- I propose that there should be 1 (ONE) presidential term for 7 years. This means the Prez know there is no second chance for a "legacy". It will also eliminate dilly-dallying by a Prez in Year # 5 trying to get re-elected.
- Savings & productivity will accrue as there is only 1 campaign "season" every 7 years. The Prez can continue with running the government (Year 7) while the candidates run around like headless chickens.
- We adopt a ZERO party system thus making ALL candidates independent while eliminating the need for party loyalty.
President: Anyang Nyongo
- KE said: He reminds me of Manmohan Singh. He's a smart, well educated techocrat who could really fix Kenya. He just needs to get out of Raila's shadow.
- I met him about 6 years ago at a function where he was one of the keynote speakers & he came across as not only smart but very articulate.
"Prime" Minister or Head of the Civil Service or some powerful post: Titus Naikuni
- He is efficient, smart & a no-BS guy. I was impressed by his performance at KQ. He even told off moi when moi fired Naikuni! Guts!
Minister of Finance: Mohamed Adan
- KE said: The current MD of Barclays bank. This guy pulled himself up from the bootstraps of mandera, to the harvard business school to barclays.
- I have met him. He is very smart! See the post on the Barclays 2005 AGM (held in Apr/May 2006) on Bankelele. I agree with KE on this choice.
Minister of Agriculture, Conservation & Water: Wangari Maathai
- KE said: Agriculture depends on good environmental policy. She's the one.
- My choice too!
Minister of Justice: John Githongo or Prof. Yash Pal Ghai
- KE said of JG: You want to eliminate corruption? he's your guy.
- My take is to have a (smart & clean) lawyer not sullied by politics thus I propose Prof. Yash Pal Ghai. Perhaps he can get us a better constitution that does not allow for crooks to run for protection under the "constitution".
- JG certainly needs a position in government but not a political role. He needs to be the head of KACC or a ministry whose role is to "audit" the other ministries.
Attorney General: Maina Kiai or Pheroze Nowrojee
- MK is a Human Rights & Anti-corruption crusader who made life hot for moi. Definitely an excruciating thorn for kibaki & cronies associates!
- PN is someone who has stood up to the government on numerous occassions esp when defending the "undesirables" in court. Well known among the Human Rights circle.
Minister of Telecommunications: Ayisi Makatiani or Sammy Kirui
- KE said of AM: We've got to diversify the economy away from land and into high-tech.
- There are good candidates. I like Kirui (current Telkom MD) since he is intimate with the industry. He has been responsible for the refreshing direction Telkom has taken of late.
Minister of roads, public works: Mukhisa Kituyi or Manu Chandaria
- KE said of MK: He'a a hard worker and he understands that trade cannot take place without the proper infrastructure.
- I don't think kituyi cuts it any longer! Uchumi failed under his watch when ICDC warned him of the "impending" doom! His threats to Nakumatt - when Nakumatt (cheekily) asked for a "subsidy" similar to what the government offered Uchumi - was unprofessional. He does not have real brass-knuckle experience in the business world. I think we need someone from the private sector e.g. Manu Chandaria. He is very knowledgable about business in Kenya, trading with the world & dealing with MNCs. His firms are among the largest in E.Africa & has investments in UK, Nigeria, S.Africa, India & Australia!
Lands & Housing: ????
Foreign Affairs: ????
I like the recent trend in the US where Governors (not senators/congressmen) are elected as Presidents since they have more experience running a "government".
GW Bush- Texas
Bill Clinton - Arkansas
If Kenya had "real" governments at the provincial level, it might provide us better choices. I am not supporting divisive majimboism but I admire the (imperfect but working) US system.
Disclosure: I used Kenyan Entrepreneur's comments as a foundation for this blog entry. I don't know how to link to her comments. Thanks!
23 comments:
FYI - KE is a "she!"
Oops! U know... I always tried to avoid using gender when I write on/about/reference people I do not know...
And I slipped on the last sentence!
What is the gender neutral term that doesn't have a he/she connotation?
keep the list growing. But, unfortunately many of these people are not going to enter the cess pool of politics anytime soon.
for all the good things he may or may not have done iw ouldnt put John githongo near anything. i think he is good where he is. The thing about recording conversations it may be good for the nation at that time but to me it reveals a cettain mindset - i mean this guy was a police reservist(what kind of people become reservists especially in the moi era) seems to me like a guys with a certain power complex nor really napoleaonic complex but still some commplex
Sigh... Banks is right that most of the folks we WANT to be our leaders don't care for politics!
Anon - I disagree. I think what Githongo did took GUTS. Would we have believed JG without proof?
Remember when karua & co asked for "proof"... well, now you heard it!
Even under scrutiny, ringera could not get a "recording"... no wonder Maina Kiai took his own recording equipment with him!
ciiku:
don't not reveal any other info, Please!
You can't have a prime minister in Kenya. A vice-president, yes, but you must have someone who is CLEARLY in charge.
Vice-President:
Francis Ole Kaparo
Minister of Lands & Housing:
Danson Mungatana.
He's a lawyer, He's young and he'd do what wise men like nyongo tell him to do. Land is a sensitive issue in kenya. you don't want a rabble rouser here.
Foreign Affairs:
This is an irrelevant ministry. I'd stick in a pretty boy like najib balala. He can go to all the cocktail parties in paris and london. You want someone who looks good because diplomats care about the way they look (they have alot of free time)
AG:
I'd eliminate this position entirely. It overlaps with the ministry of justice. However, I'd strengthen the courts and create a special independent dockett within the court system to deal with specific issues of corruption.
They'd have the power to investigate and prosecute. This is how the dept. of justice operates in America. They have subpoena power, they can haul you into court, they can charge you with crimes, but they have to go to trial: - which means, that those accused will have the chance to defend themselves before a fair panel of judges. The burden of proof will rest on the accuser. You don't want a situation where someone like karua is just using her power to settle political vendetta's. If you are going to accuse someone of a crime, you must have clear evidence that can stand up in a court of law.
Minister of Education:
They are many hard working, well meaning professor's in Kenya who love to teach, who believe in education and who would do a good job here. Saitoti is corrupt. I'd get rid of him.
I don't trust manu chandaria. He's been riding both sides of the political gravy train for too long. & i've never heard about him doing any charity work for the masses of poor kenyans. you want someone who is interested in public service and not just making money.
Others I'd weave in:
wanjiku Mugane and phoreze nowrejee.
I am going to stick with Chandaria. He has done quite a bit of "charity work/donations" but he pushes for self-reliance. Kenyans want freebies with no-strings attached!
There is a "market" on Parklands Rd (across from Aga Khan Hospital/School) that he funded through his "foundation/trust".
I have not come across info on whether he was corrupt. He has the experience coz his firm has businesses all over not just Kenya.
I do not know enough about Mugane. Her claim to fame is thru FirstAfrica whose claim to fame is listing Anglogold Ashanti but apparently FirstAfrica's role was not as "large" as they make it out to be! Someone, please add more to this. I am sure she is talented but what position could she take?
For Finance: I take Adan over Mugane.
Nowrojee is a candidate for AG.
We need a "strong" PM (or whatever position we call it) who can keep everyone else in line... Somehow Nyongo would not be that person!
Ole Kaparo - No way! This guy rode the real gravy train!
Keep in mind Kenyans don't want a kibaki style cabinet i.e. 30 ministers!!
@coldtusker - guts is not what is needed inkenya look at all the gutsy politicians we have raila,gumo,mwenje et all. the war on corruption can only be won using the law. for all he did JG has really shown poor understanding of the law. most of the cooruption cases that have been brought up will not tsand up in a court of law thats just the sad truth. - but the JG's have a place in kenya just not in govt or in business.
as for strong PM thats one thing im totally against - the PM concept is used in our local authrities to what effect. it just perpertuates a thieving elite and adds a layer to direct accountability to the peole - let the people choose their leader and let the the separate branches of govt be separate and cross acountable - no hybrid govts.
hehehe now let me piss everybody off. musikari kombo! why not
annon:
I lost all respect for kombo when he went back to kibaki begging for a cabinet post if he was given certain "goodies". that, and his role in the luhya unity meeting. I don't want primitive tribal leaders. He's looking out for himself.
Wanjiku Mugane is a lawyer by training. She is smart and well educated. You put her together with someone like Makatiani - BAM! things would happen.
No prime minister - if you want power, you must get it directly from the people. no back door shenanigans. if raila believes he is popular, he should seek a direct vote from the people. what is he afraid of?
Kudri - Whereas I want political change, politics (Kenyan-style) disgusts me! I wonder how many there are out there like me?
I will support the efforts but who do we get to stand?
www.kumekucha.blogspot.com (Worth a read).
I wish we can elect a sensible, clean, popular & strong prez (suggestions???) who will appoint technocrats.
I have used this example before:
1) Rajiv Gandhi's (via his Congress Party) received a MASSIVE sympathy vote thus he had a free hand when he appointed Manmohan Singh & Sam Pitroda (technocrats) to their positions in the government. 15 years later we have amazing economic growth out of India.
2) Deng saw the need for (economic) reform. Capitalism & privatisation was allowed & we have a booming China. A (not so)benevolent dictatorship.
Does Kenya have the ability to elect an immensely powerful (non-tribal) president who can override his party's powermen & lead the people?
This cannot be a "tribal" presidency thus allowing the prez to hire & fire at will not having to go to petty tribal chiefs with a begging bowl. After the referendum, kibz had to go to ngilu & kombo!
Quote: "Kudri - Whereas I want political change, politics (Kenyan-style) disgusts me! I wonder how many there are out there like me?"
There is a saying, "A people gets the leaders it deserves." This means that the disgusting state of politics REFLECT BADLY UPON YOU AND ME.
Lets's get rid of our sentimental notions regarding the nobility of the general public.
The "general public" is tribalistic! This is the implicit card that polticians are slave to. The only thing you can blame politicans for is opportunism. THEY FOUND A SITUATION AND EXPLOITED IT.
On the other hand, if - as Githong says - someone hands you a skunk, do you take it home as a pet? A good leader is not passive, and would try to influence the tribalistic thinking of Kenyans and get rid of this "my people" and "our man in the big seat" thinking.
THE SEEMINGLY ERUDITE. Anyang Nyongo, Mukhisa Kituyi. Add Mutahi Kagwe. These people should redeem us from crude high school dropouts like Onyato, Nyayo, Kalembe and Chotara.
Comment: Does sounding intelligent, cultured and intellectual really make for a good leader? Does any of you know some good-for-nothing neighbourhood drunkards who are very sophistictaed sounding, Economist-quoting?
THE ACTIVISTS: Wangari Maathai, John Githongo, Maina Kiai, Pheroze Nowrojee. Thorns-in-their-sides.
Comment: does being a good opponent make one a good PROPONENT. What would Kiai do if their was noone to oppose?
BUSINESS MANAGERS: Titus Naikuni, Mohamed Adan, Sammy Kirui
Comment: the scope of a company manager - KQ, Barclays - is narrow and, professionally and by definition, selfish. A political leader, on the other hand, must balance regional and international interests - again, BY PROFESSION (eg economics). These two outlooks are contradictory.
EXPERIENCED INTELLECTUAL: Prof. Yash Pal Ghai
Comment: He's a professor but has been thru the rough and tumble, so he's not too Ivory Tower. But his ideas on Constitution were a bit too socialistic/goody-goody/ice-creamy naive-and-dangerous.
SCRATCHERS: Ayisi Makatiani, Manu Chandaria
Built multi-national companies from scratch, go to respect that. Team-building skills, consensus - they must have these. However, same problem as those who were employed (Titus, Adan): their objectives were confined to a business.
National leadership is about a broader vision, which they may have trouble grasping.
CT: If you check the comments on the last post, it was me not KE who came up with the names!!! KE just raised up the patriotism issue. Can't I get a bit of credit???
I mentioned Njeri Rionge, she can also pull skills for ICT. Sammy Kirui is too govt oriented (background CCK and TKL) to saidia private sector. What about Pasaris?
all those pple identified by ct have excelled in their fields of service in one way or another. but when it comes to real politics i doubt whether they will survive the heat of new responsibilities.
why not have them as a select 'board of directors' to run kenya? they can solicit, interview and select a 'politics conscious' from kenyan citizenry and have him/her on the leash. smae case for ministers and other key appointments
Mwasjd: After some research, credit does go to KE. I don't how to link her comments on my my earlier blog entry ("My Dream Team for Kenya").
Toneloc: That is a problem I face. I don't think I am alone. You are RIGHT. How do we resolve this situation?
Toneloc: The proposed folks are NOT politicians & will have to adapt. I expect they will make MUCH better leaders than the current crop we have! An experienced politician like Nyongo could guide them.
They require our goodwill just like NARC had (& lost asap) in 2002.
On Ghai & his constitution - We SHOULD aim for the ideal even if we, not the constitution, falls short. Look at the USA & S.Africa.
jp: We need to move away from the politics & run Kenya like a "compassionate" business!
Politicians come from various walks of life. Just because someone is a business executive or an academic, does not by itself mean, that they will be unable to become effective politicians.
I think the most important element in defining who will become a successful politician is an individual's belief system. You must have an ingrained ideology that innately moves you towards public service.
You must also have clearly defined goals of what you want to accomplish. The reason why so many politicians in Africa fail, is because they don't have this ingrained ideology about issues. For them, it's all about money and power. The pursuit of these two things is fine, but without an ideology to back it up, you cannot become a succesful politician.
I've met Anyang Nyongo a few times. He has an ingrained ideology about public service. When you talk to him, you can tell that he has thought deeply about the issues and has solutions on how to solve them. He is a true believer.
Kibaki is not a true believer. For him, it's about money and power. He has been somewhat successful because he has surrounded himself with reasonably competent people.
Moi was not a true believer. For him, it was about power, power power. He failed, because he lacked confidence in his own intellectual abilities and thus, was unwilling to surround himself with competent technocrats who would have run the country more effectively.
Someone here said that just because someone can talk eloquently doesn't by itself mean that they will make good leaders. True, but in this day & age, you have to have certain minimum requirements. Kalembe Ndile cannot be president! I admire what his been able to achieve in his life, but he just doesn't have those minimum competencies. The world is becoming more complex and more competitive. You've got to have someone who can handle these complex issues.
There may be "transitional" problems when "newbie" politicians take office. Some may fail BUT the thought of having
PROFESSIONAL POLITICIANS
is revolting!
I say no, non, nyet & hapana.
In the USA, there are MANY who have made the successful transition from non-political professions to successful (& honest) office bearers.
Why are so many politicians lawyers?
I need Kenyan examples coz I don't have flattering ones!
kenyatta - farmer to crook, um, president
moi - teacher to fool, um, minister of something, then VP, then yikes! president!
USA exmaples
Michael Bloomberg - From founder/CEO of Bloomberg Financial to Mayor of New York.
Jimmy Carter - Peanuts to Prez
Ron Reagan - Movie actor/businessman to Governor to Prez
Ahnold the Terminator - Movie (actor?) to Guhvanator
Jesse Ventura - Wrestler/Actor to Governor (1 term as an independent)
Sawa CT, I'll stop chasing the props.
I saw on the media recently that the churches intend to identify individuals who they'll openly support in next year's elections as competent upright leaders. Would that sort out the ideaology issue or throw the country into more political turmoil, since religion is also a touchy issue?
mswajd: Give me an (original) idea & I will give you credit! All your contributions are welcomed.
I don't think "religion" is an issue unless the churches endorse only denominational candidates with overtly religious agendas.
At this rate all we will have extreme polarisation!
Vote for Bw. NoIdeaButEndorsedByHisClan of the Catholic Kambas of Changamwe Party OR a hundred variants of this!
Ntwiga - I am confused... where did I say Governors are "appointed"...
Just to clarify - State Governors are ELECTED not appointed.
Don't elect people because they are "educated" and "smart". Altho important there's much more to it. A lot of people in gok today are educated and smart but have done little with their educ and smartness for the benefit of the country? Besides, aren't you also educated and smart?
A lot of names above wouldn't cut it for me. W Mugane - i somewhat agree with coldtusker. She has great press (i just googled) but please tell me again what First Africa has done in 10 years in Kenya? My google search found nada about their work in Kenya i think their SA company did the work for Anglo. Scratch below the surface friends! Pheroze - some peeps are best left as activists. Look at what happened to activism once NARC hired activists in 2003. Mahinda and Naikun - now we're talking. Makatiani - my jury is still out there as i haven't heard anything on him since African Lakes bought Afr online in 99.
So let's not just drop names instead we should scrutinize our proposees deeply and make sure that each can hold their candle.
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