Elections Watch 2013: When the Prime Minister Met Larry [The Interview]

Link to the CORD 10 point manifesto

Events: Multi Disciplinary Festival - Kesho Imefika [A Citizen’s Festival on elections and leadership], Jan. 28-Feb. 1 2013 @ Alliance

Kesho Imefika Festival

KESHO IME FIKA: A Citizen’s Festival on elections and leadership presented by Alliance Française in partnership with INFORM Action, The XYZ Show, Pitcha Mtaani & Dan ‘Chizi’ Aceda

Dates: January 28 to February 1, 2013

Time: Daily at 7 pm

Entrance: Free

This multidisciplinary festival will tackle issues of unity and diversity, corruption and impunity, land issues and reform, governance and leadership with critical eyes and voices, through the mediums of editorial cartoons, XYZ puppets, ‘Kenya Burning’ photographs, music and performing arts, documentaries and public service announcements. 

Cartoons by leading Kenyan cartoonists and ‘Kenya Burning’ photographs by Boniface Mwangi will graphically illustrate the path that must be avoided.

Cartoons on Display [Cartoon by Gado]

A series of short documentaries by ‘INFORM Action’ that specializes in film and community discussions, led by Maina Kiai, former Chairman of the Kenya National Human Rights Commission and UN Special Rapporteur on the Freedom of Assembly and of Association, will engage Kenyans on the persistent need to demand political and social accountability.

Skits and voice talents from the XYZ show together with musicians and comedians including Dan ‘Chizi’ Aceda, Winyo and Larry Asego will use their artistic expressions to emphasize the essence of the festival.

Programme

Opening: Monday January 28, 2013
Venue & Time: AF gardens – 7pm
FILM: ‘Disputed Fields’ - 2012, 30min
OPENING LIVE PERFORMANCE by Eric Wainaina and The Best Band in Africa

Tuesday 29 January
AF auditorium – 7pm
FILM: ‘No Man’s Land. Ni Yetu’ - 2012, 30min

Wednesday 30 January
Venue & Time: AF gardens – 7pm
FILM: ‘Project Lamu: Development or Disaster?’ - 2012, 30min
PERFORMANCE by ‘The XYZ Show’ Voice talents

Thursday 31 January
Venue & Time: AF gardens – 7pm
FILM: ‘Getting Justice: Kenya’s deadly game of wait and see’ - 2009, 60 min

Closing: Friday 1 February
Venue & Time: AF gardens – 7pm
FILM: ‘Unfinished Business: in Central Kenya’- 2013, 30min
CLOSING LIVE PERFORMANCE and album launch by Winyo

Fat Cats in Kenya [Cartoon by Gado]

Important Book Launch as we head to the Elections: Taking Stock of Socio-Economic Challenges in the Nairobi Slums

Yesterday Citizens Against Violence initiative (CAVi) launched a publication titled Taking Stock of Socio-Economic Challenges in the Nairobi Slums.

This publication is a culmination of monthly sittings which CAV has been organizing in the informal settlements from early 2008. These sittings we’re as a result of 2007 Post Election Violence and realization that it was from these informal settlements trouble started.

A body of 60 young leaders representing 10 slums in Nairobi was chosen to attend the monthly Slum Residents Assembly.

The intended consequence of this initiative was to avert future conflicts in the slums and also to understand the root causes of these unrest.  The other by product of these meet up has been a nurturing ground for young leaders in the informal settlements with a handful of participants of these meet up contesting in the coming elections as ward reps.

The young leaders were trained in advocacy work, conflict resolution, public communication and approaches to represent the needs of their respective slum areas. A smaller group of twenty members underwent an intensive training for candidature at the upcoming elections.

The publication and meet ups were supported by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) a German foundation which is keen in entrenching youth discourse in Kenyan society though capacity building and policy development

Elections Watch 2013: Nairobi Senator Aspirant Mike Sonko Live Studio Interview on Citizen TV

Mike Sonko is a senator aspirant of Nairobi county and currently the man to beat. he has captured the aspirations of the youths in this country who form the majority of the population. His campaign style and appearances are more of a rapper than a politicians. Is he going to influence how future aspirants campaign?

Watch his interview on Citizen Tv on January 23, 2013

Photo of the Week: President Barack Obama’s Second Inauguration

President Barack Obama takes Oath of Office [White House Photo by Sonya N. Hebert]

Read full info here

Africa Features Nowhere in President Obama’s Second Term Agenda

President Barack Obama's second term inauguration is taking place on Monday January 21, 2013. This marks the start of his second and last term in office. This being so a number of think tanks have prepared a set of briefs outlining what the president should strive to achieve in his second term in office. One glaring thing about most of these briefs is Africa is nowhere in their Agenda. At-least from the very top.
Which raises the question. Should the US and Europe for that matter have problems with countries that bet on Africa?

Have a look at the Brooking Institution: Big Bets and Black Swans-Crises & Opportunities for President Obama in his Second Term

Download the report here

Political Parties Primaries Results Mapped via @Kiagiri

The Star using Google Maps to map Kenya's political primaries results: maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=2… HT: @owigarj @mtotowajirani
— kiagiri (@kiagiri) January 18, 2013

View Political Parties Primaries Results in a larger map

Nomination Briefs: Meet Sonko, Mike Sonko the TNA Senator Aspirant causing ripples in Nairobi

Meet Mike Sonko

Mike Sonko has become something of an urban legend in Nairobi following his dramatic entry into the 10^th parliament through a by-election in Makadara.  He has since then transformed the political est. into two era's Before Sonko and After Sonko. These days Sonko is usually in the news for all the obvious reasons which range from the good and to the damn right ugly.

Sonko has he is fondly known has mastered the art of being in people’s minds. Together with Embakasi legislature Ferdinand Waititu have made a name for themselves by claiming to fight for the common man and going full throttle to show this in stunts which are broadcasted by Kenyan Media houses.

What is interesting about these two politicians is the on-line buzz they command. To get a feel of the magnitude. Mike Sonko official Facebook page has over one hundred and fifty eight thousand likes and counting and over twenty thousand talking about this! 

Mike Sonko's Facebook Page Cover

Sonko also commands five aliases on Twitter; @MikeSonkoM, @GideonMbuvi, @MbuviMikeSonko

@GideonKioko and @RealMikeSonko

Sonko has also appeared in a number of interviews most prominent which I have come across was a Google hangout organized by Ghetto Radio in December 21, 2012 in which he talked among other things the Somali incursion by Kenyan military!

Other notable mentions are his appearance in Jaguar Video as a shoe shiner! Watch it below

Mike Sonko Posters

Mike Sonko Posters

Mike Sonko Posters

Nairobi County Campaign Dispatches: Out of the Box Campaigning by Jimnah Mbaru [Is JM Kenya’s equivalent of London’s Boris Johnson?]

Campaign Slogan: Consider It Done Campaign

Nairobi has been turned into some sort of poster junk and all candidates are guilty of this offence. Everywhere you turn you will see posters of candidates vying for the March 4, 2013 elections. The problem has been made worse by the nominations which are currently taking place.  The irony I find in this is the same fellows appearing on these posters are promising heaven for Nairobi.

In fact the Nation Media Group chief has tweeted about the ongoing disaster on city streets

Nairobi city council should pass a by law pinning the responsibility of campaign posters on wrong places to the one whose picture appears.
— Linus Gitahi (@LGtwits) January 7, 2013

We are about to havehuge mess with posters from the chaps who want to lead us..someone has to be accountable for posters in wrong places.
— Linus Gitahi (@LGtwits) January 7, 2013

However, in all this mess I have been looking around for the new forms and creative means in which candidates are seeking the electorate vote. Jimnah Mbaru [and by pointing this out is by no means an endorsement] a candidate running for Nairobi governor is turning out to be the equivalent of London Mayor Boris Johnson. In terms of seeking that illusive vote he has gone on-line to engage the urban youth and middle class Nairobi.

London Mayor: Boris Johnson 

One of the thing doing the rounds is his curriculum vitae [see the impressive CV here] and compare it with what XYZ Show guys have come up with as Mike Sonko CV [Mike Sonko blog show be coming up soon…].

Mike Sonko purported CV [Source XYZ]

The two candidates seem to have focused their energies to different segments of the city. With Mike Sonko who is running for Senator of Nairobi appealing to the youth and people living in informal settlements. However, when you look at their posters none seems to be communicating to the so so called hustlers [By using Sheng like Safaricom or Kiswahili]. Most of the posters and billboards are in Kiswahili and the thing that seems to attract or bring the crowds are the lorry convoys/parades which have dancers on board.

Watch Nitatimiza [I will deliver] Video

Pertinent Questions

Who is going to be his running mate?
Can he delivers what he is promising?
Is Jimnah Mbaru consider running for higher office in 2017 IF elected as city Governor? 

Peace Procession/Protest: State Funeral, Jan. 16 2013 @ Uhuru Park’s Freedom Corner to Parliament Buildings

State Burial 

PichaMtaani are inviting Kenyans from all walks of life on Wednesday, 16th January 2013 at 10am, at Uhuru Park’s Freedom Corner to give the members of parliament the golden handshake they deserve.

Parliament officially closes on Tuesday 15th and the following day we shall deliver 221 coffins one for each outgoing Member of Parliament. 

The non violent, peace procession will be from Uhuru Park to parliament with thousands of Kenyans anti-vulture flags while carrying the coffins .

This protest will signify the end of five years of impunity by the 10th parliament. The protest will also be a reminder to the leaders that Kenyans are ready for a peaceful ballot revolution.

Last week members of parliament secretly passed a controversial KShs 9.3 million golden handshake. The MPs also approved that each of them gets an armed bodyguard, a diplomatic passport for the retiree and his wife and unlimited access to the executive lounge for Very Important Person in all the airports within Kenya.

President Kibaki declined to assent to the Retirement Benefits bill enacted by the National Assembly on Thursday 10th January 2013. We are holding our leaders responsible for their actions hence the coffins symbolising death to impunity & bad leadership. 

Visit the event page on Facebook 

You can tweet about it and spread the word. Hash tag #state burial #statefuneral

We want to encourage Kenyans to take proactive action in the advent of the bad leadership.

Mavulture Graffiti in City Street  [Photo by Andre Epstein]

This is your chance to join other Kenyans in speaking out against impunity and organize to vote for change. See you on Wednesday. 

Campaign Dispatches #Uchaguzi2013: Uhuru Kenya Presidential Campaign website is up!

Website: http://www.uhuru.co.ke/
The Kenyan elections is less than two months away and as we approach the elections [which is turning out to be a two horse race] the different campaign have began leveraging on information technology to woo the youth vote.

In these elections I am interested in understanding how the presidential candidates will use tech to pass out their information. Today the Jubilee Coalition which is made up of Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto commonly known as #UhuRuto is launching it's presidential campaign at Uhuru Park. This website has been launched to mark this occasion.

I have had a look at the website and it has a good User Interface [UI] and User Experience [UX]. Also, it is a one stop shop for election pundits. However, the site has no info on his running mate William Ruto and the events calendar does not show UK's schedule. However this is a good start.

The other problem I have with the site is that it is static. Seems to be an avenue to get email addresses for die hard UK fan's. Now waiting to see what the competitors will unveil...