IF YOU THINK PEACE IS EXPENSIVE TRY CIVIL WAR!

I am a Kenyan of Gikuyu descent and I do not regret that like former AG, Charles Njonjo. There is nothing wrong with anybody belonging to any community in Kenya. What is wrong, my fellow Kenyans, is to lump all your frustrations on Kibaki and by extension, the Gikuyu.
Just like the rest of the Kenyan ethnic groups, we, the Gikuyu, have our share of smart people, stupid people, lazy people, busy bees (by the millions), cute women, handsome men, ugly women, ugly men, thieves (by the thousands) and even saintly people.
In a word, we are like everybody else and we are not begging to be from the Railas, the Luo, the Luhya, or from anybody else. We only beg from God not from anybody. And unlike many other ethnic groups, our bonds are lose in times of peace and we prefer each to be on his own; doing their stuff and leaving the rest to cater for their own.
Yes, this trait is somewhat 'unAfrican' (where societies have strong but loosening bonds), but you've got to re-visit Kenyan history to learn that the British had an insatiable appetite for our lands and took everything that we had. The impact of British rule, you ought to know, was heaviest in Kikuyu land than anywhere else in Kenya. By the time they were leaving, as attested by the book, 'British Gulag' they had killed + or - 100,000 of us. They also 'uprooted' us, which is why you find us all over Kenya and elsewhere.
Even before anybody talks about Gikuyu leaders, they've got to understand the internal dynamics of the community and its class system, which has, more than any other community, produced extremely rich people living side-by-side with extremely poor, but hard-working and hopeful 'holoi poloi.' Again we are like every other Kenyan community. And I'd like to reiterate that we do not go around begging the Railas of this world.
We like doing our own stuff, which is why we are silently going about our business and saying nothing even with all this anti-Kikuyu activities. The reason? It is simple, we do not consider this to be any threat to us. Indeed, most of us will definitely vote for Kibaki and if all other Kenyans want to sack him, then let them go ahead and do so. After all, those who have cared to check electoral statistics will realize that when other communities came out in large numbers to vote for Kibaki in 2002, only about one million of us (a mere 30 % of registered voters) came out to vote.
The figure was less during the 2005 referendum. This apathy is why Kibaki had to go to Nyeri over the weekend to plead with us to go out and vote in large numbers. But why the apathy? It is simple; most of us, -probably unlike other communities- know the deceit with which politicians treat ordinary people and we are not convinced that electing the Kibaki's, the Railas or the Mois will add any more sufurias in our homes.
Kibaki might have done some good for the country, but millions of ordinary Kikuyus know this can only be translated into real benefits for themselves if they worked hard. We know and teach our children that nothing can come out of laziness. Just imagine, what would a road do to a community if its members do not have things to transport to the market. How would taking electricity to remote areas help much if people do not tap such electricity for productive purposes.
We, the Gikuyu realized long ago that what can benefit from our own sweat. That is why millions now own one or a few grade cows or planting coffee again after uprooting it when Daniel Arap Moi destroyed the coffee sub sector. So Kenyans can go ahead and elect Raila if that is what they want. But they should ask him to seek votes by some other means rather than pegging his campaigns on anti-Gikuyu sentiments.
We are not moved! Raila should also know that for 24 years, Moi tried to kill everything Gikuyu (banks, tea, coffee, schools, land-buying companies, our sons and daughters in the clashes of 1992 and partly 1997 etc..) We did not surrender!
Before Moi, the British killed hundreds of thousands; subjected millions of us to untold sufferings and nearly destroyed the entire community in a genocidal campaign that has little historical parallels. Following what took place, we are no longer moved by mere posturings or shadow boxing..which is why we prefer to keep quiet; ignore these anti-Kikuyu campaigns, and go about our business as if Raila has never been.
Raila will only be a threat to us if he wins elections and goes ahead to try what Moi did. But we will welcome his presidency if he leaves us alone to do what we've always done; produce wealth for this country. Those who care to re-visit history will realize that we, the Gikuyu, taught everybody else in Africa how to start an uprising and stick to some common understanding. That was then, yes, and we now want peace to bring up our kids like everybody else in Kenya.
We also want a peaceful coexistence with our brothers and sisters in Luo-land, Luhya-land, Kalenjin-land and elsewhere. We have lived harmoniously this far and our brothers and sisters have a lot to offer to us and we believe we have a lot to offer too. Please let us not be misled to think we can ostracize the Kikuyu simply because Raila says so.
He is one person and if at all he gets to power, he will need all communities to pay taxes so that he can pay the police and the army, fund road projects or even get a salary. He should not think we owe our existence to him.
We only reflect our attention to God and will be there even after Raila has come and gone, (that's if at all he comes.) Published by African Press International -API/ African Press in Norway - APN africanpress@chello.no

Majimbo -What is the Way Forward?

Alot of people are wailing and shouting about Majimbo, the editor welcomes detailed articles on diffrent views on this matter, they will be published as they come.

Safaricom Shares-What is at stake here?, Alternative to IPO

The Safaricom share sale under the infamous IPOs is generating a lot of Heat from all spheres of the nation and fears are that this IPO may be shelved till next year when temperatures would have cooled down!
However, the proponents of the IPO are adamant and want to make a 'kill' and fast that's why the Investment Secretary is under pressure now to officially announce the commencement of the role out plan for the IPO.
Indeed it common knowledge that this will be 'the mother of all IPOs' and on the same breath ALL KENYANS are entitled to have a share on this said IPO but the current trustees, call them the 'Govt' really don't know an alternative to this IPO that will ensure that all Kenyans regardless of their financial status benefit.
For instance if a Maasai owns a cow, which he then gives to a nother person for safe keeping till when he will need it back, not forgetting the fact that this person is enjoying the benefits of milking the cow without paying! Can this person claim the cow to his?, can this person be mad enough to want to sell the cow back to the Maasai? after all the benefits?
One notable Governance researcher has come up with a serious and debatable Model which can be used to distribute the shares of all state corporations that want to do an IPO without raising temperatures across the spectrum.The only way out on this was that the Government was to use the Model used by former Soviet Republic countries to distribute this resources.
For instance, in Arzebaijan, the Azeris came up with a model where every citizen was allocated some shares by being given share certificates which would go for any value.Aftre every person was given their respective shares,m then they had every right to sell to whoever they wanted and whichever price!
This is where clever people'the monied' used this chance to buy the shares from the allotees at a pitance and went a head to sell the same in the Stock Exchange thus making millions of dollars!This method outlines a fundamental concept wherby every citizen is given his/her dues in share certificates, its upon themselves to squander their chances but justice was seen to have been done!
Unfortunately in our Kenyan scenario, this poor Kenyans will not get a chance to 'own' the Safaricom Shares even for a few days before they dispose them off, because they need money to buy basic commodities which are skyrocketing for every minute that passes!Then from here those monied kenyans will get their chance to buy the shares BUT NOT what Amos Kimunya and&co are trying to do!
This means those Kenyans who don't have money will cease the 'owning' of Safaricom for good, how else can someone explin this? You own something today tomorrow you don't own it! and you have not sold this ownership to someone only that someone took it away to give it to the monied?
What do we call theft? If i don't know the definition of theft then i should go back to our 'Free schools' so that i can learn the definition of theft! let's NOT FORGET THAT our call is for equal redistribution of the remaining resources, other countries are doing it now and have succeeded why not us!?

KRA-Kikuyu Revenue Authority?

One of the very reasons as to why Kibaki was voted in as president was exterminate corruption and tribalism in all its forms and states, but unfortunately things are really nasty at the KRA ,as this article GOES ONLINE theres is a continued recruitment of personnel from one community, this is because there is an agreement that if the community does not employ themselves now then they will not get the jobs in future!
As things stand now, KRA has reverted albeit unofficially into Kikuyu Revenue Authority! Even from a casual observer one can not escape seeing the disparity and outright tribalism! considering that we are a country of 42 tribes! how come all commissioners come from one region? Or is it because other tribes dint go to any class? or the other tribes are inferior sub-human beings?
I want answers to this and many other critical questions we need to address as a nation.As young people we have to speak now as we seek a new government to redeem us from this tribal chieftains!

Send your observations and we will publish them now!

The Nairobi Stock Exchange-Who is Responsible?

In the past weeks, alot of propaganda has been spread across the country that ODM presidential candidate Hon.Raila Odinga has caused the stock exchange(NSE) to loose its value, infact according to the BBC radio report its purpoted to have lost more than one Billion Dollars!What is amazing is how this barons fail to tell the public how Raila as a person can manage to this!

As always, i expected this NSE executives to come out and show Kenyans what is the reason behind the decline in the NSE value, but instead they left the Role to another imbezile oldman to come out with wild allegations and questioning whether Hon Rasila is a communist!.
Clearly this is meant to paint Raila as not fit to lead the country.

Its common knowledge that stocks all over the world are not doing well and Kenya is no exception, infact currently major banks in the US are planning to bail out some of their companies which are struggling as a result of debts.
As a young Kenyan, i will not sit down and watch as one community runs Kenyas wealth(literally into their pockets).For instance its common knowledge that the prices in the NSE are manipulated to fit a certain cartels interest!
For example the EACables shares were languishing in the basement and were even at risk of being suspended from the NSE, but as soon as a certain group of "foreign investors" bought into the shares nof the said company everything went a buzz.The prices started rising till the shares were split!Tell me, who was the beneficiacy here?
-Was the price of EAcables justified?
-Are the price determining factors controlled?
-Who determines the price?
How are ordinary Kenyans protected from the sudden change in prices?
How are stock brokers regulated?
The CMA the regulating body slept on the job till they were woken up by the thunderious sudden collapse of GT and partners.
How safe are the ordinary investor?