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BOOK REVIEW: Peeling Back the Mask: A Quest for Justice

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A controversial book on Prime Minister Raila Odinga authored by his former adviser Miguna Miguna

One of the most anticipated books in Kenya is finally out.

Miguna Miguna's unflinching book, Peeling Back the Mask, is off the printing presses and available in book stores in Kenya, the UK and North America.

In the run up to the publication, some individuals took to blogs and social media with "leaked excerpts" from the book as early as six months ago.

Contrary to popular myth and urban legends, what Miguna has put out is NOT a "tell all" tract whose sole aim is to discredit Raila Odinga, the Prime Minister of Kenya.
Peeling Back the Mask is a political memoir, a retracing and retelling of the author's ongoing existence.

Given Miguna's professional, personal and political engagement with Raila Odinga especially over the last two or three years, that period of Miguna's life is given prominence and one finds fascinating details, not just about the backdrop of the events that led to the stormy, bitter and very public parting of ways between the two, but more interestingly, the painstaking role that he and other ODM insiders and strategists played in building the Orange Democratic Movement into the electoral behemoth that it grew into.


Cobbled together

It also sheds light into the ultimate ascendancy of the man popularly known as "Agwambo" to become the co-principal of Kenya's grand coalition government cobbled together in the aftermath of the post-election violence, which broke out in the aftermath of the fiercely contested presidential election results of December 2007.

The memoirs, which run to 614 pages is divided into eight parts (Books One to Eight), comprising 21 chapters.

Book One is about the author's formative years growing up in Nyando, Nyanza province in western Kenya among members of his Luo ethnic and cultural community. Miguna describes vividly his childhood and adolescent years in Magina, Nyatoto and Apondo; his time at the Onjiko Secondary School where he made his first mark as a militant youth and at Njiiri's High School in Murang'a where he completed his A-levels before proceeding to the University of Nairobi.


He recalls the numerous run-ins with the State during his stint at the National Youth Service and ends by delving into the radical campus politics from where he was ultimately rounded up along with other elected student leaders and forced to flee into exile in 1987.


Book Two commences with the traumatic transition which sees Miguna and his comrades travelling through neighbouring Tanzania and 'squatting' in Swaziland for several months before being airlifted to Canada as a government refugee and permanent resident in 1988.


This section portrays the emergence of Miguna Miguna as a Pan Africanist and global citizen and his sojourn at the University of Toronto where he completed his undergraduate studies in political science and Osgoode Law School at York University where he earned his first and second law degrees come alive with memories of his involvement in the struggles of African immigrants, Caribbean people of African descent, Native and Indigenous People of the Americas and other progressive people in anti-racist and other struggles against oppression.


Advocate for the marginalised

As a young lawyer concentrating on human rights, refugee and immigration law Miguna developed a reputation as a courageous, outspoken and implacable advocate for the marginalised and dispossessed at the periphery of mainstream Canadian society. One has to read the book for the many fascinating accounts of some of these court and community battles in the broader war to contribute to a more humane and equitable Canada.

Book Three covers Miguna's re-entry into Kenya after all those years abroad. Book Five is subtitled "In the Trenches" and looks at the battles pitting ODM against PNU through the tumultuous 2007 campaign right up to the onset of crisis following the disputed presidential election results.

The reader has a front row seat as he or she partakes in Miguna's first hand, passionate account.

Book Five subtitled "Standing Tall in the Corridors of Power" sees Miguna take a critical look at the internal dynamics within the ODM team-dissecting the strengths and weaknesses of the party position during retreats to negotiate a power sharing arrangement; the author dangles some of the warning signs he observed in his unravelling relationship with the Prime Minister and his coterie of aides and cites some of the skirmishes he engaged in.

Book Six, captioned "Circling Wolves" is a no holds barred 'roasting' of Raila Odinga as Miguna talks of betrayal and flip flopping. Book Seven (Against the Currents) devotes itself to the corruption and sleaze scandals including the controversy around the maize scandal as well as an expose of some of the people around Raila who became overnight billionaires.

The heart of Miguna's memoirs is the last part, sub-titled "Peeling Back the Mask." This is Book Eight-composed of three chapters and an epilogue describes the final fall out, sees Miguna makes his overall assessment of Raila Odinga and Kenyan politics and affirms his optimistic view of a "Project Kenya."

Dominant figure

This is the part that pundits have been hankering for. The author talks about his motivation of giving up a fairly comfortable middle class existence in the suburbs of southern Ontario, exchanging that for the uncertain, topsy turvy life in a twenty first century Kenya where most inhabitants still subsist in a manner not very different from their nineteenth century forbearers.

Here is where Miguna explains how and why he got acquainted, intrigued, head hunted and ultimately recruited by Raila Odinga who was then the most dominant figure in Kenya's political opposition, a three-time detainee reformer seen by many Kenyans as providing the democratic alternative to the decades long stranglehold of elite politicians on the Kenyan neo-colonial state. One can feel the anguish of Miguna as he painfully comes to terms with the realities of mainstream Kenyan electorate contestations.


He narrates how he discovered another side of Raila Odinga he had hitherto not suspected existed. From his vantage point as a key insider of the Prime Minister's team, Miguna reveals gut wrenching details of corruption and a litany of misdeeds and moral missteps that reads like a chronicle of the seven deadly sins.


Even to those familiar with Miguna's public reaction to his controversial dismissal from his powerful position, there are new details of the behind-the-scenes shenanigans and conspiracies which precipitated his ouster that will be nuggets of insight to those interested in a more balanced narrative.


His scrutiny of some prominent political heavyweights on the current Kenyan scene-beyond his critique of his former boss- is spot on, if sometimes brutally and ruthlessly honest. For his compatriots and contemporaries still committed to the goal of reconstructing a better Kenya, Peeling Back the Mask is an indispensable companion.

There are many Kenyans - friends and foe alike - who are mystified with what makes Miguna tick. An answer to this head scratching query can be gleaned from the passage captioned "Declaration" which can be found at the beginning of the book. There Miguna tells the reader about his ethos and world outlook, his ideology and political aspirations as well as ideals.


*Onyango Oloo is a political activist, former political prisoner and founder and moderator of Jukwaa.
Onyango.oloo@gmail.com. Tel: +254-715-757-947

BOOK REVIEW: Peeling Back the Mask: A Quest for Justice*- Politics*|nation.co.ke



Get Your Copy Here.... http://www.bidiiafrika.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=190&d=1342601139
 
Raila not as clean as he claims: Miguna

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Author Miguna Miguna during the launch of his book titled 'Peeling Back the Mask' at the Intercontinental Hotel, Nairobi on July 14, 2012. Photo/SALATON NJAU

By PETER NG'ETICH
Posted Saturday, July 14 2012 at 16:43

A former advisor of Prime Minister Raila Odinga has said the PM should not claim that he is clean while he is surrounded with people who have a tainted past.

Mr Miguna Miguna said Dr Mohamed Isahakia and Caroli Omondi have been implicated in a list of scandals with the latest one being the National Housing Corporation.

"He surrendered some houses in Woodley Estate to the former KACC (Kenya and Anti-Corruption Commission) boss Patrick Lumumba recently, where on earth does such a thing happen and you are not prosecuted?" he asked.

He said ironically, ministers Fred Gumo, Dalmas Otieno, William ole Ntimama and ODM chairman Henry Kosgey were the perpetuators of the single party oppression who are now the PM's trusted friends.

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/Raila+...+Miguna/-/1056/1453866/-/j9esx8z/-/index.html
 


Secret story of Raila's relations with Kibaki


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By MURITHI MUTIGA mmutiga@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Monday, July 9 2012 at 23:30

President Kibaki walked out of a top-level reconciliation meeting he was meant to co-chair without uttering a word at the height of coalition tensions in 2009, according to a new book.


The walkout underlined what the author claims was a troubled and unequal relationship between the President and Prime Minister Raila Odinga who lead a coalition of the Party of National Unity and Orange Democratic Movement, which often teetered on the verge of collapse.

Mr Miguna Miguna, the prime minister's former advisor on constitution and coalition affairs, in his book paints a picture of the President as a coldly aloof and inflexible man who in private does not treat Mr Odinga as an equal partner.

He, for example, recounts one occasion when President Kibaki would not come out of his suite at Kilaguni Lodge in Tsavo West National Park to speak to Mr Odinga and addressed him from behind a curtain.

He also projects Mr Odinga as having failed to get the best deal for the Orange Democratic Movement in his negotiations with the President after the disputed 2007 General Election.

Peeling Back the Mask: A Quest for Justice in Kenya, Mr Miguna's no-holds-barred account of his time as a top advisor to Mr Odinga, goes behind the scenes to examine the intrigues, power plays and personality rivalries that have characterised the unity government since it was brokered by peace envoy Kofi Annan in 2008.

Mr Miguna, who fell out with the Prime Minister in dramatic fashion after he was fired from his post in Mr Odinga's team last year, paints the relationship between Mr Kibaki and Mr Odinga as an unequal marriage in which the President comfortably dominated Mr Odinga.

He claims that Mr Kibaki, who was better briefed and had a more disciplined team around him, frequently got the better of the Premier in one-on-one meetings.

Secret story of Raila
 


The secret deals of ODM power men


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Former aide paints the picture of Prime Minister Raila Odinga as a billionaire at the head of a fast-expanding regional empire.


By MURITHI MUTIGA mmutiga@ke.nationmedia.com and TIM WANYONYI twanyonyi@ke.nation media.com
Posted Tuesday, July 10 2012 at 21:24

Prime Minister Raila Odinga is a billionaire with interests spanning several continents and a business portfolio that has grown significantly since he entered the Grand Coalition, according to his former aide....

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/politi...-/1064/1450494/-/item/0/-/23s1ad/-/index.html
 


Miguna: Our office was a swamp of graft

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Prime Minister Raila Odinga's advisor on coalition matters Miguna Miguna was suspended on August 4, 2011.


By MURITHI MUTIGA mmutiga@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Wednesday, July 11 2012 at 21:38

Miguna Miguna casts the Prime Minister's office and the Grand Coalition as a den of corruption where multi-billion-shilling deals are struck behind closed doors and foreign trips used to clinch private business contracts....


Miguna: Our office was a swamp of graft*- Politics*|nation.co.ke
 
Raila trap for ODM rivals

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In an explosive new book, former aide to Prime Minister Raila Odinga claims that his boss funded political plot that stopped William Ruto (left) from taking over UDM.


By ERIC SHIMOLI eshimoli@ke.nationmedia.com AND TIM WANYONYI twanyonyi@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Wednesday, July 11 2012 at 23:33


Prime Minister Raila Odinga funded a retired general in an elaborate political plot to keep William Ruto from taking over the United Democratic Movement, a former aide claims in a new book.

Mr Miguna Miguna, the PM's former advisor on coalition affairs, writes that he was part of a plan in which Mr Odinga gave retired General John Koech money to fight the Eldoret North MP.

The political plot was an ODM project on which Miguna worked with Nairobi lawyer Mugambi Imanyara.

"As Ruto announced that he would run for the presidency on the UDM ticket, we resolved to lock him out of both parties.

"Our first strategy was to ensure that Gen Koech clung onto the UDM chairmanship in order to prevent Ruto from taking over the party," Mr Miguna wrote.

This, he adds, was done through Gen Koech filing a petition with the Political Parties Tribunal, challenging Mr Ruto's "irregular takeover of UDM".

Mr Ruto was forced to retain lawyers for a battle with Gen Koech at the tribunal and the High Court, Miguna writes.

Out of frustration arising from the cases, Mr Ruto abandoned UDM and registered his own United Republican Party on whose ticket he is now gunning for the presidency.....


Raila trap for ODM rivals *- Politics*|nation.co.ke
 

Inside Raila's kitchen cabinet

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Suleiman Mbatiah | NATION Prime Minister Raila Odinga addresses a rally in Nakuru last week. A new book sheds light into his political strategy.

By MURITHI MUTIGA mmutiga@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Thursday, July 12 2012 at 22:00




Prime Minister Raila Odinga comes across from his former aide's new book as a hardened, crafty political operative with a complex view on electoral strategy and a multi-layered team of advisers often at odds with each other.


Mr Miguna Miguna, who until last August was one of the PM's top allies and confidantes, says Mr Odinga relies, above all, on a close team of relatives and political partners.

At the heart of that group is a small circle of relatives and senior employees in the Office of the Prime Minister, including Mr Odinga's wife Ida, and ODM MPs Oburu Odinga, James Orengo, Jakoyo Midiwo and Anyang' Nyong'o and his top aides, Caroli Omondi and Mohamed Isahakia.

Mr Odinga's inner circle is advised by a "think tank" which, Mr Miguna writes in his new memoirs, Peeling Back the Mask: A Quest for Justice in Kenya, has involved a number of informal advisers over the past few years.

Some of those Mr Miguna lists as long-term strategists of Mr Odinga include Prof Edward Oyugi, Mr Oduor Ong'wen, Mr Mugambi Imanyara, Mr Mutakha Kangu, Dr Adhu Awiti, Prof Peter Wanyande, Mr Salim Lone and Mr Nabii Nabwera.

Mr Odinga does not always take their advice. Mr Miguna depicts the PM as a man who consults widely but is sometimes slow to take decisive action.

He says Mr Odinga is almost constantly on his mobile phone discussing political events with various players, but complains that the PM is rarely worried about his phone being tapped and has consistently resisted efforts to get him to be more security conscious.

Mr Miguna's book has triggered animated discussions about the unflattering portrait it paints of the PM. But beyond the attacks on Mr Odinga's character, the book offers some of the most revealing insights about the ODM leader's approach to politics, a valuable tool because apart from Presidents Kibaki and Moi, no single figure has dominated Kenyan politics in the last decade and a half than the PM.

Mr Odinga comes across as a political bruiser who takes the long view in strategising how to acquire power and understands victory comes to those who are patient and adaptable in the struggle for public office.

Mr Miguna offers this story about a meeting he held with Mr Odinga before the last elections where they discussed Mr Odinga's contest for the ODM-Kenya ticket against Mr Kalonzo Musyoka.

"We moved onto the tricks and tactics Kalonzo had tried to use to win the ODM-K presidential nominations (before he eventually ran away with the party). Raila had told me a memorable thing, which I should share. He said, 'Ja-Nyando (Son of Nyando), in wrestling; when two people wrestle, they do everything to win.

"One may try to grab his opponent's crotch; the other may try to trip the opponent; but in the end, the one who wins is either the one who remains standing or on top of the other. Politics is not any different. Everyone must do whatever he can to win. So, let Kalonzo do everything he can to win…"

Like Mr Moi, Mr Odinga hates anyone keeping written records of meetings: "During the ROC (Raila Odinga Centre) so-called strategy meetings, nobody took notes," Mr Miguna writes.

"There was only one laptop which Dick (Ogolla) carried and used. Raila distrusted note-taking. He has, on occasions, lashed out at me with fury, out of the blue, for my note-taking. Perhaps this was partly a throwback to his ‘underground' past, when everything was committed to memory for fear that Moi's Special Branch boys would use any written record to obtain quick and easy convictions from trumped-up sedition and treason charges.

"But this was a new era. (Much later, I came to wonder if Raila might have been consciously trying to discourage record-keeping as a way of concealing his various business deals. He didn't want someone recording what might turn up later as ‘evidence' against him.)"

Mr Miguna describes Mr Odinga's media strategy as one which revolves around the view that whether one is covered positively or negatively, media exposure is good for a politician because it boosts their name recognition and makes them seem all-powerful.

He says this strategy was applied in the battle for the ODM-K nomination, the umbrella opposition party before the formation of ODM.

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/politi...cabinet+/-/1064/1452586/-/l8xcbq/-/index.html
 
Western powers crafted coalition option: Miguna

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US ambassador Michale Ranneberger and Prime Minister Raila Odinga addressing a press conference. Mr Miguna alleges in his book that Mr Ranneberger convinced Mr Odinga to accept "departments" in the coalition.


By TIM WANYONYI twanyonyi@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Thursday, July 12 2012 at 22:00

The grand coalition government idea was imposed on President Kibaki and Mr Raila Odinga by foreign powers, the Prime Minister's former aide claims in his book.

The United States and Britain used Mr Kofi Annan, the former United Nations secretary-general who was the chief mediator in the Kenyan dispute, to impose the power sharing solution.

Mr Miguna Miguna, who was Mr Odinga's adviser on coalition matters before falling out with him, accuses the Prime Minister of abandoning the ODM position, going into the peace talks, and embracing the coalition government idea.

Mr Miguna says he was a member of the negotiating team before being elbowed out by Mr Caroli Omondi, the Prime Minister's private secretary and chief of staff.

"He (Raila) decided - without explanation or reason to go for a coalition government, which was what Annan had announced as the ‘best way forward' upon his arrival in Nairobi, before he had even held meetings with the parties. This ‘grand coalition' idea didn't emanate from the parties or from the process, it was probably manufactured in Washington or London and delivered by Annan to Kenya; another dubious foreign experiment on Africa!"

Mr Miguna says that Mr Annan was not chosen by the two parties to the dispute but by the Americans and Britons with the backing of John Kufuor, the former Ghanaian president who was then chairman of the African Union.

"His (Annan's) name was first suggested by the US and UK administrations; and had been backed by Kufuor because they were both Ghanaians. Essentially, Kibaki and his PNU cohorts had been bludgeoned into accepting him grudgingly."

Mr Odinga's and ODM's position before Annan arrived was that there should a presidential rerun, Mr Miguna writes in his book Peeling Back The Mask: A Quest for Justice in Kenya.


Western powers crafted coalition option: Miguna *- Politics*|nation.co.ke
 
How Kosgei pulled strings to block US from endorsing Kibaki presidency

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By TIM WANYONYI twanyonyi@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Friday, July 13 2012 at 23:30

Cabinet minister Sally Kosgei was drafted in to mobilise her international connections to persuade US government officials not to endorse President Kibaki's re-election.

The then US assistant secretary of State for African Affairs, Ms Jendayi Frazer, had in January 2008 during a visit to Nairobi recommended that Washington give President Kibaki qualified recognition.

Alarmed by these developments, ODM mobilised Dr Kosgei, a former High Commissioner to London with connections in the diplomatic corps to reverse the recommendation, says

Mr Miguna Miguna, a former adviser of Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

Dr Kosgei, now Agriculture minister, was elected Aldai MP in the 2007 elections.

Mr Miguna says in his book that ODM strongly felt that if the US had followed Ms Frazer's advice, the violence then rocking the country would have worsened.

Ms Frazer met both Mr Kibaki and Mr Odinga during her visit.

ODM thus moved quickly to compel the US to retract the suggestion, Miguna writes.




How Kosgei pulled strings to block US from endorsing Kibaki presidency *- Politics*|nation.co.ke
 
Raila's fightback plan amid Miguna storm

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Prime Minister Raila Odinga during a past interview with the Sunday Nation.

By SUNDAY NATION TEAM newsdesk@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Saturday, July 14 2012 at 23:30

Prime Minister Raila Odinga plans to counter allegations contained in a provocative new book by his former aide in an effort to control potential damage from his acrimonious falling out with author Miguna Miguna.

ODM insiders have offered Mr Odinga several options to tackle the charges levelled against him in Peeling Back the Mask, Mr Miguna's memoir of his time in the Prime Minister's office. (READ:
Inside Raila's kitchen cabinet)

Some within ODM feel that Mr Odinga should tackle Mr Miguna head on. There has been talk of going after Mr Miguna's character and offering an examination of his record, which some on the PM's team say would undermine his authority.

This team has been calling for publicisation of some court cases Mr Miguna battled while in exile in Canada. One source within ODM, who requested anonymity because consultations are still ongoing, said: "Who is Miguna?

"How was his tenure as adviser on coalition affairs? What did he achieve? How did he get the job?

"What determined his choice of publisher? Why did he flirt with American fundamentalists like the anti-Obama right winger Jerome Corsi in seeking to publish the book? These are some of the issues we will address."

A second option Mr Odinga has been advised to pursue would be to encourage some of those whose character has been brought into question to seek redress in the courts, both in Nairobi and London.

This is viewed as an effort to bring into doubt the authenticity of some of the claims and to demand that Mr Miguna provide evidence for his charges of corruption in the PM's office.

In an interview with NTV before the official launch of his book on Saturday, Mr Miguna said he was ready to meet his challengers in court, where he would represent himself.

"I hear that they want to take me to court. I am a lawyer, and I will teach them some law."

Some within Mr Odinga's team of advisers think the PM should ignore Mr Miguna entirely, saying responding to him might be seen as validating the claims.

Speaking at the official launch of the book on Saturday, lawyer Paul Muite advised the PM not to take this course of action.

Mr Muite said the new book should not be viewed as an attack on individuals but as an effort to advance Kenya's political culture and to introduce greater openness in public life.

He said the PM should respond to the contents of the book instead of "fence- sitting". "Kenyans want to know the real Odinga," Mr Muite said.

He called on Mr Odinga to offer a detailed, blow-by-blow response to Mr Miguna's charges.

The former Kikuyu MP said in developed democracies like America, a candidate's past is examined back to the nursery school level, something that needs to be replicated in this country.

"Was he the beneficiary of the issues we are reading in the book? We also want to hear the unfinished business of the 1982 coup," Mr Muite said.

During the launch, a fire-spitting Mr Miguna defended his motives for writing the book, casting himself as a whistleblower who had stood against more conservative forces in the PM's office.

Raila
 
The guy was close to Raila, then they had different views on key issues and they parted. Sasa kaandika kitabu na amevizia timing yake kitoke less than a year before election. what else could we expect? Angekua presidential canditate (or presidentiable candidate) hata yeye angeandikiwa kitabu. Sijasoma kitabu ila kama hayo amesema hapo juu ndio all the wrong that he saw in Raila basi ni kama amempaka mafuta.
Politic is a a dirty game, expect more to come.
 
I don't know nothing at this time, but I still believe that Odinga is the best East Africa can give out. Despite my strong opposition to the so called Jumuia, I will definitely welcome it if it comes and Odinga's stewardship.
 
I will be interesting read the book and also to see how the events will unfold and how the Odinga's team handles them. Damage control is a team work. Mr. Mugina is pretty good and articulate. Huu utamaduni wa kuandika Kitabu utasaidia kuelimisha wananchi na viongozi waabadae. Nadhani uhuru huko aliko gego linaonekana, ukizingatia kua George Saitoti amekwisha tutoka RIP. Kitu kingine nimenotice, siasa za kenya nadhani zinaushawishi mwingi kutoka nje.
 
If what Miguna has written in the book is true, then he has helped Raila with his credentials as an astute politician who puts his country first and his party second!! He is the type of leader that Kenya needs badly.
 
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