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Democracy as made in Africa, Zimbabwe sets impractical date

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African perspective on retention of sound democratic systems in the continent may be long overdue. After prolonged silence on the Zimbabwe factor Felix Kilonzo turns to the paper two of forced marriage kind of leadership. Kenya and Zimbabwe share a lot in common for the last 30 or so years but of great importance is how the presidency manipulates elections to continue clinching on unpopular power strategy. Its now official that Zimbabwe goes to polls on July 31 after the Supreme court directed the president to decide on the elections date a move that has attracted the so called ‘rare unity’ among the chief opposition political parties who includes Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of MDC-T and other key political leaders protested the move to near the elections taking in to account the country promulgated a new constitution on May 22. According to a Zimbabwean newspaper, its reported that on Wednesday five parties – the MDC, led by the prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, a breaka

Finally Its Kethi Kilonzo For Makueni Senate

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Earlier last month I argued that Kamba politics may be insignificant if the hard stand Senator Johnston Muthama is not backed by strong team in the senate from the region. I also said that the ‘Kilonzo’ factor sets standards for the Kamba politics wherever Kenyans go. I am not saying so simply because I am kilonzo but I bet we are formative in all that we do and we do not ‘water melon’ like others said to be. As a stun supporter of the fallen senior Counsel Mutula Kilonzo, the decision by the CORD alliance to back Kethi Kilonzo to contest for the senate seat in Makueni is welcoming. I am sure none will dispute that Kethi will competently represent the issues of the County of Makueni in a more meaningful manner. Reports coming from the standard newspaper confirm the long awaited decision by the junior counsel grand entry into the world of politics and for many it was like she already won this battle bring it on. The daughter of the late Makueni County Senator Mutula Kilonzo, Ke

Let Africa Report For Africa

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I have from time to time come on spot over what I have strongly opposed in the public checks and balances in Africa. Today I happened to get criticism from a close friend and a blogger Emma Kwezi over my post on Africa needs advocacy journalism.  Emma argued that the west media is biased to report against Africa. He Felix Kilonzo in MKU studios cited that NBC and MSNBC in the USA are entirely Democrat and CNN and FOX entirely pro-Democrat. On that paradigm I don’t see any problem with a media house entirely supporting certain political affiliation for the best of its audience. To avoid contradicting my earlier post of ‘Why Africa Need Advocacy Journalism’ I underscore the need of our citizens to ignore a cluster of political parties and vest interest in 3 main political outfit that would provide leadership in either liberal or conservative manner. Journalism in Africa should play the pivotal role of checking these tyrannical presidents who have redefined monarchy that brings

Uhuru Kenyatta Cant Implement Land Reforms

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President Kenyatta Due to public demand, Felix Kilonzo will for the first time break the silence over the TJRC report that was released by the commission to unmask the historical injustices that has affected the country since 1963. Although my silence adversely comes about due to the report’s sensitivity and its tall orders and revisiting what I call the land reforms which I term as a mere joke of our time. The report in paragraph 199 says “During Kenyatta’s administration at independence and for several years thereafter, illegal dealings in land which left many individuals, families and communities landless and land-scarce took many forms.” The intro to the land alienation that existed after the independence that my grandparents fought for indiscriminately was confirmed that the 90% of Kenya is managed by 5% of Kenyans and not through transparent forms but through ill gotten wealth and abuse of office. The report says, “They [Kenyatta administration] included outright land

Why We Need Advocacy Journalism in Africa

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                                                                                                   Tweet When one mentions the term journalism, some wonder what that actually means. Is it the content that makes you a journalist? Is it your take on the contemporary issues that guarantees you to be referred to as ‘Journalist’? Well I refresh my mind back in 2006. By then I was in Form 2 in Machakos school, I bet it is still the best school in Eastern Province. The politics, constitutionalism and regional integration filled the air… as a young man of 16 years I could not make out what that actually meant for us, and by the ‘us’ I mean the so-called future leaders. Felix Kilonzo- Mku studios I dropped the idea of pursuing the Bio-Chemistry dream and deviated fully to the Journalism field and 7 years on, I am yet to see the entire ship. Talking of a process, I d o remember my Mathematics teacher back in the days. She used to say life is like a normal distribution curve or simpl

Raila Odinga ought to be Respected

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Tweet When one said that “Kenya ina wenyewe” I think he actually meant Kenya belongs to very few bureaucratic people who fly government flags. When I see, one man named Raila Odinga, I see a true face of Kenya. So humble and devoted to have Kenya maintain the democratic space that pre existed in minds of Kenyans before 1991. Like Kakamega Senator, Dr. Bonny Khalwale, I reiterate that you can wish Raila never exists but the bitter truth is that Raila Amolo Odinga has 5.3Million voters behind him. He also doubles up as the leader of Coalition for Reforms and Democracy and if you never knew, he is the leader of the party with majority of Members of Parliament in Kenya. And if that is not enough, Raila Odinga was voted by 26 out of the 47 counties in Kenya and therefore under all circumstances the politically motivated treatment at the JKIA by junior officers should be the last of their kind to happen. Raila is a man who believes in democratic change and loosing in an election does

Kenya Needs Change In Electoral Laws

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Tweet                                             Tweet to @Starkolix                       Follow @Starkolix   (Felix Kilonzo) Kenyans and Africans have several lessons to learn in the just concluded general elections in Kenya where Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta was declared winner. - See more at: According to an article [BBC] by Calestous Juma an International development professor at Harvard University, Africa's democratic transition is back in the spotlight. The concern is no longer the stranglehold of autocrats, but the hijacking of the democratic process by tribal politics. It was evident that Kenyans defied the issues and the policies put forward by the presidential candidates and went back to their tribal cocoons and voted along ethnic lines. One is forced to believe that only the Luhyia Community tried to vote for a leader while the rest voted for their tribal kings. In central Kenya the Kikuyu voted Uhuru Kenyatta almost 100 per cent. Luos in Nyanza voted for Rai