Only the bold can face this Maasai ceremony


By Isaac Ongiri

Initiates parade outside Impiron village in Loitokitok in readiness to undergo a traditional ritual.


The acrid smell of cow dung mixed with red ochre pervades the atmosphere as thousands of young Maasai youths sit huddled together at the start of their age group’s most important initiation ceremony.

They are about to undergo the Maasai rite of passage into moranism, which has become more symbolic than traditional due to the advent of education and influence on culture by modern times.

Initiates parade outside Impiron village in Loitokitok in readiness to undergo a traditional ritual.

But Maasai elders are keen to maintain the remaining vestiges of the community’s world-acclaimed culture.

And such was the moment when more than 4,000 Maasai morans recently gathered at Impiron village for a special coronation before being ushered into moranism.

The process is punitive, breathtaking, spectacular and largely horrifying to the uninitiated observer.

First, they spend their last night in the jungle before bathing in a slow flowing cold river at dawn.

According to traditional chief Lekato ole Mento, the community has kept its tradition of modeling warriors for protection from "external invasion".

Future army

"The 4,000 young men you are seeing here will be the community’s army. They have to sacrifice, and their courage must be tested to ascertain whether they are ready to become men," Mento states.

Mento was picked to lead eight selected and traditionally anointed old men from the age group whose sons would be graduating through the ceremony. At Impiron village, everything is arranged and order and protocol are adhered to, to the letter.

At the manyatta, the eight old men are in charge; they direct guests arriving for the ceremony and give briefs on the programme as they constantly consult the chief when not sure.

The process in solemn and very important in the lives of the initiates. Each one of them is careful to heed the advice of the elders.





An Elder, Nkiminis ole Mekoki smears special cream on one of the initiates.

Photos: Pius Cheruiyot/Standard


Several groups of young men in the region, some of them from as far as Moshi and Arusha in Tanzania, are also enjoined in the process, controlled by the power of one Oloibon (Maasai elder) Salaal ole Matunda of Kilimanjaro.

"He is the overseer. He advises the community and without his blessings, nothing happens," says Saroni ole Kamei.

The Oloibon has picked a name for the age set of 4,000 youths — "Iltwati".

On the last day, before they receive special blessings from Nkiminis Mekoki, the man the elders have picked to smear a special cream on the warriors’ faces, the morans are treated to a tumultuous reception at the manyatta.

They sing songs as they run around the homesteads with elders standing at each entrance to ensure none of them gets access to the manyatta.

"We do not allow them into the homestead before they spend their last day out and their bravery tested," says Kimonos.

No room for cowards

The rogue ones who are tempted into the manyatta are treated to caning by elders.

"Caning is no punishment. It just signifies the amount of suffering the initiates should expect when they become warriors. It also ensures high standards of discipline," says Mekoki.

While in the bush, the boys try their hands at war with the wildlife. They kill snakes, lions, hyenas and other wild animals.

But for this particular rite, the boys have been advised not to kill lions, and KWS rangers deployed to keep watch as the boys spend time in the wild ensure this.

"We have organised for KWS rangers to be around, not necessarily to interfere but to ensure the lions are not attacked by our warriors," says Assistant Minister Katoo ole Metito, who is a member of the age set whose first born sons are graduating.

Metito says the ceremony that is planned every seven to eight years costs the organisers close to 150 cows, as it runs for 30 days.

"I don’t know how much that can cost us because we don’t bother as long as the ceremony is successful," says Nkiminis.

On the final day, guests from all walks of life are invited, with juicy nyama choma (roast meat) available in plenty.

The boys are well fed, and then they each take blessings from the anointed man Nkiminis, who together with his wife and son smears "blessed" oil on each and every face.

Final stage

Those who qualify at this stage are then circumcised and declared warriors and mandated to be in charge of the community security.

According to Metito, the initiated and circumcised group will undergo another ritual known as eunoto as the previous morans hand over to them.

The minister, however, says modernity is fast catching up with the cultural practice that has survived the years.

"They cannot kill lions like we did but only snakes. They can also not practice moranism all through because they have to go to school," he adds.

http://www.eastandard.net/specialreports/InsidePage.php?id=1143994696&cid=259&

Taming harsh sunrays to make cooking easy




Mrs Julia Puka checks to see if a meal is cooked and ready to be served.
Photos: Peter Ochieng/Standard



Published on 25/07/2008
By Isaiah Lucheli

The blazing sun and harsh conditions in the semi-arid Pokot makes farming almost impossible.

Many of the villagers depend on relief rations from the Government and livestock rearing for their survival.

Water sources have dried up and farming along the riverbanks is no longer sustainable.

Cattle rustling, the high rate of school dropouts, malnutrition and early marriages have for many years been part of the people’s lifestyle.

It is for that reason that women in Pokot Central District decided to brainstorm and see how they could make use of the blazing sun.


The women place a black painted pan in a polythene bag in readiness for cooking
They had for many years preserved food and dried vegetables for storage using the scorching sun’s heat.

But never had they thought that they could use the sun to make some income until they ventured in the production of solar cookers.

They grappled with the idea, bought material with the little money they could raise and begun making a few solar cookers in 2003.

They then organised themselves into the Wei Wei women group and started using old carton boxes and aluminium foils to make cookers for domestic use.
Today, they sensitise the villagers on how to use the cookers by holding demonstrations during market days in the vast district.

The cookers, made from used carton boxes covered with aluminium foil, are curved into hexagonal shapes.

“The scorching sun and the harsh climatic conditions in the region have made the cookers ideal for the area. The cooker is known as ‘Cook It’,” explains group Treasurer Julia Pukat.

Sell thousands of cookers

From the humble beginning when the women made a handful of cookers for members at a small fee, they now sell thousands of the cookers.

Pukat explains that ‘Cook It’ design enables the user to curve them in a hexagon shape to facilitate the placing of the cooking pan in the middle.

The biggest problem encountered by the women is the sourcing of aluminium foil and the cartons.

“We buy cartons and the foil from supermarkets in Kitale and Eldoret, but the good sales we make cover the cost,” says Pukat.

“The shape of the cooker enables the sun rays to be directly deflected on the cooking pan. However, the user has to keep turning the cooker in the direction of the sun’s rays,” she adds.


Heat retention

Pukat explains that the cooking pan and its lid are painted black to enable them retain heat as the foil in the boxes reflect the scorching sunrays to the cooking pan.

Mrs Julia Puka checks to see if a meal is cooked and ready to be served.
Photos: Peter Ochieng/Standard

She says that in an effort to ensure the food is cooked within a short period, the pan containing the food is wrapped in a polythene bag before being placed on ‘Cook It’.

"The polythene bag used must be checked to ensure it is not torn. After the pan with its lid is placed in the polythene bag, it is tied with a thread," she told The Standard in an interview in Sigor market.

To facilitate effective cooking, three tiny wooden pieces of wood are placed on the base of the cooker. These are the ones that prop the pan in the right position.
Pukat further explains that clean water is scarce in the region, but the solar cookers enable them purify drinking water. This had led to a reduction in waterborne diseases.

"We have a gadget we use to measure the impurity level in the water. If it lies horizontally in the water after boiling then it is safe for drinking," she explains.
Pukat displayed a small cylindrical glass-like gadget with some fluid inside and a long string.

She says the cookers are hygienic and they are used in the drying of vegetables and fruits to facilitate storage.

"Our area is arid and there is no meaningful agriculture but we normally have mangoes, paw paws and vegetables harvested from the Wei Wei irrigation scheme. We dry and store our harvest for future use," she says.

Pukat adds that since its inception in 2003, the group had attracted more than 500 members, from a paltry 10 who started the organisation.

Revolutionised cooking

A beneficiary of the project, Josephine Wakini explains that the cooker had revolutionised her cooking at her Lomut home.

She says the scorching sun had come in handy.
"I used to trek for long distances in search of firewood, but the situation now is different. I have less to worry about. The cooking process is simple, hygienic, with less preparation time," she says.

The women have been raising awareness on the benefits of the solar cookers and sell them at Sh1,200 a piece.

Wakini explains that she has stopped worrying about her lungs due to smoke from firewood. She also pays less attention to the cooking process.

The process, she says, is simple. One mixes her ingredients with, for example, beef or vegetables and some water before putting it in the cooker.

The solar cookers can prepare a wide variety of foodstuff and the time taken depends on the type of food.

For instance, it takes one hour to fry meat, cook rice and groundnuts.
Wakini says a mixture of maize and beans commonly known as githeri takes two hours, but the mixture has to be soaked overnight.

She adds that the preparation of ugali takes at least one and a half hours and explains that the process is easy and convenient.

The organisation's Chairlady, Agnes Lokitare, explains that Solar Cooking International officials trained them further on how to make the cookers.

"An Italian organisation also played a key role in facilitating us to make the solar cookers. We are now able to effectively harness sunrays for our benefit," she says.
The group has been able to reach out to more than 1,000 women in Ortum, Chepariria and Sigor and they are in the process of moving to Turkana District.

"God gave us the sun for free and we are happy that now we can also see the positive side of its scorching heat. Initially we used to blame the sun for all our woes," explains Lokitare.

The solar cookers are not only a blessing for the local people, but also play a key role in environment conservation.

"The issue of firewood is becoming an aspect of the past. The workload in our homes has reduced. One can leave the food cooking as she carries out other chores without any fear of the food burning," she explains.

The kit includes a cooking pan, lid, the cooker, the gadget for measuring water impurity, polythene bag and three tiny pieces of wood for positioning the pan.

The women have, however, faced many challenges in their struggle. Lack of transport to traverse markets in the vast district and extreme weather conditions are some of the factors that hamper their efforts.

But they are determined to make use of the blazing sun for the betterment of their lives, their families and that of the community.

http://www.eastandard.net/specialreports/InsidePage.php?id=1143990877&cid=259&

Thirst spreads as shortage of water persists




Samples of contaminated water presented to Water Minister Charity Ngilu when she visited Mandera. The area experiences a perennial water shortage. Picture: Boniface Ongeri

Published on June 6, 2008, 12:00 am

By Adow Jubat and Boniface Ongeri

The adage, "the early bird catches the worm" may be true for residents of Mandera West Constituency.

Each morning, they wake to lick dew from plants to quench their thirst.
To them, the perennial water scarcity has turned into a nightmare.

"It doesn’t really quench our thirst, but keeps us going during the day’s intense temperatures," Mr Alnur Osman, 84, says as he moves his tongue from one leaf of a neem tree to another.

Dogged by a perennial water crisis, the residents of this remote constituency want a lasting solution.

"The dew only helps to minimise thirst but as you can see, we are dirty for not washing. We need water," Alnur says.

While the rest of the country is exploring prospects for oil and improved agricultural turnover, the constituency is yet to have a reliable water supply.
Several excavations have been done, but none has been successful.
Children have not been spared by this crisis.

Many have dropped out of school to join their parents in search of the precious commodity.

In the dry dusty roads, they flag down motorists, begging for water. A resident, Mr Ibrahim Adan Mohammed, says women do not attend to their chores fully because they spend most of their time looking for water.

Like schools, health centres have been worst affected, with most hospital facilities turning into health hazards instead.

Pans and dams that harvest the commodity during the rare rains are all dry as short rains last year and this year’s long rains failed.

A spot check on several dams and pans in Mandera reveal that most have dried up while others are a murky puddle.

At least eight locations are experiencing scarcity and require water tinkering, according to the DC John Kinja.

Several villages have been deserted as the occupants set out to look for water and pasture for their livestock and families.

Takaba, the constituency-cum-district headquarters, is not spared either. During the recent homecoming ceremony for area MP Mohammed Maalim Mahamud, visitors including Water minister Charity Ngilu and six Members of Parliament were shown samples of water full of algae that residents drink.

Concocted faces from the visitors said it all.

"I am ashamed to be the Water minister if this is the kind of water people drink here," Mrs Ngilu said.

A glimpse of the locals’ predicament greeted the entourage as they landed in a dusty airstrip.

"Welcome Minister Ngilu, but 45 years since independence, we have no water," the residents said, with some displaying banners to drive home the point.

Mandera badly needs water since it is predominantly a Muslim community in which everything depends on water.

Human-wildlife conflict

It is widely used to wash corpses before burial and for ablution in preparation for prayers.

Ngilu ordered an emergency delivery of water to the residents.
But even so, the residents are bracing for another bout of confrontation with wildlife, particularly baboons, over the scarce water sources.

"We often treat patients injured by baboons every year," Mr Ismail Tulo, a clinical officer at the local health centre, said.

Security personnel have also been caught in the fray. In Kiliweri, Elgofa, Banissa, Dandu and Darwet locations, security officers are now armed with firearms on one hand and jerricans on the other as they join the residents in search of water over long distances.

"Our major job here is to look for water besides ensuring security," an officer in Takaba said.

The Regional Manager for Water Resource Management Authority Ali Yarrow, says that since 1934, 18 trials to drill boreholes have been unsuccessful.

"The sites include Takaba, Kiliweri, Elgoffa, Wangai, Banisa, Guba, Darwet and Dandu," Yarrow said.

Between 2001 and 2006, some 12 sites were investigated, but only one at Khokai Hamansa was recommended for drilling to the depth of 350 metres. It was dry.
However, a site at Ereb Kuki along the Wargadud-Shimbir Fatuma road junction recommended in 1985 by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation geologists has not been drilled to date.

The military tried to drill two boreholes in Darwet, but they were also unsuccessful.
Local MP Mahamud said he would engage professionals to conduct a study on how the entire Mandera district’s needs can be addressed, including intensive hydro geological survey to identify fractured sites.

In the meantime, the residents will be waking up everyday before the sun strikes to lick dewdrops.

http://www.eastandard.net/specialreports/?id=1143987924&cid=259

IDPs should be resettled in a peaceful environment

Published on May 24, 2008, 12:00 am

By Dr Kiplege Zochin

Resettling displaced persons in Rift Valley requires a sustainable mechanism for peace building and conflict resolution which may entail participatory strategies.
The efforts should involve the affected communities and their leaders. We cannot afford the consequences of forced resettlement.

Dialogue should be initiated in all affected areas. Chiefs and their assistants, councillors, church leaders and local elders should be involved in the peace talks. Each group should be encouraged to express their fears and suspicions.

Forced settlement will not work. It was recently reported that IDPs felt the Government was coercing host communities to accept them back. This was confirmed last week when IDPs who had been transported back to their farms in Burnt Forest returned to their camps. Mr Julius Nderitu, an IDP from Rukuini farm in Uasin Gishu District, reportedly said the situation on the ground forced him to return to the camp.

"You cannot force your way into enemy territory without reconciliation. Now they think we want to forcefully go back there, yet it is the Government that wants us to," he said. And Archbishop Cornelius Korir of Eldoret Catholic Diocese called on the Government to pursue dialogue.

Agriculture Minister, Mr William Ruto, concurs. He recently visited the IDPs at the Eldoret Showground accompanied by some Rift Valley MPs. He is reported to have told the victims to move only when they were ready, and that they should not be forced out of the camps.

The different communities should be brought together to discuss how they can co-exist without suspicion. It should involve striking deals on issues of mutual interest that cement their relationship. Their resolutions should be documented through minutes for future references.


Peace-building and conflict resolution

The proceedings of such meetings should be made sacred through prayers led by traditional and religious leaders. The local administration and humanitarian agencies can come in as facilitators.

Everybody’s participation in peace-building and conflict resolution will help protect the remaining limited resources. This includes human lives and infrastructure. Reconstruction is therefore an expensive undertaking.

We should build peace through initiatives that ensure destruction does not happen again.

Aid agencies have a crucial role in conflict prevention. This entails early warnings, grassroots peace building and networking with responsible decision-makers. The challenge of putting in place preventive measures to conflict is a fundamental global concern.

Two functions are expected of humanitarian and aid agencies. First is to give early warnings before a conflict erupts or escalates.

Second, they should engage the community in a gradual process to change attitude, perception and biased beliefs through education workshops, conflict transformation and conflict resolution.

Early warnings imply proactively taking part in actions that counter a plausible conflict. An aid agency working in a particular area needs to be on the alert, regularly making analyses of the political and social situation.

The challenge, therefore, is for these agencies to design strategic engagements to prevent conflict.

During last year’s election campaigns, the Government and peace agencies should have expected any eventuality, including inter-ethnic violence. They should have taken corrective measures to avert the post-election skirmishes.

This also puts into sharp focus the Government’s own early warning systems, through the National Security Intelligence Service.

There is need for present and future coordinated efforts towards conflict prevention.
We need sustainable peace-building and conflict resolution.

-The writer (ronzochin@yahoo.com) is a management consultant in Nairobi

http://www.eastandard.net/commentaries/?id=1143987132&cid=15

The Clintons in sorrow as Obama sings ‘Yes, we can!’

By Okech Kendo

Hillary Clinton’s campaign is broke. She is borrowing to stoke dying embers of hope.

The woman who represents corporate America has run out of campaign cash and donors, while her rival Barack Obama’s vote-hunting war chest climbs by the dollar. Obama, the precocious second-generation Kenyan-American is propelled by the audacity of hope, with the call: "Yes, we can!"

Hillary has also depleted the bank of those who believe she still can, as she continues to lose those who believed she could. Supporters are pleading with her to quit with grace than waiting to exit in disgrace, too shrivelled to bargain.

Quit, when your stocks are still redeemable, is the message Hillary does not want to hear — not just yet.

Not that those who say she should leave love Hillary less, but they admire Obama more.

Near the sunset on the gruelling primaries for party presidential candidate, Democrats understand there is more to the race than Hillary claiming she is ready to be commander-in-chief on day one.

"Barack Obama has waged a very effective campaign. He is an unusually capable and talented man. I frankly didn’t know him when I endorsed Hillary last October," a Democratic Party leader and former US senator from South Dakota, who made failed attempt at White House in 1972, told Reuters, last week.

Americans who did not believe a black man could, within their lifetime, make such a winning bid for the White House, are joining the change-hungry. Their inspiration is Obama’s chorus, "Yes, we can!" And they are saying, "Yes, he can!"

Obama is leading in State support, pledged delegates and super-delegates. Super-delegates nominate the Democratic Party presidential candidate during the August Convention, if the race gets that far. The Democrat would then face the Republican nominee John MacCain in the November General Election.

Last week Hillary had a victory in Indiana that tasted like a loss. Obama had a loss that was too tight it seemed like a win.

Hillary’s two-point win in Indiana and Obama’s earlier 14-point lead in North Carolina gave the precocious ‘Kenyan’ new gravitas.

Hillary is in a quandary. Delegates no longer return her telephone calls. Donors are not keen on banking on a candidate on the losing trail. Now, it’s only Hillary who lends to the Hillary campaign.

Obama needs just 150 total delegates to win the nomination. Hillary still must convince 320 to reach the touchline. Even her most ardent supporters say she has no mathematical chance of winning. Not even Tuesday win in West Virginia can salvage her ambition.

Does not believe this is over

Hillary is fighting on, but Oregon and Kentucky, voting on May 20, may not rescue her from the precipice.

The Clinton clan is moaning. After the narrow win in Indiana last week, Bill Clinton was described as looking as "sour as a giant cranberry".

Her daughter Chelsea "appeared to be on the verge of tears".

Hillary, dressed in fluorescent scarlet, was described as "dagger-eyed and guns blazing in a remake of the zombie movie Dawn of the Dead".

The First Daughter who used to introduce her mother as "the next president of the United States" now remembers to add "hopefully".
"Apart from Hillary herself, it is very hard to find people who do not believe this is over," says one commentator.

"She is in denial." The woman is battered, bruised and brazen, but she is not quitting. She borrows to stay on.

From the Obama-Hillary duel we learn that small people across small towns that contribute, say, Sh500 or Sh1,000 are stronger than captains of corruption who donate Sh100m, at Sh1m-a-plate dinners at five-star hotels in Nairobi.

Such are the captors who force ‘bad candidates’ with power to rig elections, so the benefactors can recoup their ‘investments’. Those who donate Sh500 with clean hearts just want good governance.

That Obama could win with petty cash from largely nondescript Democrats is a lesson for Kenya’s would-be presidential candidates.

Hillary is heading towards a fall. Then she would probably plead with Obama to name her his running mate — a potential first woman vice-president of the United States.
The New York senator had tasted White House as the First Lady.

But her attempt to return to Washington as president and commander-in-chief, is in trouble after the Indiana-North Carolina stumble.

Pride is about the only thing that stands between former President Bill Clinton’s wife and snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

-The writer (kendo@eastandard.net) is The Standard Managing Editor, Quality and Production

http://www.eastandard.net/columnists/?id=1143986619&cid=190

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.

http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=1&newsid=121395

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.

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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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