ODM backs down on realising Kibaki is a no nonsense man

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ODM climbs down on key posts

Story by MIKE MWANIKI and SAM KIPLAGAT

ODM on Friday appeared to have softened on its earlier demand to play a role in appointment of permanent secretaries, ambassadors and parastatal chiefs.

 

 

ODM director of communications Salim Lone addresses a press conference at Pentagon House where he refuted claims that ODM was standing in the way of a new Cabinet. Photo/ PHOEBE OKALL

At the same time, ODM spokesman Salim Lone said Prime Minister-designate Raila Odinga was willing to hold a meeting on the formation of a grand coalition government with President Mwai Kibaki “any time the latter invited him do so”.

Speaking at Pentagon House in Nairobi, Mr Lone said  ODM was not giving any conditions on the appointment of top civil servants but it “would want to be consulted before their appointment was announced”.

Civil servants

“As an equal partner in a grand coalition government, it is only fair that ODM is consulted before top civil servants such as permanent secretaries are appointed,” he said.

 “Just as with the proposed Cabinet, these senior positions must also reflect the diverse face of the nation…

“At the moment, this is not at all the case, and in fact is a source of immense concern in the country.”

ODM insists that the Government had to be a grand coalition of two equal partners sharing executive power on a 50-50 basis, while the Kibaki side is adamant that executive authority was vested in the presidency. 

On the Cabinet portfolio balance, Mr Lone said ODM wanted to be given five infrastructure ministries-Local Government, Foreign Affairs, Energy, Transport and Cabinet Affairs.

“As you all know, infrastructure development is the number one priority of ODM in a bid to jump-start our economy.

“In our early negotiations, ODM gave up demands for the key Finance and Internal Security portfolios, even though we had previously insisted that one of these should be allocated to our party.

“That is why we are now referring to our position as the ‘irreducible minimum’,”  said the ODM director of  communications. 
The party said their call for portfolio balance must reflect ethical, religious and regional diversity.

“Both PNU and ODM must reflect the ethnic, religious and regional diversity of our nation in their respective share of Government,” said the party’s parliamentary group secretary, Budalang’i MP Ababu Namwamba.

The party insisted that the portfolio balance must reflect real power sharing as stated in the National Accord and Reconciliation Act. 

“We accordingly firmly reject any attempt to reduce portfolio balance to a theoretical ornament with little more than mere sentimental value. This would be another cynical ploy to camouflage gross historic imbalances, regional inequalities and ethnic hegemony that now threaten to rip our country asunder,” said Mr Namwamba.

Equal partner

He said ODM would not be passengers in a government which they had a right to belong as an equal partner. 

“Our demand for reconstitution of the entire government must therefore be seen in the context of the very urgent need to de-tribalise our Public Service which, as currently constituted, is heavily skewed in favour of a single region,” he said.

Mr Namwamba, who was accompanied by party chief whip Jakoyo Midiwo and nominated MP Sofia Abdi, cited the  ministries of Finance, Internal Security and Provincial Administration, Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Roads and Public Works and Energy as those with ministers and the PS’s from one region.

He said the party was now challenging the PNU to rise up to what ODM had demonstrated in ceding positions  for the sake of forming a coalition government.

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African Press International – api

Kibaki, Raila blend could be chaotic

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Comment:
This report is everywhere…bbc,our own dailies…BUT??? Yes there is a deal, but this article is worth reading…how can the two blend? Kibaki, Raila blend could be chaotic

Published on April 13, 2008, 12:00 am(sunday standard)

By Kap Kirwok

At the end of last year, the day before the announcement that triggered the post-election chaos, I was still navely optimistic that the election outcome would be credible. My tone in this column was upbeat and celebratory. I even penned my New Year wishes to His Excellency the Next President.

I suggested that he buys himself a nice little dog, a cute cuddly cat and a book on leadership and jazz.

The dog was to help stroke his masters ego because, in politics, they say the only loyal friend you can count on is a dog. The cat, because of its refusal to take orders, was meant to remind H E to be humble. A book on jazz was to be a source of unique lessons on leadership. Jazz maestros offer great lessons in managing complexity.

That was then. This is now. Do my belated New Year gift ideas still have any use?

I would still recommend the cat to the President and the Prime Minister. We can always use a little humility. But the dog? No. We have seen enough egos being stroked at our expense. As for that book on jazz and its lessons on leadership, the events of recent times have convinced me that any efforts aimed at coaxing any redeeming leadership qualities from our captains of state is a lost cause.

Adjectives that I hear increasingly used to describe the leadership qualities that we have seen displayed run the entire range of the alphabet: from awkward, blundering, and cavalier on one end, to xenophobic, yoyo-like and zigzagy on the other, and marionette in between.

Presidential leadership style is not an academic subject. It is a life and death affair. The country today totters on the brink and bears witness to a tale of death, pain and suffering inflicted by disreputable and tragicomical leadership styles.

President Jomo Kenyattas leadership style has been described as a tough-love type; by turns charismatic and forceful, but wickedly shrewd. His status as founding Father of the Nation gave him the latitude to act out the role of the towering, no-nonsense generalissimo.

For all his faults, such as laying the foundation for the class and ethnic divide we see today, he is credited for appointing competent people and holding them accountable for performance  sometimes with a bakora. He was the equivalent of a chairman and chief executive officer.

Retired President Mois leadership style was that of the prototypical micro-manager, with a boisterous and highly visible manner of managing state affairs. You could not accuse Moi of indecision or equivocation. Nor could you ever doubt who was running the country. He was the quintessential chief operating officer.

President Kibakis leadership style is, as Uhuru Kenyatta once said, a “see-nothing, do-nothing and say-nothing” type. In less harsh language, you might describe it as a laissez-faire style, characterised by delegation (some might say abdication) of duty. His style is Kenyattalite in as far as it echoes the sunset years of Jomos rule. In corporate business, he would be the non-executive chairman.

We have seen President Kibakis leadership style both in crisis and during calmer periods. From the little we have seen of Raila Odingas style, he appears capable of melting the roles of a chief operating officer and that of a chief executive officer.

Assuming that this power-sharing business works out well and allows the two to get on with the work of running the government, how will the two styles shake out?

Consider the fact that the coalition structure neither provides for a unified command nor collegial leadership. Add to this the sharply contrasting personality and leadership styles of the principal actors and what you get is a churkendoose  a strange bird that is part chicken, part turkey, part duck and part goose. Will it be able to fly gracefully as a goose? Can it swim effortlessly like a duck? Will it, like domestic turkey, require artificial (read foreign) insemination to reproduce? Or will it, like chicken, remain earthbound, clucking and scratching away, oblivious of the eagle above?

Several scenarios might play themselves out when the leadership styles of the two principals collide. The apocalyptic scenario envisages a breakdown of the coalition followed by a refusal to hold fresh elections, triggering a fresh, more dangerous round of ethnic fighting that could tip the country over into full-scale civil war.

The optimistic scenario  one for which all Kenyans must pray for  assumes that the President and the Prime Minister will work out the kind of modus operandi and modus vivendi that will enable the country to heal, reconcile, reform and grow.

I am reluctantly optimistic.

The writer is based in the USA

Strategybeyondprofit@gmail.com

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Cameroon signs oil production-sharing contract

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<By Tansa Musa

 

YAOUNDE, April 11 – Cameroon state-run oil company, the National Hydrocarbons Corporation (SNH) on Thursday signed a production sharing contract with Swiss-based Glencore and Afex Global Limited to explore for oil in the Matanda block of the country’s  Douala-Kribi/Campo basin, according to a press release from SNH.

 

      The statement said the block covered 1,187 km2  in between the Wouri estuary and the neighbouring onshore area to the south and west of Douala, Cameroon’s and Central Africa’s biggest port.

 

      “The contract will reactivate exploration activities on this part of the Cameroon mining domain, which for over a decade registered no activity, but whose potential in gas and condensates was proven in two wells drilled by Gulf Oil Corporation in the early 80s,” SNH said in the statement.

 

     According to SNH, the contract stipulated that the exploration contract was worth $38 million and was renewable twice for tw years each.

 

     Glencore Exploration Limited, the operator of the Matanda block, is a subsidiary of the Swiss based Glencore International AG which is active in oil and gas exploration and production in several countries, including Russia and Equatorial Guinea.

 

      Afex Global Limited is an independent company which operates in Mali and Angola, the SNH said.(END)

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African Press International – api

Fear grips the Kenyan people

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Story by JEFF OTIENO

What Kenyans fear over the Kibaki-Raila accord

An overwhelming majority of Kenyans support the power-sharing deal between President Kibaki and Prime Minister-designate Raila Odinga. However, they do not believe the partnership will last. 

Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka with Prime Minister designate, Raila Odinga during a funeral service for National Assembly clerk Samuel Ndindiri at the PCEA, Komothai Church in Githunguri, Kiambu, on Friday. Majority of Kenyans support the National Accord but are afraid that it might not last. Photo/CORRESPONDENT

According to a new opinion poll conducted by Steadman Research, 75 per cent of Kenyans support the National Reconciliation Accord  signed by the two leaders on February 28 and witnessed by former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan and Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete.

 

However, despite the overwhelming support for the accord, about half of Kenyans doubt that it will hold for the full five-year term of the current Parliament, given the deep-seated mistrust between ODM and PNU. The research says only 36 per cent of Kenyans believe beyond reasonable doubt that the deal will hold for the next five years.

The poll was released on the day ODM appeared to climb down on their demand for sharing in appointments of permanent secretaries, diplomats and parastatal chiefs with the Government/PNU coalition.

Mr Odinga’s spokesman, Mr Salim Lone, said the party would now seek to be consulted in any such appointments.

“As an equal partner in a grand coalition government, it is only fair that ODM is consulted before top civil servants such as permanent secretaries are appointed,” he said.

According to him, ODM would wait for an invitation from President Kibaki for a meeting to resolve issues which have delayed the naming of a grand coalition Cabinet.

Elsewhere, Catholic bishops called on President Kibaki and Mr Odinga to be decisive and give Kenya a new Cabinet quickly. The bishops have held separate meetings with the two leaders in the past two days.

The breakthrough in negotiating a climb down by ODM on demands for a say in the naming of senior civil servants appeared to have been brokered by US ambassador Michael Ranneberger.

Government spokesman Alfred Mutua described the latest ODM statement as “welcome” and said there was now a possibility of a meeting being organised soon between President Kibaki and Mr Odinga.
“Many issues and partnership arrangements will be resolved and shared within the Coalition Government once it is formed,” the statement stated. 

Steadman’s political analyst Tom Wolf said that although people supported the Peace Accord and believed that the 50-50 power-sharing deal was in order, many have expressed disappointment over the never-ending political fights between the two leading parties.

“The percentage of those skeptical about the deal holding for the next five years might even be higher than 50 per cent if the study was conducted today given the impasse in the announcement of a new Cabinet and the re-emergence of violence in some parts of the country,” said Dr Wolf as he presented the study at the Steadman headquarters in Nairobi.

The poll, which interviewed 2,011 adults between March 28 and April 7, 2008, says only 20 per cent of Kenyans do not support the peace accord, three per cent had no opinion, while another three per cent refused to answer.

Kenyans, according to the research, give different time frames on how long the accord will hold. Some believe it will hold for between two and three years while others say it will only last for one year or less.

Violence

The study, which was conducted in 55 districts including those affected by post-election violence, shows that nearly half of Kenyans (49 per cent) believe there will be widespread violence if the agreement collapses, while 33 per cent think there will be a re-election. 

Dr Wolf says most Kenyans are aware of the consequences of the collapse of the peace deal adding that many wanted to see it succeed.

On whether one political party, be it PNU or ODM, could run the government without the other, only nine per cent supported the view. Fifteen per cent are not sure what will happen if the deal collapses.

“Kenyans are aware of the accord and believe that the parties need each other to govern the country peacefully,” said Dr Wolf.

While half of Kenyans fear that the grand coalition may not last the full five-year term, the majority are not ready for another election any time soon.

According to the study, 55 per cent of Kenyans do not support another election before the end of five years. 

However, 41 per cent say they are ready for a snap election should the grand coalition fail to hold, while the remaining four per cent do not know.

It is apparent that many Kenyans still fear fresh election following the bungled December 27 General Election in which President Kibaki was announced the winner by the Electoral Commission, sparking widespread violence that left more than 1,200 people dead and about 350,000 others displaced. (Related story on Page 5)

“Those who do not want a repeat election any time soon are of the view that it might trigger another wave of violence,” said Dr Wolf. 

Asked to state the main cause of the violence, 65 per cent of Kenyans believed the announcement of President Kibaki as the winner triggered the violence in the Rift Valley, Western, Nyanza, Coast and Nairobi.

Other reasons are long-term grievances about land (12 per cent), hostility between communities (11 per cent), rivalry between local politicians (six per cent), the gap between the rich and the poor (two per cent) and other reasons (three per cent).

On whether a new constitution will be realised given the signing of the peace accord, majority of the respondents expressed skepticism with  only 16 per cent mostly certain of a new document compared to 27 per cent who are mostly uncertain. 

About 48 per cent are somewhat certain that the country will have a new constitution, while the remaining percentage do not know.

The majority of those interviewed also support a complete overhaul of  the Electoral Commission of Kenya and are of the view that the commissioners should resign over their handling of the December 27 General Election. The percentage of those who do not have confidence in ECK, according to the study, had risen from a low of eight per cent in November last year to a high of 61 per cent late last month.

Political future

If  uncertain political future were to result to an early election, about 45 per cent of  Kenyans would support that it be held between six months and two years, between two years and five years (29 per cent), next six months (25 per cent). The remaining percentage refused to answer.

An overwhelming majority (88 per cent) support the resettlement of internally displaced persons as a priority for the new Government but only 24 per cent believe that the affected people will be able to return.

Despite the record seven per cent economic growth achieved last year, many Kenyans doubt the economy will record positive growth given rising inflation.

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African Press International – api

Kenya: Deal after deal, but will it stick?

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What’s in the new deal?

 By Sunday Standard Team

President Kibaki and Prime Minister-designate Raila Odinga met at Sagana State Lodge, Nyeri, and could have sealed a deal. They met away from the glare of cameras and allies always tugging at their coattails. The meeting lasted over six hours.

It is believed the President freed some of the ministries in contention to Raila’s side, and that the two also agreed to a reduced Cabinet of 20.

If it sticks, then the two leaders would each pick 10 ministers instead of 20 as per last month’s deal. It is anticipated the new line-up could be named either Sumday or Monday.

It is also believed they could have agreed that Raila, in his position as Prime Minister once the Cabinet is formed, would fill the positions in the hands of eight Permanent Secretaries who are past the mandatory retirement age of 55.

The agenda on the table was, who takes which ministry, Raila’s latest demand that ODM should get its slice of choice Civil Service and parastatal jobs, and the size of the Cabinet.

In contention are four ministries ODM says were unfairly taken by Kibaki’s side, even after agreement they would have in compensation for ceding Internal security, Finance and Justice and Constitutional Affairs.

Kibaki and Raila landed at the secluded lodge, about 170km from Nairobi, shortly after 10am. They flew out shortly after 6:20pm.

In separate military choppers, not far apart, the two leaders over flew Gatanga at 6:40 pm, on the way to Nairobi, as news of the meeting spread with fresh speculation on whether whatever deal they struck would hold.

Kibaki was the first to arrive at Sagana followed by Raila ten minutes later. The choppers were left in an opening in the forested region and then they were driven to the lodge. Raila was driven in a Toyota Prado registration KAU 419L, as security kept journalists away from the entrance. Kibaki waved at locals who watched as he left the chopper for the lodge.

Standard Group Nyeri Regional Editor, Mr Patrick Mathangani, who was within the precincts of the lodge, reported seeing only two senior government officials from the fence. They were the Head of the Civil Service Mr Francis Muthaura and Presidential Press Service director, Mr Isaiya Kabira. Security personnel were tight-lipped.

Contentious issues

 

According to the latest ODM statement only five ministries are contentious. They are Local Government, Foreign Affairs, Energy, Transport and Cabinet Affairs.

Orange Democratic Movement had initially agreed to a 40-member Cabinet, which the President’s side settled for after climbing down from 44. But ODM switched to 34 after it claimed Kibaki’s Party of National Unity had reserved key ministries to itself, ostensibly according to Raila, to reduce it to a passenger in government.

Kibaki and Raila promised the country a coalition Cabinet after meeting on April 3. According to their programme the Cabinet would have been named on April 5 and sworn-in yesterday. But the plans became a cropper; to the point Kibaki camped at Harambee House, with Raila snubbing him. Raila said then his party’s concessions had reached the “irreducible minimum”, and it was the President’s turn to reciprocate by ceding the five ministries.

ODM also added the line the key ministries were largely in the hands of ministers and permanent secretaries from central Kenya.

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Kenya at a standstill – Will it colapse?

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By Saturday Standard Team

Today is the historic day that never was. If all had gone as planned the coalition Cabinet would have been sworn in at Uhuru Park.

Today, President Kibaki is waiting for Prime Minister-designate Raila Odinga so they finalise discussions on ‘portfolio balance’.

Raila, on the other hand, says he is waiting for a letter from the President replying to his claim to more weighty ministries, and a slice of Public Service jobs.

The President said there would be no such letter coming. Kibaki’s side declares it does not fear a repeat election, and that Raila is not after power sharing, but a take-over.

The Orange Democratic Movement, too, says it does not fear an election and urges the Party of National Unity to ‘bring it on’.

This then ups the stakes, showing ministries in contention are held by persons from the Mount Kenya region.

“It is unacceptable that at a time when we are walking a historic path towards a new dawn for our land, our government continues to be saddled by gross ethnic and regional imbalance,’’ said the party in a statement, Friday.

It then listed the ministers and permanent secretaries occupying the positions under contention.

Then Raila steps in, Friday mid-morning at the burial of Clerk of the National Assembly Samuel Ndindiri. He borrows from his cache of parables.

Yesterday it was about the rat and the trap, and the tragic consequences to the animal world. Man lays the trap, the rat sees it, and tells the hen, which gives it a cursory glance, as the goat and cow that the rodent talked to next.

At night the trap caught a snake, that later bit the man when he turned up for his catch. In quick succession those the rat warned were slaughtered, according to the number of mourners, as food. On funeral day the cow went down, the last victim of the inaction in the animal world. Moral: The monster can swallow even those who think they won’t be touched.

Raila coached his words to assure the nation the deal was not lost. “The talks have not collapsed. They have only been suspended so that I can talk to my people and President Kibaki to do the same,’’ Raila said.

He added: “We had reached the end of a cliff. When we saw a big hole a head we reversed and agreed to talk.” “We had reached the end of a cliff. When we saw a big hole ahead, we reversed and agreed to talk,” said Raila.

Ping-pong style

 

He was in Komothai, as the ODM Director of Communications released another statement, which like the day before, would get the response from the Government spokesman Dr Alfred Mutua. Again it was on portfolio balance.

“Just as with the Cabinet, these senior positions must also reflect the diverse face of our nation. At the moment, this is not the case, and is a source of immense concern. These issues remain on the table to be discussed,’’ said Mr Lone.

He added: “On the basis of the portfolio balance we proposed, only five ministries are now at issue – Local Government, Foreign Affairs, Energy, Transport and Cabinet Affairs. We had gone to our very maximum in earlier negotiations by giving up the key Finance and Internal Security portfolios, even though we had previously insisted that one of these must come to us. That is why we refer to our position now as the ‘irreducible minimum’”.

Mutua gets wind of ODM’s latest statement, and in the ping-pong style that has characterised the proxy wars between Kibaki and Raila.

It came out on Thursday a week after Kibaki and Raila told the nation the Cabinet was coming last Sunday.

Then Mutua said: “Hon Raila Odinga has publicly said the gap is narrow and the President and Hon Odinga should bridge it. Therefore, President Kibaki, as he said on Monday evening, is ready to meet Hon Raila Odinga at any time to resolve these matters and nothing or anyone should hold them back.”

“… It is important that President Kibaki and Prime Minister-designate Raila Odinga meet one on one, as they have done in the past, and as soon as possible without pre-conditions, to conclude this matter once and for all. The President is ready.”

Yesterday, Lone said: “The other point I want to address is the assertion yesterday by Government Spokesman Alfred Mutua that new conditions by ODM are not acceptable to PNU, and that there should be no pre-conditions. I am afraid Dr Mutua is wrong on both these counts.”

“As I am sure you will all agree, each time a meeting between the President and the Prime Minister-designate is announced, Kenyans breathe a sigh of relief. But when nothing concrete emerges, there is huge let down and even anger and frustration. In neither letter was there a hint of new conditions or any pre-conditions.”

Mutua’s response included the paragraphs: “The Government welcomes today’s statement by ODM that they have no pre-conditions to the ongoing consultations, which are advancing well.”

“It is very clear that it is the wish of President Kibaki, Prime Minister-designate Raila Odinga and the people of Kenya that the Cabinet be formed as quickly as possible so as to allow the Government to concentrate on the resettlement of internally displaced persons and the development agenda.”

Re-run

 

In Komothai, as the Catholic Church opposed calls for a re-run between Kibaki and Raila, Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, who came third in last year’s elections, told mourners he believes by joining Kibaki after defeat he helped salvage Kenya.

The President was missing at the burial, which would have seen him shake hands with Raila, against the backdrop of the standoff that has kept the country in suspense for ten days today. That is beside the four months characterised by killings, displacements, destruction, and the arduous task of negotiations. But the President was missing in action and the glare of the camera was on Kalonzo and Raila.

“I know the President is not sleeping. He is agonising over these things. I know he is eager to complete this matter,” said Kalonzo.

Raila left before the ceremony ended and the congregation was given the impression he had an appointment with Kibaki, but that was not to be. Then again the country was gripped by another gale of speculation – the KBC Television was at 7pm going to break the news the President had named his 20 ministers. But the item was not on the KBC radio and television news running order. It was just another of those stories that have kept popping up, even in the most unlikely of places, as a nation stuck in the mud waits for the coalition Cabinet that would hopefully heal the country.

On the day Kenyans would have been witnessing the swearing-in of the Cabinet, as agreed to by leaders who now do not directly talk to each other, the nation is again on suspense. The fear of a fresh flare-up of violence is in many hearts. The question on every lip is: ‘why can’t they just talk and agree, Kibaki and Raila?”

This came through Budalang’i MP Mr Ababu Namwamba on behalf of the party Friday: “We

conceded some very key portfolios like Finance, Internal Security and Defence to PNU. We reluctantly but graciously acceded to PNU’s demand for an expanded Cabinet of 40 to help Hon Kibaki satisfy the delicate balancing act in his political conglomerate. It should be appreciated that we have now hit ground zero, and do not have any more space to cede.”

He added: “Our demand for reconstitution of the entire government must therefore be seen in the context of the very urgent need to de-tribalise the Public Service which, as currently constituted, is heavily skewed in favour of persons from the Mt Kenya region.

On February 28, Kibaki and Raila walked out of a meeting with chief mediator Dr Kofi Annan to sign a power sharing deal that is now law. Thirty-nine days later the ‘deal’ has not even taken baby steps. Kenya is in a state of suspended animation. It is the Tower of Babel. It is moving in circles, and as it happens to men and women who turn on the same spot many times, dizziness and fatigue take charge. The nation’s patience is at its lowest.

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African Press International – api

 

 

Kibaki and Raila have struck a deal on Cabinet reports Aljazeera

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Saturday evening update!

Aljazeera reports that Kibaki and Raila have just reached a deal on the formation of the cabinet today evening.

This is good news for the Kenyan people. The hope, however, is that this time they allow the deal to last and give the Kenyan people the much needed stability.

If they have agreed it now remains to be seen which party gets what and when the cabinet will be sworn in.

The two men, Kibaki and Raila are said to distrust one another and there is fear that the deal may break into pieces if ODM starts to behave as if they have the executive powers.,

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African Press International – api

Now Raila and ODM has realised that conditions will take away their opportunity to be ministers

Publisher Korir, api africanpress@getmail.no source.Ke.government.

It was that Kibaki did not entertain nonsense when he refused to start engaging in letter writting and forming of committees as proposed by ODM leader on Monday. Now they have been given no choice but to yield and get back on track without demanding too much.

The danger here was that they wanted even the power to be the one to employ the ambassadors and High Commissioners. If the ODM is given foreign affairs, we will see Kenyan ambassadors shifted and replaced from those coming from one tribe.

Government Welcomes ODM’s Position of no Pre-conditions

The Government welcomes today’s statement by ODM that they have no pre-conditions to the ongoing consultations which are advancing well.

As earlier stated, the coalition is a partnership which will evolve with time. Many issues and partnership arrangements will be resolved and shared within the Coalition Government once it is formed.

It is very clear that it is the wish of President Mwai Kibaki, Prime Minister-designate Hon. Raila Odinga and the people of Kenya that the New Cabinet be formed as quickly as possible so as to allow the Government to concentrate on the resettlement of Internally Displaced Kenyans (IDP’s) and the development agenda.

 

Dr. Alfred N. Mutua
Public Communications Secretary &
Government Spokesperson 

April 11, 2008

18:15 hrs.

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African Press International – api

Publisher: Korir, api africanpress@getmail.no source.standard.ke

Story By Kipkoech Tanui

Leadership scholars must be fascinated by Kenya’s political melodrama. Two political giants meet, first under coercion, and agree to a prescription that would heal the nation. Later there are so many versions of what was agreed upon, no one is sure which was the original, even as symptoms of a life-threatening situation snowball.

The citizenry soon listens with shock as politicians accord the National Accord, meanings and interpretations that were not with us when we passed and signed it into law at lightning speed.

The wave of suspicion and hostility rises as our top leaders consult top allies on the upcoming restructuring of Cabinet, a matter over which they have vested interest. It will either affect them, or knock off from the citadel of power those from their ethnic or old-boys’ club.

We are at a standstill because of bad leadership — not just at the presidency. It is the kind of leadership that listens to a cabal, always courting self-immolation and bad memories of itself. In the end it will just be about President Kibaki and Mr Raila Odinga.

We have the dysfunctional style Prof Marcia Lynn Whicker defined in 1996 as ‘toxic leadership’.

The only missing trait is that our top managers are, on the surface, not overbearing. But behind the mask they are, so stealthily.

It is the mastery of carrot and stick, as well as gunboat diplomacy. Meanwhile, the harrowing memories of killings, destruction and displacements are forgotten until the scary gale blows in our faces again.

We have always had a leadership crisis: It just worsened in the last four months. It may not loosen its grip on us soon — we are the cheer squad. Not when political brinkmanship tears into smithereens the ethos of statesmanship.

Not when external pressure is what gets us talking in time of catharsis. Not when the future looks bleak because our leaders are behaving as if the Government is being split into two. Even for President Kibaki, it is as if he won’t be in charge of half of Government.

The writing is on the wall: The road ahead is turbulent. These are the leaders we are looking upon to give us a new constitution that will among other things, reform that mongrel called the Electoral Commission of Kenya, which ran a flawed and comical process.

Seven traits to executive failure

These are the leaders who should heal and reconcile us through a justice, truth and restitution system. They should also reverse the economic and social losses, and help restore the name of our nation on international roll of honour.

Two great feminine scholars have researched widely on ‘toxic leadership’. Prof Jean Lipman-Blumen in her book, The Allure of Toxic Leaders: Why We Follow Destructive Bosses and Corrupt Politicians – and How We Can Survive, and Prof Barbara Kellerman in the bestsellerBad Leadership: What It Is, How It Happens, Why It Matters.

Dr Karen Y Wilson-Starks explains: “It is a leadership approach that harms people through the poisoning of enthusiasm, creativity, autonomy and innovative expression. Toxic leaders disseminate their poison through over-control. They define leadership as being in control.”

Prof Kellerman wrote of seven traits on the roadmap to executive failure:

Incompetence – the leader and some followers lack the will or skill (or both) to sustain effective action. With regard to at least one important leadership challenge, they do not create positive change.

Rigidity – the leader and some followers are stiff and unyielding. Though they may be competent, they are unable or unwilling to adapt to new ideas or changing times.

Intemperance – the leader lacks self-control and is aided and abetted by followers who are unwilling or unable to effectively intervene.

Callousness – the leader and some followers are uncaring or unkind. The needs, wants, and wishes of subjects, especially subordinates, are ignored and discounted.

Corruption – the leader and at least some followers lie, cheat, or steal. To a degree that exceeds the norm, they put self-interest ahead of the public interest.

Insularity – the leader and at least some followers minimise or disregard the health and welfare of those outside the group or organisation for which they are directly responsible.

Evil – the leader and some followers commit atrocities, using pain as an instrument of power. The harm can be physical, psychological or both.

Seven leadership traits but with same tragic result — a nation, club or business conglomerate on the cliff! But as Prof Kellerman’s counselled, the problem is not just about those who lead us. Leaders and followers are perpetually in a complicated supplementary dance. ktanui@eastandard.net The writer is The Standard’s Managing Editor, Weekend Editions

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African Press International – api

Boycotting the Olympics in China is a mistake and crazy move

Publisher: Korir, api africanpress@getmail.no

Olympic games has nothing to do with the Chinese politics. When China was awarded the Olympics it was done in good spirit. Now some people are mixing politics and the games only to get through their own aims and goals.

Tibet issue has become the focus as if Tibet is the one organising the Olympics. When the Olympic torch is moving from country to country, as tradition of the Olympics dictate so, we see wild people who are aimed at disrupting the event. These people should be punished very severely in the spirit of the Olympics.

Surely, Olympics has nothing with Tibetan freedom. We do not advocate human rights abuse in Tibet but we think it is unfair that everyone is turning the focus on Tibet as if it is what matters when we think of the games.

Some heads of State and government have stated that they will not attend the opening ceremony in China. They want to boycott in order to embarrass China. We ask why? The Chinese are good people and deserve to be respected.

The Chinese are now helping African countries by investing big in the continent and we hope no African country decides to skip the opening ceremony by coping the behaviour of the countries in the west.

Another important aspect. British Premier is reported to have stated that he will not attend the opening ceremony but will be there at the closing because he wants to go and get the Olympic torch since Britain is the next in line to arrange the Olympics. Double standards and immoral behaviour in the western minds is not worst than the way the Chinese deal with their citizens.

If the British Gordon Brown, the British Prime Minister boycotts the opening ceremony, he should not be welcome in China during the closing ceremony. May be the torch can be mailed to Britain!

China is a sovereign nation and if the country has colonies like Tibet, the international community should not try to force China now to abondon the rule, simply because the country is organising the games. China should be given the opportunity to solve the problem their own way and through dialogue.

Give China a chance to give the world the best Olympics instead of distracting them.

There are many countries in the west without good human rights record, and yet they are the same countries shouting the loudest about China. The intended boycott by some western countries is supposed to woe African countries to make the same mistake and later loose the economical aid from China. The west is angered by the fact that China has started helping Africa.

African countries should not listen to the west. They should prepare their sportsmen and women and do their best during the games, while at the same time enjoy the Chinese culture and hospitality.

<This is China. China welcomes you to the Olympics:

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African Press International – api

Is apartheid over in South Africa? Top jobs in the hands of the white minority.

Publisher: Korir, api africanpress@getmail.no source.businessdaily.sa

White professional males are still clinching top jobs and in certain sectors account for the majority of candidates placed by headhunters, par-ticularly at senior management level, says Debbie Goodman-Bhyat MD of Jack Hammer Executive Headhunters.

Goodman-Bhyat said this week that 51% of all candidates successfully placed by the consultancy last year were white males and that this percentage reflected almost no variation relative to 2006 figures. “In total, white candidates — both male and female — accounted for 69% of all our placements, with the remaining 31% being employment equity appointments,” Goodman-Bhyat said. She said although companies were pushing harder to secure employment equity candidates, the reality of SA’s skills deficit was forcing most employers to prioritise experience and skill over employment equity factors.

Access to senior and middle management posts by black South Africans has come a long way since 1994, but is being stalled by difficulties in finding experienced candidates and the general skills shortage plaguing the country, according to a recent report issued by human resources consul- tancy PE Corporate Services. The report found that just under 25% of senior management posts were held by black executives. While this compares favourably with less than 5% in 1994, the penetration level has shown a minimal increase in the past three years.

“One would assume that with the continued emphasis on transformation both race and gender specific appointments would receive substantial focus from employers,” Goodman-Bhyat said. “However, last year we received many employment equity mandates from our clients, but none specified gender,” she said. “Perhaps this might reflect progress in terms of a diminishing gender bias, but with women accounting for just 30% of Jack Hammer’s executive level placement, the reality is that there is still a substantial disparity.”

She warned, however, that although this figure was low, it should be seen in context. “Historically, we have found women to be generally more risk-averse than men, with a greater need for job stability. This means they are often less open to the idea of being headhunted or changing jobs when they are not actively looking.” Goodman-Bhyat said there were job market changes that would have an effect on women and their career paths. For instance, some companies are offering “work-life balance” solutions that appeal to women, including flexitime, work from home options and improved maternity benefits.

“Combined with the fact that women are increasingly becoming breadwinners in their families, we expect to see the proportion of our female placements increase substantially during the next several years,” Goodman-Bhyat said.

 

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Protesting for better living standards

Publisher: Korir, api africanpress@getmail.no source.UN

Ouagadougou (Burikina Faso) Workers from the public and private sectors throughout the country launched a two-day strike on 8 April to protest high living costs and demand salary increases.

In Ouagadougou, the capital, few shops were open. In Bobo-Dioulasso, the second largest city in the west of the country, the central market was closed. Police were out in force in front of banks and government offices. Health facilities provided only minimum services. Medical students and military medical personnel were summoned to replace striking workers at Ouagadougou’s main hospital, Yalgado Oudraogo,.

The unions are pressing the government to increase salaries by 25 percent in the public sector, and to reduce taxes on fuel and food stuffs. In a joint statement the unions accused the government of “leniency and complicity” with the businessmen. Rising food prices in recent months have brought thousands of demonstrators to the streets in the country’s major towns and cities, resulting in hundreds of arrests. More than 46 percent of the 14 million people in Burkina Faso live below the poverty line.

“We need an equalisation between the cost of living and purchasing power,” Laurent Oudraogo, the secretary general of the Confedaration Nationale des Travailleurs du Burkina (CNTB) said. The government said it had already responded to workers’ demands by suspending import taxes on basic products including rice, milk, salt and baby food for six months and by increasing subsidises for water and electricity.

The economy and finance minister Jean Baptiste Compaor said salaries had increased in 2005 and 2007 and increasing them again would fuel inflation. “The current conjecture does not allow us to give salary increases directly because it will bring more problems than solutions,” Compaor said. The prime minister speaking before parliament on 27 March dismissed the protests as futile. “The people can march and march but nothing will change”.

But the unions responded in the joint declaration, “We will march, march until the situation does change.”

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African Press International – api

Situation degenerates in Nigeria due to fuel scarcity: Will the president’s order to companies help in anyway?

Publisher: Korir, api africanpress@getmail.no source.vanguard.nigeria

By Hector Iqbikiowubo, Yemie Adeoye and Tordue Salem

Lagos (Nigeria) – Friday’s directive by President Umaru Yar’Adua to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Department of Petroleum Resources and the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to take urgent steps to end the current fuel scarcity in the country does not seem to have any effect yet as the situation degenerated at the weekend.

Many motorists spent their weekend on queues at filling stations to buy fuel. The fuel scarcity is also affecting commercial activities. Vanguard gathered that the DPR had quarantined 13 vessels at the Lagos ports, insisting they cannot discharge their products because their ethanol content is higher than that of the one prescribed by the DPR. Speaking on the development, Dr Levi Ajuonuma, Group General Manager in charge of NNPC Public Affairs Department, decried the delay caused by the DPR tests, noting that it runs contrary to a subsisting Presidential directive.

“President Umaru Yar’Adua had earlier given a directive to the DPR to allow vessels carrying products with ethanol content of between 1 and 5 per cent. Ethanol at 5 per cent is an octane booster – technically certified as good for cars on Nigerian roads. This is part of the E-10 programme. That is Nigeria’s renewable fuels programme which is set for launch soon,” he said, adding: “We urge the DPR to come alive to its responsibility to the consuming public by ensuring that the product vessels are cleared expeditiously to avoid the seeming artificial scarcity and lengthy queues at the pumps.” The corporation also urged the DPR and security agencies to come down heavily on black market operators who have cashed in on the situation to make profits.

Dr. Ajuonuma said contrary to a newspaper report, it was not true that President Yar’Adua had banned the importation of petroleum products, adding that even if all the refineries in the country were working, they could not in any way meet domestic consumption requirement. “Therefore, there is the need to augment domestic production with imports,” he said. Meanwhile, the scarcity of petroleum products has continued to bite harder across the country. In Lagos, Vanguard gathered that most filling station are under lock for lack of products, while those still having products had their stations besieged by motorists anxious to buy fuel.

Most filling stations on Ikorodu road were seen dispensing fuel on Saturday, but a repeat check on them yesterday showed that they were already out of stock. On the Apapa-Oshodi expressway, the few stations that were seen dispensing fuel were besieged by touts. A supervisor in one of the Total filling stations along the highway, who spoke to Vanguard on the condition of anonymity said the station received 22,000 litres of petrol late last Friday and exhausted it on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives sub-committee on Petroleum Products Price Monitoring Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) has stepped into the fuel scarcity in the country to ensure the problem is sorted out.
Chairman of the Committee, Doris Uboh, said the committee would move to evacuate bad fuel containing high level of ethanol from the petroleum market. The lawmaker advised “Nigerians to be patient and avoid panic buying as the agencies struggle to solve the problem.”

She said in the course of her oversight of the agency, she discovered that some people outside the Federal Capital Territory were responsible for the present crisis, as they were purchasing and storing fuel to retail.
“We should avoid the panic. The long queues in Abuja is being caused by dealers outside the Federal Capital Territory who want to make more money and make people suffer. “The PPMC has mobilised to evacuate the bad fuel. We will monitor them and ensure that the 13 vessels carrying the bad fuel are returned to their ports of origin and the companies involved monitored so that they don’t bring it back to the country in disguise.

“We have not still solved the problem of fuel in the country. That the refineries have started working is not enough. But the capacity at which they are rolling out the products is still not enough. “Our next problem with the refineries is that they have overstayed their Turn Around Time Maintenance time. We have to tackle and ensure that we do the TAM gradually. Some are as old as 10 years behind in TAM,” she said.
The lawmaker also said since the Federal Government discovered that some companies deliberately brought in the bad products, they should not be left to go without heavy sanctions as a deterrent to others.

“Why must we fold our hands and allow such people or companies to take Nigeria for a ride. The agencies involved should not think that we are fools. It is dangerous for us and it is sad that Nigerians wants to use illicit means to make money at the detriment of our lives. That would not continue and we must rally round,” she said.

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African Press International – api

Mugabe and Tsvangirai to meet. Observers expect nothing to come out of the meeting

Publisher: Korir, api africanpress@getmail.no source.star.sa

Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is expected to meet South African President Thabo Mbeki to try to end a political deadlock in Zimbabwe’s election, a local newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Business Day said the meeting would mark Mbeki’s first overt involvement in resolving the crisis concerning the March 29 election. Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has accused Mugabe of trying to delay the results of the presidential election to try and find a way out of the worst political crisis in his 28-year rule.

The MDC, which claims to have won the presidential and parliamentary polls, said Mugabe was trying to provoke a backlash as a pretext for declaring a state of emergency that could help him stay in power.
Mbeki, who has led lukewarm efforts by regional countries to mediate between Mugabe and the opposition, has failed to ease Zimbabwe’s political and economic crisis through quiet diplomacy. Mbeki is on a trip to India. His spokesperson said by telephone he did not know of any planned meeting.

MDC spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said he was not aware of any planned talks between Tsvangirai and Mbeki. MDC Secretary-General Tendai Biti said the meeting would take place soon, Business Day reported. It quoted sources as saying Tsvangirai spoke to Mbeki last week by telephone about the crisis. Mbeki said at a governance conference near London on Saturday the situation in Zimbabwe was manageable and it was not time for action, drawing heavy criticism from South Africa’s opposition.

Tsvangirai met South African ruling party leader Jacob Zuma on Monday after appealing for help from outside powers to end Mugabe’s rule. Although Zuma has no formal position in the South African government, he is the front runner to succeed Mbeki and his role as ANC leader gives him influence in the development of the party’s domestic and foreign policies.

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African Press International – api

Most Ugandans believe that an abundance of children equals virility and security

Publisher: Korir, api africanpress@getmail.no source.IPS

Nairobi (Kenya) – For Ugandan men, the equation is often a simple one: an abundance of children equals virility and security. This deeply rooted belief has frightening implications, however. According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, the population of the East African country — now 31 million — will exceed 36 million by 2015, and is projected to reach 54 million in 2025.

If this trend continues, it will rocket to 117 million by 2050. Projections are based on the current fertility rate of 6.7 children per woman. At present, the Foundation for Community Development — a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in the capital, Kampala — is the only group in Uganda specifically focused on helping men view family size differently. Family planning has traditionally been relegated to women in this country.

“Men react almost the same way when you mention anything related to sex: they want to change the topic quickly because it is a private affair,” said Amon Mulyowa, a programme officer with the organisation. “When I tell them that a man’s strength is not recognised by the many children he has but by the quality of life he provides them, they start to protest. In the process, I get a chance to tell them about the part they should play in family planning,” he told IPS during a recent workshop on reproductive health that was held in Kampala by the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), a Washington-based NGO.

Matters are further complicated by the culture placing a higher value on sons than daughters, prompting parents to continue having children until a son — preferably several sons — is born. Mulyowa, the father of two daughters, finds himself being asked the same question about his lack of sons by men across the board — even those with the benefit of an education who might be expected to have a more enlightened perspective on family planning. They ask “You have no heir. Who will inherit your property?” he said.

“My friends ridicule me…that I am not yet a man. A builder I hired once looked at my daughters and asked me why I was constructing a house when I had no heir!” Mulyowa has a counter-argument at the ready.
“As we argue about heirs with the men, I (ask) them, ‘How much land did your grandfather leave your father, and how much of that land did your father pass down to you? What are you going to give your children when it is their turn?'”

He also helps men see how population growth can lead to depleted forests and water scarcity, and highlights how parents with many children may be unable to provide them with proper education and health care.
According to the PRB, sterilisation of men in Uganda and elsewhere in East Africa is almost non-existent; vasectomies are associated with loss of manhood and even castration, explained Mulyowa. Condom use remains negligible in the region.

A further obstacle comes in the form of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who has been internationally recognised for his role in fighting HIV/AIDS, but appears less active on the family planning front. In fact, Museveni has said that population growth provides a big workforce and internal market which are likely to boost the country’s economy. Added to this is a belief that Uganda needs to make up population losses incurred in the AIDS pandemic, and during a protracted conflict in the north of the country.

Rebels from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) have been battling authorities since 1987 in this area, in what LRA leader Joseph Kony says is an attempt to establish a government based on the Biblical Ten Commandments. The movement has gained notoriety for its use of children as soldiers, sex slaves and porters, and for other human rights abuses. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced as a result of the violence — many forced to take up residence in camps for internally displaced persons.

A peace deal between government and the LRA is said to be in the offing, although negotiations have been complicated by arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against Kony and other senior figures in the rebel group, for war crimes. “This idea of ‘replacing’ the dead is making us lose gains made in family planning efforts. Without good will from the top, it is hard for people to take family planning seriously,” said Rosemary Nyakikongoro, programme director at the Forum for Women in Democracy, an NGO headquartered in Kampala.

Still, Mulyowa presses on, armed with a colourful and readable booklet, ‘Family Planning: What Every Man Should Know’. “Having a smaller family does not make you less of a man. It makes you more of a man, because you can provide better for your family,” he said.

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African Press International – api