The NASA Break-Up is Official: Wetang’ula saying goodbye!

Today, it is official, the National Super Alliance is officially scrapped and the project is doomed. That has been known for a while, but be exact, the cracks was there. When the likes of Moses Wetangula, Musalia Mudavadi and Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka. All of them was not to be seen at the Swearing-In of Raila Odinga as the President on the 30th January 2018. Therefore, the words of Wetangula today cannot be seen as sincere.

It is okay to see Wetangula is hurt, he has lost the post within the Senate to Orange Democratic Movement James Orengo. That must hurt his pride, but he himself bailed on the NASA project, when not showing up at Uhuru Park. The reason why Wetangula feels betrayed is that Odinga was able to outsmart him and make a deal with Kenyatta on the 9th March 2018. While leaving all the Co-Principals behind. I don’t blame, I don’t, but he shouldn’t talk about urination and feel to tricked.

Wetangula was part of trio under Odinga, who bailed him when he needed them the most. They didn’t stand behind in or even tried to show support. The ones that did that, ended either with loss of weapons license, deported or even detained while the NASA was seen as illegal group by the Ministry of Interior and CS Fred Matiangi. However, that is totally lost on the former Co-Principal.

Just as the talks of union between the parties of Mudavadi and Wetangula, the third one is busy re-branding his party. Therefore, the trio is trying to find their post-NASA now. They are seeking relevance. The way Wetangula is doing it, is by trying to tarnish Odinga. Yes, Odinga bought himself freedom and sold the cause. However, by the actions of the Co-Principals, they didn’t really believe in either. If they did, they would have reacted when the People’s Assemblies was suspended. When the deal was made and tried to find solutions. Instead, they have been following when it seemed profitable, but today, Wetangula seems determined to walk away from it all.

I don’t blame Wetangula, that he wasn’t part of the deal with Kenyatta, that none of the trio was a part of it. But Odinga didn’t really have these men support. When didn’t show up in need or really showing direct support. As the ODM are the biggest party in the coalition and the ones with the most to loose. Not, that Wetangula see that figure out in the coalition agreement. It seeming all about him and his post. That is why people are throwing shade his way. The humiliation of losing the position in the senate. Instead of wondering himself, if his own inaction shouldn’t cost for him too?

Not that I like that Odinga gave up Canaan for own self interests. But I don’t like hypocrites either. This is that, when Wetangula attacks Odinga and put the blame directly only on him. Without looking into the ones cracking the bottle, showing the true intent and gave way for Odinga to walk on his own. If the Co-Principals had been by him on the Swearing-In, while the bridges was burning and the risks was all time high. The coalition would have made sense, but after that. There was for each one of them to find their own. Since the sincerity of it all. Went down the drain with train with the lack of courage.

So now that the storm of the Swearing-In has gone, there is a months time since the handshake, the reality is that knives are now out. The lack of loyalty to cause is the reason. Many has given it up and the pipe-dream it all was. The Political Dynasties took again control and left the ones believing in good governance behind. Not that is Mudavadi, Kalonzo Musyoka or Wetangula, because they didn’t have heart to stay in the storm. They didn’t leave harbor to find the angry sea to hard to cross.

Certainly, I could have been more apologetic, but in this case, its not worth it. They are trying to find ways to eat, without caring how well-rigged the recent elections was and how many who got hurt by the 26th October 2017 elections, neither how much interference by Cambridge Analytica, Harris Media and other companies hired by the Jubilee. To alter and fix the needed results the President needed. If the opposition leaders had worked on that and tried to find the truth. It would have made sense, but they are scheming to find the new path to a thicker pocket. It isn’t cute, it disgusting.

Now, the Co-Principals are putting the blame-game on Odinga. But first they should look into themeselves. Not because it is about Odinga, but because their own in-actions matters too. Peace.

Prof. Tumusiime-Mutebile: Bank of Uganda is Soundly Managed (05.04.2018)

Opinion: Kenyatta’s bargain is Odinga’s loss, hence, the silence!

The Agreement and Handshake for “Building Bridges to a new Kenyan Nation” on the 9th March 2018. That after months of stalemate and long time heard the Jubilee Party and the two head honchos President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto. Both saying there was no need for dialogue with National Super Alliance nor their leader Raila Odinga. However, that suddenly changed and happen beneath the surface. This happen as the fractions in between NASA was shown, when the other NASA Co-Principals didn’t show-up at the Swearing-in on the 30th January 2018. Therefore, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and Odinga Camp did what they could salvage the hurt. Even if that meant leaving Canaan all behind. That has been proven lately.

Canaan and real political change isn’t surfacing, the Jubilee, Kenyatta and Ruto got Odinga for a bargain. They got him for a silver coin and securing the opposition elite again. They revoked the harsh treatment for most of them, but they are still showing contempt of courts. Kenyatta has shown that since the handshake, that it doesn’t really matter. Odinga is still a fringe player, he thinks he is important, but surely the scenes on Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the recent days. Shows that him and the whole legal team of NASA is a charade. The Court Orders are meaningless, the Rule of Law is at injunction and the thwarted legal prescience is now the order of the day.

The political warfare is still there and vacuum isn’t sealed, as well as the PR stunts of the President is continuing. Just like he is a Cambridge Analytica and Harris Media made figurine, while praising the cartels and borrowing money to extend the business and partnership. Kenyatta doesn’t care, he has the army and the police, he can interfere in everyone’s life. Kenyatta can gazette and make differences that is needed. He don’t really need Odinga and with the handshake, he has the legitimacy now, because Odinga traded his cards.

Canaan is now gone, the whole dismantling the rigging machine, the whole electoral thieving and looting of Jubilee is now co-existing with NASA. Them both have traded away the current day-to-day struggles for a political bargain-chip. The Kenyan citizens has been fooled, the ones hoping for changes has been taken for granted. The ones who hoped for someone challenging and questioning the powers to be. Has now gone into the deal and handshake. Odinga and his bedfellows will all follow. Because it matters for today and tomorrow. They will not now scream “fire”, even if there is smoke. They will the flare appear and hope they are not inflicted. The pains are only hitting the lower classes, the ones whose voices are misused in elections, but left behind in the years after. Just like it has been forever and seemingly moves on.

Kenyatta, has no need of transformation or changes, he just needs the bills to be paid, the cartels to be sufficiently taken care of and the cronies in the court feed. It is still their time to eat and build bigger companies on the poverty of the nation. While having donors and others supplying fresh fiscal power and lending state loans at favorable rates. As long as the possible industry, export and the infrastructure projects can establish more loopholes to get wealth out off. This is going-on and now Odinga cannot be outspoken. That is why he is so silent on the Miguna Miguna scandal. Because he cannot say he sees “fire”, because the flare is only a lie to Kenyatta. Odinga is now indebted into Jubilee government and the National Assembly, which they rigged themselves into.

It is a house of cards, it was a risk, but the fruits are not there. It is just days ago there was hope for some. But all along, Kenyatta knew he got a bargain. The silence of Odinga proves it. The lack of real action or even push, shows it. The humiliation on JKIA proves it too. Orengo, Havi and the whole team couldn’t do anything. The orders from above courted Miguna out. They kicked him again. While the Co-Principals and the leadership has their Security Teams and their SUVs. Hope it taste good, eating, while the state is still sanctioning impunity. If you trespass on the values of greed of the State House. Expect the nuclear strikes, the vanishing powers and the extra-judicial killings will appear. They have never fled, as well as the PR Stunts of greeting on Golf-Courses and standing by Police Officers. Clearly, Kenyatta are acting as President, but he is not respecting rule of law. Not that he has too, nobody will questioning him now, that matters. Odinga is silenced, he has traded his message and his campaigns of Canaan for a few pieces of silver. That is shown and evident.

The fate of the weak, the poor and the ones that doesn’t matter, is not just left into oblivion. Not like Kenyatta needed their votes, he had electoral malpractice and the IEBC rigging in his favor. Needed does he need the people, they are not the ones paying his bills. That is foreign investors and money lenders. That is why he acts like he does. All fronts and no play.

The handshake was the same, a PR Stunt in favor of Kenyatta. While Odinga might looked like outfoxed the other Co-Principals in NASA. But they are fallen prey to conning political mischief to wise-guys within Jubilee. They all played the NASA head honcho Odinga, but we can wonder if he wanted to be played. That is unknown at this point, but what we do know. Is that NASA lost with this and cannot win now. Their chips has been used and their power-play is gone. Peace.

Nation Media Group’s statement on withdrawal by columnists (27.03.2018)

Nation Media Group – Statement by Independent Columnists: “We Refuse To Be Silenced” (27.03.2018)

ODM: Unpacking the Memorandum Between H.E. Raila Odinga and H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta (21.03.2018)

Bank of Uganda’s Fresh report spells fear of the growing levels of debt!

This isn’t breaking news, this just facts at this point. The growth of debt is becoming a danger for the economy in Uganda. Because of the overspending and lack of donors to pledge for the needed government services, the bloated amounts of local government and the rampant cronyism. Is all combined making sure the extent of the economy gets hit, while the Uganda Revenue Authority, doesn’t have enough levies or enough taxes to gain enough for the shortfall of cash. The deficit is founded on loans, while the government are still paying interests and growing the debt ratio at a scale that is not healthy for the economy. Even if there is a future possible oil-revenue, it still has to become massive, to repay the debts of yesterday. When the amount of GDP goes to repaying and higher rates on the new loans. This is how to step-by-step killing the economy, by circling and re-issuing new debt, to pay off the old debt. Sooner or later, you need a scheme to fix it and start a Ponzi scheme to fix the economy. That is why there are ghost refugees and ghost projects to fix funding for the failing state.

Just take a look:

The provisional total public debt stock (at nominal value) as at end December 2017 stood at Shs. 37.9 trillion, representing an increase of 9.4 per cent relative to June 2017. This growth in the stock of public debt was mainly on account of a 12.2 per cent growth in public external debt (in Shillings terms), which continues to have the dominant share of 66.3 per cent of total public debt. In December 2017, external and domestic debt amounted to Shs. 25.1 trillion and Shs. 12.8 trillion, respectively, which is an increase of 12.2 per cent and 4.2 per cent, respectively, compared to June 2017.

The provisional stock of public external debt disbursed and outstanding stood at USD 6,902.7 million as at end December 2017, representing an increase of 10.8 per cent from June 2017 compared to an increase of 24.6 per cent in the corresponding period a year ago. The total external debt exposure (debt disbursed and outstanding and debt committed but undisbursed) amounted to USD 11,690.6 million as at end December 2017” (BoU, P: 16, 2018).

The present value of total public debt as a ratio of GDP stood at 28.1 per cent as at the end of December 2017, which is lower than the PDMF benchmark of 50 per cent. However, including committed but undisbursed loans, the ratio of total public debt to GDP is closer to the threshold. This poses a risk of higher exposure or failure to meet external debt obligations in case of exchange rate volatility and slow growth in exports. In addition, high debt may become a drag on economic growth by discouraging public investment due to the high debt service costs” (BoU, P: 17, 2018).

This sort of report should worry anyone who cares about the future, the growing debt is a bad sign. It is a sign that the National Resistance Movement and President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, is putting the future at risk, because he wants to eat right now. Instead of balancing the budgets or trying to find ways to get fresh revenue for the shortfalls and deficits, instead he is borrowing for everything and with the lack of transparency, the funds are embezzled and gone in the wind. Therefore, the state can often borrow for something that only exists on paper. Which is even worse, because they are not delivering anything else than growing debt like it is a gifts. That they will not pay interests and pay it off sooner or later.

The amount of loans should worry, it really should. This sort of reports should shatter the Parliament, should reshape the government and should make the Finance Minister Matia Kasaija and Treasury Secretary Keith Muhakanizi, wish their were on a peaceful island drinking umbrella-drinks, while far away living on their pensions, and hope they are not getting a Q&A at the Plenary Session. Since this is damning and beginning of troubles ahead. Just not knowing how damaging it can be. Peace.

Reference:

Bank of Uganda (BoU) – State of Economy – March 2018

Opinion: Wentangula is now a lost one!

Today, a new storm arise in the Kenyan Parliament, just as the signed agreement between Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga went into force, the changes came swiftly. However, the National Super Alliance Co-Principals has felt left behind. They never got the satisfaction, but now the Orange Democratic Movement are showing no mercy for the ones who left Odinga alone on the 30th January 2018. Since the now former Minority Leader in the Senate Ford-Kenya leader Moses Wetangula will be changed with ODM Sentor James Orengo.

This is just a proof of the power of the ODM compared to the other parties within the coalition. That the ODM can just shuffle around and take force because of their stature and the amounts of political goodwill it has created. Now the NASA Co-Principals are mere extra’s on the ship. They are not running anything, they have to follow or be lost.

We knew that Kenyatta won when Odinga signed the pact; he got the credibility and the legitimacy he so craved for, while Odinga get peace and becomes the merrymaker in the shin ding. He and his party is now showing it, when they empty Wetangula out as yesterday’s paper. Just putting him in bin and putting one of their own.

ODM has the strength in the Parliament to do so, with the amounts of MPs and Senators, no doubt about it. But they are now showing no mercy and leaving no one behind. The Amani National Congress (ANC), Wiper Democratic Movement (WDM) and Forum for the Restoration of Democracy – Kenya (FORD-K), so by mere numbers this is reasonable. However, if they care about the coalition in the end, it is damaging to hurt the pride of Co-Principals. Because of the representatives in total in minority, who is not forming government the ODM has 96 out of 162. While FORD-K has 14, also, the WDM has 26 and ANC has 17. Total of the other parties than ODM has 57 representatives in the Parliament. The smallest is also FORD-K. Therefore, by giving the title to them was a leaf and straw of confidence.

This is really cracking the whip, this is really petty politics, but surely to teach the Co-Principals a lesson after betraying Odinga. He haven’t acted before he went his own way and signed pact without them knowing. Just like, they didn’t answer or commit to the swearing-in, which was the first rift. The political games has started since and the resistance has dwindled until recently, when it’s been obviously discarded. Everyone can read Githeri Media and buy Brookside milk like nothing ever happen. Though Miguna Miguna says otherwise and David Ndii who lost his column in Daily Nation.

The ones that should worry is Mudavadi and Kalonzo Musyoka, as they are seeing how Wetangula is discarded like bad chapatti today. Today, Wetangula is lost in the wind, he is taken and flying out with nowhere to land. Clearly, the goal is to prove a point. I like Orengo and his attitude in politics. How he carry himself, but this is not good for the political climate between the coalition parties. This is petty, this is brutal and is not sharing, but overpowering.

This is a sign of what to come. This is not over, not until it is over. However, the ODM is proving their power and machinery after the agreement. Now the Co-Principals can either follow, or disband. We have to see… Peace.

Kenya Police Service: “Ref: JKIA Police Station OB NO. 35 of 26/2/2018 – Notice Compelling Attendance to Police Station under Section 52 of the National Police Service Act of 2011” (13.03.2018)

Media Council of Kenya: Summoning of the Sunday Standard Journalist by Aiport Police Vincent Achuka Ordered before Airport Police Boss over Alleged Security Breach (14.03.2018)