Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki, EAC, inakabiliwa na changamoto nyingi mno, na hili si jambo la kushangaza kwa asasi inayojumuisha nchi tano na ambayo inafikiria hata kupanuka zaidi. Lakini baadhi ya changamoto hizi zinatokana na sisi wenyewe kutojali ‘principles’ za msingi kabisa ambazo tunazichezeachezea ili kukidhi maslahi ya watu wachache miongoni mwetu.

Hapa nafikiria msimamo wa Rais Mwai Kibaki wa Kenya ambaye hivi karibuni amekuwa akihaha huku na kule kutaka watu wake wanaoshitakiwa katika Mahakama Ya Kimataifa ya Hague waondolewe kule na waletwe eti kuhukumiwa katika mahakama ya Afrika Mashariki.

Mnafiki mkubwa huyu, eti anata mahakama ambayo haina uwezo wa kuhukumu kesi kama ile ya hawa mabwana wanne ifanye kazi hiyo ambayo haina uwezo juu yake.

Tujikumbushe mambo machache. Moja, Kibaki aliiba uchaguzi wa rais mwaka 2007, akisaidiwa na wakora wenzake, akiwamo mtu mmoja anayeitwa Sam Kivuiti aliyekuwa mwenyekiti wa tume ye uchaguzi ambaye ndiye aliyemtangaza Kibaki kuwa mshindi na kisha akaapishwa (Kibaki) haraka haraka bila watu kushuhudia kiapo hicho.

Baada ya hapo, sote tunajua, ndipo kiyama kikatokea, watu kuchinjana, watoto kuchomwa moto, wanawake na wasichana kubakwa..na kadhalika. Yote haya yalifanyika kutokana na kitendo cha kuiba uchaguzi alichofanya Kibaki. Ni vigumu kuamini kwamba vurugu zile zingetokea kama kusingekuwako na wizi wa uchaguzi ambao Wakenya walikuwa wakitumaini uwaondolee utawala wa Kibaki, lakini wahuni wa kabila lake wakawalaghai wananchi.

Pili, baada ya kuwa watu kadhaa wamebainika kwamba walichochea na kupanga mauaji na maafa mengine baada ya uchaguzi ulioibwa na Kibaki, na Kenya ikatakiwa ifanye utaratibu wa kuwashitaki na kuwahukumu nchini Kenya, serikali ya Kibaki, ikishinikizwa na washukiwa hao, ilikataa kufanya hivyo, bila shaka ikiamini kwamba safari ya kwenda Hague itakuwa ngumu kuandaa. Kibaki na wenzake walidhani ni utani.

Lakini safari hiyo ikaandaliwa, na Ocampo akaonyesha kwamba hakuna utani. Sasa Kibaki anajaribu kufanya nini? Anajaribu kuwaokoa watu wake, hasa wawili miongoni mwao ambao ni washirika wake wa karibu. Kuna sababu nyingi zinazoweza kumsukuma Kibaki kufanya anavyofanya. Mojawapo ni kuwaokoa watu wa kabila lake (hao wawili), mmoja wao akiwa anamuandaa kumrithi katika uchaguzi wa mwaka ujao.

Pili, lazima atakuwa na wasiwasi juu ya ushahidi utakaotolewa huku Hague, iwapo wawili hawa watasimamishwa kizimbani kujibu maswali juu ya vikao vilivyofanyika ndani ya Ikulu ya Kibaki kupanga mauaji kwa kukitumia kikundi haramu cha Mungiki. Swali kubwa litakuwa, je, vikao hivyo vilifanyika ndani ya Ikulu bila Rais Kibaki mwenye kujua na kuvibariki?

Ni dhahiri jina la Kibaki litakuwa na nafasi kubwa katika shauri hili, na ndiyo maana anahangaika kuwaondoa watu wake kutoka Hague. Anatetea nafsi yake. Pia anahitaji kumwokoa yule ambaye amemwandaa kumrithi. Iwapo mchakato wa Hague utaendelea, huyo mwana-mteule atakuwa mwana-mpotevu, hasara kwa kabila-tawala analoliamini Kibaki.

Hayo yote ni mahesabu ya Kibaki na wapambe wake. Kinachochefua nafsi ni jinsi wakuu wa nchi za Afrika Mashariki walivyokubali kumsikiliza Kibaki na kuridhia dhana yake ya kuwaondoa washukiwa Hague eti washitakiwe katika mahakama ya Afrika Mashariki isiyokuwa na mamalaka ya kusikiliza kesi kama hii.

Huko nyuma serikali ya Kenya ilikwisha kudhihirisha jinsi isivyoiheshimu mahakama hii, hasa kwa kukataa kutekeleza maamuzi yake, na hakuna sababu ya kuamini kwamba safari hii ipo nia ya dhati ya Kenya kuiheshimu.

Sasa, mimi najiuliza, wakuu wa nhi za Afrika Mashariki wamekubali kuwaokoa washukiwa hawa kwa sababu wao pia wanajijengea mazingira ya kujiokoa iwapo watafanya kama Kibaki na watu wake walivyofanya?

Tunatakiwa tuwakatalie wakuu hawa, na tuwaambie, kama Jumuiya yenyewe maana yake ni kutuingiza katika utetezi wa wahalifu na ulinzi wa wanafiki, haina maana na wala hatuitaki. Kibaki mwizi wa kura hawezi kuwa mfano mwema kwetu sisi kumuiga, Kibaki mtetea wahalifu si kiongozi mwema kwetu kumfuata.

Read the Full Story

Taarifa kwamba Serikali ya China imeanza msako wa kuwanasa wahamijai haramu waliomo mjini Beijing zinatia hamu ya kufikiri kidogo, hasa kwa nchi zetu za Kiafrika ambazo zimeanza kufurika na raia wa China wanaofanya kila aina ya shughuli ambazo hi haki ya raia wa nchi zetu kuzifanya.

Imeelezwa kwamba serikali ya China imezindua kampeni maalumu ya kuwakamata watu wasio raia wa China wanaofanya shughuli mbali mbali kinyume cha sheria na utaratibu, na wananchi wa China wameombwa kutoa taarifa kuhusu watu wa aina hiyo ili wakamatwe na kurejeshwa makwao.

Kichekesho ni kwamba nchi nyingi za Kiafrika zimekuwa zikilalamika kwamba Wachina wanazidi kuwa wengi katika nchi zetu na wanafanya biashara ambazo ni haki ya wananchi wetu ambao hawana ajira. Serikali zetu zinaangalia tatizo hilo bila kuchukua hatua. Serikali ya China sasa inatufundisha ni hatua gani zinatakiwa kuchukuliwa. Hivi hatuoni, hatuwezi kujifunza, hatuna uchungu na ajira za vijana wetu, au ni ni ni hasa kinatusibu?

Hivi hatuogopi tukiona Wachina wanauza mchicha na viazi, wanawanyang’anya hata Machinga biashara zao? Tunapoambiwa kwamba ukosefu wa ajira ni bomu la muda, tunang’aka na kutoa takwimu mfu, lakini ukweli ni kwamba bomu hili litalipuka tu, kwa sababu, kama alivyosema mwanafalsafa mmoja, anything that can go wan go wrong will go wrong.

Wachina wanatufundisha, hivyo tukae chonjo.

Read the Full Story

One of the major causes of the dwindling respect with which the public treat mass media anywhere in the world is the tendency for some of us to publish lies, rumours, speculations, approximations and hearsay, disguised as news. This is wrong, obviously, because it shows media in a very poor light as purveyors of lies as long as they sell.

The current crisis in govermnment and parliament is a case in point, with rumour upon unfounded rumour being published about the whole circus playing out in Dodoma. We should try to avoid this practice which demeans the profession and afterward good sense.

Read the Full Story

Tumefika mahali tuna na kwamba wakuu wa Serikali yetu wanaweza kulea matatizo ya utovu wa iuwajibikaji mpaka yakafikia kiasi cha kutishia kuiangusha Serikali yenyewe lakini wasichukue hatua kwa kuhofia kuwaumiza wachache miongoni mwao wanaofanya madudu ambayo yamekuwa dhahiri kwa kila mtu.

Ninavyoelewa mimi, Serikali katika ujumla wake ni muhimu kuliko waziri mmoja, au mwawaziri wawili, watatu, au sita. Inakuwaje watu wachache wenye matatizo yanayoonekana hata kwa mtoto mdogo wanaachiwa kuiweka serikali yao rehani hadi baadhi ya wabunge watishie kupiga kura ya kutokuwa na imani na waziri mkuu?

Huku kulindana kunatokana na nini? Kunatokana na kutoona na kutoelewa ni madudu gani yamefanywa na hawa mawaziri, au ni kutokana na kuoneana haya, au ni kulindana kwa maslahi kwa kuwa wote wanajuana na wanayajua ya kila mmoja wao, na hakuna anaethubutu kumnyooshea kidole mwenziwe akiwa na uhakika kwamba naye hatanyooshewa kidole na wenzake?

Uozo ukiisha kufika viwango hivyo tutambue kwamba ni mwanzo wa mwisho wa enzi. Tumekwama, tumepotea, hatuendi ko kote kwa sababu, kwa bahati mbaya, watu tuliowaweka hawana habari na maslahi yetu wanachokitafuta ni kushibisha matumbo yao. Hapa hatuna uongozi bali ubabaishaji.

Wazalendo wa kweli wanatakiwa kujipanga ili kukabiliana na uozo huu kabla haijawa ‘ too late’ la sivyo tutakuja juta muda si mrefu.

Read the Full Story

Joyce Banda, who was President Bingu Mutharika’s vice president has been sworn in as president and head of state following her successor’s death. These have been truly dramatic developments since it was announced last week that Bingu had suffered a cardiac arrest and admitted in a South African hospital, after which he was pronounced dead.

The late president was known to be so hostile to his own vice president that the two hardly spoke for a couple of years, strange truth if one considers that he chose her as a running mate in the last elections in 2009. But then it is known also that Bingu had similar problems with an earlier vice president, Cassim Chilumpha, who he even placed under house arrest and prosecuted for treason.

It was an open secret in Lilongwe that Bingu had intended to make sure he was succeeded by his younger brother, Peter wa Mutharika when the former’s tenure came to the end in 2014. Death has thus cut short all these plans, and in a way we can say, “Bingu proposed but Death disposed.”

Indeed, the constitution of Malawi provided for succession by the vice president and, in spite of rumours that plots were afoot to defeat the constitution, the rightful person has been given the job.

Congratulations, therefore, to Joyce Banda, and ardent wishes for her success in the stewardship of Malawi, which is currently facing grave socio-economic as well as political  issues.

JU

Read the Full Story