A time to heal

Story by BERNARD NAMUNANE
Publication Date: 4/18/2008


Mr Raila Odinga, Prime Minister



President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga Thursday pledged to work together to heal and re-unite the country.


The President called for the speedy resettlement of internal refugees while the Prime Minister pledged to lead the campaign against violence. He also extended an olive branch to the Mungiki sect members who have been blamed for chaos in which over 11 people were killed this week.

The two leaders spoke when the Grand Coalition Cabinet was sworn in at State House, Nairobi, Thursday.

Said President Kibaki: “Now that we have agreed to work together, let us not go back to what we have come from. The most important thing was coming together and we should not stray from the course.”

Mr Odinga had earlier said: “There will not be two Cabinets but one Cabinet. On this, I and President Kibaki are in full agreement.”

Thursday’s ceremony was witnessed by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and chief mediator Kofi Annan among other dignitaries and diplomats.

After taking his oath of office, Mr Odinga promised to spearhead efforts to end further violence in the country.

“We want our Mungiki brothers to come out and talk to us to end the killings. We will go an extra mile to ensure there is peace in this great country of ours. We do not want to see Kenyans killing each other,” he said,

For Mr Annan, the former UN secretary-general, the ceremony was the fruit of his mediation effort which saw President Kibaki and Mr Odinga sign a power-sharing deal on February 28, ending two months of violence over the disputed presidential elections which left more than 1,200 people dead and 350,000 displaced from their homes.

The President and the Prime Minister pledged that the grand coalition will work as a team.

President Kibaki said he had spoken to Mr Odinga and Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka on the need for a united administration that has to pull the country out of the political and economic crisis and place it firmly on the path to recovery and progress.

Taken oath

Mr Odinga, who had just taken the oath to become the country’s second PM since independence, said PNU and ODM had come together to form one government and assured Kenyans that there was only one centre of power.

“We have decided to create a grand coalition government; we are not creating two governments but one,” he said.

Those present at the ceremony said it signalled fresh hope and highlighted the need to promote peace and unity and end violence that shook the country’s stability in January and February. The cost of the violence to the economy was estimated at over Sh260 billion.
Mr Annan, the man who helped the parties to find a solution to the crisis that was tearing the country apart, said Kenya had been on the edge of destruction and the new administration must nurture the peace that has been established.

“Kenya was on the brink but now that you have started a new journey, you must stay the course. Some times we tend to treat peace like we treat good health. You never know its value until you lose it. Peace is precious; let us not lose it again,” he said.

President Museveni expressed his delight at the restoration of peace in Kenya warned that political leaders should not go into a lull and allow the thorns of violence and political unrest “to prick the country’s tender skin again”.

“It is good that you have found a cure to the disease that had infected you. The duty you have ahead is to keep the prescription safe and apply it as the doctor has instructed. Such diseases are never cured completely,” he said.

The leaders spoke after the swearing in of Mr Odinga as the PM, his two Deputy Prime Ministers, Mr Uhuru Kenyatta and Mr Musalia Mudavadi.

Only 23 Cabinet ministers and 52 assistant ministers were sworn in during the ceremony that took two hours and ended at 12:53 pm. Of the ministers, only five women were sworn in since Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Martha Karua and Special Programmes minister Naomi Shaaban were sworn in in January.

The others had been sworn-in in January but they attended Thursday’s ceremony. However, Medical Services minister Anyang Nyong’o will be sworn in at a later date since he was out of the country. Two of the ministers who had been named in January were demoted in the new line-up that President Kibaki named on Sunday. They were Mr Asman Kamama and Dr Wilfred Machage.

Mr Odinga was the first to take the oath of office at 10:49 am. The oath was administered by Head of Civil Service and Secretary to the Cabinet, Mr Francis Muthaura. The oath involved swearing allegiance to the Republic of Kenya and its Constitution and bound the office holder to discharge his duties under the President and pledging never to reveal Cabinet secrets.

Next in line was Mr Kenyatta and Mr Mudavadi who took similar oaths before the other ministers were sworn in.

Mr Kamama and Dr Machage were sworn in as assistant ministers for Higher Education and Roads respectively.

President Kibaki urged his new Cabinet to move with speed to resettle the more than 600,000 Kenyans who were displaced from their homes during the two months of post-election violence.

“It is unacceptable that a Kenyan should be prevented from accessing his or her property by another,” the President said.

The new ministers were also given the responsibility of reconciling Kenyans and bring to an end the cycle of violence that had rocked the country in January and February. They were also urged to work towards a new Constitution and reverse the declining economic growth rate which had triggered an increase in food prices and transport costs.

The President also stated that the Cabinet must be united and should craft policies that will liberate half of Kenya’s population from poverty in five years.

“If we achieve this goal, the grand coalition will have served its true purpose, which is to unite all of Kenya’s leaders in a joint and effective war against poverty, ignorance and disease while also creating a just and democratic society.
US envoy Michael Ranneberger and his German counterpart, Mr Walter Lindner, praised the new Cabinet and urged the members to coalesce into a united team to address the needs of Kenyans.

“This was very positive for Kenyans and the agenda that has been laid out is very challenging. The signs are good and the United States will be present to give its assistance,” said Mr Ranneberger.

Performance

Mr Lindner, who described coalitions as exceptional said the Cabinet should be judged by its performance and not its size.

“Members of the Cabinet should start work immediately. We will look at the product and not the size of the Cabinet and Germany will offer assistance whenever it is required,” Mr Lindner said.

Present during the occasion were Tanzania Prime Minister Peter Pinda Mizengo, his Rwandese counterpart, Mr Bernard Makuza, Burundi’s First Vice President Yves Sahinguvu, former Malawi president Bakili Muluzi, former President Daniel arap Moi, National Assembly Speaker Kenneth Marende, former Vice President Moody Awori and a host of diplomats.

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STATEMENT BY HON. RAILA ODINGA, PRIME MINISTER-DESIGNATE, ON THE CURRENT STATUS OF NEGOTIATIONS ON FORMING THE GRAND COALITION GOVERNMENT


7 April 08

With cries of jubilation and Happy New Years, Kenyans on 28th February began to breathe freely again as the National Accord brokered by Mr. Kofi Annan was signed by President Kibaki and myself. The terror and fear they had been living under at the hands of mobs, militias and government forces was finally over.

A few weeks later, Parliament unanimously entrenched the Accord into the Constitution and Laws of Kenya.

But since then, Kenyans have observed with growing dismay and anxiety that not a single concrete agreement has been achieved on any aspect of the new coalition government. Our nation is adrift and without direction, and with each passing day, our problems are mounting.

To overcome this terrible impasse and another looming crisis, our side has gone many extra miles and made an extraordinary number of concessions. Against the strong wishes of our supporters and indeed of all Kenyans, we accepted PNU’s insistence on a bloated 40 member Cabinet.

I agreed also to cede some of the most crucial ministries – such as Finance, Defense, Internal Security and Justice and Constitutional Affairs.

-+In exchange, we obtained infrastructural ministries such as Energy, Transport and Roads - which are instrumental in the building of rapid economic growth - as well as Local Government and Foreign Affairs. But in agreeing to this, I indicated that we had reached our irreducible minimum. The response to our magnanimity from the other side has been to retract every agreement we have finalized!

This latest crisis in portfolio balance captures the astonishing lengths PNU is willing to go to ensure that it continues to monopolize power.

On 1st April, President Kibaki’s emissary, Hon George Saitoti, gave me a proposed list of 40 ministries and how they should be divided. The next day, we wrote to the President’s Office rejecting the proposal.

The following day, 3rd April, President Kibaki and I met for two hours and made numerous concrete agreements on portfolio balance that I have just mentioned, which enabled both of us to say publicly that the Cabinet would be announced yesterday (Sunday).

On Saturday, I received from Ambassador Muthaura a letter unilaterally indicating that the Cabinet to be announced would be formed on the basis of an enclosed list of ministries and their allocations that we had rejected on 2nd April! The agreements we reached in our 3rd April meeting were nowhere to be seen.

We were therefore unable to reach any agreement in the six hours of talks yesterday.
Today, in response to a letter I had written to President Kibaki, we received a reply from Ambassador Muthaura side reneging on our previous agreements, as well as the spirit and the letter of the Accord. In PNU’s interpretation, the Constitution grants the President exclusive executive power to run this country on his own, and that these powers supersede all the provisions of the Accord.

The President and I promised the nation yesterday that we would finalize arrangements for the Grand Coalition government, including the naming of the Cabinet.

However, PNU’s misconception of the Accord and the principles of democratic governance mean that there was no point in meeting today to conclude discussions on Cabinet formation and the constitution of the government.

We hereby provide correspondence between our two sides which gives details of the issues at stake and our proposals on the way forward. Let me state once again that we are committed to the full and speedy implementation of the National Accord to resolve the crisis gripping our country.

http://kumekucha.blogspot.com/

Cabinet Crisis Drama In Writing


Here is a glimpse of the cabinet crisis drama in writing.....

7th April 2008

His Excellency Mwai Kibaki, CGH, MP

President of the Republic of Kenya

Office of the President,

P.O. Box 30510,

NAIROBI

Your Excellency,

RE: FORMATION OF THE GRAND COALITION GOVERNMENT

The meeting yesterday adjourned to allow for consultations until this afternoon, after you declined further discussions on portfolio balance and instead insisted on your proposed allocation of ministries.

Our party is deeply concerned that the stalemate over the formation of the Grand Coalition Government is increasing uncertainty and anxiety in the country. It is also escalating the mistrust that we as leaders were expected to eliminate by the establishment of the Grand Coalition.

The National Accord and Reconciliation Act is already in force. It must be understood that ODM and PNU are equal partners in the Grand Coalition. The failure to form the Grand Coalition Government is in fact a continuing breach of the Act and the Constitution.

We have always acted in good faith and conveyed to Your Excellency that the Grand Coalition would be one government. The positions PNU is staking claim to imply that we are forming a government with two cabinets. On the contrary, this is a Grand Coalition of two equal partners sharing executive power on a 50-50 basis.

It is becoming clear to our party that your side is reluctant to honour the spirit and principles of the National Accord and Reconciliation Act. I therefore wish to let you know that the following issues must be resolved in the course of our further consultations on the formation of the Government:

1. The Current Cabinet

The current cabinet should be dissolved to allow for the formation of a fresh Cabinet in accordance with the Act.

2. Portfolio Balance

Although we reluctantly conceded to an enlarged cabinet against the wishes of Kenyans, our party now maintains that the Grand Coalition Cabinet should not exceed 34 ministries. Allocations of portfolios must be based on the agreement of 3rd April 2008 in which we agreed that the PNU side nominates appointments in the Finance and Security portfolios and in return, ODM would nominate Ministers to the following portfolios:

· Local Government

· Foreign Affairs

· Transport

· Energy

· Cabinet Affairs

It is important I reiterate that the above represents and remains our Party’s irreducible minimum position. We attach hereto, for your ease of reference, the full ODM Portfolio Balance List, which was delivered to you last Friday.

3. Structure and Organization of Government

The following must also be agreed upon in advance:

· An acceptable classification of ministries;

· A clear definition of the roles and responsibilities of the Office of the Prime Minister;

· The structure and organization of government, including the rationalisation of the roles of the Head of the Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet;

· Appointment of the Permanent Secretaries;

· Appointment of Ambassadors and High Commissioners; and the

· Appointment of the Chairpersons, Directors and Chief Executives of parastatals, and constitutional offices.

I propose that a Joint Team of four members, two from each side, be constituted to build consensus on these issues within the next three days.

Please confirm your acceptance of the above before the meeting this afternoon.

Yours truly,

Hon Raila Odinga, EGH, MP

Prime Minister-Designate

Encl.

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American rider on a mission to market Kenya

American motorcyclist Jerry Finley, who is on a tour of 13 African countries. He is helping market Kenya as a tourist destination.

Photo/DANIEL NYASSY

Story by DANIEL NYASSY
Publication Date: 2008/04/01

An American motorcyclist is on an ambitious mission to help redeem the reputation of Kenya as a tourist destination.

Mr Jerry Finley was in the country recently after the post-election violence that brought the tourism industry to its knees.

He is on a tour of 13 countries and says that he defied concerted negative publicity about Kenya during the post-election period to visit the country and see for himself what was happening.


American motorcyclist Jerry Finley, who is on a tour of 13 African countries. He is helping market Kenya as a tourist destination. Photo/DANIEL NYASSY

“When I arrived in Kenya, I was surprised at the inaccuracy of the situation as potrayed by the international media.”

Mr Finley said he realised that Kenya is not only a beautiful country, endowed with numerous tourist attractions, but also has very hospitable people.

Peaceful and safe
“I want to reassure people who plan to visit Kenya, that the country is peaceful and safe to visit, contrary to reports they read about or watch on international television channels,” he said.

Mr Finley says negative stories about Kenya, in the US media, had prompted him to include the country in his 13 African countries cycling tour, “in order to get the true picture and first-hand feel”.

The US media, he pointed out, reported negatively about Kenya, even after the peace deal was signed between the Party of National Unity and the Orange Democratic Movement.

Mr Finley says he will carry the message with him through the Horn of Africa, north, central and southern African states of Egypt, Zimbabwe, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi and South Africa, among others.

Relaxing at the Hemingway Beach resort in Watamu, when the Nation team bumped into him, Mr Finley said: “The US media portrayed and painted a very bad image of Kenya. It reported that Nairobi was a no-go spot. I got very curious and decided to come and see for myself.”

Many of his friends in the US also discouraged him from visiting Kenya, saying he was taking a risk of a lifetime. But he said he was determined to travel.

“Many friends told me Kenya was having one of its worst tribal revolutions and that there was a big war here. They told me strongly, don’t go there,” he says.

Mr Finley was surprised by the calm and tranquillity that he found when he stepped into the city. He said he camped somewhere near the city for a few days “in order to observe the fire in the city”.

He said what he saw disapproved the home media reports.
“I walked freely in Nairobi, even in some slum areas. Absolutely no problem, no incident,” says Mr Finley, who comes from California and is a well travelled person.

Enjoyed everything
The only “ugly” incident was when his motorbike, a huge 104 KTM-950 100 horse power adventure bike made in Austria, was hit by a land cruiser in the city.

He says it was quickly “fixed at a jua kali garage” and he continued with his journey.

“I love nature and I immensely enjoyed everything in Kenya, the donkeys, goats and cows on the roadside, the potholes on the roads, the cheerful people, the culture and the wild game. Everything is fascinating.

I think Kenya is a great country and not a trouble country as always portrayed in our media,” he said.

Mr Finley, who was in the company of other motorcycle riders from Holland and other countries, says he will definitely come back to Kenya.

“It is my honour to market the country to tourists from America and other countries after what I have experienced,” he says.

His advice to the Ministry of Tourism: “I think the country should try motorcycle tourism, which I think can do great. There are hundreds of professional motor riders in the US, Europe and elsewhere, who would love to come and do their jinx in the African jungle.”

Mr Finley, who is a member of a riders club back home, began his tour in the Horn of Africa and hopes to end it in Johannesburg, South Africa.

He has travelled widely across all the continents and describes his experience in Kenya as “one of the most captivating”.

“From the mountainous sites and valleys in the highlands and the Rift Valley, to the bare savanna grassland, to the dry and stony countryside, to the magnificent blue beaches, it’s all marvellous,” he says.

He says he enjoyed the local food and the short lived company of local people, particularly the rural people.

“Go east, go west, go north, go south, Kenya is the best.”
He wishes to be back soon, not on a motorbike, but in one of the planes bringing in tourists from the US.

Elsewhere, marketing Kenya as an international and domestic front has started paying off. A good number of Kenyans took time to savour the plenty found within their borders over Easter holidays.

The domestic tourism front, that had for a long time received little marketing, recorded an upsurge, as Kenyans poured in to the national parks and game reserves to spend their time.

Hotels and restaurants, that received a beating in revenue during the post-election violence experienced increased bookings.

Data on domestic tourism has remained negligible all year round in the past. This has left most tour operators and hospitality players to peg their focus abroad.

Late last year, the Ministry of Tourism unveiled the Domestic Tourism Council to spearhead the campaign. Part of its strategies was to work ways of impacting directly on the numbers of domestic tourism.

Although the post-election violence put on hold some of its planned activities, the council was incorporated into the National Tourism Crisis Management team.

The committee launched a website, Tembea Kenya, and a logo dedicated at promoting domestic tourism.

Additional reports by Joseph Bonyo

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Island of peace at the heart of desolate region

Turkana dancers in Loiyangalani. They do not just dance to entertain but also to preserve their culture. Photo/GEORGE OMONDI

Story by GEORGE OMONDI
Publication Date: 2008/04/01

To many Kenyans, the North Rift is synonymous with insecurity, thanks to the region’s perception as the land of cattle rustlers and bandits.


However, for tourists who enjoy navigating through the harsh terrain of northern tourist circuit, Loiyangalani Centre is a worthy resting stop.

The centre, which is near the shores of Lake Turkana, is like a shimmering mirage that adds colour to the vast arid and semi-arid region. But one has to get there to believe that the water is real, not a mirage.

To those familiar with the lifestyles of pastoralist communities, Loiyangalani is a haven of peace and a place of plenty in the middle of a land known for its desert-like conditions.

And although many communities in the North Rift are traditional enemies, at Loiyangalani, they live and share out their resources in harmony.


Welcome relief

Arrival at the centre, after spending days in the wilderness gives a life-after-death feeling. For tourists, the inviting blue-green waters of Lake Turkana which signals the arrival at the centre are a sight to behold in Loiyangalani.

The cool breeze that blows from the lake provides a welcome relief to visitors, after days of journeying through the hot and dry land.

Visitors who begin their journey by road from Nairobi via Isiolo, Samburu, Marsabit and North Horr to Sibiloi National Park, just a few kilometres from the country’s border with Ethiopia, are likely to arrive at Loiyangalani on the fifth day, if they choose to return to Nairobi via the South Horr–Baragoi-Maralal-Nyahururu road.

A stop-over at Loiyangalani, can leave the visitor feeling that one is no longer at the heart of the harsh arid region. After days of endless sand, one arrives at the centre only to be surrounded by water – not only from the lake but also from the hot springs that form the beautiful fountains that are a leading attraction at the centre.

Residents fondly refer to the centre as “a refreshing and a delightful oasis of quietness and friendship”. Like in most parts of northern Kenya, the communities living at the centre have preserved their culture.

Cattle rustling
Most pastoralist communities in the north are embroiled in cattle rustling and other wars over grazing land and water, which is scarce in the area. Each community believes that its members are victims of hostile neighbours, whom they depict as aggressors who cannot be trusted.

Besides cattle, the area residents have large numbers of camels and goats – the only other livestock that can withstand the harsh conditions.

But to the people of the region, these are not just animals. They signify one’s economic status. The more you have the richer you are — even if you acquired them after a battle with a neighbouring community.

At Loiyangalani centre, members of the Samburu, Turkana, El Molo and Rendile communities live side by side in harmony. They draw strength from their diversity and transact daily business in impressive Kiswahili — the preferred language at the centre.

Every morning, men and women at the centre begin their days early in the morning and continue working throughout the day.

Women mostly gather in groups and weave items for sale while some stay home to build houses. Men herd livestock as others collect and sell precious stones. The El Molo men mostly spend their time fishing.

Although each community maintains its culture, the work of NGOs in bringing them together, is largely noticeable in Loiyangalani.

Every youth or women’s project consists of members from different communities.
The groups usually sell members’ products, but they are also involved in environmental conservation efforts and tapping the tourism sector.

Mosaretu (short for El Molo, Samburu, Rendile and Turkana) women’s group is doing brisk business providing lodging and camping facilities to tourists who visit the region.

The accommodation is provided as a cluster of Turkana houses built under the shade of palm trees where temperatures are cooler during the day.

Mosaretu members, comprising about 50 women from the four different communities, usually perform ceremonial dances to entertain tourists and also organise cultural visits to various villages.

At the lodge, bath water is drawn directly from the hot springs. It is usually hot throughout the day and night, having been heated naturally.

At Loiyangalani centre, Turkana villagers gather outside their manyattas every evening to perform traditional dances until late into the night.
The performances are a sight to behold. Edong’a, Ekwale and Etung’ are some of the dances that a visitor is likely to enjoy the most.

“Our evening dances do not target visitors but they are part of our age-old cultural practices that we have to adhere to – with or without visitors,” said an elder, who only identified himself as Ekwe.

He explained that after every day’s work, villagers come together to share and celebrate their experiences through songs and dances.

Express love

Through the songs, young unmarried men express their love to young eligible girls — in the presence of the community members who include their parents.

Men who may have had heroic encounters at the grazing fields during the day also use the songs to narrate their escapades to the approval of ululating women.

Having wandered through the vast arid and semi arid north, the carnival mood that sets in every evening, as villagers prepare for the dances is a welcome relief, after the hard life that the pastoralist communities have to face each day.

But if tourism is to be improved in the region, the entire 235-km road towards Maralal needs to be rehabilitated as it is bumpy and mostly bordered by deep gullies.

One would be forgiven for thinking that he was on the surface of the moon. The section between Baragoi to Maralal is largely impassable during rainy seasons and hardly has any functioning bridges.

Fishermen at Lake Turkana said the poor state of roads hinders them from delivering their fresh catch to their customers in other towns.

“Few vehicles use the road to Maralal and this has forced us to preserve and sell our fish in dried forms only,” a fisherman at the shores of Lake Turkana told the Daily Nation.

The residents want the Government to build good roads to open up the region for tourism and promote the fishing industry.

Water is also a major problem in the region. Just a few kilometres from Lake Turkana, thirsty villagers, plastic bottles and gourds in hand, usually run towards any vehicle approaching from Loiyangalani to beg for water from passengers.

The farther one moves southward from Loiyangalani, the more the inter-community conflict between pastoralists intensifies, largely due to lack of water and pasture for the large number of livestock.

Guns in the wrong hands — something that is unheard of at Loiyangalani — are the order of the day in the dry parts where livestock is the only source of livelihood.
The guns are also a constant threat to private ranches and wild animals’ sanctuaries that dot the section between Baragoi, Maralal, Laikipia and Nyahururu.

Loiyangalani, a haven for harmony and peaceful coexistence, provides a case study for ending the incessant inter-community wars of the North Rift where lack of water, grazing ground and poor incomes have seen communities fighting for ages.

But the magic that works at Loiyangalani — especially the abundance of water — must be replicated in the other areas for peace to reign.

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