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Kenya: The Cutting Edge

23 March 2008

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Nairobi — Those condemning the Electoral Commission are not being sincere with themselves, says John Mutongah, adding: "They are just ignorant and self-righteous and I dare ask them to cast the first stone."

He goes on: "Where in the world is anyone condemned unheard. The rules of natural justice say that one is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Only an independent review body like the one formed recently can convict or vindicate them. Let's hold our horses. The ECK is made up of fallible Kenyans but who also have their side of the story."

With pressure mounting on ECK chairman Samuel Kivuitu and his fellow commissioners to stand down for allegedly mishandling the December 27 elections, Willys Nama Gwa thinks this might be a good opportunity for the man to try and fulfil an ambition he himself expressed in the run-up to the poll. "Kivuitu had said he would go into retirement and begin preaching the word of God. Could he have given up on this, now that he and his colleagues do not appear ready to resign?" Willys asks.

There is now urgent need for radical constitutional reform to limit the MPs to serving only two five-year terms, C. N. Ng'ang'a proposes, appalled the machinations of people who seem rather obsessed with entrenching themselves in certain constituencies. "It's as if only their mothers and wives can sire leaders. The other crucial change should be to require anybody wishing to run for the presidency to be a person who has served at least once in Parliament before."

By locking matatus out of Nairobi's central business district, says Martin Tairo, Local Government minister Uhuru Kenyatta is unfairly picking on a group, "whose only crime is wreckless driving". Martin adds: "The real cause of the congestion in the CBD is the mushrooming private saloon cars. While occupying the same amount of space on the road, a matatu will carry 14 passengers, while a saloon car can only carry a maximum of five. In fact, most cars carry only one. The solution is to ban this small car menace from the CBD."

A resident of the plush Muthaiga North in Nairobi, Mutahi Mureithi, says it's heartening to see the city council enforcing environmental by-laws, as it did by barring motorists from the dusty parking bay near the Grand Regency Hotel "until remedial measures are taken". Mutahi would like to see similar measures taken on the section of the road between Nakumatt's Thika Road branch and Kiambu Road. Muthaiga North and Balozi estates are covered by a cloud of dust from 6 am to 11 am, as drivers avoid the ever-busy Thika Road."

The answer to the question what about the use of a driver's licence should be obvious but it's certainly not the case, says X. N. Iraki. "In some parts of the country, the document has an evil use. Matatu drivers put money in the licence and hand it to traffic police, who after pretending to check the document, quietly remove the money (while circling the vehicle). They then promptly return the document to the driver. The solution to this extortion is to redesign the driver's licence to look like an ATM card."

He may have failed to become the President after the December 27 elections, but Christine Adhiambo won't left Kalonzo Musyoka off the hook that easily, especially over his pledge that he would ensure that people earning less than Sh30,000 a month are removed from the tax bracket. "As the Vice-President, you can, surely, do something about this and your proposal to set up a fund to provide monthly stipends to people aged over 60 years, who are out of employment. This, I sincerely believe, will help eradicate poverty."

Have a fulfilling day, won't you!

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