When we confuse "modernity" with development, we face dire consequences.

When we prioritize Roads, Helipads, Airports, High Class Apartments, etc over BASIC needs like Food, Water, Shelter, Education and Health, we create a "wishful feeling of devpt".

When we confuse "supply side economics using RICH consumptions" with human-development, we produce conflicting livelihoods within the same country.

When we confuse "mafia-govt-systems" with democracy, we incubate internal instability.

When we confuse "ethnicity" with class-development, we face distorted nationalism.

When we REFUSE to see beyond our "BIASES" we excarbate the solution requiring radical solutions.

When we TOLERATE the IMPUNITY of MIS-GOVERNANCE, we only succeed in destroying the nation.

When we GROW FLOWERS/CASH CROPS at the expense of FOOD, we destroy the dreams of the nation.

When we CONTINUE to pay the RICH more and TAX the POOR, we breed a future violent revolution.

When we CONTINUE to be INSENSITIVE to the needs of the POOR, we create frustration and grief.


FAMINE faces over 12-million Kenyans!
(a) http://www.eastandard.net/InsidePage.php?id=1144003677&cid=4&

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/512778/-/u18d44/-/index.html


(b) http://www.eastandard.net/news/InsidePage.php?id=1144003654&cid=159&

(c) http://www.eastandard.net/news/InsidePage.php?id=1144003655&cid=159&

(d)
http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/Local/Seven-people-mass...ukuru-slum-2857.html

(e) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVZgZLBokos&NR=1

Mimi, Its a fact of life.

Its a fact of life there will be poor and rich people.

Its a fact of life there will be commoners and the Royal.

Its a fact of life there will be developed ares and undeveloped areas.

Its a fact of life there will be men and women.

Its a fact of life there will be rulers and the ruled.

AND YOU CANT CHANGE ANY OF THAT.

WAMAX,

Obama's winning message was YES WE CAN and CHANGE WE NEED.

Just becuase Kenya has 35-billionaires and 350,000-millionaires AND 35-million POOR does not give mean we should accept it.

Just because Kenya has 10% rich (or very rich), 15% middle class and 75% poor (very poor) does not mean we should accept it.

Just becasue in Kenya there is a law for the RICH/RULERS and law for the RULED/COMMONERS does not mean we should accept it.

Just because, Baringo has been paved with roads and bridges and electricity and water while MAKUENI is dirt poor with nothing infrastructe wise, does not mean we should accept it.

Just because we have men and women, does not mean they cant be treated all equally and fairly.

Just because life bestows us with rulers and the ruled, does not mean we tolerate MIS-GOVERNANCE, IMPUNITY, CORRUPTION and DICTATORSHIP.

WE CAN AND WE WILL CHANGE IT. YES WE CAN.

Until we (the exposed, educated and pragmatic youth) see that we hold the CHANGE-tool in our hands and with our mental-minds.

Nobody chooses to be born poor or whichever tribe or region or circumstances.

But one can choose how they will shape whatever BONES they are initially given.

And they do so with OPPORTUNITIES.

We must give all our people a DECENT shot at making it in life.

Regardless of their tribes, their class, their regions or their political affiliations.

Watch this VIDEO below of Mr. NGUGI's family:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYLXvc88mLQ

Now tell me, if it does not grip you!!!

CHANGE is what kenya needs. REAL CHANGE.

quote:

Originally posted by wamax:
Mimi, Its a fact of life.

Its a fact of life there will be poor and rich people.

Its a fact of life there will be commoners and the Royal.

Its a fact of life there will be developed ares and undeveloped areas.

Its a fact of life there will be men and women.

Its a fact of life there will be rulers and the ruled.

AND YOU CANT CHANGE ANY OF THAT.

Kibaki's postscript will have the following words.
"He was a man who was given a chance by history, but he squandered it. He killed a dream of many Kenyans who believed in positive change"

By the way Mzalendo. I fear that Obama will end up dissapointing many of his supporters. Hi selection is both a good thing for Black peopel as well as a bad one. Should he screw up, then the racist will get a rallying point, that a black man will never rise to the occasion. no matter the goodwill he enjoys. I hope my fears will be just that...fears.

Shame! Shame! Shame!!

-

Lets look back at what was once called the "NARC under KEFAKI economic and devpt miracles" and analyze/digest them:

http://kenya.rcbowen.com/talk/viewtopic.php?id=100048]

(a) Raised Taxation RATEs (hence your overall take home was little compare to 6 years ago) BUt you were BLINDSIDED with Free-Education

(b) Raised your salraries progressively which meant, MORE TAXATION and MORE MAFIA-GOVT REVENUES to steal from and HIGH INFLATION

(c) Prioritized MODERNIZATION artefacts over REAL-HUMAN-DEVPT. thats why many Kenyans agonized that they were not seeing this "MIRACLE".

(e) Re-changed GOVT STATISTICS FORMULAE to project an economicaly growing nation

(f) Remove interest in land matters (thats why nobody got resettled) towards Shares.

(g) Promoted CONSTRUCTION devpt which meant more high-class houses, more mheshimiwas token roads and more electricity grids.

(h) Organized and factored DIASPORA REMITTANCES towards the WELFARE sector

(i) FOOLED the people with a CDF-theorem whose sole purpose was to share 1.5% of the National Loot at the local level keeping them hypnotized.

(j) Began counting any VIsITOR not from Kenya as a TOURIST if they fall into any of the categories. Hence the numbers began to seem attractive.

(k) JIJAZIE .. i could add so much .. if only i could remember soem of the analysis we predicted in 2006 of how the policies were window dressed.

Tippu,

Now tell me this: How come ALL of KENYA's Mafia-Govt (from Kenyatta, MOI, Kibaki) have always been keen to make sure the MATHARE slum-dweller files his taxes and returns on time and accurately or they will face punitive measures WHILE the perpetrators of ANGLO-LEASING & GOLDENBERG walk scott free in Kenya. LOL!!!

and all you all were expecting CHANGE? LOL!!!!!!!!!!

http://kenya.rcbowen.com/talk/viewtopic.php?id=100048

Shame, Shame, Shame

Shane on Kibaki for not reinstating HON Kimunya to the finance ministry!

Kimunya should be incharge of the money !

Sure that is not a good legacy.

-
THE SITUATION IS SO BAD IN KENYA (AND ESPECIALLY UKAMBANI) THAT ALMOST ALL OF KENYA'S MEDIA IS COVERING IT.

AS AN EXAMPLE, ONE COULD ASK: WHAT HAVE UKAMBANI MPs, MINISTERS BEEN DOING ALL ALONG?

IN KENYA'S GOVT HISTORY, FROM KENYATTA-MOI-KIBAKI, THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN AT LEAST 3 MINISTERS FROM UKAMBANI!

AND WHAT HAVE THEY EVER DONE? WHY ARE WE BACK TO THE RELIEF-FOOD-PROGRAMS THAT MOI USED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FOR VOTES?

WHAT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS OR PLANS ARE THESE MPs OR MINISTERS OR VPs ACTUALLY DOING?

I MEAN KALONZO HAS BEEN AN ASSISTAN MINISTER, MINISTER OR VP FOR 25 YEARS!!! (IN CABINET)!!

FROM NGEI, MWENDWA, MULINGE, NGILU, MUTISYA, NDILINGE, KALEMBE, MUNYAO, KALONZO, MUTITO, MBITHI, KIVUITU, MAKAU, MUTHAMA, ETC

BURE KABISA. 99% OF THESE MPs ARE USELESS.

MAFIA-GOVT-SYSTEMS HAVE FAILED IN KENYA.



(a) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4xD6Qi7Ii8&feature=channel_page UKAMBANI pt 1

(b) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMLkP5ecFlw&feature=channel_page UKAMBANI pt 2

(c) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5oT9q807cA&feature=channel_page EASTERN

(d) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I2vQYatPos&feature=channel_page KITUI

(e) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=020Z_IEDFoU&feature=channel_page MAKUENI pt 1

(f) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bla_mFfiiGY&feature=channel_page MAKUENI pt 2

(g) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qmx-qipuB4Y&feature=channel_page MAKUENI pt 3
................................................

Shame X 20, Shame on Kibaki for being a lame duck president, Shame on Kibaki for not defending Muthaura. Shame Shame!

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/515550/-/u1aefp/-/index.html

News

Kenya seeks Sh32bn food aid


President Kibaki during the occasion of the international appeal for food aid at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi. On his left are Internal Security minister George Saitoti and Prime Minister Raila Odinga. Photo/HEZRON NJOROGE.

By ANTHONY KARIUKI and PPSPosted Friday, January 16 2009 at 13:55
In Summary

-Government requires Sh 32 billion to meet shortfall.
-10 million Kenyans affected by famine.
-Most affected areas are the marginal agricultural districts of lower Eastern (Ukambani), Coast, and Central provinces.
-Kenya has made an international appeal for food aid to help alleviate famine affecting 10 million people.

The Government requires Sh 32 billion to meet the shortfall caused by a poor harvest, among other things until the end of August.

When making the appeal, at Kenyatta International Conference Centre, President Kibaki said an assessment from Kenya Food Security Steering Group indicates that Kenya requires Sh37 billion to meet all the needs of the current food emergency.

The amount is broken down into the following components: Sh30.2 billion for emergency food requirements, Sh3.8 billion for the education sector, Sh1.3 billion for water, health, and nutrition programmes and Sh2.6 billion for agricultural and livestock interventions.

“At the moment, my Government has set aside 5.2 billion shillings of the 37 billion shillings that are required to meet the emergency. I am therefore appealing to all our friends and development partners to assist us in meeting the shortfall of 32 billion shillings that will be needed to ensure the needs of 10 million Kenyans are met until the end of August this year,” said President Kibaki.

“I only urge that our friends and development partners respond in a timely and urgent manner, because the emergency is with us now.”

At the same time, the Government has declared the famine situation a national emergency and has directed all arms of government to mobilise resources and coordinate their efforts in responding adequately.

He outlined the current situation the country is facing.

“The primary cause is the severe drought we are currently facing, including the failure of the short-rains throughout most of the country and the cumulative effects of four consecutive poor rain seasons in the last two years.

“The most affected areas are the marginal agricultural and agro-pastoral regions as well as parts of the Central Highlands. Together, these prolonged droughts have resulted in a shortfall of 10 million bags, from 33 million bags to 23 million bags in the current season. The Strategic Grain Reserves have also reduced from 4 million bags to the current level of below 700,000 bags.”

He also blamed the post-election violence, caused by a disputed presidential election between him and his then opposition rival Raila Odinga (now Prime Minister).

Mr Odinga entered into a power sharing agreement with President Kibaki to save the country from the brink, following the death of 1, 200 and the displacement of a further 350,000 people.

“Other non-drought causes have contributed to the current situation. For instance, the post-election violence we faced earlier last year severely disrupted the planting season in many parts of the Rift Valley, the country’s breadbasket.”

The President also said inflation had played a part in the famine. The average inflation for 2008 was 26.2 percent compared to 9.8 percent in 2007, he said.

He added: “Food prices rose by 35.3 percent while energy prices increased by 21.5 percent. Other household expenses also grew by between 6 and 10 percent last year, with the lower income groups being the most affected.”

The above factors, he said were responsible for the sharp rise in prices of maize and maize products as well as other foods that form the staple foods of most Kenyans.

The most affected areas are the marginal agricultural districts of lower Eastern (Ukambani), Coast, and Central provinces.

Other areas that are adversely affected include the pastoral and agro-pastoral areas of Rift Valley, Eastern, and North Eastern provinces.

The Government’s national assessment is that 10 million people are food insecure and require emergency support.

Related Stories

Famine-hit area receives aid
These people will not meet their minimum food requirements and are relying on government help.

Said President Kibaki: Currently, the Government and World Food Programme are feeding 1.4 million people under the emergency operation programme. Another one million people are also fed through direct Government interventions.”

The President said that to combat the situation immediate actions are required.

“With regard to the medium term interventions, in the coming planting season that begins in a few weeks from now, the Government will make available about 93,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser at affordable prices, and reduce the price of seed by 10 percent. We will also make arrangements to provide affordable mechanical ploughing services in areas that are suitable through our revived agricultural machinery services.”

He appealed to farmers to increase the amount of land planted, so as to increase food production in the 2009/10 crop season.

President Kibaki also outlined the emergency measures the Government has taken such as arrangements to import seven million bags of maize at an estimated cost of Sh17 billion.

It has also set aside Sh3 billion for the procurement of additional relief food supplies and Sh1billion for related non-food emergency interventions.

Another Sh1.2 billion has been allocated for the provision of water, purchase of livestock and supply of hay in the arid and semi-arid areas.

He warned that his government will crackdown on cartels out to exploit Kenyans.

“I wish to point out that my government will not tolerate the actions of some officials and unscrupulous traders who seek to manipulate the food supply chain for their own benefit.

“Under no circumstance will my government allow the livelihood of our people to be sacrificed at the altar of the private gain of a few people. The government will protect the welfare of Kenyans at all times.”

“Under no circumstance will my government allow the livelihood of our people to be sacrificed at the altar of the private gain of a few people. The government will protect the welfare of Kenyans at all times.”


ACT NOW NO TALK!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU-O60OUfEg&feature=related - Part 1 on GCG Failures

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2iXh-KF_Bk&feature=related - Part 2 on GCG Failures

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYaU4PH74aQ&feature=related - Part 3 on Food Insecurity

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTRwed1JDCk&feature=related - Part 4 on IDP's and Land

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0T7-GvmSyE&feature=related - Part 5 on Kenya Army

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xICjPE1ifcM&feature=related - Part 6 on KRIEGLER Report

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puUbE7H2RYA&feature=channel_page - Part 7 on Capitalism & Revolution in Kenya

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puUbE7H2RYA&feature=channel_page - Part 8 - collection of VIDEOS ..

http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Opinion/-/440808/519556/-/.../jfp2nh/-/index.html

January 26, 2009 News

Is corrupt Kenya finally in the throes of moral bankruptcy?
By RASNA WARAHPosted Sunday, January 25 2009 at 17:02

A RELATIVE OF A FRIEND died recently because no one at a leading public hospital bothered to treat him. The young man had been involved in a hit-and-run accident with a matatu. The police took him to the hospital where he lay dying for five days.

Even though he had in his possession his ID, no attempt was made on the part of the hospital staff or the police to find his kin. Worse, no attempt was made to save his life.

When the family eventually located him (through their own efforts), it was too late — he died the next day.

When my mother died three years ago, no one called me from the hospital where she had been lying in a coma to tell me that she had passed away. I only found out when I went to visit her the same afternoon.

If I hadn’t, she might have languished in the hospital morgue for days. It would have also meant that my mother would not have been cremated within 48 hours of death, as dictated by her Sikh religion.

When I sent a letter of complaint to the managing director — a beacon of Kenya’s business community — later, he never bothered writing back. Instead he asked a matron to call me to apologise.

If I lived in a litigious country like America, I might have sued him and his hospital, but in Kenya, we don’t sue — we just bear it. Besides, my case would have probably dragged in court, costing me money I can’t afford.

A few years ago, my sister was involved in a near-fatal car crash. At the time, passers-by were more interested in stealing her mobile phone than calling for help.

And as I write this, some greedy businessmen have allegedly been selling maize to southern Sudan and withholding it from the Kenyan public, even as 10 million Kenyans face starvation.

And a crook of the Anglo Leasing and Goldenberg variety has fled the country, leaving behind billions in unpaid debts, and causing a commotion in the energy sector.

Kenya, it seems, in on the verge of moral bankruptcy. Ethical behaviour has become a thing of the remote past.

At the height of the post-election violence in Kenya, for instance, bars continued to do booming business because their patrons were more interested in having a good time than empathising with the hundreds killed and the thousands displaced in their country.

New Year’s Eve parties were held. No one thought of holding a vigil for the dead or declaring a moratorium on all festivities.

MEANWHILE, IN GOVERNMENT OFFICES throughout the land, corrupt public officials are praying before the start of every meeting. Is this just a ploy to mask the evil that lurks inside their hearts? I wonder.

It is as if we Kenyans have no heart, no soul, no consciousness. We are a dead society. We cannot weep for another, we cannot feel another’s pain, we cannot find it in our hearts to think of the greater good rather than selfish interests.

A friend called to tell me that I should not lose faith — that Kenyans are essentially a good people and the few bad apples shouldn’t make me cynical.

But it is hard for me not to be.

I find myself encouraging people — friends, relatives, colleagues — to leave the country at the first chance they get, and to make a life for themselves in countries where they will have free access to health and education, regardless of their income, where their neighbours will not pick up a machete and kill them because some politician told them to do so, where the political elite will not rob ordinary people to enrich themselves, and where ethical behaviour is rewarded rather than punished.

I was not like this before. I believed that Kenyans who left the country should come back to contribute to this society to save it from itself; that if everyone fled, only the rot would be left behind.

But now, the rot has engulfed us all, we cannot escape it. Like an ugly scar, we cannot get rid of it, no matter how hard we try.

I have tried my best to be a good citizen. But it is clearly not enough. The country is lurching from crisis to crisis and all I can do is watch, wait and pray for a miracle.

It seems I will have to wait for a Gandhi, a Mandela or an Obama to whisk us away from this cesspit and show us a new vision, a more ethical and saner way of doing things.

My friend asked me to focus on the positive, and to not let cynicism get the better of me. I tried. But it didn’t last long. That night, five people in a slum in Nairobi were beheaded. The dark days, it seems, will be with us for a long time to come.

Ms Warah is an editor with the UN. The views expressed here are her own and do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations.

We Kenyans are the ones who let them do this to us.

Picture this one Raila addresing a rally in his constituency says he has not wavered in his stand against corruption, but wait a minute he is PM in a goverment rocked by one scandal after the other. Instead of asking what he has or is doing about it the crowd applauds.

This happens every day Mr Raila is just a recent case in point. Those hungry people should actually come and camp at statehouse private residences of our entirely corrupt so called leaders