Opinion: It is time for Uhuru Kenyatta to follow the Scouts’ honour!

Well, yesterday the good grace, His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta graced the Kenya Scouts Association Patron’s Day, where he held his speech and talked about ethical behavior. As the Youths are not supposed to break the law and be law abiding citizens. Which is all good in itself. However, his regime isn’t the straight out of the bank, the minty fresh, without any scrupulous, they have their mismanagement and their acts of devious ways. Therefore, the President or the Executive should have been more cautious in my opinion.

He is the kind that breaks the bottle or the jar to take the cookies and after the fact, when parents ask little Kenyatta if he took the cookies. He will retort back to the parent: “I didn’t break it. Scout’s honour!”. We all know the Jubilee have done, there are new scandals every month, there is rising corruption, rising levels of debt and mismanagement to levels never seen before.

What is more striking is his anger against cheating. Because, he wouldn’t be President and the Executive, if there wasn’t for tricking the numbers, cheating the stats and hiding the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Servers, which was connected to a shady international firm Cambridge Analytica and OT Morpho for the BVR Machines. There was just enough tricking the numbers to indicate success in the Fresh Presidential Elections of 26 October 2017. That is common knowledge and the President accepted that cheating and because of lacking documentation, the Courts vindicated his cheating too. Therefore, he is not rascal to tell others not to cheat. When he is the Master of doing so and eating of it too.

Uhuru’s Stern warning:

Uhuru warned that the authorities will not entertain the negative activities that young people are engaging in and “having the sheer guts to publicise the same to all Kenyans.” “We will not and we shall not entertain indiscipline and abuse from our young people…you must learn to respect our elders just like the elders must respect and nurture you.” (…) ““If indeed you are ready to brag about cheating, then we will show you what this nation does to cheats and those who disrespect elders,” the President said” (Odhiambo, 2018).

That is why I had to start with that, that the President cannot handle some boys questioning his administration, his Cabinet Secretaries, says more about the fragile and vein character the President is at this point. That is his attitude and he shows his arrogance. Especially considering how took the Fresh Elections.

Even if he was clean and had done nothing, if there was no questions in his past. Still, the boys are allowed to leak tapes and speak out against their Big-Men. They should be, not like they made a Gay-Flick for the Censorship Authorities to stop from broadcasting. They were just addressing their grievances and being boys.

The President himself has used strong words against the Supreme Court and his opposition in the past. But because he has power. He is allowed to do so, but these boys got none of that. They are just boys who can be prey to the big-men. And they are, when they are arrested for leaking a tape of their words online.

Maybe, the President should remember his rant in Turkana last year. Maybe, the youth learned from that. Maybe not, but as the King Cheater of Kenya, he shouldn’t talk about indiscipline and such. He has shown the Republic that it pays to cheat. Just look up to the President, he does it and he continues winning.

No, forget about that, he didn’t do it, Scouts’ Honour! Peace.

Reference:

Moses Odhiambo – ‘[VIDEO] Uhuru spells trouble for Ambira students in Matiang’i, Amina insult as cops nab three’ 25.11-2018, link: https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2018/11/25/video-uhuru-spells-trouble-for-ambira-students-in-matiangi-amina_c1855897

Rwanda: FDU-Inkingi – Communique – Les Decouvertes de Plusieurs Cadavres a Kamonyi Peuvent-Elles Expliquer Certains Dispartitiones des Opposants Politiques rels ou Supposes? (22.11.2018)

Rwanda: P5 letter to UN Secretary General – Mutu refugees in the DRC deserve protection by International humanitarian law (19.11.2018)

Kenya: MPs Greed is now on Overload!

The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed.” Mahatma Gandhi

We know something is seriously wrong when the Members of Parliaments are wishing more money, as the Jubilee government have already promised more austerity months away. Not only the raising rate of corruption that was between 2013 to June 2018 had grown by 240%. So the MPs knows this and the misuse of the state reserves. While the growing debt in the same era is happening. Even in the same year, as the IMF has told the Government of Kenya to stop spending. The MPs are planning to grow the spending on themselves and their families. As they are not bitten by austerity, the budget deficit or growth of debt. That shows their ignorance of the economy, which they as MPs are supposed to have oversight over.

Here is the news:

All 416 Members of Parliament, Speakers of both houses and the leaders of majority in both chambers will each be provided with a rent-free house, a government vehicle, an expanded medical cover, travel allowances and an expanded constituency outreach operation, if a new Bill becomes law” (…) “Proposals for better terms for legislators — already among the best-paid in the world with a Sh1.2 million salary — are contained in the Parliamentary Service Bill that is set for debate in the National Assembly tomorrow afternoon” (Mwere, 2018).

It is hard to take these men serious, as they have already a giant salary in the Republic. Especially when they are earning 1,2 million salary. While that isn’t enough for the MPs in a country where half of the Republic’s households are earning less than 10,000 shillings per month. That was reported after a survey published in Standard Media in April 2018. Meaning, these households, which is half of the Republic are earning less than 120,000 shillings per year. That without any benefits or other financial support. Therefore, the MPs are far away from the plights of the ordinary man and the ones struggling.

It is clearly not enough, that the IMF, the added taxes and the strains on the economy, in a republic where people are already earning under a tenth of their representatives. You shouldn’t become a businessman or a hustler. You should become a politician in Kenya. As there is where the money is. These people are eating of the dying carcass, of a failing economy, where people are earning little to nothing. Instead of fixing that economy and ensuring people decent wages, they are complaining while they are gaining more wealth. That is what is insane by this.

That the MPs are wishing more services covered, while they have GIANT salaries that the people of the slums only can dream of. That the Shamba Boys of Up-Country never will be able to touch and feel in their life-time. No, these MPs are forgetting their constituents as they are willing to live even more lavish as the economy have been trashed by them. That is their greed. Peace.

Reference:

David Mwere – ‘MPs push for rent-free houses, bigger tea pots, better bar, five-star chefs’ 19.11.2018 link: https://www.nation.co.ke/news/MPs-push-for-better-terms-of-service-in-new-Bill/1056-4858078-20r4fu/index.html

Rwanda: P5 letter – “Reference: Follow up of Our letter dated July 20th, 2018” (13.11.2018)

Opinion: Kenyatta’s Legacy will not be the Handshake!

Even if Uhuru Kenyatta wants the handshake with Raila Odinga to be his legacy. I have to confirm, that it most likely will not be. It will one thing that is important and will be vital to his second term, but not what he will be remembered for, because there are enough shady and backwards affairs to overshadow the gentleman’s agreement between Kenyatta and Odinga.

President Uhuru Kenyatta hopes the Building Bridges Initiative will help him leave a legacy of peace when he leaves office in 2022. In an interview with France24 TV, the President said he is banking on his partnerships with Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga and Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka to defuse ethnic and political tensions in Kenya” (Valentine Obara – ‘Peace will be my legacy, Uhuru says in interview’ 13.11.2018).

Kenyatta can have his wishes, but they will not follow them automatically. There is a long road ahead, but the ways the first and second term has been. There are enough of other things he will be remembered for, instance the empty pledges of laptops and building stadiums. Which never seem to happen and that is just what people remember that he has promised.

Who knows how many corruption scandals there has been, how many Ministries and Cabinet Secretaries has been implicated and the constant cronyism. The Kenyatta Presidency has rocked these scandals from day one. There haven’t been a month without one and hasn’t seemed to stop either.

The control of the cartels, the corrupt officials and growing family business of Kenyatta and the Deputy President William Ruto. Will be more the legacy, than he shake the hand of Odinga one day.

The Corruption and Grand Corruption will be remembered, the Eurobonds, NYS 1.0 and 2.0, Afya House Scandal, Maize Scandal and Sugar Scandal. All of these are big shot into the public domain, where the state and the operatives has robbed the public, while not delivering needed public services. This has been happening again and again. That is why I can mention the vast amount of cases without thinking. It shouldn’t be that easy.

The effort of the Handshake might be good; it might have stopped the NASA from creating havoc towards the Jubilee. It might have had the ability to silence the critics and secure the mandate after a rigged second election for Kenyatta. The Fresh Presidential Elections was rigged and no doubt about that.

Kenyatta can wish that his legacy is positive, but his indecisiveness towards Grand Corruption, his stalemate with the cartels and his growing debt because of the White Elephant Standard Gauge Railway from Mombasa to Nairobi is more likely. As the Chinese silent takeover and the debt combined with toxicating corrupting should be obvious. Maybe not to him, who wants it to be all smiles and laughs.

When the reality is more dire than that. Peace.

The West is a bit late: Kicking and Screaming about President Magufuli’s actions!

I wish there was more worried voices, when the President John Pombe Magufuli censored radio stations. When he used time and efforts to silence journalists and newspapers. I wish there was more voices when he got bloggers and social media personalities to stop and pay higher taxes. I wish there was more worried voices when the opposition and activists was behind bars. These has all happen within a year time. Still, that haven’t catched much flack or buzz. Nearly nothing has scratched the surface.

This proves the government and the totalitarian ways of Magufuli and the Chama Cha Mapinduzi. Magufuli (CCM) wants all the love and no criticism. That is just the way that man is, he is certainly not getting a big enough boost at home, so he has to build his confidence at the public office. That seems to be the thing.

You know that this government is going overboard, when big-stars and musicians are getting their songs blocked from being played on the radio. One celebrity was unlucky and got her sex-tape leaked. In other countries that would have been PR Boast and ratings special, but in Tanzania. She got a meeting with the law. Therefore, this state is already unfair. As the person was a victim of a personal files and tapes being leaked. Not that she was starting a personal porn-hub.

That is why I am bit mad today. I have a deja vu’. Had the same feeling when the Anti-Gay Bill was ushered in Uganda a few years back. Instead of looking at the systemic reasons for the default law, the oppression and the acts of impunity against the public from the NRM. The public outcry and from foreign donors was against that one simple bill. Even if the bill is spiteful and morally bankrupt. The ones crying out loud, should enforce their vision to whole society and the whole system built around the President. Instead of looking at one minority, they should wonder and look at all the people looked up for their political activism. However, that train has never arrived and still isn’t.

That is why I know today’s plea, is a fart in the wind. But let’s be clear. The Anti Gay Monitoring Unit of Tanzania isn’t a policy. It is a bad idea, but so is everything else I have mentioned. It is only a fresh day or two, since the ACT Wazalendo Chairman Zitto Kabwe was freed from prison. Another political suspect and been detained a lot lately has been Tindu Lissu. So, it is not like there is free space and freedom in the first place.

Even on the 26th April 2018, on the Union Day, as the Opposition planned rallies. The cities and towns was under a military siege. As the President didn’t want anyone to be dissidents. However, the rallies didn’t happen and was more of ghost-towns. Therefore, the President didn’t get any rallies against him, but neither get a noble celebration of the Union of the Republic.

That the EU and USA are reviewing their relationship with Tanzania now is a bit bitter to me. Why didn’t it matter, that opposition and MPs got into trouble with the law? Why didn’t it matter that the media houses was closed and lost license for while? Why didn’t the rights matter, when bloggers and social media personalities lost their freedom and space?

But now the LGBT is in trouble, then your start screaming and shouting. You see how dumb it looks? You didn’t even flinch when the same government suspended girls who got pregnant, therefore, all girls are getting twice a year checked by the school. To ensure that they are not. Therefore, teenage girls are in trouble if they are pregnant before their ending schooling.

That is why I have trouble with the scrutiny today. Not that is deserved, as the supposed crackdown on the LGBT community in Tanzania is bad, but you should have seen it coming with all the other measures done by the Magufuli regime and his ways. Where he is acting as the lovely kingpin, who can even tell how woman are supposed to dress. That is why this was coming to you, but you didn’t mind the other things he did. But you start bitching when he goes after the LGBT.

You should have cared much sooner, now your late. These reforms was a slow-train coming. It was bound to happen. He gotten away with much bad in the past and now took it to another level. You accepted the others. But didn’t review it over the suspensions and closing of media houses. Off arresting MPs and Opposition leaders, you didn’t stop him from enforcing strict laws and levying high taxes on publications, social media and such. No, just let him be, without fearing his actions. However, now that he went for a group of this stature. Your reacting!

Sorry, but your late. Time to take actions for all, not just the LGBT. That is if, if you care about the human rights. Because you didn’t care, when one fell, but now they fall. You are kicking and screaming. Peace.

The SGR Trick: Which was all based on, if Beijing blessed Kampala!

The Standard Gauge Railway in the East African Community was all based on if the Chinese counterparts wanted to fund the infrastructure and the grand enterprise of rails in the region. Today, it was revealed, not shockingly that the SGR works in Uganda has been suspended. This after reports in the Daily Monitor revealed this:

Uganda’s first phase of SGR, the eastern line running from Malaba to Kampala, about 273km (338km rail length), is expected to cost $2.3bn. Mr Kasaija admitted that Uganda has currently taken a back seat on the SGR venture, but will resume “serious discussions once Kenya is about to reach” the Ugandan side. President Museveni, according to sources familiar with the venture, in recent months had been directly involved in discussions on the project, and had hoped to secure financing for the first section of the railway line during his visit to China last month when he attended the seventh Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit. But he returned empty-handed. However, Mr Kasaija revealed that during the discussions in Beijing, it was agreed that “Uganda and Kenya will embark on joint financing negotiations” after Kenya has completed the current Nairobi-Naivasha section” (Daily Monitor – ‘Uganda puts SGR on hold over unresolved issues with Kenya’ 30.10.2018, link: https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/news/ea/uganda/Uganda-puts-SGR-over-unresolved-issues-kenya/4003148-4828902-156c5upz/index.html).

I have doubts that it will help reaching more agreements with the Kenyan counterparts at this time. As they have had plenty of agreements, joint communiques and meetings with the Northern Corridor Integrated Project (NCIP), which is going back to 2015. Where there was back in October 2015 on the 11th NCIP Communique, where the document stated: “the summit noted progress made in the finalisation of bankable proposals for some sections and directed the Ministers of Finance, Infrastructure, Attorney Generals, coordinated by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, to undertake a joint visit to EXIM Bank in China to conclude Financing Agreements” (11th NCIP Summit – Joint Communique’ Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya 17.10.2015).

If you follow it clearly, the progress of the 2015 have been stalled or rejected, but the parties still want to pursuit the goal of building the rails. Even as even the Chinese doesn’t believe in it or seeing the lack of fortunes in Kenya to maybe wishing to extend the tracks further at this given moment. What we are seeing is that the Ugandan government has persisted, but not gone through.

They even had the idea of the SGR Railway in the National Development Plan II of 3rd March 2015, which also holds the idea of the rails alive with this statement: “Joint formal agreements for plans to build a new Standard Gauge railway (SGR) have been signed by the EAC Countries. The SGR project starts in Mombasa through Nairobi, Kampala, Kigali and Juba. A cross section of the different routes of the SGR to the South Western, Northern, North Western and Eastern Uganda will aid the mining industry through transportation of equipment and raw materials. The overall objective of the SGR is to jointly develop and operate a modern, fast, reliable, efficient and high capacity regional railway transport system as a seamless single system and as a mechanism to stimulate overall economic development” (NDPII, 03.03.2015). By the way, the implementation of the NDPII is supposed to be between 2015/2016 to 2019/2020 to fulfill the Vision 2020. However, by the SGR failure, this shows the lack of progress and just the major agreements, but not the needed funding or possibility of partners to invest in the huge infrastructure projects the government has.

While on the 3rd of October, the Ministry of Works produced the 14th Joint Transport Sector Review Workshop presentation, where they by June 2018 stated: “The financing agreement for the SGR was not signed. However, negotiations to sign the financing agreement are in advanced stages” (Ministry of Works, 03.10.2018). So, you see, the government knows perfectly well, they cannot and doesn’t have finances for the building of it. It is soon November 2018 and getting closer to Vision 2020, but no sign of a working rails across the Republic. Especially not, when they are waiting for the Chinese to see it as a viable project in the first place.

What the government didn’t tell today or yesterday, is that the Chinese said no a little while ago:

For it to make business sense, the proposed line has to reach Uganda in order to take over a huge chunk of the haulage business in the landlocked country ahead of the Tanzania-Rwanda SGR line. Uganda is said to have decided to revamp its old metre-gauge railway when it became apparent that the Kenyan line could delay for up to three years. A regional weekly recently reported that the ministers for transport and finance of the two countries were supposed to have engagements with China Exim Bank on the sections of Kisumu to Kampala via Malaba” (…) “This, however, flopped and instead the executives from China Exim Bank flew to Kampala and later Nairobi last November to carry out due diligence on the Uganda project proposal and contract application” (Guguyu Otiato – ‘Worry as China puts SGR funding on hold’ 06.03.2018 link: https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/article/2001294667/alarm-as-china-puts-sgr-funding-on-hold).

So, when the government are saying it wasn’t signed, is that the Exim Chinese Bank rejected it and hasn’t accepted the infrastructure project at this point. Certainly, they don’t see it viable or even possible for profits. They have already started in Kenya, but has to finish that part, before they extend to the other Republics in the EAC. Therefore, the SGR is still a dream elsewhere in the Northern Corridor, as they seemed more ready in 2015, than the donors or the development partners ever where. Because the GoU are not ready to finance it self and not have the ability to do so. Without getting funding from the outside. They have to beg for loans and grants to get it. Peace.

Safaricom: Revision of Mobile Tariffs (17.10.2018)