Opinion: The ECO seems like halfbaked CFA

By my reckoning, the rebranding of Central African Franc (CFA), which was the relic of the colonial French rule in Western African states. During the last few 48 hours, there is news of a new currency, which has implications, but also imperfections.

The ones praising this move is naive. The reason is simple, Emmanuel Macron or the French is still not giving way to power nor influence. They are still having their hand in the cookie jar. They are still involved with the inner-works of the financial sphere of the former colonies. They are maybe stopping the control directly from the National Bank of the French.

This move is to ease the pain of the past, but still the French and the European Union will have their stakes in it. As the pegged currency will be accordingly traded towards the Euro. A Euro, which the French has influence over in the EU. Therefore, the former colonies and the ones accepting this “ECO” Currency are accepting control from Paris and Brussels still.

They are maybe done with the regulations of CFA and the banking system as known today. But the ECO will be measured after the Euro. This is all a condition, that still benefits the former colonizer. If it wouldn’t, he wouldn’t have accepted it. Not like the French wants to loose influence nor the ability to easy trade with former colonizes. Why do you think most of the cars in Tunisia is French and not a random Skoda?

With that in mind, the ECOWAS was not launching this, but Macron was. Therefore, the whole thing seems like ploy to leave one relic behind, hoping people would be so happy that they don’t look into the mechanisms of the new currency. Not like the French would ever drop influence nor their strong hand over Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal & Togo. All of these will still be semi-controlled by Paris.

I have a hard time believing the intent of the French is to give way. No, this is just a shift to extend their power and find new measures to secure it. By remaking the former currency and the monetary union these nations have. Not like they are suddenly creating their own or having 8 separate ones. If they did that, then it might been significant. Where the own national banks, together with Ministry of Finance would make and ensure the safety of own national currency accordingly and necessary for their own Republic.

To remake and rename, only questions the motives behind the move. Other, than trying to clean the dirt of your hands and call it good days work. After years of questioning the currency and the stranglehold of these Republics. By having appointed men in their National Banks and having their gold in Paris.

I lack faith, but I am also very cynical about it. I’m not easily buying into it. I am hopefully wrong. Until the measures, until the mechanisms are all out and the proof of a vital change. It just seems like a small ploy to trigger hope for a difference, when its really just a new name and the same landlord over it. Its still the same farm and the same output, but the master just renamed the land differently. Peace.

RDC: Communique – Gecamines dement formellement toutes les allegations diffusees sujet du pret de 200 millions d’euro (22.12.2019)

Burundi: Ministere des Finances, du Budget et de la Cooperation au Developpement – Objet: Mise en demeure (20.12.2019)

Somalia: FESTU – “Towards a shackle-free development trajectory” – Trade Unions Support Ongoing Negotiations to Secure Debt Relief for Somalia (22.12.2019)

RSA: Eskom unreservedly apologise to South Africans as Stage 6 rotational loadshedding shifts back to Stage 4 from 22:00 today until 23:00 on Tuesday (09.12.2019)

Opinion: Kenyatta’s Week of Anger

It seems like its been a week of anger in concern of President Uhuru Kenyatta. It is hard to know why he suddenly gotten so mad. Maybe the fuzz of the beers or whatever he drinks doesn’t work anymore. Maybe some international organizations doesn’t want to borrow money without to many strings anymore. Who knows? But certainly, his not the happy, go lucky President of the past.

Kenyatta has gone after the ones claiming he was silent. He has targeted the ones who commented on the BBI Report before it was published. Uhuru has addressed the Tanga Tanga and Ruto allies. But not in friendliness, but straight forward attacks.

First with the silent quote, before the carrying own cross!

They see me silent and think ‘he is just there and knows nothing. There is nothing I do not know and when the time comes, I know those who speak and they are not those who are speaking now. When the time comes, we will come and we will speak to you about what we will do. Mwaka mpya, we are with you. Let’s just first listen to their lectures. We are with you” – Uhuru Kenyatta on the 4th December 2019

Please let us not politicize the war on corruption. When an individual is stealing public resources he doesn’t do so on behalf of his family or community. Therefore, anyone who is implicated should carry their own cross” Uhuru Kenyatta on the 8th December 2019

With this he shows that his made and furious. Not that Kenyatta haven’t shown that before. He has whined before in public about his war on corruption. Not that its believable, because his closest cronies and known grand corruption scandals, which are not touched or have had any consequences. They have just gotten appointed elsewhere or gotten away scotch-free.

That is why his anger and frustration only seems forced. That the President only says this things, because he knows this is the right thing to say. However, his actions and his state of affairs is saying otherwise. That is why its not believable.

It is a mirage, that the President think he can create on his own. He thinks he can build it and make the image of it into reality. When its only a creation of his own imagination. The President can continue with his harsh words, warn and talk of sanctions. The President can continue to assault one part of the political elite or professions, but that wouldn’t change anything.

Kenyatta can act mad, can act sad or even glad. Nevertheless, the real actions are shown with what he borrows, the debt-ratio he leaves behind, the state deficit and the lack of good results from his time in office. That Kenyatta have little to show compared to the Big Four promise or the other pledges. Is because the state has been busy doing other things and securing their time to eat. The President has accepted it too, because he has eaten too.

That is why, the current outcry and stable battle against corruption goes old. When it really isn’t targeting the ones on the top, but the small fringe players and the ones whose has their turns. That is why Kenyatta can play and think PR speeches will save his behind. However, it will not. It is a lot of noise, but no real action. Peace.

Opinion: Mr. President your late to the party…

I have a hard time believing that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the National Resistance Movement (NRM) will stop creating districts, sub-counties and whatever local government administrations in the Republic. They will never really cease doing so, because they constantly carved the Republic into tiny pieces. So, that every single Sub-County today can become a district in the near future. It should be a joke, but looking at history, than it isn’t far-fetched at all.

By seeing this one piece from the New Vision:

In 1986 when NRM took power, Uganda had 33 districts which increased to 81 districts by 2008. The districts increased to 112 by 2011, but reduced to 111 after the Capital city ceased to be a district” (John Odyek, Mary Karugaba and Moses Walubiri – ‘25 more districts created’ 19.07.2012, New Vision).

Than my own calculation from November 2019:

The State has continued to create the districts and sub-counties. In 2016 there was 112 districts and by 2021, there will be 135 districts. As well as there was 1,403 sub-counties in 2016, while in 2021 there will be 2057 sub-counties.

With knowing this and the knowledge of the mushrooming state. There is bit a late to cry foul over more town councils and the affordability. When during your time the state has gone from having 33 districts to 135 districts in 2021.

Therefore, this warning seems a bit late:

They are going to be too many and not affordable. Let the little money we have be concentrated first in maintaining security, building infrastructure(roads, railway, electricity, schools, and health centres) and not expanding administrative costs,”Museveni warned in November 28 letter to Butime. The warning by the president comes at a time when government recently announced the creation of 162 new town council that started being operational this year, whereas others will be operational by July 1, 2020” (Kenneth Kazibwe – ‘Museveni warns against creation of new municipalities’ 08.12.2019).

Because of this, I don’t believe the man. I really don’t believe the President and his motives here. It is weird that he has issues, when his made so many districts and sub-counties already. That creating further town councils only follows the modus operandi of the state.

Not like its a revolutionary idea from the state to make more. It would be more shocking if he started to merge sub-counties and districts. So, that it would be less districts and sub-counties in the Republic. In this current stage and time, that would have been positive and plans for actual change. However, than the devolution and the years of curving the districts. It would show the public that it was only political motivated and not really making government better.

That he warns about this in 2019 after 33 years in power and been so hyper-active with creating smaller entities. His surely the wrong man to signal the red-flag. Yes, the state cannot afford more town-councils and such. But that is because the state has already to many districts and sub-counties to pay for.

The state is already deficit financing, the mushroomed state, which the President and his men has created over the years. That is why, writing a letter this year isn’t solving anything or making a difference on the negative and expensive spiral, the President has started. The President knows this, but thinks this make him look smart. When it doesn’t, since his in charge of all these small entities and that will part of his legacy. He can cry now, but his crocodile tears are coming late.

He should have stopped before he created a 100 districts more in his time. Who knows how many sub-counties his created, but surely a 1000 by now. Than count the Municipalities and Town Councils, than you get humongous number. That is what bloated numbers sound like. Therefore, sending out warnings now is late from the old man, he should have done it long time ago, but he didn’t care. Peace.

Kenya: National Police Service – Press Statement on the Arrest of Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko (07.12.2019)

RSA: Eskom – Stage 2 rotational loadshedding moves up to Stage 4 from 14:00 today (06.12.2019)

Opinion: It was Sonko’s turn, apparently…

Arresting Nairobi City County Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko will not solve anything. Neither will it change the ways this are done. Governor Sonko has just followed the footsteps of the previous governors and County Officials. Not it’s righteous or make it right to steal from the public coffers, but that is ingrained in the system. There was no significant change from Evans Kidero or anyone else before him.

The Presser of DPP Noordin Haji and his arrest order of Sonko will not do a big whoop in Nairobi. Than, the whole political elite and all the stakeholders has to change overnight. As they are working as business as usual. Yes, Sonko is a thief, his comrades is involved and his misused power. Nevertheless, in Nairobi, who hasn’t and who of the political elite isn’t benefitting at this current moment?

It is not like the slum-dwellers nor the citizens outside the posh areas feels significant changes from who reside as the Governor. It is just another head and another big-man, who has his time to eat. That isn’t inspiring nor justification for what Sonko did, but he does what everyone before him has done too in this role. Land grabbing, putting associates on County Boards and appointing friends as county officials. That is just what they do.

Before he got elected, he had already been convicted and a run-away prisoner too. So, he knows the rule of law and know what it entails to break it. He has served a stint behind bars and that’s not new to him.

If his corrupt, than his just as blimy and outrageous as plenty of the government officials and the ones running the Jubilee government. Not like the Jubilee have gone long and far between corruption scandals, neither the mere scope and the amounts of grand corruption too.

Therefore, Sonko has to answer for his misdeeds, unless they are baseless and taken out proportions. Some even claim this is the sins of the previous administration and Sonko trying to clear the bill. But that is up for his legal aid to defend the man.

Sonko’s time was up and suddenly he had to appear. Somehow, it isn’t far from being a high ranking official to be answering in courts. Even Cabinet Secretaries has gone from High Ranking Officials to felons overnight. Therefore, that Sonko does it now isn’t that special.

His just one con down, more to go. Wouldn’t be shocked if he got caught slipping and had cases against him with viable evidence. However, that is up to the courts of if the DPP has his paper-trail in order. It wouldn’t be shocking if Sonko got caught doing some illegal bidding and some tenders out of whack. That just meant he was the perfect target at this very moment.

Since the DPP and other agencies has targeted less friendly faces and ensured they have a bad day. Like Hassan Joho of Mombasa has already been under fire for other reasons. Therefore, that Sonko is in trouble today isn’t a sudden new trick of the sleeve. More another play and to show that someone gets charged for corruption.

If this plays out well and not a PR stunt, than the DPP and EACC has done their best. If he just get free and the case is dismissed. Than it was just a play for the façade and hoping that no one notice the charade. However, that is to early to know.

Nevertheless, when you elect a crook and a thief, don’t expect him to not steal. He will not turn into a preacher man and a saint, when he has already been charged with it in the past. That should be public knowledge and common sense, but apparently is not. Peace.