Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Eye Witness Account


A Kenyan-based colleague of mine who happens to belong to the same Network as I do, has kindly reacted to my blog with the following revealing facts which I have reproduced in unabridged form. Read on.
"I just did not know how to move until Vincent Nana came online. Let me first congratulate this guy for his honest and objective approach to to the crisis in Kenya. Others such as John and his friend in South Africa were dishonest because they demonstrated a clear misunderstanding of the issue at hand. Probably I should clarify this; unlike Mbeki who wanted to extend his term of office beyond the two terms allowed in the constitution, Kibaki's was bidding for his second and final term as allowed in the constitution. No Kenyan, I repeat no Kenyan would allow him a third tirm however good he is.The issue was not illegal extension of one's term in office, it was whether, Kibaki won his second term fairly. On this one, i belief the most competent commentators would be kenyans who had lived with the process longer than any one else. Therefore It is dishonest and arrogance on any foreigner, be he a journalist of a foreign observer, to pretend to know our politics better than us.As for Yellow Journalism, i totally agree with Vincent that this time around, Journalists went overboard. The process did not begin with the election and the violence that accompanied it. Kenyan journalists, supposedly the freest in the world, lost it when they sold their services to the highest bidder. The process of lying began way back in 2006 when some began to produce copy for a price. At that time, they were attacking Equity bank, one of the most innovative and fast growing indigenously owned bank. That failed, so was the attack on a company calle East African Cables, owned principally by KIbaki's associates.According to a document dated November 9th, 2007,ODM set a side some Kshs 29.3 million (US$500,000) to bribe Journalists. Apart from Cash Hand outs, some were promised plum jobs at State House once ODM takes over the Government. That is why, I am told, ODM copy was handled by Managing Editors in our news rooms. We even saw some Managing Editors take the microphones and go to report in Kisumu, ODM's stronghold. With this kind of booty, and I cannot say that foreign correspondents did noot partake of the largesse, the death of the hated Kikuyu does not matter. To some journalists and their Editors in Kenya, the death of a kikuyu is not an issue, the oinly people who dies are ODM supporters. Even criiminal activies such as looting and plunder of Kikuyu owned assets by ODM goons is ignored for highlighting it drives their ambitions away. Those who read my copy earlier send would know the mess that the media made of the election results. The Media in Kenya let kenyan down. It actually betrayed their country.Having been bribed blind, most turned a blind eye to ODM's rigging practices. Rigging began long before observers came to the scene. ODM was the major culprit in rigging its candidates for Parliamentary seats. In Most cases the Party gave certificates to losers in the polls. Among these were one James Orengo who lost in the preliminary and still got the Party's nod stand the Ugenya seat which he won. Chances are, he was also rigged in this seat since the victor in the preliminaries was also standing on another party's ticket.Evidence emerging suggests that the attack on Policemen was an intimidation scheme as most kept away from the Polling station in Luo nyanza.This is an election offense which could costs ODM the election. It is because of its own involvement in tinkering with election results that ODM brands a legal matter a political one. LIke Vincent I do not see the benefits of mediation since no mediator has power to overturn the election results in Kenya except the High court. ODM cannot go to Court for that is where its own skeletons will be brought out.Ethnic hatred became the only campaign weapon since ODM's attempt to introduce other issues such as grand Corruption hit a cul de sac. The economy was growing and money was being put in the hands of rural economy, the famers, Livestock Keepers, etc through improved prices of their produce.Incindentally acording to a document allegedly from ODM and which the party has not denied to date, among the donors to its kitty were the the Kingpins of such massive looting scandals as: Goldenberg ( Kamlesh Pattni donated kshs 13.5 million), the Kamani Family which were the Kingpins of the Anglo leasing Scandal donated kshs 12.5 million). Others were Gun dealer Anura Pereira (Kshs 107 million) Joshua Kulei who led president Moi's gang of Robbers Donated kshs 45 million. One wonders how the party would have fought corruption in Kenya, while the corrupt put it in power.Dick Morriss and associates, an American Consultant specialsing in Plotting civillian Coups, Ksh 21.5 million; Republican Party of ther US Kshs 154 million, Friends of Barak Obama,a US presidential aspirant on a democratic Party ticket, Ksh 66 million. Other donors were: Landrover of UK and its Kenyan Franchise holder, CMC group, Kshs 75 million.Now you can see why EU and other foreigners are screaming murder as they see their ambitions on kenya go to waste. The relationship between President Kibaki and the so called donors was frosty during his first term. It was frosty because Kenya which boasts of the largest budget in East and Central Africa, it now stands at US$10 billion of which Kenyans finance 93 percent that is 9.3 billion. This has made Kenya a litte independent to the discomfort of the so-called donors. In fact the country has in the past 5 years been giving donors conditions instead of the other way round.Landrover must have been expecting to recover its lost market of supplying the Kenyan Police and Armed Forces with Landrovers.Others such as Germany must have been eteing the same market which has now been taken over by the Japanese vehicle makers. The Noise is basically pegged on self interest amon the so called "internationational community" Their investment in ODM has gone to waste and to salvage something, they are better off calling a legal affair political so that they can find some room to comment. What it will achieve, I cannot see. May we could discuss this. Will mediation resolve a legal Dispute issue in Kenya? Remember in my earlier copy I indicated that both parties were involved in tinkering with election results. ODM was simply outsmarted in its own game."
Musyoka wa KyendoNairobi, Kenya.
PS: Musyoka is a gentleman journalist. I have every reason to believe what he has written because he had in the past, through his write-ups, proved to be a trustworthy writer with indefatigable resolve to state the truth even when it hurts his person.

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