Category Archives: Uncategorized

does anyone have the guts to tell kabila the truth?

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So Gen. Nkunda and his men have yet again captured an army base in the East of the DRC, further raising questions of the viability of this vast country as a united nation-state. The news reports did not come as a surprise. I have said again and again that Kabila seems unable to take it to Nkunda and his army and because of this I think that the DRC should be split up. Millions of people should not live forever in misery and at the mercy warring armies simply because of King Leopold’s greed several decades ago.

Kabila does not have complete control of the country and because of this the African Union and the UN should consider putting the Eastern part of the country in a trusteeship with the aim of granting them complete autonomy if they so choose in a referendum some time in the near future.

Time will not stand still to wait for Kabila, Nkunda, Museveni and Kagame to resolve their differences. As they, through their surrogates, squabble, millions of real people continue to die or be confined to lives as base as no human being should have to countenance in the 21st century. Addis Ababa and New York have buried their heads in the sand for too long over this matter. It is time to wake up and face the realities on the ground.

Yes, I know this seems as too simplistic a suggestion. Rwanda has a stake in this because of the deposed Hutus in the region – Nkunda himself is a Tutsi claiming to be fighting to defend his ethnic kinsmen from these Hutus. Uganda is involved too, perhaps because of the minerals or just because of Museveni’s need to keep his army busy to avoid discontents at home. It is a complicated mess to put it mildly. But all these other facets of this conflict do not negate the fact that the DRC, a vast country that is the size of Western Europe, is too big to be governed by a weak government in Kinshasa. Kinshasa cannot project its power throughout the country. Period. No society, at least not in the modern political economy, can exist without government. The chaos in the East of the DRC are as much a result of Kinshasa’s ineptitude as they are of foreign meddling by Kagame and Museveni. I say divide the country, or give the East more autonomy and move one.

the waki commission and the need for total truth

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I have previously stated my sympathies for William Ruto. But on this one I think the man from Eldoret North is going a bit too far. For a whole minister to go on record and rubbish the work of a highly respected commission is indeed deplorable. I hope that soon enough Ruto will realise that the more he continues to shout from the roof tops about the uselessness of the commission’s finding the more Kenyans will start pointing fingers at him.

It is true that the Rift Valley was the hotbed of the violence and that most of the perpetrators may have been Ruto’s adopted constituents. It is therefore expected that someone from the Rift Valley would come out and defend the perpetrators. But this is not how to go about it. The systemic problems that caused the flare up last January will not be solved by the commission’s prosecution of the perpetrators. I hope Kenyans realise that and that the commission appreciates this fact in its recommendations – I have downloaded a copy of the report but because of a term paper and other commitments haven’t been able to read through it (plus it’s like over 500 pages long!). In light of this fact, I don’t see why Ruto wants the truth to be swept under the carpet this early. He ought to let the truth come out and then we shall deal with the truth as responsible citizens who want a united future for Kenya.

If the people of Rift Valley and their leaders killed innocent Kenyans, Kenyans deserve to know. The victims need to know who these people are. From here we ought then to proceed to why these atrocities were committed and if we are true to ourselves we shall realise that the solution is not retribution but honest reconciliation. It is no secret that land was the issue in the Rift Valley. On this basis, some form of amnesty and redistribution of land can be worked out – but only after the truth has been put out there.

So Mr. Ruto should not be afraid, this only betrays his guilt – whether apparent or real. He should instead advocate for a responsible handling of the reconciliation process. This is his only realistic way of navigating through the tricky issue of the violence. If he however choses to confront the rest of the country by rubbishing the report, he will lose face and his own party might throw him under the bus. More importantly, Kenya may end up further divided with residents of the Rift Valley feeling alienated and marginalised. Nobody wants that. I hope this is clear to William Ruto.

zimbabwean leaders, stop acting childish

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Am I the only one tired of the antics of Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai? This struggle over which ministries to give to which party is turning into child play. How hard can it be to agree on which posts to take? This is not rocket science. And what gives these lunatics of leaders the idea that they can continue to mortgage their citizens’ lives as they leisurely engage in inane political fights??

Zimbabweans are hurting – no one needs a reminder about this. And I just read an article about the collapsing school system. This is particularly sad because education holds the key to the future. If Zimbabwean children lag behind they are going to have a hard time catching up and competing in the increasingly globalized labor market – if and when their economy recovers and sanity returns to their country.

Quite frankly, I am simply sick and tired of the circus that is the negotiations. Mugabe and Tsvangirai should be locked in a room without food or bathroom break until they come up with a deal that will work for Zimbabweans and stop the madness that has characterised this once promising African country.

may i politely disagree with Ruto

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So the other day William Ruto, a prominent national leader, proposed that parliament, instead of Omondi, Kamau and Muchama, should elect the president. His rationale was that the presidency has grown into a divisive rather than a unifying figure. That Kenyans have come to view competition for the post as a do or die, as was seen earlier this year when supporters of Kibaki and Raila killed, looted and maimed in the name of their respective candidates.

To some extent Ruto is right. The Kenyan presidency has been bastardized by the way the last elections were handled. It is because of the presidency that more than 1000 Kenyans died and hundreds of thousands displaced from their homes. The country is yet to fully recover from the polarizing effects of the events that followed Kivuitu’s sham of an election. So may be if we took away the winner-takes-all nature of the presidency we can reduce the risk of having another fiasco like we did in Decemeber of last year. Then we can have a very decentralized form of competition for constituency seats and then the party with the highest number of seats can form the next government. We shall in effect have a parliamentary system, with parliament having the power to recall an ill-performing president.

I have nothing against the above argument. I believe that the more checks we have the better. And we can kind of tweak Ruto’s suggestion a bit to have a Premier with executive powers elected by parliament and a president with ceremonial powers – either elected by the same parliament (but with a longer tenure) or by the people (again with a longer tenure than the Premier).

The only problem with this proposition is that I don’t think Kenya is ready for this yet. Our MPs are as corrupt as they are mindless and irresponsible. What stops them from being bribed to change governments every two days? Plus such strict parliamentary systems are highly unstable. Look at Israel and Italy for instance. They change governments every few months. This is the last thing we need in a highly tribalized young democracy like Kenya. We need stability in our politics and economic policies. Only a stable presidential system can provide this, for now. May be when we are more stable economically and have credible, stable and transparently run political parties we can flirt with the idea of having a parliamentary system.

talk of getting your priorities wrong…..

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So there is this story on the BBC website about the Nigerians raising about US $630,000 that they intended to contribute to the Obama campaign. This is as ridiculous as it is stupid. First of all, if these people care enough about Obama they would have visited his website already and noticed that when you try to contribute money you get asked specifically whether you are a US citizen – US politicians are prohibited by law from receiving contributions from foreigners.

Second, these people have got their priorities all wrong. Why raise so much money to send to the US? Aren’t there enough suffering Nigerians and Africans that this money might have helped? Come on Nigerians. Come on!

I think I’ve caught Obamamania too

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The speech and the pictures from Berlin did it all. I am a news and political junkie (no apologies) and have been keenly following the US presidential election ever since Iowa set things rolling in December of last year. Until today, I had been caucious about Barack Obama – I mean I read his two books and saw in him a great person but I never really bought the idea that he is the man the United States and the world needs right now.

In Berlin, Obama won me over. More than 200,000 Europeans and citizens of the world (I saw some Angolans in the crowd) showed up to hear him speak about world unity and the idea that we can change things and make life better – however marginally – if we choose to. What won me over was not Obama the person – for I have always admired Obama the achiever – but the idea that he embodies. The idea that this is the time for change and that he can mobilize not just his fellow Americans but citizens of the world into action for a worthy cause.

People like Obama – who can inspire millions – are hard to come by and I think that is why the world over most have come to like this son of a one time goat herder as he likes to remind everyone listening. It is my hope that America will realize how much of a difference it will make to have a president that can inspire beyond their own borders and vote Democratic. But then again knowing Americans (well sort of since I’ve only been here for three years) a part of me still remains apprehensive about the sincerity of the poll numbers I am seeing so nothing is a safe bet yet untill I see Barack Obama on the steps of the US capitol being sworn in as president next year.

slavery in mali, sick and utterly disgusting

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The IRIN News website reports that thousands of Malians are still living in slavery in the North of this desert country.

It is a shame that in the 21st century we should still have Africans, of whatever descent, enslaving their fellow countrymen. Last year I wrote a piece on the situation in Mali and pointed out the developments that have been made in the fight against this most heinous crime. Locals however report that in the Northern towns of Gao and Menoka the vice is still rife with Touaregs as the culprits inflicting mental scars on the local Balla people.

Where is the AU on this? Where is ECOWAS on this? Slavery is a most degrading crime and should not be allowed, not only because of what it does to the immediate victims and their families, but also because of the legacy it creates. To erase the effects of this practice will take generations, and the sooner it ceases, the faster the Balla will begin the healing process and may be some day normalise relations with their former slave masters.

a tribute to Africa’s greatest son

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Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the former president of South Africa and arguably the greatest African ever in recorded history celebrated his 90th birthday the other night in London in an even attended by big shot politicians and celebrities. Listening to the comments made by those in attendance reminded me of just how important this man has become – not only to Africa but to the entire world. “He embodies the stand against injustice and poverty the world over,” one commentator said.

To me, the most striking thing about Madiba is that although he spent most of his life fighting against the evil apartheid regime in South Africa, the post-apartheid Madiba did not harbour the hatred or anger that you would have expected from someone who suffered so much under the system, including 27 years spent in jail. Instead, Madiba managed to channel the goodwill he earned towards reconciliation and a focus on issues affecting the poor and forgotten people of this world.

Perhaps a closer scrutiny of his personal life may reveal some faults – as I found out when I read his biography last summer. But these faults only serve to confirm to us that he is indeed human, and thus make him even more precious because his achievements are simply beyond most of us. He is easily the greatest African to have ever walked on this planet in all of recorded history.

He has undoubtedly entered the pantheon of hallowed Africans in history. Thank God for Mandela and may Africa bring forth more sons and daughters like him, especially in these very difficult times.

HAPPY 90TH BIRTHDAY MANDELA. YOU WILL LIVE FOREVER, IN US AND WITH US.

How much longer will the world sit back and watch?

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As usual, the news coming out of Zimbabwe are not good. Images of armed youth chasing and beating opposition supporters and reports of whole villages being overrun by government operatives for the simple crime of voting for the opposition are in the least very sickening. Robert Mugabe, the ancient independence hero of the republic of Zimbabwe has vowed to stay in power and told his opponents that only God can remove him from power. Perhaps it is time Zims remembered the Biblical note that God works through the hands of men and do the necessary. The old man should be removed from office and exiled to some island in the indian ocean, or better still he should be exiled to Britain – the land that he has grown to hate and blame for all the ills affecting his people.

The problem in Zimbabwean has again exposed the dysfunction that is the continent of Africa. The de facto leader of the continent, one Thabo Mbeki of South Africa is on record as to having said that there is nothing wrong with Zim and that the international media should tone down on the negative reporting. Mr. Mbeki must be mad. The other presidents on the continent couldn’t care less. A few of them have voiced concern but without offering any concrete solutions. For now they seem to be bent on protecting one of their own. A real dirty shame.

The wider international community has also bought into the tactic of all barks and no bite. It has been left to the BBC, CNN and the spokespeople of the state department in the US and foreign ministry in the UK to condemn the actions of ZANU-PF and their supporters in ZIm.

I think it is time civil society groups across Africa held demonstrations to force their leaders to step in and talk old Rob out of power. The man is 84 and has been in power since 1980. In this period Zim has descended from being a food exporter to a country where millions depend on international food aid. It is time for him to go. And it is a real dirty shame that Africa and the rest of the world continues to sit back and watch as old Rob continues to sink his country deeper into the ground.

letter from Gaborone

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If you thought that stories of Chinese involvement in Africa were exaggerated, think again. A survey of the businesses in Gaborone – from car dealerships to apparel stores to restaurants even – reveals just how much the men and women from the East have established themselves on this continent.

The locals complain that the goods are of poor quality and all but they buy them nonetheless because they are far much cheaper than other locally made stuff or those imported from South Africa and elsewhere. Another complaint I have been hearing is that the Chinese are not really helping the economy – the local economy that is. “They keep to themselves and bring all they need. They even bring their own food,” one man told me. The general complaint is that the Chinese are simply siphoning profits back home and not reinvesting in the Botswana economy.

I haven’t had a chance to see the level of economic disparity among the Batswana – but from the little exposure I have had to the middle class here, I think I can safely say that they have it nice. Nicer than their counterparts in Kenya even. The government seems to be doing its job alright. Next week I shall be traveling to the desert regions of the North and West to see how life is in the rural areas.

Oops, I have to go now. I have become a football junkie and cannot afford to miss Germany-Portugal. Catch you guys later.

power cuts!! oh no!!

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Just as I thought that my stay in Botswana was going to be such a nice ride, I was rudely reminded of where I was by an unexpected power cut. Yes, I was trying to cook dinner while watching some show on the travel channel when the lights went out. With no torch (flashlight, as some call it) or candles I was forced to cook with my ipod, phone and camera as the only sources of light available. Luckily the lights came just as I started having my dinner. It was not a pleasant experience though.

After talking to people in the know I was told that this is a regular thing that happens to select neighborhoods between seven and nine. I was also told that Botswana, lacking any powerplants, buys its power from the neighboring states.

But I just can’t stop wondering why the government hasn’t managed to build enough power generation capacity to satisfy its less than 2 million people – and with all the diamond dollars. Just how hard can it be?

Botswana

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It’s been just over 24 hours since I touched ground in the land of Seretse Khama. So far so good. Botswana is living up to its reputation as a middle income country in the middle of the sea of despair that is the rest of the continent of Africa. The roads are nice, and wide enough. The people that I have met so far – from the few that I have asked for directions in the street to the lady manning the internet cafe that I am in right now – have all been nice. The exception was just this one lady at the local KFC (may I add that that was my first time in a KFC, anywhere) who wasn’t nice. May be she was tired. Or maybe I was being reminded by the heavens that fast food joints like these should remain off limits for me.

The economy seems to be doing well too. All around there are new buildings being erected and most of the existing ones look new (nothing like River Road, Nairobi if you’ve ever been there). Contents in the local newspapers and CNBC-Africa betray the buzz in the business world here of the government’s intention to make this the financial Switzerland of Africa. And did I mention the service delivery? Getting out of the airport was quick. Clearing through customs was easier than when I return back home to Nairobi. When one of my bags did not arrive (thanks to South African Airways), the lady at the airport was nice and was quick to provide me with the necessary information.

The feeling here in Gaborone is generally of a small town where everyone tries to go out of their way to be nice to you. I know it’s just been a day but the first impression I have of this city is positive. I am a bit worried about all the electric fences I see encircling houses in the suburbs. I hope crime is not anywhere close to Botswana’s neighbor’s down South.

Watch this space for more on Botswana in the coming weeks…..

time to rethink the idea behind sovereignty

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In the book The Bottom Billion, the author Paul Collier talks about the growing international apathy at the suffering of millions of people around the world. This, he says, has been reinforced by a general dislike of interventionist measures especially after the Somalia and Iraq fiascoes. Somalia made the US be wary of military interventions even in dirt poor third world countries like Somalia that hasn’t had a functioning government since Siad Barre was deposed in the early nineties. Enough has been said about Iraq.

But are these two cases enough to make the international community completely abandon millions of people to be tormented and killed by their own governments? I am thinking about the horrible situations that are currently playing out in Burma, Chad, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and many other places where governments are killing their own citizens or letting them die for political or ideological reasons. This is unacceptable and should not be allowed to continue.

I echo Collier’s call that the international community set a precedence; that tyranny against civilians will not be tolerated anywhere on the globe. This is not a call for haphazard invasions all over the place. But there are extreme cases that should be addressed more forcefully. The genocide in Darfur should not be allowed to continue simply because Northern Sudan is a Muslim country with a potential for being jihadist. Thousands of people should be let to die in the jungles of the DRC simply in honor of that ungovernable country’s sovereignty. And does Mugabe really deserve to be sovereign in a country that he continues to drive deeper into hell? And what claim does the military junta in Burma have on sovereignty when they let tens of thousands die and hundreds of thousands without help even when the international community itches to help after a devastating cyclone hit the country?

All these extreme cases should be considered as exceptions. Somalia and Iraq should not stop the international community from ever acting again in an effort to save human lives. I am not calling for a neoconservative style democratization of the world, dictators can be tolerated, but only when they are not actively killing their own people or denying them food and other basic needs. Is this too much to ask of them?

Sovereignty should not be seen as an end in itself. Political leaders should know that the international community will only let them enjoy sovereignty when they act responsibly. I happen to believe that democratic government is the ideal but different places have different needs in different stages of their history. For instance young countries may not necessarily thrive as democracies, but this does not give their leaders a right to act like the Al-Bashirs and Than Shwes of this world.

these are people too….

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The madness that visited Kenya in February served to illustrate just how much the international community is one of unequals. Kenya, being the hub of the region with considerable foreign investment and the headquarters of a major UN agency, was not to be let to go under. But the same is not true for the Democratic Republic of Congo, where millions have died or have been displaced as a result of years and years of fighting.

I just read an article in the Economist Newspaper detailing the kind of atrocities that innocent villagers have had to go through in this horrendous war.

The big question is, why has the world forgotten these people? Aren’t they just as human as Kenyans are? Why can’t the AU concentrate even just half as much effort as it did in resolving the Kenyan crisis?

At this point it is not debatable that the people of the DRC cannot govern themselves peacefully. Order and the rule of law should be imposed on the warring factions and if necessary divide up the country in order to separate those that do not want to coexist in one nation state. The mineral resources can then be managed by an international trustee and shared according to needs of the autonomous regions.

No human being should have to go through what the Congolese have and are still going through. Not in the 21st century at least.

how much longer can Zimbabweans tolerate Mugabe?

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A day after Zimbabwe’s March election there were already rumors that Robert Mugabe had lost and was trying to negotiate a graceful exit from power. But Rob was to have none of this. He ordered the electoral commission not to announce the results of the presidential election even though the opposition’s tallies confirmed their claim to victory. Meanwhile parliamentary results confirmed that Rob’s party, the ZANU-PF had lost its majority in Parliament to the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). In desperation, Rob ordered for a recount in several constituencies but even this did not overturn the original results.

With Mugabe having lost the election and his apparent resolve to stay in power come what may (evidenced by his failed attempt to purchase weapons from China) it remains to be seen just how much longer the people of Zimbabwe can put up with this crazy old man before all hell breaks loose and people pour into the streets. It has to happen at some point. Political Science theory says that revolutions happen just when things begin to get better and Rob may have initiated this process by allowing the MDC to win the elections. He could have simply rigged the vote to give himself a clear win – both for the presidency and parliament. But by allowing the MDC to win parliament and the presidency (although a run-off is in the offing) he has shown his people that he is indeed beatable and demystified himself.

The writing is on the wall for Rob and his cronies. But he still has support from a significant segment of the Zimbabwean population and thus any kind of uprising against him will almost inevitably be met with stiff opposition from his supporters. He may be a thug to most non-Zimbabweans but to his country people he is an independence hero who sacrificed a lot for his country. Because of this there is an increasing risk of conflict within the country.

As the international community continues to watch from a distance, (with South African president Mbeki makeing silly statements like this) Zimbabwe keeps moving even closer to the tipping point. I believe total collapse can be avoided by having Rob step down (forcefully if necessary) before it is too late. The alternative is to wait and send in peace keepers after the fact.