In every society, conflict exists as integral part of communication. The complexity of our integration and the diversity of our societies is arguably the main reason why conflict is observed at all levels of human organizations. Conflict is universal, natural and part and parcel of balance and harmony. Conflict informs us of boundaries and its manifestation is often a sign of a healthy relationship. Conflict underscores the individuality and diversity of the parties involved and if a middle ground is found, relationships thrive based on mutual respect and consideration.

The ongoing debate over the rights of sexual minorities in Kenya is getting heated! On one side of the issue are religious organizations that are hell bent on ensuring that homosexuality is singled out as UNAFRICAN  and evil. The sight of a bible totting, robe wearing and English speaking Pastor who bears the African name; Canon and an Arabic speaking, Kanzu wearing, Islam following Imam who bears the African name Sheikh Mohammed Khalifa, lecturing Kenyans on African values is one to behold! The two groups, fresh from their battle over the inclusion of the Kadhi’s courts in the new constitution have found common grounds in their obsession with what consenting adults do with their genitals. They have found a common ground in bigotry and hate.

The Muslim clerics are taking it a step further by declaring a war on sexual minorities! Sheikh Mohammed Khalifa called upon all Kenyans to take up arms and deal with the gays the same way God dealt with them in the scriptures and who does not remember the tale of Sodom and Gomorra and the carnage that followed. The cleric made this declaration on NTV, one of Kenya’s leading media houses on the Google sponsored show, The Trend.

In the wake of terrorist attacks on churches in Kenya and Nigeria and barely a full election cycle after the 2007 violence, it is disturbing to see a member of the religious front calling for more violence. It is the same intolerance and bigotry that led to the killing of over a thousand Kenyans in 2007, and the displacement of close to a million who are still languishing in IDP camps.

All of this is happening in the same week that a new case of grand corruption was uncovered in the Ministry of Health and the fear of fresh violence in the run up to the 2013 elections was revealed by the National Intelligence organization. Amidst rising unemployment, corruption, crippling poverty and rise in violence, the clergy and the Imams single out what consenting adults do in the privacy of their bedrooms as the most important issue of our time.

We are encouraged to have a healthy debate on this issue but the church needs to come out strongly and condemn the violence and the threats issued by the clerics! If 2007 taught us anything, it should be that resorting to violence and threatening the lives of those you disagree with is regressive and unacceptable! The government of Kenya should ensure the safety and security of all Kenyans regardless of sexual orientation, tribe, religion or race and prosecute anyone who engages in hate speech and violence. Media houses should be responsible and ensure that healthy debates are transmitted but should not act as platform for hate speech, bigotry and threats of violence.

During the sunset years of British rule in colonial Kenya, one brusque man stood out as the likely custodian of the African government that had been at the core of the struggle for independence. The fiery Jomo Kenyatta was installed as Kenya’s first prime minister in 1963, and his administration promised sweeping changes and true representation of the disenfranchised Native Africans.

For decades, the brutal British colonial government ruled with an iron fist. Native Africans were forced into camps, and those that were spared had to learn to be Englishmen and Englishwomen. The latter included learning the queen’s language, adopting Christianity and collaborating with the British administration which set the stage for the rise of the Native Kenyan aristocrats.

Jomo Kenyatta’s legacy as the first president of Kenya is marred with controversy, his acquisition of over 700,000 acres of prime land in Kenya, billions of shillings in assets left by the fleeing colonialists and the wealth amassed by his friends and family effectively made him the head of the aristocratic society. He followed this up with amendments to the constitution that gave him sweeping power and led to the rise of neo-colonialism in Kenya.

Uhuru Kenyatta, the son of Jomo Kenyatta was born in this opulent environment. With a family net worth running into billions of dollars, he sits at the helm of one of the wealthiest families in Africa. As the first president of Kenya, his father created the all powerful presidency that haunts Kenya to this day. It is therefore poetic that the Uhuru Kenyatta is facing a second failed attempt at taking back a tempered presidency. He is also facing pressure from all directions. His looming case at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity and the internal revolt in the hitherto unified Central Province voting block has pitted him against a faction of the Central Kenya elite and a wildly popular leader of the ‘least among them’, Maina Njenga.

The failed Limuru meeting that led to the clash between the police and thousands of young people that heeded to the call of Maina Njenga was a show of might and bubbling resentment towards Uhuru Kenyatta and his cabal. The Kenyatta’s waning influence signals a shift in Central Kenya politics. Sources reveal that they are aware of the tough balancing act required to maintain their stranglehold on power and are ready to put up a fight.

The chilling saga narrated by the Gitobu Imanyara to an obviously shaken parliament reads like a work of fiction complete with symbolism and effective punchlines. The member of parliament tells of being accosted by thugs who threatened his life and that of his family for speaking up against Uhuru Kenyatta. At gunpoint, he was forced to kneel, face Mount. Kenya and chant the the Uhuru Kenyatta slogan, “Uhuru tuko pamoja” which loosely translates to, “We are together with Uhuru. The slogan is spray painted on walls, highway medians and fly-overs all over Nairobi and serve as a reminder that Mr. Kenyatta has a following that is ready to go down whichever hole he runs into.

In the year 2007, Kenyans started a successful revolution that saw the promulgation of one of the most progressive constitutions in the world. A devolved system of governance, decentralization of power, judicial and police reforms ushered in a new republic and reality for Kenyans.

The “all powerful” presidency created by Jomo Kenyatta is to be tamed by a powerful parliament and an independent Judiciary that has already delivered groundbreaking rulings, is to watch over the constitution. With a high literacy rate, a large middle class, an assertive and a relatively well connected population, Kenya stands out among other African countries. Central Kenya is on the verge of a revolution and millions of landless people are pointing a finger at the Kenyatta family and their 700, 000 acres of land. Kenya’s royal family is under immense pressure, and the first one to face the music is Uhuru Kenyatta.
The tribal coalition for the Gikuyu, Embu, Meru and Akamba, is in disarray and a new generation of politicians are facing off with the patriarchs of the organization for taking their support for granted and Uhuru Kenyatta is in their crosshairs.

The biggest challenge is Uhuru Kenyatta’s trial in the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. His opponents single out arrogance and entitlement as his undoing. An erratic Uhuru Kenyatta is leading attempts to balkanized the country into tribal groupings, a role that will not serve him well as a war criminal suspect. Whether the last prince of Kenya has come to terms with the reality is no longer a moot point, and just as the colonial government was eventually defeated, the neo-colonial government is sitting trial and on its way out.

I have stated before that Najib Balala is not the sharpest knife in the kitchen and I feel vindicated thanks to his ‘parade of tears’ after being sacked from the Ministry of Tourism. His response to the sacking was that it was an affront to Islam!

Najib Balala does not have the luxury of tribe but follows in the footsteps of the tribal kingpins that he has formed a fraternity with and fancies himself the Sultan of Mombasa, representative of all muslims in Kenya.

After traversing the country, shouting insults at his party and daring the leadership to sack him, he got what he asked for! It is laughable for him to cry victim.

No, shame on you Mr. Balala

Balala was voted in as the MP of Mvita and not the MP of Muslims and he is seeking the cover of religion in his fight with ODM. The swift rejoinder from the SUPKEM and other Islamic organization was clear. Najib Balala is not synonymous with Islam!

We will settle this in Mombasa Brother Balala!

The mayor has since made dramatic press conferences declaring war on prostitutes and what consenting adults choose to do with their genitals but has glossed over Andrew’s case and taken up the game of hide and go seek.

Even with the celebrated new constitution, justice is still a luxury item for Kenyans and a poorly trained, corrupt and aggressive police force is well aware of this fact and they continue on their war path against rights enshrined in the constitution. City Council of Nairobi policemen have localized impunity and are an impediment to the development of the city of Nairobi.

Reforms are long overdue for the city council but at the helm is an ineffective mayor who is more concerned with being a culture warrior than ensuring that the city works and in this case justice for Andrew Gathae. Our Judiciary, led by the popular chief Justice Willy Mutunga and his Director of Public prosecution is yet to prove to Kenyans that it is reforming and is still the shadowy organization prostituting itself to the highest bidder and is yet to take up this case.

Andrew Gathae’s family should begin by taking the City Council of Nairobi to court where they will get damages for the physical and emotional harm and mayor of Nairobi and the commissioner of police should step down for failing to address the issue and apprehending the monstrous, soulless culprits.

From his pronouncements, actions and mannerisms it has always been evident that Najib Balala is not the sharpest knife in the drawer and his existence is pegged on his alliance with the Orange Democratic Movement. Balala bit more than he could chew with his failed revolt in ODM which was also the beginning of his decline. Things are now so tough for Balala that he can not hold a rally in his own constituency without being drowned by the chant ‘Balala Kigeugeu’ (Balala is a hypocrite) and with the loss of ministerial post, it is clear that he is dispensable and a movement is underway to replace him as ODM’s point man in the Coast.

His latest move is shocking even for a man of his calibre and can only be equated to a ‘blonde move’ that will erode the little credibility he has left. Yesterday, he took to the media to lament; he feels betrayed and hurt by Raila Odinga. He also attempted to drive a wedge between Musailia Mudavadi, Mr. Odinga by giving Mudavadi a glowing review in his quest for presidency.

Many jaws hit the ground at the sight of a well dressed Balala in his designer suit and stylish glasses effectively endorsing Mudavadi for the top seat and in the same breath declaring his intention to run for the same seat. My only explanation is that Balala has amnesia and had forgotten he is also vying for the presidency. All in all, Balala is heartbroken and expect him to be an emotional train wreck for the next few months.

I will give credit where it is due, Najib Balala is stylish and arguably the best dressed and groomed politician in parliament but the reality is he lacks the smarts to make it in a bare knuckle fight with ODM.

When the infamous dossier allegedly leaked from the UK government was tabled in parliament, he waved it over his head and stuck to it as  bible truth and proof of the gospel that he has made popular on his tiny soap box.

Today, Dennis OleItumbi is under arrest over the aforementioned dossier and alleged hacking of ICC witnesses’ email accounts. This arrest will undoubtedly earn him the hero status among those in the bubble who are already whispering accolades. I am not a journalist but respect the rule of law and therefore wish not to comment further on dubious Dennis but there are facts that we must acknowledge.

Oleltumbi promoted the dossier but deleted some of the tweets he sent out once it was dismissed as a fake. Why?

Kenya is divided along party lines; supporters of Uhuru Kenyatta and the parties allied to him one one end and supporters of ODM and the parties allied to them on the other. Kenya is further divided along ethical lines; and at this juncture impunity is on the ropes but there are foot soldiers doing the bidding for the lords of impunity.

After the dossier was written off as a fake, the distraught Oleltumbi wildly threw punches.

It is a brave new world! The A2 Highway/ Thika road is coming up beautifully and even the skeptics have to admit there is a glimmer of hope! When the idea of constructing this highway was mooted many applied the ‘wait and see’ view but now we have seen and in this brave new world we can dare to dream big. The tarmac is not all that excites us, but in economic terms, the ripple effect! As a result of this magnificent highway there are multibillion dollar investments for the whole area due to accessibility and the impact on our GDP will be felt.

Sadly the forces of impunity are also hard at work. Much of the confusion on the highway is blamed on the fact that it is still under construction and therefore the road surface markings and signage are yet to be installed but the traffic police are largely MIA and some people are taking advantage of that.

The horrendous ‘Ferdinand Waititu For Governor’graffiti and the posters make me cringe every time and I can not believe that even before this highway is complete it is already being defaced and has become a big poster board for impunity.

One thing the forces of impunity did not count on is our generation’s ownership of our future. We want safe roads, safe cities, a clean environment and hundreds of thousands of people have collectively fired the first shot. In this brave new world we can make our voices heard and I would like to propose #SaveThikaRoad or as others have put it #StopWaititu2012. This rogue member of parliament is on a mission to deface the underpasses and overpasses with graffiti in a stunning display of impunity and it is among the many reasons he can not be entrusted with the governor’s seat in Nairobi.

KENHA also has to be held accountable for their laxity in upholding the rule of law on the highway!

Contact your representatives, celebrities and everyone else you know and ask them to be part of this effort.

When not airing reports on poverty and slums or American influence in Africa CNN is respected for twisting stories to give them that imperial tang that can only be associated with western media. It is not a surprise that the American political discourse is vile, and lacks civility, in a country where blatant lies and insults are traded by right wing and left wing leaning media houses and an audience overfed the ‘We are number 1′ hogwash.

Kenyans took to twitter to demand an apology from CNN and their Nairobi based correspondent, David McKenzie issued an apology on twitter and revealed that the offensive video had been pulled off air. Kenyans on twitter #KOT trended worldwide with the hashtag #SomeoneTellCNN highlighting the inconsistencies and demeaning nature of CNN reporting. David Mckenzie assured Kenyans that the video had been redacted and that the ‘headquarters’ in good old USA was dealing with the issue.

This comes barely a week after the #KONY2012 movement led by American ‘charity’ network Invisible Children stirred America with a 30 min misleading documentary that purported the rebel group, Lord Resistance Movement leader, Joseph Kony was still abducting children in Uganda to turn them into child soldiers and that he can be stopped by purchasing t-shirts, bracelets and posters from the organization. In the documentary, Uganda is referred to as a Central African country by the organization that was lambasted for spending less than 30% of the contributions they collect on their charity. American media houses ran with the KONY2012 campaign oblivious of the reality on the ground in the country the claim to be saviors of.

UPDATE

“In Kenya there are 40,000 agents and 18 million people subscribing to mobile phone providers. The amount transacted in a single day through the mobile phone is $41 million, a figure said to be higher than what Western Union transacts in a year,” said Kenya Central Bank Governor Njuguna Ndung’u.

Last year, Kenya’s predominantly christian population went against the church’s ruling and in an unprecedented move overwhelmingly voted to maintain Kadhi’s courts in Kenya’s legal system. That was the ultimate expression of the ‘live and let live’ mantra and muslims maintained their position as the only religious group that has a parallel court system that they can opt for to determine issues related to inheritance, marriage and the family.

Today, the Supreme Council of Kenyan Muslims is leading the charge with inflammatory remarks against the commercial sex workers, the LGBT community and any other group they consider immoral by Islamic standards. In their attempt to impose their beliefs on all Kenyans they have formed an alliance with the church.

As ludicrous as it is, the Supreme Council of Kenyan Imams is claiming the moral compass despite the fact they are yet to condemn the crimes against humanity perpetrated by their donors, beneficiaries and brethren in Somalia, Sudan and now in Kenya. The council is yet to come out strongly against the indoctrination of Kenyan youth by the Al Qaeda linked terrorist organization the Al Shabaab, the genocide in Dafur and South Sudan by the Islamic regime in Khartoum and slavery in the land of their financiers the Saudis where dozens of Kenyan women live in bondage and it is illegal for women to drive and vote or leave the house without a male companion. True to form, this group is made up of men who will rally with the bishops and pastors on Thursdays only to curse every non muslim as ‘Kaafirs’ who will burn in hell during their Friday sermons.

The catholic church in Kenya will also find time to rally against all they deem immoral but are yet to come out publicly against sexual abuse and top Vatican officials, including Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (the current Pope Benedict XVI), who according to church documents was specifically warned about a Wisconsin priest, Rev. Lawrence C. Murphy, who molested at least 200 deaf boys over the course of 24 years but decided to ignore advice to take responsible, decisive action by defrocking the priest and going public with their knowledge of his crimes. Instead it appears they opted to do nothing and sweep the whole matter under the rug to avoid bringing embarrassment and shame on the Church.

The protestant pastors on the other hand are solely responsible for transforming the church in Kenya into a multi billion shilling corporation with millionaires for pastors who take from the poor, live lavishly in mega mansions and are equipped with helicopters and top of the range cars a lifestyle that bears no resemblance to that of Jesus who abhorred glut, lived to help the poor and rode on a donkey according to the bible.

It is obvious that the mayor of Nairobi is under immense pressure and 72 hours after his controversial statement he was dragged out to the press room and in the full glare of cameras had to recant his earlier statement and proclaim his faith and belief in the church and the powerful men of God who are baying for his blood. He hurriedly retreated to a back room after refusing to take questions from the media hounds who carried the news of his proposal and whipped up anxiety the whole weekend.

The spineless mayor’s argument had merit, his proposal was for the commercial sex workers to be licensed, mandated to use protection and to have STD screening every month and even taxed to allow for the provision of the health services that they shy away from due to the stigma associated with their profession. In his revised statement, the mayor ordered the city council police to arrest all commercial sex workers and their clients in a move to prove to his spiritual mentors that a morality police force will be maintained under his administration.

Granted that the spineless mayor’s initial proposal sparked a debate that was long overdue, Kenya has lost round one of this struggle against bigotry and extremism as the church and the old bearded imams turned it into a pissing contest to impress their respective bases with their close relationship with their Gods.

KTN and NTV reporters also exhibited their prowess in subjective reporting by ignoring the health benefits and danger of the stigma associated with commercial sex work and exciting the masses by alluding to streets filled with ‘prostitutes’ running wild with their genitals in full display. KTN posted a video they shot in hiding of a man that they referred to as a ‘Kaka dada’ and women they assumed were commercial sex workers and broadcasted to a national audience never mind the risk of reprisals by extremists who only last year bludgeoned to death an LGBT activist in Uganda. We only hope some people will be in court soon suing the lights out of KTN for endangering the lives with that footage.

This is an issue for the the Kenyan courts and not for bigoted old men whose idea of morality is grounded in the 6th century or 6000 year old beliefs.

As the sun sets on Nairobi I am reminded of Jesus and Mary Magdalene just before the ‘God fearing’ jews were about to stone her to death and I am squeamish due to the fact that SUPKEM, will strongly defend a man’s right to marry up to 13 wives and a 50 year old man’s right to marry a girl as young as 9. I am also infuriated by the fact that in a catholic seminary is a young boy who has been repeatedly raped by a church leader and is too afraid to speak up.

I find solace in the fact that somewhere in Nairobi, two consenting adults are doing whatever they deem fit whether or not money is involved.

It is possible have a discussion about how the concept of jihad has affected the world or the role of religion in our world without insulting over a billion people or engaging the lunatics in their ideological battle for front row seats in heaven and virgins.

Why the fixations with what other people do with their genitalia? There are those that consider it their ‘calling’ to police consenting adults’ bedrooms and swear this ‘holy’ task is governed from functional frontal lobes per the orders of their spiritual masters but I know I speak for many who know the policing we are interested in is of our boundaries. .