Kibaki’s
Next Move; Cabinet Dismissal May Get Complex for the Kenyan Leader
Posted
on Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Chicago,
Illinois -- Kenya's president Mwai Kibaki dissolved his entire cabinet
following the defeat of his push to pass the constitutional charter.
In
a brief live television broadcast that was aired through Kenya’s
national televisions, Kibaki promised to compose a new cabinet with
two weeks, which may be close to or coincide with annual independence
celebrations on scheduled on Dec 12.
Mashariki
Leo would like to hear reactions and predictions especially from
Kenyans in the Diaspora and anyone with interest in this east Africa
nation.
We
want to know what you think is likely to happen in Kenya's political
circles in the next two weeks and leading to the 2007 general elections.
Email
your comments to info@msharikileo.com. Please make sure you include
your full names, city or town where you live and a phone number
if we need to contact. So far, there some of the comments, our readers
have shared:
Kibaki; Swallow Your Pride and Make LDP trusted
Advisors
This
week's election changed the political landscape in Kenya. It weakened
many politicians and made others "larger than life". It
is now evident that Simeon Nyachae, formerly Energy Minister, Charity
Ngilu, Health Minister, Moody Awori, vice president; George Saitoti,
Education Minister and many others are of no political value.
The
clear winners were William Ruto, Najib Balala, Musalia Mudavadi,
Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka, Uhuru Kenyatta, leader of the Opposition
and William Ole Ntimama.
They now have as US President George Bush would put it "political
capital" that they can use in anyway they want.
They
are now the power breakers and will continue to be so until the
next general elections scheduled in late 2007 in Kibaki does not
call a snap election. They also appear to have enough support to
successfully pass a no-confidence vote on president Kibaki's government.
On the other hand, Kibaki may feel that the election had no winners
or loser but it sure left him with no power. He appears to have
no support outside the GEMA regions. The people he was counting
on outside the GEMA zones except for may be Kombo and his party
was astoundingly defeated.
The
president made many mistakes including letting unpopular politicians
run his YES or banana side. These people made things worse for him
by resulting into calling their opponents names and insisting that
they get fired.
In my opinion Kibaki is left with very few options. The best option
for Kibaki is to negotiate with the winners and try to bring all
LDP members back to the government side. The question is will he
be able to meet their demands.
The
demands by LDP are for Kibaki to follow the MOU he signed with them
decades ago and to fire the ministers he brought in during the so
called government of national unity and most of the so called "Mount
Kenya Mafia".
The
problem for Kibaki is that he cannot afford to fire the mount Kenya
Mafia because they delivered GEMA votes and they also includes some
of the his best friends and life-long supporters.
Also,
they have can serve as his trusted advisors. In short, if President
Kibaki wants to save his presidency he will have to appoint a cabinet
that includes has only the goods bananas and a lot of colorful oranges.
Lawrence
Kilonzo
Chicago, Illinois
For
Now, Automatic Dual-citizenship halted
I
was disappointed that my children will not be automatically Kenya
citizens with dual citizenship rights. I am rethinking investing
in Kenya any more. Another disappointment is the delay to get rid
of the colonial constitution.
However, I am happy that the PEOPLE have known their secret weapon
and have shown the government who is boss. I hope they will use
it in future to remove elected officials who turn out to be demigods.
I hope politicians will be on notice.
Dr.
David M. Maina, Dental Orthodontist
Laboratory for Statistical Assessment & Diagnostic Tests
Chicago, Illinois
Devolution
of powers, Key to Orange Landslide Win
Congratulations to the Orange team. I pray that
the outcome will not be seen as a win, but a consensus, by all Kenyans,
so that peace will prevail. A win means there are losers, and the
losers soon lose their temper. Political machinations will probably
go into full swing, to scheme against the winners. Certainly, this
will not be good.
I am not at this moment sure of what the implications
(politically) are for the country. Devolution of power was a key
thing in the Orange team. And maybe, just as well. The past presidents
had too much power, which was used and misused...
But here is the progressive side- for the first
time since I can remember, Kenyans have voted (freely and fairly)
on an issue. Like we see here in America all the time. Expensive,
but it was done.
Secondly, if there will be devolution of powers,
Presidents might stop taking too much for granted, maybe? Not sure.
By far the biggest concern now is peace, subsequent to the outcome
of the vote. Yes, we will wait and see what happens next. It is
the way with issues in Kenya.
James Theuri, Executive Director
Kenya Development Network Consortium
Chicago, Illinois
Dual
Citizenship still a High Priority
Hopefully the issue of dual citizenship will still be accorded high
priority
Focusing on the success of the process (as opposed to the results),
I hope all the participants will look forward, re-group and leverage
the key lessons from this initial phase towards the creation of
a unifying document we can all be proud of. Hopefully the issue
of dual citizenship will still be accorded high priority as things
move on to the next stage.
Martin
Mbaya, Board member
Chicago Association of Kenyan Professionals
Chicago, Illinois
Vote
of No Confidence! It’s time for Kibaki government to wake
up
This is a wake up call to the government. It is
now in their face that the country does not agree with their policies
and is frustrated with their ineffective leadership. The vote politically
speaking is tantamount to a vote of no confidence since you have
the general public going against an official government position.
The larger question is what does this vote mean
for the average Kenyan, we cannot afford a new referendum meaning;
we are going to be governed under the current constitution until
a workable document can be achieved and voted upon, this time presumably
by parliamentarians, but will this be the case?
It has always been clear that the contention in
the constitution was devolution of power, yes; there were other
issues that were raised on the periphery...women rights, abortion
etc...but bottom line it was power.
In my opinion unless our backbone lacking, rudderless, (my opinion)
leadership takes a firm position on good governance and accountability,
they will have little or no argument against the current opposition.
If they argue that the president is intent on addressing the question
of power devolution, then let them be honest and take the lead in
addressing the issue, the same applies with good governance and
accountability.
In the end, I think that the larger picture was
lost in the "power argument" and as a document, we lost
an opportunity to get a work in progress that was going to go through
the rigors of a developing and changing as society evolved. Any
constitution that is worth its value is one that can be debated
and changed with the current dictates of society at large.
I do not mean to imply that constitutions ought
to be easy documents to amend, ABSOLUTELY NOT! In fact on the contrary,
it should be a document that requires a representative process that
mandates a significant majority because the fabric of society's
governance should not be changeable on a political whim BUT only
after dialogue and debate on current society’s values and
social consciousness.
All in all, we need to remember, no constitution
is perfect from the get go, even under the American Constitution,
African Americans were originally 3/5ths of an ordinary citizen....If
we are conscious of the fact that the Constitution is a living document
that continues to evolve....we might start to approach this debate
and dialogue with a different attitude.!
Jacob
Sitati, President
Chicago Association of Kenyan Professionals
Chicago, Illinois
Kenyans
now know that when the government is not working
The most important thing out of this voter revolt
is the knowledge that Kenyans now know that when the government
is not working for you, you can actually do something about it.
This, folks is the biggest win.
Freeing of the little man's mind to reject attempts
to be ruled by flawed and tribal based documents. If this was a
national election, the majority of Banana supporting MPs and Ministers
would have lost!
Who were those sycophants who said earlier that
its "kabila moja tu ndio wana lete hi fujo"? From what
I saw, its "kabila moja tu" who did not see what the rest
of the nation was observing! This was not a Luo revolution like
some on this forum had suggested. The banana team was slaughtered
in every province but Central!
In fairness to Kibaki, his handlers are responsible
for this lopsided loss! I also greatly admire the fact that he did
not attempt to tamper with voters. He can redeem himself by ruling
as a national president rather than the governor of central province
Ouma
Aboge, Systems Administrator
CBS Market Watch
Minneapolis, MN
My
Take on the Kenya Tourist Board's "Kenya Ambassadors Program"
(KTP)
KAP
is in the initial stages and the visit by KTB and Ministry of Tourism
and Wildlife officials was the first attempt to solicit ideas and
open the doors to dialog between KTB and the Kenyan community abroad.
KTB
seemed willing to engage Kenyans at different levels, such as those
who occasionally speak about the country (good will ambassadors),
entrepreneurs in the tourism sector, educators interested in special
interest tours, organizations promoting an understanding of the
country and other Kenyans with an ability or interest in promoting
the country. The promotional CD handed out was to help show what
the country had to offer – although it was very generalized.
Activity
on this issue is expected to take place from both ends (KTB and
the Kenyan community abroad) as needs, concerns, expectations and
capabilities are made known and factored in. Major issues Kenyans
brought up included the impact of dilapidated infrastructure on
the economy as a whole, lack of security, lack of focus on domestic
tourism and the sole reliance on external marketing firms to promote
the country abroad.
Mukila
Maitha, President
United Kenyans of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Foreign
postings should have terms limits...
Dear Editor;
Foreign postings should have terms limits i.e. four years. Some
of these staffs have over-stayed on their current stations. They
do not want to leave when their time is up. We need new faces with
new ideas at these foreign
missions. We need to give others a chance to serve too. The
government should be strict on the number of years that a diplomat
stays at a station.
Jeremy,
Undisclosed location
Ambassodor [Ngaithe] should follow in the
footsteps of Dr. Nzibo...
Dear Editor;
Thank you Wambui for your very informative
piece. I agree with you that most of the Kenyans who live and
work in the US are essentially economic refugees whose only crime
is working illegally. As Mureith notes, its a catch 22 situation
in that does one want to remain in their current status, work and
support family at home or declare their presence and risk being
deported.
As for registering with the embassy, most Kenyans fear that those
records could be turned over to the US government and the implications
would be severe not to say the least. Finally many Kenyans do not
identify with the Kenya embassy as the service was once very discouraging.
Maybe the current ambassodor and stuff should follow in the footsteps
of Dr. Nzibo and maintain touch with Kenyan communities across the
country. Kenyans are always glad when an official of the government
visits town.
Oliver Sindabi
Chicago, Illinois |
