Opinion: A little rant to the long serving Presidents out there; I had too after the NBS TV Uganda 100 days since M7 stole the Election BS recently…

M7 100 Days

With the NBS TV Uganda who wanted to ask President Museveni how he felt after his first 100 days into his 5th official term… how he felt of his achievements as Executive after a hundred days we’re the journalist questions to the man who have ruled since 1986. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has run the Ugandan Republic for over 10950 days! So the question was blurred out and surely lost sight of the reality of their long serving Executive.

The same can be said with President Robert Mugabe who is heated and demonstrated against in Zimbabwe. In a country with fiscal economic issues and loss of agricultural output together with weaken production as the El Nino has hurt the economy more. Together with rampant corruption and a Zanu-PF Elite who are more concern with their luxurious vehicles in Harare than the empty stomachs of the poor working class. This happens while the Police are brutalizing the demonstrators and the ones speaking against the government are either harassed or detained. Even hurt so they end up at the Hospital. So the dire oblivion for the economic landscape as the tension between the citizens and draconian state will not dissolve overnight.

Hon. Kemi Adeosun said this on the 18th August: “The Economy is challenged and people are extremely frustrated, and we need to rebuild fundamentality. We need to prioritize… We need to realize that with the collapse of commodity prices. We don’t have enough  foreign exchange to buy as many imported goods as we like to, so when there is import substitution, we must embrace it”.

Zim Ministry of Information

When the Financial Minister says this as the Opposition are harassed and the public is silence and more draconian laws like Cyber Crime laws coming in Parliament. Show’s the ability of Zimbabwean regime wishes to push laws to silence social media and other dissidents as the policies and the regulations of Zanu-PF haven’t born fruits. This has to be hurtful for the President who has had years upon years to build, instead has skimmed money for himself and his elite.

Therefore with the knowledge of President Museveni (Sudan), President Deby (Chad), President Dos Santos (Angola) , President Nkurunziza (Burundi) , President Kagame (Rwanda), President Kabila (DRC), President Bashir (Sudan), President Afewerki (Eritrea), President Guelleh (Djibouti) and President Mugabe (Zimbabwe) has all been sitting a long time and has nothing new to show (and surely I could given some honourable mentions that I haven’t said). They can’t and they are not hungry to deliver. If they deliver or does anything profound it would be by rare luck or a new cash-cow for their elites and the political affiliates.

It is a reason why the Members of Parliament are greedy, why the corrupt behavior is happening and why the transparency is so low. The Executives who runs for life and runs for decades upon decades wish to run the game without question. That is their wish and their ways of assembling the needed riches for themselves.

NRM Oyee! 09.04.2016

President Museveni might drop by district and deliver some equipment and check of a few million shillings, but the depleted hospitals and schools isn’t built on wink and nudge from the master. While the inflation and the unstable currency doesn’t make the investors safe to have a haven of business in Uganda. This together with everything is connected to the President and his entourage as the family of Museveni is connected to all kind of business and agreements. Land is being delivered to the Elite or Financial backers, while locals and Internal Displaced Persons are living decades-on in camps. So the Museveni cannot drop a new sense of accountability as the walking budget isn’t promising anything new or creating a solid foundation now as that is not in his interest.

The interest of these long serving leaders isn’t to have strong institutions; they want them weak and keep people loyal around them. The Electorate and Citizens are not really important they are only important when they are pawns useful to trade aid or trade agreements of government loans to secure fiscal funding of the Financial Year and the Budget.  

These long serving leaders have control over foreign exchange, central banks and also the businesses that are vital for export commodities so that they can earn money on the hard work of the citizens as they do what they can to survive and live basic on the mercy of these political leaders. This happens years upon end… without question and with the powers of controlling the heads of the Military and Police so they can silence the population. Therefore the worst crimes aren’t murders or stealing under these dictatorships. The worst crime and worst offence is to offend and counter-claim the legitimacy of the Executive. Parts of that is also to solidify popular support of the public and therefore needs to be detained and charged with amazing amounts affidavits and draconian laws to determine the fate of the opposition by any means.

So this is the profile of the fellow Presidents, they are doing it in their own way, but the key of results is this: keep themselves in Power and secure the government funds together with business in the Nation for their loyalist and the people that the President can trust.

swiss leaks africa accounts

Since they cannot win the popular ballots as some of them could have in their first elections and ballots as they might have liberated the Nation or even gotten rid of former dictators or the fantastically corrupt who used the army and economy themselves to build palaces and get more government funds into Swiss Bank Accounts than amounts of sheep on New Zealand. The Presidents and their elites are in recent elections either using fear, armies to disrupt and silence opposition; if that doesn’t work ballot-stuffing, pre-ticked ballots and even stop the counting and fix the result for the Ruling Regime. So that the “legitimate” government is still there and with their “elected” men and woman even if the Electorate meant differently. That has happen again and again. The Presidents uses elections as big-caving events and periods to finally buy loyalty of local communities and give pledges that they have never plans to achieve as they keep the district in dire poverty to secure the aid and donor funds. While having ability to skim the funds and take the taxpayer’s money as the accountability doesn’t matter as much as the personal relationship between the Elite on the top. So when the President passes by the impoverished district he would drop some shillings and pay the community leaders with a new car or big brown envelope.

Why do we accept these men to run these ruthless games and when is this supposed to end?

When will the public and citizens be respected?

What do you think about my opinions, does they fit the bill?

Do you have any answers as I was just ranting again today! Peace.

RDC: Soutien a la Declaration du “Rassemblement” et appel a la Journee ville morte du 23 Aout 2016 (22.08.2016)

RDC Rassemble 22.08.2016

Press Release: Arcelormittal to Pay R1.5 Billion fine for its Involvement in Cartels (22.08.2016)

RSA Competition 2016 P1RSA Competition 2016 P2RSA Competition 2016 P3

S. Sudan’s first vice president Taban Deng Gai visits Khartoum, pledging peace (Youtube-Clip)

“South Sudan’s first vice president says his visit to neighbouring Sudan aims to consolidate peace between the two countries. Taban Deng Gai says he has President Salva Kiir’s personal commitment to establishing concrete and productive relations with Sudan. Deng Gai arrived in Khartoum on Sunday. CCTV’s Patrick Oyet has more from Juba” (CCTV Africa, 2016)

Kenya: Public Inquiry on the Impact of Mining Activities on the Enjoyment of Human Rights in Taita-Taveta County (18.08.2016)

Taita Taveta 18.08.2016 P1Taita Taveta 18.08.2016 P2

Malema hints on proposal to scrap water, electricity bills for the poor (Youtube-Clip)

“EFF leader, Julius Malema says his party will propose scrapping of water and electricity bills of the poor. But the pro- poor mandate may not be viable. Economists say wiping off the bad debt is feasible but its the tax payers that could end up footing that bill” (SABC Digital News, 2016)

Steady Regress: Missing stocks at Arua R.R. Hospital, again!

Arua Hospital 21.08.2016

Again, a hospital under the ruler of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni gets sinking with either the staff getting sacked, missing equipment or allocated funds dispersing. Arua Regional Referral Hospital we’re founded in 1939. So this is not built on the merits of National Resistance Movement, this is a hospital that we’re running before NRM existed.

Much funding in recent years for the day-to-day operation has been through the SUSTAIN and Anti-HIV/AIDS program of USAID. That lasted for 5 years and we’re run by partners University Research Co. LLC and Integrated Community Based Initiatives (ICBI). This lasted until June 2015.

Arua Referal Hospital

The missing equipment now at hospital isn’t new as in February 2016 this we’re reported:

“Arua Regional Referral Hospital is struggling with an acute drug stock out. Information obtained by URN shows that the hospital has been operating without essential drugs for the last two months” (…) “As a result, patients are diagnosed and referred to private facilities to buy the necessary medicine. Christine Atizuyo, an expectant mother told URN that she was asked to pay Shillings 10, 000 and buy medicine from a private facility, when she visited the hospital for antenatal care recently” (…) “Dr. Darlington Akusa, a cancer specialist at Arua Regional Referral Hospital, says they are struggling to provide health services to patients due to lack of drugs. He says currently they only examine patients and prescribe for them medication, which they have to buy from private facilities” (Ariaka, 2016)

So that the regional hospital lacking stuff isn’t new, it is just systematic the way the NRM sees fit for the importance of the Health Sector and the well-being of its citizens. Surely the NRM might have funds for vaccines and medicines through GAVI, but they have stolen that in the past and surely in the present if needed. So with the knowledge of this the government continues to pass the buck and give enough to supply the hospital.

This will happen again as long as the NRM regime continues to rule. They just don’t care instead they uses fortunes on expenses and luxurious lavish lifestyle for the current Members of Parliament. Peace.

Reference:
Ariaka, Robert – ‘Arua Hospital Grapples With Drug Shortage’ (16.02.2016) link: http://ugandaradionetwork.com/story/drug-shortage-hits-arua-regional-referral-hospital-patients-forced-to-buy-drugs-from-private-clinics-#ixzz4HzefUF6a

 

 

Ethiopian government says protest regions now calm (Youtube-Clip)

“Reactions from Ethiopia after the United States issued a travel advisory to its citizens. The U.S. warning comes following protests in Ethiopia. While government has dismissed the advisory as standard from the Americans, analysts say there could be consequences. CCTV’s Girum Chala tells us more” (CCTV Africa, 2016)

Nike Apparel scandal for the Kenyan Athletes as the NOCK we’re skimming off the Rio2016

nike-free-kenya

“You can run wit losers, or run wit winners and win” 50 Cent on Young Buck – ‘Let Me In’ on LP ‘Straight Outta Ca$hville’ (2004).

It is Olympics season and Rio Olympics started the 5th August 2016. There we’re long planning for each athlete and Olympics team through the National Sports Authorities who fixes funds and also allocate monies to the needed equipment and so on. Therefore the recent days mayhem around the Kenyan Olympic Team and the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K). This team and Committee have come under fire. The NOC-K and Kenyan Athletics have both been questioned about their use of funds and corrupt behaviour.

Today I am going over the recent articles on the Rio Scandal of the Athletes who was not getting their needed National Nike Kits from the NOCK. As they we’re even at one point claimed to been stealing from a Nike Shop in Rio and had a meeting with Nike Officials in Brazil. This happens as the Nike Corporation has already gotten shredded review for their newest agreement with the Kenyan Athletics and NOCK in 2013. They can be questioned for their “commitment bonus” and the reason for paying off Chinese counterparts to keep the Kenyan Runners running in Sports Appeal from Nike.

The NIKE Corporation wants the best wearing their gear at the biggest sports events so they can be the Golden club, like 50 Cent said so poetically: “Run wit winners and win” in 2004, the same kind of acts are apparently the key for the Nike Executives who rather for branding sake bribe Kenyan Officials to have the quickest men wearing their running shirts. This should be a crown example of the American Sports Industry and how far they go to pay off Athletes and Sports Organizations who fit their bar. The Kenyan Sports Officials are getting easy money for their associates to wear clothes and brand them. But it goes further as some officials apparently have been selling of special clothes made for the athletes and this year’s Olympics. So they didn’t have enough Sports Gear for their delegation in Brazil. So the greed of NOCK officials just sold the designated apparel for the Athletes. That shows the little care for their obligated work and more about the extra funds for themselves.

Kipchonge Rio Olympics

Reports from earlier in 2016 – Commitment Bonus saga:

“In a contract signed several years ago, Nike agreed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in honorariums and a one-time $500,000 “commitment bonus,” which the former employee called a bribe” (…) “For more than 20 years, Nike Inc. has been paying the Kenyan national runners’ association millions of dollars in exchange for the Kenyans wearing Nike’s signature swoosh, superb advertising in the running world” (…) “After they received a letter from a Nike lawyer saying there were no legal grounds to terminate the contract, the Kenyan officials abruptly changed course. They negotiated a new contract in which Nike agreed to pay Athletics Kenya an annual sponsorship fee of $1.3 million to $1.5 million — plus $100,000 honorariums each year and a one-time $500,000 “commitment bonus.” (…) “In a sworn statement provided to Kenyan investigators, the former assistant said the $500,000 commitment bonus was “bribe money from Nike” so that the top officials could pay back the $200,000 from the scuttled deal with the Chinese company and then make even more by agreeing to sign up again with Nike” (…) “Nike wired the money into the federation’s account instead. But before that, the chairman emailed a Nike executive, Robert Lotwis, with “invoice” in the subject line. “Urgent!!” the message said. “Dear Robert, U.S. 500,000 being commitment Bonus. Regards, Isaiah Kiplagat, Chairman.” (Gettleman, 2016).

It was all well in July 2016:

“Kenya’s track and field team received it’s Nike kit for the Rio Olympics yesterday with the elite distance runners saying they are ready to take the game to their Ethiopian arch rivals at next month’s game” (…) Stephen Soi (above), Kenya’s chef de mission to the Rio Games, said Nike had sent training leisure and competition kit to the Tusker­ sponsored Team Kenya” (Makori, 2016).

What they we’re supposed to get:

“Some athlete revealed that the National Olympic Committee (NOCK) officials were diverting the kits for sale in Kenyan market. “Nike submitted 1,900 pieces of uniform both for training and racing to the 52 athletes who were in Rio. Nike had a different set for coaches, trainers, and officials,” said a Sports ministry official who had travelled with Ruto” (…) “NOCK chair Kipchoge Keino dismissed the claims saying every athlete was given enough kits.”There is no problem with uniforms. All the athletes were e given enough pairs of uniform,” said Keino. One member who traveled with Ruto to Rio, however, faulted CS Wario and his PS for the problems that faced the athletes in Rio” (Mwalimu, 2016).

Kenyatta Rio Team 2016

CS for Sports and Culture Hassan Wario Speaks:

Nock officials were being chauffeured around in limousines. I walked to most of the venues where Kenyan athletes were competing and some of them were five kilometres away” (…) “The Rio Olympics will go down as one of the Kenya’s best ever, in terms of performance. But what people are seeing are unnecessary problems entirely created by guys managing the team” (…) “Nock are the ones who draw up the list of the athletes and the travelling team. They are the ones to accredit all members of the travelling team. I, too, had to request Nock officials to get me into the Olympic village because I did not have the right accreditation from them. There are some things that went wrong, but we could not help because whenever we try to do so, Nock says they are independent” (…) “We also need a new team at Nock, which is 21st century in thinking. Some of the current officials have been in office for more than 30 years. They operate in a cartel-like manner. They ensure they vote one another to office in perpetuity” (…) “I am the one who prepared his itinerary in Rio. It is just that when he landed, I was caught in a traffic jam coming from cheering Okwiri (boxer Rayton Okwiri). I called the DP and requested that I meet him at his hotel together with the Kenyan team” (…) “We paid Sh800,000 into the accounts of each of the athletes a week before travelling to the Olympics. There are only four cases which we shall solve soon. We shall add each one another Sh150,000 as a token of appreciation. The cheque is being prepared” (Kipchumba, 2016).

Alleged stealing kits:

“Mr Robert Lotwis, a Nike executive, wrote to Nock: “Dear FK (Francis Paul, the Nock Secretary General). I have not heard back from you around any of the product issues I have emailed you about. I have sent you a list of product that was sent and you received. “I don’t understand why I have athletes both here (in Rio) and back in Nairobi saying they did not receive the products. I’m asking again for an explanation. I’ve also listed what each track (athletics) athlete should receive in a pack. I’ve also relisted below what was sent to Nock. Please respond with an explanation on why athletes are saying they are not getting all the products they should.” (…) “In an invoice mailed to Nock, which is in our possession, Nike shipped a huge consignment of kits to Kenya, which confirms claims raised by Mr Korir. For example, they sent 450 bags but very few were distributed to athletes. Nike labelled a clear distribution order of the consignment on what each athlete would receive” (Komen, 2016).

Kipchonge Rio Olympics Finish Line

What we can questioning is how much does the NIKE Corporation accept to have their name on the Apparel for Olympic runners in global sports events like the Olympics and World Cup. The Kenyan Runners are famous and together with Ethiopians has a running tradition when it comes to sports. That is something the Nike Corporation has supported and been a sponsor for decades.

This seems okay that they are paying facilitation fees to the Kenyan Officials because Marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge wins Gold on 42 kilometre Marathon while wearing the NIKE Apparel shirt. The reason why they have the Sponsorship with the National Olympic Committee – Kenya (NOCK) and Athletics Kenya (AK); are there to make the company get a feel good vibe and be there with the right people even if they are bribing officials to get it there; doesn’t seem like a problem for NIKE. I am sure NIKE has some good deals with the FIFA organizations as they want the Governing Football body to be associated with the Nike brand.

That the NIKE Company accepts deal which CS Hassan Wario calls Sports Cartels as they are licensing the sports and delegating the teams for the Olympics. Therefore they knew how much Apparel they would need; still they had the greed to sell it. This shows the length the Officials who are in charge of the deals and facilitation of the Athletes and their trainers for the competitions like Rio 2016. The ironic is how much money the Sport Organizations gets from Sponsorships and apparel; still the Gold Medal winner of Marathon today Elihud Kipchoge didn’t get picked up on the Airport or even scheduled by the Athletics Kenya or the National Olympic Committee Kenya. He was driven by a Ugandan Athlete to his destination instead, which shows the brotherhood of East Africa, but also the indifference from the AK and NOCK. This should worry NIKE who pays fortunes to have their name on their Apparel and are affiliated with the corrupt behaviour.

The Kenyan Officials are earning funds and even thieving to earn extra out of the deal. As much as the Government also gives funds for the Kenyan Athletes as they represent the Nation at the Rio Olympics. That because of the issues with funding, apparel and the rest Deputy President Willam Ruto had to show up. Sure not just drive limousines with other officials to the stadiums, but hopefully to get clarity in the scandal of NOCK.

team Kenya

So it proves the systematic use of the sports to gain personal gains for the Sports Organizations as they use sponsorship deals to earn more shillings. The BOBs must be spent on more heavy things as the total amount of monies can be used on more than chapaties. The scandal makes the Kenyan Sports look bad, when they could be looking shiny. Instead of the representation and golds will not glimmer because of the artistic ways of diminishing money and plans that the Gold Winner of today might have felt twice with the problems of Nike Apparel and the left behind in Rio before coming to the Olympic village. That shouldn’t be an issue for well-funded organizations who are sponsored by Multi-National Corporations and Tax-Payers Monies to deliver results for the common good.

The Sports results and gotten metals for the Kenyans and that should be celebrated. But the organizations behind it should deserve to scrutinize for their economic behaviour and their organizational work towards their athletes before the Rio Olympics and during. The Athletes shouldn’t be in the cross-fire for Apparel before their time to start doing their thing as Olympians.

If there is nothing backfiring the Organizers and the men and woman who run them; then the Government are actually fuelling and accepting their corrupt behaviour earned on the sweet and tears on the athletes. Peace.  

Reference:

Gettleman, Jeffrey – ‘Money Given to Kenya, Since Stolen, Puts Nike in Spotlight’ (05.03.2016) link: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/06/world/africa/nike-under-scrutiny-as-payments-for-kenya-runners-are-drained.html?_r=0

Makori, Elias – ‘Freshly kitted Kenya track team ready for the Ethiopians’ (18.07.2016) link: http://www.ipsos.co.ke/NEWBASE_EXPORTS/Unilever/160718_Daily%20Nation%20-%20Monday_50_b9066.pdf

Mwalimu, Kaka – ‘Revealed: Why Uhuru sent Ruto to Rio de Janeiro’ (19.08.2016) link: http://www.hivisasa.com/kisii/news/163517

Kipchumba, Some – ‘I’m not to blame, Nock is a cartel, says Sports CS Wario’ (21.08.2016) link: http://www.nation.co.ke/news/I-am-also-a-victim-of-Rio-Olympics-cartel-says-minister/1056-3352298-95os78/

Komen, Jonathan – ‘Nike alleges shoplifting, seeks answers from Kenya team managers’ (20.08.2016)

Link: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000212655/nike-alleges-shoplifting-seeks-answers-from-kenya-team-managers

Press Statement: NDA – the Pan-Niger Struggle (August 2016)

Pan Niger Struggle Niger Delta Avengers