Dispatch from Mombasa

Fostering inclusivity through the media 25th November 2020 President Kenyatta shakes hands with ODM leader Raila Odinga in March 2018  Source: Standard Media The Building Bridges Initiative referendum signature collection that was launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta and his handshake brother former Prime Minister Raila Odinga Wednesday seeks to entrench the doctrine of inclusivity as key to addressing Kenya’s perennial election related problems. The BBI taskforce among others identified the challenge of inclusivity as a major challenge facing the country leading to incessant wrangles every election cycle. Despite the existence of constitutional interventions such as devolution, constitutional commissions such as the National Gender and Equality Commission, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission among others, the challenge of attaining desirable levels of inclusivity still abounds. From the outset, the principle of inclusivity is as diverse as the ridges that it s...

Life is full of stress and the television news scene does not help make matters easier either. This is because our news is almost predictable to a point. Raila will attack Kalonzo, Ruto and his folk will attack Raila and Raila’s supporting politicians will respond with even more lethal salvos. But I think I have a suggestion that could be a solution to our boring way of predictable politics. It would save us from the wind driven politics of the Prime Minister. It would also save us from the politics of Kalonzo Musyoka who doesn’t care whether the wind blows or not as long there is a central route. But these can only change if we borrowed our politics from the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and South African President Jacob Zuma. We would be saved the agony of the dullness of having to deny positions that we have defended in the past for the sake of a headline. It would help us avoid the monotony of seeing colorless politicians who think that audiences car...

You have heard about the story of the pied piper of hammelin. He who asked to be paid to clear rats from the city of Hammelin. At the end of the story we are told that he who pays the piper calls for the tune. And none other than the Prime Minister Jakom Raila Odinga has said that MPs are being paid to ask questions in parliament. It is not a new thing, we have heard about it before. We have heard how multinationals would foot the bill for first class flights to beach resorts and also pay hefty allowances to the not so honourable members to ensure that bills that would curtail their profits do not see the light of the day. They would also ensure that if they see, it is in an empty chamber where a quorum can't be raised. My concern is have we become a nation of hirilings dancing to many tunes of the people paying us? If it is not Mps who are being hired to ask questions for pay it is the journalists who will be writing stories for pay. They will be penning stories that fav...