...
written by Stephen Wanyama , April 11, 2007

There is nothing wrong with being a movement, as opposed to a political party. Indeed the movement exists because the government has failed so terribly.

Interesting that you claim that NARC has raised the Presidency above a certain standard. My name is Simonyi and I have been in space for some years. Takes forever the news to get throug. Maybe you can help me, what has Kibaki done but sit on his hands?

How did Anglo-Leasing, the Artur brothers, inaction over Sudan, Somalia, the rise in poverty levels and numbers or the rise in insecurity translate into raising the bar of the Presidency. Did I say tribal clashes?

Let's not confuse the global economic growth and the emotive goodwill offered a new government for progress. The one is ephemeral, the other is more enduring.

I think it is a good move by ODM-K, provided of course that Western province is so disillusioned with Kibaki that it cannot vote for him even without senior Luhya representation in the ODM-K line-up.

Is this not just a way of saying Kalonzo should be the candidate? Not to be a tribalist but the whole turns carousel seems to be pointing out of the house of Mumbi. Whoever came up with this plan is onto something big. Picking Kalonzo is the only way to deal with Kibaki, even if it means the others campaign for him.

If Kalonzo is not the ODM-K candidate, an embittered Eastern Province will vote for Kibaki, especially if he shocks them by running with Ngilu. I realise the Raila club hate Kalonzo with a passion, but in many ways he is the only one in ODM-K who can beat Kibaki, unless of course Kenyans want 10 more years of a Gikuyu president.

common sense
written by pndiangui , April 11, 2007

When I say the bar has been upped , I mean that pretty much of the stuff that was straightforward to do and get Kenya to some level of activity has now been done. I don't need to name much:

- Interest rates significantly down
- Civil servants' salaries (such as teachers) being paid consistently
- Previously non-performing parastatals are now out of the red and are not depending on the Exchequer
- Many of the non-performing loans in state-owned former political banks have been / are being paid
- Reduced domestic borrowing, with an optimized tax collection where the current budget is seeing world-bank and IMF 'looking' for Kibaki's regime in order to lend it money, rather than Kimunya chasing them with a begging bowl.

These are pretty ordinary stuff that needed very little energy to be put in place, but of which the Kibaki government will claim 'ownership', and which in 2002 would have been on a 'to do' list. That's how the standard has been raised.

So now, for ODM-K, they might have to think deeper and bring up new innovative ideas how to stimulate further growth, how to sort out corruption and mainly come forward with a leader who can execute these ideas. For example, how further down could they take interest rates and how and by when?

ODM-k needs focus
written by pndiangui , April 11, 2007

As this Kenyan writer confesses, ODM is becoming more of a mass-movement where the leaders escape by spreading blame without anyone taking responsibility.
That their aim right now is only to 'replace' Kibaki by anybody, rather than showing concern about the quality of the character and abilities of the man they want to put into office, is not only demoralizing but an evidence of a movement concerned only about the raw power, rather than about the purpose of it, nor deliberating exactly what it means to lead Kenyans at this moment of the country's transformation.

I will not shower praises to Kibaki's regime, but ODM needs to understand that the standards for the presidency have now been raised well above what Narc was to replace in the past regime.
It is therefore imperative that they watch whom they are proposing as a potentially better PERFORMER in transforming the country than the incumbent.
In business language: what's the value-proposition to Kenyans of having whoever they think is best suited for the presidency? How much better can the candidate meet Kenyans' needs & how well-versed is the candidate with what it takes to solve Kenyans problems? Rather than framing it from a mere single-tracked power-hungry perspective: 'who is the best poised to beat Kibaki'. So, beat Kibaki and then WHAT?
What's in for the country and specifically Kenyans in the long-term?

...
written by Tim Norwood , April 11, 2007

So ODM-K do believe in Steadman!!

Ndiangui,
Cause and effect. Cause and effect. Kibaki is not a performer. He has performed absolutely nothing. You are obviously defending Kibaki when you point these achievements as though they exist in isolation.

Where the government gets its borrowing from does not make much difference to our fiscal health. We are still borrowing, and still misusing the money generated from this borrowing.

Kalonzo only can beat Kibaki
written by wa kwitu , April 11, 2007

I wish there were other options. but there aren't. Kibaki will win if the Kambas vote for him. He already has 22%
(Kikuyus), 11% Embus, Merus, Mbeeres, Chuka etc. (the rest of Eastern province that does not include Kambas). Add 10% in the rest of the country due to rigging and power incumbency, we are already at 43%. Someone has to take all the Kambas out of the equation. This person is KM, the next president of Kenya. Otherwise all these Kambas will vote for Kibaki en masse (all the 12% of them). It is what it is.

...
written by Not all you see is true , April 12, 2007

Joe Khamisi, a known Kalonzo supporter feels that Uhuru and Kalonzo (read kalonzo) are the only ones who can beat Kibaki. Now, this is not gospel truth, its only a thought from Khamisi not ODM, period. It would beat logic to tosha kalonzo even though Kibaki split with him votes in eastern province during teh referundum. If he was alomost beaten in his own backyard, how in hell can he beat kibaki in a nationwide presidetial contest. What the first article is suggesting is that ODM give Kalonzo a chance inspite of the fact that he cannot draw much votes by himself.

Look at it this way, why dont ODM drop him all together. Afterall a combined force of Mudavadi, Ruto and Najiba can beat Kibaki. Electing Kalonzo will be the greatest mistake ever. It will be electing another Kibaki and given his lone ranger style, I will not be suprised if he turns his back on other ODM canidates. I beg ODMers not to have MK as the touch bearer.

reality check
written by Ombudsman , April 12, 2007

Ukweli was mambo, regardless of how many articles are written against Kalonzo, he is the cleanest of the ODM-K crowd, the one we ordinary Kenyans fear the least.

I am not even a Kamba but I can tell you that if Kalonzo is not the ODM-K candidate I will vote for Kibaki. You can take that to the bank, I will never vote for Raila. Does either he or his sycophantic followers realise that they are painting a very ugly picture of themselves with their attacks on Kalonzo?

Tribalism will dictate 2007 el
written by Job , April 12, 2007

True and granted,...the ukabila question and opportunism may dictate the 2007 voting pattern and winnings.
The candidate who has obviously made tribalism to disadvantage him is none other than Mwai Kibaki. Add Corruption, Anglo-Leasing, Artur Mercenaries, Goldenberg get-aways, embracing of the Biwotts and Mois besides the much expected vitriolic ODM campaign rhetoric and blitzkrieg then you know what to expect.

Kibaki's unmatched record of cronyism and nepotism in undisputed fashion makes it easier for several ODM candidates to beat him. ( I can safely say that between Kalonzo, Uhuru, Raila or Musalia) anyone of them can beat Kibaki SO LONG AS they tag Ruto along with the rest that are not running).

I beg to differ with those claiming Raila can't beat Kibaki. If Raila is running, and Kalonzo leads the pack of Ruto, Musalia, Balala etc campaigning for him, Kibaki will still be in trouble.

It's about voting either of two options,...change or no-change (more of the same). Only Central Province (and affluent Nairobi)for instance believes everything is ok with Kibaki and need no-change - UNDP figures support that ( only 33% of central population are living below poverty in 2007).

The majority of the rest of the nation ( av. 60% living below poverty line) lean towards change. Add the high price of basic commodities like Unga, paraffin and Sugar then you will understand why people in NEP, Coast, Nyanza, Ukambani and Western for instance are not as enthusiastic with Kibaki's 5.8% economic recovery figures. They were buying Unga for sh 28, sugar for sh 27/kg and paraffin for sh 30/litre when kibaki took over power in 2002. Today they spend sh 58 for unga, sh 75/kg for sugar and more than double for paraffin. So the FPE and CDF doesn't negate the biting daily pain of poverty in their households. They will most likely opt for change.

Change may mean electing a new person to replace Kibaki or electing ODM in place of Narc. It is in anticipating this replacement that Kibaki's handlers saw a chance to introduce divisive ukabila to create confusion. They hired Steadman to do just that.

Kibaki's genius in dividing the Opposition seems to be finally paying off with the kind of responses I'm reading from here. This is my postulation. Through the local Kenyan based Steadman Polls( co-owned by his buddy Joe Wanjui), the Narc machinery managed to create a perception that Kalonzo Musyoka is so popular and widely acceptable to the Kenyan electorate in 2005 & 2006. They deliberately push-polled and positively influenced Kalonzo's popularity upon citizens nationwide (even postulating wildly that he was more popular than Ruto in RV and Raila in Nyanza).

They have now (2007) began undoing the same. Breaking what they made and portraying Kalonzo as a no-match for Kibaki. All these ping-pong, up-and-down favorability ratings for Kalonzo were calculated carefully by Kibaki's insiders and Steadman.

The goal was to first portray the false perception that Raila, though strong, is "unelectable" and not widely accepted beyond his own ethnic base. That was to take care of the possibility of Kibaki facing Raila in a titanic battle.

The effect is that this perception has sunk in many minds who now see Kalonzo as ODM's only realistic chance to beat Kibaki. Placing Kalonzo and Kibaki on the same competition is however not as easy as it sounds right now, in fact it plays very much into the hands of Kibaki insiders just as they anticipated. As elections approach, Kalonzo will be scrutinized, unearthed and destroyed by the Kibaki campaign machinery in a damning reality-fashion.

Kibaki's people know that Kalonzo is by himself a minion to them. Kalonzo badly hopes for Raila to "tosha" him and campaign aggresively for him just as he did to Kibaki.

The best candidate for change in ODM in my view is Raila Odinga. Kalonzo represents a moderate conservative who may not have the political will to instill real change in Kenya's governance. He opposed multi-party politics, and was at best timid in his supportfor the Bomas draft, even failing to vote against it's mutilation in parliament when akina Raila and balala did just that. His leadership may infact mirror Kibaki's style.

But it is upto ODM to elect its flag bearer, what I know for sure is that with Kalonzo, only cosmetic change in the face of State House tenant will change. There will be no action(s) on Goldenberg, Anglo-Leasing, etc and infact new scandals will be born.

If ODM elects Kalonzo, then it will be walking to an election with a weaker candidate, that I know. But like many Kenyans, I still hold the view that the 76yr old Kibaki needs to take a rest from the presidency. He should be voted out!

Thats right
written by KisumuJah , April 13, 2007

Job, you have hit the right note. Thats the one I was waiting for. Kalonzo is not a bad guy but he is not a presidential material. I dont even know his campaign platform aprt from Steadman and being Christian(born again).

Som few disgruntled elements might hate Raila but he is our best hope.

We need real change

Performance
written by pndiangui , April 14, 2007

Tim
Could you please address those points one by one, rather than just go straight to 'domestic borrowing'.
Are my claims what has happened? Now then, you should be working hard to alienate Kibaki from the equation. And let's be clear on what 'performance' is.

So it doesn't matter where we borrow from? Interesting.
Reduced domestic borrowing doesn't influence even the motivation of banks to lend to consumers rather than just buy the government paper and sit on it?

Bitter Truth,..
written by Sir George , April 14, 2007

I think ODM-K was meant to be the usual one man affair starring Raila Odinga; maybe he thought one of the other presidential contenders would rise up and crown him with a "Raila Tosha" and - alas! - he has been waiting ever since.

The Steadman opinion poll came and complicated matters for him, with people like Kalonzo now in the foray believing he is the only person fit enough in that ODM-K group to lead this country or better still beat the incumbent president Kibaki.

Since then it has been a circus show as we've gotten a chance to see what these top ODM-K guys are really made of when they are not criss-crossing the country in their never ending, well camouflaged Kikuyu-bashing campaigns... For me they have nothing to show except: a deep mistrust amongst themselves,a nightmarish prospect of a Ruto presidency, a 45M Kshs Hummer being paraded around the country for all to see, website wars, several different manifestos, unlikely and unnecessary support from the likes of the intolerant male basher and entrepreneur Bishop Margaret Wanjiru, too many overseas trips - some courtesy of Bishop Deya -, and now a council of elders to help them select their presidential candidate and many more bizarre things to come, am sure...

I am still yet to understand what it is they're so desparately trying to save us from, by removing Hon. Kibaki and putting one of their own: Had one of them come out early enough and clarified this with the electorate and supporters, then they wouldn't need a council of old wazee from one or two corners of Kenya to do that for them. It's all too unfair and an absurd method of choosing a future President when you have a large voting public!

As always the ODM-K top elite are cowardly burying their heads in the sand when faced with a crisis and are acting like they know best.

Sir George is mixing issues
written by KisumuJah , April 14, 2007

Sir George, Kibaki will be beaten by ODM regardless of who the touch bearer is. Please quote me on that.

Having said that, your obsession with Raila is excessive. The article you are referring to is actually about Kalonzo but you end up talking about Raila. Anyway, Raila is not Kalonzo's headache. It's Uhuru whom Kalonzo now fears more than anything. We all remember KM shouting at the top of his voice about the delegates system. Saying that it's the only way to democratically elect a touch bearer. Then enter Uhuru and Ruto and the whole equation has changed. Whereas he thought he would bag Rift Valley, Ruto seem to have boxed him into a corner. Uhuru is said to be commanding 50% of Eastern Province (KM owns the backyard). Matters get even more complicated by the fact that he is at loggerheads with Najib Balala hence the muslim population.

Now you can see why he is now rooting for "tosha system". But again, he has flimsy arguments e.g. "I'm the only one who can add more votes into the ODM bag because I will get back what Kibaki took from me at the referundum." Whom is KM trying to fool? He is boasting with a half full basket while people like Ruto and Raila can actually talk of a 80 percent full basket. Should the tosha system therefore go to Raila or Ruto?

ODM needs KM, but not in the capacity as a presidential candidate. If he is serious then he can bag in the said votes just by campaigning harder for ODM even if he is not a presidential candidate. If the argument is that only if he is a candidate he can bag the votes, then he is not really popular in the first place. If he uses this argument why should Musilia, Ruto and Najib not use the same. I think that KM has realised that in a delegates system he will not win.

This is my prediction when the vote is finally called: topping the list will be

(1) Raila (2)Uhuru (3)Ruto (4) KM (5)Najib (6)Ojiambo (7)Umar Rajput.

Kalonzo will through a fit and quit. ODM will all the same beat Kibaki.

...
written by KisumuJah , April 14, 2007

Ombudsman, you don't have to vote for Raila. Its your democratic choice to vote for Kibaki.

What I don't see in your article are facts supporting the reasons why you want to vote for KM.

Ati he is clean??? Are you kidding us or what? Remember how this guy sat on his butt while Kenyans were being jailed killed and maimed by the Moi government. Remember how he ran to the toilet when the crucial vote of the constitution was tabled in parliament. Have you ever seen KM advocate for democratic space or change? These are enough reasons not to vote for KM. What are yours for voting for him?

to Uganda
written by Ombudsman , April 14, 2007

Remember how he ran to the toilet when the crucial vote of the constitution was tabled in parliament.

Come now, let's see the proof behind this. Do you have any explanation for the knives in Kalonzo's back? The fingerprints look a lot like one Bondo child's.

All the same chali most of us would never vote for Raila, and not just for physical reasons. He has proved to be a corrupt, vicious and unprincipled man. Tena, after all this time as King of Nyanza, with all his charisma he has failed completely to generate any meaningful progress there or anywhere.

Job - puleez
written by Phil23 , April 14, 2007

Job,

Sorry - please take your cheap propaganda to lesser minds who will buy it (and I hope they are few and far and between).

I am amazed that we are quick to call Kibaki corrupt with the only prima facie evidence being the "Anglo Leasing" scandal. Not sure how much money was lost and the number of scandals unearthed since that famous showstopper, that still has his bashers all orgasmic. Further I have not seen any link pointing back to him conclusively.

As to the Arturs Saga, I am sorry, it is more a soap opera. And while I don’t see the link back to Kibaki save for rants from the self appointed man in the Arturs' scope cross-hair (Raila), this for many an ordinary Kenyans is not an election decider, so let's bury it before we get started. (Recall the same guys said they have some dirt on Raila - so if innuendoes become our judge and jury then your hero is equally guilty).

And you do know of the double edged sword as concerns dining with Moi and Biwott.

All the nepotism/tribalism allegations are made on the basis of what posts Kikuyus or so so-called "Mount Kenya Mafia" hold in government related jobs - I challenge someone to show me that as a percentage of total government jobs. The whole ranking of “importance” in certain positions is neither here nor there - as officers of the same rank earn the same. But a more serious point is: how are Kenyans hurting from that, what region is getting less or has improved due to an appointment. If you are honest and remove the tribal spectacles, you would be complaining more about the results coming of that and the effect on Kenyans as a whole; and not about a few characters who share our mother tongue who do not impact on the greater community e.g.

As for the figures on the levels of poverty: your case would have been advanced by showing what the standing was before Kibaki took over, and what it is now - and what the government was doing differently for the price differential vs. mentioning stuff and leave that hanging (classic propaganda).

Q: what was the cost of the farmer inputs in 2002 vs his sales; what were the oil prices then? Have real incomes changed i.e. although costs have gone up? Essence here is to put things in context; at least it might give a façade of one who is in the “know”.

As for Raila - sorry he is not President material - there is nothing he has done that shows how he will improve Kenyans lives (look at his “formal” city constituency, and his real one area where he chooses to celebrate all his “victories”. You see if he cant be trusted with a dime, why with a dollar?

I think he is tribalist # 1 and so short-sighted in his power hunt that it is pathetic. The whole idea of balkanizing Kenya into tribal fiefdoms as ODM key strategy of getting to the top, fits not only the definition of "tribalism"; but has the danger of major fall-outs in the future leading to a tribe rising against another based on disagreements of their chiefs.

We should have a president elected by all tribes to have some unity vs through cronyism, where I am electing him because my chief will have a particular post in the next government -- not sure where I have heard that song before.

Q: How many pple at spectre are non–Luos? Or further when Raila was minister of roads, there are stories of the contract awarding and employment being biased to a particular tribe. And as to nepotism, please confirm that most Luo Nyanza MPs are not related to him somehow?

Throwing stones from glass windows has never been wise - I rest my case.

Kalonzo only can beat Kibaki
written by alexcia , April 25, 2007

This is an hypothesis that will will have a chance to test

...
written by Ukweli was mambo , April 25, 2007

""I am not even a Kamba but I can tell you that if Kalonzo is not the ODM-K candidate I will vote for Kibaki. """

Make your bed and lie in it

rabble rouser
written by kamau , April 25, 2007

How is it the six months to the election we have not seen a cohesive value prop the ODM? The most significant “development” being how they will share power among the aspirants with Prime Minister, Assistant Prime Ministers, Vice Presidents and Assistant Vice president’s posts. All positions that are not allowed by the constitution!!!!

Seriously do these cartoons understand the reason countries have constitutions, given that fact that ours needs help especially in the space of presidential powers and regional autonomy? Their power sharing proposal would be laughably absurd and comical if it did not have such frightening consequences. What happens 5 years on when we have a new political alliance, will we change the constitution then to make spaces for all the leaders?

Why are we acting as though we are the first country to have to juggle political alliances that involve divers interests and groups, you don’t see the Israelis and Italians changing their constitutions to create offices every time a new coalition comes into power.

A run for kibaki\'s money and
written by x , April 26, 2007

I am afraid but, Kalonzo seems to have played his cards right. Those who know politics including Raila understand that a 53 year old son of nobody will climb to the throne of kenyan power soon. This is it for the younger generation, our parents can go home, we are on a mission to find ways on how to feed them when they get old.

Kalonzo is clean.
written by xo , April 27, 2007

Kibaki was Kalonzo's senior during moi's regime. What did Kibaki do, to stop Moi from senselessly throwing us to the dogs. Kisumujah, power rests solely on the president. Kalonzo and the entire civil service could not do anything when moi refused to visit a mental hospital for 24 years.

...
written by a guest , May 25, 2007

With the current anti-kikuyu enviroment in the country, anybody, even ole-ntimama can defeat kibaki hands down.