Opinion: KANU might be steering wildfire between the camps of Ruto and Kenyatta!

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The new-born fresh party Jubilee Party and their marketing team has open wound after the signalled agreement between Kenya African National Union (KANU) party that even President Uhuru Kenyatta was the chairman of at one point. This is the party that is now lead by the son of former President Daniel Arap Moi, which is still not pivotal and important in the political landscape. So Gideon Moi and Nick Salat fate is in the hands of who they are vouching for.

Gideon Moi is living his father’s name his and his reputation, as the KANU still has suction. Therefore the meeting in Kabarak between Kenyatta and Moi, shows the fragmented and the way of buying in deals to hopefully gain a bigger piece of the pie in the coming election. So for Jubilee to have a wider and broader base, they are even trading ministerial posts to KANU ministers as well, as the ones who are stalwart candidates in the Jubilee, as the coalition went from a dozen parties into one. Certainly some must feel left behind in the trade-off as the KANU will gain more power with little effort, as Kenyatta sold some slots to Gideon Moi and Nick Salat.

Even Kenyatta wrote this himself on his position in April 2012: “I also made it clear to the KANU NEC that it is my desire to seek elective office in the coming general election. As a result, and in compliance with the new Constitution and the Political Parties Act that no State officer can hold a party position, I will, therefore, not seek any position in Kanu. It is thus incumbent upon the Secretary-General, as mandated by the NEC meeting at Naivasha last December, to ensure that Kenya’s mother party complies. I have twice called the National Delegates Conference, but called them off because of sideshows instigated by the Secretary-General, who has been an obstacle to the process of compliance. He must understand that his or others’ ambition in the party can only be achieved if the party complies with the law” (Kenyatta, 12.04.2012).

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So he is well aware of the party and their stakeholders, as he knows the legal terms of the party and their ways of dealing with candidates, as he himself was MP in the KANU party. Deputy President William Ruto must feel the challenge of his future, when the presence of the KANU clan arrives to the plate. Some thought that Gideon Moi was going to NASA, but that was certainly only to scare Kenyatta from having the Rift Valley voters in the bag. A certainty of this is needed for a second term of the Jubilee Alliance Party.

The questions remain if the Jubilee really tried to get Wiper Democratic Movement (WDM) Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka as the NASA/Cord still haven’t picked their Presidential Flag-Bearer, and wants to stop the progress of the opposition. We have also heard rumors that the Jubilee Alliance party have tried to drag in the Amani National Congress (ANC) Musalia Mudavadi to the National Party. So you know that Jubilee will offer anything to stop the alliance and the coalition of the opposition.

Jubilee under Kenyatta and Ruto has been through storms, created massive frauds and stolen funds like none before, as well as the state borrowed more funds to fix the budgets. Therefore the Kenyan state isn’t as strong as it should be. Also, they we’re also supporting the Presidential bid of Museveni, without getting his nod to build petroleum pipeline from Lake Albert basin to Lamu port. So the Kenyan government has also suffered their big risks without getting rewards.

So now the old dynasties are resurfacing with the Kenyatta and Moi collaborations. We can now see the DP Ruto is shadowed by the KANU ministers and candidates. William Ruto, the stubborn leader will not say this himself, but he should not like after the sealed agreement between 13 parties, that a fourteenth gets the front-seat without the negotiations. That must hurt the pride of the former leader of United Republican Party (URP). However, Ruto must feel a sting in his pride when knowing that Kenyatta went to trade favours with former President Moi.

That the Kabarak meetings were occurring and Jubilee trading places to safely securing votes of some districts before August. This even comes from the reliable blogger Robert Alai Onyango: “Jubilee scheming to replace Ruto with Gideon Moi. Moi has instructed Gideon Moi to do all he can to stop Ruto. Mama Ngina also met Moi to find ways of stopping Ruto. The politics is getting interesting and might see some realignments” (…) “But the schemers really fear that Ruto’s fight-back might be ruthless. Ruto’s camp not happy. Things are thick!!!” (Robert Alai Onyango, 19.02.2017).

So if this is true, the issues between the Ruto and Kenyatta will surface, as well as the mediator Moi will tangle in-between. Certainly the trade-off between Jubilee and Daniel Arap Moi servers them both; Ruto if he wants to keep his friendship and has put his all in the Jubilee, has to live in the midst of the Kenyatta and Moi dynasty. Ruto can still be power player and will be inside the midst of ruling regime. Jubilee are running and they cannot all of sudden change his position, but for 2022 there now will be a KANU leader wanting to throw shade, as Kenyatta second term would be over. Even as NASA/Cord tries to intervene and tries to challenge, you can put doubt, when Gideon has tried the waters and still played the cards for Jubilee.

Kenyatta Ruto Madaraka Day 2016

As Gideon wrote in January 2017: “However, the remarks made by Hon. Nick Salat, the Secretary General of KANU today at the Bomas of Kenya are his personal sentiments and do not reflect in any way the position of the party on the matter of an election coalition at this juncture” (…) “KANU policies and decisions are guided by the party’s constitution which stipulates that such a decision must first be discussed by the supreme decision making organ of the party, the National Delegates Conference (NDC) upon a resolution” (KANU, 11.01.2017).

Still we can now know that Daniel Arap Moi still has suction and still will use his political game-plan to still have his family in power, by any means and by supporting the family that gave him power as well. So the Kenyan politics is still filled with the men and woman, of the ones that was involved in the liberation of state from United Kingdom. Therefore we are speaking about Kenyatta and Moi, while Odinga is side-lined by the KANU yet again, just like his father back-in-day. Peace.

Kenya: Potential U.S. Military sale to Kenya in support of the fight against terrorism (18.02.2017)

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Kenya: ODM statement on the disruption of the Turkana Rally (17.02.2017)

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ODM party condemns in the strongest terms the actions of the hired youth who disrupted an ODM peaceful rally in Turkana this afternoon. Kenya is a democracy and all Kenyans have the right to assemble and rally.

Kenyans are struggling with an ever rising national debt, unprecedented levels of corruption, a broken national security system and an electoral infrastructure that exposes us to divisions, hence the actions of the hired youth shows that the Jubilee government is not interested in the welfare of Kenyans.

ODM will and shall continue advocating for the rights of Kenyans in the different platforms and continue to address issues of Kenyans.

Sen (Dr) Agnes Zani
SG, ODM

Video of Prequel to the Turkana Rally:

U.S. House Representatives wants to block the January Arms trade sold to the Kenyan Government!

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“The arms trade – an intricate web of networks between the formal and shadow worlds, between government, commerce and criminality – often makes us poorer, not richer, less not more safe, and governed not in our own interests but for the benefit of a small, self-serving elite, seemingly above the law, protected by the secrecy of national security and accountable to no one.”

Andrew Feinstein

As of today there two United States Representatives from the Republican Party Ted Budd of North Carolina and Duncan Duane Hunter from California that for their own reasons to stop sales of U.S. arms to Kenya, this they have forwarded a joint resolution. This was first from Ted Budd, but Duncan Hunter became his co-sponsor of the bill. Of today it has been transmitted to the Committee at the House Foreign Affairs that will work on it, before initial voting.

“That the issuance of a letter of offer with respect to any of the following proposed sales to the Government of Kenya (described in the certification Transmittal No. 16–79, sent to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate pursuant to section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2776(b)(1))) on January 19, 2017, is hereby prohibited:

(1) Twelve Air Tractor AT–802L.

(2) Two AT–504 trainer aircraft.

(3) Weapons package, technical support and program management” (Budd & Hunter, 2017).

It is not long ago since this was sanctioned to the Kenya Defense Force and their missions, as this was a supplement to the on-going missions that the Kenya contingent in Somalia and might even be used as blue-helmets inside South Sudan. Still, the U.S. Representatives think these will be misguided and not well used arms for their ally in East Africa. This is the double-standard and double moral from the U.S. counterparts that easily has dropped and sold this sort of weapons to others, but has to all of sudden sanction Kenya for buying the same thing.

Just take a look at the timing of the deal between the U.S. and Kenyan earlier in 2017:

“The US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of the possible sale on 19 January and disclosed the potential sale on 23 January” (…) “The DSCA said Kenya had requested the sale of up to twelve Air Tractor AT-802L and two AT-504 trainer aircraft, weapons, technical support and programme management worth $418 million” (…) “This proposed sale contributes to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by improving the security of a strong regional partner who is a regional security leader undertaking critical operations against al-Shabaab and troop contributor to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM),” the DSCA said” (…) “The proposed sale provides a needed capability in the ongoing efforts to counter al-Shabaab. The platform maximizes the Kenyan Defense Force’s Close Air Support (CAS) ability because it is a short-field aircraft capable of using precision munitions and cost effective logistics and maintenance.” (DefenceWeb, 2017).

So a purchase accepted in January is now in question in February, as the new Trump Administration will not care for the allies and friends as such before. The DSCA sanctioned the sale on the 23rd January 2017 and now on the 14th February 2017 the U.S. Representatives questions the sale. So the AMISOM mission and their allies who fights in it doesn’t matter as much, as that was the destination for the arms and technical weaponry in this transaction. That the sales of close worth over $400m that suddenly goes into the wind!

We will see if the Foreign Affairs Committee at the House of Representatives will work with this and see if this will go for voting in the House or Senate to sufficiently go forward with joint communique of Ted Budd and Duncan Hunter. That then will become legislation as the deal will not happen as the Committee will put forward a motion or legislation that the stops the arms agreement and trade between the DSCA and the Government of Kenya. Therefore the U.S. Arms trade to the Kenyan Defense Force.

This story is certainly not over. Peace.

Reference:

DefenceWeb – ‘US approves possible Air Tractor, weapons sale to Kenya’ (24.01.2017) link: http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46563:us-approves-possible-air-tractor-weapons-sale-to-kenya&catid=35:Aerospace&Itemid=107

Representative Ted Budd (R-North Carolina) & Representative Duncan Duane Hunter (R-California) – ‘H.J.Res. 72: Relating to the disapproval of the proposed foreign military sale to the Government of Kenya of Air Tractor aircraft with weapons, and related support’ (14.02.2017)

Kenya: Hon CJ’S Remarks on Doctors Strike Case (16.02.2017)

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Kenya: “Of course the government has a huge budget for corruption” – Government spokesman Eric Kiraithe (Footage)

Kenya: Health Care workers starts striking at the Nairobi Hospital, Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital & Nairobi Woman’s Hospital in solidarity with the #KMPDU (15.02.2017)

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Letter 2:

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Internal Memo:

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Kenya: Statement of the Medicial, Dental, Pharmacists and Specialist Associations on the Jailing of Doctors Union Leaders on account of the Ongoing Strike (14.02.2017)

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Kenya: Doctors’ Union officials release chilling video on their jailing… (13.02.2017)

South Sudan: Humanitarian organizations appeal for $1.6 billion amidst rising needs (13.02.2017)

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Humanitarian organizations estimate that some 7.5 million people across South Sudan are now in need of humanitarian assistance and protection.

MOGADISHU, Somalia, February 13, 2017 -Humanitarian organizations are appealing for US$1.6 billion to provide life-saving assistance and protection to 5.8 million people across South Sudan in 2017.

“The humanitarian situation in South Sudan has deteriorated dramatically due to the devastating combination of conflict, economic decline and climatic shocks,” said Mr. Eugene Owusu, the Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan. “In 2017, we are facing unprecedented needs, in an unprecedented number of locations, and these needs will increase during the upcoming lean season.”

Humanitarian organizations estimate that some 7.5 million people across South Sudan are now in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. Since the conflict in South Sudan began in December 2013, about 3.4 million people have been forced to flee their homes, including nearly 1.9 million people who have been internally displaced and about 1.5 million who have fled as refugees to neighbouring countries.

Horrendous atrocities have been reported, including widespread sexual violence. Food insecurity and malnutrition have skyrocketed, and the risk of famine is significant for thousands of people in conflict-affected communities and food deficit areas if early actions are not taken.

“With needs rising rapidly, we have rigorously prioritized the 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan to target those who most urgently require assistance and protection,” said Mr. Owusu. “It is imperative that this appeal is funded early, and funded fully, so that the aid workers deployed across South Sudan can respond robustly and rapidly.”

In South Sudan, humanitarian organizations use the window of opportunity provided by the dry season to deliver supplies by road. When the rains set in – usually in May – most roads become impassable and supplies must be delivered by air, multiplying the cost of the humanitarian operation, which is one of the largest and most complex in the world. Swift action during the dry season is therefore imperative.

“In 2016, we reached more than 5 million people, but the crisis deepened and spread as conflict continued. In 2017, we are determined to reach more people but we urgently need the funding to do so,” said Mr. Owusu. “I appeal to the international community, which has given so generously to this young country, to support us now. If we fail to act swiftly, lives may be lost.”

One hundred and thirty-seven aid organizations including 62 national Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) -a 55 per cent increase from 2016-, 63 international NGOs and 12 United Nations entities aim to implement projects under the 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan.