I received this via email and thought it was interesting to share. The People Foundation was eloquently outspoken during the post election violence. These are the kinds of voices the kenyan masses need, since those elected leaders are a greedy, ruthless, & shameless bunch! I believe the new leaders that will take Kenya to the next step are yet to be discovered. They are not in this grand coalition government, but may be we can have hope that they may emerge from a newly formed opposition!


A call for Grand Coalition Opposition continues!!!!

The People Foundation would like to applaud the efforts by the Igembe South MP, Mr Mithika Linturi, who is behind the Grand Coalition Opposition for the 10th house. We would like to see the relevant section of the standing and the constitution changed to accommodate this desperately needed coalition. In the spirit of transparency and democracy, the People Foundation expects the Speaker of the national assembly to facilitate this other side of the Grand Coalition Government arrangement.

It is important to bring to bear the fact that the current coalition government is nothing but the reincarnated NARC, which in 2002 propelled Mwai Kibaki to Presidency. In a nutshell, the current coalition government is nothing else but the fulfillment of the MOU which had promised Raila Odinga the position of Prime Minister, which he now rightfully occupies. It appears that it took five years for Mwai Kibaki and his cohorts to deliver the promises of the NARC MOU. Thus, given the fact that the grand coalition government is nothing but ego driven strategic alliance between old boy club members; Kenyans cannot afford to see the 10th house without a strong opposition to provide the required oversight.

The grand coalition opposition should work closely with civil society in order to provide relevant and reliable checks and balances in the administration of the peoples' business. The People Foundation will work with greater civil society to provide cutting edge research and analysis and to inform the greater populace on a wide array of issues pertaining to political social and economic development at the lowest possible grassroots level. It is on this premise that an endowment fund would be created to support the greater work of the grand coalition opposition as a service to the nation.

The importance of the grand coalition opposition cannot be overemphasized. For example, if we did not have strong opposition in the last 10 years; scandals like Goldenberg, Anglo-leasing, the Artur brothers and the like could have remained in the shadows forever. Similarly, if Anglo-leasing and the pertinent scandals of the last five years are anything to go by, we are justified to belief that some greater scandal could be in the pipeline waiting superb discrete execution. We all know how Dr. Chris Murungaru was able to siphon billions of shillings from the public coffers within six months of Kibaki's administration. Prof Anyang Nyongo's cry for meat and not bones; simply put "give me a ministry with meat and not bones" would corroborate the evidence that the Grand Coalition Government is made up of individuals with hawk eye seeking to prey on the public coffers. Thus, we cannot afford not to have a recognized Grand Coalition Opposition in the 10th house. Who will tame the insatiable desire of underworld operatives like the MP from Tinderet: Henry Kosgey, and the MP from Eldoret North-William Ruto. We need more surveillance than John Githongo could provide.

So far, we have not seen anything that resembles good leadership over the last five years. The next five years are likely to be years of some mediocre leadership and gross lack of statesmanship. We can act proactively to avoid the pitfalls of lack of leadership and statesmanship by getting engaged at every corner. Therefore, we are making a continued call to have the Grand Coalition Opposition put in place as soon as possible. It is indeed unfortunate that the likes of Igembe South MP, Mr Mithika Linturi did not envisage this need when the 10th house amended the constitution to accommodate the power sharing deal between Raila and Kibaki. The law should have been amended simultaneously to create room for the Grand Coalition Opposition. We need at least 100 MPs to be members of the Grand Coalition Opposition. In the coming months, we will be examining the dynamics in the local government in an effort to identify any misalignment with the vision if any of the Grand Coalition Government.

The People Foundation.

Mr.Ranneberger should stay out of Kenya Politics. Enforcing US supremacy in a small country like Kenya is close to being enslaved by a supper power. He is taking sides on this debate and obviously supporting ODM. His responsibility is not to act as a governor of Kenya but to represent US interest in the country. Kenya's envoy to US Mr. Agego can never attempt to act the way Ranneberger is acting. You flip the coin and the story is very different. Ranneberger needs to go back to US and before his term is over. His actions are inciting hate and causing confusion in the international arena as to who is in charge of the government of Kenya. It is not Raila, but Kibaki, then the VP and PM third. This is the order of government business. People are dying in Rift valley and the US AID is too late. The falling dollar is not going to help Kenya's situation. Kenya must continue to partner with China and reduce her dealings with US.