Grand Theft – Sh2b for Kibaki, Raila new offices November 28, 2008
Posted by Mutongoria in news, politics.Tags: governement, harambee house, kibaki, offices, raila, shell-bp house
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By Isaac Ongiri – the east african standard
The Government plans to build new offices for President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga at a cost of Sh1.9 billion, The Standard can reveal.
The plan is a culmination of attempts to get a permanent location for the offices of the Prime Minister — a position that was created this year — at a place close to the President’s office for ease of operations. Plans that would have seen the Government buy BP/Shell House on Nairobi’s Harambee Avenue to house the offices of the Prime Minister and other ministries under his ambit seem to have come a cropper.
The President and the Prime Minister’s offices will now be built in the up-market Upper Hill neighbourhood, away from the busy city centre. The President’s offices have been at Harambee House in downtown Nairobi since 1961.
The Government confirmed it has already acquired land in Upper Hill where the office of the President, to be named New Harambee House, would be built.
Housing PS Tirop Kosgey confirmed that land initially set aside for the construction of Capitol Hill Police Station at Upper Hill estate will be the one in which the President’s new office will be constructed.
Six month notice
The Standard established that the Government’s Estate Department under the Housing ministry was in the process of securing land in the same area for the construction of another building to house the Prime Minister’s offices.
Mr Kosgey confirmed the plans and said it would cost Sh1.2 billion to build a new office for the Presidency. However, the money was not factored in this year’s Budget.
“We have acquired land to construct a building to be known as New Harambee House in Upper Hill. What remains is to set the logistics in motion in order to implement the plans,” Kosgey said.
But he disclosed that Treasury had set aside Sh700 million for the purchase of a new building to house the PM’s departmental complex.
The PS said initial plans to have the PM’s offices moved to a building on Harambee Avenue by January next year will now be delayed as the State works out the Upper Hill option.
The Government had learnt that the planned January relocation could not have been viable even if a building was bought because the tenants would have to be given six months’ notice to move.
Kosgey said the Government has for several months been evaluating proposals by estate agents on a building to house the PM’s offices.
Shell and BP and Marshals buildings on Harambee Avenue, opposite the President’s Harambee House office, had earlier been mooted as possible facilities to be considered for the Prime Minister’s offices.
“Yes, we have been talking to Shell and BP and others, but we agreed on nothing. In fact, we are highly considering plans to put up a Government house for that particular purpose,” the PS stated.
He, however, pointed out that the ministry hoped to get land opposite the one acquired for the President’s office so that the buildings were directly opposite each other.
The building to house the premier’s office will also accommodate ministries and departments under it. Currently, they are in different buildings.
The Ministry of Planning and that of Public Service and departmental offices such as personnel management, Prime Minister’s Press Service and the parliamentary secretariat would be housed at the new building.
Failed to strike deal
New Harambee House will also continue to provide room for the Ministry of Internal Security, Cabinet Office and other departments under OP. “We are looking forward to the construction of decent suites befitting the status of the two offices,” Kosgey said.
Since April, a committee of ministries, including the Prime Minister’s office, Housing, Public Works, Lands and Finance ministries, has been working on modalities of buying a building to house the premier.
Shell and BP House had been favoured for its ideal location directly opposite Harambee House.
The committee is said to have failed to strike a deal with an estate agency on the price after the former quoted a price the Government said was unrealistic.
Office of the Prime Minister PS Mohamed Isahakia declined to comment on the extent of the disagreement when we contacted him.
“I prefer you get the details from the Ministry of housing. My ministry is not involved,” Dr Isahakia said.
Kosgey, however, did not confirm or deny that they had differed with representatives of Shell and BP. He said the committee was discussing with the company with a host of options on the table.
“We have never told anyone we had settled on Shell and BP. We have several options and no one can monopolise,” he said.
President Kibaki kept off Harambee House until early this year. He has now made it routine to work from the office at least once a week, breaking from his past habit of sticking to State House for official matters.
The building provides office for the President, Ministry of Public Service, Ministry of Internal Security and Provincial Administration, Head of Public Service, Administration Police headquarters and the Directorate of Personnel Management.
Raila operates from temporary offices at Treasury building where departmental offices under him are also located. His parliamentary secretariat has been allocated the office formerly reserved for the Leader of the Official Opposition at Parliament Buildings.
A few thoughts on the Congo crisis November 13, 2008
Posted by Mutongoria in news, politics, travel.Tags: conflict, congo, genocide, kabila, kagame, muraguri, nkunda, peacce keeping, rwanda
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As the world turned it spotlights on Rwanda after 1994 genocide and created a seemingly successful State on the surface to purge its guilt, the enemy took off and inhabited the vast Congo. This great nation have suffered the aftermath of that infamous event more painfully than the Rwandese and the world will ever dare to accept.
CNN’s Anderson Coopers called it the deadliest conflict since the world war two. Within the last ten years more than five million people have been massacred and masses uprooted from their homes depending
with the UN for their livelihood. It attracted the largest UN, 18,000 strong peacekeeping mission in history but who are unfortunately toothless in the face of Nkundas 4000 army.
The women and children have suffered most in this war. One of the latest victims reportedly being treated in an Eastern Congo hospital is Sifa M’Kitambala. “They just cut her at many places,” Dr. Mukwege explains. Sifa was pregnant, but that didn’t stop her rapists. Armed with a machete, they even cut at her genitals.
My Professor from USIU stated in his thesis that Congo will not see peace at least not in our life time because the stakes are too high for the West to let go. This is bad news for us. As president Kagame
trade accusations with President Kabila over issues that are rather obvious on who funds General Nkunda our people continue to suffer.
To us these people have names and faces. We have posed for photos with them, they have cooked for us and we have slept in their houses. They are indeed our brothers and sisters. Anytime i get a distressed
private call with a code +243 my eyes tears up. Some of them may not be in harms way but the desperate tones tells the whole story. These are cries of mature men whose hope of giving their children a decent
education in our current globally competitive world gets slimmer as the guns shots grow louder in their neighborhood.
This complicates the story for the pygmies in the forest outskirts. As we prepare to launch a Book written by Samuel Muraguri (M Div)” The pygmy World” on 5th December it will be a time of reflection for us at
Mission Base Initiative and our partners and friends. The hope of this great country will not come from their troubled neighbors since they have rational selfish interests too. It will be a time to re-evaluate the magnitude of our interventions and the solutions that our message provides.A time to rethink Kenya’s position and its mandate in this region. The body of Christ must arise on all fronts and seek for
a sustainable solution to this rich but poor country, who have the capacity to light up the whole of Africa but suffers the worst black outs ever, whose teachers haven’t seen a salary in the last ten years and whose police survives on ‘donations’ from minor offenders and well wishers.
We long for a time when we shall see this conflict come to an end. It is an anathema to our continent and a shame to the Western powers and their mineral savvy TNC’s and their cronies amongst us. It was refreshing to hear President Kibaki talk tough and promising that a military intervention is an option. I urge us brethren to use all means including Lobbying our government so that they may come up more strongly and assume our privileged position and status in the region to help these people. It may be expensive but worth it both as the people of God fulfilling our mandate and our nation performing its moral duty to its troubled neighbors.
Gachunia
The writer Works with Mission Base Initiative – a religious organistation with help efforts in the DRC
President Bush introduces President-elect Obama November 10, 2008
Posted by Mutongoria in news, politics.Tags: bush, Chris Rock, joke, obama, problems, shite house
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President Bush introduces President-elect Obama
president Bush’s legacy is leaving Obama with very hard choices and very many problems.
- the Economy
- IRAQ
- Afganistan
- Inflation
- Banking Crisis
- budget deficit
- national debt
- unemployment
- international isolation
- fuel … linked to no 2 above.
joke of the week: Actor-comedian Chris Rock was being interviewed:
Q: Who do you think is going to win the election?
A: Barack Obama
Q: Why doo you think so?
A: Have you ever raced with a Kenyan and won?
Obamaday – national celebrations in kenya November 5, 2008
Posted by Mutongoria in humour, news, politics, travel.Tags: bull, celebration, kenya, kogelo, national celebrations, national holiday, obama, obamaday, pressident kibaki
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Mwai Kibaki of Kenya
The governement of kenya has declared a national holiday to celebrate the victory of Democrat presidential candidate Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America.
This capped a night of celebration as curious kenyans followed election results overnight as local TV station suspended regular programming schedules to relay the vote tallying process live. There is a palpable air of excitement all over the republice as kenyans look forward to the elections and the future of a man they consider one of their own. There were reports that a bull had been set apart for slaughter and celebration in the eventuality of an Obama win.
Obama's Relatives in Kenya entertain guests outside their home in Kogelo, Siaya
Dozens of local and international journalists have descended on Kogelo,Siaya where the father of the US president-elect Barack Obama was born and raised. In the nearby city of Kisumu, a group of youths held a mock parallel election, with six ballot boxes in different locations around the city. In the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, people chanted “Obama! Obama!” as the results were announced on television.
“He’s in!” said R N, 23, a business student who joined hundreds of others at the residence of the U.S. ambassador for an election party that began at 5 a.m. “I think this is awesome, and the whole world is backing him.”
I am calling tomorrow Obamaday – A day to …. havent figured that out yet.
it could be a day to
- Celebrate Obama’s victory
- Cheer those who are celebrating Obama’s victory
- Sleep
- movies, pizza and blogging
- Visiting friends
- Driving lesson 3 – number 2 is today
- planning my political options
- applying for an American visa
- reviewing Obama-tunities [Opportunities that will come out as a result of the Obama presidency]
- blacked out – after the office cocktails tonight
Young Kenyan men- Hot in america November 4, 2008
Posted by Mutongoria in news, politics.Tags: kenya, obama
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Whats the hottest thing in america right now? Young Kenyan men. It just has to be. I bet that young kenyan men are the must-have thing for updated American women right now. He could get you a son that could be president- you know!
We [young Kenyan men] owe Barack Obama senior a huge huge thank you for this – in fact i hve no doubt that there are countless things that will make it easier to move many more young kenyan men to America.
Imagine being a young kenyan man in America right now …
- You can claim to be obama’s cousin anytime
- You have potential -that is a proven fact
- you know the American president has a place in his heart for people from your country [kenya]
- your son could be president!
- you can be president
- you can marry white
- every young American woman would be interested to be the president’s mum
feel free to continue the list.
I so love being a kenyan man right now!
OBAMA KENYA CELEBRATION November 4, 2008
Posted by Mutongoria in news, politics.Tags: celebration, elections, family, kogelo, obama, relatives
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News reaching this blog indicate that a huge part of Nyanza is on stand still awaiting the results from the American presidential election. Word ont he street is that thwere could be chaos in either situation.
- if Barack obama wins – youths in kogelo and kisumu are likely to start burning buildings and tires to celebrate
- if Barrack Obama loses – youths in kogelo and kisumu are likely to start burning building and tires to vent out ther anger and protest the stolen election
I think police are on high alert because either of these situations would be un-acceptable for the well being of the coutry – me thinks its for the well being of the world! i’d love and hate to be Obama right now. The ploice are also on high alert against a terror attack at this very prime moment.
Imagine a whole village thousands of miles away celebrating your expected victory. Then ther is the other part of knowing that the whole world will be on your case for the rest of your life and that there are people who will go to great lengths to show their displeasure of you. Very great lengths.
Some think that an Obama win is just what Africa needs to get out of poverty, war and disease. May be. I have a wait and see attitude on that.
Back to Kogelo village where school children were yesterday making presentations for he Obama family that were seated as guests of honour. you can imagine it – school kids in uniform dancing – singing – choral verses for the obama family relatives. Then there was the crowd that was standing some distance away. Watching. Wishing thy had been born in the right clan.
The joke was the mud hut behind the Obama relatives. All those years, all that education and a mud hut. Something wrong somewhere.
Seriously, cant you at least build yourselves a house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Illinois senator has to get you up from the very bottom. Its ok. Guess that is the price he has to pay.
Which bring me to the quote of the day:
“there is a class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs – partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs.” Booker T Washington (c. 1911)
Wanjala families raise bail November 4, 2008
Posted by Mutongoria in news, politics.Tags: akinyi, bail, foreign, india, joyce akinyi, tihar, wanjala
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THE STORY
The families of former MP Raphael Wanjala and Joyce Akinyi have finally raised the money required to bail the two out of an Indian jail. But it may take another 10 days to secure their release from Tihar Prison in New Delhi where they have been languishing for 22 days.
His girlfriend
The families raised Sh1.560,000 to bail them out of India’s second largest jail. Mr Wanjala is the former Budalang’i MP while his girlfriend is a Nairobi businesswoman at the centre of a property wrangle with her estranged Nigerian husband Antony Chinedu.But the hitch has to do with a holiday in India as most government offices are closed.
The Diwali holiday runs for five days and many Indians often extend the celebrations, which began on Tuesday, for another five days.Last night, the Kenyan high commissioner in New Delhi, Mr Festus Kaberia, told the Nation that he had received sufficient money.“I received the money on Monday night, a bit too late for official business.
“We will have to wait for the courts to reconvene. Meanwhile, Wanjala and Akinyi are still in custody,” said Mr Kaberia by telephone from New Delhi. Mr James Wanjala, a brother of the former MP and Mr Ojiambo Obada, the family spokesman, said the family had raised the money without any help from friends or his party, Ford-Kenya.
Large sum
Mr Wanjala and Ms Akinyi were arrested early this month at New Delhi airport with more than $100,000, the equivalent of Sh7.59 million in cash. In India, any cash worth more than $5,000 (Sh375,000) has to be declared. Mr Wanjala, a former Water and Irrigation assistant minister, and Ms Akinyi had travelled from Uganda via Dubai on an Emirates EK-514 flight.
New Delhi’s Revenue Intelligence Department was alerted about the arrests while the Narcotics Bureau is also busy investigating whether large sum of money had been meant for purchasing drugs, according to a Delhi newspaper that reported the arrests.
COMMETARY
Africa is dark- in that there are no systems in place. No schedules, norms and cultures. African governments are dark too – they have no set policy on extradictions, foreign arrests etc. Our leaders are too busy rubbing their own fat tummies. The Wanjala case in on point – The kenya governemtn had no idea what to do. Where to start? Perhaps they should just not have been told that he was in jail?
Africans need civilisations – not to start wearing clothes or go to schools but to learn how to relate with one another. It is not just about me and my tribe abut rather me and my nation and jjust as a fish rots fromt he head this paradign shift must start fromt he very top … in an ideall situation. But nothing is ideal in this world. So we could just as well start a citizen revolution. HAKI YETU. We deserve a functional government, we deserve a police service that actually serves people, a civil service that has current technoly, skills and approaches to work.
Perhaps if any of the former foreign ministers had made a policy on foregn arrests and made any efforts at implementing it – then the government would not be fumbling in the dark as badly as it is doing today.
the southern kikuyu before 1903 November 1, 2008
Posted by Mutongoria in politics.Tags: book, culture, kikuyu, leakey, southern
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Our culture is being put on auction by the Leakey family at the price of Shs 20,000 [$250] and its available for all to buy, destroy and make a profit.
The three clume book may wel be the most comprehensive culture summary of any trib in Africa. Well, it should be considering how much energy and resources were put into it.
Leakey, L. S. B. (Louis Seymour Bazett), 1903-1972 considered himself a kikuyu and was able to join the tribe go up through the ranks until he became a second grade elder. His research was funded by a historical society in Englad and made possible by the positive reception he recieved fromt he kikuyu elders at the time. Some of the elders had been born in the first half of the nineteenth century.
i have not had access to it as I still believe that I should not support peoplemaking huge profits from auction the culture of the Kikuyu; selling that which they didn’t pay for.
Carolyn M. Clark made a review of Leakye’s work and gave it a generally positive recommendation. SHe also raised foundamental issues in the way leakey did his reserach, the reliability of his sources etc. One of the issues that comes out very clearly in her review in the vested-interested of the sources.
Leakey admits that he used old men as his sources and their unity in bargaining for their own interests in soe issues must not be overlooked. In issues affecting communal ceremonies they are steadfast in declaring their rights/benefits in terms of animals, offerings which were the currency at that time.
itwika is a social-political event that ought to take place every forty years or thereabout when the olde generation is suposed to hand over power to the new generation. The old men went as far as to quote the price they expected to recieve form the next genereation when it became their time to redeem the land.
I still dont thnk leakey acquired the right to acquire this knowledge. I also dont believe that his offspring earned the right to profit from it. [$250] is to much money to buy for something that is already yours!
an even better idea October 25, 2008
Posted by Mutongoria in news, politics.Tags: healing, perpetrators
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Rastaman 24-Oct-2008 …reply # 97957
Dagitari, yes blame the leaders but assuming that what you say is totally factual, I don’t think that if our intentions are to get justice and pass punitive measures to the perpetrators we should single out the leaders. Unfortunately, neighbour rose against neighbour, and neither Ruto or Uhuru held a panga. If we want justice, let’s shoot the leaders together with the individuals who kamatad the pangas and we have justice. Let’s look for all the guys who looted and stole and killed, try, convict and sentense them. That’s justice, amen?
