Kibaki and His Cabal of Fibbers...

[Onyango Oloo]

Kibaki and His Cabal of Fibbers Splatter Egg on Their Own Faces

An Observation from


Onyango Oloo in Nairobi

I can say very confidently, without any fear of contradiction, that the Kenya government is lying through it's figurative teeth.

eastandard.net/images/school/nhmp050106_01.jpg[/img]
About Kibaki’s non-meeting with the ODM team that is.

Contemplate this piece of non-literary political fiction:

"We refer to Press reports that claimed that a meeting had been scheduled for today 4pm at State House, Nairobi, between President Kibaki and leaders of political parties. We also refer to utterances by some politicians today afternoon that the meeting had been cancelled because the President was too busy," the statement said. State House said that when President Kibaki met with Raila at Safari Park Hotel on Wednesday, the two agreed to hold a meeting "soon" to discuss some of the options in the review process. "Any dates discussed were proposals for further discussion."-Standard, Friday, January 06, 2006

Fortunately the daily papers have pieced together a more credible explanation about why Kibaki and his fellow schemers chickened out of a simple exploratory meeting with the marshals who coordinated the ODM juggernaut to referendum victory a couple of months ago.

The Daily Nation informs its readership:

Jittery State House officials yesterday cancelled the much heralded meeting between President Kibaki and the Orange group leaders, claiming the President's diary was full. Then they later announced no meeting had been planned in the first place. Only 90 minutes before the meeting was due to start – it was scheduled for 4pm – Civil Service head Francis Muthaura called Lang'ata MP Raila Odinga on his cell phone and told him the meeting was off…Sources told the Nation that the real reason the meeting was cancelled was that the President's advisers warned him against seeing the Orange Democratic Movement because it would give them political legitimacy. They feared that by meeting ODM leaders, the President could have given the unregistered movement legal status by acknowledging its existence as a political group. The President's key allies met at State House in the morning and agreed he could only meet representatives of those political parties which had united to form the ODM.

Here is the Kenya Times version of the story behind the story:

Two hours ahead of the talks scheduled for 4.00pm the president held consultations with Justice Minister Martha Karua, Defence Minister Njenga Karume, John Michuki (Internal Security), Simeon Nyachae (Roads), Kiraitu Murungi (Energy), Amos Kimunya (Lands) and Secretary to the Cabinet Francis Muthaura, among others. According to sources at this meeting Kibaki was pressured to call off the talks which the hardliners felt would have given the ODM de facto recognition and Raila Odinga some political mileage. Kibaki was asked to reject any meetings with the ODM but pursue face to face talks with Lang’ata MP Raila Odinga and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). But Odinga said last evening that he is not ready to meet the President alone to discuss the constitution issue. Attempts to scuttle the meeting began soon after the Head of State spoke with Odinga at Safari Park on Wednesday. No sooner had Kibaki directed Muthaura to arrange the botched meeting than the Head of the Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet attempted to prefer a preliminary parley between the ODM leaders and Karua which Odinga promptly rejected. Muthaura wanted Odinga and the ODM to present the agenda of the intended meeting to Karua before it is forwarded to the President.

And here is the Standard’s take:

On Thursday, it emerged that the President held lengthy talks with six Cabinet ministers at State House, Nairobi, before canceling the meeting.The ministers -Mr. Simeon Nyachae (Roads), Mr. John Michuki (National Security), Mr. Njenga Karume (Defence), Mr. Amos Kimunya (Lands), Mr. Kiraitu Murungi (Energy) and Ms Martha Karua (Justice)-had early morning reportedly sought an urgent appointment with the Head of State. Sources said the ministers asked the President not to proceed with the meeting because the Orange Democratic Movement was not a legal grouping." Some even threatened to quit if the President went ahead to meet with the ODM," the source revealed.

Let me also reveal that a very impeccable source close to the action confirms the sequence of events as delineated by Raila and the other ODM leaders in their interviews with the media yesterday (Thursday, January 5th). According to this reliable source, one of the main reasons for the abrupt cancellation of the meeting was the adamant refusal by Raila Odinga to be subtracted from his ODM colleagues. The other one was the strident demand by FORD-Kenya that Musalia Mudavadi should NOT be part of the ODM delegation. This person also states that there was a very conscious attempt to ensure that the delegation which went to State House would have a national outlook in terms of regional representation and that they would urge Kibaki to take the leadership in putting in place the political preconditions for a genuine continuation of the constitutional review process. It was clear, according to this source that the back room boys and girls around the President were completely flustered and panic stricken about the prospects of an actual meeting between Kibaki and the ODM team. The source insists that the President had jovially and readily agreed to the meeting, adding that the three minute encounter between Raila and Kibaki was a spontaneous occurrence and not a made for media premeditated publicity stunt as alleged in certain quarters.

It is in light of the above that I say without fear of contradiction that the statement issued several hours ago by the Presidential Press Service is A TISSUE OF UNADULTERATED FABRICATIONS.

Surely if the scheduled meeting between the President and the ODM team was a fantasy, the same PPS could have issued a "clarification" or outright denial that would have been carried in yesterday’s dailies along with Raila’s version of the meeting. The story was the main headline in all of the front pages of all the daily newspapers and therefore the PPS would have been MORE CREDIBLE if they had issued the statement much earlier.

Apart from that, even the initial excuse given by Muthaura in his call to Raila at 2:30 on Thursday afternoon is really a very infantile and bare-faced untruth.

C’mon.

The President meets with Raila on Wednesday and instructs Muthaura to arrange a meeting the following day. The meeting is confirmed- which means that somehow the head of the civil service has ensured that whatever may be clogging up Mtongoria’s diary has been promptly unclogged. Had there been last minute discoveries of another engagement, there would have been a cancellation by Wednesday evening or Thursday first thing in the morning at the very latest.

The last minute 2:30 phone call by Francis Muthaura to Raila’s cell phone gels with reasons advanced by the Kenya Times, Daily Nation and Standard as well as the impeccable source that I referred to above.

The cancellation itself is but the LATEST incident in an unbroken chain of broken promises by President Mwai Kibaki from the MOU to a bloated cabinet.

It is also a major public relations SNAFU for the Bananiacs. One day Kenyans are all fuzzy and mushy about this dramatic rapprochement, or appearance of a much needed reconciliation between the two main political heavyweights in the country because of a chance encounter at the sidelines of an official state sponsored gab fest; digital technology captures beaming faces, warm hand-shakes, eye-ball to eye-ball contact….

The very next day the official spin doctors are scrambling to piece together disinformation wishing an actuality away.

Some of us are far from being surprised- here is a leading Kenyan politician who has DENIED the existence of a living and breathing spouse and daughter- even as said spouse continues to enjoy state protection and goes out on missions sanctioned by the state ranging from trying to get out the vote and dangling rotten bananas in front of NAK’s political adversaries.

The main lesson however that I draw from this melodramatic fiasco is that President Kibaki CANNOT BE TRUSTED by anyone. Unlike the plot of Francis Imbuga’s Betrayal in the City I do not see any Iago-like Mulili svengalis misdirecting an otherwise well-meaning benevolent despot.

On the contrary I see President Emilio Mwai Kibaki as the chief helmsman of the vessel dubbed M.V. Deception fully aware and concurring with the stratagems of the Muthauras, Karuas, Karumes, Michukis, Kibwanas, Kiraitus, Muites, Mirugis, Nyachaes, Koigis and so on.

Having said that let it be noted that a BOOMING cottage industry of Railaphobia and Raila Bashing has been the sole raison d'être sustaining the dubious political careers of some well-known and mealy mouthed NAK Yes men and Yes women for the last three years running. I mean how would these men and women feed and clothe their families, pay for their mortgages, maintain their gas guzzlers and stave off the political nightmare if there was suddenly no Raila Odinga to spit the gobs of makohozi at?

As matters stand now, the new NAK civilian junta like its dictatorial military counterparts elsewhere will continue misruling the country as if it is a tribal inheritance passed on by Mwenyezi Mola Manani- guaranteeing their further sliding and downwards spiral towards an inevitable abysmal nadir.

Here is the kicker:

All this actually calls for a bottle of champagne to be uncorked and the bubbly to be quaffed without much further ado, as the cliché goes.

Before you ship me off to the Mathare Mental Health Facility ask yourself why Onyango Oloo thus spake thus.

Speaking personally, the chickening out of a simple meeting by the faint hearted presidential tag team presages a return to other mass- based and people-centred avenues to a new constitutional, democratic and political dispensation in Kenya. Clearly the team of experts (which apparently comprises among other mischief makers, chief Wako Mongrel drafter Kathurima M’Inoti) is dead in the water from the get go- amusing veteran observers of the Kenyan establishment who note with saucy irony that in January 2006 it is actually the Mwai-DP clique which was the same Official Opposition which lampooned and pilloried former President Moi’s idea of a team of experts to write a Katiba for Kenyans; it is Kibaki and DP which today is on the verge of unleashing a bunch of so called “experts” to cobble together yet another still born pseudo-constitutional monstrosity.

When will Kibaki and the NAK cabal recover from Foot in Mouth Disease?

When will they stop shooting themselves over and over in the foot?

NAK is definitely running out of feet to shoot.

Onyango Oloo
Nairobi




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[kamalet]

Whether the meeting was on or not is neither here nor there. We have two versions and we can choose to believe either!

From a political point of view, I think Kibaki was absolutely right not to meet with an amorphous group calling itself ODM. The initial contacts were with Raila and Kibaki and the former requested a meeting which was granted but we seem not agreed on when it should have taken place. As it stands, Raila spoke to the media about the meeting and the media chose not to confirm with Muthaura if infact what Raila had said was true (and I am not suggesting that Raila lied - as he is prone to!). We ended up with only one side of the story.

Kibaki would have come out politically weaker if he had met ODM group as it had constituted itself. Tactically Kibaki should only meet LDP or KANU as individual entities, and it does not matter whether they repeat the same demands to Kibaki when they meet. Kibaki would then be seen to be consulting with political leadership as is required.

In fact I can only read the attempt by ODM as a weak effort in appearing to marshal forces. If Raila went to the meeting alone as he had sought, he could have delivered the demands of ODM, listened to the Kibaki position and communicated the same back to him. Unfortunately, this opportunity was lost at the behest of scoring political points in the public eye.

Let us even get a bit more evil here. Raila had no business at Safari Park and could only have been there to "waylay" the president via Musila who was attending the speaker's conference. You will note that even the leader of official opposition was not at the conference, so you actually can start questioning Raila's motive. To those of us who have little time for the fellow, it was the only chance he had to meet Kibaki as he must have failed to access him at State House. One should also question the motive of wanting to call the meeting with the president. The man has consistently ignored ODM, and ODM has repeated its position on the way forward through the media. So what was so new they were going to tell the president? Secondly, why are we so sure that Raila had not been prevailed upon by ODM not to proceed with the meeting alone leading to the cancellation? In fact what is key is that PPS have not alluded to any cancellation of a pre-arranged meeting scheduled for 4 pm as reported in the media. Did Raila lie (like he does a lot!) to his colleagues about their planned meeting with the president or even the fact that a PLANNED 4 PM MEETING had been cancelled? Is it possible that the phone call to Raila (if it actually exists - Raila has not claimed he spoke to Statehouse though it is instructive that Ruto says they received the message through Raila's cellphone!) was to confirm there was no appointment available that day, but to save face after having claimed a confirmed appointment at 4 pm. he suggested that the meeting had been postponed? As state house suggests in its statement, how do you postpone or cancel a meeting that was never there in the first place?

Finally a lesson in good manners is necessary here. Raila seeks out Kibaki wanting a meeting. He does not tell Kibaki that he wants to bring a whole village with him to the meeting. The moment they decided to constitute a caucus, it was inevitable that the meeting was to be cancelled.

As Phil Collins says....listen to both sides of the story!

[aeichener]

Very good posting, Kamalet.

Alexander

[roughrider]

Thanks for the post Onyango Oloo – at the very least it provides many of us with the opportunity to speculate wildly. When I see response starting with words like ‘maybe’, ‘my reading of this is’, ‘lets get evil’ etc, I am really pleased because my fellow Kenyans are thinking and writing and getting fulfillment from airing various opinions and peddling whatever propaganda suits their political beliefs. This is perfectly acceptable to me.

All too interesting, if a bit vexing, this charade about non meetings and phone calls from statehouse…

But methinks it’s entirely beside the point. The point being that Kenyans should now abandon any hopes that a new constitution can be realized within Mwai Kibaki’s regime. Constitution making requires political sacrifice and that is sorely lacking with Mzee Kibaki. It requires tons of wisdom which we have not seen evidence of. We should once again try to elect a government that can allow an inclusive process devoid of political intrigues. Unfortunately this strategy is fraught with risks. We threw Moi out so that a new government could allow reform and look where we got! Who knows, history may yet repeat itself with a fresh, new government conning kenyans after 2007.

Oloo, what is your view on this?

Many are now wondering if we should not start considering the statement about there being no radical constitution making in peace time much more seriously…. We may need to force a revolution.

Secondly we must aver that people and groups do not necessarily gain political legitimacy by meeting presidents. This is certainly not the case with the ODM that legitimately garnered a referendum victory against a sitting president and his government. Indeed where a presidential mandate is as shaky as Kibaki’s you most likely loose political legitimacy when you meet him to discuss whatnot. In the same breath I must say Kibaki would probably have come across a nationalist had he agreed to – indeed initiated - meetings with the ODM.

Kamale, I hope you see sense in what I say. If not let me hear...

My third point is a small but significant one. Mwai Kibaki, apparently, is incapable of thinking on his feet. Great leaders often made their most momentous decisions on their feet… but which Kenyan really thinks Kibaki is a great leader?

I would like to emphasise a final point. The ODM must NOT meet Mwai Kibaki any more. It is a pointless waste of time. He is too beholden to a complex web of tribal, political, financial and personal debts to make any decisions that are exclusively in national interests. I do not believe that seeking any further dialogue is going to be productive.

[miguna]

Oloo:

Thanks for this piece. I really have nothing to add. It is well presented.

We were thinking at the same time. The pieace I penned yesterday could be appearing in the Kenyan papers soon. My readers, including critics, will certainly revert to their shredding game.

But there are certain points Kamau has raised that I wanted to comment on.

1. I am not sure whether you guys also noticed that the sequence of events at Safari Park were slightly different in all three papers. Kenya Times (which I tend to believe nowadays), indicated that it was actually Kibaki who took the opportunity to have a chat with Raila. And that it was him who whispered something into Raila's ear (I don't know whether it was the left or the right one. These little things matter in politics) before "summoning" or "beckoning" to Muthaura. It was then that the "meeting" that never was got fixed. If this version is correct (and I know others will hear none of it), then it was Kibaki who had planned the "meeting" all along. He either had jumped at the opportunity (if he did not have a prior notice of Raila's attendance, which I highly doubt, knowing how this man Agwambo must be having lots of SB company nowadays), or he intended all along to play this game of fing-fong with Kenyans again. This is neither here nor there, but I found Kamau's assertion that it was Raila who waylaid Kibaki hollow.

2. Raila, as a Kenyan MP, had the right to attend the meeting. What would have given the MP for Othaya more rights of attendance than Raila? How about Muthaura, who is not even an MP? Kamau, why didn't you question what Muthaura was doing at the meeting? After all, if Raila was univited or unwelcome, how did he find himself at the pool, near Kibaki?

3. Kamau makes an intriguing point that Raila could not have met Kibaki, even in State House, and that he had to waylay Kibaki at Safari Park. Does Kamau mean to say that State House has now been nyakuad and turned into private property? I thought that Kibaki and his Banana team had announced, before Nov. 21, 2005, that "the gates of State House are wide open to ALL KENYANS!" Was it not you, Kamau, who attacked Oloo on this same forum when he challenged the delagations trooping to State House just before the referendum vote? Didn't you say that "any Kenyan was free to go to State House."

4. It seems to me that the Kibaki group are either totally confused ot completely and iredeemably incompetent. How does it help their cause to insist on meeting LDP and KANU seperately? What power does Kibaki have over independent political parties? Does it not seem strange that he met Kombo and Ngilu as representatives of Ford-Kenya and NPK (together) during their "negotiations" over cabinet crumbs? How does this scandal help his image and that of his government? Kamau (and someone else here) may be the only people who believe that this childish act constitutes "sophisticated" political manoevre.

5. Finally, so Kamau, it is your view that Raila behaved badly by insisting on going to the meeting with ODM as a structured political group? All Kibaki wants is to meet INDIVIDUALS so that he can try to play one against the other(s) (or even to poison some?) When will your ilk learn the lessons of 2002 and 2005?

Well, we are actually very happy with these childish plays...Remain there.

Roughrider - you spoke well. I have nothing to add.

[unedited]
-Miguna-

[Onyango Oloo]

SOURCE:

groups.yahoo.com/group/africa-oped/message/17617

From: "nmatunda" <matunda@...>
Date: Sat Jan 7, 2006 11:10 am
Subject: Re: Kibaki and His Cabal of Fibbers Splatter Egg On Their Own Faces

Oloo,

You are right on one or more scores on this matter.

The Kenyan president should meet with Kenyan leaders without hesitancy; the people around the president are misleading him, isolating him in the process and making the country's governance a sick joke!

I just wish that the president could use his better judgement to over rule these backroom dealers who don't seem to understand that good governance is a matter of give and take; in the end, a win-win situation is better than winner-take-all!

This, notwithstanding the tactical manner in which Raila secured the date with the president!

This is TERRIBLE PR for the Kenyan leader. No matter what the political differences may be, the country needs political leaders to put the national interest above narrow partisan interests. Magnanimity is a hallmark of great leadership.

Matunda Nyanchama

[kamalet]

Obviously there are people who perhaps did not bother to understand my response to Oloo. Miguna seems a recurring culprit, hence his many questions!

1. Miguna wants to trust Kanu Sometimes more than any other media house. Perhaps on the same basis he should declare his interest - financial or otherwise. Let it be known that Kenyans do not agree with him, as only 5000 of them buy a copy every day. I keep wondering where Chris gets his money from with this daily rag? But that is not the point, and if you want to trust the media, I still say try the Nation. Follow the sequence and you will see that it was Raila that sought out the president and not the othe way round. I have explained that all that Raila did was place himself next to Musila when the president was meeting the variuos speakers. With Musila as deputy speaker, what perfect opportunity to waylay the man?

2. Actually, Raila had absolutely NO business at Safari Park that day. The conference was for COMMONWEALTH SPEAKERS AND HEADS OF PARLIAMENTS, and Raila is neither. He is not even a government minister or even leader of a parliamentary political party. To quote Kalembe Ndile, he is only a mere MP!! Kibaki was there not as MP for Othaya, but President of the Republic of Kenya, the host government and member of the commonwealth! Kanu Sometimes never bothered to specify what the conference was all about......

3. Miguna, let us try some commonsense here. State House need not be nyakuliwad for Raila to be denied access there. Raila may wish to see the president, but the president may also wish not to see him. That is what power is all about - call it abuse if you wish. Kenyans, including Raila are free to go to state house if the president wishes to see them, but they cannot force him to see them! There is no contradiction here Miguna.

4. Kibaki is a politician just like Raila and the rest. To you is seems alright that Raila can play politics, but when the other person does the same, they are misguided etc. As you rightly said, he met Kombo of Ford-K and Ngilu of NPK. Why would Raila have a problem meeting Kibaki as LDP? Surely ODM is sufficiently amorphous to be ignored! Infact, the reason I see mischief in Raila's insistence on going as ODM, is because I am convinced that the constitutional agenda can still be achieved through Raila of LDP exactly as it would be under Raila of ODM. He can only be going in as ODM to show the whole world and his ODM counterparts that "look, I am the one who took you to Kibaki to negotiate, so remember always who I am"! That elevates Raila's political ego, and a good aspiring politicians would need to cut that!

5. ODM is not a structured political group as there is no defined leader, neither is it representative of any Kenyans apart from the politicians in there. Its legitimacy is thus questionable. Raila went to Kibaki asking for a meeting. Raila was told by Muthaura to provide 6 names of people to attend. The man decides that he will bring a few more to allow for tribal balancing, as well as stroke political egos. In any case, if Raila went alone, would his agenda change if they were 10 of them in that meeting?

Finally Miguna, may I ask you to seek out your sources and get the details of the meeting Uhuru and Ruto had with Kibaki after the referendum, as well as who was in the 4.00pm cabinet that was recalled? That should give you an inkling as to the future of ODM. No more to say.

[roughrider]

Interesting views. I think I now know why banana lost.

We await Miguna's response.

[miguna]

Kamau,

I am not here to assist you understand Raila, the ODM, or any other thing for that matter. Therefore, I will not dignify some of your extremely irrational comments with a response.

You know very well that Kenya Times is no longer owned by Kanu. It is privately owned by former journalists that worked for Kenya Times. If you have credible information about the percentage of Kanu's shares in Kenya Times, please let me know. Secondly, I can use any medium I want to publish my comments. I don't have to be "connected" to anyone. But of course, you are wired differently. You think that one has to have financial and other interests for one to either publish in a particular newspaper or trust a source.

Out of the three papers, I trust the Nation Media Group least. Go ahead and tell them that. They have ceded their role of being a watchdog of the centres of power to others because of tribal, economic and political connections and interests. They are free to do what they want.

Third, I am not sure, Kamau, whether you have the means of knowing how many people actually READ my pieces both on the hard-copies, online and through other means. Whereas you are deluded into thinking that only 5000 Kenyans read Kenya Times daily, try multiplying that number by 20 each day (conservatively)in order to account for electronic copies, shared copies in work-places and among family members; copies sent via emails, etc - are you geting it now?

This same delusional tendency is why you had loudly proclaimed on this very forum that Banana Republicans were winning at every polling station in Nairobi (and the rest of the country), when the reality was that they were being crushed into mince-meat. I told you so right here.

Why, may I ask, were all those tens of thousands of Daily Nation copies, Kameme Radia, Citizen Radios & TV stations, etc., not able to influence the vote? Why were mere 5000 copies of Kenya Times and other little radio outlets, plus the ODM rallies that you claimed were only being attended by unemplyed youth, able to swing it?

Raila is not the president of Kenya; Kibaki is. There are responsibilities that come with being president. One of them is to treat all citizens, including Raila, equally and with respect. State House is not private property; it is a public building. Raila, like other Kenyans, paid for both its construction and ongoing upkeep. Kibaki has both a moral and legal obligation to meet any Kenyan citizen who has a national issue to discuss with him. Your argument that Kibaki is just a politician who can choose and pick who he meets is misguided. He is both the Head of State and government. He is not just a politician. Raila and the ODM were to meet him in his dual roles; not in his private capacity. And, as far as I'm concerned, Kibaki had no option but to meet them - that is, if he knew what he was doing. Apparently, Kibaki is in the netherlands...up in the clouds somewhere.

As for your other comments, I can only say "dream on Kamau, dream on...."

[unedited]
-Miguna-

[aeichener]

miguna said:

Secondly, I can use any medium I want to publish my comments.

Dead wrong. Quite deluded, aren't you?

You can use any medium that at all is willing to print you.
Big difference. ;D

Alexander

[miguna]

I did NOT say "print." I said PUBLISH. Do you know the difference; or you were busy staring in the mirror?

[unedited]
-Miguna-

[kamalet]

Miguna,

Not sure whether you had not taken you dose of coffee, but that was surely a very juvenile rant!

You asked questions, you go answers....but sadly as is typical of how highly you think of yourself, you completely missed the point and degenerated to a child.

That is when I ease myself out of such arguments.

[job]

Kamale,

Before you completely "ease yourself out" of this argument, let me first congratulate you for developing some interest in the Kenya Times! I saw it, .....of course your letter to the editor,......Karibu into the "small" fraternity of KT.

Did you suddenly find it prudent to target the meagre readership of 5000 though?

Obvious, the article had to do with Raila/ODM bashing without a doubt, but that's beside the point.

As for Raila "placing" himself next to Musila, at Safari Park Hotel, in order to meet the President, ........that may be very correct.....It may have appeared as a case of Raila frantically and strategically making an "effort" to seek audience with Kibaki,......and actually extend a hand to an otherwise sour and angry referendum "loser". I could be wrong,.. but the jury is out there, witnessing every moment of this fiasco.

Kibaki had the option of either rejecting the "handshake" (Katiba jump-start-meeting), or gallantly taking it up. Kenyans have seen the route Kibaki has prefered to walk,...yet again,...without surprise.

I like it when you ask Miguna to apply some common sense for dissecting the fiasco and answering your questions, point by point. Doesn't it buffle when you even go further,.. and state that he has "degenerated into a child"

Quit any frustration buddy, no one missed your point. Can someone really miss your point, Kamale?. Your Railaphobic points are too obvious to miss, ..... they always converge negatively into the direction of that one individual (Raila). If they digress a little, they land on other personalities like Miguna who don't agree with you, period!

I really want to see that child that Miguna degenerated into.

I must concede you strike sometimes with some humor........What's up with your sudden reverence, to the point of making reference quotes, from none other than "Mheshimiwa" Kalembe Ndile. Are you really sharing a bottomline?

Let's not twist one fact however,...........True, Raila wanted to see the President,.....he actually went ahead to find him,......seeking a meeting....but what the public just clearly witnessed,..... was,.... who really handles the remote control to our dear robot President, Lt. Kaguoya as he "Ji-enjoys" at State House.

If Muthaura can over-rule and insubordinate the President, at his personal whims or those of the tribal cohort of the Mwirarias, Michukis and Murungis,...then you now see why Kenya is going to the dogs,...politically speaking.

Muthaura is a Public servant working for the President as a technocrat, and should stop political underhand machinations, which is not his domain anyway. He has no political experience to speak of, and has no business limiting the number of politicians seeking to meet the President.

To Quote you,...." Raila was told by Muthaura to provide 6 names of people to attend, he decided to bring a few more to allow tribal balancing...."

Raila has met with Kibaki previously and signed political deals which were eventually breached. To the public, is Muthaura (on behalf of Kibaki) confirming the myth that the guilty President, will always chicken out on meeting a sizeable group of politicians he has betrayed before.

Is he afraid to lie yet again (regarding the Katiba,) infront of several witnesses that a once-beaten-Raila wanted to parade before him?

We shall watch the series of political entanglement and fumbles as we continue to demand for our Katiba.

Last but not least,...I'll quote you again........"ODM is not a structured political group as there is no defined leader, neither is it representative of any Kenyans"

Rhetorically (you don't have to answer) ,.....Do you think your meaning of "representative of any Kenyans" is the same as that of those very Kenyans you are speaking of? or put bluntly which Kenya are you talking about?

On structure, can you brief about the structure of NARC then explain why a structureless, ODM with no defined leader is causing that much panic to some people?

Folks from the shores of Lake Victoria have a saying " Ng'ama nitie ema iwuoyo kuome",....translated roughly as......" Talk is generally rife of an existent person/ a person who is around" ........Would the acronyn ODM be that rife and ubiquitous in your articles if it was non-existent ?

As OO titled this thread appropriately,.....Kibaki and his Cabal of Fibbers have splattered Egg on their own faces. Be the judge.

unedited.
Job.

[aeichener]

miguna said:

I did NOT say "print." I said PUBLISH.

The "future MP M.M." (ahem) is now threatening to appear on radio and TV soon ? And I had thought that the print media (and their online offspring) were hitherto his "publications of choice"? Anyhow, he missed the point, as a more astute reader observed; unless he has changed ambitions all of a sudden and now intends to becaome a publisher instead of politician.

The Kenya Times is an interesting newspaper. It is read by more expatriate Kenyans than Kenyans at home, one might quip (just a joke), but I do not share the widespread Kenyan negative opinion about it which is rooted in the Kanu era and is a bit unfair now. I think they strive to make an interesting paper and to use lots of young freelancers and aspiring journalists. That makes for much chaff from busybodies, but also for some really good wheat, and ever and ever again, the KT beats the two other papers with good and really thorough reports.

A.

[kamalet]

job said:

Kamale,

Before you completely "ease yourself out" of this argument, let me first congratulate you for developing some interest in the Kenya Times! I saw it, .....of course your letter to the editor,......Karibu into the "small" fraternity of KT.

Did you suddenly find it prudent to target the meagre readership of 5000 though?

Obvious, the article had to do with Raila/ODM bashing without a doubt, but that's beside the point.

Job.

Job,

Let us put the record straight. I do not read Kanu Sometimes even when there are free copies at an office reception. It would therefore be laughable that I would actually write anything in that paper!!!!

With regard to my alleged Raila phobia - I have no problem with the man if you wish to know. As far as I am concerned, I share with Caroline Mutoko's view of the man. A Political Prostitute. That cannot be Raila-phobia can it?

As for the rest of the stuff I have said, I stand by them. Now eat me!!!

Eniff sed!

[job]

[miguna]

Job,

You left some hunging "shards" here. Thanks for that heavy lifting. Kamau deserved it. I also saw his letter to the editor, simply signed "Kamale" even though that is not his "real" name. He should check the "publication" policies of the KT.

To the mirrorman:
On the meaning of "publication", here is what the Concise Oxford Dictionary says: 1. "to prepare and issue..." 2. "...to make generally known..." 3. to communicate to third a third party.." This can be done in ANY FORUM and BY ANY MEANS, electronic, print, or whatever. I publish my articles anywhere, anytime in whatever form I deem necessary. You can return to the mirror. Talk if ignorance s bliss.

[unedited]
-Miguna-

[job]

Kamale,

On missing points,...I hope you did not miss this one. Whether it is Caroline Mutoko or Kamale, ......the total and negative pre-occupation with Raila is precisely a manifestation of Railaphobia. The phobia denotes not just fear, but more importantly in this context,...dislike or mistrust. If you dislike or don't trust any move made by the man, you may be phobic (though not necessarily) to his actions.

It was indeed noticeable how you negatively detailed and chronicled Raila's Safari Park escapade,...then to Quote from your last post...." As far as I am concerned, I share with Caroline Mutoko the same view of the man. A Political Prostitute. That cannot be Railaphobia can it?"

Well, me thinks this is infact nothing but a symptomatic display of Railaphobia.

Now on Caroline Mutoko & your Political Prostitution stand, any politician that has changed parties more than once may then qualify for the same term. Only steadfast KANU members may claim Political Fidelity for that matter,....hence any member of NARC, DP, LDP, Ford-K, Ford-P, Safina, Sisi-kwa-Sisi et al, without selectivity have indeed CHANGED PARTIES, unless of-course Caroline & you, only selectively follow Raila's political moves.

I don't hear talk of Political Prostitution when Paul Muite changes from KANU, to Ford-K, to Mwangaza Trust, briefly to Muungano wa Mageuzi , to Safina, and now poking his nose into NAK, neither did I hear the same when Kiraitu Murungi decamped from KANU to FORD-K to Mwangaza Trust and to DP.

What about Ngilu moving from KANU to SDP, then to NPK. And Nyachae from KANU to FORD-P and now sleeping with DP.

Well, beside that,............SOME POLITICIANS CHANGE PARTIES FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR PRINCIPLES WHILE OTHERS CHANGE THEIR PRINCIPLES FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR PARTY.

Judge for yourself who does what, from the crop of politicians above.

I'll tell you some adjectives and phrases used by media detractors to describe the late British PM, Sir. Winston Spencer Churchill; "Changes Parties like Underwear " "Courageous to the point of foolhardiness", "Troublesome", "Over ambitious", "The progenitor of instability", "Political Maverick", "Political Prostitute"etc etc.....He was indeed termed a Political Prostitute.

Churchill changed parties based on his stand and principle regarding the War (WW2) and British occupation of foreign territories, and whenever his party changed stand, he simply decamped and switched to the opposite side, not waivering in his personal position.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Which fool would rather stay in a moribund, visionless, unprincipled, inept party, just for the sake of the Party name and fear of being termed Political Prostitute. If that would be the case, then all PRINCIPLED PEOPLE WOULD REMAIN IN KANU NO MATTER WHAT. KANU would still be the "mama and baba wetu wote".

I hope you don't miss that point.

ON MUTUMA MATHIU
---------------------
On Mutuma Mathiu's good piece,.......he raises good points in a deliberate attempt to sway public focus into the internal, competitive and democratically healthy politics of LDP and ODM,...and by extension trying to shift public focus away from Kibaki and his lucklustre Banana Cabinet; part of the Daily Nation pro-government strategy to influence the masses to think along a certain line, and stir up ethnic antagonism within LDP/ODM. That's an easy point to grasp.

On the contrary, the KT writers, both freelancers and staff,..are more focused on exposing the ineptitude and incompetence of the current regime. They focus their spot-light on the driver of the Bus (Kibaki) and not any other passenger like Raila, for that matter.

Courtesy to some of them, & to some extent The Standard, journalists, we have witnessed a driver that is grossly incompetent, undecided on everything, and a sitter on every fence. A driver that has insulated himself with unqualified cronies like Muthaura & such like gray haired "tiny" people, who fear meeting with others holding opposing views.

The same cronies who couldn't even successfully manage a referendum campaign, the same people sending Kenya to the dogs while embarrasing the driver by corruption and open tribalism.

The ride has of-course been very bumpy indeed. Kibaki can't cut-and-run, since he has the stearing wheel in his hands. Every swerve he makes that throws us passengers left and right, every curb/pavement he climbs on, throwing us up and down, is felt by all.

We are waiting for the next stop, before we decide to either kick his a_s out of the wheel or retain him as our driver. Others have proclaimed their expertise at driving and declared they too want a chance to drive the Bus. It is healthy for many prospective drivers to come before us all for vetting,...but of course there are those who really WANT Kibaki to stay on the drivers seat, for whatever reasons,.....reasons that must really be good just for them.

unedited.

Job.

[aeichener]

miguna said:

I publish my articles anywhere, anytime in whatever form I deem necessary.

Your first name is not Napoléon, perchance? Strong delusions of grandeur and omnipotence. Wait at least whether you get that covetted seat, before fully yielding to the fantasy.

Reality check for the aspiring writer and to-be-politician:

It is the publisher (or program director, or chief editor) who decides whether your articles are published somewhere, sometime, in whatever form and length *s/he* deems necessary.

End of reality check.

Alexander

[miguna]

Really mirrorman? You saw it in the mirror?

I'm disappointed but not surprised to learn that you don't know the meaning of "publish." Even the useless quips in Jukwaa, all your emails, faxes, letters, everything you have ever COMMUNICATED to third parties in writing constitute PUBLICATION, and you can be sued for them, if they are deemed libelous or defamatory - for your f** information.

Anyway, you are Kamau-Kuria and Kiraitu trained!

[unedited]

Thanks.

-MIGUNA-

[aeichener]

Yes, you could of course impose yourself on a village market, step on a soapbox, and could - besides shouting and chanting - hand out flyers and leaflets to the innocent suffering bystanders. That may constitute "publication" in the strictly legal sense, of giving rise to a possible action against you. And I would agree that every market has such a man, according to the common proverb.

Nevertheless, you'll "publish" there only as long as the market authorities allow you to rant . And now back to the reality check which obviously frightens Miguna so much:

It is the publisher (or program director, or chief editor, or forum owner) who decides whether your articles are published somewhere, sometime, in whatever form and length *s/he* deems necessary.

Alexander

[miguna]

You are a certified idiot & a fool. You've going around in circles. Clearly, you have no ability to reason. I leave you in your derangement.