A Political Kenya: Latest Politics and Kenya Economy News

Kenyans should not throw tantrums when the obvious happens. Mwai Kibaki's modus operandi is now an open book for anyone who cares to observe.

Justice Ringera is no older than Kibaki, if age is in question here. Kenyan gave a thumbs up to Kibaki as president. Surely why would they mind Ringera, a young boy who just teethed the other day.

For performance purposes, Ringera is one of the best performers in Kibaki's eyes. In addition, Ringera is still one of the most academically qualified to run KACC. He has the papers, experience and is "diplomatic" in dealing with "Waheshimiwa". In Kibaki's school days, this was surely "Makerere-bound" talent.

To make such conclusions one has to understand what Kibaki's administration is all about. Seven years into Kibaki's reign, Kenyans should realise that Kibaki's rule is all about sustaining the status quo (Kufuatafuata Nyayo), protecting comrades' wealth, maintaining the dignity of former presidents as well as their scions and dreaming about the 1970s heydays.

If Kenyans are dying of hunger, the president does sympathise. When there is endemic corruption, the president re-appoints Ringera to do what he does best. We all know what that is.

The eldest son of Kenya's controversial president, Mwai Kibaki, is entering politics in an apparent attempt to salvage his father's legacy after the 2007 elections descended into ethnic violence, severely damaging the country's reputation as a democracy.

Jimmy Kibaki, a wealthy 46-year-old businessman, campaigned for his father before the chaotic 2007 poll but has otherwise kept a low profile until now. His decision to launch a nationwide youth initiative called Simama Kenya – Stand up Kenya – has been widely interpreted as a move to create a third presidential dynasty in the country.

The sons of Kenya's first two leaders, Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel arap Moi, entered parliament in 2002 occupying their fathers' old constituency seats. President Kibaki, 78, is due to retire in 2012 having served two terms.

In an interview with the Guardian, Jimmy Kibaki said he had not yet made a decision about whether to run for parliament. "People will automatically assume this is all about succession," said Jimmy Kibaki. "This is about ending tribalism and encouraging the emergence of a meritocracy and new young leaders."

Though Jimmy Kibaki's reputation is unsullied his commitment to the ordinary youth has been questioned because of his age and elite upbringing. The National Youth Convention released a statement describing Simama Kenya as a "cheap political outfit" that was trying to hijack its agenda.

There is also a widespread feeling that presidential dynasties exist mainly to protest the family interests - the Kenyattas and Mois are among the richest families in Kenya, and not all through hard work. Uhuru Kenyatta is currently finance minister and deputy prime minister, and while Gideon Moi was voted out in 2007 he is plotting a return. Both are former schoolmates of Jimmy Kibaki.

But Jimmy Kibaki offered another motivation for entering the public arena - rescuing the reputation of his father, who never gives media interviews due to his "very low opinion of journalists". While insisting that the 2007 presidential poll result was fair - a conclusion local and international observers did not reach - Jimmy Kibaki said that bad press over the election fiasco and corruption scandals was one of the main reasons that his father has never been on a state visit to the UK, despite the colonial links and having studied at the London School of Economics.

"I'm concerned about my father's legacy. He was very hurt last year by comparisons made in the UK between him and Robert Mugabe. I'm not saying he has had no failures, but there have been more successes than failures."

The Kenyan government has approved a budget of about $ 3.3 billion to support food security and job creation projects across the country. 

A statement from the government today said the money would be for the implementation of 18 multi-purpose projects across the country over the next eight years, saying that the projects are expected to deal with some of the major challenges facing the country on a medium and long term basis. 

The projects, which will cover the six regional development authorities involve: irrigation of food and cash crops, hydro-electric power generation, supply of clean water, development of fisheries, water catchments conservation, creation of local employment and rural development, said the statement from government. 

Over 213,000 jobs are expected to be created from the project with a trickling factor and another 956,000 indirect jobs.

Kenya has had to declare a state of emergency following a series of long droughts in the last few years. In April, the World Bank provided an emergency grant of US $5 million under its Global Food Crisis Response Program to assist Kenya in dealing with significant food shortfalls due to the impact of the current drought in the country, high input prices and the global financial crisis.

A 300-megawatt wind farm, the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project, is being developed in Kenya in the hope of decreasing the country's greenhouse gas emissions and developing alternative energy sources. Work has already begun on the $891 million project, funded by KenGen and KBC Bank NV of Belgium.  

Damaris Mungai, program associate for the United Nation Environmental Program's Kenya Country Program, said, “Investing in wind energy means that we are in control of the price of electricity once the wind farm is developed.” The clean nature of wind energy aids Kenya's goal of reducing their emission levels as set out in the Kyoto Protocol. 

Mungai noted four areas that will benefit from the creation of the wind farm: climate change, energy security, economy, and safety.  

Completion of the wind farm is expected by September 30, 2012. 

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Of late we have been receiving messages from Lisa Mendelson of Chlopak Leonard Schechter (CLS) relating to Government of Kenya pronouncements of their actions relating to various national issues.

According to CLS website

"Since 1993, CLS has been working hard to inform target audiences, change critical perceptions and solve high stakes problems. "

They continue to say

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There's a striking passage in "Dreams From My Father," in which a young Barack Obama, on safari in Kenya, gets an unembellished picture of everyday African life from his driver, a man named Francis.

"[Francis] said he enjoyed his work with the travel agency but disliked being away from his family. 'If I could, I might prefer farming full-time,' he said, 'but the KCU makes it impossible.'

"'What's the KCU?' I asked.

"'The Kenyan Coffee Union. They are thieves. They regulate what we can plant and when we can plant it. I can only sell my coffee to them, and they sell it overseas. They say to us that prices are dropping, but I know they still get one hundred times what they pay to me. The rest goes where?' Francis shook his head with disgust. 'It's a terrible thing when the government steals from its own people.'"

Terrible indeed. And perhaps it was an echo of Francis's voice that shaped Mr. Obama's speech last Saturday in Ghana, by far the best of his presidency.

Here's some of what Mr. Obama said: "No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20% off the top." "The purpose of foreign assistance must be creating the conditions where it's no longer needed." "The West is not responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants." "We must support strong and sustainable democratic governments." "America can also do more to promote trade and investment." "We have a responsibility to support those who act responsibly and to isolate those who don't, and that is exactly what America will do." "History shows that countries thrive when they . . . create space for small and medium-sized businesses that create jobs."

All this is not only true, it's groundbreaking. Since British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan gave his "Wind of Change" speech (also in Ghana) nearly 50 years ago, Western policy toward Africa has been a matter of throwing money at a guilty conscience (or a client of convenience), no questions asked. The result, as Mr. Obama pointed out, was that countries such as Kenya, which had a larger GDP than South Korea in 1961, "have been badly outpaced."

Maybe it took a president unburdened by that kind of guilt to junk the policy. Or maybe it simply took a conversation with some of the Francises of Africa -- the politically invisible middle classes held down by their own kleptocratic rulers. Whatever the case, Africa will be well served if Mr. Obama can make good on his rhetoric.

Now if only Mr. Obama would apply those same principles to the rest of his agenda, foreign and domestic.

For instance, if trade and investment are good ideas for the U.S.-Africa relationship, why has the Obama administration dragged its feet on free-trade agreements with Colombia and South Korea? Or, if the U.S. owes Africa no apologies for its recent disasters, why has Mr. Obama gone to such lengths to apologize to Iran for the 1953 Mossadegh coup, and, in his Cairo speech, to the entire Muslim world for the politics of the Cold War? Or if Mr. Obama wants to "isolate" irresponsible actors, why does he continue to promise engagement with Iran, Syria, Russia and perhaps North Korea no matter how they behave?

Similarly, while U.S. government officials don't usually demand bribes (at least outside of Illinois), the U.S. corporate tax rate, at 39%, is the second highest in the industrialized world. That's about 10 percentage points higher than the OECD average, or nearly twice the 20% "bribe tax" that scandalizes Mr. Obama.

As for creating "space for small and medium-sized businesses," it's ironic that Mr. Obama would make this point on the same weekend that House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel is calling for a 3% surtax on the wealthy -- many of whom, as Scott Hodge of the Tax Foundation notes, happen to be business owners. These are the same people now facing the prospect of next year's expiration of the Bush tax cuts and the return to the 55% top rate on estate taxes, another scourge of small-business owners.

Finally, if the $2.3 trillion the West has given in foreign aid over the past five decades -- a "stimulus" package if ever there was one -- has done nothing to raise Africa out of poverty, why does Mr. Obama think that any amount of stimulus spending is going to revive America's economic fortunes? At least in Africa's case, the West could periodically forgive its debts. Who will forgive ours?

In his conversation with Francis, Mr. Obama records his lament that Kenya's "big men" fail to take responsibility for their country:

"'Attitudes aren't so different in America,' I told Francis."

"'You are probably right,' he said. 'But you see, a rich country like America can perhaps afford to be stupid.'"

Somebody make this guy treasury secretary.

Write to bstephens@wsj.com

They have big mouths whose words can promise an exodus to heaven if we elect them. They do not care what they say, as long as they can gang another vote. They value their imaginations more than they actions, taking tomorrow like a non-existent future. They trade accusations just to down throw their counterpart. Their retaliations are an atomic bomb in reaction to grenade, making matters no better than they found them. They wouldn’t care to slaughter the last piece of life in at all that will reduce the opposition power. They marry their thought, accuse others and trade accusations for the benefit of their bellies.

They are the politicians.

As the going say, “politics is a dirty game” and I just can’t help doubting the cleanliness of the players. Taking a binocular eye into the genesis of black rule in Kenya, it is ultimate the destiny of the expected good life was cut short by the greed of our politicians. While at the helm, our senior brothers seem to think they are one step closer to heaven than we are. Well, they forget of the bumpy ride to superiority, a journey whose hope of ever seeing the destination lies in the vote of the helpless Kenyan. And leaders forget the pleas they made when that vote mattered.

How right would I be, to rest my blame on the members of the august house. Since they forget that parliament is not a camping site, Kenyans should therefore do the right thing with their votes. While then MPs are recapturing dreams of the previous night, we should be thinking of a mass sacking, one which will see most, if not all, packing out of the seniors domicile. Are they not aware that Kenyans like me are tired of buying Prados for them, while I still can’t afford a load for a bike?

Let me dare say this. “Kenya government leadership is sleeping on its job” if they can still afford smiles while dozens of Kenyans were slaughtered in the government supported Mungiki, why then shouldn’t I say that Kenya is in anarchy. Or what is the use of a security system which oversees murder of the innocent.

While preparing for the next election cycle, I would advise Kenyans to tool their thoughts reasonably when voting. It is time for Kenya to stop electing politicians and instead replace the latter with leaders. That way, the vision 2030 can be brought forth to 2020 or even much earlier. Let beware of the big men who want to marry our thoughts in political matrimony, which in any case makes no sane sense. If there should be any rings exchanged, verbal or material, let it be because the many will benefit rather than the usual singular greediness of the august house.

May GOD bless the Republic of Kenya.

By Lemuel Mwangi