Ajabu Africa Blog

BOSTON, FRIDAY, May 19_ Mr. John Mbugua Mwangi, a.ka. Mr. John Maina Mwangi , a Kenyan who has been on the run evading justice in the state of Indiana was arrested in Boston early this week.

Mr. John Mbugua Mwangi, a.ka. Mr. John Maina Mwangi

According to a law enforcement official involved in the arrest, Kenyans in Massachusetts who have lost money in the scum could be compensated for up to $25,000 per person from the victim’s compensation fund managed under the attorney general’s office.

Acting from credible information obtained through the recent community outreach efforts by the Worcester Police department that aim to make people more comfortable sharing critical information on criminal activities going on around them, Sergeant John Lewis, a liaison officer with the department did some research and discovered that Mr. John Mbugua Mwangi was a wanted man by authorities in Indiana.

According to Sgt. Lewis, Mwangi had failed to appear for sentencing at the Marion County Court in Indianapolis on 3rd April 2012 where he was accused of theft and intimidation of innocent citizens from whom he fraudulently obtained of large sums of money purportedly for investment purposes.

Sgt. Lewis said that he worked closely with officers Robert Johnson and Michael Higgins from the US Marshall’s office to apprehend Mwangi on Wednesday May 16 at 10am from his office at 65 James street in Worcester, about 90 miles South of Boston.

“He is held in custody pending an extradition hearing on Monday June 4 to pave the way for his return to the Marion County jail in Indiana to serve jail time for escaping justice, as well as get sentenced for the other crimes committed there,” said the law enforcement officer.

Information obtained by AjabuAfrica.com from Kenyan victims of the conman indicate that Mwangi had opened an office in Indianapolis from where he lured innocent Kenyan and American friends into giving him large sums of money, promising to invest in his nursing home and group home business and provide large amounts of returns to investors, to the tune of $5,000 every two weeks.

But when investors failed to get their expected returns back, even after the 3 month incubation period that Mwangi promised, many started asking for their money back, only to be met with a moving target of empty promises.

Close and reliable sources say that Mwangi went to the extent of petrol bombing a car belonging to one African-American investor in Indiana who was introduced to him by Kenyan friends, in an effort to destroy evidence.

Upon escaping prosecution in Indianapolis, Mwangi fled to Boston, where he settled in Worcester, opening another office from where he masqueraded as a business consultant, promising to help many Kenyans open up home care provision and group home businesses.

“We understand this fugitive has conned about $30,000 from members of one church in Worcester and another $100,000 from other Kenyans in the region,” Sgt. Lewis told Ajabu Africa.com during a telephone interview.

He added that according to the law in Massachusetts, victims of the scheme are entitled for a refund of lost money up to $25,000 per person in civil liability claims. The compensation is usually processed from the victim’s compensation program run under the Attorney General’s office.

However, for that to happen successfully, Mwangi has to be formally charged, arraigned and convicted, a process that could be hindered if Kenyan victims in Massachusetts do not come forward to register their claims.

“We are in the process to have Kenyan victims of this fraud to come forward with their claims.”, said Lewis. RECAP FULL STORY HERE  >>

BOSTON, Mass., The long running, silent fight for men in Kenyan community churches reached a new level in the Diaspora last Sunday when several mothers came to near blows after a pastor’s wife confronted a young mother alleged to be having a “suspicious relationship” with the church’s pastor.

The drama unraveled a few minutes after the end of the mother’s day service last Sunday at a Kenyan community church based in Boston.

According to multiple eye witness accounts, the pastor’s wife confronted a young woman at the end of the service demanding to know why she had attended the church despite being warned against it.

Reliable sources who swamped the AjabuAfrica.com news room and other social media with concerns about the bizarre development indicated that the pastor’s wife asked the young woman to leave immediately as she was unwanted in the church due to her “suspicious” multiple phone conversations with the church pastor of undisclosed nature to the wife.

The unusually frequent telephone conversations, it was reported, occur even late in the nights, and had been going on for a long time, despite objections by the wife.

Incensed that the young woman had ignored her instructions not to attend the church any longer without a full disclosure of the telephone conversations, the wife decided enough was enough and vowed to fight for her man.

She then approached the young woman menacingly saying, “What are you doing here and I told you never to come here again? This is not a club where you go to snatch other women’s husbands,” a reliable source told AjabuAfrica.com.

As a war of words ensued, a different female parishioner injected herself right into the confrontation, pushing the pastor’s wife away, telling her to back off and stop asking her friend not to attend the church.

Reports indicate that the female friend, also a mother, and her own mother who was close by, yelled at the pastor’s wife loudly accusing her of a “bad trend” harassing other female church goers for a long time and that they are now fed up with her antics.

They accused the pastor’s wife of being overly suspicious every time the pastor talks to a female parishioner.

Sensing trouble, several other female church officials tried to calm down the pastor’s wife, separating her from the rowdy mothers and escorting her outside to her car.

Sources say that the pastors wife was driven her home located a few miles away in to cool off.

The drama unfolded as the church pastor, was in his office with guests who had attended the service that also marked several years

A phone call and voice message to the pastor for comments on the bizarre incident has yet been returned.

Close and reliable sources indicate that the church has been experiencing similar turmoil for a long time, causing an exodus of some disillusioned members.

The sources also said that a recent public gaffe by the church pastor regarding expression of affection between male pastors and female parishioners that were deemed offensive by many in the close knit community has not helped matters get any better at the troubles church.

According to different media reports, the “fight for men of God” in some Kenyan community churches had been on the rise lately, mainly at the churches back home, and now in the Diaspora.

Other pastors have also been blamed of lowering their moral standards so much that parishioners bring the standards notch lower while still attending church.

A recent article by a leading Kenyan newspaper in the motherland, the standard detailed the increasing open fight for men in the Kenyan churches back in the motherland where many young females were competing for church pastors, drawing the ire of many pastor’s wives looking to defend their husbands from total takeover.
(RECAP: Scramble for men goes to church )

As a result of the increasing chaos at churches, another article by the same reliable and very reputable newspaper last month reported the resolution by many of the leading churches in Kenya who have now asked the government to step in and help them develop mechanisms for self regulation.
(RECAP: Kenyan Churches seeks self-regulation to rein in errant pastors)

This was in an attempt to as a way of dealing with rapidly declining moral and ethical standards at the churches.

From the drama that developed at the Kenyan church in Boston, it appears like the fight for men has finally reached some of the Kenyan Diaspora churches.

Isaac Newton Kinity.

New revelation of questionable deals has emerged at the Kenyan Embassy in Washington D.C. following of an opinion piece by a Kenyan activist titled “No war in the Diaspora”. and the subsequent rebuttal from Regina Njogu, a Kenyan lawyer in Washington D.C.

Disturbing, annoying and disappointing information has surfaced regarding suspected high level corruption during the 2011 Diaspora Conference held in Washington DC last year. An event which required less than $ 5,000 to prepare, had thousands of dollars collected in its name.

The amount of money alleged to have been used for the conference, indicate that there may have been one other hidden agenda behind the whole idea of a Diaspora conference, “looting of Public Funds.” There were a total of 12 sponsors of the event, including the heavy funding of the same event by the Kenya Government. Five of the sponsors, namely, CIC insurance group ltd., Kenya Post Office Savings Bank, Equity Bank and General Electric Africa, were categorized as “PLATINUM” sponsors. BAE Systems inc. and Kenya ICT Board were categorized as “GOLD” sponsors. EBIX inc., was categorized as a Silver sponsor, while the Kenya Airways, University of West Virginia, Ivory Chevrolet and Eberly College of Arts and Science were categorized as Bronze sponsors. http://kenyaembassy.com/pdfs/conferencepacket.pdf.

Although the correct figures of the total amount of money sponsored to the event is not clearly known, it is estimated that each of the platinum sponsors contributed about $5,000 each, the Gold sponsors about $4,000 each, the silver sponsors about $3,000 each and the Bronze sponsors about $2,000 each. Going by this estimate alone, the total amount of money that was received by the Embassy from the private sponsors was about $46,000.

The Kenya Government alone, is alleged to have given the Kenya Embassy in Washington DC, a total of $40,000 for the preparation of the conference.

The embassy charged $60 from every Kenyan who attended the conference. About 250 Kenyans attended the conference, raising a total of $15,000 from the registration alone. Therefore, the total amount of money received by the Kenyan Embassy in Washington DC in the name of the 2011 Diaspora Conference was $101,000 for only two days.

According to Ms Regina Njogu, all those who assisted in the preparations for the conference, were all volunteers, and I quote, “By the way, no one was paid to organize the October 2011 Conference. We were all volunteers.”

The expenses the Embassy may have incurred in the preparation and in the running of the Conference would not exceeded $5,000. Then where did all the rest of the money go? In view of the above figures, the Embassy should not have charged Kenyans any fee for the registration for the conference because there was more than enough money from the Kenya Government and from the private sponsors.

The attendance by all Kenyans to the conference should have been free, and I believe that was the reason why the Kenya Government chose to fund the conference, whose agenda was very clear and very important for our Nation and for our sisters and brothers back home in Kenya.

Because of the suspicion of what may have happened in the 2011 Diaspora Conference, some Kenyans in the Diaspora have increasingly become very scared that both the next Diaspora Conference scheduled to take place latter this year, and the scheduled Bus – Signature collection project in USA and in Canada, http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000055751&cid=4, may be corruption schemes aimed at looting money from Kenyans and from the private sponsors.

At this critical moment of transformation in Kenya, when every Kenyan has to abandon the culture of impunity and corruption, the office of the Kenyan Embassy in USA, should not be left behind.

The Kenyan Ambassador to the US may have committed very serious offences as outlined in the previous articles, namely, his failure to receive the two important senior Government representatives at the Diaspora Summit held in Marlboro, Massachusetts recently, and also his failure to attend to the concerns of 45 Kenyan clergy women and men from six states in the USA, who sought an audience with him.

But what is most disturbing and disappointing is the new revelation of the lack of transparency and accountability regarding the 2011 Diaspora Conference, which may affect all Ambassador Odembos’ future projects as a public servant abroad. I just hope and pray that the allegations, if true, are not an extension of the notorious corruption scandals commonly witnessed in some Kenya missions abroad.

In order for the Kenyan Ambassador, His Excellency ElKanah Odembo to build some confidence in Kenyans in the Diaspora, he has to release the accounts of income and expenditure for the October 2011 Diaspora Conference for Kenyans to see. If he fails to provide this report, Kenyans may recommend for the services of the Anti- Corruption Commission at the Kenyan Embassy in Washington DC.

For the sake of transparency and accountability, His Excellency Ambassador Elkanah Odembo should clarify the following:
1] The fact that the 45 Kenya clergy men and women, from the six states in USA, who contacted his office in September 2010 with a view to meet him, had not registered their respective Churches with the “Ambassador Diaspora Council”, may not have been a good reason for his Excellency to ignore them. Would his Excellency the Ambassador mind to apologize to them?

2] Very many projects have in the past 3 decades been faked in Kenya for the purposes of looting public funds. Can his Excellency the Kenyan Ambassador to USA, prove to Kenyans in Diaspora, that the purchase of the buses and hence collection of the signatures from the Kenyans in the Diaspora living in USA and in Canada, in the name of stopping war in the Diaspora, is neither a scheme to loot public funds nor an ODM campaign as we get closer to the elections?. Read Mr. John Maina’s article on Partisanship of Kenyan Ambassadors and High commissioners http://www.ajabuafrica.com/ajabublog/?p=811&cpage=1#comment-15914

By Standard team

NAIROBI, Kenya_The Church could be headed for a shakeup if a bid by mainstream and top Pentecostal churches to rein in rogue preachers succeeds.

At the heart of the move is the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya, which is worried that deceitful individuals have turned numerous houses of worship into commercial entities.

With pastors, including leading televangelists, also increasingly making headlines for involvement in crimes such as extortion, murder, human trafficking, rape and defilement, the umbrella body is equally concerned that this is critically hurting the image of the Church.

It is on this ground that the Evangelical Alliance, the Kenya Episcopal Conference (KEC), and the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) are engaging the Government as they seek powers to self-regulate, recommend reregistration of sham preachers, and lock out questionable individuals who want to join the ministry.

Penal offenses
They groups are said to have already held consultations with the Attorney General, the Registrar General, the National Security Intelligence Service (NSIS), the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), and the Kenya Integrity Forum with regard to the need for a vetting process that would lock out fraudulent gospel ministers.

Reverend Wellington Mutiso, the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya secretary general, says the first round of consultations took place last August followed by another in January, with another meeting now on the cards.

He says the Ministry of Education has also been closely involved since some preachers are increasingly opening schools with curriculums based on misleading doctrines.

Although the meetings are yet to yield much fruit, Mutiso laments the Church has been invaded by an unprecedented number of impostors, a situation he says is mortifying the institution.

“There are quacks in every profession and the Church has not been left out; we are having many wolves in sheep’s clothing. Currently, some of them have very big churches and congregations but are selling prayers, miracles and health to people who have followed them out of despair.

“This is not biblical but merely business and is the best way to know a rogue preacher,” he told The Standard On Saturday, lamenting that some of the pastors are even involved in penal offenses.

He says there is also growing concern about the titles some pastors are curving out for themselves.

Extremely skeptical

“In the mainstream churches and established Pentecostals, we have benchmarks that stipulate what theology school one should have attended and level one should reach to become a pastor and so on. But people who do not even understand the Bible are becoming pastors and even crowned apostles in months when they do not quality as such biblically, and when theirs are not even churches. People should be wary of this,” he cautions.

It is for this reason that Mutiso says the Church wants to be given powers to vet its own as opposed to the current set up where only Government agencies scrutinise potential clergymen.

Until the late 1990s, applications for those who wished to start gospel ministries used to be referred to the three umbrella bodies for recommendation before the then Registrar General could approve them.

“There was a backlog of so many churches that did secure registration, with so many groups that were occultist being kept away,” Mutiso explains. But a myriad of churches are now operating without registration, while those that seek registration only need the approval of the Registrar General and the NSIS.

“The NSIS and the registrar are not well equipped to do this and are not consulting those who do. These institutions have no idea as to what they are registering,” he states.

He says if allowed to vet itself, the Church would have the chance to interrogate both existing and aspiring pastors on their spiritual stands and doctrines to ascertain if they are Bible-based and lock out those who do not meet the cut.

“Although it is hard to vet people’s spirituality, we are the ones who can competently scrutinise and would recommend deregistration of so many churches. That is why we want to regulate ourselves,” he affirms.
Oliver Kisaka, NCCK deputy secretary general, calls on anyone who is not trained or called to be a Christian minister to desist from using Christianity to perpetrate evil.

He insists that one cannot qualify as a cleric unless he has theological training and admits many people are doing business and committing crimes from within the Church. But Rev Kisaka says they should be dealt with according to the law.

Misusing gift
“These are individuals who just wake up one day and think they can start ministries and make money through religion. If accused of criminal activities such as extortion, the justice system in Kenya does not discriminate offences and they should be taken to court and dealt with accordingly,” he says.

The clergyman nonetheless calls on Kenyans to desist from blanket condemnation of gospel ministers.
Pastor Justine Birichi of the International Christian Church readily acknowledges the Church has been turned into a money-spinner but not without explaining the unfortunate state of affairs.

He opines that most people have lost a sense of purpose in life, something he says has amplified the need for spiritual inspiration. The cleric says some pastors have deviously capitalised on this spiritual hunger.

Birichi gives the example of church ministers who sell annointing oil, a move he terms unbiblical. “We pray for the oil before anointing people, but it is just symbolic and not special in any way. It’s never supposed to be sold,” he explains.

“We have made the gospel a business. If you look at most pastors on television today, it is all about money and a lot of fake miracles.

“As ministers of the gospel, we have become so greedy. We have the power to convince people that black is indeed white but we are misusing this gift. This is unfortunate and is really hurting the word of God,” the pastor says.

As a result, he says people have become extremely skeptical about the work of the Church. “The devil has taken advantage and is tormenting people who do not know who to trust and who to believe.

Fellow Kenyans,
It is indeed devastating to say the least to begin to understand what Kenyan top diplomats are all about.
Honestly, I am not sure whether to blame the Kenyan Ambassador in Washington or the power that put him there. What is shocking is the realization of the low level to which we have sank as a nation. The questions are how did we get this low and how do we get out?

First and foremost, I would like to point out that the Ambassador in Washington has become a constant embarrassment and a total failure in discharging his duties.

I am not sure what type of orientation he underwent or what his job description entails. But if what I learnt in my Diplomacy and International Relations classes is anything to go by, the Ambassador needs some refresher courses to catch up with what he is supposed to be waking up to do in Washington. Failure to do so, I would proposal an immediate recall as any more embarrassment would be too painful to bear.

Why do I say that the Ambassador has failed?

1. Instead of engaging in irrelevant activities and uncalled for mission of flying from one state to the other in the name of meeting Kenyans, the Embassy should embark of serious stuff to help Kenyan take full advantage of the opportunities in America. Instead, the Ambassador has assumed the role beneath that of a local chief as he moves around eating goats and drinking traditional porridge.
If you were to interview him and seek to understand how such visits benefit Kenya as a country and tax payers specifically, he would just freeze with no substantial response. Probably he would simply say, he was invited by peace loving Kenyans and determined beyond doubts that the group was not tribal, hence his attendance using Kenyan tax payers’ money. This is not only absurd and embarrassing but it needs to stop now!

2. The Kenyan Embassy in Washington, which is based at the heart of the biggest economy in the world, should be engaging in market research in order to intelligently inform Kenyans on market trends and design ways that e.g. farmers can exploit the huge market, how hotelier and other service industries can advantageously market themselves, and explore ways for cultural exchange. In addition, to finding market leads, the Embassy should hold regular market events; produce informative materials related to international sales, marketing and finance. Provide international logistics, regulations and licensing, trade data and analysis. They should also have publications on trade problems etc. All these tasks would take quality time to deliver and thus less time for aimless visits from coast to coast diving Kenyans on tribal lines and creating imaginary wars in a foreign land.

3. The Public Affairs department of the Embassy should fully commit itself to concrete informational, cultural and educational activities intended to promote the Kenyan Foreign Policy and Kenyan Society in America. The department should maintain a state of the art information resource centre to help Kenyans particularly students conduct further research and Kenyan business folks take full advantage of opportunities in America. I would not be surprised that the Embassy staff might not even know what Kenyan Foreign Policy entails. I am not in any way trying to demean the work done at the Embassy but I’m stunned by the low level of debate going on the blog-sphere that belittles the role of the top diplomat.

4. The Education Attaché should develop robust partnerships with world leading institutions of higher learning. Be on the forefront encouraging American universities to collaborate with Kenyans universities in order to enhance quality and access of education for Kenyans. Find scholarship leads for Kenyan students. Encourage American research institutions to conduct research in Kenya in partnership with Kenyan researchers and vise versa. Find ways for Kenyan students to publish their research in American journals etc. I mean the work to be done is too much that I am wondering where the Embassy gets time to engage in petty stuff.

5. The only explanation as to why the current Ambassador is causing unnecessary conflicts and engaging in affairs that are beneath the role of the local of sub-chief in the village is that either he is intellectually challenged or simply he didn’t get his terms of reference right when he got hired. The third explanation might be he just doesn’t care or else he is in a mission to destabilize the Diaspora using the political strategy that was successfully used in 2007 presidential campaigns. All tribes were made to view the Kikuyus as the enemies to be fought with vigor. Some Kikuyus succumbed to that malicious strategy and began to see themselves as the societal problem. Some even began to believe that their survival depended on being seen to support non-kikuyu. Now while this was a political strategy that worked on 2007, I think now Kenyan people know better. I am surprised that a lawyer in the name of Reginal Njogu has the audacity to act as a gun for hire. To shoot unsubstantiated facts in support of what are indefensible failures in the part of the Embassy.

6. While lately the corruption in most Embassies has been reported including sales of Embassy buildings, it would be worthwhile to find out the role Regina Njogu plays in relation to her services to the Embassy. For example, can she tell Kenyans how much she was paid to write that rebuttal? I really don’t care what business partnership she has with the Embassy or the Ambassador for that matter, my only concern is why she would find it necessary to passionately defend the Embassy while its failures are glaring. Is she a beneficiary at the expense of fellow Kenyans? The days of hypocrisy are numbered in the new dispensation. If any Kenyan knows something, it is about time they say it so that the truth can be known. It would be more helpful if Regina would outline activities undertaken by the Embassy that have significantly enhanced the lives of Kenyans. Also, she can revise the job description for the Ambassador and provide advice on how he can effectively fulfill his role!

7. For the sake of not embarrassing himself anymore, the Ambassador should read some memoirs of significant diplomats who served before him and try to understand and redefine his role. I recommend the following as some of my favorite diplomats who sought to make a positive difference in the lives of their so societies.

Hammarskjöld, Dag / 1905-1961
Second Secretary-General of the United Nations. Also served as Chairman of the Bank of Sweden and State Secretary for Foreign Affairs. Swedish

Franklin, Benjamin / 1706-1790
Printer, philosopher and statesman. Served as ambassador to England and minister to France. American

Bush, George Herbert / 1924-
41st President of the United States. Served as ambassador to the United Nations and China. American

Bismarck, Otto von / 1815-1898
Statesman and aristocrat. Served as ambassador to Russia and France. German

Boutros-Ghali, Boutros / 1922-
Sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations. Also served as Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Secretary-General of La Francophonie. Egyptian

Ban, Ki-Moon / 1944-
Eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations. Served as Foreign Minister and ambassador to Austria. South Korean

Jefferson, Thomas / 1743-1826
Third President of the United States. Served as minister to France. American

Kissinger, Henry / 1923-
Secretary of State and Advisor for National Security Affairs. Joint winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. American

Rabin, Yitzhak / 1922-1995
Prime Minister, Defense Minister and joint winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Served as ambassador to the United States. Israeli

Thant, U / 1909-1974
Third Secretary-General of the United Nations. Also served as ambassador to the United Nations. Myanmarese

Albright, Madeleine / 1937-
Secretary of State and Permanent Representative to the United Nations . American

Franklin, Benjamin / 1706-1790
Printer, philosopher and statesman. Served as ambassador to England and minister to France. American

Jay, John / 1745-1829
Jurist. Served as minister to Spain. American

Hilary Clinton /2008
Secretary of State and former Senator of New York. She was also a First Lady for 8 years and a Presidential candidate in 2008.

I would urge the Ambassador to ponder over the remarks expressed in good faith in this response, reevaluate his standing going forward, and issue an apology to all Kenyans or tender his resignation. We are all Kenyans all the time and the insinuation that there are tribal groupings in the United States aimed at destabilizing Kenya and replicating the political violence like those occurred in 2007/8 is the height of hypocrisy, manifestation of intellectual bankruptcy, and psychological immaturity.

Does it mean Kenyans cannot produce great men of high intellect who can engage Washington in a meaningful way? How long are we going to bear the pain of having a nut like the current ambassador in office? Truth be told, he needs to go back to his activism NGO stuff because the diplomatic world has no place for people of his caliber. Sooner or later he will experience the rejection like a liver transplant patient. Regards,

Best Regards,
Dr. Pauline Otieno McCartney,
Santa Fe College, Gainesville, Florida

By Regina Njogu

I beg to differ with Isaac Kinity’s observations articulated in his article titled ‘No war in Kenyan Diaspora’ which appeared on this space on April 23rd, 2012. I am a strong proponent of cohesion within the Kenya Diaspora community, and more specifically among the Kenyan Diaspora in the US. It is from this perspective that I pen this opinion.

To elucidate,  according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are about six hundred (600) Kenya Diaspora organizations in the US alone that are coalesced around  various private and public interests, some duplicative. These organizations include churches, NGOs, tribal groupings, and etcetera. Many will agree that there is no justification whatsoever for such proliferation.

In fact, failure by the Diaspora to speak in one voice has ended up hurting the Diaspora agenda instead of helping it. Our fragmentation is in deed counter intuitive. This is because if Diaspora Kenyans spoke with one voice, we stand a better chance of getting Diaspora concerns heard and taken into account.

The current proliferation of Diaspora organizations is untenable and cannot be justified as it only serves to ensure that the Diaspora agenda is not being pushed effectively. We have so many Kenya Diaspora organizations all claiming to represent the entire Kenyan Diaspora sending their own and mixed messages to the embassy and to Nairobi, that in fact, many in government do not know which group is which and which truly speaks for the Diaspora.

Some of these organizations have hyped themselves, organized conferences and invited government dignitaries to their conferences just for the dignitaries to get here and realize that the organizations are not truly representative. At this time when important decisions affecting the Diaspora are going to be made, such as on the issue of taxation of dual citizens, it is even more imperative that Diaspora Kenyans speak with one voice.

In a nutshell, this is what H.E. Ambassador Elkannah Odembo has been saying all along. So when Mr. Kinity complains that H.E. Ambassador Elkannah Odembo refuses to meet with some Kenyan groups that have sought audience with him, and then conveniently fails to disclose the real rationale behind the ambassador’s refusal, he comes across as disingenuous.

I have, like many others listened and understood the rationale behind his refusal and I am afraid that the ambassador is right on this one. First, if a group is a private interest group, he is not obligated to meet with its leaders.  If the ambassador was to take time to meet leaders of each Kenyan Diaspora private interest group in the US, and meets one group everyday, it would take him every working day of a year and a half to meet all of them. Recap full opinion here >>

Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Isaack Hassan has refuted Foreign Affairs Ministry’s reports that the Diaspora will vote in any locations in the next General Election.

Speaking at different forums Mr Hassan was categorical that polling will only take place at the embassies, High Commissions and consulates and accused Foreign Affairs assistant minister Richard Onyonka of giving misleading information.

“The minister is wrong. That’s not the IEBC’s and I am going to write to him a protest letter as soon as I get back to Kenya”, he told The Standard in Washington, DC.

Last week, Mr Onyonka said IEBC will establish polling stations in all the regions in North America and Europe that have a significant number of Kenyans to facilitate voting.

The announcement was meant to allay fears among Kenyans living abroad over their rights to vote in the forthcoming elections.

Early last week, a number of Kenyan US based civil society groups had began meetings to organise mass protests and institute court proceedings against attempts to block them from voting.

Balkanised

“This is the Government position; Kenyans living abroad will vote in the presidential elections. Polling will not be confined to the embassies and high commissions as has been erroneous reported in a section of the press. Ambassadors and High Commissioners will not be returning officers because we know they are political appointees”, said Onyonka last during an interview with The Standard.

According to the assistant minister, North America for instance would have been balkanised into at least seven regions where voting would have taken place. Other polling stations will be in the Texas areas- Dallas/Houston, California, Seattle Washington.

In Canada, polling stations will be in Toronto, Ontario and Ottawa. This would have been in addition to the consulate stations.

On Saturday, Hassan told a meeting in Washington, DC that the commission will recruit junior officers within embassy offices to preside over the elections.

But US based lawyer Ms Regina Njogu said the move is likely to lock out majority of Kenyans living in the US who are eligible to vote. “Majority of Kenyans don’t even live in DC, or New York or LA for that matter.

How do you expect someone to travel from Minnesota or Texas to DC just to go and register to vote or even vote? It doesn’t make sense”. She said.

Mr Mike Kihoro, president of Diaspora Voters Association, Delaware Chapter said the Diaspora should resist the move by IEBC to disenfranchise them.

“If you don’t put polling stations in places like Atlanta, Georgia, Boston, Massachusetts, Dallas/Houston, Texas, Delaware and Minneapolis, Minnesota how can you claim to have conducted free and fair elections?” he posed.

BOSTON, Mass.,_Kenyan ambassador to the US, Mr Elkanah Odembo last week led Kenyans living in the US in signing a peace pledge committing themselves to maintain peace during the forthcoming general elections.

Launching the peace charter in Boston Massachusetts, during a dinner party hosted in honor of the Kenyan athletic team that participated in the Boston Marathon, the ambassador said there were already signs that trouble was brewing.

“As a country, we are still not cohesive. As soon as 2012 arrived, tensions among different Kenyan communities in the US started rising. Things started bubbling up,” he said.

Odembo said it was shameful that the Diaspora, a group that was supposed to show leadership by influencing positive changes in Kenya was itself practicing ethnic and tribal division.

“For some of you who have lived here for 10, 20 years and you still live in your tribal cocoons, as long as I’m here, I’ll always be on your case. I’ll not forgive you. We can’t build a cohesive country when we still identify ourselves by our tribes,” he said.

Speaking at the same function, Bishop Joshua Wambua said the best thing the Diaspora could do was to indicate to people back at home that Kenyans living abroad are committed to peace and the best way to do that was by them signing the peace pledge.

“Before we do anything. Before we discuss the Diaspora policy, we need to start a peace initiative here and now by signing this pledge,” he said.

The peace pledge that commits the diaspora to advocate for free, fair and peaceful elections will be taken to different states in the US and Canada that have a large number of Kenyans. The next stop on its journey around the US will be in the Washington, DC Metro area.

“We are in the process of identifying an appropriate venue for this purposes. So far, we have already constituted a committee to work on this because we believe the Diaspora can lead peace initiative in our country,” said Bishop Paul Mulani of Maryland.

Meanwhile, ambassador Odembo will be hosting a reception in honour of the visiting Government officials attending the Spring IMF/World Bank meetings and the members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

The meeting took place today (Friday) at the embassy offices in Washington, DC. The officials include: Mr Robinson N. Githae, Minister for Finance, Charity Ngilu, Minister for Water and Irrigation, Dr Romano Kiome, PS, Ministry of Agriculture and Prof Njuguna Ndung’u, Governor, Central Bank of Kenya.

Others are Dr Geoffrey Mwau, Economic Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Mr Jackson Kinyanjui, Director, External Resources Department, Ministry of Finance, Mr Issack Hassan, Chairman, IEBC, Ms Lilian Mahiri-Zaja, Vice-Chair, IEBC and Yusuf Nzibo, Commissioner, IEBC.

By Isaac Newton Kinity

Kenya ambassadors and high commissioners are also representatives and guardians of the Kenyan people abroad.When an Ambassador confronts people from his home country with the statement, “I do not entertain tribal groupings” after they pay him a visit, Just because they talk one common language , when an ambassador refuses to reply to an invitation letter by people from his home country, just because the invitation letter does not have multiple signatures of people from different tribes, who is tribal, that Ambassador or the individual people from his home country who live together in one area?

This was exactly what happened when his Excellency Ambassador Elkanah Odembo arrived in USA as the new Kenya Ambassador to USA to replace the former Kenya Ambassador to USA, His Excellency Peter Ogego . The first group to go to the Kenyan Embassy in Washington DC to welcome the new Ambassador, was a group of Kenyans from Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first group to be greeted with the harsh words “I do not entertain tribal groupings”.

The second group of Kenyans to taste the wrath of Ambassador Odembos’ motto of “I do not entertain tribal groupings” was one from Massachusetts. In September 2010, the Kenyan Ambassador to the USA, was sent an invitation letter by the New England Pastors Fellowship Association, a group of 45 Reverends, Pastors and Bishops representing Kenya congregations from 4 States in USA, namely Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Rode Island.

AAs representatives of thousands of Kenyans living in the United States of America, they wanted to meet their new Ambassador. Most people in Massachusetts come from the Kikuyu community in Kenya, and therefore, the Ambassador considered it a tribal group, prompting his refusal to reply to the invitation letter from the New England Pastors Fellowship Association. Although the Ambassador has been advocating Anti-Tribal groupings, he has been a frequent visitor of Tallahassee in Florida. Who he has been visiting and why he has always chosen Tallahassee as his favorite city of visit, is every Kenyans guess.

Despite the efforts of the association to prepare for the arrival of the Ambassador, he never replied nor did he ever call the association to officially acknowledge receipt of the invitation letter, although it was confirmed that the letter reached the office of the Ambassador. More efforts to consult with the Ambassador over the invitation were unsuccessful.

Similarly, the Kenyan people in New Jersey, who live very close to Washington DC. have tried to invite the Ambassador, all in vain.

They are considered to be a tribal group because most of them come from the Kisii community in Kenya.

Living together as a community in one state in America while the other Kenyan community lives together in another state should never be considered to be tribal.

Recently the Ambassador failed to receive the Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Hon. Richard Onyonka or send a representative. Whether Hon. Onyonka and his team were considered a tribal group by the Ambassador or not, remains a puzzle.

What exactly would happen if His Excellency the Ambassador became the President of Kenya, where different groups of people live in different locations, talk one language and a culture of their own?. Would he ever visit any such a community or be visited by one such a community at State House?.

May the Ambassador be advised that there are three categories of Kenyans arriving abroad, that is:

There are those who win Green Card, those who arrive as visitors and those who are prospective students.

In either case there is always a host in place to receive the new comer. Everyone who travels abroad under the categories above, is either received by a friend or a relative, and often settles in that same area he is received.

That is the reason why different communities are found living together in different locations in USA and elsewhere in the World. Kenya Ambassadors and High Commissioners all over the World should learn to listen to every Kenyan in need and to accept to meet any group of Kenyans. They are representatives and guardians of Kenyans living with them abroad. They should always strive to unite them instead of dividing them, as is happening in the USA. There is a culture in Kenya’s leadership circles where no one accepts a mistake even when a mistake is obvious.

Failure to accept mistakes blocks all avenues for corrections and creates room for repetitions of same mistakes. And unless the Ambassador explains why he failed to receive the Assistant Minister and the Vice Chairperson of the IEBC or send his representative, the Kenya Government should prove that change is already in process by taking a disciplinary action against the Ambassador.
READ: http://ajabuafrica.com/The%20Kenya%20Diaspora%20summit%20in%20Boston

Otherwise Kenyans will remain convinced that the current Government may never succeed in eradicating impunity. The fear created by the impunity in Kenya is far more threatening than the fear expressed by the Kenyan Ambassador to the USA in Boston recently.
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000055751&cid=4

According to the Standard Newspaper, Kenyans in the Diaspora are so tribal to an extent of brewing trouble in Kenya, a statement which is misguiding and false. Kenyans in the Diaspora, especially in the US, have not been tribally divided as depicted in the Standard newspaper.

What featured recently in the Standard Newspaper was an exaggeration of tribalism in the Diaspora which does not warrant any alarm. Kenyans in Diaspora have not been killing one another as portrayed in the newspaper and neither have they been the cause of the common attacks and killings witnessed in Kenya from time to time since 1992.

Unless a new project to loot public funds in the name of collecting signatures to keep peace in America is in the offing, it would be unimaginable to buy buses in order to go round in USA to collect signatures from Kenyans in the Diaspora for the purposes of keeping peace. One thing, this is an insult to the competent security system in the USA and an abuse to all the Kenyans living in USA.

All the Ambassador is required to do, if he is really convinced that Kenyans in USA are about to start killing one another, is to report what he knows about the insecurity among the Kenya communities living in USA, to the US authorities, and I can assure him that everything will be taken care of, and all his worries will be gone.

Instead of wasting money to buy buses, buy gas to run the buses, hire drivers and personnel to run such an unnecessary expensive exercise, all that money should be channeled to other important projects in Kenya, such as helping the internally displaced people(IDPs) or transfer the same exercise to Kenya, where attacks and killings have been common during elections.

Kenyans in the USA have never attacked and/or killed one another as a group, and when that time comes, the US security system will be in charge and will take care of it, and not the Kenyan Ambassador or the Kenya Government.

Kenya's Foreign Affairs Assistant Minister Richard Onyonka and Independent, Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) vice chair-person, Ms. Lillian Mahili- Zaja

BOSTON, Mass.,_ Independent, Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) will establish polling stations in all regions in North America and Europe that have significant number of Kenyans to facilitate voting, the Government has announced.

In a move to calm Kenyans living abroad, who had received mixed signals concerning their rights to vote in the forthcoming elections, Foreign Affairs Assistant Minister Richard Onyonka was in the US with a message that the Government intends to respect their right to vote.

“Kenyans living abroad will vote in presidential elections. Polling will not be confined to embassies and High Commissions as have been reported. Ambassadors and high commissioners will not be returning officers because we know they are political appointees,” said Mr Onyonka.

Dispelled rumours

Addressing participants during Diaspora Summit held on Saturday in Boston, Onyonka dispelled rumours that Kenyans will have to travel to high commissions and embassies to votes.

The Diaspora had interpreted this as a strategy by the Government to disenfranchise them since the move was not only time consuming but also costly. A recent Facebook posting purported to have emanated from Mr John Maina, an officer in charge of Diaspora issues in the Prime Ministers office, and which was widely circulated, had indicated that the Diaspora, apart from being forced to travel to embassies and high commissions will only cast votes for president. Dismissing the message, Onyonka said that was neither IEBC’s nor the Government’s position.

Seven regions

“John Maina does not work for IEBC or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where Diaspora issues fall. What he is doing, and I’ve told him in the past, is just causing confusion on a matter that is volatile,” said Onyonka.

According to Onyonka, North America will be balkanised into at least seven regions where voting will take place. This will include New England, New York/New Jersey among others.

Others will be Illinois/Missouri Kansas/ Oklahoma areas, Iowa/ Wisconsin/Michigan/Minnesota areas.

Mr Onyonka was accompanied by IEBC’s vice-chairperson, Ms. Lillian Mahili- Zaja.

Onyonka urged Kenyans in Diaspora to register with embassies and high commissions so that the Government can have a sense of how many people they are dealing. This he added will enable them effectively plan for the voting exercise.

Story by Chris Wamalwa,  The Standard