Kibaki has found it prudent to quickly sneak in three more GEMA districts using the loopholes in the current Constitution (executive fiat).
While giving freebies to the Kalenjin with one hand, he uses the other to affirm Gikuyu dominance of the Rift Valley. Quite clever.
Did anyone pay attention to this BIG but apparently harmless statement....." looking for land to settle land clash victims " attributed to Kibaki. That is yet to come.
We may expect a grand plan of issuing titles to land clash "victims" within Molo, Naivasha & Rongai Districts very soon. Yes, these three new GEMA districts may be further populated at the State's cost.
We Kenyans may wanna be aware that we will pay for the re-location of the "victims" when Kibaki's government "finds" (or is it collect's) the money to buy the land.
Can't the government instead help settle them back in their previous land, which I assume they legitimately purchased & owned. Security can also be provided for them there. Someone maybe trying to be clever with pumbavu Kenyans here.
This is textbook replication of Kenyatta's initial relocation of Agikuyu into the Rift Valley through the highly tribalized settlement plans of the 60's & 70's.
Kibaki's intention may be....... to energize the Gikuyu in Rift Valley to come out in numbers and support the Wako draft, in anticipation of "greater" things yet to come, ........while concurrently appeasing / hoodwinking Kalenjins with handouts meant to pacify them & dupe them into voting YES.
His onslaught on Rift Valley land this prematurely defies odds. Some thought he would resist the temptation, at least for now.
Native Rift Valley inhabitants who traditionally/culturally own land through communal trusts could be feeling powerless as they watch this drama unfold, whereby surrounding land is systematically "acquired" for settlement on political motivation.
Their power would have been otherwise effectively articulated & represented in a Devolved Government covering their jurisdiction, as was espoused in the four-tiered Devolution articles in the Bomas draft.
Kibaki finds it quite in order to abuse the excesses offered to the Presidency, and even goes to disregard court orders, essentially placing himself above the very law he swore to protect.
His outward bias toward his people can't be masked even as the nation walks towards a national referendum of immense importance to the life of Kenya.
Many citizens across the country seriously need services brought near to them, and as such qualify for the creation of more districts close to them, not just in Nakuru. This must be a national exercise done in an orderly and equitable manner, rather than on; biased, ethnic linked, unilateral and selective criteria that Kibaki used .
I am strongly pro-devolution. I am for the creation of even more districts, but in a well structured manner.
Having seen the immense benefits poor, illiterate & rural based citizens get from their establishment, I will strongly urge for creation of more.
But, wait a minute, I am against their creation for whimsical political expediency reasons. I am against their creation to effect political goals. For example, technically barring other presidential contenders from winning the Presidency based on a Constitutional clause that uses politically created districts to limit chances of "some opponents" acquiring 25% vote threshold on 1/2 of all districts.
I am also against creating them as a tool to effect "land grabbing".
Devolution, only if effected fairly is otherwise quite a good thing.
Some years back, as a Medical Officer (MO) at Msambweni District Hospital, I noticed while manning the Obstetrics ward, that very few women were delivering at the hospital, yet I could see very many pregnant women around Kwale.
This was at variance with my earlier station in Central Province where I could sometimes conduct (or assist in) five deliveries & two Caesarean sections per night.
I later came to realize that most women around Msambweni at that time, relied on traditional midwives for child bearing. This was not because they had less confidence in hospital based deliveries but due to an earlier incident at the hospital, when the power generator broke down at night while a C/Section was being performed on a young girl, who unfortunately lost both her's & her newborn's lives.
Word then spread around that it was dangerous to deliver at the hospital & in fact better to have traditional midwives conduct them .
But guess what? The traditionalists could not handle breach deliveries & nearly always lost their patients. Few they sent to us in very desperate conditions that we only managed to salvage a few. This explained the high maternal mortality rate (& partly the infant mort. rate)in Kwale.
Msambweni District hospital which covered 1/2 of Kwale district did not have electricity power then ( I wonder if electric power has reached it today). It relied on a very old & inefficient generator.
The MOH had tried unsuccesfully on numerous occasions to get a better generator which incidentaly didn't cost much. The paltry hospital budget couldn't spare anything worthwhile for such project.
Power barons at Afya house in Nairobi, majority of whom are non-clinicians, did not see the Urgency of replacing the generator to save lives. The D.C & District Accountant in Kwale could do nothing to help. This was a common phenomenon witnessed across the Nation in Busia, Teso, Turkana, Mandera, Kisumu, Siaya, Garissa, Mwingi, Kitui, Muranga ........etc
I saw in the eyes of real people & heard from real people, the "powerlessness" they felt under situations like this. Too much concentration of power in the Central Government based in Nairobi, comes out at such times as being very insensitive to the needs of grassroots based people.
This culminated in the agitation for a change to this system which was proving ruthless to grassroots people. Wananchi called for devolution of power closer to them. They called for a fair & equitable distribution of resources. They asked that such power not be left in the hands of one individual called the President.
Well, unfortunately, it still is, and while holding our breath, we hope it does not get further entrenched on November 21st. We need to have mercy on the grassroots people in Msambweni, Busia, Teso, Turkana, Mandera, kisumu, Siaya, Mandera, Mwingi, Kitui, Muranga....etc by voting NO at the referendum.
Lets utilize the lessons we are today witnessing from Kibaki's recent actions to reject an Imperial Presidency and vote NO.
unedited.
Job
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Post by kamalet on Oct 17, 2005 14:55:20 GMT 3
Kibaki's creation of three new Districts. ------------------------------------------------- What a dream Emilio must have had last night. A sly Kibaki has found it prudent to quickly sneak in three more GEMA districts using the loopholes in the current Constitution (executive fiat). While giving freebies to the Kalenjin with one hand, he uses the other to affirm Gikuyu dominance of the Rift Valley. Quite clever. Did anyone pay attention to this BIG but apparently harmless statement....." looking for land to settle land clash victims " attributed to Kibaki. That is yet to come. We may expect a grand plan of issuing titles to land clash "victims" within Molo, Naivasha & Rongai Districts very soon. Yes, these three new GEMA districts may be further populated at the State's cost. We Kenyans may wanna be aware that we will pay for the re-location of the "victims" when Kibaki's government "finds" (or is it collect's) the money to buy the land. Can't the government instead help settle them back in their previous land, which I assume they legitimately purchased & owned. Security can also be provided for them there. Someone maybe trying to be clever with pumbavu Kenyans here. This is textbook replication of Kenyatta's initial relocation of Agikuyu into the Rift Valley through the highly tribalized settlement plans of the 60's & 70's. Kibaki's intention may be....... to energize the Gikuyu in Rift Valley to come out in numbers and support the Wako draft, in anticipation of "greater" things yet to come, ........while concurrently appeasing / hoodwinking Kalenjins with handouts meant to pacify them & dupe them into voting YES. Job, It is interesting how a person like you can transform himself to a tribalist and a gikuyu-phobe. Unfortunately, just like the Luos, Gikuyus are here to stay, and it does not matter how many little silly plots you see! Kamale |
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Post by aeichener on Oct 17, 2005 17:36:10 GMT 3
You are mistaken, Kamale.
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Post by job on Oct 17, 2005 21:06:16 GMT 3
Kamale,
The creation of three new GEMA districts is not a "little silly plot". It is indeed big mischief of national importance. I saw it coming & there it is.
I do not shy from predicting, debating or even pointing out tribalistic plots. We'll agree on that issue if you may, since that is a topic you'll read from me quite often.
Your should have directed your question "how can a person like you transform himself into a tribalist ?" to your hero Emilio Kibaki. It is a question very relevant to him now that he propagates tribalistic policies.
You may reconsider your stereotyped generalizations, I am not a Gikuyu-phobe by any means. I however dislike the agenda fronted by Kibaki & the Mt. Kenya Mafia surrounding him. That I'll keep pointing out, it has nothing to do with the general Agikuyu peoples who(m) I don't have a problem with.
Couldn't you have pointed specific points from my opinion that are off mark, rather than becoming my "Judge" on a general basis.
unedited.
Job.
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Post by njoroge on Oct 18, 2005 5:23:45 GMT 3
Job,
How anybody can read tribalism in your post is a mystery to me.
The announcement of the creation of the districts seems to be a "roadside decision" reminiscent of the Moi days.
I AM from Naivasha and I know just how much our resources have been stretched but so are those of the rest of the country and I think it's improper to make such decisions just to win votes.
We need a comprehensive plan with the proper authorities to resolve such issues. I especially agree with your logic when it comes to the distribution of resources and how you tie the plight of the pregnant women in Msambweni to show relevance to your argument.
In the case of Naivasha, we have 255,000 residents ('99 censures figures) and with only one major hospital and an accident-prone major highway in the backyard, you can imagine how stretched we are.
On a selfish note, I intend to run for parliament in 2007 and with 96,000 registered voters in Naivasha constituency, it will be tantamount to conducting a campaign in 3 regular constituencies since most constituencies have an average of 33,000 voters! It would make more sense to split the constituency and make Naivasha a district (hell we are served by 2 DO1s for crying out loud!).
The problem with alot of folks is that they are too ignorant to rise above petty tribal alliances. I would rather have a competent president from another tribe than a grossly incompetent president from my tribe.
The latter does not help you but instead hurts you - I hoped to get into UoN Law School but there were only so many places and I couldn't get in, maybe if Tom Mboya (the best president Kenya never had) had become president, the land redistribution would have been done better instead of grabbiosis, the economy would be like Botswana's, Unemployment would be lower, we would not have had the political crises and oppression we've had, govt and it's institutions would be competent, efficient and accountable to the people and I and many others would not have had our academic dreams frustrated.
Tribalism....? Tch! Tch!!
Njoroge
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Post by kamalet on Oct 18, 2005 9:26:59 GMT 3
Job,
It is cheap way of thinking where you can only see a tribal agenda in the splitting of Nakuru district. To you it should stay that way perhaps until we have a pokomo president so that a gikuyu plot does not become apparent! Are you not the one who gave the story of the hospital you worked in, and argued for devolution?
You see if I came and posted a thread on this forum questioning the luo membership of this forum as a luo plot to campaign for the orange group, I would be accused of being a luo-phobe and a tribalist. It is not any different to the 'little silly plots' I allude to in your only seeing a GEMA agenda in the splitting of districts.
But I fully recognise the right of Kenyans irrespective of their 'tribes' to say what they will, and the fact that I appear as the lone voice championing the Banana agenda in this forum shows the importance of respecting each and everyone of us to hold their opinions.
Njoroge,
On one hand you argue for a case of having Naivasha made a district, but see everything wrong with the decision to split Nakuru District. You have joined the mind reading antics of Job that the ploy must be to win votes! You then suggest that you have a vested interest in the Naivasha seat, but are still concerned that convincing 96,000 voters is tough when someone else has only 33,000 to convince.
If you read the law, you know very well that the president cannot create any new districts following the Michukli ruling. Parliament would have to sanction the split, and in any case this is not possible before the referendum, so this can only be done under the new constitution to be promulgated on 12th December 2005!
This silly thing of reverse tribalism always annoys me. If you have beef with Kibaki, please do so without justifying that you are a 'kikuyu'. If he is a bad president he will be whether you are a kikuyu or not.
BTW, your missing out on the law school at the university surely has nothing to do with Tom Mboya not being president. But I think you extend your grief too far irresponsibly. I am sure if you were a wee bit honest, you know you can join the law school of the university today - if you know how.
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Post by Onyango Oloo on Oct 18, 2005 9:56:26 GMT 3
Kamale:
The overwhelming majority of JUKWAA members are NOT Luos. That may perhaps shock you.
Onyango Oloo
Toronto
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Post by job on Oct 18, 2005 18:05:57 GMT 3
Kamale,
With all due respect, "my cheap way of thinking" has indeed made me see a tribal agenda in the splitting of Nakuru District. Lets not forget to add another GEMA inhabited district slated for splitting, ( actually prescribed yesterday ), Laikipia.
If you don't see the relevance of my argument vis-a vis , the timing & selectively tribal nature of these SPLITS in relation to the proposed Wako constitution (& forthcoming referendum) then just keep it that way, since others view it through a different prism.
Don't assume my support for devolution is blind, for as I said, I abhor selective, tribalised, & politically mischievious devolution ploys. Why create districts only after pegging them to presidential elections.
Don't you SEE any CONFLICT in an incumbent President creating more districts in areas dominated by his ethnic tribe when success in Presidential elections has been pegged to acquisition of 25% vote in 1/2 of all districts by the Wako draft?
I guess not? Other Kenyan's see it for your information.
Furthermore, I'm a fan of the four-tiered, Bomas type of devolution which gives real power to the people & in which the administrative units are drawn across THE ENTIRE NATION & entrenched in the Constitution to avoid political expediency games such as the one being displayed by Kibaki now.
It may be easy for you to label other debators tribalists, or accuse this forum of being a LUO plot fronting for ORANGE, but have you paused & wondered for a moment, whether this ORANGE campaign is really just a LUO campaign or a NATIONAL one with diverse input?
Why is Kibaki busier than ever, tossing candies & freebies all across the nation like never seen before? Is he responding to a national statement of dissaproval he's been made aware of, with regard to the referendum vote? Think about it.
Back to the District debate,
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For the umpteenth time, Article 149 (4) of the Wako draft will allow only one tribe to produce Presidents in Kenya through the 25% vote threshold required in 1/2 of Kenya's districts. There is simply no way to intellectualize the contrary.
With Kibaki's continued creation of GEMA districts (Nakuru, Laikipia...so far announced), which he projected would ultimately raise the total number of districts to 85, I will safely argue given Kenya's ethnic based elections, that candidates from only one tribe (Kikuyu) can marshall that kind of vote in 43 districts.
This requirement will stay for posterity given the virtual impossibility of amending Wako's constitution, if it passes the plebiscite test. That officially gives away Kenya unto the hands of a GEMA hegemony.
People are not buying to this kind of myopic CONMANSHIP, where the Presidency is technically reserved for one tribe.
The architects of this clause are the REAL TRIBALISTS, not debators in this forum who point this out.
As for Kibaki's timing, part of his motive could be to energizing his ethnic base, especially those he's promised to "settle" in Rift Valley , so they may come out overwhelmingly to vote YES at the referendum. I don't think that's Astrology,.... it's pretty obvious.
Lastly, don't feel too lonely, coz there are other 'lone voices' (TO USE YOUR OWN WORDS) like you, I encounter in other fora drumming the Banana beat.
peace.
unedited.
Job.
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Post by kamalet on Oct 19, 2005 11:00:44 GMT 3
Job,
Assuming what you suggest is correct that the changes are destined to entrench a Kikuyu president. Exactly what problem do you have with a Kikuyu president - and I am not talking about Kibaki here. Do you belong to that school that says they 'presidency must circulate so that we can also eat'?
I am still not convinced that the present devolved structure advantages any one group, and its on the same basis that I am convinced that Kenyan will continuously be under a coalition arrangement for the foreseeable future as long as tribal arithmetic comes into play.
It would appear that you have resigned yourself to the kikuyu president actually garnering the mandatory 51% of the vote and all he needed was the 36 districts to guarantee his election (if you believe the media - make that 43). I am convinced that if that kikuyu can garner the 51%, he will be even happier to go for the run-off since he is assured of election without worrying about total country appeal!!
But if he can actually garner the 51% and qualify with 25% of the vote in at least half of the country, then in my mind that is a president with a mandate from Kenyans as opposed to the past where we had a president with a mandate of only 30% of Kenyans.......tribe notwithstanding!!!
Finally, can I smell a whiff of suspected defeat on 21st now that Emilio has started playing survival politics?
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Post by kamalet on Oct 19, 2005 17:33:31 GMT 3
Kamale: The overwhelming majority of JUKWAA members are NOT Luos. That may perhaps shock you. Onyango Oloo Toronto Oloo, The number of luos in this forum is neither here nor there. My point to Job was that if I was to start isolating the the fact that you, Adongo, Job, Miguna and Rough Rider are all Luos, then I would not be any different to the plots that Job see being hatch by kikuyus and not individuals in government. I do not agree that these people are kikuyu tribal chiefs! If he can see these people as they are and not the tribe they represent, then I would not find anything tribalistic about his comments....... |
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Post by job on Oct 19, 2005 17:35:20 GMT 3
Kamale,
Kindly desist from "putting words in my mouth". I don't know where you get this notion that I have a problem with a Kikuyu Presidency.
Please & stick to my argument. This debate is about the election rules for the Presidency, whereby the Wako draft in Article 149 (4) technically makes it easier for a Kikuyu & difficult for other candidates to win it; put other simpler terms "false starting" Kikuyu candidates in the race by the 25% vote threshold in 1/2 of districts, as we witness even more GEMA districts created.
I can assure you many Kenyan's would want to have an equal chance for the Presidency contrary to reserving it as a "birth right" to a select community by mischevious rules.
Kenyan's didn't fail to notice that this rule was crafted by DP for their direct benefit, since DP currently holds the Presidency. We'll leave this for the referendum.
What do you mean "a Kikuyu being happy to go for an election run-off, since he will be assured of election victory without worrying about total country appeal".
Unfortunately, this is the kind of chauvinism to be expected from an absolute majority constituent & not one from a relative (edge) majority!
Since this tribal chauvinism is a subject you choose to flaunt around, I assume, then let's get some historic perspectives relevant to Africa.
In your Statistical projections, it would be prudent not to worry about 80% of the country's non- Kikuyu population in a run off, or is it that whenever there's a run off, all Kenyans WILL rather prefer a Kikuyu candidate. C'mon buddy, I don't know what you mean with that kind of math?.
Have you done a brief historic & demographic survey of Nigeria, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi & Uganda. Have you for instance asked yourself some of the socio-political drives that have "barred" the Baganda, Uganda's biggest ethnic community (with a relatively bigger majority than Kikuyu in Kenya) from the Presidency for four decades.
What do you think motivated the "collective gangism" against them? Haven't strong, rich & very educated Baganda candidates faced sole but lesser glamorous non-Baganda opponents in Ugandan elections? You know what the result has always been.
Why are the rich & populous Ibo of Nigeria "kept off" from power perenially? Haven't past military governments even "doctored" their numbers in population census to "shut" them up!
I can almost guarantee you that in the spirit of keeping a Baganda "off" the Ugandan Presidency, Yoweri Museveni, who hails from a small Anyankole tribe, will be democratically elected President for a third term,...... which is quite buffling in the sense of Ugandans "bending" the Constitution to allow an individual run for an unprecedented third term.
For how many decades have minority Tutsi's ruled Rwanda? Isn't a Tutsi back in power there. Why does power allude Congo's biggest ethnic community?
My friend, I hope that's not the type of African ethnic chauvinism being flaunted around naively by DP & its over-zealous proponents. I'm hoping you don't espouse such bigotry in your statement about "not worrying about total country appeal".
Africa is full of conflicts & turmoil, which in essence is partly triggered by bad leadership & ethnic jingoists surrounding biased leaders who prefer the practice of exclusionism, tribalism, & nepotism rather than nationalism.
Lastly, are you by any means getting excited about a Kibaki comeback now that you've admitted he's playing survival politics. Why does a President only elected 3 years ago have to fight to survive in office mid-term?
Debate.
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May you kindly tell me more about the debate yesterday, if you can try to genuinely give a fairly balanced account.
Who was a better debator? orator? who was more effective in passing a message? FROM BOTH SIDES PLEASE?
peace.
unedited.
Job
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Post by kamalet on Oct 19, 2005 18:16:41 GMT 3
Job,
Just how will a kikuyu be advantaged when their total population is only 22% ofthe entire Kenya population? Now add up the arithmetic of becoming a president under the 'wako mongrel'.
About last night.
The two best orators were Mukhisa Khituyi and Okemo. Muite was subdued and Mutula and Tuju were the hecklers of the program though Tuju came on top. Prof. Nyong'o lost it completely when he could not control his temper at the taunting by Muite and Tuju and degenerated to derogatory remarks. The Moderator could have done better in controlling the debate.
Seriously the Banana team upstaged the Orange team when they got them to abandon any comment about Bomas very early in the debate. If they had got the initiative of bringing out Bomas as the preferred document, they would have maintained the initiative over the Banana counterparts. I still think Godana would have been a better placed person there than Mutula who actually campaigned for continued holding of land by foreigners on a free hold basis - never mind that Tuju challenged them to quote a difference between Bomas and Wako on the land issue. That is where Bomas was lost.
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Post by miguna on Oct 20, 2005 3:35:26 GMT 3
Folks,
You guys have really wrestled. It is admirable.
On the Debate
I watched & listened to the same "debate" but thought that Muite, Nyong'o and Mutula were better than the rest. I did not see Nyong'o's lose his tempter. Quite to the contrary. Nyong'o gave very elaborate examples of why both the content and process of the Mongrel made it unpalatable. Mutula cited section after section that was faulty and unacceptable. So did Muite cite various sections to support his arguments. Nyong'o also warned against SK Macharia's Citizen Media Houses' plots to turn Kenya into another Rwanda. He demolished Tuju's antics by not directly responding to red herrings, which kept popping from the banana republicans. I think the worst debator was Tuju, followed by Kituyi. The moderator was very biased, unstable, kept cutting off the Orange team while allowing Muite, Kituyi and Tuju to go on and on on tangents. Tuju's tactic of pointing the Mongrel into Orange Team's side and asking what was different from the Bomas Draft was actually a none-starter. It begged the question: if there were no differences, why the Mongrel and not Bomas. Actually, speaking today with another friend of mine who is in the communications business, he told me that Tuju appeared arrogant and unnecessarily antagonistic (characteristics that some of us who have known him personally, were surprised to see him exhibiting). Perhaps he is embarking on a new occupation ahead of the 2007 rout...
As I told a friend of mine today, I considered it a tie. Yet, that is actually irrelevant since I don't even think people should be debating the Mogrel. It is illegitimate and it does not deserve to be debated. That's my opinion.
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Post by job on Oct 20, 2005 4:34:22 GMT 3
Kamale,
Having watched a couple of US Presidential debates, I acknowledge it's generally a tough thing to pass points across in the full glare of cameras with almost the entire Nation watching or listening.
From what you said & from other accounts, I'm surprised at the performance of both the NO & YES debators with the exception of Mukhisa Kituyi, whom I know as a good orator & skillful debator. I've been to at least three oral presentations by Kituyi & he's generally quite effective.
I'm surprised Nyong'o didn't stand out, I'm surprised Mutula didn't shine. I'm equally surprised Okemo emerged the most effective from the NO team, I didn't previously recognize his abilities.
On the YES side, I'm surprised the PR, Media & Publicity horned Ralph, didn't win accolades but was generally quoted as having basically heckled for most of the 90 minutes. I thought Muite would stand out very prominently, I was wrong too.
Keep the update on the next debate, I hope they substitute the debators from both sides.
Districts.
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On the District politics, I'm fond of repeating the statement, "Two wrongs don't make a right". What I mean is that Moi created Districts using faulty methodology. Kibaki MUST NOT REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKES IN TRYING TO NULLIFY OR GET EVEN WITH MOI's DEEDS.
Emilio was previously held in very high esteem. It is mind boggling to witness his metamorphosis into another Moi clone.
Creation of more districts was indeed long overdue by the time Moi assumed the Presidency.
He answered the call but in very shady ways. He opted not to base their creation on demographic & geographic policies BUT rather on Political & Ethnic considerations. The way he effected this was by piecemeal roadside proclamations.
Typically, a delegation would be sent to State House, or the President would visit locals. Led by a senior sycophant, they would hype some sycophancy tunes which would culminate in requests for creation of a district. Moi would sometimes get carried away & hand them on the spot, only few times saying "Tutaangalia hayo maneno".
No policy guidelines seemed to control this important aspect of administration of services closer to grassroots people. I avoid using the term devolution per-se since there was no real power being vertically handed down to the grassroots people themselves.
What we ended up with was a jumbled, haphazard, ethnicized & politicized re-drawing of our internal boundaries. No surveys & planning informed such policies & not even evaluation was done to get a feedback as to whether there was improved service delivery or not.
Not even some district headquarters have been built 10 years since their creation were proclaimed.
I can list to you more than 20 (twenty) districts that have surpassed the 300,000 population mark set as ideal for administrative units. I can also list at least 9 (nine) districts that are too vast in size to effectively cater for the basic services for inhabitants.
Hence a lot of disticts are in essence due for re-drawing. It makes sense to synchronize & harmonize their planning & creation having considered all factors including economic viability or subsidy concerns.
A team mandated by the ECK as stipulated by a Constitution seemed the most logical thing here. Legislative sanctioning & Presidential accent would then follow to seal the birth of new districts. Bomas draft in it's extensive devolution & Republic territories/boundaries chapters, suggested this.
Under Bomas, a district was slated as the the second level of devolution. Elected representatives would govern the people with substancial power, devolved vertically both from the Regional units & the Central government.
Following from Kibaki's inaugural speech in 2002, I was expecting him to leave this -district subject- to technical policy experts hired by the ECK and mandated by our "new" Constitution in well laid out terms to do their job, just as he suggested. Their suggestions would then be brought for sanctioning by Parliament & later sent to the President's desk for accenting.
Kenya could do better in 2005 under the watch of a 'learned' President, so I thought. Do we have to slide backwards due to politically expedient machinations being drummed by the Michuki's, Nyachae's & Karume's. Can't Kibaki just scrutinize & sieve ideas from these Museaum destined seniors before "forcing" them upon us in this era.
Well, I wish him good luck, but remember that an idea whose time has reached, will not just be wished away.
I submit that these political districts being currently created outside the mandate of the ECK & the Constitution may not bring any meaningful service to the grassroots people, but are only aimed at serving selfish political games played by competing presidential hopefuls.
If Lugari district or Suba district created by Moi have not seen a district headquarters, district hospital, court, or even a police post built to completion, or seen a doctor, agricultural extension officer, veterinarian, education officer, or magistrate deployed to the ground, .....then someone must have just created them prematurely for political or ethnic reasons, without required organization & planning...... hence their current status.
This IS ALL DESPITE thriving economic activity, agriculture & livestock/fishing in the respective districts. This is what often comes out of bad policies. The services are needed by the respective people but no prior planning & organization of achieving them was done, subsequently no funds were allocated from the Budget, hence they're just districts merely in name, to serve political goals.
It will be good if the truth finally comes out since Kenyans have started reacting to the fact that their taxes just pay for luxuries of political leaders & very little gets back to support local hospitals, security apparatus, roads, schools, courts, etc. Time will tell.
unedited
Job.
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Post by job on Oct 20, 2005 5:15:39 GMT 3
Miguna,
I actually read your opinion after my previous posting. From which outlet did you manage to get the referendum debate ? Maybe we could also benefit (only if it's possible) in future.
The Wako Mongel is indeed illegitimate, even the framing of the referendum question itself just falls short of misleading people into voting YES, as pointed by advocate, Patrick Kiage in DN today.
Back to the debate ;from four previous accounts & now yours, the reports are a bit different, though three say Okemo & Kituyi faired well & Muite & Nyong'o didn't stand overly tall, but I'll be honest views & perceptions differ. The consensus was in Tuju's heckling performance.
I did read a statement attributed to him, not too long ago where he admitted that several of Kibaki's Ministers, himself included, were indeed ARROGANT. This power thing could be sometimes intoxicating you know.
I too have a feeling Tuju may detour to other ventures or destinations come 2007 or thereafter.
peace.
Job.
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Post by miguna on Oct 20, 2005 7:03:42 GMT 3
Job:
You can watch and listen to Kissfm via the internet at "kissfm.co.ke" Connection is faster and clearer via high speed. Very slow and unreliable on dialup.
You are right about perceptions. A friend of mine thought that the Orange Team was reactive, based mainly on the way the moderator was tilting questions, cutting off debators, etc.
The good news is that this Mongrel will not be wrestled to the ground on sound bites...
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