Gaddafi is Reckless on Nigeria Splits

The repeated calls by Libyan eccentric leader Muammar Gaddafi for the splitting of Nigeria into tribal states is outright stupid and reckless.

He seems to be doing all these casually and without the requisite thought that should be accorded a pronouncement of such a magnitude that has a great bearing in the life of a friendly state; that also happens to be in the throes of ethnic strives and an uncertain leadership transition.

Muammar Gaddafi has always projected the image of an African statesman's stateman. A leading proponent of a United States of Africa, spotting images of African leaders in his garb and traverses Africa consulting African traditional leaders.

His call for the splitting of Nigreia along ethnic lines is a complete antithesis to the quest of a united Africa. It is either Muammar Gaddafi was not serious on this mission or he does not mean well for Nigeria.

For starters, ethnic rivalries in Nigeria are so intense and bloody. The classic example is the Biafra war that claimed a million lives. The recent bloody conflicts in Jos is a potent reminder that rifts remain to be healed. What African leaders should be addressing is how to foster greater unity in African nations and not festering tribal quest for autonomy.

Many of the macabres witnessed in Africa at the moment are a result of ill-informed quest for separation. The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda reminded us of the dangers of such separatist movements when they attacked Togolese football team in the just concluded Cup of Africa Nations tourney. The Casamance separatists of Senegal adds to the list of the many such movements in Africa and beyond.

Chechens rebels of Russia have claimed so many lives by way of suicide bombings and so to ETA separatists in the Basque region of Spain.

The attacks from these separatists cost many lives, containing them cost millions of dollars in military spendings.

Muammar Gaddafi call serves to embolden these groups and lend them credibility amongst their ethnic groupings.

Maybe Muammar Gaddafi should work on the Western Sahara quest for statehood in his neighborhood before he can extend his tentacles to Nigeria.

Muammar Gaddafi should also take note that most African states are economically unviable and therefore he should be calling for greater integration amongst African states rather than disintegration.

It is baffling to imagine how a state like Nigeria that is made up of 250 ethnicities could be split along the same.

Again, ethnicity is not the only rift that exist in a society. Somalia collapsed yet it is a mono-ethnic country. Clan and regional identities as well as economic disparities are a source of friction in a society.

The dividing line between one ethnic group is often blurred. Language is the most commonly used parameter but there are exceptions to this rule too. Genocide happened in Rwanda yet Hutus and Tutsis speak the same language. The Tigania and Tharaka of Kenya slay each other yet they are a single tribe and see themselves as a single tribe: Ameru.

Conflicts are often largely a question of resources rather than mere ethnicity. Muammar Gaddafi should reserve his counsel and divert his energies elsewhere.

His calls are surprising but not totally unexpected, he is notorious for sponsoring rebels and abetting military coups. His calls are therefore suspect if not comical. It is the least desirable and most unworkable of solutions to African woes!
Sent from my BlackBerry®

Disband The Catholic Church and Make Brothels of its Premises

In the wake of sexual abuses that has continued to plague the Roman Catholic Church dating decades back and involving priests, bishops, arch-bishops and the Pope himself, I find it untenable for it to continue existing as a church institution.

The catholic church priests are finding it more attractive and worthwhile to use the institution of the church to exploit the trust that the faithfuls have of the church as a means to satisfy their perveted sexual desires.

The sexual abuses are so widespread in both time, scope, and severity and cuts across the hierarchy of the church that I am made to conclude that the Catholic Church should be let to be what they love to do best: to be a brothel house ran by priests, with the same structure from the parishes to Vatican.

The Catholic Church has failed to live to its name. It symbolizes pain and suffering to the many individuals and famililes that its agents have abused. It is no longer a haven of spiritual refuge but a source of anguish. It has ceased to be a fountain of solace, instead has become a cesspit of immorality.

It has dissappointed her believers, has scattered away her flock as her shepperds have turned wolves.

If the Catholic Church find it worth of their calling to philander and prostitute their trust then we better leave them to do so and be labelled as such. Everybody will know that they are entering not a house of prayer but a fully-fledged brothel.

The complains and cries will henceforth end as those who will be entering their precincts will be fully aware of what they are going there for.

I am saying this because it is now evident that the Catholic Church is unwilling to rein on her errant priests. Instead they cover their misdeeds and shield them from the law. No less than the Pope himself has been accused of covering up for the perverts.

As I was growing up in a tiny community and attending the village Catholic Church, there were rumors of parish priests fornicating and impregnating girls. These days, they still do it. Going with other people's wives and the greatest punishment the church ever meted on them was to be transferred to another parish. To continue their licentious mission there.

Recently, my local priest went ahead to squander the money raised to build a church.

The flock is thinning and wrangles are endless.

The Catholic Church is too rotten for repair and hence should be disbanded! The people running it have other priorities: sex tops the list, spiritual service comes last!
Sent from my BlackBerry®

I Hate Israel! And I am Neither a Muslim nor Anti-Semite

I am not a religious fundamentalist nor a holocaust apolologist but I am increasingly getting irked by what the state of Israel is doing to the people of Palestine. From a humane perspective, however holy Israel claims to be, from its actions, I am justified to brand Israel as a Evil State peopled by nefarious and sadist
humans.

I don't support Hamas or Hizbullah madness and violence per se but Israeli callousness and hubris are pushing me to understand why jihadi groups spring up by the dozens and thousands are willing to die for their supposed ill-defined causes.

More than religion, more than ideology, INJUSTICE drives people to far indescribable deeds of revenge. More so when your grievances are unheard, dismissed and worse still, the world sides, pampers and support your oppressor.

This is the situation that Palestinians and by extension, the Islamic world is faced with.

One may wonder why Al Quaeda and other extremist causes receives some measure of sympathy from non-muslims and moderate muslims alike and not outright condemnation. It is because some of their gripe are genuine, their concerns are palpable especially relating to the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

You get the full import of their ire just by listening to the haughty Israeli officials.

I don't support the Iranian theocracy when it comes to democracy and human rights and their assertion that Israel should be wiped off the map but their nuclear ambitions are justified in light of being neighbors with the evil state of Israel that itself has nuclear weapons.

Support for Israel the world over must be at all times low given the missteps and misdeeds of the past few years and especially the past one month.

The Israeli aggression in Gaza that killed 1300 civilians using uncoventional means like white phosporous was the beginning.

The blockade on Gaza that followed has been condemned the world over. Gazans are living in deplorable conditions because of the blockade, described by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon as 'unacceptable'

Palestinians in Gaza are living without water, medicine and are deprived of means of survival because of the blockade. Humanitarian supplies to Gaza are consfictated by Israeli security.

Jimmy Carter and Pope Benedict XVI have also condemned the blockade as dehumanising. Hilary Clinton has urged Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak to end the blockade. Israel has chosen to ignore all these pleas!

A UN report, led by a South African judge, Richard Goldstone and adopted by the UN suggested that the blockade is a war crime and possibly a crime against humanity.

Save for Israel and its benefactor, the US, the whole world is unanimous that Israel is the main aggresor in middle east conflict.

Israel is sabotaging mediation talks aimed at a two state solution to the conflict. It is provoking tension with Palestine so that it justifys her murderous aggression in the West Bank and Gaza and by extension, their continued occupation of Palestinian land.

Half a million Israelis live in Palestinian land and Israel has announced the building of 1600 new settlements in East Jerusalem, which Palestine wanted to make it its capital city in a two state solution.

Israeli settlements are illegal but Israel insists otherwise. Israeli PM, Binyamin Netanyahu, speaking at a AIPAC meeting had this to say, " the Jewish people were building Jerusalem 3000 years and the Jewish people are building Jerusalem today, Jerusalem is not a settlement, it is our capital"

And these are the people who claim to be honest and serious on the quest for peace! Such talks are meant to pre-empt any meaningful talks with Palestine.

The land in question belongs to Palestinians in fact and in law. The UN, EU, World Court deem the settlements as illegal.

UN Security Council Resolution 446 on March 22, 1979 stated that it believed the settlements were illegal "...the policy and practises of Israel in establishing settlements in the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967 have no legal validity and constitute a serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East" it stated.

Amnesty International has argued the settlement policy violates Palestinian human rights. In fact, settlements in Offra, Elon Moreh and Beit El were built on private Palestinian land.

Israel also continue their campaign of wanton killings of unarmed Palestinian civilians, harrasment and even stoning their cars.

In all these, the US, which Israel solely owes its existence, continue its empty rhetorics of peace and a two state solution to the conflict. If US genuinely believes in world peace, then the culprit is neither Al Quaeda, Hamaz nor the Taliban. It is the nefarious state of Israel. Suspend aid and military support to Israel and they will be forced to respect her
neighbors.

America should stop wasting money and personnel in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somali and wherever, you are pursuing the wrong target.

Israel exist courtesy of you, and that is why Islamic extremists target you. The grievance is Palestine. Mr. Obama, sulking about Israel is not enough, whip your Frankestein.
Sent from my BlackBerry®

William Ruto Influence; Fact or Farce?

Talking to some young Rift Valley MPs at times leave a bad taste in your mouth. Picture this: an elected MP has the cheek to blurt that the reason why he spends his constituents' time beating the drums for William Ruto's presidential candidature or whatever it is, is so that he is assured of re-election!

Politics cannot get more dreary than this.

Elected leaders owe their seats and re-election to their development records and how they relate with their constituents and not how hoarse he praises a tin god.

This perception though was also widespread among Rift Valley MPs of the last parliament. Many of whom were to learn it the hard way.

To start with, the particular MP who gave me the spurrious argument defeated someone who was hanging unto William Ruto's coat tails in the last parliament but was whitewashed hands down.

The benefit of hindsight alone put paid to this fallacious political thought.

Not all those who were anti-Ruto in 2007 failed to make it to parliament. I am talking of individuals who embraced Raila Odinga's candidacy as William Ruto was fantasizing with running for the presidency himself while at the same time shilly-shallying between Kalonzo and making night visits to state house.

The late Kipkalya Kones, late Lorna Laboso, Sally Kosgey and Henry Kosgey openly defied the William Ruto bogey and campaigned for Raila Odinga in all the nooks and crannies of Rift Valley without as much as hurting their elective chances in any way. At the same period, William Ruto was tagging a coterie of sitting MPs to rallies across the hamlets of Kalenjin land including the constituencies of 'rebel' MPs and aspirants.

On this side of the dichotomy were the likes of Joseph Lagat of Eldoret East, Dr Sam Ruto of Kipkelion, Musa Sirma of Ravine and many others who were never to taste re-election yet they supported William Ruto even in their dreams.

Still, there is the 'others' category who were re-elected back to parliament either as lone-rangers or riding in very unpopular party. Linnah Kilimo, Abongotum Kamama, Samuel Phoghisio made it back to the 10th parliament not only in unwanted parties but without the slightest of allegiance to William Ruto whatsoever.

Lucas Chepkittony too made it back in Keiyo North by balancing between Raila and Ruto and being independent on the other hand.

William Ruto influence was a no-show in other parts of non-Kalenjin parts of Rift Valley Province. Maasai and Samburu were purely a Raila affair while Turkana was a mixed grill and a salad. The Gikuyu community in the Rift Valley diaspora was uncompromisingly PNU.

It instructive to note that the Raila wave that swept away the Kalenjins was independent of William Ruto. The people made William Ruto abandon his daydreams and experiments and embrace Raila because he was left alone in the cold. He was johny-come-lately and reluctant and reluctant at that.

Patronage and demagougery is definitely gone with the one party autocracy. Politicians who still believe in it are just nostalgic or having a bad hangover.

Even in the patron-ridden Luo Nyanza politics, there is some air of freedom emanating from Lake Victoria. Raila Odinga is finding it hard to go againt the wishes of the people. He doesn't endorse his preferred candidates anymore nor does he campaign for them openly.

Though he overturned the defeat of Anyang Nyong'o and Otieono Kajwang in the party primaries, William Ruto did not have the same powers in the party and neither does he now.

Another salient phenomenon of the last general election is that most of the candidates who won the ODM tickets in Rift Valley were hitherto unknown faceless characters. They could not secure a minute long appointment with William Ruto until they secured the party ticket.

The electorate just happen to know whom they want to represent them in parliament. This knowledge is least informed by whether one sucks up to William Ruto or not. In my view, it better remain that way or else we will have leaders whose record in office is the number of William Ruto's rally they attended, how hard they clapped and how clean they licked his boots.

William Ruto's electoral influence now is but fictional farce!
Sent from my BlackBerry®

Jimmy Kibaki: Forget Politics, Go hom...

Jimmy Kibaki: Forget Politics, Go home and Eat Pop Corns Watching Mexican Soaps.

Whoever cheated Jimmy Kibaki that he can be a credible national figure just by dint of his father being the President of Kenya should be jailed. I watched him today opening a school in Keiyo and for once I thought I was seeing an Irish Catholic Priest in supplication. His demeanor belongs to golf courses, brothels, clubs, hotel lobbies and not the competitive trenches of Kenyan politics.

Just because your father is a successful politician does not give you a carte blanche to be one. You are either cut for politics or not. Sometimes fire begets a bigger fire or cold ashes. Jaramogi Odinga and to some lesser extend Jomo Kenyatta and Jeremiah Nyaga beget bonfires. Moi beget faggots and cold ashes in the name of Gideon Moi and co. If the one to carry the mantle for Mwai Kibaki is Jimmy Kibaki then this is another sure miss. Though Mwai Kibaki is nothing to write home about, his son is something to hide your face about.

Recently, Raila Odinga’s alcohol-headed son Fidel also crawled out of the woodwork to declare interest in some parliamentary seat. This guy, to say the least looks shy and effeminate. I can’t bet a disused ten cent coin on him. The much he can be is Raila Odinga’s son. Period.

I suggest Gideon Moi, Jimmy Kibaki and Fidel Odinga should form a Political Elites’ Children Choir to be based in some exclusive club in town to spare us the agony of seeing miserable political wannabes on TV.

By the way, why is it that every other son or daughter of a rich political crook in this country spots the tag of businessman in this country? I have known. This is to cover up their dubious educational credentials, career less indolence and utter lack of purpose in life. It cannot be a coincidence that Jimmy Kibaki, Gideon Moi, Fidel Odinga et al are said to be career businessmen. What is the name of their successful enterprises? What products do they sell? These guys are either spoilt beer swirling pussie-hounds, wheeler dealers or crooked brief case suppliers and contractors in this town. In any case, their names alone turn state largesse taps and win irregular tenders. Businessmen indeed!

Where has Jimmy been all these years? Why did he wait till he is a grandfather to count himself amongst the youths? Some of us were politically active in teens. Are rich brats late bloomers? It seems they kick the diapers much later than the rest of us. Even Uhuru Kenyatta was dragged from obscurity to be a minister at forty kitu. Lol! Reminds me Uhuru Kenyatta’s hair style in 2001!  He looked like an old rat.


So Jimmy Kibaki materialized from oblivion and founded Simama Kenya; a rudderless NGO, merry—go-round, lobby group or whatever contraption he claims it is. Agenda: to speak for the youth, empower them economically, unite the country blah blah. It is almost a year now since Simama Kenya was formed, what has it done for the youth apart from endorsing political non starters for presidents and defending political thieves?

Wait, I thought Jimmy you had said Simama Kenya was a non-political outfit.  It seems you are now tired of living a lie. Or is it that you are sincere and you don’t really know what it stands for. You look the sheepishly sincere types anyway.

Haiya, I almost forgot a very important thing, you praised Mr. William Ruto for his development record and defended him in the maize scandal in the same rally. Well, you were accompanied by his hapless lackeys anyway. I am sorry; if defending William Ruto is your idea of youth empowerment then you are a confused nothing.

Simama Kenya was suspect in the first place.

We are the youths of this country, poor, jobless and lacking in economic opportunities but we are not blithering idiots. We can tell a political opportunist, charlatan and a pretender when we see one. We also understand the desperation of worthless politicians to be identified with the youth.

So, Tony Gachoka is the spokesperson for Simama Kenya? Thank you Sir. We all know who he is. We wish Simama Kenya Godspeed though we are fully aware that loudmouths have never been of any use to the Kenyan youth before otherwise we would all be in el dorado by now.

I am sorry for shortening the name of your quixotic venture and hurting its reputation. The right name is Simama Kenya Youth Initiative! Yes, a youth initiative by a 48 year old geezer. Indeed, what an initiative!

I Googled Simama Kenya and it returned a Youtube Video of a Kenyan song. So you guys don’t even have a website? Your earlier motto: Roundi hii si mchezo, was another song, not bad, can see you are knowledgeable on popular youth culture. Are you sure you won’t be perceived as hopeless copycats? Youth is about creativity.

Jimmy Kibaki, you have a political agenda, so desist from hiding under the banner of youth. Roll your sleeves and fight it out dirty with other Kenyan politicians though I am worried your predisposition hardly makes the cut. In the dais, you look dazed and diffident. It is as if someone is holding a gun on your head. In speech you are uninspiring, cold and flat. You talk in rallies like you are addressing a small group of Sunday School children.

You are the kind that sleeping pills are made of. Think you are better off back in the businessman identikirit that slothful children of Kenyan politically rich hide.

For now, the Kenyan youths are still groping in the dark for a redeemer. Amongst our options, you just so bottom in the heap.

Goodluck Jonathan’s Coup

The move by Goodluck Jonathan to dissolve the Nigerian cabinet is anything but a coup. Look, a caretaker can but arrange the seats in a house; his mandate does not extend to demolishing the house and building it afresh. This is tantamount to usurping the powers of the owner.

But the good thing is, Nigerians are least perturbed by this move. They prefer this scenario than the paralysis that followed Yar Adua’s hospitalization. Many, led by Prof Wole Soyinka, argue that the move was long overdue; they are failing to see that Goodluck Jonathan is following a tight script. His mantra is: test the waters, if it is not so deep, take the plunge. First, he demoted the Justice Minister, there was no outrage. This gave him room for the next move, to sack the national security adviser. Since the Nigerian public is moving in tandem, he is now assured of a carte blanche.

In retrospect, Goodluck Jonathan is smarter than we have credited him with too much luck than his name suggest. He became a governor without an election after the governor was impeached in a graft scandal. Next, he was fished from obscurity to be Vice President only for the president to be incapacitated paving the way for his presidency. It seems his story is far from climax.

His personality fits in the plot very well. Laid-back to almost aloof, cautious to almost spineless. All these have come in handy as a blessing in disguise. Umar Yar Adua’s handlers were unfazed with his being the acting president simply because he looked tame. Now they are left to grapple with their Frankenstein monster. The seemingly hapless Goodluck Jonathan has more chutzpah than they had imagined. Who knows what else he will do? And Nigerians are playing along.

In his scheme of things, he sacked the cabinet not only to assert authority but to have his loyalists in key positions. The next cabinet will be serving courtesy of him. The would-be cabinet has no illusion as to who is running the show.
Nigerians had better hearken this: Goodluck Jonathan will be in the ballot come 2011! The new cabinet will be his network for campaigns.

Did someone notice the confidence in Dora Akunyili’s voice? This mama is up for some new powerful role. I am not in Nigeria but she could be the power behind the throne. Her forthright manner of speaking represents the confidence associated with the untouchable kitchen cabinet. I looked for her on FaceboGoodluck Jonathan’s Coup
The move by Goodluck Jonathan to dissolve the Nigerian cabinet is anything but a coup. Look, a caretaker can but arrange the seats in a house; his mandate does not extend to demolishing the house and building it afresh. This is tantamount to usurping the powers of the owner.
But the good thing is, Nigerians are least perturbed by this move. They prefer this scenario than the paralysis that followed Yar Adua’s hospitalization. Many, led by Prof Wole Soyinka, argue that the move was long overdue; they are failing to see that Goodluck Jonathan is following a tight script. His mantra is: test the waters, if it is not so deep, take the plunge. First, he demoted the Justice Minister, there was no outrage. This gave him room for the next move, to sack the national security adviser. Since the Nigerian public is moving in tandem, he is now assured of a carte blanche.
In retrospect, Goodluck Jonathan is smarter than we have credited him with too much luck than his name suggest. He became a governor without an election after the governor was impeached in a graft scandal. Next, he was fished from obscurity to be Vice President only for the president to be incapacitated paving the way for his presidency. It seems his story is far from climax.
His personality fits in the plot very well. Laid-back to almost aloof, cautious to almost spineless. All these have come in handy as a blessing in disguise. Umar Yar Adua’s handlers were unfazed with his being the acting president simply because he looked tame. Now they are left to grapple with their Frankenstein monster. The seemingly hapless Goodluck Jonathan has more chutzpah than they had imagined. Who knows what else he will do? And Nigerians are playing along.
In his scheme of things, he sacked the cabinet not only to assert authority but to have his loyalists in key positions. The next cabinet will be serving courtesy of him. The would-be cabinet has no illusion as to who is running the show.
Nigerians had better hearken this: Goodluck Jonathan will be in the ballot come 2011! The new cabinet will be his network for campaigns.
Did someone notice the confidence in Dora Akunyili’s voice? This mama is up for some new powerful role. I am not in Nigeria but she could be the power behind the throne. Her forthright manner of speaking represents the confidence associated with the untouchable kitchen cabinet. I looked for her on Facebook and there are so many ‘groups’ on her, including Prof. Dora Akunyili for President! There is a new supermomma in town!
The ruling party, PDP, announced that they would not support Goodluck Jonathan for president in 2011. To me, that was a stupid move. The statement served as a warning to Goodluck Jonathan to build his power base in earnest. Now, the new cabinet he will put in place is the first step.
And who told the PDP they have the monopoly of producing presidents in Nigeria? In any case, somebody got to complete Yar Adua’s two terms then the old merry-go-round between north and south can be resumed. The north now has a half term score, so the south can also go for a half term through Goodluck Jonathan. Even the opposition might be eager to have Goodluck Jonathan run on their ticket. Trust a politician to smell a good opportunity!
Again, if the PDP succeed in cutting him out of the ticket, he can easily mould another political party that would not care about the tacit north-south rotational arrangement or take care of it in other ways. And there will be many governors and Mps who will follow him. Politicians are an opportunistic lot. They will put their money where their mouths are.
For now, it is up to Goodluck Jonathan to prove himself worth of the title of President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces in an acting capacity and he will be in good stead to spot the title in an elected capacity.
In my opinion, Nigeria should brace itself for a new political dispensation: a new party by 2011, new political players and maybe who knows, greater unity between the north and south. Trust the likes of Dora Akunyili to craft the scheme and Goodluck Jonathan to act it out.

ok and there are so many ‘groups’ on her, including Prof. Dora Akunyili for President! There is a new supermomma in town!

The ruling party, PDP, announced that they would not support Goodluck Jonathan for president in 2011. To me, that was a stupid move. The statement served as a warning to Goodluck Jonathan to build his power base in earnest. Now, the new cabinet he will put in place is the first step.

And who told the PDP they have the monopoly of producing presidents in Nigeria? In any case, somebody got to complete Yar Adua’s two terms then the old merry-go-round between north and south can be resumed. The north now has a half term score, so the south can also go for a half term through Goodluck Jonathan. Even the opposition might be eager to have Goodluck Jonathan run on their ticket. Trust a politician to smell a good opportunity!

Again, if the PDP succeed in cutting him out of the ticket, he can easily mould another political party that would not care about the tacit north-south rotational arrangement or take care of it in other ways. And there will be many governors and Mps who will follow him. Politicians are an opportunistic lot. They will put their money where their mouths are.

For now, it is up to Goodluck Jonathan to prove himself worth of the title of President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces in an acting capacity and he will be in good stead to spot the title in an elected capacity.

In my opinion, Nigeria should brace itself for a new political dispensation: a new party by 2011, new political players and maybe who knows, greater unity between the north and south. Trust the likes of Dora Akunyili to craft the scheme and Goodluck Jonathan to act it out.

Kenya’s Inequality, Unemployment and Misemployment

In the 1990s Indian state of Bihar, the only growth sector was kidnapping for ransom after official corruption brought down the economy to its belly. When people are deprived of opportunities for honest means of livelihood, they resort to dishonest means. Zero option situations drive one to explore negative options. There is a lot of empirical data available on the relationship between acute unemployment and rising crime figures which I am not interested in exploring at the moment.

Talking with many young unemployed Kenyans either on the streets or in the village gives you a picture of what is going in their minds. One told me he won’t hesitate to carry out a suicide bombing for pay if his family could be paid enough cash to justify his death. This is not at all surprising, many a Kenyan youth of Somali descent have been enlisted to fight for Al Shabaab in war ravaged Somalia. (The kind of radicalization they will undergo and import back to the country is of untold proportions.)Another one, a lady at that, told me she is wishing Al Qaeda could bomb the Kenya National Assembly.

Unemployment in Kenya and subsequent ramifications is not a ticking time bomb. History is just waiting to repeat itself, not as a farce but more fierce. The Post Election Violence that followed the bungled 2007 general elections was but a precursor of things to come if nothing is done to redress inequality and stem the tide of growing unemployment. Let no one cheat you that the Post Election violence was just about political incitements. It was a mixed grill with salad of historical injustices, misrule, exploitation and ethnic economic inequalities. The bottled up frustrations just got a vent to boil over.

If you came face to face with the violence, you would have observed that the face of the protesters was that of poverty coupled with dashed political hopes. Kids I saw grow up the other day mounted roadblocks and extorted money from me and fellow motorists. Though I was their neighbor and tribe mate, they demanded money simply because I had a car and was from the city. They told me they wanted a share of the city good life I was enjoying at their expense. They had their way because I wanted a way home. How many employed youth did you witness killing people or getting themselves killed by police fire on TV? Note that it was a killing as well as a looting spree.

Swedish International Development (SID) 2004 report, aptly titled Pulling Apart was a prescient of the 2008 Post Election Violence. They warned the government to address the widening economic gap between individuals and between the various ethnicities in Kenya. The report decried the ‘conspiracy of silence’ that the issue of inequality has suffered in the hands of politicians, stakeholders and policy makers in Kenya. It painted a grim reality on the economic disparity that exists in this country. For outsiders, Kenya was ranked then and I believe now, the tenth most unequal country in the world and the leading in East Africa.

In releasing the report, SID “hoped that key policy makers, politicians and stake holders will confront the issue in a more direct, honest and bold manner.’’ It never was to be. Inequality was left to fester, only to simmer in the form of a bloodbath in the 2008 Post Election Violence. Government was left to fumble on what has befallen the country. A commission was even formed to explore possible causes and remedies. If only they would have listened.

You don’t b have to visit Central Province and Nyanza Province to know that the former has better infrastructure than the later. Equally, you don’t have to be a professor of history to know that the economic disparities between the two are as a result of access to political power. Nyanza has suffered decades of economic neglect after independence, first in the Kenyatta regime, then Moi regime and now in the Kibaki regime. What will prevent a Luo from perceiving a Gikuyu as an enemy? He is if the state favors him with resources that you can only dream of.

The same scenario is replicated in many other African communities. The recurring massacre in Jos Plateau of Nigeria that has over the years claimed thousands of lives is linked to conflicts over resources. One community is excluded from state jobs and resources. Rightfully, it feels aggrieved, discriminated and robbed of state rights. The resultant effect is a flare up of violence. Unfortunately, it is the only way to be heard.
Back to unemployment and violence. The political impasse in early 2008 provided an opportunity for the unemployed youth to rob their neighbors for a little bounty. Kalenjins in the Rift Valley feel the Gikuyu utilized political power to alienate their land immediately after independence. They attribute their poverty to this and thus they view them as enemies. Whenever there is a security lapse or political excuse to attack Gikuyus, they exploit it to the full.

In the streets of Nairobi, every unemployed youth is dreaming up ways to get money by dishonest means. The few employment opportunities are taken up by the connected few. Whether the economy is growing or not, the plight of the poor remains the same. There is limited access to employment opportunities as the well- to- do grab all the opportunities. Take note that many of the unemployed today have college or university education. Poor families are spending all their resources to educate them but they end up in the army of the jobless.

Educated unemployment is the worst kind of unemployment. I have experienced it raw and first hand. You feel cheated, robbed and dispossessed. This is especially so when the same people who did poorly in school get plum jobs and you are left to write endless job applications without any reply.

The greatest internal threat to Kenya in terms of organized crime has been the Mungiki, a quasi religious rag tag army born out of families that were denied land immediately after independence. Made up of unemployed youths, they extort money on the roads and in the villages. They kill and maim to instill fear in the communities they operate in. Their success has been replicated in other parts of Kenya with varying degrees of success and will still be replicated in future. Economic injustice and neglect beget violence and crime.

In Nigeria, the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) attacks oil installations in the Niger Delta. Their gripe arises from state neglect in resource allocation directly accruing from the oil wealth extracted from their land. What they get is pollution and environmental degradation that has made their land barren. Their parents are poor and the youth are uneducated and unemployed. What prevents them from misemploying their energies and time in violence, crime and kidnapping? And especially targeting their exploiters?

Under the iron grip of apartheid, violence in South African townships was high. It was not targeted at the whites. It was toward fellow blacks. Why is because the white man was unreachable and thus the physically endowed vented their anger on fellow blacks. Deprivation and crime has a complex relationship.

The unemployed don’t care about the policy rhetoric spawned by government wonks. They know they don’t mean it. Just like them, I have never cared to read the much hyped Vision 2030. I know it is a lie. I read the 2003 blueprint, ‘The economic Recovery Strategy Paper for Wealth and Employment Creation ‘, commonly referred to as ERS. It was the most well written document I have ever read. But as the name suggest, it remained just that, paper. Who can trust government blabbering anymore? Worse still, the same faces!

No wonder, Vision 2030 now goes by the moniker Vision 3020. It shows the extend of mistrust Kenyans have of government promises. Unemployment figures show that it stands at approximately 40% and that there has been some sort of economic growth. In an unequal economy like Kenya, economic growth does not reach everybody. It is just up there. Unless it a down-up economic model, of which it is the opposite in Kenya, it remains just a mirage for the masses.

As we approach 2012, the frustration among the youth is palpable. Failure by government to implement their promises has made many Kenyans apolitical. That does not mean that violence will not recur, it will metamorphosize in scope, target and severity. It might be a class struggle rather than tribal.

As the bulk of Kenyan youth wallow in the throes of inequality and unemployment, resultant misemployment will most definitely manifest itself as violence and crime.

Thailand's Future is Gone from Yellow to Red

Thailand's political conflicts are not just about a cocktail of
t-shirt colors.There are serious institutional failure and democratic
sabotage.

The ongoing demonstrations by the red-shirts expose the un-easy
relationship between democracy on one hand and royalty, business
elite, military and the judiciary on the other hand.

The red-shirts have several grievances but one struck me as genuine:
that there is a conspiracy by the royalists,business elite, military
and the judiciary to defeat democracy.

The military toppled Thaksin Shinawatra in a coup in 2005, the
monarchy endorsed the coup. The Constitutional Court ruled Thaksin
Shinawatra's party parliamentary majority to be a result of electoral
fraud paving the way for Abhisit Vejajiva's premiership without an
election.

These events reek of a well orchestrated scheme and the red-shirts
have a score here.

Though the red-shirts are largelly pro Thaksin,some of them are not
but just fighting for democracy.

Another facet of Thai society that the political power struggles is
class struggles. The red-shirts are mainly drawn from rural poor of
the north and north east of Thailand.

The yellow-shirts, the demonstrators that normally turn up to support
the status quo are the city middle class types.

This does not augur well fof Thai economic and political stability.
Class tensions can easily degenerate into long lasting tensions and
violence.

So far, the demonstrations by the red-shirts are peaceful but there is
little assurance that it will remain so. Last year's April
demonstrations turned ugly leading to two deaths and several injuries.

If the yellow-shirts, the pro Abhisit group, ducide to jump in the
fray, then Thailand will grind to a halt like it did the other time.
The only complain now is traffic.

The red-shirts had issued a deadline for elections date to be
announced today and accordingly threatened unspecified action.
Violence is anyone's guess.

The international community has been particularly quiet as Thailand
goes down. What is the catch?

Kenya is a Highly Defective Democracy

According to Bartellsmann Foundation Transformation Index (BTI),Kenya
is listed as one of the most highly defective democracies in the
world. This report comes hot on the heels of a US Human Rights report
that listed Kenya as leading in police killings.

Kenya is trying to repair its tattered image after the Post Election
Violence of 08 but it seems it is not making much progress in
convincing the world. In the on going Berlin tourism fair, would be
tourists voiced their reservations on the security situation in the
country.

While insecurity in Kenya is not as bad as say South Africa, it seems
the international community is getting different signals. This is
hurting our tourism and foreign investment. Though democracy in Kenya
leaves a lot to be desired, it is better than most African countries
that are getting better ratings.Somebody is doing a bad PR job on
Kenya!

I wonder what happened to the New York PR firm that was paid millions
to do a spin on our image. Any idea,somebody?

The BTI measures progress made by developing and transition countries
as they move toward democracy and market oriented economy.

In a 2007 to 2009 survey of 128 countries, Kenya is rated among 53
defective democracies which according to Sabine Donner, a senior
programme manager,are characterized by inadequate civil and political
rights.Russia,Haiti and Kenya are termed as having 'significant
problems' with the rule of law.

"they have limited equality of opportunity for voices of opposition
and only conditionally representative political structures" said
Donner, "as a result, those are the countries that are classified as
highly deficient, and let's say some of them toward the brink of
autocracies"

In Africa, Burkina Fasso, Kenya, Angola,Lesotho and Burundi top the
list of highly defective democracies.

So, it seems the best way to market Kenya is by fixing its internal
issues first.

Do you agree with the BTI index?

US-Israel Relations: Time US Act Tough

The US ministration of every Israeli whim has turned it into a spoilt
child. Israel is now biting the hand that feeds it. That Israel had
the affrontery to announce new settlements as US VP Joe Biden was
visiting attest to this.

The much US could do to her spoilt child was,well, to rebuke it.

Israel has been socialized by the US to believe they can get away with
anything. But why not? US wields its veto power whenever anything sane
on Middle East peace come up for discussion in UN Security Council
meetings.

Besides,US is ready with cash and arms should Israel feel like war.

This special relationship is costing US a lot.Peace in the Islamic
world rests squarely upon the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.The
treatment of Palestinian like dogs feeds jihadi ideology. It is
hurting feelings, rightly so, in the islamic world.

Time US choose between world peace and pleasing Israel.

If US today renounce its special relationship with Israel,Israel would
be seriously negotiating with Palestine the next day. Peace will
prevail ever after!

Kenyan Police is a Cowardly Criminal Gang

You are better off with a bunch of thieves than in the supposed protection of the Kenyan security hoodlums. It is either they are inept, poorly trained, drugged or are operating under some dictum to kill as many Kenyans as possible to make a tame population of us. Otherwise what can explain the wanton killings of innocent civilians, day in day out, in the name of fighting crime?

The killing of seven innocent taxi drivers the other day in Kawangware is just another episode in the endless tragedy of executions of civilians by the Kenyan security apparatus. Before you are hoodwinked by the government spin, the ‘dangerous criminals’ were honest Kenyans eking out a living as taxi operators. They happened to have called a meeting in the course of their beat at night to discuss squabbles with their business rivals; the motorcycle taxi operators. Owing to the bad blood with the later stemming from business competition, the motorcycle operators alerted the police that the taxi operators were thieves planning a robbery.


Without any investigation, the administration police rushed to the scene and sprayed them with bullets. The taxi operators did not fire back as they were unarmed. The trigger happy coppers finished their mission of butchering them within no time. When the guns went silent, seven men, bread winners of some seven poor families, lay dead. No weapon was found on them.
I wonder who gave the Kenyan Police the carte blanche to shoot and kill. Every week passes with so many extra-judicial killings. Criminals have got rights too. It is the duty of the state to protect lives, including those of thieves. They ought to be arrested, charged and corrected. Not to be killed.

The Kenyan police have tried to justify their bribe taking culture by citing poor pay. Could they be hit men for hire to supplement their poor pay too? The Kawangware killings points strongly to this. It is suspect how they acted so fast. When the Kenyan police are not conniving with criminals to rob civilians, they are colluding with rival gangs to finish their rivals.

The Kenyan Police system is exploiting the fact that Kenyans hate criminals and would not care much how they are dealt with. Wait till you lose a loved one whom you can vouch for his innocence with your life. That is the time you will know that most of the people who are felled by police bullets in the name of fighting crime are just innocent souls.

Sometimes, I agree, it is a case of real thugs. I am not a policing expert but it is better to have a live criminal than a dead one. Arrested criminals provide crucial intelligence. That is when police is dedicated to rooting out crime in the long term. You can easily nap remaining criminals and bust crime cells from the information gleaned from a captured criminal. But our cowardly mob otherwise called police shoots them on sight even when they are not posing any danger to their lives.

Another pointer to the incompetence of the Kenyan police is the ever rising cases of innocent deaths from stray bullets. Who should teach them how to handle weapons? I use to think they get some training. Now I doubt. Every so often a life is snuffed by a stray bullet from a police officer. Nobody cares to bring them to justice because they are law unto themselves. They are the investigators and prosecutors themselves. No wonder not a single police officer has faced justice for the legion of killings that bedevil this country.

After every demonstration, the police whip out their guns and fire at demonstrators. Is their curriculum devout of crowd management? Why all the high handedness when dealing with a crowd of people simply expressing themselves with bare hands. The paradox is, most demonstrations in this country are about the police. Either the public are demonstrating against police killings or insecurity. And the best response from our beloved police force is to kill and maim.

I heard from the police that they have opened an inquest to the Kawangware killings. An inquest? My foot! How can the police investigate itself? It is a travesty of justice at best. Many inquests have been opened in this country and yet none has been concluded. What about the mass executions by the police? So many people are secretly killed by the police and taken to the game parks to be eaten by wild animals without a trace. Who will open an inquest for them yet the police deny involvement in their disappearances?

Oscar Foundation reported 8040 Mungiki members killed by the police in 2007 and 4070 disappearances. How far are they with these inquests? As an acknowledgement of the report, they went ahead and killed Oscar himself, the organization founder, in broad daylight. How far is his inquest?

The killing is an endless vicious cycle.

The UN investigator, Prof Philip Alston told the government to end police impunity. He adduced to the existence of police death squads. The government was quick to invoke its sovereignty clause.

The US Human Rights Reports, released just two days ago, raised a lot of concern on police killings in Kenya, Nigeria and Ethiopia. The government will just keep mum or reiterate that we are a sovereign state and therefore our police have the right to eliminate us whenever they deem fit.

The collective silence from the Kenyan public is too deafening but I doubt whether any will keep quiet when a police bullet rob one of his/her loved one. It is better to demand action from this government now. If the police killers are brought to book, they will be deterred from using us for target practice.

World Billionaires List: Check if Your Name is Among the Chosen Few!

Mexican telecom giant Carlos Slim has topped Forbes magazine's billionaire's list - the first time since 1994 that an American has not led the rankings.

Mr Slim's fortune rose by $18.5bn (£12.4bn) last year to $53.5bn.

That beat Microsoft founder Bill Gates ($53bn) into second place, with US investor Warren Buffett ($43bn) third.

In 2009 332 names left the list after a tough year, but the total number of billionaires on this year's list rose from 793 to 1,011, Forbes said.

A spokesman for Carlos Slim refused to confirm the Forbes estimate of the Mexican tycoon's wealth, saying they did not "waste their time" on such calculations, but he welcomed the result.

"We're pleased that he has been considered the best businessman of the world," spokesman Arturo Elias told the BBC. "It means there is trust among the investors."

The year's biggest gainer, Brazilian mining tycoon Eike Batista, broke into the top 10 for the first time.

He came in at number seven, having boosting his wealth by $19.5bn to $27bn.

France's Bernard Arnault ($27.5bn), the man behind the world's biggest luxury goods firm LVMH, also moved back into the top 10 and number eight, increasing his fortune by $11bn to $27.5bn.

Their mounting wealth helped to push Ikea's Ingvar Kamprad and Theo Albrecht - one of the men behind Aldi - out of the top 10.

Upturn

In a sign that the global economy could be seeing signs of improvement, the average net worth of the world's billionaires is now $3.5bn, up $500m from last year.

Furthermore, 97 names made their debut while a record 164 returned to the list in 2010 - including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg ($4bn), who, aged 25, also regained the title of youngest billionaire.

CARLOS SLIM
# Full name - Carlos Slim Helu
# Age - 70
# Widower with six children
# Family empire now controls more than 200 companies
# Controls more than 90% of Mexico's phone landlines
# Other interests include Inbursa financial group and the Grupo Carso industrial conglomerate

The news was a far cry from 2009 when the financial crisis took its toll on the world's richest people, wiping 332 names off the list and an average of 23% off the wealth of the remaining billionaires.

Falling stock markets and collapsing commodity prices were blamed. Russia's ultra-rich appear to have recovered from last year's commodity-related losses, however, with 62 billionaires on the 2010 list, compared with 27 last year.

Consumer focus

In Europe, shopping dominated the money list with six of the top 10 European billionaires making their money in retail and three more in consumer products.

Top of the list was Bernard Arnault (7) from LVMH, closely followed by Amancio Ortego of clothes retailer Zara (9), Karl Albrecht of cut-price supermarket Aldi (10), Igvar Kamprad and family (11) of Ikea and Stefan Persson (13) of discount retailer Hennes & Mauritz.

In the UK, the sixth Duke of Westminster Gerald Grosvenor (45) remained the wealthiest Briton with a net worth of $12bn as he improved his finances by $1bn despite the UK property slump.

Meanwhile, two Britons also made their debut - real estate investor Xiuli Hawken ($2.4bn) and hedge fund manager Alan Howard ($1.8bn).

On the up

The improving health of the global economy meant that 55 countries were represented in the Forbes list - with Pakistan (Mian Muhammad Mansha, number 937) and Finland (Antti Herlin, number 773) adding their first billionaires.

Strengthening stock markets and several large public offerings during the past year helped Asia close the gap with Europe.

A total of 234 Asian billionaires were featured in the 2010 list compared with 248 from Europe.

Russia's reversal of fortunes in the past 12 months also helped it inch up the league of cities that are home to the most billionaires after slipping to third place last year.

Mexican shakes up world rich list
In 2010, New York remained at the top of the pile with 60 ultra-rich residents, Moscow was second with 50 billionaires and London third with 32.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/8560731.stm

Published: 2010/03/11 02:24:19 GMT

STORY FROM THE BBC

I Want Us To Talk! Why This Statement Scares Men To Death!

Yesterday I did something very unusual; I watched the Christian station Family TV. It is unusual for me because I am a committed non-Christian. I have always believed that all tele-evangelists are assholes. The program was Dr. Phil, it turned out he aint no tele-idiot. Not only did the whole thing ended without a mention of Jesus, but I was really entertained. Dr Phil’s show is a trouble shooting forum for married couples.

The topic was varied but one attracted my attention: why do men freak out when a partner or wife mutters ‘I want us to talk!’ what is threatening in this seemingly innocent words?

The show brought memories from my last relationship about a year ago. Gosh! How time flies! The same words used to terrorize me but never once have I tried to unravel the mystery behind this bunch of words. What is the danger in talking? People talk everyday, not least with the same woman who want ‘a talk.’

Or have things changed since I last dated? I think not. I was careful to check the year of Dr Phil’s show after it ended and it turned out to be 2003! I have never watched family TV before but was not surprised that it keeps true to the Kenyan TV tradition of airing very stale programs. And they have the cheek to advertise them weeks before airing as the next hottest thing on screen!

If you are new in this country or a total ignoramus, the Reality TVs you are watching in Kenya are not real time but in fact older than the last dinosaurs that walked the earth. If you watching ‘ So You Think You Can Dance’ , ‘ The X Factor’ , ‘ Last Comic Standing’ or anything, please don’t get out your phone to vote when the MC announce ‘voting lines are now open’, those seasons you watching ended a dozen years ago. The sexy sassy brassy participants you are cheering are now doting grandmothers.

Evolution takes a million years so men are just the same scared lot they were when I left the dating scene or when Dr Phil’s show aired. What make them scared of talks with their better halves?

Dr. Phil take was that men are socialized to be macho and therefore will shy away from pouring out their emotions. His other explanation was that men have fragile egos. Those are maybe western men but partly true for Africans too.

I pondered the whole night trying to figure out what in those words used to scare the balls outta me.

One, men are hardly faithful in their relationships. So, when a partner says ‘I want us to talk’ what you hear is ‘dog, why didchu play me?’ I used to go over in my mind what I have done in the past few days, stuff that chicks have forgotten in ma digs, tell tale signs of a player, undeleted texts that might have given me away and other possible loopholes. When I was sure there was nothing that could give me away, I went to the next possible reason for ‘the talk’ demand.

The other reason could be that maybe the gal was pregnant. That used to make me sweat even in winter. Has this gal set me up? If yes, I will tell her to abort or else we are not in business. If it was accidental, then it means the same thing: abortion. I was hardly ready to buy the diapers or be called daddy. The word ‘daddy’ can give you the heebie-jeebies at a certain age.

What other thing that made the ‘I want us to talk’ statement creepy is my sheer hatred for structured talks. I hate serious boardroom type talks. I prefer the free agenda-less banter. I abhor the seriousness that meetings entailed. If it is a must, I prefer being at the back row where I can play Bricks in my phone or steal glances with stupid bitches or ogle bimbos with low cut tops. A strategy I could not employ with just the two of us in the four walls.

Am almost forgetting, women like talking too much. Men do talk but not as much. Women can bore you to death with lotsa empty talks. It is worse when it is just you and her in the room. Seated across the table staring and you, with blazing eyes looking directly into your eyeballs…that is what I call terror.

Most guys I know hate explaining themselves. Especially when accused. It does not matter whether they are innocent or guilty, trying to explain oneself as a man is fiendishly hard. The only time men cease to be articulate is when they have to do it before a woman. You just wish she could understand without your having to talk. I bet the tough talking politicians on TV wet their pants when their wives throw the ‘I want us to talk’ bomb at them too. Not least because men are the same but because they are cheating bastards .

Another reason why we hate the ‘I want us to talk’ proclamation has to do with skeletons in the closet. Guys have a lot to hide about their past. We lie a lot to cover an ugly past. So when a chick decides it is the ‘can we talk’ moments, your mind races to what she might have dug up.

I never gave in to the talks anyway. I always found ways of evading them. A combination of procrastinations and deceit always did the trick. To date, I don’t know what she wanted us to talk about. Could it be the reason our relationship went kaput? I will ring her to confirm now that the relationship is gone to heaven.

Why do men never ask women for a 'talk'? It is them to tell us but for the moment, they should be advised that ‘I want us to talk’ line means trouble in men’s parlance.

Abortion Debate in Kenya: Churches, Please Spare Us the Shenanigans

That churches are opposed to the new constitution because of the controversial abortion clause is pure hogwash. The last time I checked, Kenya is a secular state and stealth efforts by Christians to make it otherwise will be opposed to the last man standing.

I almost forget, today is the International Women Day, lemme take this opportunity to wish all women a great day and a great year. They should use this day to take stock of the achievements they have made so far and what still remains to be done in the fight for dignity, liberty and the right to steer their own destiny. I am sure the right to safe abortion is at the centre of this march.

Oh, this reminds me, why are the voices I hear about abortion those of men and not women?

Abortion is about women. Men’s role ends the night of conception and in some cases; they join the woman in bringing up the offspring. A role they sometimes abdicate without any scruples. Those crying loud about abortion are such men.

So what is my opinion on abortion?

Abortion is not murder. It is a health procedure. Just like an operation to remove cancerous cells or dieting to cut weight.

Life starts at the time when a baby can survive on its own without the direct support of the mother. By that, I mean when all its vital organs are functional.
A fetus is just but a mass of cells. I am not a doctor hence I don’t know after how many weeks a baby can survive on its own outside of a mother’s womb. It is for doctors to decide and I am sure they have the capacity to do it.

In Spain, abortion is permissible up to 22 weeks. I don’t know what rational they used to arrive at this time frame. Their laws state that a mother can procure abortion when her physical and mental (psychological) wellbeing is under threat. The mental aspect was obviously included to take care of the economic and social consequences of a woman carrying the pregnancy to full term. I believe this is the best law for women anywhere in the world. This law has been in effect since 1985 and Spaniards still bring forth many offspring including the one you will be watching in the 2010 World Cup. This law has never made the Spanish race extinct. It has only made their lives better. Why doesn’t Kenya borrow a leaf from them?

Pregnancy takes place in a woman’s body and is therefore solely responsible for its continued existence or otherwise, depending on what they feel about it. No second party can interfere in this natural situation without infringing on the fundamental rights of the mother. I believe this unique situation gives them inaliable right to determine whether to carry the baby or not.

Again, I believe the fetus is part of a woman’s body up until the birth of the baby. If anything happens to the fetus, it has direct consequences on the life of the mother. It is only a woman who knows how the fetus or baby will affect her life and thus pregnancy is the sole discretion of a woman involved.

I will never be shaken from this conviction. This is a biological issue, not legal, political, social or otherwise. Those whose beliefs are in the contrary should critically re-examine their thoughts.

Life begins at birth. Period. If it was not so, a fetus should have been able to develop independently of the mother. The one that a man and woman have equal say over it is a test-tube baby.

Back to the abortion debate vis a vis the Kenyan church. The church in Kenya is a hypocritical lot. When Kenya was burning during the Post Election Violence, the church went silent. Its members retreated to their tribal enclaves and waged war against other tribes. They don’t have the moral authority to guide this nation because they are partisan. The vested interests they have in the politics of this country have made them irredeemably parochial. They cannot be relied to give an independent, sober and rational moral guidance to this nation. We are better off with our secular minds.

(I am guilty of a fallacy of argumentum ad hominem but this is the only way I can illustrate that the church in Kenya is not infallible.)

In any case, they should be waging their wars from the pulpits not press conferences. This is not the Vatican. The state here is clearly separate from religion. Those who are dissatisfied with this arrangement should kindly relocate. I am particularly bitter because the Church puts itself in a high pedestal it cannot itself live up to it. For instance, they are opposed to condom use yet AIDS is ravaging their flock equally as non-Christians. Family planning is another case. Now abortion, it is time the church wake up from their blinding faith. Hey guys, reality is beckoning!

The church should preach morality to its flock not the world. Their influence on the morality of this nation should be through preaching the teachings of the bible and not by arm-twisting our laws. They should detest from this business of blackmail. If their teachings were effective we would be having no unwanted pregnancies to start with. Time to stop fighting the symptoms and go for the cancer. They should carry a serious introspection and map out a strategy of winning back their flocks to the ways of Christianity.

They are fighting a lost war because they are fighting it from the wrong front. So many abortions happen in this country every hour yet it is illegal. It does not mean if it is legalized it will escalate. It will only make it safe for the mothers. What is the point of losing two lives when we can save at least one?

It is not a secret. Most aborted fetuses include those of randy church ministers, priests and pastors. You just have to throw a passing glance at the abortions in your neighborhood to confirm this. Even their daughters and wives are not spared. Worse still, they abet abortion when it is their family members or close relatives. These bastards know what abortions are for. Lousy charlatans!

Divorce the abortion debate from religion. Then and only then will we have a productive debate that take care of the real stakeholders: women!

It is Better Being A Dog in the West than Human in Africa!

The news of a nationwide constitutional referendum to give animals a constitutional right to be represented in Swiss courts reminded me of how far down the development ladder we are in Africa. Many African countries are reeling in dictatorships such that it is a treasonable to even imagine a single constitutional amendment to better the lives of human beings. Most people are living in such deplorable conditions they cannot afford the luxury to think of animal rights.

So, animal rights activities in Switzerland say appointing state funded animal lawyers would ensure animal laws are upheld. Don’t forget that Switzerland already has the most stringent animal laws in the world with a state appointed cruelty cases lawyer, Mr. Antoine Goetschel, having represented dogs, cats, sheep and even a fish in the past. For the love of animals, the Swiss want a nationwide system of animal lawyers.

Back to Africa, most Africans cannot afford a descent meal, shelter, clothing, health care and safe drinking water.

A simple comparative analysis will point out that animals in the west have better lives and more rights than us Africans.
Health Care

In the west, the doctor patient ratio is mostly triple digits. Cuba is leading with 170; Belarus has 220 and so forth. Come to Africa: Tanzania and Malawi is one doctor to 50 000 patients while Uganda has 12 500.

The statistics on vets are mostly unavailable but I gleaned that in the US, vet to pets ratio is around 35 000. That means a dog in the US has better chances of getting treatment than a Tanzanian or Malawian and by extension, better health care.

In Africa, health emergence services are either poor or non-existent. In Kenya, emergence services are run by private companies and are therefore subscriber based. Few can afford them. Hot lines are never working. In the west, even India, emergence services for pets and animals are very efficient. The nearest hospital being 30 kilometers away, there is not a single ambulance in my village yet the west has more than enough ambulances for animals.
Food

According to the recommended feeding amount, Fido, a typical American dog, would eat $1.74 worth of high quality, human grade ingredients, and no risky imports dog food while Fluffy the cat would be consuming $3.87 worth of cat food each day. I bet An African would be more comfortable eating these pet foods than the concoctions that causes him cholera and typhoid he eats in Africa.

It is universal knowledge that many in Sub- Saharan Africa live on less than a dollar a day. In Nigeria, 64.4 % of people live on less than a dollar a day. That means a Nigerian cannot afford to live a dog life in the west. 83.9 % of Nigerians live on less than two dollars a day. That means the majority of Nigerians cannot afford to be a live cat in the US for a day. This is a country that is the eighth largest exporter of oil in the world.
Shelter

I am sure that the living conditions in the west for pets are better than most in Africa. Most houses in Africa are makeshift structures that are a disaster in waiting. Most cannot keep out the elements. Majority of urban communities live in slum conditions that a western dog will contract a million diseases and die within a day.
Security

The greatest threat to an African life is to be snuffed out by a piece of lead from a (in)security agent. Most countries are covert police states. Even in some countries that masquerade as democracies, state sponsored killings are rampant. In Kenya, the government connives with illegal gangs to terrorize and kill the citizenry. A killer mob called Mungiki exists freely and kills with impunity. Recently, the government released its leader from prison.

Kenyan police is a trigger-happy mob. A report by a civil society, the mars Group, indicates that ten suspected robbers were slain in two days in February this year alone. While in the western democracies this would raise a furor, the Kenyan police dabble with extra-judicial killing with impunity.

About three hundred Boko Haram members, a militant Islamic group, were killed by police last year in Nigeria .A video released by Al Jazeera recently, gave a graphic account of police shooting unarmed members of the group in cold blood. The Christian-Muslim conflict in Jos this year claimed more than 800 lives, with the police responsible for most of the deaths.

People are dying daily in Africa from avoidable causes. The authorities treat them no better than mere statistics. African governments are more concerned about the next elections and how best to remain in power than providing security. In most cases, they eliminate their competitors.

The genocides in Rwanda and Darfur are too documented to be cited. When was the last time you heard of wanton mass deaths of animals in the west? They are assured of life than us in Africa.
Animal welfare groups, charitable trusts, humane societies and animal rights bodies are more effective in the west than civil Societies in Africa. Most civil society members are just shouting loud so as to be coopted into government. Some groups, for instance PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) are better organized and proactive than most civil societies here. PETA has 2 million members to boot

If the theory of reincarnation is true, I would wish than I be reborn a dog in the west than a human being Africa!

Esther Arunga is Gone Bananas for Real!

Esther Arunga is Gone Bananas for Real!

When was the last time you heard a sane person sue his/her parents? Even the craziest of them all, Eminem, did not get close! Even in Tinsel town, the A-Listers don’t go that far. Whatever excuse anybody can have for suing one’s parents: privacy, freedom, money or anything, Esther Arunga’s case did not warrant it, it just not plausible. Your parents, however perspective you view them from are almost sacred. They are the last people to mean bad for you. They can sometimes err, yes, but whatever their mistake is, is rarely out of malice.

At times, your parents can mess you up or vex but most sane individuals will let it go, sort it in private or with close relatives. But going to court and call a press conference to announce it is not madness but worse.

The news that Esther Arunga is suing all media houses and the mental institution she was rightfully referred to by her parents to a tune of Kshs 300 Million is perturbing but not extra ordinary. The media are sued every day for all manner of things. But that she has the guts to sue her parents is way out of the ordinary. It is something out of mad land.

In this blog before, I had argued that Esther Arunga needs some urgent psychiatric attention. It happens I was not the only one with that view. Her caring parents shared it. Esther Arunga is sick and still needs psychiatric care.

It does not matter to me that she has married Quincy Timberlake, though I am sure Esther Arunga, in her former sane self would not have touched him with a long stick leave alone share a bed with him. I am sure that the Quincy Timberlake is a ponce, a dunce or a bugger and Esther Arunga is marrying him out of madness. When she recovers, the first place will be the law courts to nullify the ‘marriage’.

Some people are taking advantage of Esther Arunga’s derangement. That hell of a man otherwise known as Joseph Hellon should be banned from getting close to Esther Arunga. Her parents are right to detain Esther Arunga, she is just being helped from doing much damage to herself but she cannot recognize it in her present state of mind.

If Esther Arunga is not insane, as she would want us to believe, what can explain all these nonsense she is doing? Running for presidency, marrying a freeloader, indulging in a cheap cult, resigning her job, suing her parents ad nauseam?

When she is finally cured of her insanity,( wishing her quick recovery),she will have a lot to regret, a great deal to undo, much to re-do and many to seek forgiveness from.

The best thing for now, dear Esther, is to check into a mental asylum! I think this is the last article I am writing on her, it is not fair to write about an insane fellow.

Do you think Esther Arunga is in her right mind?