HangOntoYourHats

I was going to write something light today. Things seemed to be settling down a bit in Kenya and I was feeling a bit light-hearted. I was hoping it was quarter past silly time again. Nothing in the Nation seemed that bad so I moved over to the Standard for a peek at their news. I think they do a better job on editorials.

Hang onto your hats gang looks like we're in for more trouble. Americans think that the difficulties have been worked out. We're more focused on Obama and Clinton's tribal wars than what's happening on the other side of the world. You know the funny thing is that our Presidential race as well as things happening in England, Sudan, France, China get front page billing in their papers. What do you make of that campers?

So it seems that they may have used Kofi Annan up. He's saying that almost no progress has been made and ODM (the opposition party) is going to have peace rallies (read demonstrations to challenge whether the police are really going to change their tactics and not use real bullets). They're due to begin in 48 hours.

I'm still struggling with how to get the schools to send me accurate records. I realize that they have to learn to be accountable and send exactly what they spent. I need to know how many bushels of maize and for how much. I'm going to call another head teacher and have her check her email. It's hard, but we can't continue to send money without proper accounts. Sometimes I wonder what on earth am I doing trying to get sustainability in a tiny town in Kenya. I'm waiting for God to poke me in the eye.

And now the latest news:

ODM calls for mass action

Published on February 26, 2008, 12:00 am

By Ayub Savula

ODM last night called for mass action on this Thursday following the stalling of the Kofi Annan mediation talks.

Secretary General, Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o, last night sent a letter dated February 25 to Police Commissioner, Maj Gen Ali Hussein, informing him that the party would hold nationwide peace meetings on February 28.

In the letter to the police commissioner, Nyong’o said all the ODM regional coordinators had delivered letters to respective Officer Commanding Police Stations (OCS) across the country.

At the same time, Nyong’o informed the Nairobi City Council that they had booked the Uhuru Park grounds.

Meanwhile, Annan’s team said in a statement he had concluded the team was not capable of resolving the outstanding issues. He said they had made "almost no progress… on governance".

In the statement sent to newsrooms last night, Annan said: "After four hours of intense negotiations this morning, the negotiating team made almost no progress toward reaching an agreement on governance, despite the fact that they were given entire weekend to consult on their positions.

"I had to conclude that they were not capable of resolving the outstanding issues, I therefore suspended the afternoon session in order to confer directly with the leaders."

Annan first met ODM leader, Mr Raila Odinga, at the Serena Hotel and then President Kibaki at State House.

"With these leaders I shared issues in contention and urged them to resolve their differences so that we could complete our work on Agenda Item 3. How to Resolve the Political crisis, confident that they understood the crisis the Nation is in and the impatient desire the people of Kenya to see a final resolution to the conflict.

"I believe that the Panel of Eminent African Personalities working with the Kenya National Dialogue and Reconciliation have done its work. I am now asking the Party leaders, Hon Raila Odinga and President Mwai Kibaki to do theirs."