Alphonce SHIUNDU

Kenya’s former Chief Justice, Dr Willy Mutunga is one of those guys you can listen to for a long time without getting bored – that is, if you like those debates about Kenya’s struggle for democracy, political freedoms, and if you want to make sense of the political razzmatazz. He has been there, done that.  And when he came out on the other side, he concluded that Kenya is a bandit economy . That view hasn’t really changed, and he still thinks the country’s elite is playing a “very very dangerous game”. He actually says that Kenyan leaders are captives of imperialist and neoliberal forces. Four things Kenya’s ex-CJ told the BBC about Kenya’s politics      1)    It is a 'class problem' ‘We are in an environment of gossip, fake news, great great polarization that I have avoided being partisan about these issues. The position that I have taken very clearly and publicly myself is that, I blame the Kenyan elite, and I don’t buy the argument th...

One of Kenya’s foremost public intellectuals, Dr David Ndii had a very interesting interview with KTN News’ Sophia Wanuna. I enjoyed it! Immensely. In it, he had surprises and thought-provoking views, about the country’s politics and policies. Let me put some of the quotes to whet your appetite to view the whole interview . Yes, if you like cats, there are two beautiful cats playing in the background. You’d love those. One surprise: Anne Waiguru, the former devolution secretary and now Kirinyaga Governor was Ndii’s “research assistant: when they produced a report on harambees for Transparency International in 2001. Githongo was TI’s boss. “Anne Waiguru was my research assistant at the time,” he told Sophia. I looked it up. Let me leave this excerpt here: About Mutahi Ngunyi, well, well, well…. “I don’t think people like Mutahi Ngunyi are intellectually qualified to label me. “Most of the things I say and do are written. I have been part of the political oppo...

Wow! That’s all I can say. So, in summary, Mwende Gatabaki, is an accomplished IT professional . She had a great job in Tunisia. She worked at the Africa Development Bank. One day in 2014, her boss at the AfDB walked in and told her that President Uhuru Kenyatta wanted her to return to Kenya and do some work on digital transformation. “I actually have a letter with my name on it signed by the President” she says. She left a great job. To come back build her country. The President explained, he wanted her to create a ‘single source of truth’. She requested him to table the issue at Cabinet for ‘buy in’. The idea was to have an identity infrastructure. Think of it this way, she says, when you are born and they process your birth certificate, by the time you get to 18, the government should call you and tell you, ‘come for your ID’, so you show up, surrender your biometrics, and the ID is processed. What she had in mind, was an integrated solution to show data about ...

My mind is at it again. It is “seeing things”. First a disclaimer: What you’re about to read is just one of those flights that my head takes to paranoia. Three weeks ago, someone earned the tag “bloody bure kabisa” (very useless) for exposing a contradiction in the President’s message as to the date of Kenya’s next elections. You see, the President said the courts had instructed the country that the elections will be held in March 2013, I know that’s not what the courts said. But that’s not what I want to say today. Days later, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission announced that the election date is March 4, 2013. . I see a connection, but I have no evidence or as we say, I don’t want to impute improper motive on such a young commission or the Head of State. See what I mean? Then, there’s the Gema meeting , just days ago, which, though planned weeks early, was full of its own intrigues. I didn’t attend the meeting, but the footage that I have seen shows that t...

It breaks my heart every time I see lawyers, activists and journalists –who, really, have no excuse for being ignorant on what is essentially public information – persist that the vetting of judges and magistrates should be public. That they go ahead and accuse the Vetting of Judges and Magistrates Board of having a hidden agenda, for holding their proceedings in camera, is simply absurd and mean. I have also seen and heard Mr Sharad Rao, the chairman of the Board, many times, come out to explain to the public that the law does not allow for public hearings. But every time he makes that statement, he wakes up to screaming letters-to-the-editor, opinions, commentaries, press conferences and voices in all manner of platforms, all urging him to make the proceedings, public. For starters, the Board is a creation of an Act of Parliament. That piece of legislation is the Vetting of Judges and Magistrates Act. It has an explicit clause on how the proceedings of the Boar...

“Over 100 Kenyans died in the Sinai fire tragedy and their deaths have literally been dismissed like that of flies! Apart from the comical unison shedding of crocodile tears by politicians, no one really bothers to address the fundamental issues that underline the tragedy. Do these politicians think the tragedy was an act of God? Isn’t it obvious there is a clear case of criminal negligence on the part of a number of government officials?” -Ahmednassir Abdullahi, Sunday Nation, Sept 18, 2011 I am angry. I won’t lie to you. It’s not about anything else, but about the Sinai Fire. Maybe it is because I saw all those faceless, charred, dehumanized bodies. Maybe it is because I saw the indignity with which dead people were being treated to. Maybe it is because politicians were talking compensation (for dead people?). Maybe, it is because the counsellors walked to work and told me that this day will come and that I will need to face it. Maybe it is because someone was incredibly juveni...

Last week, on Thursday, the last day of the financial year, Kenya's National Assembly had the ICT Day for MPs. Of course, only less than 10 MPs attended the event. The Speaker of the National Assembly Kenneth Marende did not attend. He was instead represented by the chairman of Parliament's Communications and Energy Committee. The Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr Patrick Gichohi did attend, but he came later after the speeches. Senior Deputy Clerk PC Omolo held the brief for the Clerk before he came. Now, there's something about IT and organisations --it is a tool, it is never taken seriously, but everyone wants to speak favourably about it. Really, it is just lip-service. Unless the Speaker as the head of all MPs begins to show up for such functions and order MPs to attend such functions, and have them learn how to use the tools, the 700 reams of paper used every week in Parliament will remain just that in the coming weeks. But when Parliament hits 412 MPs, then,...

Kenya is in mourning. Their Olympic champion and indefatigable marathoner, Samuel Wanjiru is dea d. Apparently, the police believe he jumped from the balcony of his Nyahururu mansion to his death. The story is that he was inebriated and apparently came home with another woman. His wife, it is said, was away. But then, she returned "unexpectedly", the police say, and found Wanjiru and the other woman, together in bed. She locked them inside the bedroom and left. In such circumstances, women normally rush to call their mothers-in-law or their relatives , so that they have proof that their marriage is on the rocks. News from Kenya don't have this detail, so this is my speculation. The reports from Kenya say Wanjiru landed on the concrete and started bleeding. He died shortly after. And thus Kenya's dreams of shining in next year's Olympic games, in the marathon, faded, but did not die. Hopefully, another marathoner will arise. Kenya's Prime Minister was...

Well, one thing I am sure of if you are reading this blog, is that you are interested in Kenya politics or would like to know more about the hullabaloo surrounding the increase in the salaries of MPs. I think they deserve the Sh150,000 raise in their salaries, if only to make their tax liability zero...it is illegal anyway to review someone's salary downwards.I wouldn't like mine reviewed downwards. Plus, they are the CEO's of their constituencies, so really, they should be paid well. I know it makes many Kenyans who live below a dollar a day mad, but let's just face it, these so called leaders need the money. Why, for example would a CEO of a private hospital make Sh3.7 million every month and no one raises a finger, yet the money is obtained by charging sick people millions for drugs? Why, again I ask, would a managing director of an insurance company rob motorists to earn his Sh2.5 million salary every thirty days? I know you'd tell me that the difference is in t...

Happy New Year. I set this blog perhaps too early in the day, but then again, I was very optimistic about the new year. So as I worked a little harder over the normally "dry" newsroom season in December, I think the only thing I thought about was to go slow on the writing. Now, I am happy the season is over, but sad, very sad, that some idiots have decided to mess my new year. Day One at work, January 4, and I am not able to make it to work. It's because the public transport has been paralyzed after the operators of kenya's public minivans (matatus) decided to flex their muscles. They say the police are extorting money from them. Yes, in Kiswahili we say, mtenda akitendewa, huona kaonewa. That loosely translates to when you do it it is right, but when it is done unto you, ouch ouch ouch you scream....yeah this brings to mind the cliche' that the pot calling the kettle black. The matatus operate in a liberalised economy. The fares, although having a certain minimum...