Saturday, January 30, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
NA IKO WARE WALITOKA MANDERAAAAAAAAAAAAAA............
THE CARTOON SAYS IT ALL............
Kenya's Prime Minister Raila Odinga has assured the Kenyan Somali community they are not targets in the crackdown on illegal immigrants. The PM also assured those in legitimate businesses would be protected by the law and urged them to lodge complaints when their interests as citizens or legal immigrants are threatened.
Raila also appealed the US Government to mobilise international support for the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia, saying stability in the Horn of African nation would curb terrorism and piracy.Earlier, Raila told officials of the Eastleigh Business Community and Somali Leaders Forum who visited his Treasury office, that the ongoing operation aimed at ensuring security.
"The Government does not have any hidden agenda against the members of the Somali community. We welcome the investment you have put in the country and if the current operation appears to be getting abused, we will investigate and take necessary action," he told them.
The officials said they do not condone the presence of illegal immigrants or defend their arrests and deportation.
They backed the move to rid the country of criminals, but expressed concern the crackdown appears to be targeting Somalis and their businesses.
Police have arrested more than 1,000 illegal immigrants. The move appears to have been prompted by the deportation of Jamaican cleric Abdullah al-Faisal, last week.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
STOP THE INVASION BY FOREIGNERS....NJOKI KARUOYA'S VIEW
Njoki Karuoya Writes from Here...Read the Story.......
Saturday, January 16, 2010
KENYA SOMALIS ARE KENYANS JUST LIKE "KENYA GIKUYUS", KENYA LUOS....
Thursday, January 14, 2010
US DENIES VISA TO RTD MAJOR GENERAL HUSSEIN ALI
The envoy also declined to disclose whether Maj Gen (rtd) Ali was among the 15 Kenyan personalities banned from travelling to the U.S due to their alleged hindrance to the reform agenda. The country’s top postman was reportedly due to travel to America on official duty. Attorney General Amos Wako has already confirmed receiving a letter from the US government barring him from the country. The AG is accused of being an impediment to reforms in the country but he has since denied the charge and indicated he would sue the US government over its stand.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
SOMALILAND POLITICS IN OUR DOORSTEP: HON. FARAH MAALIM SO CALLED "STATE VISIT" IS BOUND FOR A DEBATE
THE VISIT BY DEPUTY SPEAKER Farah Maalim to the northern breakaway region, which calls itself Somaliland was totally unwise. This is an entity dominated by one clan among the area’s five main clans, and masquerading as a State based on the boundaries of former British Somaliland, a territory which irrevocably united with the rest of Somalia in July 1960. It is an enclave where the aspirations of the pro-secession clan are deemed to be paramount and non-negotiable, whereas those of the other four unionist clans count for nothing. This is the backdrop to the area to which the Deputy Speaker has paid an ‘‘official’’ visit, during which, he went over the top in his praise of the enclave and its policies and actions. He has, to all intents and purposes, recognised Somaliland without saying it in so many words. No one can, therefore, blame his audience if they concluded that Mr Maalim was representing his government and speaking on its behalf. Until Now, Mr. Maalim has been a man held in high regard among almost all Somalis who have come to know him or heard of him in Kenya and Somalia. Before his election to Kenya's Parliament in December 2007, he was a regular participant in the BBC Somali Service programmes, where he would frequently call for peace, denounce foreign interference in Somalia and strongly defend the country’s territorial integrity. He rightly saw a peaceful, united country, not only in the interest of Somalia, but also its neighbours, including Kenya. Which is all the more shocking then that Mr Maalim would betray all these valued positions by ingratiating himself with Somaliland — a secessionist entity (For my readers, There is nothing called Republic of Somaliland. Somaliland is a province of the disintegrated Somalia)
Somaliland has been assiduously soliciting recognition from both Ethiopia and Kenya, and has been ready in both cases, but more so in the case of Ethiopia, to pay any price to win their recognition. Mr Maalim’s visit has been a tremendous propaganda boost for Somaliland at a time when little else is going right for them. Long despairing of recognition, the visit will be presented as presaging imminent recognition and will be exploited to the full by the ruling party and its authoritarian leader in the forthcoming presidential and parliamentary elections. Supporting the current Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) has been the mantra of both the Ethiopian and Kenyan governments. And while Kenya has been, on the whole, faithful to its pledges in the past, Ethiopia has never missed an opportunity to undermine Somalia or treat it as non-existent. In the meantime, all the available information suggests that Mr Maalim’s visit to Somaliland was initiated without the knowledge or concurrence of the TFG. It is, therefore, difficult to see the Kenya government endorsing such a visit over the head of the internationally recognised Somali government when it has nothing to gain from it. Mr Maalim’s Somaliland escapade was received by the locals and their administration like a ‘‘state visit’’. He was taken to most parts of the region so that the despairing separatists would see for themselves the new friend and supporter Somaliland has at last gained. Clearly, this was a public relations exercise. The most outrageous part of his visit was his trip to the three northern unionist regions of Sool, Sanaag and Cayn (SSC), invaded and occupied by Somaliland in October 2007 on the ground that they were once invaded and occupied by Somaliland in October 2007 on the ground that they were once part of former British Somaliland and because they refused to join the secession.
ITS ACTION HAS BEEN DRIVEN BY the misguided belief that control of a territory by force will somehow beget recognition. The Deputy Speaker’s pronouncement at the end of his visit that the three SSC regions should forgo their membership of Somalia and instead accept Somaliland’s tutelage is a denial of the rights of the SSC people who oppose the secession. Aiding and abetting the break-up of Somalia is like playing with fire, and it is not difficult to contemplate its consequences. For one thing, it could stoke up the conflict between the secessionists and the rest of unionist Somalia. That would give rise to new outflow of refugees and Kenya, already hosting nearly half a million Somali refugees, will be their preferred destination.
The Author, Mr Hassan is a former UN employee, and currently a consultant on development issues. (ohassanomar@yahoo.co.uk)
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
LETTER TO MEDIA HOUSE: KENYA CITIZEN TV
We are already alarmed by your programme, TAHIDI HIGH, Which we assume will go on air around Tuesday at 7.30pm and which we feel will potray Muslims as terrorists. I personally saw your advert for the same. Kindly be advised that, we are against any media form that depicts Muslims or People who confess to ISLAM as a religion as Terrorists. Terrorists are everywhere and not neccesarily Muslims. There were IRA, Irish Republican Army which confessed to Catholic population.
Kindly, by this e-mail, advise your media house to find other ways of stopping that programme.
By This, if you don't desist, We are going to find appropriate measures to make Kenya's Muslim Community to view your media House as against Muslims....Find other ways of interacting with Muslims and not Mis-conceptions and stereo-typing.
Kindly send us a confirmation that, you will not air that part which shows Muslims as being terrorists.
GENERAL NOTICE TO KENYA MUSLIMS
Tel: + 254 (0) 202721415/6,2718506/7,Fax: + 254 (0) 202724220,2724 211
CellPhone: +254 (0) 722-202305/ 0735-969696, Email:citizen@royalmedia.co.ke
Sunday, January 10, 2010
WHAT IS WRONG IF KENYA SOMALI POPULATION JUST WENT UP........
Read this coming analysis......
.......................In fact, some reports suggest the announcement was postponed because the number of Somalis in the country had been doctored; that their number had risen by 140 per cent in the last ten years. Such a growth rate is definitely wont to raise suspicions although there is nothing wrong with people wanting to give birth to as many people as they wish. That is their right. After all, the number in real figures is not much, just 2.3 million from 900,000 in 1999 Kenya National Census. And this could be a consequence of people stating their ‘tribe’ in the census. However, we await the facts and do not want to speculate.
WHY KENYANS ARE WORRIED SO MUCH WITH "SOMALI" NUMBERS
Read some more
The writer is a political economist, An Advisor to the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission Board and a former MP for Mandera Central Constituency
Saturday, January 09, 2010
KENYA WANTS SOMALIA PEOPLE HELPED
President Mwai Kibaki has urged the World Food Programme (WFP) to reconsider its decision to suspend food relief distribution to Somalia. The President noted that continued denial of relief food to Somalia was exerting more pressure on Kenya which is already hosting thousands of refugees.
The Head of State made the remarks when he met and held discussions with the Country Director of the World Food Programme Burkard Oberle and WFP goodwill Ambassador Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Haya Bint Al-Hussien of Dubai who paid him a courtesy call. HRH Princess Haya Bint Al-Hussien is the first lady of Dubai and UN WFP goodwill ambassador for hunger, poverty and Peace.
Princess Haya and the Country Director in response said WFP would consider Proposals made by President Kibaki in relation to Somalia and devastating floods which have claimed lives in the country. The talks were attended by the Assistant Minister for Special Programmes Mohamud Ali, Head of Public Service Amb. Francis Muthaura, and Special Programmes PS Ali Daud among other government and WFP officials.
KENYA SOMALIS PASS 2.5 MILLION MARK, NOW AMONG KENYA'S BIGGEST TRIBES
The Minister’s excuse was partly that “the government is currently implementing various important national activities which require more comprehensive information.”
He however did not indicate other reasons for the cancellation.
“It is important that the report to be released captures all the necessary variables that are critical to the implementation of these activities,” he said.
When postponing the release on December 31, Mr Oparanya had cited subdued government activity and the unavailability of development partners.
The provisional report would have indicated the total Kenyan population and its distribution in the provinces and districts. A comprehensive report would then detail various characteristics like education levels, labour force, migration, housing conditions and household amenities.
The estimated population in 1999 when the last national census was conducted was 28.7 million Kenyans. In 2003, the United Nations estimated the population to have grown to over 31 million which placed the country position 34 in population among 193 nations of the world.
Reports have indicated that the population could be approaching the 40 million mark. Others indicate Some ethnic Groups including Somalis have marginally increased in Figures. Past Census showed Kenya Somalis were marginally over I million but now the figure could be close to 2.5 Million.
“The government is aware that there are figures circulating, purportedly from the census office. This should be ignored as they are not genuine,” Mr Oparanya said.
The census exercise conducted after every ten year took place last August. Mr Oparanya had said then that it would take at least four months for the bureau to tabulate the comprehensive report after releasing the provisional results.
The last census was conducted in 1999 but was jumbled, with the public casting aspersions on the figures following a long delay in announcing the results.