Why petty propaganda won't win Wajir's gubernatorial case

As months turn to weeks and weeks to days in the run up to the supreme court's ruling on Wajir's gubernatorial case, a new trend has been noticed among a section of Wajir politicians and their followers. A trend of desperation and distorting facts. 

The tone and texture of everything has changed. Govenor Mohamed Abdi popularly known as Shuluq has turned the tables on his adversaries and seems to be in control as far as running the affairs of Wajir county is concerned, if the desperation on the other side is anything to go by. 

Even though Govenor Shuluq has been in and out of the courts for the last one year, his stewardship of the county has been remarkable. Unlike the previous administration that had a penchant for baseless PR, governor Shulug does his stuff without caring much about what the outside world says as long as Wajerians are satisfied. And satisfied they are. Look around. Ask around. Let petty propaganda and clan sycophancy not blind you. Smell the good aroma of the change sweeping across Wajir. 

What started as a cruise control for the former governor along the corridors of justice seem to have been too early to call. His team have realised this and to forestall a defeat at the courts, they are exhibiting acts that can only be described as desperate. They have now turned to petty propaganda and peddling outright lies - even on matters before the courts - like the drama we have been treated to last Sunday when a leading daily was bribed to publish a fake latter purporting to disown Govenor Shuluq's academic papers. But the public was too smart for such idiocy. It didn't take long for Wajir people and all concerned parties to figure out the pack of lies in that forged letter. 

By now you must have noticed that there are many lies, rumours and half truths that are paraded in the media and social media networks by team Jiir. Their level of desperation is just too much that they would go any length to win public sympathy - a public that cares less about their self inflicted tribulations.

Someone remind team Jiir that propaganda will not save the former governor. The SCORK will have the last word. Can't they just be patient enough to wait for the court verdict? It may silence them forever. The aftershock of that ruling may even last beyond 2022. 

Devolving the handshake: Time for Governor Mohamed Abdi and his nemesis to shake hands and pledge reconciliation?

After a year of acrimony, dirty politics, raw propaganda and court cases, many believe that it's time for the two wrangling factions of Wajir's political formation, Governor Mohamed Abdi and his rival ex governor Ahmed Jiir stand side by side, shake hands and pledge reconciliation. 

The region's political pundits argue that during the last one year, the county government of Wajir has known no political stability neither has its governor Amb Mohamed Abdi, popularly known as Shulug, been given the space to run the affairs of the county. Observers also say that there has been deliberate attempts by opponents to vilify and concoct stories to portray Governor Shulug and his administration as clueless, aloof and ineffective, the county progressive agenda notwithstanding. 

In this blog post, we independently tell you why it's important to expedite the handshake for the greater good of Wajir as suggested by elders and elected leaders.  

Propaganda from day one: The former governor's online battalion spared no effort to discredit, denounce and deconstruct Shuluq's government. They have religiously dedicated time to hunt like sneaky scavengers, bouncing on everything and anything. When they are on the hunt, they will call and squeal to one another, spreading propaganda and tagging each other on Facebook, sounding like cackling demons thus creating a propaganda machine - oiled by monies allegedly diverted from the public coffers, if the Auditor General's report is anything to go by - that turned out to be too much for Shulug and a mortal threat to his authority as the Governor of county 008.

 Of course constructive criticism is fine and allowed in any civilized society but what Shuluq's opponents have been engaging for the last one year is just beyond civilized politics. The handshake will bring these deadly and divisive political fights to an end, unify Wajir residents and enable all - opponents or otherwise- to participate in the development of the county.

Given a chance, the handshake can bring end to the vitriolic attacks between the rivals. No doubt that the handshake has the ability to appeal to Wajerians across clan lines — in a county where community and politics are inseparable — in a way that no court cases can do. 

Court cases: In this part of the world no one concedes electoral defeat if the number of election petitions filed at the courts are anything to go b
y. While the 2017 general election had its own fair share of madness and lack of respect for the rules of the game, to understand the Wajir scenario better, it's important that we rope in the 2013 gubernatorial election. Nomads have their own mode of resolving disputes no matter the magnitude. Politics is the norm rather than the exception. Shuluq was the main contender against the former governor in 2013 and chose not to seek legal redress despite the fact that there were irregularities and abnormalities committed against him during the 2013 elections. Reason being, immediately after the 2013 elections results were announced, a delegation of elders were sent to Amb Shuluq to convince him to give the then governor, Ahmed Jiir, an opportunity to govern. Governor Shuluq being the decent man he is, heeded the wazees' counsel and let it go knowing well that there is always another day to fight. And true to his words, that day did come sometime August 2017. To cut a long story short, Jiir was dismantled by the same forces that brought him to power in the first place. Why, one may ask but that is a story for another day. And months of court cases seem not to have been of much help. So one wonders why not the handshake and lower the political temperatures once and for all? In fact analysts of the region's politics believe the handshake may be of more benefit to team Jiir than to any other camp just like the current governor benefited from the 2013 unpublicized handshake that delivered Shulug the Ambassadorial post. We have seen what the devolved handshake has done for the counties of Mandera and Marsabit. It's important for Wajir to heed the handshake call being spearheaded by elders and influence paddlers. 

Moments after the Supreme Court allowed Wajir Governor to file new evidence as he fights to retain his seat, respected elders and elected leaders from Wajir county were quoted in the media saying they wanted the governor's case settled out of court. The elders argue that time and resources have been wasted on a petition that hasdivided the county down the middle. Wajir residents too say they are tired of a never ending case and want the current governor to be given the space to run the affairs of the county just like the previous governor was given the goodwill to manage the county. This, they say, will enable them benefit from the second phase of devolution. They also say five years is too short a period to agonize over an election loss and in any case Shuluq's new evidence - which he had no opportunity to present in previous trials - is believed to be earthshaking and may be a game changer. The elders insist that the handshake is good for the progress of the county and must be accepted by all unconditionally. 

Ineffective Communication team: Okay, it’s probably disingenuous to pretend that social media is still something nascent and unproven for NEP politics but Shuluq's opponents used social media to manipulate public opinion on matters Wajir county. Facebook has been turned into a battleground for dirty politics, promoting lies, misinformation and propaganda against the county government of the day. This could have been easily rebuked had Shulug team understand their role considering the progress the county government has made for the last one year - these developments have been dwarfed by social media propaganda. Recently the world bank in partnership with the county government of Wajir launched a multimillion livestock restocking project in the county, an initiative Governor Mohamed Abdi commended the World Bank for saying that the programme would alleviate poverty. Equally important to note is that Wajir County is the first county to launch a climate change fund. Everyone knows that Wajir, like many other arid and semi-arid regions, has been experiencing increasingly frequent and severe drought that have largely weakened the livelihoods and economy of the county and setting such a fund will definitely alleviate the problem. These among other noble initiatives undertaken by the county government are the kind of progress no one talks about much as they matter. Giving credit where it's due should not be a problem. 

It's so obvious that Shuluq's so called communications team is too down, clumsy and disorganized.

Now that the Supreme Court gave Governor Shuluq a chance to redeem himself, he should turn the tables and reorganize his communication team for effective communication, and put things into shape. Ni muhimu!

Punda amechoka: Why Kenyans must resist high fuel prices

As the fuel shortage around the country continues to intensify following a boycott by oil transporters to protest the recent imposition of the 16% VAT tax on petroleum products, its the poorest of the poor that's paying the consequences of  an insensitive parliament and clueless technocrats running what many will describe as a government that no longer cares about its people.

Jubilee's appetite for borrowing, Rotich's poor management of the economy and passing on the burdens to wananchi has brought kenya the economic mess being witnessed where Treasury is desperately going after poor Kenyans with punitive taxes.

What becomes of the Big 4 agenda - if at all they're still pursuing it -in this kind of economic mess where the common man finds it difficult to even afford basics goods like kerosene? Are they literally strangling the poor? 

Our economy relies on constant transport of goods and services and low cost of transport enable companies to have a competitive edge in their pursuit of profit - which any serious business entity should be after. But the skyrocketing fuel prices have disrupted this chain of operation. The increase in the price of oil has significantly affected the economy in so many negative ways. 

It's not rocket science to understand that high oil prices will not only stress the entire Big 4 agenda but will also lower the consumption of goods and services of all other sectors of the economy. The government should really think twice about this tax. 

But it's the people's representative - Parliament - that has failed everyone. They pass impractical  laws like fuel tax knowing well it won't work and then they address rallies and funerals shedding crocodile tears pretending to give a solution to a problem they created. Nonsensical.

No doubt Rotich will be remembered as the the most out of touch Finance Minister in Kenya's history. It's about time we cautioned the poor, and Kenyans at large, from clueless technocrats and selfish and radar-less politicians.

Let the government suspend this punitive VAT tax once and for all and Instead tame wasteful spending of public money and desist from living beyond its means. Failed austerity measures over the years have made poor Kenyans shoulder the burden of those in power. Not anymore. Punda amechoka! 

Of Wajir tomorrow's verdict, petty propaganda and other useless stories.

The courts of Appeal’s big announcement regarding Wajir will be made tomorrow and naturally everyone expects the case to go their way.

Through his lawyers, Ahmed Jiir- the gubernatorial loser of last year's election- submitted before the the High Court a water-tight case that nullified the election of Governor Mohamed Abdi due to election malpractices. As a result, the High Court agreed with him and nullified Wajir’s gubernatorial election. And that is how the  matter ended up in the Appeals court. 

So what does tomorrow’s Court of Appeal verdict mean for Wajir? Ambassador Mohamed Abdi has only been at the helm for eight months and his nemesis never gave him the opportunity to govern. Unlike 2017, the current governor never pursued the legal battle with the latter in 2013. This was a result of negotiations between Wajir elders and Jiir on one side and the Ambassador on the other. As a gentleman, the Ambassador went his way knowing that there's always a tomorrow. Five years later, Jiir was beaten hands down by the good Ambassador. But Jiir being the bitter loser he is decided to rush to the courts and frustrate the old man using everything they looted.

After the ambassador’s exit, no one frustrated Jir. He ruled with iron fist without any meddling and squabbles. No one paid bloggers to castigate a newly formed government just to frustrate anyone nor portray any quarter as a non performer.

Jiir also sponsored daily propaganda against the Ambassador’s  administration and it seems like the good Ambassador- despite all resources at his disposal- couldn't counter the constant propaganda of Team Jiir. Not because he couldn't afford a sophisticated communication team but Mohamed Abdi decided to surround himself with a team full of mediocrity. 

Without taking sides, it's not fair to judge the Ambassador on the basis of just 8 months being in office. By all standards, the stint is too short to make a head or a tail about its merits and demerits.

After all, Jir governed for 5 years and there is nothing tangible to show for it. Apart from the PR gimmick played by his foot soldiers, Jir did little to raise him to the pedestal he currently enjoys. Empirically speaking, the much touted developments he bombarded us with are a tip of an iceberg compared to what his colleagues have done in other counties. That is why some people often ask what has Jiir done for the last five years for him to be a governor once again?

But as it seems, Jiir is determined to be a governor once again by all means necessary. During the five years Jiir was in power, the county government received close to 50 billion as per the Auditor General's report. Does Wajir look like a place with an investment of such magnitude? Every time folks question about the performance of Jiir's ousted government they are reminded of a 28KM road which costs less than 1.5B. Other than the much-hyped Wajir county headquarters and a KMTC college, what else can we write home about? Nothing but a charade.

Speaking of visionary, caring and selfless leadership, al marhum Ahmed Khalif, former labour minister and Secretary General of SUPKEM comes to mind. Word has it that Ahmed Jiir is a replacement of the late MP for Wajir West. Nothing could be further from the truth. Mzee died while his account was negative unlike those purporting to be his replacement who have amassed immeasurable amount of money in five year's s time. Wealth that can only be traced to public coffers. What a miserable moment. They say you can fool some people sometimes but you can't fool all the people all the time. Going by this, the true colors of the first Wajir Governor is known. Far from what he portrays himself to be.

On the other hand, it's unfortunate that Wajir has found itself where it is. In the hands of clueless, inept, rudderless and colourless characters as leaders. While the former governor emptied the county coffers smartly as per the records of the Auditor General, the current regime has no clue how to cover their "juwan kuxabis." And that's the only distinction between the two regimes.

No matter how tomorrow's verdict goes, Wajir has already lost. If Wajir would like to regain its lost glory, it has no option but to front a third force in the likely event of a by election.