Sunshine by 'The Kings of Soul' The O'JAYS. . Memories...Reminds me of Bethany. . One of O'JAYS'S heirs.

See Balala running for his life. Karau siyo!

The vote

Marende(ODM) has won the speaker vote. Edit; And Farah Maalim was elected as the deputy speaker.

^^Yep. They have no choice. A mecca for somalis, you could say. But I guess the rallies gonna be under control in Nairobi. Alxamdulilah, things are good down here except for the snowy winter.

Originally posted by Isseh: ^And three days at that. Things sure look gloomy in that part of the world. True. Crossing fingers for them. Most Somali families (including ours) who moved to other parts of the country are already back.

^^ Their skinny fibulas hardly have a chance there. Ghana, with the '06 world cup squad, at home, will effortlessly win. Ivory coast would be the second runners. Can bet on that!

Latest; ODM calls for subsequent rallies. Getting tired of these bootless ODM rallies. The game is long over.

Of course he has a point in condemning the violence, calling for UN intervention and pointing out the western-driven pseudo-democracy that mirrors the true colours and lunacy of our african leaders. But in this venal world even the perpetrators admonish violence. He should have condemned the violence in its entirety. Not insinuating that it was well planned before hand, just as Tuju did. Ring a bell? Sounds impartial in this article though.

Ngugi, what a great writer, but Matigari days are over boy. He is way too partisan in kenya's politics now. He should've told us of the dreadful stories of kids mutilated/macheted to death in Mathare too. And of course the underlying causes of such hatred. No wonder he cautiously stumbles on old foe's backyard. Anyone read Wizard of the Crow?

^^ Yep..The impact of an eventual stoppage of remittances would be tremendous.

^^ I understand your sentiments, though based on personal experience which can be categorized as "Isolated cases". I know many will not agree with me on that. Of course there are misuses, but the bottomline is that there are folks who are in dare need or are solely dependent on these small remittances. Personally I would love them to live the kind of life I desire to live, that's if my pocket could allow. Let it be having two or more housemaids. Futhermore, it doesn't sound logic to dictate how they should use it. Mark me, I'm against the likes of those described earlier by me. No need of sending sth to those guys.

Sad to see energetic blokes with fancy smartphones in the streets of Eastleigh living on 'Bill from Dibada', but the merits outweigh the demrits. There are many who genuinely depend on remittances. But you guys shouldn't overdramatize things. One can't live large on the few bucks you send. Not in big cities atleast. It's a good idea that they do some investment to generate some income instead of relying on others. God forbid, but hypothetically speaking, what if something happens to the sender. Like Ngonge said let your relatives live in luxury if you have the means.

Many here are diluded by the fact that Raila has majority in parliament. But in reality ODM has no say in parliament as they need a total of 145 Mps to even pass a constitutional law in the house. This means Raila need the support of around 29 more mps to even point a finger at the government's desk. Save for the ODM's few nominees. Kibaki have already won the support of other small parties (With the naming of a DP Mp into the cabinet). The smaller parties, who btw stand as an independent organ, have ca. 30 members, so with PNU's 33 and Kalonzo's 16, Kibaki can infact dilly dally with Raila's moves in the house. The only power ODM posses in parliament is the power to vote down motions/laws from the gov't. Kibaki has that opportunity too. And don't be suprised if you see a whole lot of opposition Mps on Kibaki's side come 1 yrs time. That's politics in Kenya. Expect the Somali mps first;). They follow the flow as usual. PS. The constitution allows Kibaki to appoint anyone to his cabinet regardless of party affiliation. And for the record: Should Raila settle for a coalition with Kibaki, then expect a Kikuyu dynasty for atleast another 15 years. Who knows, maybe another Kikuyu hero comes into the limelight when Uhuru ends his term in 2022.

Originally posted by me: Its in their benefit that a civil war erupts in Kenya. 1. Soomaalida lacagtooda Nayroobi ula carareeysa ayaa dhulkooda gashanayaan. 2. Wey ka wada tashanayaan arimaha kuligood saameynaya. 3. Gooni isu taag ama autonomy ayee doonan karaan, hadii qalalaase meesha ka dhaco. 4. Wadanka marka dib loo hashiisiinayo ayee cadkooda goosanayaan. (Waxan oo dhani waxay ku xidhan yihiin, in Soomaalidu danteeda ka wada tashato, Waji midaysan'na ah ay soo bandhigto) Marka hadii aad i weydiisid, Soomaalida Kenya faaido ayaa ugu jirta in Kiinyaarigu is galaan. Seems your prefrontal cortex is loaded with much bigger blinkers.

Originally posted by Baashi: Shar ma Arke awoowe compromise is the name of the game. The big picture necessitates budging a bit and to settle with less. True. Of course restoration of peace and some security is vital at this stage. But it's just the tip of the iceberg. As you said the underlying causes crave time and resources. But they are worth the resources, I tell you, coz the deep-seated animosity among these tribes date back in history. It just didn't spark now unprovoked. A time bomb, you could say. Goes back to Kenyatta era, when the Late Kenyatta apportioned the big farms in Rift Valley (left by the colonial masters) to Kikuyus from other regions. Kenyatta's action of apportioning wealth to his kinsmen was, amog others, the bone of contention to this problem. It breeded the formation of warring groups like the Kalenjin wariors and Mungiki, to name a few. These grooups, which were initiated and inextricably used by powerful figures in today's political circle, exist til today. This is just one of the issues sneaking behind the post-election impasse that need to be taken into account. Addressing the election irregularities only would just dampened the on-going violence leaving the focal point of the dispute unaddressed.

^^ Well said. Caqli La'aan iyo kibir waa tan Somaalia burburisay. @Emperor; No help from the international community kuye....haha..War the whole world was there with their mighty tanks and so on but we were "too smart" to save our beloved motherland from plunging into war.

A comprehensive article indeed. That's why a coalition or power sharing is not a panacea to the deep-rooted and perennial problems Kenya is facing. It's time the political elite (Esp. the opposition) to take advantage of the "on-going" negotiations to address the issues lurking below the surface of the post-election turmoil, and find a lasting remedy for the underlying causes rather than wiping out only the symptoms. Seems Raila gonna settle for a coalition/power sharing with Kibaki, which would portray him as just a mere power-hungry political hawker rather than the dear patriotic leader he professes to be.

Originally posted by Northerner: Should be another good one. I'm with any black African team but would like to Kanoute and Mali do well this year. With Nigeria and Ivory coast in their team Mali will have hard time to get to the second round. Though the Nigerians are unpredictable.

Ghana definitely. It's a strong team and they are at home, a vital combination in football. Ivory coast is also a team to reckon with. I guess and hope to see Ghana and Ivory coast in the finals. I see Morroco and Egypt have good odds to get to the quaters...I hate to see North Africans taking home the cup once again.

Though systematically discriminated, N.E.P people have only themselves to blame. Electing selfcentred,uneducated and cynical "leaders" since time memorial. Poodles of some specific political blocks in the country. Just like our Macalin dugsi who, after 20 yrs in the august house, I'm sure, can't point out any major (long-term) achievement he conferred to the masses. Do not expect any kind of crude 'Maendeleo' to take place as long as their leaders are of the same breed. Ps. There are two higher education institutions. Not mentioning the vocational college(Polytech). They are empowered after 2002 and offer degrees (Not sure if GSA's polytech offer such degrees).

VG, the leading Norwegian newspaper, reports Raila leading the race. Have to retire to bed, have to wake up early for work. I hope to wake to good news too bro. Good night to you all.

^^ They were certain of a win. Things doesn't seem so now.

Dark clouds are congregating over Kenya 07 elections Jamaal, me kind of pessimistic for now;). Reminiscences of Moi's politics, I dare say! Remember he is right up in the corner, though Rift Valley backfired on him. I liked the unexpected suprise hiting Moi's Baringo mud houses. J11, Limited updates on NEP election outcomes. Very remote as usual, have to wait til Zafanana gets those damn ballot boxes to the city;) ODM has the majority, though neck to neck. FYI; Aden Barre has won Dujis on ODM seat. And former NEP pc has won Wajir south, ousting Ina Abdirahman. What a change of weather there! Wonder what the Ogles were upto these time around. HornAfrique; Was happy too that Mr. Abdi, the marionette, lost.

Originally posted by General Duke: Seems the cirrhosis is taking its toll on the president. The symptoms are more visible than ever before.