Alphonce SHIUNDU

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...

Today, as a journalist, I got tired of lies and time-wasting that MPs are so accustomed to. It got ugly, but at least I gave the annoying lawmaker a piece of my mind. I wouldn’t say it had anything to do with the symbolic ‘ Saba Saba’ –the July 7, 1990 when Kenyans rose against a totalitarian regime and initiated the push for multiparty democracy-- celebrations, because it was just a matter of pointing out the basics of human respect to a man who seems to think so highly of himself. They say, respect a man's time and he'll respect you. Here’s what happened: Parliament called the newsroom saying that “ODM rebel MPs had an urgent press conference at 10 am” to speak on the revocation of the positions of nominated councillors. As is the norm, a parliamentary reporter was assigned to cover the event. Well, I got to Parliament five minutes early. I asked which MPs were coming for the press conference. I was told that it is assistant minister Aden Duale who had booked the media cent...

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,...

Yesterday, after a breakfast meeting with the chairman of the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution, I had a chat, a quick one, and a very brief one, with Mr Gichira Kibara, the brilliant secretary of Justice and Constitutional Affairs of the Government of the Republic of Kenya I asked him if he thought the elections will be held in August or in December 2012 or if we're looking at 2013. He smiled and said that it doesn't matter when elections will be held, but that, the country was already late and that we're likely to pay the price for that lateness. Now, 'paying the price' may sound like a vague expression, but if you were in the country in 2007 after the polls, it is an experience you wouldn't want to re-live. That aside. As we had breakfast, Mr Kibara, had spoken about the debate about whether or not to approve Keriako Tobiko as the Director of Public Prosecutions. He had urged caution about the wished-for suspension of the approval ...

From the vantage Press Gallery, the on-goings during the reading of the first Budget under the new Constitution was a spectacle that will be forever etched in the history books of the country. And it's not because it was Sh1.2 trillion worth of projections. It's the 'colour'. Looking down at the MPs, it was evident that most of them were in the House to see how Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta will handle the reading of the annual financial statement –the Budget Speech. They were not there to listen attentively to what the minister would say, because, in any case, the committees of the House will have the final say on the national budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. Though House Speaker Kenneth Marende had promised a ministerial statement, he too, had to strike a balance between what the Constitution says and what the Standing Orders stipulate with regard to the presentation of the financial statement. In the end, Mr Kenyatta had his chance to read the budget in the...

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...