Monday, October 24, 2011

Police brutality in Naivasha

Even when the former police commissioner is facing charges at the ICC for post election violence, police have not learnt a lesson. Watching news this weekend I saw protestors carrying a coffin it was said to be of a farmer who was killed, the mourners were protesting about rising insecurity in Naivasha. After sometime police came and violently dispersed the mourners. Those who could run were lucky to escape they even left the coffin on the street. Unfortunately one woman could not run far because of her body and may be age, she was caught by the police and beaten up mercilessly, the media showed this clearly on TV.

Looking at that part of the news without knowing the story behind it, one would think those were pictures of the 90s when police brutally beat up opposition protestors, I remember the worst was that of Rev. Timothy Njoya being beaten up outside parliament and the Late Nobel. Prof. Wangari Maathai, bleeding on the head after the attack at Karura forest.

One would also mistake this to be a crackdown on Al-Shabaab now that Kenyan forces are in Somalia to fight the terrorists. The police unleashed their anger on the innocent mourners as if the coffin they were carrying had a bomb and not a body.

Police commissioner Mathew Iteere tell your boys to style up, Kenya is changing.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Pride comes before a fall



What a tragic fall for a proud ruler, a man who reigned in Libya for years like a king, a man who thought his people loved him so much they would protect him, he thought he was good enough to be the leader of a United Africa. At an AU summit in 2008, he got many African traditional leaders to declare him the continent's "king of kings" (BBC News).

He joins the list recently fallen Africa dictators Tunisian former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Egypt former long serving leader Hosni Mubarak.

Rest in pieces Muammar Gaddafi meanwhile we await the fall of other proud dictators.

Al-Shabaab have woken up Kenyan security forces

It had to take the kidnapping of a British tourist Judith Tebbutt, a French national Marie Dedieu and a Spanish aid worker Blanca Thiebaut to realize that Al-Shabaab’s threats to attack Kenya are real. Kenyan armed forces are now showing their might in Somalia in an operation dubbed Linda Nchi (protect the Country). When they threatened to attack, Kenyans imagined it would be bomb attacks on buildings as previous cases and a so a lot of measures had been taken since those attacks. By kidnapping 3 foreigners they knew they would hit our image and economy because it would scare tourists and investors.

As a result of many years of corruption Kenyan Government got itself in a dilemma that will take time to solve. The issue of Kenyans of Somali community and Somali’s of Somalia mixed up in Kenya is a big issue, if you visit Eastleigh estate in the heart of Nairobi you would think you are in Somalia, they own nearly all the businesses, they have built multi storey buildings for business and residential, they are buying land and houses not only in Eastleigh but in most places in Nairobi. Am talking about Nairobi because it is City with people from all over so it is so strange to find one community so crowded in one estate like the case of Eastleigh.

Before the opposition took power many of these people flocked the country and bought Kenyan identity cards and passports, they are now Kenyan citizens with relatives in Somalia. So Kenya has been living with a time bomb and it is why it was so easy for Kenya to be bombed as was the case in 1998 7th August, then the bombing of Kikambala Paradise Hotel at the Coast, other bombs exploded at a Ambassador bus stop, and a bus bound for Kampala Uganda.

It is a risky venture for the Kenyan Armed forces but it is high time these people are stopped. It is also the right time to sort out this Somalia problem that is nuisance to the Horn of Africa.

Party leaders have the right to expel rebels

Makadara MP Mike Sonko master of political hooliganism and theatrics was at it again as usual with his idle supporters wailing and sitting down outside Narc Kenya offices, showing their unwavering support for their money flashing kingpin just because he was told to leave and officially join the G7.

Rebel politicians should just officially defect from the political parties that took them to parliament if they cannot tow the line, instead of walking like the greedy hyenas with legs apart wanting to eat here and there.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Good bye to “Black” September

Am glad we are in October after a bumpy September full of tragedies in Kenya, tragedies of all kind petrol fire in a slum, petrol fire from a fallen tanker, road accidents, killer brews, gas explosion in a garage, inflation and many more. Watching news yesterday I agree with the media when they called it a “Black” September. Previously it was the month of August that was a bad month when at one time many prominent people died in August. It is also ironical that terrorists also chose the month of September to commit the worst crime on humanity in the USA. Kenyans also lost a very important person to us and to the World; it is a September to remember as we are still mourning the death of Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai (RIP).

As we start October things are still not so good in the Country with a weak shilling, we have to dig deeper into our already battered pockets to buy essential commodities. Most prices have doubled over the past year especially from the effects of drought. It is not only essential commodities that Kenyans have to grapple with, fuel prices, transport costs, school fees has risen by 50% and some schools have doubled to cope with this crisis. It is a fact that many Kenyans now survive on borrowing, bank loans, cooperative loans, chama (group) loans, merry go round groups, re-loaded loans, selling properties to make ends meet. It is crazy and I just pray for a miracle to happen in the remaining part of the year.