Thursday 6 September 2012

Changes at Raila Odinga Presidential Secretariat

Prime Minister Raila Odinga has today announced changes in the management of his Presidential Campaign Secretariat.

This comes in the wake of the decision by the Head of the Secretariat, Mr. James Ongwae, to step down in order to run for the position of Governor of Kisii County. Mr. Ongwae will leave the Secretariat in two weeks time, to seek the ODM ticket for the position of Governor in the county.

Mr. Eliud Owalo is the new Head of the Secretariat. Until today, Mr. Owalo was the Secretary General of the Friends of Raila (FORA) lobby group.

The PM also appointed Mr. Ngunjiri Wambugu as Director of Political Affairs for the campaign and Dr. Langat Kipkirui-Langat as Director of Field Operations.

Dr. Langat will be assisted in Field Operations by Mrs. Rosemary Kariuki and Mr. Wafula Buke.

Other appointments are Mrs. Lilian Dhahabu and Ms. Rehema Abdul-Rahman, both who will work in the Communications Department.

The PM thanked Mr. Ongwae for serving with dedication, diligence and commitment and wished him well in his new venture.

He appealed to Kenyans to plan adequately for the new County positions saying some regions appear to have moved ahead with preparations while others watch. “Some parts of the country have even come up with Strategic Plans and are going ahead to vet those interested particularly in the position of governor while other regions have not started anything at all,” the PM said.

He emphasized that ODM will conduct free and fair nominations to ensure the best candidates are picked to contest against other parties.

Signed
Barrack O. MULUKA
For the Raila Odinga for President Secretariat

Wednesday 5 September 2012

Eight Kenyan Blogs Face Closure and Prosecution


Eight Kenyan political and tabloid blogger sites and their handlers are today reported to be at risk of closure, prosecution and fines for spreading hate-speech including wikileakskenya and dennisitumbi.com both of which are run by Dennis Itumbi;  and TheDaily Post run by Evans Gor Semelango.

The Daily Post has recently run propaganda and defamatory reports on Fidel Castro Odinga and is reputed to run hogwash on political personalities.

Sources intimate that  Gor Semelango has already been served lawsuit papers by Fidel Odinga lawyers, and it is unconfirmed if Dennis Itumbi has also been served although sources say his blogs are redflagged and earmarked for closure.

UPDATE

The National Steering Committee on media Monitoring has expressed concern over the growing misuse of the Internet to propagate hate filled and inciting massages. At least eight blogging sites have been identified as being responsible for spreading hate speech.



Tuesday 4 September 2012

Miguna Finally Resigns As ODM Life Member

On Saturday 1st Sept 2012, one Miguna Gowok circulated an email and an attachment to media editors and his bossom friend Onyango Oloo, supposedly resigning from the Orange Democratic Movement Party. Here is a the full text of the resignation:

Prof. Peter Anyang' Nyong'o
Secretary General
ODM
Nairobi

Dear Prof Nyong'o,
RE: LETTER OF RESIGNATION FROM ODM - LIFE MEMBERSHIP No. 49
By letter attached herewith dated today's date, please be advised that I have resigned from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).

The letter will be delivered to you tomorrow by separate cover.


Thank you.


Miguna--

Miguna Miguna
Advocate. Barrister. Solicitor. ADR Consultant
P.O. Box 1522-00621
Nairobi
http://www.migunami guna.com/
Since formation in 2007, the ODM has been the most popular political party in Kenya. It party ticket for any elective post is, more often than not, a fiercely contested affair - a pointer to the popularity of the party.

Give the devil its due. Mr. Miguna Gowok is ahead of William Ruto and Musalia Mudavadi with respect to laws of the land. Miguna is far much more courageous than the two presidential candidates who no longer subsicribe to the ideals of the party but have been unable to resign from the party.

While anyone is free to seek political party membership elsewhere, steadfast members of ODM will breath a sigh of relief and some will even mumble 'good riddance' to the departure of the man who has all but been a member of the party.

In 2007, Miguna sought the ODM nomination for the Nyando parliamentary seat but he was rejected by the people. After that, Miguna was headhunted by Mr. Raila Odinga, the party's nominated presidential candidate, to work at one of his presidential secretariats in campaigning for the presidency. This essentially meant Miguna was a personal employee of Mr. Odinga and not necessarily an adherent of ODM.

Following the formation of the grand coalition in 2008, Mr. Miguna Gowok, was again selected by Mr. Odinga then serving as Prime Minister of Kenya, to work as his advisor in coaltion affairs. Again, this is an arrangement that had absolutely nothing to do with the ODM.

His subsecquent suspension and summary dismissal from his position as PM's advisor was done without the involvement of the ODM.

The ODM continues to recruit hundreds of Kenyans into its membership register and more and more people are expressing interest seeking to be nominated as candidates for the various elective positions in the forthcoming general elections.

In so doing, the ODM remains a front runner to not just form the next government, but also win a majority of seats in parliament and the senate.

Good luck to Mr. Miguna Gowok.

Monday 3 September 2012

A Tribute to Hon. Shikuku: A Rebuke to Political Tourists

Last Saturday we gave a dignified send-off to one of Kenya’s pioneers, the Honourable Martin Joseph Olukhanya Shikuku. The funeral service was political as it was traditional. It was also simple and dignified; in every sense reflecting the man himself. Shikuku’s unwavering defence of the rights of the common man were legendary. 

I have had the pleasure of meeting the late Shikuku in person and I consider it a honour that I can one day tell my grandchildren the story of a man who personified courage and selflessness; a man who was prepared to put his life on the line for national good. 

One would imagine that having given - I dare say undeserving - state funerals to people like George Saitoti, Orwa Ojode, and Kijana Wamalwa, President Kibaki would at the very least order flags to fly at half-mast in honour of a national hero like the Honourable Martin Shikuku, a man whose liberation efforts were are all currently enjoying. Believe it or not, President Kibaki did not even see it worthy to honour one of our independence heroes by leading government delegation to the funeral. Former President Moi whom the late Hon Shikuku variously described as his friend also gave the funeral a wide berth. 

Kibaki instead saw it fit to send a condolence speech that was read by Hon Musalia Mudavadi as his representative at that funeral. These are people who had the time to attend the late Josephine Michuki’s requiem mass and funeral only a few days back, but now had not time for Honourable Shikuku! 

As regrettable as it may be, at Honourable Shikuku’s funeral, tens of thousands of Kenyans attended the funeral to celebrate life and times of a freedom fighter, a true reformer and a national hero. The people’s watchman as he was popularly known. 

Musalia Mudavadi happens to be the man Honourable Shikuku gave a dressing down on his deathbed barely a month ago when the former had his KShs. 200,000/- “gift” rejected by Shikuku who also informed Musalia to his face that “God was unhappy with what he was doing to Kenyan voters”. Musalia Mudavadi was effectively disowned and execrated by the Honourable Shikuku  and whether he represented the Head of State or the Queen of England, Musalia cut a lonely figure from among thousands of mourners.

Shikuku once warned us about people who would not be ashamed to shed crocodile tears at his funeral. We remembered a political father, a man of rare integrity and honesty - a sharp contrast to Mudavadis and Jirongos of Western Kenya, individuals who have on several occasions shamelessly betrayed the voters to go to bed with those who oppressed the masses, perpetuated grand corruption and frustrated comprehensive reforms. 

For anyone who had any doubts on Raila Odinga's popularity among the grassroot masses in Western, the grand scale of the reception that was accorded to the Prime Minister was evident to any observer. Even more importantly, it emerged that it was PM Raila Odinga who for many years spared no effort in getting the late Shikuku’s hospital bills paid and was in fact the highest ranking government dignitary to have visited Shikuku in hospital on numerous occasions. This is not new to us for Raila is known to have extended a helping hand to amongst others, the former firebrand MP for Edoret North, Ms Philomena Chelagat Mutai, yet another of our forgotten liberation heroines. 

It is a national shame and embarrassment that President Kibaki and ex- President Moi did not see it fit to support Shikuku whilst he was in hospital or even when he died.

All in all, thank you and rest in eternal peace Martin Joseph Olukhanya Shikuku.

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