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There's a Deeper Level to this Conversation: As You Tear At Each Other About Who's Sponsoring the Gen Z Protests, or Even if They're Sponsored at All, Watch These Three Videos and Let Me Know What You Think...

The Legacy of Fear: How the Shadow of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Shaped Kenya's Political Landscape In the annals of Kenya's political history, the events of 1969 stand out as a defining moment marked by fear, coercion, and manipulation. The political tension surrounding Jaramogi Oginga Odinga's candidature led to a series of oath-taking ceremonies in Gatundu that forever altered the fabric of Kenyan society. Understanding this historical context is crucial, especially when contemporary politicians attempt to invoke these dark chapters for political gain. The Fear of Jaramogi and the Birth of the Gatundu Oath The roots of the infamous Gatundu oath can be traced back to the fear and propaganda surrounding Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, the former vice-president and then-leader of the opposition. By 1969, the political landscape in Kenya was charged with tension. The assassination of Cabinet Minister Tom Mboya on 5th July 1969 had already set a volatile backdrop. Within this context, Pr

It's silly season at State House, Nairobi

After missing from blogosphere for the better part of last week due to acute viral nasopharyngitis, I'm glad to be back. Thankfully, Siasa Duni watchmen are more immune than yours truly, and a few of their stories caught caught my eye. Particularly this one. What a group of silies we're dealing with, really...



















The Kenyan peace talks are in tatters after it was discovered that Kofi Annan's hotel room in Nairobi has been bugged.

It is now clear from multiple reliable, impartial sources - both in Kenya and abroad - that the former UN Secretary General's business and personal conversations were being intercepted during the ongoing negotiations after a thorough search was carried out on his Serena Hotel room on Tuesday evening. For how long the room has been planted or by whom is unclear. "Kofi's security aides found the device yesterday," one source explained, while the talks were in session. Annan is said to be "livid", but it is not yet known how he intends to act on Tuesday night's revelations or whether he will walk away from the already troubled negotiations.

Annan arrived in the Kenyan capital on January 15 on an African Union (AU) invitation to head up the talks around Mwai Kibaki's disputed election victory. He was joined by Graca Machel and the former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, under the banner of the Panel of Prominent African Personalities. Together they brought members of both sides of the political divide to the table at the Serena Hotel, where Annan was also staying. Athough a breakthrough had been announced last Friday, when a four-point framework was agreed upon to curb the violence and address the December 27 poll, Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga continued to wage a war of words on the sidelines.

News of the bugging comes just 24 hours after Cyril Ramaphosa withdrew as the intended chief negotiator when the government of Kibaki made it be known that they would not trust the South African's intervention. Ramaphosa was not the first South African to receive his walking papers. Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu's efforts to broker a deal last month were also met with a luke-warm reaction.

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