Surprise, surprise

Kenya's parties 'bribed voters'

Kenya's political parties spent millions of dollars bribing voters in last year's elections, a survey says. OK, so is this really news, or did we already know this?

The Coalition for Accountable Party Finance says out of $90m raised by the parties, 40% was used as bribes.

The report also says public corporations contributed to President Mwai Kibaki’s campaign via his party.

The allegations relate to both of Kenya's main parties - the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and Mr Kibaki's Party of National Unity (PNU).

The lobby group now wants legislation to compel politicians to reveal their sources of income and expenditure during election campaigns.

Charles Otieno, who heads the Coalition for Accountable Party Finance, says new laws are needed urgently.

"Most of the money politicians use is from tax-payers and without such laws they will continue to spend massive amounts from the public coffers with impunity," Mr Otieno said.

The report alleged that the state-owned electricity company charged customers around $8m too much and then donated the surplus to a political party.

But the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) denies the allegations.

"These accusations are completely untrue and the organisation should come up with evidence to prove their claims," KPLC’s chief executive Don Priestman said.

But Mr Otieno insists several government departments created inflated invoices and used the money for campaigning.

The report says the parties also raised funds from Kenyans in the diaspora and Kenyan companies based overseas.

The lobby group says candidates should declare their wealth before they contest an election, to prevent such abuses of power.

World Malaria Day

This is the first World Malaria Day and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is to launch a new campaign to eliminate deaths from malaria.

I wish him luck. I have been studying malaria, or more accurately, mosquito control. Studies have been made all over the world, some with really encouraging results, but from what I can see, because these studies are carried out by academics (naturally), once the result has been found, that's the end of it. No one actually puts the trials into long-term meaningful action.

So, let us hope that Ban Ki-moon can kick the powers that be into some sort of shape to do something about this disease and the unnecessary deaths it causes.

The Kenyan government, a long time ago, started a programme of issuing insecticide treated nets to all under-fives, firstly at subsidised prices and more recently, for free. I raise my hat to them.

The problem is that the responsibility has been passed to NGOs, usually foreign. In my experience (admittedly limited), these NGOs are falling down on the job.

For example, my orphanage in Kisii has not received a single net although we have several children under five.

The director of the home has two children under five. He has not received any nets. And other people I talked to in the town with children under five have not received nets either.

The government is paying these NGOs to do a job. Where is the money going?

Baby Naming

So the names Kofi and Raila are suddenly very popular in Kenya, especially in the West of the country.

A record number of boys are being named after new Prime Minister Raila Odinga, and the former UN chief Kofi Annan who helped mediate an end to the violence.

Baby girls have been named after Graca Machel who also helped broker the recent power-sharing agreement.

US presidential hopefuls, Barack Obama, whose father was Kenyan, and Hillary Clinton, have also been popular.

Among the Luo and Luhya tribes in Kisumu, serious consideration goes into the choice of name, as it is believed the baby will adopt the traits of the person it has been named after.

Oh well, whatever rocks your cradle, I suppose.

Raila keeps his Promise

It is not often that it can be said of a politician that he has fulfilled a promise!

"We will ensure that power, wealth and opportunity are [in] the hands of many, not the few," he said after taking his oath of office.

Well Raila, you certainly have. With the inflated Cabinet, you have certainly made sure that wealth and opportunity is in the hands of many!

Back in the UK - again.

Back home, I have brought a lot of "tasks" with me. I have a list of people to contact over here. I have to make up a poster to say a big Thank You from the kids in Kisii to the people in my community for their help. And I have a bit of research to do, too.

The weather is appalling. Two days after my return, it snowed. Bearing in mind that in Nairobi the average daytime temperature is 26C, snow is most unwelcome.

The only good things I can think of to cheer myself up is that I have a fast broadband connection, a car and ... well, that's about it really.

On the downside, the government appears to be in self-destruct mode, fuel prices and the cost of living in general is on an upward spiral. Oh well, I suppose it is better than conditions in Kenya - for the wananchi anyway. There are still thousands of people displaced, unwilling to go back to their homes for fear of violence. There are thousands of children still separated from their families, still not knowing if indeed their families still exist.

Watching the news from Kenya, I am relieved to see that the two main players have agreed to agree and have formed a Government. But it looks so much like the law-makers are more interested in lining their own pockets, and getting comfortable. It appears that nothing is being done to help the displaced people, nothing is being done to avert a food shortage, in fact, as far as running the country is concerned, nothing is being done about anything! From the outside, it looks as if a terrorist organisation, the Mungiki are running the country!

And then, down the road, there is Uncle Bob in Zimbabwe, who seems to be copying Kenya's dash to the brink of civil war. The difference is that Kenya's Kibaki is not a bad man. He is not a despot. And when he saw that his country was about to fall apart around him, he did something about it.

Uncle Bob or Tim as he seems to be known by some (That Idiot Mugabe) is a despot. He is power-hungry. He cannot be holding on for the money. If, after 28 years of rule, he hasn't managed to divert enough money for his own use, he has left it a bit late.

Unlike Mugabe, I believe that Kibaki and Raila care about Kenya and the people. OK, so there is bickering about who should do what, who should get the plum jobs, cars, offices, etc. But they found a solution while Kenya still has a chance to rebuild itself.

Zimbabwe, on the other hand, is going to be difficult to rebuild. A large proportion of the population has left the country. 80% are unemployed. And the Government is spending money on arms instead of food for the starving.

I'm in Kenya - Part 3 - Nairobi

Back in the capital, I met up with my co-director and we made our way, on foot, to the office. I was struggling for breath but put it down to tiredness, the hill we had to climb and the fact that I was carrying luggage.

Almost as soon as I dumped my luggage at the office, I was off in a taxi to the Kenya Wildlife Service compound on the outskirts of the city for a meeting with a client. The taxi waited, we having agreed a price. But the meeting lasted rather longer than anticipated and three hours later, I had to call it a day, making another appointment for after Easter.

The driver was fast asleep in his car - it was hot - but was soon whisking me back to the office. The price had gone up, naturally, but he didn't rip me off as I expected.

Easter. I spent a lot of my days, sitting just outside the gate of my host's front yard, watching the world go by.

As the house is in a gated estate, the world consisted, in large part, of the neighbourhood kids playing in the road. This is not an area where you would expect to see a white man, so I became a bit of a curiosity.

Most kids over five would stare at me then approach and even speak to me. They all wanted to touch the remnants of my hair, my skin, or hold my hand. In fact as time passed, they would come up, offer me a high five and chatter away to me. My first impression was that most of them spoke excellent English and only reverted to Swahili to tease me, or talk behind my back.

Timo, or Timothy as he was christened, is eleven. He is small for his age, has a lopsided grin, uneven teeth, and generally would not win a "best-looking kid on the block" contest.

But he had something else. There was a look in his eyes begging me to take notice of him. I did. He is a charming, friendly, intelligent, confident kid, and I soon found out all about his family.

He lost his father in 2004 and he had to move from private to state school. He attends a a very large class in which he proudly stated he is top.

Over the following week, if he found me sitting on the step, he would slot his slight frame between my knees and just sit there with a contented look on his face.

Timo introduced me to his widowed mother, Florence. He also introduced me to his best friend and 9-year-old nephew, Winston. Winston is taller and heavier than his uncle, but they are obviously good friends.

The regular gang also included Ben, a cheeky 5-year-old who had a striking resemblance to the kid who plays Chris Rock in Everybody Hates Chris. A bunch of girls made up the "regulars".

Oh, and there was Tyrone. This kid is what everyone thinks an African kid should look like - dead cute. But he has a laugh like a foghorn. You know when Tyrone is around!

After the Easter break, I had a couple of days of meeting people at the office and doing other things that one does in the office. Then it was time to leave Kenya.

We set off for the airport in a private hire car - and hit an enormous traffic jam. It has to be pointed out that in the afternoon it had rained like I have never seen. The roads were flooded and no one wanted to drive on the left as potholes were invisible. We moved about 500 yards in 3 hours. Needless to say, I missed the flight by over an hour, so we turned round and crept home again.

We got back at 3:30. I went to the office for a while and a new ticket was acquired for the following Wednesday, then I went home.

Timo arrived home from school as I arrived and his face just beamed. I explained that I was going to be around for a few more days. He was almost jumping up and down with joy.

I put the extra time to good use, with more meetings with people who may be able to help me settle in Kenya eventually.

All too soon, it was time to leave Kenya - for the second time - and we left ourselves plenty of time.

We spent three hours drinking tea at the cafe just outside the terminal, but eventually, I could put it off no longer - I had to check in.

I will be back soon.

I'm in Kenya - Part 2 - Coast

Having travelled west to east across virtually the width of Kenya on public transport, I arrived in Malindi at 6:30 am, filthy dirty, tired, shaken and relieved.
My girlfriend, Liz, was supposed to be meeting me, but she was late, so I booked my ticket back for ten days time, saving me the bother of returning at a later stage.

I sat outside the office and smoked covertly. The town was awake. People were bustling about. There were a lot of Moslems, people of Arabic origin, and in my sleepy state, I did not want to offend anyone with my smoke. Then I saw the coach station manager with a cigarette between his lips and I was relieved.

Liz arrived and we took a taxi to her village, a 25km run. We went straight to a school which my organisation supports, as I had been loaned the apartment in the school grounds for as long as I wanted it. This was great. It is light and airy, with a good kitchen (by Kenyan standards) and a "European" bathroom, which meant it had a proper toilet rather than a hole in the ground.

Liz had to shoot off to work, so I was left to unpack and have a long, cold shower before trying out the bed for a couple of hours.

I went shopping at the local supermarket. In the UK, it would be classed as a corner shop, but it had everything I wanted, or a substitute, and I bought "proper meat", fresh vegetables, fruit, and the usual provisions. I was determined to have at least a couple of English meals while I had the chance.

I spent the afternoon with the founders of the school, talking about the progress, and the orphans that they had taken in, 17 in all.

I wandered over to the baby class to pick up Natasha, who showed little emotion either way to my being there.


Ian, on the other hand, threw himself at me and gave me a big, long hug before settling on my lap. Ian was five and 364 days and looking forward to his birthday, hoping that my presence would make it somehow different.

We went up to the apartment, and were soon joined by various children who lived at the school, the orphans.

I started preparing a meal and when Liz came home, all was ready. This was nice. It is the first time the four of us have spent time alone as a family. Liz usually lives with her extended family and on my last visit, I felt overwhelmed.

After school on Ian's birthday, I took both kids to Malindi. Natasha had told me that she needed a new teddy, and I know that Ian wanted a helicopter. In the end, both kids got what they wanted and Ian also got a set of cars for his birthday.

Back at the apartment, he was the envy of all the little boys, and some of the bigger ones. He took his battery-powered, very noisy helicopter downstairs and I could hear a lot of gasps of astonishment as it moved across the patio, making all sorts of aggressive noises.

The week passed too quickly. I held a photo shoot with the orphans as well as taking many candid shots of them doing their chores. They wash their own clothes, do the housework and even help with the cooking.

Liz and I looked at a little house on the outskirts of the village. It is very pretty and very safe for the kids, being in a large grassy compound. I agreed to rent it.

The it was time to go and I caught the overnight coach back to Nairobi.

I'm in Kenya - part 1 - Kisii

It was with a little trepidation that I boarded the plane to Nairobi at the end of February, but any fears were soon dispersed when I walked out of the flight-side and saw the smiling face of my friend, Vincent. Vincent had travelled from Kisii to meet me and seeing his face was a tonic to me.

We took a taxi into town, where I popped in to our offices to dump my luggage. My co-director was there, surprised to see me, as he had been telling me that it was not safe.

Greetings over, we all went to see one of my clients and arranged for back pay to be sent to me in Kisii. This was a relief as I went over with very little money.

Vincent and I found a shuttle and set off for Kisii.

Kisii is the location of Mercy Gate Orphanage, which I support - Vincent and his wife, Abigael, are the directors.

After a brief stop in Narok for lunch, we eventually arrived in Kisii just after sundown. A short car journey later and we were home.

Josephat, one of the kids on the Mercy Gate register has been fostered by Vincent and Abigael, has been waiting for me to return since I left in September last year. He was over the moon when I walked through the door, not waiting for me to put my luggage down before he threw himself at me.

The next few days was spent looking around town and visiting the cyber cafe. Whatever did we do before email?

Kisii is an important town in SW Kenya. It is in a very fertile area and the economy relies on agriculture. It is off the main Nairobi to Kisumu route so it rarely gets a visit from tourists. The town is shabby, full of rubbish, chaotic, wonderful.

On Saturday, I held a belated Christmas party for the kids at the orphanage, and bought games and toys for them, as well as a lot of fruit and soft drinks.

They had a brilliant time, as did I.
We took the opportunity to measure their feet as I had collected mobile phones in the UK to sell and raise money to buy shoes.

The week was spent selling the phones and looking for business opportunities that would earn money to run the home, and the following Saturday, we held another party.

This time, we provided a cooked meal from the contents of a food parcel received from the USA. And we fitted all the kids with new leather school shoes. They were delighted.

I took Josephat, who is four and extremely small for his age, to hospital for a check-up. I thought he had an intestinal parasite and the doctor agreed. We got the appropriate medication. We also had him tested for HIV/AIDS.

Jospehat is lively. Once he started his medication, he became even livlier, so it looks as if I was right. I have since received the results of his HIV test, he is negative.

All too soon, it was time to leave Kisii for Watamu, a journey right across the country, stopping off in Nairobi to see my friend and co-director, Dominic.

Too Late To Back Out!

I logged on to Mzungu Chick's blog, as I do every day, and there she says she had heard tear gas cannisters being fired!

Do I really want to hear this 48 hours before I touch down in Nairobi? 48 hours can be a very long time in Kenya.

Then I read the talks are faltering and Kofi Annan has resorted to slapping wrists.

Harder, Mr Annan. Hit 'em harder!

And finally there is still the threat of peaceful mass protests (Riots)on the part of ODM supporters, if they aren't totally p!ssed off being shot at by the Police.

Always someone willing to throw the spanner ...

Like there aren't enough problems in Kenya ...like Kofi Annan isn't having a hard enough job keeping the two sides talking (dare I say negotiating?) ... but some loser has to try and throw a spanner in the works!

The loser in question is Antony Ndung’u Kirori, who lost his fight to become a legislator in the Kenyan Government. He obviously doesn't understand the rules, if you don't get enough votes, you lose!

Having lost his fight to win Raila's seat, he is challenging the validity of the mediation talks and wants the High Court to issue an order restraining all the negotiators from adopting any resolution by the Kofi Annan team which is likely to alter the governance structure of Kenya in violation of the Constitution.

His rants, which have been submitted to the courts, if taken seriously will only help the people intent on ruining the country. So, can anyone tell me, what is his agenda?

Hidden Depths

I knew it, I just knew it, but it was confirmed this afternoon.

When talking about the talks to resolve the present political crisis in Kenya, the Foreign Minister, Moses Wetangula said, "It's not over until it's over."

See? I knew that the new government had real class, real intelligence, people with a real grip on the situation!

How profound is that?

Talking all done?

Oh dear. Just when things looked as if they may just improve a little tiny bit, the Government side of the negotiations failed to turn up at this morning's talks.

The other lot promptly walked out, saying they would return later.

I should have really known better than to think that a solution was in sight.

After all, we are not just talking politicians, we are talking Kenyan politicians.

Problems, problems ...

I have contacted everyone I know, or have even a tenuous contact with, black and white, in Kenya and they all say that it will be safe for me to travel next week. The worst that could happen is that the road block may come out and I will be stuck wherever I happen to be.

This is not a great problem as I am staying with friends wherever I am going.

Except ...

My business partner in Nairobi has just sent me a rare email telling me categorically that I should not travel to Kenya.

So, who is right? A dozen or so people I know vaguely, or my business partner, who I know slightly better?

And if the majority are right, what is my partner up to? Is he really concerned for my safety, or does he have a hidden agenda?

My gut instinct is to pull out of this business arrangement and go elsewhere. But I will wait until I am in Nairobi and meet up with my man before I make any decision.

-oOo-

On another tack, my fiancee on the coast has just texted me to say that she has been given notice to quit her home as the landlord wants to renovate it.

She has found another, smaller, place for her, me and her two children, but her present house is shared with her extended family, two cousins, a sister and various school-aged kids.

She is asking what she should do.

I am intending to get a place eventually, but no on the coast. It is too hot and humid for me. It is fine for a holiday, but I could not work there.

Another dilemma!

Excitement abated ...

Someone has popped my balloon. Someone, let us call him TweedleO, has threatened more violence (my words, not his) if agreement over solving the political deadlock isn't found within a week.

He actually threatened mass protests, but we all know what this leads to, don't we?

But it looks as if the other protagonist, TweedleK is happy for more Kenyans to be killed and the economy ruined even further.

And the Mungiki has reared its ugly head by apparently threatening the life of Nobel peace laureate Wangari Maathai. Funny, I thought both she and the Mungiki were Kikuyu.

But then, she has been calling for compromises - oh what a silly idea. No wonder her life has been threatened!

So, if it is going to happen, the violence will erupt just as I arrive. Well, it's too late now. I am travelling economy and cannot change or cancel my ticket.

Excitement ...

There is excitement in the Dad Mzungu UK camp (my bedroom/office) as I think about preparing for my trip next Tuesday. I haven't actually packed anything yet - I haven't even thought about packing anything. After all, packing isn't that difficult is it?

My plans once I touch down in Nairobi are a bit, er, fluid. I will be going to Kisii. I will also be going to Malindi, and I will spend some time in Nairobi, and that is the extent of my plans to date.

Timing depends on my people there, and one of them has not acknowledged that I am arriving in less than a week. Oh well, there is plenty of time for that. After all, we are talking Kenya and we know that Kenya works on a different time-scale to Europe.

I will be meeting some people in Kisii that I met on various social networking sites. That will be interesting. Kisii is not renowned for its high mzungu population. In fact, that last time I was there, I was definitely the centre of attention with the kids, many of whom had never seen a mzungu before.

Even in the suburbs if Nairobi where I stayed on my last visit, I was always followed down the street by the local kids and many adult stares. There was nothing malicious or threatening. They were just curious. The kids didn't even ask for sweets as they would in a tourist area.

I just hope that my curiosity value keeps me out of any trouble.

Away from the Politics

I am excited, very excited. in fact I have shaved off about 50 years from my 57!

I'm going to Kenya! Next Tuesday evening, I board a Boeing 777-200 with another 8 people (so far) and fly to Nairobi.

Once there, only one thing is certain. I am going to be with my fiancée and her kids for her son's 6th birthday.

Other than that, everything is a bit fluid at the moment. I know I will be spending time in Nairobi. I know I will be spending time (at least a week) in Kisii, where our orphanage is located.

This is my town of preference for when (if) I settle down. I have friends there. The orphanage is there.

It is a provincial town of about 70,000, big enough to have all the big shops (all things are relative), a reasonable bus service to the big city, and a nice climate, not too hot and not too cold. The area is hilly, green and well watered and the soil is extremely fertile - paradise town within paradise country.

We aren't meddling ...

After meeting TweedleK and TweedleO earlier today, and reiterating what her boss had said regarding a coalition Kenya, she dismissed suggestions that the USA was meddling in the affairs of Kenya.

"This is not a matter of dictating a solution to Kenyans," she drawled - sorry - she said, after her meetings with the Tweedle twins.

Honey, from where I am standing, you're sure as Hell meddling, banning certain Kenyans from travelling to the USA, threatening to cut off all aid to Kenya.

I am not saying the USA shouldn't meddle. After all, so far they have a good score sheet, Cuba, Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, and so it goes on - oh yes, and Grenada.

It is a funny thing. Bush is not much liked in the USA. He is not much liked in Europe. But he seems to be a hero to most Africans. Maybe he should be "elected" President of Africa once his stint at the White House is over. Of course, free and fair elections are as alien to Dubya as they are to certain Kenyan politicians - mentioning no names - nod, nod, wink, wink.

There is a precedent. Our Tiny Blur (or is it Tony Blair? I forget.) is President of the Middle East, or thinks he is.

Most over here wish he would go there and stay there - and take his successor with him.
(This statement is NOT based on any scientific data!)

Condaleeza in Kenya

OK, so Ms Rice is in Kenya, attempting to find a solution to the crisis caused by TweedleK and TweedleO fighting over the rattle that is ultimate power [and wealth] in Kenya.

But will TweedleK feel the need to make any real compromise, unless the wealth of his cronies in big business (and his own) are under threat? What is the death of a few (1,000) ordinary Kenyans in the greater scheme of things?

But if the USA pulls the plug on aid to Kenya (or to the Mount Kenya Mafia), he make be forced to make bigger concessions.

And if the World Bank stops turning a blind eye to the appalling corruption (how many times do they have to fund the same project over and over again without question?) and stop pouring money into the bottomless pits that are the pockets of a chosen few, maybe the owners of those pockets will stop pulling the strings and allow Kenya to become truly democratic.

The Confusion Continues ...

I have to say that, as a foreigner, I am confused by Kenyan politics at the outset.

However, after the debacle of the Presidential elections, there is a another situation looming with the election of councillors.

The ECK has stated that the it got it wrong [No! Really?] and have nullified 10 results, and seats have been redistributed!

So it goes on ... and on and on!

Bush Speaks on Kenya

... but from a safe distance.

Pres. George Dubya Bush is urging a power-sharing solution to the Kenyan crisis.

He said he was sending his secretary of state to Kenya to convey the message.

Mr Bush was speaking in Benin, at the start of his first presidential tour of Africa since 2003. [How did he ever find his way to Benin?]

He said he would highlight African success stories during his six-day, five-nation visit, even though he remained committed to ending turmoil.

Six years ago President Bush stunned a major international summit on aid finance by offering far more money to the poorest countries in the world than most people had expected. [I wonder how much of it actually filtered down to poor people?]

Call me cynical ...