Matunda’s Blog

Corruption in Kenya has become endemic; it permeates society to such a degree it is has grow to be a norm. My sense is that we are not likely to make much progress in the current circumstances, with the current leadership and current thinking where abuse of public office is routine; a rule. Moreover, Kenyan society is very tolerant of corruption and doesn’t treat the vice as repugnant. Indeed, people accept (even applaud) those that enrich themselves illegally through their public offices. Today, if a faithful public servant retired from a position where s/he arbitrated money, fellow Kenyans would ask thus: what does s/he have to show for it?

We must be creative lest we perish!
By Matunda Nyanchama
December 22, 2009
Remarks from the Patron (read at workshop)

Click here for a .pdf version of the full speech
It is with great pleasure that we launch the inaugural series of workshops focusing on our community and country. These workshops, which will run bi-annually, would form the basis [...]

Matunda Nyanchama
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
November 8th, 2009

Last week, International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor, Moreno Ocampo, arrived in Nairobi to a warm welcome by many in the country, including civil society. At last, many Kenyans hope, there may be some action on impunity and especially on those that perpetrated violence in the last elections. Such action, [...]

By Matunda Nyanchama
Toronto, Ontario
September 27, 2009
The real issues on Justice Aaron Ringera’s re-appointment (and that of two others) to lead KACC are (a) the powers of the Executive as laid down in existing law, (b) Judicial  independence, (c) Legislative independence, and (d) Constitutionalism. The matter, now in court, offers a chance for the Judiciary to [...]

Matunda Nyanchama
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
August 27, 2009

In my last trip home, I visited orphaned children from Nyamira Orphan Project (of which I am part sponsor) as they were about to close school. It was fun seeing them, healthier and jollier than the last time I saw some of them last December. Here they [...]

Arlington, Texas
July 4, 2009

Attendees at the 4th Annual Gusii Educational Advancement & Resources (GEAR) have resolved to take action to address the poor performance of schools in Gusii schools in national examinations. Among proposed actions will be the adoption of schools to raise the standards of performance, creating model schools, and investing in early [...]

Matunda Nyanchama
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
June 1, 2009

United States Ambassador Michael E Ranneberger is calling on, especially on the Kenyan youth, to play their rightful role in the Kenyan political process. Political hopefuls like Jimmy Kibaki and Tony Gachoka seem to be following suit. They realize the power and potential of the youth.

This [...]

In February 2008 I wrote “Making of Tribal Kenya”, partly as an attempt to understand the causes and viciousness of the 2007 post-election conflict (see also Kenya: Roots of Post-Election Conflict and Hope for the Future). In it I decried the lack of a national vision of who we are as Kenyans and called for [...]

By Matunda Nyanchama
Toronto, Canada. March 24, 2009

This has been a week of outrage on Kenyan Internet chat rooms; it was indignation borne of a grisly incident caught on video of people killing and burning alleged witches in Nyamataro, near Kisii town in Kenya. The human cruelty captured in the video clip is beyond belief. [...]

Metropolitan Nairobi – Some Development Suggestions[i]
By Matunda Nyanchama

[i] Remarks to meeting of Kenyans in Canada and a Kenyan delegation from the Nairobi Metropolitan Ministry visiting Canada. February 2009

Saturday February 28, 2009

The Hon. Elizabeth Ongoro Masha, MP and the Metropolitan Nairobi Ministry Delegation, acting Kenyan High Commissioner to Canada, KCO President and Vice-President, invited [...]

By Matunda Nyanchama
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
February 14, 2009

The Kenyan parliament has voted to send perpetrators of the 2007 post-election violence to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The constitution amendment bill intended to create a local tribunal required two thirds majority to pass and it failed. This is in spite of the [...]

By Matunda Nyanchama
Nyamira, Gusii, Kenya.
December 27, 2008
Speech to students attending counseling session on examination performance in Nyamira, Gusii, Kenya.
Pastor Mouko, convenor of this examination counseling session, fellow panellists, invited guests, examination counselees, ladies and gentlemen.
I am pleased to be here today, as part of this distinguished panel on the matter of education; and specifically [...]

By Matunda Nyanchama
November 6, 2008

The election of Barack Obama to the most powerful office in the world is a cause for celebration. There is no doubt that a new era has dawned and that a generational change is underway. As a Kenyan, only Independence Day on December 12, 1963 brings similar memories. The [...]

From: matunda@hotmail.com To: africa-oped@egroups.com
Subject: Waki Report – a test for us all Kenyans
Date: Sun, 2 Nov 2008 04:58:03 +0000

The latest reports from Nairobi say that some ministers have threatened to resign from government should it implementation recommendations of the Waki Report. It is said that the report on post-election violence in Kenya has identified individuals [...]

By Matunda Nyanchama (matunda@matunda.org)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
August 21, 2008

The inaugural conference of the Kenya Scholars and Studies Association (KESSA) was a two-day event starting August 1st, 2008 in Bowling Green State University (BGSU), Ohio, USA. The event was addressed by Dr Jendayi Fraser, Assistant Secretary of State for Africa in the Bush administration. Also [...]