KENYA ETHNIC COMMUNITIES MAP

Estimates put Kenya Somalis at around 3 million people spread across the whole of Kenya.

NA IKO WARE WALITOKA MANDERAAAAAAAAAAAAAA............

Some Kenyan Somalis from all the way........Places like "Baadiya"....Who don't know how to speak Swahili had a rough time with the "Karaus".....Na Iko wapi ile ya Mandera.....was the story last week....

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.

STOP THE INVASION BY FOREIGNERS....NJOKI KARUOYA'S VIEW

Read below what Njoki has to say about Kenya and the way it's dealing with Foreigners. Njoki However, doesn't differentiate between Kenya Somalis and Somali Somalis when describing Somalis. Kenya Somalis have their own Province in Kenya and we say, from Time to time, If need be and you think we are a disturbance to Kenya, Let us Govern NEP ourselves and put that in a referendum. Otherwise, we are tired of being taken as second class citizen. Kenya is our country and everyone should understand we have put Eight Provinces together to form Kenya.........She doesn't know NEP is the most safest province in Kenya at the Moment...She has that Colonial/Emergency/Shifta war Memories.....which needs to be washed from her minds.... As someone from Media outlet, she should be the best person to Know that......

Njoki Karuoya Writes from Here...Read the Story.......

I now understand why no other country wants to be even a mile close to radical Sheikh Abdullah al-Faisal if his mere presence is enough to incite a country’s citizens to fight, maim, even kill each other and destroy property worth millions, threatening the economic livelihoods of its people. If I was a foreign ambassador residing here, I would by this time have warned my President, peers and Cabinet colleagues not to even entertain the thought of allowing Sheikh Abdullah al-Faisal to transit through my home country on his way to whichever destination Kenya finds. I would send video images of the violence that rocked Nairobi’s Central Business District to demonstrate why this fellow is one of the most dangerous in the continent.

Even his own people don’t want him. His Muslim countrymen are wary of his beliefs and no longer allow him to preach to the faithful, yet some misguided brothers here eagerly gave him audience and went home thinking al-Faisal was a sane man.

Sensitive matter

Now these same misguided brothers have threatened to fight, maim and kill more innocent souls under the guise of a ‘peaceful protest march’, and we all know how these ‘demonstrations’ turn out in Nairobi, a city that has a large number of idle men. And the most the Government can do is look confused and overwhelmed in its handling of this ‘sensitive’ matter that pits its ministers against a radical preacher who strolled into Kenya through ‘a hole in the fence’, if I may borrow the words of Kiss FM presenter Caroline Mutoko.

This country always finds millions to pay for unplanned activities that often involve parliamentarians. How come it has become extremely difficult to put this persona non grata Jamaican in a Kenya Airways plane, together with a few security officers to enjoy the ride, and fly him back to his mother?  I sure hope Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetang’ula does not eat his words tomorrow and that he deports al-Faisal successfully, immediately because we sure don’t want him around.

The Government’s dillydallying prompted opportunists to creep from the woodwork and use the grave situation to gain notorious fame under the banner of ‘human rights activists’. Human rights my foot! Since when did the rights of one unwanted foreigner supersede those of Kenyans? Why didn’t Al-Amin Kimathi (before his arrest), Hassan Omar Hassan and their cronies speak out on behalf of the hundreds of Kenyans who comprise Muslims, Christians, Hindus, traditionalists and others, who were inconvenienced, hurt or lost property over last Friday’s clash?

Weak security

What about the police officers who were hurt in the process? Who is fighting over their rights? Or does their job description include being shot by criminal gangs? A criminal/terrorist is a criminal/terrorist regardless of his/her nationality or religious affiliation. Turning this sordid mess into a Christian versus Muslim war is not only reckless but senseless, shameless and very dangerous.

And let us not forget that the radical Sheikh al-Faisal is not the only foreigner to demonstrate just how weak our security institutions are. To the West of our borders, Uganda security forces boldly took over the administration and operations of Migingo Island long before the dispute was resolved.

Further to the North-West, Ugandan military forces are said to have shifted the beacons marking the Kenyan boundary and are claiming more of our territory as theirs. And then there is the South-Sudanese army that is threatening Turkanas and forcing them to vacate their land. The Government seems silent over this issue.

North Eastern Province is the most dangerous hotspot in the country as it holds the largest number of foreigners. The Islamic militant group Al Shabaab are reported to have threatened to take over the entire province and claim it as their own. What have we become? A softie country that is so afraid of hurting its neighbours and foreign ‘friends’-cum-‘investors’ that it would rather lie low and be stepped all over like doormats despite the fact that we have legions of army officers spread in camps around the country. What is their purpose?

Sadly, Kenya’s brand of ‘diplomacy’ is killing us. If they wanted to do so, who would stop the Italians, Germans, British and Israelites from taking over sections of the Coast and claiming it their own; or the Somalis from taking over Nairobi and North Eastern Provinces; or the Sudanese and Ethiopians from taking over parts of Rift Valley?

Government must swiftly and decisively reclaim Kenya.

KENYA SOMALIS ARE KENYANS JUST LIKE "KENYA GIKUYUS", KENYA LUOS....

"These demonstrators, they can go back home to Somalia if they want to," One looter was heard telling the Reuters news agency.

And My questions was......Kwani ni Wasomali pekee ndio walikuwa wakifanya demonstration....It was Kenyan Muslims and Other Muslims, Somalis Included who were demonstrating. When we say, kenyans, I mean, Kenyan Gikuyu Muslims, Kenya Somali, Kenya Luo Muslims, Kenya Massai Muslims and so on. Although Kenya hosts about 300,000 Somali refugees in refugee camps and there is a significant Somali community in Nairobi, That doesn't say, Somalis are not Kenyans. Recent Estimates from The Kenya National Bureau of statistics say, Kenya Somalis are close to 2.5 Million people. So Usiseme Wasomali as if you own Kenya. We have our Land inside Kenya......and if everyone akienda Kwake...we have our Land. Else, we work together Like Kenyans and nchi Iendeleeeeeeeeee......

Back to Yesterday's Event, The demo to stop "harrasment of Muslims" in Kenya and the release of Sheikh Faisal, Who converted from Christianity at a young age to Islam, ought not to be repeated if we need to work and make our Country proud. Use of Live Bullets by the Kenya Police (GSU) as we saw on Press, is never allowed anywhere in the world, unless your opponents use the same, Then, and only then, allowed to be used for defensive purposes. The Weaknesses in Kenya's Police (Anti-Riot + GSU) has also been established. Our Police performed Vibaya sana...You can't control a small group of demonstrators, Je waislamu wote wakija.....na ma Hawkers..............Looters karibu 1000 Wakija....Mta do....?

Kenya Muslims must also understand that there is a Government in Place. There are Channels to follow and one must not just do what he wishes to do. Our Muslim Leaders were supposed to petition the Government, Then if that fails, we come together and do our peaceful demos once and for all to see what we mean. Muslims must first be one group. You Can't Just do anything when Muslims themselves are divided and work with other interests. Then Again, Muslims should avoid anything that will inflame the whole situation...Grafittis..The So-Called Al Shabaab Like Graffittis...Although The Flag was a normal Islamic Flag and Al-Shabaab don't own it, But It is a group like Al-Shabaab that continues to use it for their activities. So better use a similar one with a different colour next time. This, The Kenyan Government uses to deny us our rights later like the way they used to say during The Shifta war...That, North Eastern Province is "insecure" and deny us Education, Health and Infrastructure, eat the budget meant for us and which took us back, never to be at par with other Kenyans, worries that Wajir West MP, Adan Keynan estimated made us loss around Ksh. 39 Billion in a 3 decade period.

Again, We have no uhusiano na Al-Shabaab although there have been reports of supporters of Somalia's al Shabab rebel group recruiting fighters and young suicide bombers from the diaspora within Kenya. Al Shabab, accused by US of having links to al-Qaeda, is battling to overthrow the Somali government and impose their own version of sharia law which some claim are using for Material Gain meant to stop Somalis having a country of their own....This group, Should not enter Kenya Somali Politics for the country's posterity.

Sheikh Faisal was born Trevor William Forrest in St James, Jamaica - though he left the island 26 years ago, initially living in the UK. His parents were Salvation Army officers and he was raised as a Christian. But at the age of 16 he went to Saudi Arabia - where he is believed to have spent eight years - and became a Muslim. He took a degree in Islamic Studies in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, before coming back to the UK.

Faisal spent years travelling the UK preaching racial hatred urging his audience to kill Jews, Hindus and Westerners. A year after being deported from the UK in 2007, he was preaching in South Africa.The Kenyan authorities said Faisal had arrived in Kenya on 24 December 2009 after travelling through Nigeria, Angola, Mozambique, Swaziland and Malawi and Tanzania.

US DENIES VISA TO RTD MAJOR GENERAL HUSSEIN ALI

Kenya's Postmaster General Major General (rtd) Mohammed Hussein Ali has been denied a visa to travel to the Los Angeles, the US embassy in Nairobi confirmed on Tuesday. Ambassador Michael Ranneberger who verified the reports, however declined to discuss the matter when questioned by journalists at a press conference.

“He has not been issued with the visa,” he said adding that “his case is under review, it is just premature for me to talk about it now.”

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.

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)

THIS IS WHAT IS CAUSING THE WHOLE "SIASA"....Kwani Waria Hawawezi Kuzaana ???

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

Members of Ummah Defenders have requested all of you who are in Kenya or even overseas, to email, call or fax Kenya Citizen Television who are going to potray Muslims as terrorists on their Program TAHIDI HIGH on tuesday at 7.30pm. If enough of us call and complain we should be able to stop them from airing the show insha'Allah.

They can be reached on the following addresses

Royal Media Services Ltd

Communication Centre,Maalim Juma Road,Off Dennis Pritt Road

P.O Box 7468-00300 Nairobi,Kenya

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

Muslims are peace loving people. Anything that happens in the name of Islam should not be construed to mean Muslims are War Like people. There is a lot of mis-conception going on and this programme, because, it is being aired to conform to media Laws which prohibits any abuse of Divine Religions....

Shukran Jazakumullah khayr and remember this is the least you can do to defend the deen of Allah and Allah will surely reward you on Yawm-Al Qiyamah

WHAT IS WRONG IF KENYA SOMALI POPULATION JUST WENT UP........

This week, Planning Minister Oparanya was supposed to release Kenya's Census results but was postponed....Reason....The Kenya Somali Population surpassed 2.5 Million Mark.....But what is wrong...10 Years Grace period between 2 census is enough to make Kenya Somalis be at par with other Kenyans....

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

.................................Many Kenyans not happy with ethnic profiling in the census forms simply stated their ethnic group as ‘Kenyans’. Others have for the first time taken a very keen interest in the census. What would happen, for instance, if Somalis in North Eastern became three million?

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

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.

SOMEONE CRYING FOR HIS NECK

KENYA SOMALIS PASS 2.5 MILLION MARK, NOW AMONG KENYA'S BIGGEST TRIBES

Questions emerged on Wednesday after the government announced that it would not release provisional results for the National Population and Housing Census that was conducted last year.

The release of the interim numbers had been scheduled for Thursday after an initial date of December 31 was postponed. Planning Minister Wycliffe Oparanya has now directed the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics to produce a comprehensive analysis which would take several months to complete.

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.