WHY WAS MAINA GICHOHI REMOVED FROM JUKWAA?

[miguna]

This is a message I received from Maina Gichohi, but which I just saw. Could the Administrator please explain why this happened and why Maina's deregistration has not been revoked? I think that it is extremely necessary that we all exercise complete tolerance. There is nothing Maina did that could have warranted this kind of action. Given the fact that I took it upon myself to advise you of who Maina is, I wonder why you decided to consign Maina to the sidelines. If this is the way we treat each other - even without the slightest provocation - then why do we pretend to be different from the Moi's and Kibaki's of this world? This tendency among Kenyans (or should I say Africans?) to always exhibit intolerant streaks is worrisome indeed!

Oloo, I think you should re-register Maina with lots of apologies.
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Habari?
This is just a short note to sort of implore you to assist me with re-registering at Jukwaa. I need to respond to some pressing issues (particularly yours) on the Jukwaa platform.

Oloo deregistered my account because he thought I was some dubious character who keeps harassing him. I wrote to him and requested the same from him because the forum is disabled for external registrations - only the Adminsitrator/staff can create/ register accounts.

He wrote back (his email is attached herewith) and instructed me to attempt logging in with my username and password but it doesn't allow it. I wrote back again and relayed my predicament but he hasn't attended to it. I figure he is busy or something. So, if it is not too much to ask and also if you are in a position to, could you kindly please re-register me and provide me with a temporary password that I can change once I log in?

Maina.

P.S.
I hope you and the watoto are well and happy!

[roughrider]

This matter needs to be sorted out very quickly.

[Onyango Oloo]

Miguna and Roughrider:

1. I have been in correspondence with the said Maina Gichohi and I gave him options. I will continue to be in PRIVATE correspondence with him to resolve the problem.


2. As you know, JUKWAA publicly announces ZERO tolerance for a number of characters. That will not change.

3. I continue to be mystified at this escalating vendetta- especially from people who I consider very close personal friends who can contact me via other means.

4. As the administrator of this forum, I reserve the right to revoke, reinstate or suspend membership to this forum.

5. The record of this administrator as far as censorship, tolerance of divergent opinions speaks for itself.

6. Let those who have particular axes to grind keep on grinding them.

Onyango Oloo
JUKWAA Administrator
Nairobi, Kenya

[pharlap]

Am suprised this kind of thigs still happen in cyberspace. It is not entirely possible to ban someone or suspend their account on a public forum like this, that is, technically speaking. Anyone can come in and go as they please, as long as their identity is kept secret; but then, thats not what we want here. If Mr Maina was a nusance, he should carry his own cross.

However, he can be allowed read-only access where by he cannot contribute, but just read. Secondly, an account is just temporary. He can register another account or use a proxy to access the forum. Give him this link www.projectbypass.com

Let him create a new account, style up and keep to the forum rules and regulations. Meantime, Mr Onyango Oloo can decide whether he should reinstate his previous account or not without much pressure.

[miguna]

Oloo,

I'll be brief because we will be speaking very soooooon.

I would like to clarify a few things for everyone's benefit.

1. There is absolutely no vendetta and you are 100% wrong on your allegations of the same. We need to be extremely careful with our words and what we attribute to each other.

2. Maina wrote to me more than two weeks ago. Unfortunately, I rarely check the email address he had used. I had actually been wondering why he had suddenly gone quiet. I had no knowledge of your private communications with Maina. Neither do I know nor accept your attempt at an explanation. Considering the fact that I had informed you (publicly) about Maina's identity and confirmed to you that I know him (contrary to your mistaken belief that he was someone else), I think that you were wrong to terminate his membership merely on the basis of an unfounded suspicion.

3. Correct me if I am wrong, but as far as I can see, Maina has done nothing wrong here. What exactly are you accusing him of? How did you determine that he is "an unacceptable character?" What do you mean by that?

4. Finally my friend, you know me well enough to know that there are certain things I do not accept, will never tolerate and that it does not matter that we are close friends. Friendship has nothing to do with anything. This is a question of PRINCIPLE. Maina should not be SILENCED by you arbitrarily, whimsically and dictatorially without due process, fairness and objectivity. You have seriously erred here. All we expect from you as a honourable man is to publicly apologize to Maina and forthwith reinstate his membership. Anything else you have stated is unreasonable and makes you souind like a scorned dictator. And that, my friend, is the honest TRUTH. Not vendetta.

5. This is not a private matter. Maina's membership was not terminated because he had done anything to you privately. Maina's membership was terminated because you suspected (wrongly of course) that he was someone else (perhaps one of those cyber stalkers of yours). But you were wrong. My friend, we have to learn to accept our mistakes. There is no one too big to make mistakes.

Relax, breath deep and do the right thing.[unedited]

-Miguna-

[miguna]

Seems like Maina is still silenced. I thought that common sense would prevail. Apparently not. Somehow, I thought that the so-called "progressive forces" will refrain from conducting their affairs like our pre-independence octogenerian cabal.

Oloo, I think that you owe us an explanation. What crime did Maina Gichohi commit? I do not always agree with Maina, but I believe that our democratic credentials stand on a crucifix, and the only people that will be acquitted are those courageous enough to permit and defend the expression of opinions that differ from theirs. In fact, a sign of democratic maturity is visible when one defends the right of the most onboxious, disagreeable or plainly irritating, to express those views. We should in fact more accomodating to those we consider "enemies," critics or "outsiders," not that I consider Maina all these things. The fact that you have arrogated yourself the role of the censor speaks volumes....For me, it does not matter that you started Jukwaa or that you are its administrator.

So, with these words, I reproduce Maina's two emails, which he has requested me to post, and say, bye bye Jukwaa. Until we meet again.

I know there are those who will celebrate and say good ridance; that does not bother me. For me, it is a question of principle.

I am not doing this because of Maina. Absolutely not. I am doing this because of the principle. Kenyans must start practicing what they preach.

Now I fully appreciate the maladies inflicting Moody, Saitoti, Kiraitu et al.
[unedited] - Miguna-
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Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 22:26:44 -0800 (PST)
From: "MAINA GICHOHI" <maina_gichohi@
Subject: Re: JUKWAA
To: "Miguna Miguna"

Miguna,
Oloo has not yet re-registered me or replied to my email yet. Please find the email I sent to Oloo today (February 22, 2006) regarding my re-registration. I somewhat feel guilty now. It's a pretty small matter and it's getting out of hand and becoming a really big deal. That was not my intendment.

You're right in that we must expose these tendencies if Kenya has any chance of true liberation. Thus, you can go ahead and post my emails to you.

I just hope it can be resolved promptly so that we can all continue to breathe smoothly and fancy-freely.

Maina.

P.S.
The only correspondence that I have so far received from Oloo is the email I sent you when I emailed you initially. I guess that's what I'd call PRIVATE in this case.

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This is the email I sent Oloo today (February 22nd, 2006). I just copied and pasted here since Yahoo mail does not option me to directly submit it to you as an attachment.

Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 14:54:55 -0800 (PST)
From: "MAINA GICHOHI" <maina_gichohi@
Subject: Re: my apologies
To: [e-mail]

Oloo,
Habari! I never meant this to be a big deal. You must forgive me for going public. I besought Miguna's help because I thought you were tied up at the time. For some reason, I thought he had Administrator-privilege on Jukwaa. Once again, I apologise for all the commotion regarding my re-registration onto the platform.

Anyhow, I tried to re-register as you had requested. The platform is disbaled for external registrations. Only the Administrator (in this case yourself) can register/establish accounts. So when you get around it, please feel free to re-register me at your convenience. You may use this email address and establish a password of your choice which you can relay to me through email so that I may change it upon my initial log in. Thanks in advance.

Maina.

P.S.
I hope uko salama!


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[job]

Folks,

I humbly request that we cease this discussion and give the Administrator some liberty to handle the matter independently & at his own pace.

I would rather this issue is dealt with privately, promptly & amicably.

Let's remember that Jukwaa is an issue-oriented forum with very few personal exchanges. We must restrain ourselves and respect each other no matter how divergent our opinions are.

Amen.

Job.

[pharlap]

job. Wel said. Copy and paste.

miguna- it would be a great loss to see a man of such intelligence and resource quit over such a matter. Its not worth quitting over such. Let him use a proxy and regiser a new account while the admin sorts this out. Infact i move that this discussion be deleted by the admin. He seems like a nice person though, OO must have his reasons for taking that action and i think he explained himself. It may take a little while but i am sure he is working on it. meanwhile, just ask maina to be a little patient. ;-) peace.

[roughrider]

This culture of belittling issues and dismissing them as unimportant when clearly they go to the heart of what we profess as basic principles of free speech and tolerance is tragic.

When all is said and done, Miguna can be acquitted, in the court of public opinion for taking a principled stand in this matter. This was no ‘misunderstanding’ or ‘administrative hitch’ but an attempt to shut down contrary views based on narrow perceptions and paranoia.

Gladly the matter has been resolved – much the same way pressure forced the government to act on Anglo Leasing.

We expect no apologies – inflated egos would get in the way of that.

For this reasons I appeal to Comrade Miguna to come back, for without his insightful contributions, Jukwaa would be poorer. In any case this saga serves as a motivation for even more lucid contributions that should help change 'the enemy within'

[Onyango Oloo]

maina gichohi is posting as he pleases.

it is ironical, that contrary to the people speaking stridently on maina's behalf, he himself saw all this as much ado about nothing.

it is entertaining to browse cyber lines littered with comical references to the so called "enemy within" and bloated egos.

it is ludicrous to elevate this minor discussion on jukwaa to the levels of the anglo-leasing anti-graft fight.

surely roughrider, you have better things to do than this quixotic pursuit, tilting at mythical windmills in the kenyan digital demi-monde...

miguna is still an active jukwaa member, at least as far as the membership statistics are concerned- so there is no need to come back since he never went away in the first place...

oo
nbi

[jalal]

Hii Folks,

I agree with OO.Miguna is still a member as per the administrator and we welcome the ever insightful messages that he posts here.Let us please not jump to conclusions and await more posting from Miguna.

Jalal

[maina]

Miguna,
Miguna, you better "come back" or show up! You evidently happen to not only have an incalculable impact on Jukwaa but also apparently alter the fancy and temperament of members and readers accordingly.

Maina.

-unedited-

[pharlap]

I am personally glad that this matter has been resolved peacefully. I see no need for any further dialogue as far as this goes. Everyone in Jukwaa posts their views, i haven't seen the admin moderate people's comments like is common on some boards. Infact, we should thank OO for resolving this matter quickly and Maina for handling it in a very civil manner.
Ok yaliyopita si ndwele, tugange yajayo.