A Deal

Our internet connection appears to be back after about 10 days. The reason for this is alternately that the radio receiver on our roof is loose or the giant radio antenna on top of the Nairobi post office is loose. But it's working now.

And just in time. Finally, Kenya's leaders appear to have ended the country's political crisis for good, for now anyway. Here's how they did it: First, divide Cabinet posts among your allies, even if they have no experience overseeing whatever it is they will be overseeing. Charity Ngilu, the much respected former health minister, now runs water and irrigation. William Ruto, accused of stirring up electoral violence, heads agriculture. Former Internal Security Minister John Michuki is now in charge of the environment.

Then, when there aren't enough Cabinet posts for your allies, create more Cabinet posts. Kenya now has ministries for Northern Kenya and Other Arid Lands, Industrialization, Planning and Vision 2030 (???) and Nairobi Metropolitan Development (even though Nairobi already has a local government).

This is so brazenly cynical that it's almost possible to forget that it's cynical. No one is talking about good governance, or about appointing a minister with experience. Instead, many of the people who have become powerful in the past by occupying powerful ministries are installed in different powerful ministries. It doesn't matter that President Kibaki fired many of them in 2005 because they couldn't get along. No wonder many people didn't seem to care who got named to the Cabinet. There seemed to be no difference in the last three and a half months, when Kenya didn't have a government.

Comments

[nuttycow]

Not that I'm totally cynical but did you expect anything different?

Jobs for the boys Nick!

[seinlife]

..and gals...