Kenyan Blogs: Selling Out Kenya-Self Promotion Cash Cows

Kenyan pundit

It is no secret that most Kenyan blogs have always been anti-Kikuyu and anti Kenya at heart . Pandering to Neo liberal European ideas that have no place in modern day Africa. Most of this blogs ,Kenyan Pundit, Ushaidi, kumekucha, Kwani,etc style themselves as being fiercely pro Kenya .They claim to care for you and me but the sad truth is they are mere vehicles of self-promotion while others are just cash cows being milked in the name of caring about Kenya.

Double standards

For Example a few months ago One William Ole Ntimama was in the news confessing that he had organized the killing of over 600 people in Narok. Blogs such as Kenyan pundit, Mzalendo and Ushaidi were all strangely quiet. Not a single word or campaign to get the honorable minister fired or brought to justice was seen of this patriotic blogs.(mind you some of this blogs such as Ushaidi were created to promote justice and peace)This are the same blogs that shout to the rooftops about bringing Kibaki,The Police and kikuyus to justice .

afromusing -Ushaidi

Another example : When Amos kimunya was falsely accused by James Orengo of having sold grand regency to a Mt Kenya outfit .It was bloody murder on the net. Almost all the bloggers on Kenya unlimited(a Kenyan blogging community) were baying for his blood. When Orengo went before a commission of inquiry later and admitted that Kimunya had indeed acted within the law, that the hotel was actually bought by a Libyan company and most importantly that his statements to the public that the hotel had not been sold (as of the time he gave the statement) were true, not a single word was said on this Kenyan blogs.

Kriegler Report

Yesterday The Kriegler report indicated that the Kenyan election was indeed not rigged at kicc (despite what this blogs have been telling the world) .Instead what we saw during the last election as indicated by the report was a hotly disputed close election .The report was very specific that that last year’s election was marred by a series of errors that made it impossible to determine the true outcome. The report went further to state that no proof of fraud and rigging at the KICC was evident (the backbone argument that almost destroyed Kenya).Yet today our ‘patriotic blogs’ are silent again.

Binyavanga Wainaina - kwaniBlog

The elections were disputed not stolen but do we see a single ’patriotic blog’ reporting the truth.Some of this blogs were used as authoritative reports/ evidence against Kibaki, Kikuyus and Kenyans by western media organizations at the height of the crisis .Yet whenever stories turn out to be different this blogs go quiet.(No email to BBC ) What ideals do we hold out to . What truths do we stand for ! Bure kabisa shame on you !

The truth is out there !you just need to look!

http://kikuyunationalism.wordpress.com/2008/09/20/kriegler-report-pdf/

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Posted on September 20, 2008 at 00:51 in Tags | RSS feed | Respond | Trackback URL

Tags: afromusing, Binyavanga Wainaina, kenya unlimited, Kenyan pundit, Kriegler report, kumekucha, Ushaidi

12 Comments to “Kenyan Blogs: Selling Out Kenya-Self Promotion Cash Cows”

acolyte
September 20, 2008 at 11:27

I do recall that “U missed this” aka Kumekucha did mention the missing Ntimama video. But I do concur that alot of those “patriotic” blogs have lost their vision and direction.
Plus if you look at KBW aka Kenyaunlimited it has lost alot of goodwill and its original members. This is because it’s basically a one man outfit where the owner’s word is gospel. KBW has really taken the founder places ie conferences and such but to be honest how much impact has it had on the ground in Kenya?
Anyway that is a story for another day. I do agree with you that unfortunately Kenyan blogs have fallen to the cult of personality.
James Kanyotu jr
September 20, 2008 at 12:38

I noticed that unlike the United States that has a diverse blogging community.The Kenyan blogging community is very ‘cliquish’.Even around organized blogs there seems to be a certain manipulation information intentionally or unintentionally .Probably many a blogger feel that they have to conform to certain ideas .I would be shocked to read nasty comments here on this post attacking this blog instead of offering an explanation for the discrepancies particularly for the examples given .

I think with blogs becoming more and more important it is only fair that we reject tribalism in all its forms and partisanship that over reacts when people like kimunya are perceived to have done wrong and completely ignores utterances of people like Ntimama .we can only build a better Kenya if we are transparent .Otherwise we are just fooling ourselves.

As for the self promotion and cash cows,I think every man/woman has to eat . but i think they should get paid and better kenya too .
daniel.waweru
September 20, 2008 at 20:40

Sadly mistaken. Kenyanpundit had a firmly-worded post on the Ntimama video; indeed, she demanded his arrest!

If you call Kenyan pundits post on the Ntimama saga a serious post or even a firmly worded post you must be joking. I don’t know who you think you are fooling. Kenyan blogs are known for their harsh campaigns and rants on various issues. We have seen longer more detailed posts on parastatal reshuffles and perceived ethnic makeup in certain government departments in comparison (some campaigns by some of this bloggers have even gone on for months).

Notwithstanding that the post was done many many days after the Ntimama video was posted when some blog readers began wondering why the blogs were ignoring the story .(mind you this are bloggers who keep up with Kenyan politics on up to the minute-Mzalendo can tell you which member of parliament is on the House floor speaking as you read the blog) they travel around the world getting grants on promoting democracy justice and governance in Kenya. I think a one line post followed by four others that try to shift blame to Alfred Mutua doesn’t suffice(what does the government spokesman have to do with this anyway).

Every blogger has a choice on what subject they would like to post but if four lines and a slight mention of Ntimama is all you can do .Then you have no business pretending you care about Kenya. Make your money but don’t pretend to be non-partisan or neutral
Elia Varela Serra
September 20, 2008 at 23:46

Some time back Frank of the blog Kenya Christian was wondering why the press,some kenyan blogs, politicians and civil society were ignoring the video in which William Ole Ntimama -Kenya’s Minister for National Heritage- admitted being responsible for the killing of 600 Kenyans during the post-electoral violence. The blog is starting a Ntimama Daily Watch “to keep the issue alive”.
http://kenyachristian.blogspot.com/2008/07/why-is-ntimama-confession-being-ignored.html
Elia Varela Serra
muhana
September 21, 2008 at 13:18

It’s very true that many Kenyan bloggers are very biased. Granted, they’re allowed to have their political preferences but for goodness sake, why can’t they put those preferences aside when blogging, especially since they do so under the guise of championing justice and democracy?
Ole Tipis
September 22, 2008 at 02:36

I have noticed that corruption is corruption only when a Kikuyu is involved. The rest are doing things within the law. Bure Kabisa.
M
September 24, 2008 at 16:31

You must be profoundly naive if you thought Kriegler’s report was going to name either side as having rigged the elections! What possible good outcome could have come from saying ODM/PNU rigged the elections? The fragile truce would have collapsed that instant! The only way to save face on both sides was to be as inconclusive as possible.

As for the facts on the ground I was personally at KICC and visited some counting centers. I saw what happened there with my own eyes. Did you?
Muigwithania 2.0
September 25, 2008 at 00:56

Mr M

Nobody is being Naive. I think we all (those who cared to read the National Accord with a toothcomb) knew that the Kriegler Report was not going to say which party won. Secondly when one says that there was no rigging at KICC ,it does not automatically mean that the person is saying there was no systemic rigging at polling stations. In this case everyone agrees that the whole process was one big mess.

The Kriegler report shows all sorts of shenanigans in both ODM & PNU areas and we agree the election was inconclusive.(otherwise we would be calling for an end to the coalition)Nevertheless, the key corner stone argument of Odm was that the rigging was done at KICC. When the dispute began, PNU was very clear on this issue.

The report even goes further to explain the differences between results announced at polling stations and those at KICC. (I suggest you read the complete comprehensive report). The point here is this. Events at KICC and the way Odm /the media (including some blogs) reacted helped push Kenya over the top.

Since there were systemic problems with the elections, what right thinking Kenyans are saying is that ODM could have handled the situation in a different manner! Their actions at KICC and the media coverage inflamed the whole situation.

KICC & the biased coverage caused the violent reaction that followed.I think we can all agree to that
Muriuki
September 25, 2008 at 02:05

with due respect Mwigithania, let us not twist the verdict.

the election was a sham and it was coz fo ECK. now who appointed incompetent ECK? si ilikuwa kibaki na mafia yake.

so the buck stops at ECK offices and its appointing authority who happens to be Kibaki.

wacha tuseme wazi wazi. hii kura ilikuwa chafu kila mahali.

and Kriegler officially concludes, SHAM elections have no LEGITIMATE winners or losers.

ni hayo tu. hakuna haja ya kupaka rangi personal on the verdict.

Media did not rig the elections. Politicians and ECK bungled the elections. It has nothing to do with the Media. Fungua macho na utoke gizani.

If you must know most of us have now realize that we were used by these wazees. Do you know how many young people are being cut down on suspicion of being Mungikis? By kibaki and michuki orders? Just imagine. After all that vote, this is the thanks we get.

Our problem is not other tribes. Its our mafia. And we better take it out before it leads us to more future disasters.
john
September 25, 2008 at 06:41

“The Kriegler report has exonerated us from claims of rigging, allegedly in favour of President Kibaki, at the KICC. Commissioners should not be singled out for lynching because the Krieger commission exonerated us from claims of rigging the December poll,”

Jeremiah Matagaro(ECK Commissioner)
Muriuki
September 25, 2008 at 07:14

Rigging did not just happen in KICC. Kriegler’s report proves that rigging took place long before the ballots reached KICC. those ECK people should be sacked and imprisoned. Period!
Johnny
July 15, 2009 at 23:04

The whole ethos of this blog – Kikuyu chest thumping and defensiveness is nauseating to say the least…